Trinity Vineyard Sunday Morning

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep o...

“This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done,     on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts,     as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation,     but deliver us from the evil one.’ - Matthew 6:9-13 The Bible is clear that God does not tempt anyone - he ne...

"'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'" — Matthew 6:9-13 Remember Wonga? Borrow a couple of hundred pounds on Monday to cover a gas bill, pay...

If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would you choose? I love how the Lord’s Prayer anchors us in a specific time and place. Jesus, a real person who ate literal bread as a daily staple, taught his followers to pray for their daily bread. This speaks to God’s provision; He meets our physical needs. Sadly, many stop there. After Jesus miraculously fed the five thousand, th...

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. - Matthew 6:10 Ten years ago next week, Britain voted Leave. The campaign slogan was "Take Back Control". It was powerful because it captured the feeling that the wrong people are in charge. Brexit didn't fix it, and now we've developed a habit of firing Prime Ministers. Who is in control? Who should be? Jesus t...

You never get all the goodness out of Scripture in one pass. It takes a lifetime of repeated reading. The Lord's Prayer is designed to be repeated, it's designed to be lived with. The whole of Scripture rewards repeated reading, but there are few passages that repay regular return quite as richly as the Lord's Prayer. "Our Father in heaven, May your name be kept holy. May your...

Matthew 28:16–20 “I have been given all authority” is the declaration of a King. Jesus is claiming the rightful authority of the risen Lord. Jesus says that after His resurrection, the territory of His Kingdom is heaven and earth - the realm where His word is law. From the beginning, creation was designed for heaven and earth to belong together but human rebellion tore them apart. Jesus came to he...

Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After he said th...

When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognised him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” Luke 24:30 - 32 The journey of life is often defined by the people we trave...

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?...

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with th...

Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not...

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; ta...

Always pray and never give up. Prayer is not a transaction . Prayer is not something we give God in exchange for services. Prayer is relationship . Persistent prayer is not about wearing God down . It is about remaining close to the One who loves us . When the result of our prayer is not what we think, rather than giving up or resorting to manipulation we keep the conversation with God going. Pers...

Matthew 25:14-15 For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.  God’s judgment is real, and Scripture says it begins with the church. Living in the tension between God’s love and His judgment is essential, because it is at thi...

God’s kingdom is like a banquet, a generous celebration. The kingdom is a vineyard, with everything necessary for it to be fruitful. The invitation is still going out. Our lives should be characterized by the joy of inviting people to the banquet God has prepared, a banquet that is both present and future. Far too often our joy has been muted. The joy in our lives of the celebration of the kingdom...

“But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend… Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’” — Matthew 20:13–15 Jesus tells a story that sets off our fairness meter. People work different hours and receive the same pay. The early workers aren’t cheated, they get exactly what they agreed, but they’re furious that the la...

“‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’” - Luke 15:31-32 Parables are like rooms you can stand in and look around. They are told that way deliberately. When something is varied and complex, you can’t always explain it in a textbook...

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it." Matthew 13:44-46 Discovery is exciting—whether it’s a world-ch...

He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about six...

Listening to the words of the King Parables are given to make us wise — to shape how we live, to train our character, to form us spiritually. This parable gives us the message of the kingdom so that we might hear, respond, and be fruitful. “Hearing” is central to this parable. In the language Jesus was telling this story, the word translated to hear also means to obey . That is no coincidence. It’...

While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I hav...

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus....

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honour one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. R...

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. - Romans 12:1-2 Romans 12 marks...