South West Sermons

Steve Withington continues our walk through the Sermon on the Mount by looking at a series of commands on how to live that Jesus gives his followers.

Jesus announced the coming of the kingdom of God and called his first disciples to follow him an become 'fishers' of people. Jo Robertson examines what this meant for those who heard his message and received healing.

Jo Robertson begins our extended journey through the gospel of Matthew with a look at the episode of Jesus' baptism, the importance of his baptism and what it tells us about the Triune God and how God sees us.

Claire Russell looks at the coming of the Holy Spirit, and interviews several people to find out how God's Spirit has been moving in them and what the Spirit has been saying to SWBC lately.

Steve Withington ends our post-Easter "Beyond the Doorway" series with a look at Jesus' final commissioning of his followers to make disciples and spread the gospel.

"Let's go fishing." So said Peter, little realising that an initially unsuccessful fishing expedition would end with a profound, miraculous, restorative meeting with the risen Jesus around a campfire on the beach.

On the evening of Easter Sunday the disciples are fearfully huddled together when Jesus suddenly appears among them. Alan Jamieson looks at what is truly meant by Jesus's greeting of "Peace be with you."

Using the story of Thomas's disbelief, Alan Jamieson looks at the evidence for the truth of the resurrection.

Alan Jamieson takes us along the road to Emmaus, and uses the encounter with Jesus as a way of challenging us to let God show us his story in new ways, through new people and encounters.

Alan Jamieson takes us through the encounter with Jesus on the Emmaus road to show us how the death and resurrection of Jesus changes everything for us, turns everything upside down - just as it did for these two disciples.

Jo Robertson opens John's gospel to Mary Magdalene's encounter with the risen Jesus at the tomb, and shows us how Mary's story - and ours, and everyone's, no matter how unlikely a person they may appear to be - has a place in the big story of God

Tash Higginson looks at how our stories and God's story and how inconveniences and discomforts can be important ways in which God speaks to us.

Easter changes everything. The story changes what is possible. Alan Jamieson looks at the story of Easter.

For our Good Friday service Alan Jamieson looks at the final two words from the cross to show us how Jesus was faithful in completing the Father's work and fully trusted his Father in committing his spirit into his hands.

We celebrate Palm Sunday with Daphne Marsden looking at the humility and obedience displayed by Jesus and the ways we are called to do the same.

Kate McClelland shows us how the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem illustrates four ways in which he was an unexpected king, and what that means for us and our world today.

John Robertson looks at the meaning behind Jesus' words "I am thirsty".

Jo Robertson brings together the commemoration of the second anniversary of the Christchurch mosque attacks with an exploration of Jesus' cry of abandonment on the cross, exploring how we may have abandoned others we deem not like us and exhorting us to always to be welcoming to others, no matter who they are.

Duane Major unpacks the nature of family, especially "whangai" family, and what it means to extend the family to take in others, just like Jesus did between his mother and John, and as the church is called to do in extending love and care to all.

Our season of Lent opens with Alan Jamieson examining the first of the worlds of Jesus from the cross, and delving into the reality of God's forgiveness and the necessity of our accepting forgiveness in order for it to be effective and real.

Steve Withington looks at Paul's famous passage on the body of Christ and shares about the importance of diversity in unity.

Duane Major kicks off the lead in to our church camp with an examination of the word 'spectacular', what it means, what it might mean for the followers of God, and how God himself is the one who defines spectacular.

Claire Russell concludes our series on the Life of the Beloved with a look at how we are given - and are to ourselves - to others, and how our lives are to lived for others.

Continuing with our series on "Life of the Beloved", Alan Jamieson examines the darker, more painful aspects of our lives, reminding us that accepting and embracing our brokenness - and allowing God to work through our fractured selves - is a necessary part of being his child.

Learning to be God's beloved requires that we accept our blessedness - something that we cannot pass on to others by blessing them if first we have not claimed it for ourselves.