St Pauls and St Barnabas Belfast

On Palm Sunday at St Paul’s & St Barnabas, Rev Andrew Irwin preaches on Psalm 31:9-16 and the strange, weighty tension at the heart of Holy Week. As Christ enters Jerusalem in triumph, he also walks towards sorrow, rejection, and the cross. This sermon explores the agony beneath the triumph, the honesty of David in suffering, the stubborn trust of faith, and the hope that comes from knowing th...

St Paul’s & St Barnabas Sermons Galatians 3:13–14 | The Solution to the Curse Rev Ethan McCarter (Crosscollyer EPC) In this sermon from St Paul’s & St Barnabas, Rev Ethan McCarter of Crosscollyer EPC preaches from Galatians 3:13–14 , opening up how Christ redeems us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. At the heart of the passage is the good news of the gospel: that throug...

Part of our Lent preaching, this episode takes us into Matthew 4:1–11 where Jesus is led into the wilderness and tested with hunger, spectacle, and power. The devil’s first move is to unsettle identity: “If you are the Son of God…” but Jesus stands firm by the Word, answering again and again, “It is written.” This sermon calls us to Word-saturated endurance in the ordinary pressures of life, where...

Part 5 of the “Contending for Hope” series reflects on 1 Peter 1:22–25 on Transfiguration Sunday, drawing on the mountain-top glory of Matthew 17 and what it means to walk back down into the ordinary valleys of daily life. This episode explores how the Christian life is not sustained by moments of spiritual intensity but by the living and enduring Word of God, calling us to love one another deeply...

In this sermon from 1 Peter 1:17–21, Rev. Andrew reflects on what it means to live as God’s redeemed people in a pressured and uncertain world, reminding us that we have been rescued not by perishable things, but by the precious blood of Christ. Set in the context of a church living as strangers and exiles, the passage calls us to take the holiness of God seriously, not as fear-driven moralism, bu...

Rev Alan preaches this morning from Hebrews 11 and In this sermon, we are brought face to face with one of the most searching questions of the Christian life: what does real faith look like, and where does it come from? Hebrews 11 opens by grounding faith not in emotion or optimism, but in confidence and conviction. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the certainty of things not yet see...

Part 3 | 1 Peter 1:10–16 | The Beautiful Life Is a Holy Life In Part 3 of our series through 1 Peter, we turn to 1 Peter 1:10–16 and consider what it means to live a beautiful life shaped by holiness. Peter slows the church down. Before calling believers to action, he invites them to dwell, to linger, and to reflect on the salvation they have received. This salvation was long anticipated by the pr...

In this episode, we open 1 Peter 1:3–9 and reflect on what it means to live with a living hope in a weary and pressured world. Writing to believers in exile, Peter begins not with instruction but with praise, reminding us that Christian hope begins with salvation, is secured by the resurrection of Jesus, and is sustained even through suffering. This episode explores new birth, an inheritance that...

As we begin a new year and mark 175 years of worship and witness at St Paul’s & St Barnabas, we open a new teaching series: Contending for Hope . In this first message, we turn to the opening words of Peter’s first letter. Written to a weary, scattered church under pressure, these verses speak with striking clarity to our own moment. Peter reminds God’s people who they are before he tells them...

Living Because the Light Has Come | Isaiah 63:7–9 What do we do when the waiting is over? Christmas has come. The candles are lit. The moment has passed. And now the question presses in: what next? In this sermon from Isaiah 63:7–9, we reflect on what it means to live because the light has come. Isaiah speaks to a people who are weary, disoriented, and unsure where God is. They are religious, but...

As the shortest day of the year slipped into darkness, we gathered by candlelight at St Paul’s & St Barnabas, Belfast, to sing carols and to reflect on the deeper meaning of Advent. This episode is drawn from that reflection — Hopeful Waiting — shared in the space between fading light and rising hope. Winter has a way of intensifying what we already carry: weariness, grief, anxiety, and unansw...

As we continue our Advent series Hopeful Waiting, in this sermon from Micah 5:2–5, we continue by exploring the promise that God does His greatest work through small and overlooked places. In a world shaped by numbers, visibility, and influence, Micah points us instead to Bethlehem — insignificant in the eyes of the world, yet chosen by God as the birthplace of the promised King. This episode refl...

In Episode 2 of our Advent series Hopeful Waiting , we turn to Romans 15:4–13, where the apostle Paul lifts our eyes to a hope shaped by Scripture, sustained by endurance, and strengthened by encouragement. Written to a divided church, this passage reminds us that true Christian hope is not shallow optimism, but a settled confidence rooted in the faithfulness of God. As Advent continues, we reflec...

As we begin our Advent 2025 series "Hopeful Waiting," we turn to Luke 3:1–18 and the fierce, hope-filled ministry of John the Baptist. Set against a backdrop of political power and religious expectation, the Word of God arrives not in the palace or the temple, but in the wilderness. From there John announces a call to repentance, fruitfulness, and readiness for the coming King. This serm...

In this week’s sermon Rev Andrew preaches from Matthew 13:24-30 and 36-43 on the theme “When Wheat and Weeds Grow Together.” Jesus’ parable reveals the quiet work of the enemy, the patience and wisdom of the Master, and the certainty of the final harvest. In a world where good and evil grow side by side, we are called to put our roots down deep in Christ, to trust His timing, and to look with hope...

Remembrance Sunday This Remembrance Sunday, we welcomed Rev Tim Wright from the Intercontinental Church Society (ICS) to St Paul’s & St Barnabas, Belfast. Drawing on his experience as a former Royal Air Force chaplain, Tim preached from Ephesians 2:13–22, reflecting on Christ as our peace — the One who breaks down every dividing wall of hostility and reconciles us to God and to one another. Li...

In this week’s message from Luke 19:1–10, we explore the remarkable encounter between Jesus and Zacchaeus — a man who seemed to have everything, yet was lost and searching. As Jesus passes through Jericho, He sees, knows, and calls Zacchaeus by name, bringing salvation and transformation into his home. Through this story, we’re reminded that grace still seeks us where we are, but never leaves us t...

In this week’s message from St Paul’s & St Barnabas, Belfast, Rev Andrew Irwin explores Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector from Luke 18:9–14. Two men go to the temple to pray, but only one leaves justified. What does this reveal about the kind of prayer God hears? Andrew unpacks the story’s challenge to pride and performance, showing that true prayer flows from a heart that i...

In this episode, we turn to 2 Timothy 3:14–4:5 , where Paul urges Timothy to continue in what he has learned and to preach the Word in season and out of season . Andrew Irwin explores what it means to remain steadfast in Scripture amid cultural drift, reminding us that all Scripture is God-breathed and equips God’s people for every good work. Set in today’s Belfast context, this sermon calls the c...

In this week’s message at St Paul’s & St Barnabas, Belfast , Rev Marc Scheibe opens Psalm 67 and reflects on what it means for God’s people to be “ blessed to be a blessing .” He reminds us that the mission of God begins not with our activity, but with His grace — as we receive His blessing, rest in His presence, and are sent to make His salvation known among the nations. This psalm calls the...

In this Harvest service at St Paul’s & St Barnabas, Belfast, we welcomed Bishop Darren McCartney, Rector of St Paul’s Lisburn, as our guest preacher. Preaching from John 15:1 - 17 , Bishop Darren reflects on Jesus as the true vine, the Father as the gardener, and the call for believers to remain in Christ and bear fruit that lasts. He reminds us that pruning, though painful, leads to greater f...

In this episode, Rev. Andrew Irwin preaches from Matthew 9:9–13 on the call of Matthew the tax collector. We reflect on the beauty of Jesus’ invitation - how grace captures the most unlikely of people, how the company Jesus keeps challenges our assumptions, and how mercy, not sacrifice, lies at the very heart of God’s kingdom. Recorded live at St Paul’s & St Barnabas, Belfast. For Jesus &...

In the final chapter of Titus, Paul reminds the church that the gospel saves us not by works but for good works. We are called to live peaceably and gently toward all, avoiding unprofitable controversies, and devoting ourselves to what is excellent and fruitful. Saved by mercy, renewed by the Spirit, and sent for good — this is the gospel fruit God longs to grow in us today. We would love for you...

Titus 2 | Gospel Living: Grace That Trains Us In this week’s sermon we turn to Titus chapter 2, where Paul calls the whole church to live lives shaped by the gospel. From older men and women, to younger men and women, to those in service, no one is left out. Sound doctrine is not just what we confess with our lips but what we embody in our lives. Paul reminds us that the grace of God has appeared...

In this episode we explore Titus 1, where Paul writes to his co-worker Titus on the island of Crete about the urgent need for gospel-shaped leadership. Crete was a place marked by deceit, corruption, and confusion — not unlike our own world. Paul reminds Titus that the church must be built on the foundation of the gospel (vv.1–4), led by elders of godly character (vv.5–9), and guarded against fals...