Sermons
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Glimmer of Hope
The book of Ruth is situated in a time when God’s people kept doing what was right in their own eyes, and kept walking way from God in order to revel in the darkness of their own ways. But Ruth shows us that, even when darkness hangs so closely, God never abandons his people – and he is moving in the lives of his people so that his relentless love can shine to all the world.
This week we're excited to welcome Aberdeen Livingstone, who is an apprentice with the Artizo Institute. Aberdeen preaches from Ruth 2, and helps us see the glimmer of hope welling up in Naomi's heart. As she unpacks the three scenes in this passage, she directs us to see how God is always at work behind the scenes, and invites us to consider how we might join in.
Bitter Hope
The book of Ruth is situated in a time when God’s people kept doing what was right in their own eyes, and kept walking way from God in order to revel in the darkness of their own ways. But Ruth shows us that, even when darkness hangs so closely, God never abandons his people – and he is moving in the lives of his people so that his relentless love can shine to all the world.
As we begin our Advent series in Ruth, this week Rob Collis preaches from Ruth 1, and introduces us to a woman named Naomi. The opening chapter of Ruth plunges us the gritty depths of Naomi’s grief and despair, and the story of her bitter hope. But even when the darkness overwhelmed her, Naomi heard the whisper of God’s grace, as he came to surround her with his love.
Strings That Bind
The book of Judges tells the gritty story of humanity’s tendency to trust in ourselves instead of God, and to do what is right in our own eyes. But as God’s people descend into a downward spiral, God’s love for them goes deeper still. God raised up a series of leaders called judges to rescue his people, and bring them back to him. Because no matter how far we fall, or how dark things get, God’s relentless love and scandalous grace will always have the final say!
This week, Rob Collis preaches from Judges 14-16, and unpacks the story of Samson. Samson was the final judge God raised up to deliver God’s people out of captivity and to lead them into spiritual renewal. But Samson was a reluctant deliverer, sent to deliver a people who didn’t want to be rescued. And while Samson is famous for breaking the strong cords that bound him tight – he was blind and impotent to the strings that strangled his heart.
Hope And The Antihero
The book of Judges tells the gritty story of humanity’s tendency to trust in ourselves instead of God, and to do what is right in our own eyes. But as God’s people descend into a downward spiral, God’s love for them goes deeper still. God raised up a series of leaders called judges to rescue his people, and bring them back to him. Because no matter how far we fall, or how dark things get, God’s relentless love and scandalous grace will always have the final say!
This week we’re excited to welcome Jude Johnson, from the Artizo Institute. Jude preaches from Judges 13, which is the the prologue for the life of Samson. Samson is the final judge God raised up to deliver God’s people out of captivity and to lead them into spiritual renewal. But as angels proclaimed his birth, and as hope began to ring, Samson was an antihero who shows us how desperately we need a better king.
The Son From Hell
The book of Judges tells the gritty story of humanity’s tendency to trust in ourselves instead of God, and to do what is right in our own eyes. But as God’s people descend into a downward spiral, God’s love for them goes deeper still. God raised up a series of leaders called judges to rescue his people, and bring them back to him. Because no matter how far we fall, or how dark things get, God’s relentless love and scandalous grace will always have the final say!
This week, Rob Collis preaches from Judges 9. So far in Judges, God’s people have always needed saving from an outside force – some foreign power. But for the first time, in chapter 9 the threat they need saving from isn’t someone “out there” – it’s from one of their own. As Rob helps us explore Abimelech’s grim tale, he looks at two things: Abimelech’s conspiracy, and Abimelech’s fire, and then takes a step back to consider what we can learn from Abimelech’s story.
Kingdom Now & Not Yet
In Jesus’ day, people were eager for God to show up and do something. So they kept asking Jesus about the Kingdom of God. And Jesus keeps answering them – but often he didn’t answer the question they actually asked. If we sit with what he says, it seems Jesus answers the questions they would be asking, if only they knew what he knew.
This week, Rob Collis preaches from Luke 17.20-37, where Jesus is engaged in a confusing conversation. He tries to cut through some of the noise and confusion so that we can actually hear what Jesus is saying about the Kingdom of God, and explores three questions: What is the Kingdom of God? How do we know when it’s coming? and When is it coming?
New Wineskins
This week marks St. Andrew's 15 Year Anniversary! 15 years ago, six families set out to start a new church in South Delta. Over the years, the Lord has sustained this church, and has done wonderful things in our midst. To mark this special day, we are delighted to be joined by Bishop Mike Stewart, who preaches from Luke 5.27-39.
Jesus never said there was anything wrong with the old wine – in fact, he said it’s the best! But in those days, wine was stored in bags. And once you finished a bag of wine, you didn’t refill it. If you did – it would break! You always wanted to appreciate the old wine, but always needed to be making space to prepare for the new. In this sermon, Bishop Mike invites us to not just celebrate the last 15 years, but to look forward to what God has yet to do!
Darkness Falls
The book of Judges tells the gritty story of humanity’s tendency to trust in ourselves instead of God, and to do what is right in our own eyes. But as God’s people descend into a downward spiral, God’s love for them goes deeper still. God raised up a series of leaders called judges to rescue his people, and bring them back to him. Because no matter how far we fall, or how dark things get, God’s relentless love and scandalous grace will always have the final say!
This week, Rob Collis preaches from Judges 8 as we finish looking at the life of Gideon, and how he fell. Gideon was the chosen one, who was called by God to step up to the spotlight: to rescue God’s people from oppression, and to lead them into a spiritual renewal. But for all his courage and potential – in the end, it all came crashing down – as he lost sight of the God who called him, and got trapped in a snare of his own making.
Called Up
The book of Judges tells the gritty story of humanity’s tendency to trust in ourselves instead of God, and to do what is right in our own eyes. But as God’s people descend into a downward spiral, God’s love for them goes deeper still. God raised up a series of leaders called judges to rescue his people, and bring them back to him. Because no matter how far we fall, or how dark things get, God’s relentless love and scandalous grace will always have the final say!
This week, Rob Collis preaches from Judges 6.11-35 and introduces us to the story of Gideon. Gideon was called by God, completely out of the blue, to step up to the spotlight in order to rescue God’s people from oppression, and to lead them into a spiritual renewal. But Gideon could not have felt more unprepared or unqualified – even if he tried. But Gideon’s story shows us that God does not call the qualified; he qualifies those he calls.
Didn’t See It Coming
The book of Judges tells the gritty story of humanity’s tendency to trust in ourselves instead of God, and to do what is right in our own eyes. But as God’s people descend into a downward spiral, God’s love for them goes deeper still. God raised up a series of leaders called judges to rescue his people, and bring them back to him. Because no matter how far we fall, or how dark things get, God’s relentless love and scandalous grace will always have the final say!
This week, Rob Collis looks at the story of Ehud in Judges 3.12-30. Ehud’s story is one of those tales you would tell around the fire – after you’ve all had a good meal, and the day’s drawing to an end – and you’re rehashing old memories from the past. Ehud was the unlikely hero God raised up in the face of an unexpected threat. Ehud rescued God’s people in a way that no one saw coming. And it became the kind of tale that would have everyone clutching their stomachs in laughter.
Maturing In Love
1 Corinthians 13 may be one of the most popular passages in the Bible. It’s poetic exploration of love has captured the hearts and minds of people all throughout history, and has become a common reading at weddings. But because it’s so familiar to us, we may have lost sight of what it really means. This passage is not meant to be about the sentimentality of love, but about growing up in our faith.
This week, we are excited to welcome Willie Shain-Ross, who helps us to hear past the familiarity of this passage, so that we can hear it the way its first listeners heard it 2000 years ago: not as a piece of beautiful poetry, but as a stinging rebuke, inviting us into following Jesus according to a more excellent way. As Willie unpacks Paul’s exploration of God’s love, he shows us the harsh reality of love, the humbling experience of love, and the heavenly aim of love.
Bitter Thirst & Grace
The book of Exodus tells the story of how God rescued his people from slavery in Egypt, and sought to lead them into the Promised Land. After only three days of freedom, as they journeyed to their new home, they began to grumble and complain – and started to doubt whether God was really with them.
This week Rob Collis preaches from Exodus 15.22-27 & Exodus 17.1-7. As he unpacks these two accounts, their similarities reveal something deeper at work than simply their need for water: God’s people have stopped trusting him. Which raises the question: How does God respond to us when we stop trusting in his goodness?
The First To Judge
The book of Judges tells the gritty story of humanity’s tendency to trust in ourselves instead of God, and to do what is right in our own eyes. But as God’s people descend into a downward spiral, God’s love for them goes deeper still. God raised up a series of leaders called judges to rescue his people, and bring them back to him. Because no matter how far we fall, or how dark things get, God’s relentless love and scandalous grace will always have the final say!
This week Rob Collis looks at the story of Othniel, as he preaches from Judges 3.1-11. Othniel is someone we don’t talk about very much in the church – and the Bible doesn’t really tell us very much about him. But the book of Judges presents him as the ideal judge, against whom all the others will be compared – as God raised him up to rescue his people, and lead them from forgetting who God is to coming alive in him.
This week as Rob Collis preaches from Judges 2, he explores three of the running themes which run throughout the book of Judges: covenant, idolatry, and deliverance – and he shows us that Judges is the story about the mystery of God working in broken places.
The Downward Spiral
The book of Judges tells the gritty story of humanity’s tendency to trust in ourselves instead of God, and to do what is right in our own eyes. But as God’s people descend into a downward spiral, God’s love for them goes deeper still. God raised up a series of leaders called judges to rescue his people, and bring them back to him. Because no matter how far we fall, or how dark things get, God’s relentless love and scandalous grace will always have the final say!
This week as Rob Collis preaches from Judges 2, he explores three of the running themes which run throughout the book of Judges: covenant, idolatry, and deliverance – and he shows us that Judges is the story about the mystery of God working in broken places.
Who’s Up First?
The book of Judges tells the gritty story of humanity’s tendency to trust in ourselves instead of God, and to do what is right in our own eyes. But as God’s people descend into a downward spiral, God’s love for them goes deeper still. God raised up a series of leaders called judges to rescue his people, and bring them back to him. Because no matter how far we fall, or how dark things get, God’s relentless love and scandalous grace will always have the final say!
This week, Rob Collis begins our new series by looking at Judges 1. As he examines Israel’s conquest and corruption, he shows us why it’s important that we read all of the Scriptures carefully, and understand how Jesus has called us to live in this world. Because Jesus has called us to trust him and follow him – which invites the question: Where is Jesus asking us to trust him today?
Take Away The Stone
The story of Lazarus is all about people saying, “God, help!” and the ways Jesus shows up to respond to their prayer. And when Jesus shows up, he doesn’t always answer our prayers exactly the way we expect or imagine: When we call out to him, he invites us to take our eyes off of ourselves, and to fix them on him, as we trust in his goodness and what it is he is intending to do.
The story of Lazarus is all about people saying, “God, help!” and the ways Jesus shows up to respond to their prayer. And when Jesus shows up, he doesn’t always answer our prayers exactly the way we expect or imagine: When we call out to him, he invites us to take our eyes off of ourselves, and to fix them on him, as we trust in his goodness and what it is he is intending to do.
This week, Rob Collis preaches from John 11.38-53. As we bring this series to a close, Jesus is going to do more than anyone could have ever begun to ask or think or imagine, as he invites us to see and behold his glory.
Running In The Family
This week, we were pleased to welcome Sean Love from St. John's Richmond, who preached from Matthew 1.1-17. There are a number of places in the Bible where we read long lists of names – and if we're honest with ourselves, they're very easy to skim past. But Sean points out that the first account in the Bible about the ministry and work of Jesus starts off with one of these long lists. And when we dig a little deeper into who all these people are, we discover how God has been patiently and deliberately at work throughout history to write one big, magnificent story!
How He Loved Him
The story of Lazarus is all about people saying, “God, help!” and the ways Jesus shows up to respond to their prayer. And when Jesus shows up, he doesn’t always answer our prayers exactly the way we expect or imagine: When we call out to him, he invites us to take our eyes off of ourselves, and to fix them on him, as we trust in his goodness and what it is he is intending to do.
This week, Rob Collis preaches from John 11.28-37. As Mary continues to weep and mourn for her brother Lazarus, her sister Martha comes to tell her that Jesus has come, and he’s calling for her. When she hears this, immediately she rises to meet with him, and in his presence she falls to his feet and weeps. And as Jesus picks up Mary’s broken heart in his hands, he bursts into tears, too. In this sermon, Rob invites us to consider how Jesus calls to Mary, and what happens when he cries.
Do You Believe This?
The story of Lazarus is all about people saying, “God, help!” and the ways Jesus shows up to respond to their prayer. And when Jesus shows up, he doesn’t always answer our prayers exactly the way we expect or imagine: When we call out to him, he invites us to take our eyes off of ourselves, and to fix them on him, as we trust in his goodness and what it is he is intending to do.
This week, Rob Collis preaches from John 11.17-27. When we cry out to God for help, we want him to reply immediately! But that’s not always how he works. In our passage this week, Jesus has showed up, but he isn’t rushing to perform a miracle. So as we look at this interaction Jesus has with Martha, the sister of Lazarus, we’re going to try and see what it is he’s revealing to us about himself.
A Song for the Journey
Three times a year, God’s people used to travel to Jerusalem. It was a pilgrimage to come before the temple, and to be in the presence of God. And on their journeys, they would sing and repeat psalms to each other. These songs would rehearse and remember how God had met them over the years, and how he had been faithful towards them. And as they journeyed together, they would remember all the ways God had met them along the way.
This week, Rob Collis preaches from Psalm 126, and invites us to focus on the journey that this Psalm points us to. Along the way, he explores three questions: (1) What is the Journey? (2) Where is the Journey? and (3) When is the Journey?