Gospel reading, message and prayers for Sunday 28th March 2021:This week is the sixth in our sermon series for Lent: “Scenes from the final hours”. This week: “the Jesus mocked scene” from Mark 15:1-20. Who IS this man? And why won’t he answer? He’s obviously in very serious trouble!!! This man is Jesus! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The substitute who goes to his death so that we are released. The servant - the suffering servant – who carries our sin and bears our iniquity!
Gospel reading, message and prayers for Sunday 21st March 2021: This week is the fifth in our sermon series for Lent: “Scenes from the final hours”. This week: “the Jesus denied scene” from Mark 14:66-72. We see Peter - bold and confident; then scared and scattered as he adamantly denies being with or knowing Jesus. Yet from this low point, we turn to John 21 and see Peter loved and restored.
Gospel reading, message and prayers for Sunday 14th March: This week is the fourth in our sermon series for Lent: “Scenes from the final hours”. This week: “the Jesus arrested scene” from Mark 14:43-65. As Jesus was arrested and his opponents tried to put a case together against him, he experienced betrayal, desertion and false testimony. But he is the long awaited Messiah! He is the Son of God himself! And his death, deals with our sin and brings us unto relationship with God for all eternity. And one day we will indeed see Jesus sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven! This message was recorded in the historic Frank John Cash memorial chapel at Moore Theological College in Newtown. I was there last week to preach at the college chapel service and meet students over lunch who may be interested in serving in Bathurst Diocese. Please pray that from some of that contact, the Lord will raise up workers for his harvest field.
Gospel reading, sermon and prayers for Sunday 7th March 2021: This week is the third in our sermon series for Lent: “Scenes from the final hours”. This week: “the Jesus wrestles scene” from Mark 14:27-42. We explore Jesus' agony in the Garden of Gethsemane and we see that we are so deeply loved, that Jesus was willing to drink the cup of God’s judgement, so that we might take the cup of life! I hope the message is a blessing and an encouragement. This message was recorded in the grounds of St Peter’s Cathedral Armidale. I was there last week for the consecration of the new bishop for the Diocese of Armidale, Rod Chiswell.
Gospel reading, sermon and prayers for Sunday 28th February: This week is the second in our new sermon series for Lent: “Scenes from the final hours”. This week: “Jesus sets the scene” from Mark 14:12-26. We explore how Jesus understands his death, as he explains that his giving of his body and pouring out his blood, will be ‘for many’. We see how Jesus changed the Passover meal forever, transforming that meal into the Lord’s Supper, so that we might never forget the significance of Jesus’ death for us. This message was recorded in the church at Grenfell.
Gospel reading, sermon and prayers for Sunday 21st February: This week we start our new sermon series for Lent: “Scenes from the final hours”. In this very significant season, we will, in this series, walk with Jesus in his final days and hours before his crucifixion. This week “The Jesus anointed Scene” from Mark 14:1-11. This message was recorded in the church at Coonabarabran, and the Deacon-in-Charge, the Rev’d Andrew Thornhill, read the passage for us.