Weekly Talks

By Rev Bev Bell |  Matthew 23: 1-3 & 23-32   Matthew 23: 1-3 & 23-32 (NIV) People often accuse Christians of being hypocrites and sadly, there is a good deal of hypocrisy in the Church. However, when we read the Gospels, it becomes clear that Jesus had no time for religious hypocrisy either. Jesus' followers are called to live lives of integrity and authenticity. 

by Bp John Roundhill |  James 5:13-20  James 5:13-20  (NIV)

By Rev Charlie Lacey | James 5:7-12 James 5:7-12 (NIV) James tells us to be patient in the face of suffering. We’re not all suffering right now, but we will all suffer at some point in our lives. James says, be patient because Jesus is going to return, his promises will be fulfilled, and ultimately, all wrongs will be put right. 

By Rev Charlie Lacey |  James 4: 1-10 James 4: 1-10  (NIV) Pride is the root cause of all sin and rebellion against God. We must reject the world, the devil and all that is evil and turn to Christ. We must reject pride and embrace humility.

By Rev Tevor Adams | James 3:1-12  James 3:1-12 (NIV)  Every major event in history began with people exchanging words. Words can be a powerful force for good and they can be used for evil. They can be life giving and they can be destructive. Most importantly, our words often reveal the state of our hearts. 

By Rev Charlie Lacey |  James 2: 14-26  James 2: 14-26  (NIV)  We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. However, evidence of genuine faith can be seen in the way that one lives their life and in their good deeds in particular. As James puts it, faith without works is dead. 

By Rev Charlie Lacey | James 2:1-13  James 2:1-13  (NIV) Today was International Sunday at St. Andrew's, and we were reminded that we are called to love our brothers and sisters in Christ equally, regardless of their background, level of income or position. 

By Rev Charlie Lacey |  James 1: 19-27  James 1: 19-27 (NIV) James challenges the way we live our lives, by making the point that it is not enough for us to hear God’s word, we’ve also got to respond to it. In today’s passage James focusses on anger and our use of words, but his message is clear: real faith obeys. 

By Rev Charlie Lacey | James 1: 9-18 James 1: 9-18 (NIV) Real faith is, steadfast in its pursuit of righteousness, steadfast in its love of God and steadfast in its resolve to fight against sin. 

By Rev Charlie Lacey |  James 1:1-8 James 1:1-8 (NIV)  Christians are not immune from the trials of life, but even in the midst of them, we can be sure that God is good, the Gospel is true, and God’s plan is still on track. 

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Proverbs 11: 1-31 Proverbs 11: 1-31 (NIV) There are several threads that run all the way through the book of Proverbs. For example, the comparison between wisdom and foolishness or righteousness and wickedness. But, as we read through proverbs, it becomes clear that the prime movers are humility and pride. These are the characteristics that will determine our response to God...

By Rev Charlie Lacey |  Proverbs 10: 11-32  Proverbs 10: 11-32  (NIV)  The book of Proverbs is made up of short, pithy wisdom sayings, which are attributed to King Solomon. They offer us practical skills for living well in God’s world. And a sizable chunk of them relate to our use of words and language. 

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Colossians 4: 2-18 Colossians 4: 2-18 (NIV) Paul begins his letter to the Colossians by reminding them who they are in Christ; then he explains what their new life in Christ should look like; and finally, he touches on the mission and purpose of the Colossian Church. It’s a mission and a purpose that we share. 

By Rev Charlie Lacey |  Colossians 3: 12-25 and 4:1 Colossians 3: 12-25 and 4:1  (NIV)  Paul urged the Colossians to rid themselves of ungodly and unwholesome behaviours. He then called them to adopt, or ‘put on’ a more godly set of characteristics. From a moral perspective, Paul was encouraging them to take off their filthy old rags and put on fresh, clean clothes. 

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Colossians 3: 1-11 Colossians 3: 1-11 (NIV) The Good News of the Gospel is that those who put their trust in Jesus, died with him and rose with him to be part of the new creation.  Our old sinful nature has died and we have been raised to everlasting life.  That life begins now, as does the process of becoming like Jesus.  That process will involve a lot of changes as we con...

By Rev Charlie Lacey |  Colossians 2: 16-23  Colossians 2: 16-23 (NIV) When we give our lives to Jesus we move from captivity to freedom. Freedom from sin and death, freedom from religiosity and freedom from the constant search for meaning, purpose and identity; indeed freedom from everything that prevents us from becoming the people we were created to be.

By Rev Charlie Lacay |  Colossians 2: 6-15  Colossians 2: 6-15  (NIV) When speaking about the Christian life, we often say things like: making progress, moving forwards, or our Christian walk. And there's nothing wrong with that kind of language, but it's not the kind of language Paul used. He used the language of being rooted in Christ and growing or being built up in him. Today we expl...

By Rev Charlie Lacey |  Colossians 1: 24-29  Colossians 1: 24-29  (NIV) Paul was called by God to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and help those who accept Jesus to become mature Christians. It was a huge privilege and Paul was tremendously excited to see God doing a new thing. There were thousands of non-Jews coming to know God through the Jewish Messiah - Jesus. 

By Rev Charlie Lacey |  Colossians 1: 15-23  Colossians 1: 15-23 (NIV) There are so many facets to Jesus. He is fully human, but also the God of creation. He’s the one for whom everything exists, and the one who holds it all together. He is our King, our Saviour and our friend. When we examine who Jesus is and what he has done, we cannot help but see his greatness.

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Colossians 1: 3-4, 9-14 Colossians 1: 3-4, 9-14 (NIV) The more we get to know Jesus, the more we will discover and learn God's will for us, enabling us to live lives that are worthy of the Lord. 

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Isaiah 2: 1-5 Isaiah 2: 1-5 (NIV) The First World War was supposed to be the ‘war to end all wars’ and yet the 20th century ended up being the bloodiest century in human history. War will never result in lasting peace; nor will any other human contrivance, policy or ideology. Our hope for lasting peace lies in the person of Jesus Christ, who will return to make all things ne...

By Rev Charlie Lacey |  Luke 24: 36-49  Luke 24: 36-49  (NIV) A lot happened on the day that Jesus rose from the dead. Luke recounts three very powerful scenes. Today we focussed on the last of those scenes, when Jesus met with the disciples in Jerusalem. On that occasion, Jesus clearly told them what lies at the very heart of the good news that he commissioned them to proclaim. 

By Rev Charlie Lacey |  Luke 10: 38-42  Luke 10: 38-42  (NIV) Studies have shown that the pace of modern life is accelerating. Most people of working age are busier than ever before. Getting our priorities right has never been so essential - the risk of getting them wrong has never been so great. 

By Rev Trevor Adams | Isaiah 53: 1-7, Matthew 26: 57-58 and 63b-67, Matthew 27: 11-31,Luke 23: 26-27 and 32-43, Matthew 27: 45-52a, 54, 57-60 Isaiah 53: 1-7, Matthew 26: 57-58 and 63b-67, Matthew 27: 11-31,Luke 23: 26-27 and 32-43, Matthew 27: 45-52a, 54, 57-60 (NIV) At night he was arrested, instantly tried and falsely found guilty, spat upon! Sentenced to death, he was tortured and executed in h...

By Rev Bev Bell | Matthew 26: 17-19, Mark 14: 17-25, John 13: 3-17, Mark 14: 32-42, Luke 22: 47b - 53 Matthew 26: 17-19, Mark 14: 17-25, John 13: 3-17, Mark 14: 32-42, Luke 22: 47b - 53 (NIV) On this Holy night, the night before he died - Jesus gave his disciples 3 final commandments - the most important lessons he needed them to remember and to carry on for him and to teach others, lessons for hi...