Category Archives: Sermons

The Resurrection of Jesus

Jesus is Risen from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

Easter Family Service (2011)

How are you feeling right now? Are you worried that you might not find an Easter egg? Are you tired after a long week’s school holiday? Are you feeling guilty you didn’t make Mum her breakfast this morning? Are you pleased that you found a parking space and made it here on time? Are you a little nervous because this is your first time in Church? Are you joyful because its Easter Sunday and Jesus is alive? Feelings can have a powerful hold on us.

The way we feel can change the way we look, talk and act. The friends of Jesus had similar feelings after he died on the cross. His friends took his body and laid it in a cave. They were very sad. But their world was turned upside down three days later when they met the risen Jesus. Jesus was alive! What did this mean? Because Jesus rose from the dead four things he had said earlier must now be true. Here are some clues.

1. Jesus is the SON OF GOD. Because dead people don’t rise from the dead. He is both God and man in the same person (Rom. 1:4).

2. Jesus is our REDEEMER. Because he rose from the dead we can be sure his death was good enough to pay the price for our sin. He was right when he said he was the only way to God (John 14:6).

3. Jesus is our LORD Because he now rules over heaven and earth. We must obey him and do what he says (Matthew 28:18).

4. Jesus is our FRIEND. He died and rose again so that we too can live for ever with him. (John 15:14)

Lets think about some of Jesus friends and how they felt before and after meeting the risen Jesus. Who was the first person to meet Jesus?

Mary Magdalene. She went to the tomb to anoint Jesus body. Finding the tomb empty she wept. She didn’t recognise Jesus until he called out her name Mary. Immediately her tears were turned to joy. “I have seen the Lord!” she told the disciples.

What about Peter? How did he feel? When Jesus was on trail what had Peter done? Peter disowned Jesus. But when they met the risen Jesus by the Sea of Galilee, what did Jesus say to Peter? “Do you truly love me?” Peter was sorry and Jesus forgave him. Later, Peter wrote about it. (1 Peter 3:15).

What about Thomas? Thomas had not been with the other disciples when Jesus first appeared. When they told him, Thomas doubted. So Jesus came back a another time, just for Thomas. When Jesus showed Thomas his hands and his feet he cried, “My Lord and my God”. Thomas worshipped Jesus. Jesus said “Blessed are those who have not seen.” (John 20:29).

On another occasion Jesus met with all his friends. Many were afraid but Jesus said, “Peace be with you.” (John 20:19) Jesus gave all his friends a new purpose in life. “Go and tell everyone about me. Make me lots more friends. Tell them everything that I have told you: How God wants to rescue them and make them feel safe.” (Matthew 28:18-20). And because they did, we are here today making more friends for Jesus.

Lets sum up what we have learnt about Jesus from his friends. Jesus is the Son of God He is our Redeemer, Lord and Friend. How has the story of Easter and the resurrection of Jesus changed your life? Whether you are already a friend of Jesus, or want to become one this Easter, we invite you to respond.

We invite you to express your desire to be a member of his family here at Christ Church. So that no one feels embarrassed lets all stand. Then silently, please respond in which ever way you feel appropriate. .f you want to become a friend of Jesus, I invite you to join me in this prayer.

Lord Jesus,
I believe you died and rose again.
Thank you for dying in my place,
to take away my sin.
Thank you for giving me the gift of eternal life.
Thank you for wanting me to be your friend.
Help me to know you better and serve you for the rest of my life. In Jesus name. Amen.

If you already a friend of Jesus, please join me in renewing our commitment to follow Jesus and serve one another for the year ahead, using this Anglican declaration.

Christ Church Membership

By God’s Grace, and with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us, I will endeavour

To follow the example of Christ in home and daily life, and to bear personal witness to Him.

To be regular in private prayer day by day.

To read the Bible carefully.

To come to Church every Sunday.

To receive the Holy Communion faithfully and regularly.

To give personal service to Church, neighbours, and community.

To give money for the work of parish and diocese and for the work of the Church at home and overseas.

To uphold the standard of marriage entrusted by Christ to His Church.

To care that children are brought up to love and serve the Lord.

By God’s Grace, this is my desire for the coming year.

Name……………………..……………………………………

Date……………………

If you wish to be recognised as a member of Christ Church, please add your name and the date and return the copy of this membership form to the Church Office. We recommend you keep this leaflet in your Bible as a reminder of your membership commitment.

Jesus and Mary Magdalene (John 20:1-18)

Jesus and Mary Magdalene (John 20:1-18) from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

Jesus and Women: The Transforming Power of Redemptive Love. Mary Magdalene (John 20:1-18)

What is the most embarrassing thing that can possibly happen to a man? Getting lost and having to ask a lady for directions? Close. Discovering your wife is a better map reader than you are? Possibly. For me, getting a flat tyre and having to call the AA for help because I couldn’t get the nuts off the wheel. That was pretty embarrassing. And wasn’t even anyone else in the car… It’s at times like that, that you appreciate being a member of the AA or RAC. Everyone wishes they were a member… after a breakdown. When you think of ‘membership’ what comes to mind? It probably depends on how exclusive or expensive the membership is, or how badly we want it. There are arts societies, sport associations, health clubs, university alumni and professional bodies. The list of ‘memberships’ is endless, and your wallet is probably full of plastic to prove it. Some memberships are open to anyone who can pay the fee while others are exclusive and by ‘invitation only’. Locally, there is the Virginia Water Community Association, the Royal British Legion, Savill Gardens and of course Wentworth for those with a passion for golf, tennis or physical fitness. For many people, their membership provides a rich social life in which friendships and common interests can be pursued and shared. What may surprise you, however, is to discover that ‘membership’ is a Christian word. It appears in the Bible to describe how we become members of God’s family.

The apostle Paul writes,“For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” (Romans 12:4-5)

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The Cross

The Cross from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

When a hospital consultant reveals a serious medical condition that will probably shorten your life without a major operation, it can be a little unsettling. The imminent risk of a stroke is like a living death sentence. It changes your outlook on life. Your priorities. Then, just as suddenly, to be given the all clear is like being given your life back again. Although from now on, whether due to a mis-diagnosis or a miracle, you are grateful. Life feels good. That is how we should feel because of what happened that first Good Friday.

The Cross. It struck fear in the hearts of the world. It was Rome’s means of control. Excruciating torture. Prolonged agony. Humiliating death. According to Roman custom, the penalty of crucifixion was always preceded by scourging. After this initial punishment, you carried your cross, or at least the transverse beam of it, to the place of execution.
Besides the physical pain there was also the psychological torture. Because crucifixion was a public form of execution.

The crosses were located by the roadside or at a crossroads. There was no hiding. You were exposed to the jibes and insults of the people who passed by. Stripped naked, you were bound to the cross with cords and fastened with nails like these here.
Roman nails, 2000 years old. You can place them in your hands after the service.

Finally, a placard called the titulus bearing your name and your crime, was placed above your head. You would not die of hunger or thirst, but might hang on the cross for several days. To breathe, you must stretch upward and stand to take the weight on your legs and off your arms and chest. So if your legs were broken, death would come mercifully swift with asphyxiation. In this way it was possible to take down the corpse on the very evening of the execution such as a Sabbath. But your corpse could not be taken down, unless specially authorized in the sentence of death. Permission would also be necessary for a burial. It is remarkable that all of this the Bible records with the simple words, “Finally, Pilate handed Jesus over to be crucified.” (John 19:16). This morning the children have had their own activities. They were finding out why today is called “Good Friday” Now it is our turn. Lets examine John 19:16-29 and draw out three simple reasons why today is indeed a good day. Continue reading →

The Grace of Giving

“Look at your hands. When you were just an infant, you came out with your hands closed. And every time somebody put their little finger in yours, you would wrap your hand around it, hold on tight, and not let go. As a toddler, you started grabbing rattles and little toys. When another child came in your direction and wanted to take one away from you, you said, “Mine,” and held on tight.

When you were in junior school, you hung on tightly to bicycle handlebars and pencils and other things. In senior school you hung on to the hand of Sarah Jane, and you were not about to let that go. In college you hung on to a lot of different stuff—maybe some stuff we don’t even want to talk about here—but when you left, you were clutching a certificate with two hands.

When you started a career, you grabbed the lowest rung on the ladder and you hung on. Then you reached for the second one and you hung on, and then the next one. Since then, you have been climbing ladders, clutching rungs. Someday retirement will come and you’ll hang on to golf clubs or gardening tools, pension funds, and social security. When you get near the end of your life, you’ll start hanging on to canes and zimmer frames.

And then do you know what happens to some people in the final moments of their life? They clutch the edge of a hospital bed. They hang on tightly as if to life itself. And then they die and finally, they relax their grip. By nature, you and I are clutchers. We scrape and we claw and we work and we fret, and if we get ahead just a little bit, we hold on. It doesn’t matter who or what tries to convince us to relax our grip. We have a reflexive response to giving up something that’s dear to us – especially when it comes to our money…For most of us, clutching is like breathing. It just comes naturally.”[1] This morning we are going to learn why we need to loosen our grip on money. We are going to consider an example of another church and how they learnt to give with open hands. Where ever the apostle Paul planted a new church, part of their discipleship training included teaching on stewardship. John Stott observes,

“Paul did not see it as a mundane matter. On the contrary, he saw it as relating to the grace of God, the cross of Christ and the unity of the Spirit. In fact, it is very moving to grasp this combination of profound Trinitarian theology and practical common sense.”[2] Continue reading →

Jesus on Marriage

The secret to newlywed bliss? Irrational optimism about your spouse. If marriage is about compromise, as they say, then happy marriage is about self-delusion. So found scientists at the University of Buffalo, who followed 222 newlyweds through their first three years together. The ones who went into marriage idealizing their partners ended up happier together than those who went in with clearer eyes. …

The study is published in the April issue of Psychological Science, Dr. Sandra Murray, a professor of psychology at the University at Buffalo, the State University of New York recruited 222 couples as they applied for their marriage licenses in Buffalo, N.Y. They were, on average, about 27 years old, with family incomes of about $40,000 to $70,000 a year. One hundred and ninety three couples “finished at least three of the seven waves of evaluation, she said. (Eleven separated or divorced.) Participants completed surveys about themselves, their partners and their marriages every six months for three years.”

A less-than-ideal partner can be seen as a reflection of one’s ideals predicted a certain level of immunity to the caustic effects of time. The couples who initially idealized their partner extremely experienced no declines in satisfaction in their partner. As long as both spouses have a positive attitude about their partner, they have likely to have a successful marriage and be very happy together.” (Source: Contracept.org)

Is there an alternative to irrational optimism and rational cynicism in relationships? I believe there is. In our series on the privileges of church membership the last sentence reads:

“To uphold the standard of marriage entrusted by Christ to his Church and to care that children are brought up to love and serve the Lord.”

Upholding the standard of marriage does not mean wearing rose tinted glasses any more than reinforcing Victorian stereotypes or giving in to more contemporary secular prejudices. When we address such a controversial subject as marriage, we have to acknowledge we bring a certain amount of excess baggage. In any church family there will be singles who are content and those who are not. Some will be happily married and others not. Some may be living together, some will be separated, some divorced and some widowed. We also bring with us the subconscious baggage of our parents marriage, happy or otherwise. And we may already have witnessed in the marriages of our our children or grandchildren, sadness and heartache for the same reasons. We each come to God with different needs, different hopes and longings, for ourselves and for those we love. So let us invite the Holy Spirit to speak to us, to teach us how, whatever our background, whatever our past experience, we can start again and live in right relationships as God intends. Please turn with me to Mark 10:6-9 and lets discover how Jesus speaks into our contemporary debate about marriage.

Jesus on Marriage from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

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How to Receive Communion Faithfully

Receiving Holy Communion Faithfully from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

The Privilege of Church Membership: Receiving Communion Faithfully
(1 Corinthians 11:17-34)

Whenever I travel abroad I empty my wallet of all my extraneous plastic – there’s my Boots Advantage card, my Tesco Club card, Shell garage card and Nectar ‘you deserve it’ loyalty card, my Starbucks card, Costa Coffee Club card, my Caffe Nero card, my Halifax Ultimate Reward Card, Automobile Association card, Dry Cleaners loyalty card and of course, my Wentworth Club card.

Into my wallet depending on who gave me the best flight deal, goes my British Airways Executive Card, my American Airlines, Delta or United Airline card, and of course my Passport.

We are probably all members of one or more club, trade union, professional association, community group, society or charity. Membership is important. It gives a sense of belonging.

What you may not realise however is that ‘Membership’ is actually a Christian word. In Paul’s letter to the Romans he writes, “in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” (Romans 12:5). That means ‘the Church’ is the oldest and largest club in Britain. Continue reading →

Supporting the Church Abroad (Matthew 21:1-17)

Matthew 21 from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

The Road from Jericho to Jerusalem is just 14 miles long. A day’s journey on foot, uphill all the way. Bethany is on one side of the Mount of Olives. A natural place to stop and rest before the final ascent and panoramic view of all Jerusalem. But it is not the road that should capture our attention. Dusty roads through dramatic scenery were as common then as now, indeed little has changed. Israeli checkpoints, barbed wire, military settlements and the Separation Wall have replaced the Roman garrisons but it is still Occupied Territory. It is ironic that if Jesus were born in Binfield he would have no problem getting from Jericho to Jerusalem today. But because he was born in Bethlehem he would not be able to make the journey to Jerusalem. Like thousands of West Bank Christians he would be turned back at any one of the 400 military checkpoints that clog Palestine. Each one acts like plaque narrowing the arteries – constricting the flow of Palestinian life.

The Right Revd Suheil Dawani is the Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem. He was born in Nablus but serves at the Cathedral in Jerusalem. At least he did so until this week. He too has just had his Jerusalem residence permit revoked. Under international law he has every right to live and work in his own country but the Israeli government is seeking to empty East Jerusalem of Palestinians and so under it is illegal for the Bishop to visit his Cathedral in Jerusalem. Pray for your brothers and sisters today in the Holy Land who are denied the most basic of human rights – freedom of movement, freedom to worship, freedom to live in the land of their birth. Sadly they are haemorrhaging, as they are in Iraq and other Middle East countries.

Last week, for example, the most prominent Christian in Pakistan was murdered. Shahbaz Bhatti, 42, was shot outside his mother’s home in Islamabad Wednesday morning. He was the only Christian serving in Pakistan’s government. As Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Minorities Affairs, Shahbaz was well known for campaigning against the nation’s strict blasphemy law and lobbying for the rights of religious minorities. Last year Shahbaz made a video to be released in the event of his death. You can view it on my blog and also Christianity Today. We need to do more than pray and give financially to mission.

That is why I travelled 7,000 miles to speak at Taylor University in Upland and Indiana University in Fort Wayne earlier this week. If we want to break the log jam in the Middle East we need to challenge the mindset in Middle America. Taylor maybe a small Christian University of only 3,500 students but everyone is challenged to go on mission trips, and boy were they fired up about the Middle East. So, on Tuesday night, when the University had invited Alvin Plantinga, described by Time magazine as the “leading philosopher of God,” to give a prestigious lecture, the students themselves organised a viewing of With God on our Side and at least 250 students showed up. We hope to have a recording of the Q&A online soon. On Thursday just before I flew home, I gave a 50 minute lecture on the Middle East to students at Indiana State University, that was also broadcast live by the local TV station. Continue reading →

Dancing in Church? (the Story of David & Michal)

David and Michal from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

Do you like dancing? Hands up if you like dancing. Hands down. Hands up if you have never danced in your entire life? We all dance when we are children don’t we? Its natural?

But what happens when we begin to grow up? We begin to get self-conscious. We think we have two left feet. We worry about what other people might think. And we say “I can’t dance” which roughly translated means “I won’t dance.”

When do you feel like dancing? When you have something to celebrate? When there is some dance music playing? When other people are dancing? When you come to church? Hands up if you are comfortable with dancing in church? Any kind of dancing or only some kinds of dancing? Dancing is popular in many different cultures isn’t it?

Would you be comfortable with this kind of dancing at Christ Church? Hands up. How about this one? And this one? We all have different opinions don’t we? What matters? Why we are dancing? Are we dancing for the Lord? Or are we drawing attention to ourselves? I’m a little embarrassed to show you this picture, but I wanted to prove that I can dance too. Do you want me to show you? Maybe not… I don’t know what Joanna thinks, because she hasn’t seen the picture. It doesn’t really matter now because we have all our children …

In our Bible story David and Michal couldn’t agree on dancing either could they? What was the difference between King David and his wife Michal? Verse 16. He was dancing. She was despising. Why was David dancing? Why wasn’t Michal dancing? See verse 15-16. The text says “the entire house of Israel were bringing….” But they weren’t were they? David was worshipping. All the people were worshipping. But Michal wasn’t worshipping. She was watching. They were worshipping. She was watching. That is why she was bitter in her heart.

What was David thinking of? What God had done. What was Michal thinking of? What David had done. Who was David thinking of? The Lord not himself. Who was Michal thinking of? Herself, not the Lord. See how David replied to Michal when she criticised him when he came in for supper.

Read 2 Samuel 6:21-22. David was willing to humble himself before the Lord his king, in order that he be honoured by his subjects. Michal did not honour God or humble herself and that is why became sad and bitter. How can we apply this lesson? And that is why it doesn’t matter what kind of dancing we have at Christ Church. Or if we do dance or if we don’t.

It doesn’t matter if you do like dancing or don’t like dancing. It doesn’t matter if you do like singing or don’t like singing. It doesn’t matter if you do want to raise your hands or don’t want to raise your hands. What matters is our motive not our moves. What matters is not what other people think but what God thinks. The lesson here doesn’t only apply to dancing. It can apply to what we wear? Who did you get dressed for today? Who will you go to school for tomorrow? Who will you be working for tomorrow?

Who do you relate to most in our story? With David or with Michal?

The Apostle Peter learnt this lesson the hard way, after he boasted about what he would do for Jesus, before he understood all that Jesus would do for him: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” (1 Peter 5:6)

Let’s make it our prayer today and maybe our memory verse for the week. So that whether we are dancing with praise to the Lord on the outside, we are dancing with praise to the Lord on the inside.

How to Read the Bible Carefully (2 Timothy 3:14-17)

How to Read the Bible Carefully from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

Do you remember your very first Bible? Mine was a gift from my grandfather. I must have been six or seven years old. It had a hard red cover. It was small, had very thin pages and tiny script. But that didn’t matter because it was unreadable anyway. On the occasions I tried, I had absolutely no idea what I was reading. It was a closed book. King James could keep his Bible. At senior school, I encountered the Revised Standard Version (RSV) in RE lessons, but I was more interested in the line drawings and maps than the text itself.

At University, when I became a Christian, the Bible really came to life. And I wanted a copy just like the guy who led me to Christ. It didn’t do much for my spelling because it was the New American Standard Bible (NASB) but at least it had a readable font, the sentences went right across the page like a real book and it had cross references that kept me occupied for hours. This was around the time of Woodstock and the fashion in Christian circles was to cut off the hard cover of your Bible and glue on a piece of off cut leather. So we could walk around campus, bare foot, carrying the kind of Bible John the Baptist must have had. I thought it would be cool to underline passages that spoke to me and I also used a highlight pen. The only problem was it bled through to the other side and pretty soon I was underlining most of the text.

Then I discovered my pastor had a wide margin, loose leaf Bible, so he could add his notes and make it look like he was preaching straight from the Bible. So I wanted one too. I bought my very own loose leaf Bible and added my notes in the margins and on extra pages. But I gave up because my writing wasn’t that good and there wasn’t enough room anyway.

Eventually I upgraded to an all leather New International Study Bible (NIV) and decided not to write anything in it. And that’s been my companion for the last 25 years. If you don’t own a Study Bible and you are serious about growing in Christ, I recommend you invest in one. I’d go for the TNIV or the ESV Study Bible. The Life Application Study Bible is also good. And if you want a Bible for daily devotions, go for the One Year Bible which provides you with an OT, NT, Psalm and Proverb for each day, and you can read the whole Bible in a year.

In this series on the Privileges of Church Membership, today we are thinking about how to read the Bible carefully. This morning I want us to answer 3 questions:

1. Why should I read the Bible carefully?

2. How can I read the Bible carefully?

3. What will reading the Bible carefully achieve?

[You can download a study outline here]

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The First & Continuing Missionary Adventure (Acts 13)

Acts 13 from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

What comes to mind when you think of the word ‘missionary’? Pith helmets, savages, martyrs? Ever think of yourself as a ‘missionary’? Or to use more contemporary language, a ‘mission partner’? Well that’s the theme of our Mission Sunday with special guest speaker Dick Dowsett on Sunday 27^th March. We are going to see that the Lord has entrusted to each one of us, the good news of the gospel. He has given each one of us a ministry of reconciliation. On our Mission Sunday we are going to be challenged to get involved with one of more of our mission partner agencies – not just pray for them, not just give to them, but go with them. Our aim is that in years to come we will be sending mission teams out every year to work with churches in other parts of the Uk, Europe and the world. Tonight we are going to tag along with the Apostle Paul on his first missionary journey. I want us to see that it is in fact a continuing missionary adventure because it isn’t over yet. We usually identify the preaching of the Gospel with the quiet rural lakeside villages of Galilee where our Lord ministered. It can all sometimes seem rather remote and distant from our busy urban environment. The irony is however that the Church growth recorded in the Book of Acts was almost exclusively an urban expansion. Historian Wayne Meeks writes,

“within a decade of the crucifixion of Jesus, the village culture of Palestine had been left behind, and the Greco-Roman city had become the dominant environment of the Christian movement.”

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