St Matts Weekly Message

‘The Beatitudes are how you spot a local in the Kingdom of God.’ This week Teressa finished off our ‘Blessed Life’ series by looking at the final Beatitude on ‘The Persecuted.’  Life as a Christian wasn’t meant to be easy and this beatitude reminds us that we are not expecting to be airlifted to safety in the midst of life’s troubles. Instead, we are encouraged to keep pursuing right relation...

In his final talk at St Matts our vicar Olly shares thoughts on Jesus’ penultimate beatitude: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God."  We’re invited to make peace with God; peace with others; and peace in the world.

 The heart is not only central to physical life but also spiritual. Claire shares wisdom on how to grow a pure heart resulting in better spiritual health. There was an issue with our recording for this week but the audio is back to normal from 1:41 in - so stick with it! 

Mike shares three moments of remembrance in the scripture and how they can lead us to a deeper understanding of Remembrance Sunday and of our faith in general.

God calls everyone into a relationship with him and to make a positive difference in the world. Hannah shares ways in which we can discern and live out God’s call for our lives.

Olly shares thoughts on the fifth beatitude, ‘Blessed are the merciful’ - know that God is merciful; be merciful to others; show mercy to yourself.

This Sunday was a Preachtastics Sunday where we got to hear from six members of the St Matts family across the day. Each of the speakers are continuing our Blessed life series looking at the 4th Beatitude: ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.’ – Matthew 5:6 It’s always so inspiring to see how God speaks to everyone so individually. We’d recommend lis...

Phil shares wisdom on what it is to be 'meek' and apply Jesus' third Beatitude: 'Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.' (Matthew 5:5)

Mourning can deepen our humanity, grow community and cultivate character. Olly shared wisdom from Jesus' second beatitude: 'Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.'

Our curate Mike begins a new series ‘Blessed Life’ looking at some of the most famous words of scripture - the Beatitudes. What are the Beatitudes? What does it mean to be blessed? And who are the poor in spirit? Have a listen and find out more about these questions… and about piles of rubbish, bears, Brother Andrew and what these beautiful Jesus blessings can teach us about the surprising upside-...

For our 6th Anniversary, Olly shared some of the story of the church’s beginnings and some of our key values - knowing God; growing friendships and making a difference.

Mike, our curate, takes us through Revelation 21 and reflects on this time of mourning for The Queen, calling us to grieve with hope, to hold on to Jesus the one true constant presence in life, to embrace tension and, inspired by The Queen, to live as servants of God.

Olly encourages us in our spiritual lives to keep travelling home, keep travelling with others and take time to stop and celebrate.

Mike takes us through 6 life rhythms to help us sharpen our spiritual pencils ready for a new term.

Phil encourages us to walk closely with Jesus the one who has divine insight, divine foresight, and divine oversight of our lives.

Olly shares five top summer spiritual tips from the sea: keep making fresh starts; keep taking fresh opportunities; keep growing friendships; find a coach; and enjoy life!

This week Mariska Minter shared a message with us on Godly rest based on a passage from Matthew 11.28-30. Mariska encouraged us to explore the questions; why we need rest, what is rest and how do we get rest. 

This week Teressa spoke on keeping going on our faith based on a passage from Hebrews 11: 29 - 12:2. She encouraged us that God records faith not failure, that our faith is never wasted, that faith is greatly celebrated and that Jesus is the protector of our faith. 

Life quickly becomes cluttered doesn’t it? Mike asks the question- what if we each take time this summer with the words of Psalm 51, to be renewed in focus on God, to be refuelled by the Holy Spirit, and to restore our joy!

Prayer is central to the spiritual life - our communion and connection with God. Following on from last week, Olly brings us the second and final part of his 'People of Prayer' mini-series. 

Prayer is central to the spiritual life - our communion and connection with God. Olly shares a few ways to grow in prayer: dealing with distraction, learning from others and going gently on ourselves.

Teressa shares how Jesus is the power of God, how we can experience God's power in our everyday lives and to cultivate a bigger understanding of who Jesus is.

This week Mike takes us through Galatians 6 where we encounter again the beautiful message of the cross - as we make that our only ‘boast,’ we’ll grow into a community free enough and humble enough to bear each others burdens!

This week, Sally reminds us that God is a God of extraordinary generosity and calls us into lives of generosity - even if it’s sometimes uncomfortable.

In his final preach with us at St Matts, our curate Reuben, gives us a message on 'Offensive Faith'. If Abraham is "our father of faith," what can we learn from his life? In particular, this talk reflects upon Abraham's ultimate test from God in relation to his one and only son, Isaac. We then consider how this story prepares us for Jesus.