Faith Speaks — Reverend Neil Taylor — Sermon Podcast

Pentecost +10B Read John 6.24-35 Just Believe Jesus identified Himself as the bread of life, the living water, and the way. He did not present Himself as a source of salvation but as the only way to salvation. Without Him, without the bread of life, there is no hope for salvation. By identifying Himself as the source of forgiveness, Jesus makes the path to repentance and a relationship with God pl...

Pentecost + 9B Read John 6.1-21 Where is God's Address? Jesus identified Himself as the bread of life, the living water, and the way. He did not present Himself as a source of salvation but as the only way to salvation. Without Him, without the bread of life, there is no hope for salvation. By identifying Himself as the source of forgiveness, Jesus makes the path to repentance and a relationship w...

Read Exodus 20.1-17 Family & Community This is the final week of a three-part teaching series called “10 - The Decalogue,”; an exploration through the Ten Commandments. And the idea we will be exploring is that God desires a special relationship with us, as His people, and this union is distinguished by living according to His ways. When we follow the commands God gives us, we honour Him and invit...

Read Exodus 20.1-17 God's Last Name is not ‘Damn’! This part two of a three-part teaching series called “10 - The Decalogue,”; an exploration through the Ten Commandments. And the idea we will be exploring is that God desires a special relationship with us, as His people, and this union is distinguished by living according to His ways. When we follow the commands God gives us, we honour Him and in...

Read Exodus 20.1-17 Is God No.1 In Your Life? This is part one of a three-part teaching series called “10 - The Decalogue,”; an exploration through the Ten Commandments. And the idea we will be exploring is that God desires a special relationship with us, as His people, and this union is distinguished by living according to His ways. When we follow the commands God gives us, we honour Him and invi...

Read Philippians 4 Pentecost +19A Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, by all accounts, is one of the most beloved books in the whole New Testament, and one of the main reasons the book is so loved is because it’s the happiest letter the apostle Paul ever wrote. Its main premise is JOY, and the apostle Paul uses that word JOY frequently. Join me as we will discover, over this four-part sermon series,...

Read Philippians 3 Pentecost +18A Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, by all accounts, is one of the most beloved books in the whole New Testament, and one of the main reasons the book is so loved is because it’s the happiest letter the apostle Paul ever wrote. Its main premise is JOY, and the apostle Paul uses that word JOY frequently. Join me as we will discover, over this four-part sermon series,...

Read Philippians 2 Pentecost +17A Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, by all accounts, is one of the most beloved books in the whole New Testament, and one of the main reasons the book is so loved is because it’s the happiest letter the apostle Paul ever wrote. Its main premise is JOY, and the apostle Paul uses that word JOY frequently. Join me as we will discover, over this four-part sermon series,...

Read Philippians 1 Pentecost +16A Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, by all accounts, is one of the most beloved books in the whole New Testament, and one of the main reasons the book is so loved is because it’s the happiest letter the apostle Paul ever wrote. Its main premise is JOY, and the apostle Paul uses that word JOY frequently. Join me as we will discover, over this four part sermon series,...

Read Matthew 18.21-35 Pentecost +15 How many times are we REALLY supposed to forgive someone who has wronged us? Is it 77 times (as the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible has it)? Or is it “unto seventy times seven” as my trusty King James Bible has it? Which are 490 pronouncements of forgiveness. This question seems to infiltrate the hearts of so many Christians, it’s a kind of hawkishness...

Read Matthew 18.10-20 Pentecost +14 So what do you think? Is Jesus talking about a set of rules or the development of healthy relationships? This is the central question to answer from this passage in Matthew, is Jesus giving us rules to live by? Or is he favouring healthy relationships over everything else in our lives as Christians?

Read Matthew 16.21-28 Pentecost +13 Can you imagine? One moment, Jesus is saying you’re “the rock on which I will build my church” and the next he’s calling you “a stumbling block.” That’s not just great wordplay – from cornerstone to stumbling block, but it’s also such a massive reversal of relational fortune, and because of that it had to be incredibly painful for Peter. Can you imagine? And per...

Read Isaiah 51.1-6 & Matthew 16.13-20 Pentecost +12 There’s a lot of nuance in our scripture readings. Isaiah 51:1-6 references Abraham and Sarah as the rock out of which God’s people are fashioned. This matches the rock metaphor for Peter in the Gospel. The promise of salvation and deliverance at the end of Isaiah 51:1-6 is extraordinary; this promise goes far beyond any temporal salvation. Isaia...

Read Matthew 14.22-36 Pentecost +10 In the Gospel reading, Jesus indeed calls to his disciples in the midst of the wild and restless sea, but Jesus does not beckon them away from the storm. Instead, Jesus’ voice calls them into the storm.

Read Matthew 22, 34-40 Pentecost +21 Stop for a moment, and close your eyes, and be mindful of God’s presence. What does it feel like for God to be near you? Perhaps it’s like the golden light of a sunrise shining through the window or like feeling safe and held, feeling unafraid. As believers, in and followers, of Jesus, you and I are as close to God as our own mindfulness, as our own soul’s desi...

Read Matthew 14:13-21 Pentecost +9 When is a miracle more than a miracle? When it’s about discipleship. Because discipleship is is rarely tidy, rarely practical, and never convenient. However, discipleship may be a miracle in itself.

Read Matthew 13:44-58 Pentecost +8 The people who heard Jesus speak this parable understood the gravity and tension in his story. It is important that we understand what the pearl is, and who the merchant is, this is more than just another parable. Jesus says twice,“This is what the Kingdom of Heaven is like”. In other words, "This is what eternity is all about…”. So, let’s have a have a deeper lo...

Read John 20:1-18 Feast of Mary Magdalene Our Gospel text opens with the statement, “Early in the morning, while it was still dark...”. This is where the Easter story really begins, this is where our Christian faith begins, it begins in darkness. It begins with fear, bewilderment, pain, and a profound loss of certainty. The creeds, clarifications and commentaries we cherish nowadays came later. Wh...

Read Matthew 13:24-43 Pentecost +7 This story is about the Church. The Church is wheat and weeds both; however, we like to think we know who’s who. The big question is, why can’t we leave judging to God? What is it in human nature, that is somehow heightened in Christian human nature, that has to judge? Join me, as we ask the question: does Jesus condone weeds?

Our Habits Read Romans 7 We want a big change and we want it now. But maybe taking your life in a new direction has a lot more to do with the little things. Join me, as we learn how to embrace the small things that make a big difference.

Our Words Read Proverbs 18:12 We want a big change and we want it now. But maybe taking your life in a new direction has a lot more to do with the little things. Join me, as we learn how to embrace the small things that make a big difference.

One Thought Read Proverbs 23:7 We want a big change and we want it now. But maybe taking your life in a new direction has a lot more to do with the little things. Join me, as we learn how to embrace the small things that make a big difference.

One Thing Read Zechariah 4:6-10 We want a big change and we want it now. But maybe taking your life in a new direction has a lot more to do with the little things. Join me, as we learn how to embrace the small things that make a big difference.

Read Matthew 13:1-23 Pentecost +6 The “Word of God” is an abstract and complicated topic. When you hear the phrase “Word of God” what comes to your mind? What do you picture? What do you envision? Join me as we look at what Matthew suggests, that the Word of God is an experience, and listening is the key to that experience.

Read John 4:1-15 Wednesday | Pentecost +5 John has a way of teaching us who Jesus is, and what faith looks like. John does this by giving us a glimpse into Jesus' encounters with various people. We saw it with John the Baptist. We saw it with Nicodemus. And now, surprisingly, this encounter with a Samaritan woman, who is shunned by her own townspeople for her immoral behaviour. Join me as we encou...