St. Luke's, Ramsgate

The Sermon on the Mount is Matthew 5-7 is Jesus's first major set of teaching in Matthew's gospel. It is an invitation to enter the Kingdom of Heaven and a flourishing life , both now and in eternity.

Do we see God as a means to an end? Like a heavenly Amazon - we put our prayer requests in and we receive a next day response? Is prayer like speaking to a genie in a lamp? In this passage, Jacob wins an amazing blessing from God, but what do we learn about what prayer is really like?

The Israelites are faced with an attack from the Amalekites. Moses's response is to commission Joshua to fight as he, Aaron and Hur go up to pray. Prayer is the secret weapon to winning the battle. But Moses also needs the help of others.

We are wonderfully made and science can help show us how amazing the human body is. But, can science help us fully understand what it means to be human?

Do the Bible and science contradict each other? If you accept the conclusions of science do you have to dismiss the Bible or alternatively if you hold to the Bible as God's inerrant authoritative word, then do you have to dismiss the conclusions of modern day science?

Many people today assume science has disproved the existence of God. Yet, the first scientists claimed they were thinking God's thoughts after him and actually many of the advances in modern science hint at a God who is behind our universe. These are questions worth exploring. Not least because they touch on the meaning and purpose of our own existence.

Paul is eager to press on as a Christian. But what does that mean and what might it mean for you in 2020?

At first glance, the first chapter of the New testament is just a long boring list of names. But look deeper and you will see that it reminds us of the plans and promises God had been making from the time of Abraham and have now reached their fulfilment in Jesus Christ.

The Kingdom of Heaven is coming! So what? You need to get ready, you need to change and re-commit yourself to God. That was the message of John the Baptist.

Do you know what the difference is between a sheep and a goat? Do you know what a true Christian looks like? And why be a Christian anyway?

This is the last passage from the letter to the Romans. It may have a daunting list of names, but when we focus on what messages and culture Paul is promoting through the greetings and doxology we discover some really helpful teaching.

Ambition can be very ugly and destructive, but when it is a godly ambition rooted in God's calling seeking God's aims and done in His power, then we can achieve amazing things like Paul.

War throws up great examples of self-sacrifice, but it also makes us long for unity between nations. These are both things that the church is called to live out as it seeks to reflect the bigger picture of God's work.

Christians often disagree on all kinds of issues. In first century Rome the big disagreement was over whether it was right for Christians to eat meat or not. As we read Paul's response to this issue we learn some of the key principles of dealing with disagreements today.

As Jesus prepares for his ministry in the Wilderness he faces some big temptations from the devil. His responses to resist the temptations are all done using words from the Bible.

In Romans, Paul has explained the good news that God in his love sent Jesus to die for us even while we were still sinners, so that we could be freed from condemnation and receive eternal life. Now we want to love as God loved us and in anticipation of the eternal life he offers. The result is we naturally follow the Law.

Jesus performs an amazing sign, feeding 5,000 with one pack lunch. But, what does the sign mean? What does Jesus mean when he says he is the 'Bread of Life'?

How does the idea of zealous Christians make you feel? Zeal carried out in the wrong way can be quite destructive, but without zeal the church becomes lifeless and ineffective. Jesus calls us to a zealous response to the gospel. We are to be living sacrifices. Yet, he also calls us to renewed minds. We need passion and enthusiasm, but channelled by a mind formed through the gospel.

This week many children have returned to school and colleges. Hopefully, they are ready to learn as step by step they grow in their abilities and talents and are equipped to be successful members of society. As Christians, there is a sense that we never grow up. We are always wanting to develop our thinking, understanding and attitudes in the light of the good news of Jesus Christ. The aim is that...

The disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray. Jesus starts by teaching them what to pray for (the Lord's prayer), then he encourages them to pray by reflecting on how we relate to God.

What makes you happy? Adverts often tell us that their product will make us happy, but the truth is material things or one-off experiences never lead to a settled happiness. Christianity, however, calls us to a real joy despite the problems and struggles of life. What can we learn from this teaching of Jesus about reasons to be happy?

As Christians, like the 72 in this passage we are called to share God's Kingdom with others. However, when we do so we will be welcomed by some and rejected by others. How do we respond to that? This is the issue Jesus tackles in this team talk to the 72 he is sending out.

How do you interpret times of desperate suffering? How do you understand God's salvation? In this story as Shechem is experience all the suffering of a terrible siege, the king blames Elisha and by implication God. Yet, God is the one who provides a deeply unexpected salvation.

The Bible and Old Testament are full of comedy and in this story, the King of Aram, the one who in theory is the most powerful political force around is the butt of the humour. Yet, this is more than a story that laughs at kings. It is a story that shows us the deeper reality of where power really lies...

Is God an inclusive God? What is a Biblical vision of inclusivity? In this story a general of the enemy of God's people who has a polytheistic belief system is pointed by a slave girl to go the man of God in Israel. He is remarkably healed of his skin disease, but more than that his beliefs are transformed.