John 20:1-31 Christ is Risen!
- Details:
- Written by George Hemmings
Christ is Risen! audio (5MB)
John 20:1-31
Before I begin this morning, there’s a little tradition that goes with Easter Sunday called the Easter Acclamation, or the Paschal greeting. Basically one person says ‘Christ is Risen,’ and then the response is, ‘He is Risen indeed!’ Given some of us might be a bit tired, especially if you were at the dinner on Thursday night, and back on Friday morning, or if you’ve spent the weekend indulging in Easter eggs, I thought we’d make today a bit interactive. So throughout the sermon, at various points I’m going to say ‘Christ is Risen’ and when I do I want you to interrupt with the response, ‘He is risen indeed!’
John 16:16-33 Hope for the Future
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- Written by George Hemmings
Hope for the Future audio (5MB)
John 16:16-33
I wonder how you felt last night as you were winding your clocks back? As you contemplated how great an extra hour of sleep would be. After I’d adjusted the clock on the oven, and the microwave, after Sarah fixed the clock-radio by our bed, as we thought about the promise that the future held, we knew we didn’t have a hope! Even though I’d changed the gro-clock in Micah and Joshua’s room, we knew we didn’t have a hope of getting them to stay in bed for longer, let alone convincing Jacob that he could go an extra hour before needing milk. Hope is the expectation that our desires will be fulfilled. It’s future focused, and our future didn’t look great. And without hope, it’s hard to have any lasting joy. So when we feel hopeless, truly hopeless, it’s hard to carry on.
John 14:15-31
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- Written by Chris Appleby
The Promise of the Spirit audio (5MB)
John 14:15-31
It seems to me that there are 2 issues that Christians face today that Jesus addresses here in this passage. The first is the question as to how we’re rating as a Christian. That is are we good enough for God to be happy with us? Are we good enough that God would listen to our prayers? How do you rate as a Christian?
The second issue has to do with how we know what’s the right thing to do; how we decide what we’re to do or say at any one moment.
Last week we saw how John 14 begins with the disciples being faced with just this problem. Jesus has just told them that he’s about to leave them, then he says these words to reassure them: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me.” They’re clearly meant as words of comfort but you can imagine some of them thinking “That’s all very well, but it’s just pie in the sky when you die. I’m worried about what’s going to happen in the next few months when Jesus isn’t here to help us and guide us.” Up until now they’ve hardly done a thing without Jesus being there to direct them, or to correct them. Now they’re going to be on their own. It’s like the first time you’re allowed to take a car out for a drive by yourself; or how I imagine a pilot feels when they’re sent up to fly solo for the first time. The instructor’s not there anymore and everything depends on you.
So Jesus sets out to give them some more reassurance.
John 15:18-16:15
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- Written by Ruth Newmarch
Opposition and the work of the Spirit audio (5MB)
John 15:18-16:15
After the happiness of Steph and Nic's wedding yesterday, its hard to hear about suffering for our faith. But if you think about it, hardship is mentioned even in the wedding service, 'for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health...'.
In today's passage, it is Jesus' final evening with his disciples, there are empty dishes on the table, their feet have been freshly washed, and one of them has gone into the night. But two things have kept recurring in Jesus' conversation.
Firstly, he's leaving them and returning to the Father, but the Holy Spirit is coming to replace him. There's rich Trinitarian material here, but the main point is that by believing in Jesus, the disciples are brought into the life of God! They're threaded into the very love and life of the Godhead...like the grape-grower's vine, with its branches and fruit.
John 13:13-14:14 True Comfort
- Details:
- Written by George Hemmings
The Source of True Comfort audio (5MB)
John 13:13-14:14
Sarah & I have learnt that we need to give Micah and Joshua plenty of warning before we leave somewhere, especially if they’re having a good time. If we try to just say, ‘OK, it’s time to go,’ without any warning, they’re usually not too happy. You might need to do the same with your family or friends, especially if you’ve driven somewhere together.
In these few chapters of John’s gospel, that’s exactly what Jesus is doing. He’s preparing the disciples for his imminent departure. Now that Judas has gone out, now that the final betrayal has begun, Jesus knows that the Cross is inevitable. Jesus might’ve hoped that as he offered Judas the choice morsel back in verse 26, that Judas would see the light, that he would repent, that he would turn back. But instead Judas rejected Jesus, he turned to darkness, and was sent off into the night. And so now Jesus’ betrayal, his arrest and trial, his suffering and death are inevitable. The wheel’s been set in motion, as we say in English. So Jesus can say that the ‘Son of Man has been glorified,’ as though it’s already happened. All that remains is to prepare the disciples for what’s coming.
