St. Luke's, Ramsgate

"He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation nor will they train for war anymore." - (Micah 4:3) How much better if there was no possibility of war? People would not die needlessly, economies would not be damaged and increa...

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people." - (Ephesians 6:18) This Sunday we look at one of the building blocks of how we grow as Christians: Prayer.

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer” - (Psalm 19:14) This Sunday is an all-age service focussing on the Bible. It is the first in a four-part series on the basics of Christian growth.

“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures for ever." (Psalm 136:1) As we celebrate 150 years of St. Luke’s, let’s give thanks for God’s goodness in helping many people find love, support and the good news of Jesus Christ over many decades. Let’s praise him for the work and ministry of the people that make up St. Luke’s church and have continued his mission to share the good news i...

"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost." (Isaiah 55:1) We finish our series on the Parables in Matthew’s gospel with the Parable of the Wedding Banquet. The invitation to the banquet is free to all. Accepting it is transformational.

"The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone;" (Psalm 118:22) In 33AD, Jesus was in Jerusalem debating with the heavy-weight Jewish authorities. In that debate, Jesus told them a story about a vineyard, whose tenants refused to pay rent to the vineyard owner. It was obvious that the story was a thinly veiled criticism of the temple authorities. Jesus was publicly accusing them of faili...

“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32) This week we're looking at Deuteronomy 8 as we celebrate Harvest.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9) Our focus this Sunday is another of Jesus’ Parables from Matthew’s gospel that focuses on the meaning of grace.

"For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." (Matthew 6:14-15) This week we look at another of Jesus’ parables in Matthew’s gospels, that tackles the issue of forgiving others.

"But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 24:15 This Sunday is the last on our series on the book of Joshua.

"He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son!" Revelation 21:7 Today we continue in Joshua and hear of Caleb's reward.

"The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation." (Colossians 1:15) The readings from Joshua 10:1-14 and Matthew 15:21-28 describe pivotal moments in the stories of the Old Testament and the New Testament respectively, moments which are of great consequence for us in how we understand what God is doing in the world today.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5) This is the next instalment of our Joshua series. The question I want to explore is:  do we trust God to speak into the things in our life that seem obvious?

"For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live." (Romans 8:13) The story of Achan reminds us that sin is serious. It is deadly. His sin caused the whole of Israel to fail. That may not seem fair, but it reminds us that we have a collective responsibility to take sin seriously and to encourage and even dis...

"By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days." (Hebrews 11:30) Joshua defeated Jericho when he was obedient to the strange commands given him by the LORD. We need to learn obedience to him and trust in him, too, even when to do so seems to go against the logic of a purely earthly based perspective. Joshua and Israel did that and they were victorious....

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead," (1 Peter 1:3) Christian hope is not founded on human strength or ability but on God’s power. The book of Joshua recounts the Israelite invasion of the Promised Land. Was this just a match between two human teams? Could v...

"By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient." (Hebrews 11:31) Our Sermon series on Joshua continues with the story of Rahab. Rahab is one of many people under judgement. What is more she is a prostitute. Yet, she believes in the God of Israel, and she chooses to be on his side. In so doing, she wins salvation for herself and her wh...

"Have I not told you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged; for the LORD your God will be with you, wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9) Our Sermon series on Joshua begins with a huge change in the opening sentence of Joshua 1 where we are told of the death of Moses. Moses was the only leader an entire generation had known, and now Joshua had to lead a sometimes rebellious p...

"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being," (Ephesians 3:16) This Sunday we begin a series on Joshua. He started off as Moses’ main assistant and ended up taking over from Moses, when Israel entered the Promised Land. This week, we begin with the first time Joshua plays a significant role in the story, when he leads the Israelit...

"Like a city whose walls are broken down is a person who lacks self-control." (Proverbs 25:28) The Proverb above says, that if we lack self-control, we are like a city without walls. We become defenceless - not from external attack, but to our own destructive behaviours.  Self-control is a guard for our life. Without it all the other characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit become wort...

"Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently." (Galatians 6:1a) As Christians we want to challenge one another to become more Christ like, but if we try to push someone to change too quickly or too aggressively, then they may not be able to cope and just leave the church or give up on faith. That is why the verse above says, tha...

"Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands." (Deuteronomy 7:9) This Sunday we return to our series on the Fruit of the Spirit, this week focussing on the characteristic of faithfulness.

"Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit." (Matthew 28:19) The above verse is often seen as Jesus’ mission statement. What are we meant to be trying to achieve as the church? Jesus says, make disciples!

"Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good." (1 Corinthians 12:7) This Sunday is Pentecost. It is the day we remember God sending his Holy Spirit onto the church. The events of the day itself were spectacular and memorable with the sound of a rushing wind, flames of fire settling on the disciple’s heads, the apostles praising God in different languages that visit...

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8) This Thursday was Ascension Day. It is the day when we remember that Jesus, after proving that he had bodily resurrected from the dead, went to the Father in heaven to take his place at God’s right hand to rule in power. S...