Date: 27 Dec 2015 Text: Luke 1:26-38 & Matthew 1:18-25 Introduction There are no bit part players in the Christmas story; everyone who is mentioned in the gospel accounts of the birth of Jesus, mainly in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, has an important role to play. It’s true that some play a more important role than others but even so everyone mentioned is involved and is important. Mary very obviously was important because she was the teenage maiden chosen by God to be the

Date: 25 Dec 2015 Text: Luke 2:10-11 So, Christmas is here, a time of presents, family and food. A time when we see people we haven’t seen for a long time and a time when we send Christmas cards to people we don’t see from year to year. Do you get any joy from that or are you just going through the motions? Sending Christmas cards to one another is meant to bring some joy and, let’s face it, there’s precious little joy in the world at the moment. If that is the case then why

Date: 24 Dec 2015 Text: Isaiah 7:13-14 & Matthew 1:18-23 When a woman becomes pregnant she and her husband, or perhaps I should say partner, frequently spend time mulling over names for the expected arrival. In the majority of cases of course they don’t know if they will have a boy or a girl and so selecting the right name can be a bit tricky. Sue and I always had a boy’s name and a girl’s name although when Bruce was born we hadn’t really got a boy’s name anymore as we fully

Date: 20 Dec 2015 Text: Isaiah 7:13-14 & Philippians 2:6-8 What motivates you to buy someone a Christmas present? Is it that you feel obligated? Or perhaps it’s because they bought you one so you feel you should buy one in return? Or is it because you love them, and love them enough to get them a present? Love is the greatest motivator of all and it was because God loves us so much that He sent His Son to live with and amongst us. It all happened something like this! God crea

Date: 13 Dec 2015 Text: Isaiah 9:2-7 and Isaiah 53:1-12 Introduction What does Christmas really mean in the 21st century? Is it all about people, presents and parties? Perhaps it’s about families, food and fun. It is certainly a time when many people spend too much, eat too much and drink too much. Sadly of course in amongst all that very few people find time for Jesus amidst the tinsel and turkey. In fact, there was a report in the December issue of Christianity magazine con

Introduction Christmas is nearly here, so let me ask, what do you think of it so far? Has it changed over the years? Has the focus moved away from the birth of Christ towards the commercial and party aspects of what has become a major holiday period? I look around and all I see are bigger and bigger advertisements for hundreds of products, many of which I either don’t want or can’t afford. As each year passes Christmas becomes a bigger and bigger commercial exercise. This yea

Introduction Today is Advent Sunday, the first Sunday in the period known in the Christian calendar as Advent. For those who may not be aware, this period of time runs right up to Christmas Eve on the night before Jesus was born. It is a time of preparation and of waiting as we both prepare for His birth and wait for that great day. We could perhaps also view it as being a period of waiting for the fulfilment of a gracious promise made by God some 600 years earlier, and it is

Introduction Today is our annual Toy & Gift Service; an opportunity for everyone to give something to those who are less fortunate. As in previous years any gifts that we receive will be passed on to Birmingham City Mission for them to wrap and then distribute them to the appropriate families. Last week we looked at a passage in 1 Corinthians 1 and thought about how we are enriched by knowing Christ. This passage today also talks of our being enriched but this time by our gen

Introduction I’m sure that over the years we’ve all known someone who has influenced us positively in some way or another and we felt richer for having known them. For many that may have been a Teacher at school or a Lecturer at University or College. For others it may have been a spiritual mentor or work colleague. Whoever it was they helped us in some way and we feel better for having known them. That is what Paul is talking about here in these verses regarding our relation