Talks And Sermons From St Matthew's

Paul the apostle tells us that the greatest revelation of God’s wisdom was God sending his Son to be our saviour, and that his plan for revealing this to the world is the church. How can we, as individuals and as the body of Christ, play our part in this great privilege?

The shepherds of Jesus’ day were viewed as irreligious, poor and dirty. So why is it good news for us that God chose the less-respected when he revealed the saviour of the world?

Like Mary the mother of Jesus, God calls each one of us for a purpose. Will we, like Mary, believe Him for it? Will we, like Mary, begin to live out that calling, anticipating it’s fulfilment in the future? And will we, like Mary, stick to it through the uncertain times ahead and celebrate the victories along the way? Mary shows us the way of faith, and invites us to join her on the journey.

Christmas is a busy time of year with so much to pack in - shopping, cooking, visiting family, possibly even going to Church. But Christmas is about so much more. Christmas is about an adventure - the greatest adventure on Earth. Hear Pads Dolphin describe this adventure during our 2012 Carol Service.

John the Baptist told people to prepare the way for Jesus, but what does that mean for us today? How can we prepare for Jesus in our lives?

In our second service of Advent, Pads Dolphin looks at how we can be preparing for Jesus' return through living out the gospel in the world around us.

Steve Rudman looks at Paul's letter to the Romans and his instructions to love oneanother. How can we, as a church, show love to oneanother? Why is it so important?

As the seasons of Advent begins, we look at what the Bible says about the return of King Jesus, and what that means for us.

When Jesus was on Earth he bought sight to the blind. But he didn't stop there. Jesus still brings sight to the blind today - even those who don't know that they are blind. Chris Everett speaks about his personal experience of Jesus opening his eyes to see him and how that has transformed his life forever.

In an uncertain world, the Bible tells us that we can have strength and hope by trusting in Jesus. But what does that actually mean? How can we do that? Indeed, how can we help each other do that?

On this Remebrance Sunday, Pads Dolphin reflects the sacrifices made by those before us to secure our safety and life. But not only do we look at the Armed Forces, but also stories of sacrifice for the sake of wider good throughout the Bible, from Jonah, to the disciples and Jesus' ultimate sacrifice of himself for our eternal safety and life.

When Jesus invited himself for lunch at house of the local hate-figure and chief tax collector Zacchaeus, he caused an uproar amongst the religious establishment. How could Jesus, a so-called holy man, be seen with such a sinner? Jesus' preference for the down-and-outs and spiritually unrefined might be surprising, but it's true and brings with it great hope for us all today.

We all know that reading the Bible is a good thing to do. The Bible tells us that it is God's 'breathed' word, that it has purpose and that purpose is to make us 'wise for our savlation in Jesus Christ'. The Pharisees knew their Bible inside out and yet Jesus finds them lacking - why? They had missed the point - they had missed that the whole Bible is a testimony to who Jesus is and what that means for us. Come and find out for yourself what the Pharisees needed to hear.

Why does God heal sometimes and not others? Is it possible that healing is happening without our realising? James Sparrow, of The Mission, Southcote, speaks from personal experience on healing, and Paul's 'Thorn in the flesh'.

When a rich young man, with a seemingly clean sheet of keeping the 10 commandments, came to Jesus to ask what he must do to gain eternal life, Jesus looked at him, loved him, and said that he should sell everything he had, give the proceeds to the poor and put his trust and security in God rather than in money. What are the things that we put before God? Where do we put our trust and security? What are the areas of our lives that we need to give over to God, so that our trust in security is in Him instea

The Bible tells us that God has filled this world with good things but we know from experience that something of his creation seems to have gone a bit wrong. How do we take care of this world while coping with the pressures on our more immediate lives? Wh

Looking at children can tell you a lot about their parents, so what can we learn about God by looking at Jesus? Looking at Jesus' healing of the paralysed man, we find a God who cares more about what's going on inside than out, who doesn't need to be told anything because he knows where we are at and what's going on in our lives already.

When Matthew decided to take up Jesus' call to follow him it changed his life forever. Indeed, that decision still impacts millions of lives 2,000 years later. So what can we learn from Matthew's decision to follow Jesus? What was involved in his leaving behind his position and influence as a tax collector to follow Jesus? What is involved in our following Jesus? And how come Jesus chose a wretched, outcast traitor-of-the-Jews tax collector to be a part of his inner circle in the first place?

Why is Jesus' command not to judge others really so important? How can we apply that in a church context where different preferences for worship may exist? And what about outsiders? Chris Everett explores these potentially life changing issues.