CANCELLED | When the Carols Fell Silent
Four great threats to the joy of Christmas
Preached on 20th December 2020 by Rupert Hunt-Taylor
Sermon Notes:
Jesus: The great divide
1. A Sign (v34)
2. A Sword (v35a)
3. A Searchlight (v35b)
2. His Rivals: The Tyrant on the Throne (Matt 2:13-23)
CANCELLED | When the Carols Fell Silent
Four great threats to the joy of Christmas
Preached on 13th December 2020 by Rupert Hunt-Taylor
Sermon Notes:
1. Man’s response to Christmas... is terrifying
- Terrifyingly knowledgeable
- Terrifyingly normal
- Terrifyingly damaging
2. Christ’s response to man... is to enter in to our terror
1. His Foe: The Dragon in the Stable (Rev 12:1-12)
CANCELLED | When the Carols Fell Silent
Four great threats to the joy of Christmas
Preached on 6th December 2020 by Rupert Hunt-Taylor
Sermon Notes:
On earth: a baby batters a beast (v1-6)
In heaven: a lamb conquers a liar (v7-12)
Three things to know when you pick a fight with a dragon:
The Devil is dying
The baby has bled
His people are fed
Psalm 36: The Well and the Fountain
Preached on 29th November 2020, by Rupert Hunt-Taylor.
Psalms | Book 1: Christ's battle for the kingdom
Sermon Notes:
1. The human heart: a well of death and deceit (v1-4)
2. The God of love: a fountain of life and light (v5-9)
3. From the depths of the well, drink from the fountain (v10-12)
Psalm 35: The Darkest Stain
Preached on 22nd November 2020, by Rupert Hunt-Taylor.
Psalms | Book 1: Christ's battle for the kingdom
Sermon Notes:
The worst miscarriage of justice in history... which side were we on?
How do Jesus’ true people respond to the world’s hatred of him:
1. Rage against the wrong
2. Rouse the one who cares
3. Rejoice in the righteous God
Psalm 34: The King Who Shares
Preached on 15th November 2020, by Rupert Hunt-Taylor.
Psalms | Book 1: Christ's battle for the kingdom
Sermon Notes:
A humiliating story... What king would so delight in sharing it?
1. Sing with the king: and share in God’s worth to Him (1-7)
2. Hear how to fear: and share in God’s love for Him (8-22)
Lest We Forget
Preached on 8th November 2020 by Rupert Hunt-Taylor
A brief reflection for Remembrance Sunday
Readings: Deuteronomy 6:4–12, Luke 23:32-43
On memory...
We long for remembrance, because we are human
Memory values our past
Memory values our future
Our memories fail, because we are human
Memory is a wonderful but finite gift
God also gives us means to preserve our memory of himself
True hope lies in the one who remembers us
11. Happily Ever After (1 Corinthians 7:25-40)
Preached on 1st November 2020 by Rupert Hunt-Taylor.
The eleventh talk in the "How to win at Christianity" series.
Sermon Notes:
- A ring or a noose?
- Paul’s aim: pastoral wisdom, that frees us from anxiety
However you decide...
You are free
This world is dying
Life in it is difficult
So devote that life to Jesus
Jonah 1: God’s grace is tenacious
Preached on 25th October 2020 by Peter Dickson.
A one-off sermon on Jonah 1:1-17.
Sermon Notes
We can be very serious about getting away from The Lord
Our God is surprisingly resourceful
What greater sign could ever be given us?
10. A better master, in a broken world (1 Corinthians 7:10-24)
Preached on 18th October 2020 by Rupert Hunt-Taylor.
The tenth talk in the "How to win at Christianity" series.
Sermon Notes:
How do we find contentment, in a world of disposable things?
In a broken world, it’s enough...
1. …to fight for Jesus’ faithfulness (v10-11)
• so don’t dispose of your marriage!
2. …to live in Jesus’ peacefulness (v12-16)
• so don’t devalue your marriage!
3. …to belong to a better master (v17-24)
• so don’t despise your freedom!
9. Make love, not prayers (1 Corinthians 7:1-9)
Preached on 11th October 2020 by Rupert Hunt-Taylor.
The ninth talk in the "How to win at Christianity" series.
Sermon Notes:
Good, better, best: a game of Spiritual Twister
A reassuringly complicated response
How do we “glorify God in our body”?
1. If God has given you marriage: make love, not prayers! (v1-7)
The command: a cross-shaped bedroom (v3-4)
The concession: a cautious exception (v5-6
Unwrap your own gift! (v7)
2. If God has given you independence: be wise about your weakness! (v8-9)
8. The worth of your body (1 Corinthians 6:12-20)
Preached on 4th October 2020 by Rupert Hunt-Taylor.
The eight talk in the "How to win at Christianity" series.
Sermon Notes:
On the love of our bodies...
Christianity: an earthy, bodily religion.
1. What you’ve got wrong (12-14)
Your life is more significant than you realise.
2. What you don’t know (15-17)
Your relationships are more powerful than they feel.
3. What it means now (18-20)
Your body is ‘you’, but not ‘yours.’
So flee...
So glorify...
7. A crash course in anti-evangelism (1 Corinthians 6:1-11)
Preached on 27th September 2020 by Rupert Hunt-Taylor.
The seventh talk in the "How to win at Christianity" series.
Sermon Notes:
A tragedy: Christians who don’t know where they’ve come from, or where they are going.
How might we become non-verbal heretics?
1. What we tell the world
– “We don’t believe in the last judgement”
church is a place full of squabbles (v1-6)
– “We don’t believe in the cross”
church is a place for the strong (v7-8)
2. What we tell ourselves
– “We don’t believe in the last judgement”
Jesus doesn’t care about wrong (v9-10)
– “We don’t believe in the cross”
Jesus doesn’t know how to wash (v11)
6. How to Shock an Apostle (1 Corinthians 5)
Preached on 20th September 2020 by Rupert Hunt-Taylor.
The sixth talk in the "How to win at Christianity" series.
Sermon Notes:
The real scandal in Corinth:
One Corinthian disease, right through the letter
How do chapters 5 & 6 relate to it?
Dealing with sin in the church is hugely painful… so why bother?
1. Some real ‘judgement’: A loving heart (v1-5)
For his sake: your love for the sinner demands it
2. Some real ‘knowledge’: A fresh start (v6-8)
For your sake: the health of God’s temple demands it
3. Some real ‘spirituality’: A brotherly part (v9-13)
For the world’s sake: the mission you share demands it
5. Our Embarrassing Father (1 Corinthians 4)
Preached on 13th September 2020 by Rupert Hunt-Taylor.
The fifth talk in the "How to win at Christianity" series.
Sermon Notes:
A paternity test…
1. When do we want our approval? (1-5)
– A true child of Paul…cares for Jesus’ ultimate verdict on his heart, not that of others now.
2. What do we think of as success? (6-18)
– A true child of Paul… boasts in nothing more or less than the message Paul was trusted with (6-7).
– A true child of Paul… is willing to “lose” now, knowing that everything they have, they received (8-13).
3. Where do we look for our examples? (14-21)
– A true child of Paul… follows his ways, not just his words.
4. Two Ways to Smell
Preached on September 6th 2020 by Rupert Hunt Taylor
Worth and Worship: Humanity Rediscovered
First Reading: Mark 7:5-8
Second Reading: Amos 5:21-24
Third Reading: Hebrews 12:28–13:16
Sermon Notes:
When does worship make the heavens stink?
- When we barge in, filthy and proud
Liturgy
Lives
When does worship make our Father smile?
- When the crucified one fills our lips and our love
Liturgy
Lives