by Brian | Apr 9, 2024 | Posts
Luke 6:17-26A. INTRODUCTION1. UsThere is a tendency to see things, and talk about things in terms of two extremes. We talk in terms of black and white; rich and poor; the able and the disabled; the haves and the have nots. And the tendency is to talk as though there...
by Brian | Apr 1, 2024 | Posts
Luke 5:1-11A. INTRODUCTIONI’m sure a lot of people know more about fishing than I do. At its simplest you bait the hook, cast the line into the water, sit back and relax with a good book—or just take the chance to dream—and wait for the fish to bite. But at its more...
by Brian | Mar 12, 2024 | Posts
Luke 4:1-15A. INTRODUCTIONWe all see things from different perspectives. We come from different backgrounds, we think differently, and we have different hopes and aspirations. Indeed, no two people see things exactly the same. Oh, yes some of our basic assumptions,...
by Brian | Mar 1, 2024 | Posts
Luke 3:21-22A. INTRODUCTION1. Pleasing PeopleOne of the most gratifying things in life is when someone acknowledges or expresses pleasure in something that you’ve done. Indeed, it can be so gratifying that some people do things just to get such a response. You see it...
by Brian | Feb 9, 2024 | Posts
Mark 13:24-37A. INTRODUCTIONOne of the facts of life is that nothing is permanent. Eventually, everything will come to an end. The clothes that we wear will wear out; the furniture we sit on will at some time need replacing. And us? Well our bodies will age, and...
by Brian | Feb 1, 2024 | Posts
Mark 13:1-11A. INTRODUCTIONIf you were told that your church was to be closed and, later, you saw a bulldozer flattening the building, so there was nothing left standing, how would you feel? If you were told that you would be faced with people who weren’t all they...
by Brian | Jan 10, 2024 | Posts
Luke 2:41-52A. INTRODUCTIONFor a child there can be nothing worse than hearing those words ‘hasn’t she grown’, ‘isn’t he tall’ or ‘hasn’t she changed’. (That’s apart from being told that they are just like their mother or father). Adults can be so embarrassing,...
by Brian | Jan 1, 2024 | Posts
Luke 2:15-20A. INTRODUCTIONWith Christmas over for another year, who is willing to admit that on Christmas Day they were so excited that they got up at some unearthly hour waiting for the dawn to come? Yes, and it’s not just the kids either. In my home, when I was a...
by Brian | Dec 9, 2023 | Posts
Luke 2:1-14A. INTRODUCTIONThe preparation for the birth of a baby should be an exciting time, particularly if it is to be the first born in the family. Apart from the feelings of expectation, regarding the birth itself, the period should be a time when there is plenty...
by Brian | Dec 9, 2023 | Posts
Luke 2:1-7A. INTRODUCTIONThe way we celebrate Christmas, today, is a long way removed from the story of the first Christmas.In the story of the first Christmas we have a couple who were going through difficult times. She was having a baby—and they weren’t married....
by Brian | Dec 5, 2023 | Posts
Luke 1:46-55A. INTRODUCTIONIn times of adversity, some people rise to the top, while others fall in a heap.Imagine then, Mary, a girl of probably no more than twelve or thirteen years of age—engaged to be married, with her wedding day less than twelve months away—when...
by Brian | Nov 30, 2023 | Posts
Luke 1:26-38A. INTRODUCTIONOne of the facts of life is that we are constantly in the need to make plans. There are the big plans in life—one’s with long-term consequences, and one’s that require much thought—like: ‘Where we are going to live?’ ‘What sort of life style...
