Category Archives: Sermons

A Call to Spiritual Reformation (Philippians 1:9-11)

William Carey (1761-1834) is known as the father of modern missions. Carey was a cobbler, a shoe maker, who had a burden in his heart for the nations without Christ. He made a map of the world out of shoe leather, and would look at it, and pray for the world, as he made shoes. During those early years he also taught himself Hebrew, Italian, Dutch, and French, often reading while working on his shoes.

In 1789 Carey became the full-time pastor of a small Baptist church in Leicester. Three years later in 1792 he published his groundbreaking missionary manifesto, An Enquiry into the Obligations of Christians to use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens.

This short book consists of five parts. The first part is a theological justification for missionary activity, arguing that the command of Jesus to make disciples of all the world (Matthew 28:18-20) remains binding on Christians. The second part outlines a history of missionary activity, beginning with the early Church and ending with David Brainerd and John Wesley. Part 3 comprises 26 pages of tables, listing area, population, and religion statistics for every country in the world. Carey had compiled these figures during his years as a schoolteacher. The fourth part answers objections to sending missionaries, such as difficulty learning the language or danger to life.

Finally, the fifth part calls for the formation of a Baptist missionary society and describes the practical means by which it could be supported. Carey’s seminal pamphlet outlines his basis for missions: Christian obligation, wise use of available resources, and accurate information. Carey later preached a pro-missionary sermon (the so-called deathless sermon), using Isaiah 54:2-3 as his text, in which he repeatedly used the epigram which has become his most famous quotation: “Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God.”

Carey finally overcame the resistance to missionary effort, and the Particular Baptist Society for Propagating the Gospel among the Heathen (now the Baptist Missionary Society) was founded in October 1792. A year later the Lord opened the door for Carey to go to India himself as one of the first missionaries to that country. Carey translated the Bible into 37 different Indian languages, Many of these languages had never been printed before. The Lord had gifted Carey with a great intellect but the fruitfulness of his ministry can be attributed to someone else.

Back in England, Carey had a sister who was a quadriplegic. She was unable to walk or use her hands. Every day for 50 years she prayed for her brother, and his work in India. She wrote him encouraging letters by holding a pencil in her teeth. Carey made the famous statement: “Attempt great things for God; expect great things from God.”

A large part of Carey’s fruitfulness must have been the result of his sister’s faithful prayer life.

How can we learn to pray like this? A good model is found in Paul’s letter to the Philippians. It was written by Paul while a prisoner in Rome about the year 62 AD and sent to his friends at Philippi to the church founded on his second missionary journey. You can read about it in Acts 16. One of the church members there, Epaphroditus had been sent to Rome to bring some money from the church to help Paul while in prison.

Paul’s letter therefore is something of a “missionary thank you” but it is much more than that. In his letter Paul shares the secret of Christian joy. Paul mentions joy, rejoicing and gladness 19x in four short chapters. Now the unusual thing about this letter is that from what we know of Paul’s circumstances he had no earthly reason for rejoicing at all.

He was a Roman prisoner, and he did not know whether his trial would result in an acquittal or execution. He was chained to Roman guards and denied basic freedoms. Yet in spite of his danger and discomfort, Paul overflowed with joy.

What was the secret of this joy ? We shall find that the answer lies in another word often repeated in this letter. That is the word “mind”. Paul uses the word 10x, the word “think” 5x, and “remember” once. Add those together and you have 16 references to the mind.

In other words, the secret of Christian joy is found in the way we think – our attitudes. For our outlook so very often determines our outcome. This is no shallow “self help” book that tells us to think positively, or to convince ourselves everything will turn out all right in the end. It is a short letter that explains how we can continue to experience God’s joy irrespective of our circumstances.

“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:9-11)

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God’s Amazing Book: Bible Prophecy

From Genesis to Revelation, the Scriptures reveal God’s redemptive plan in Jesus Christ. The writings of Moses reveal God’s holy nature, God’s laws and God’s redemptive plan of atonement for human sin. The historical writings reveal the progressive revelation of God’s redemptive plan in calling Abraham and through him, a family, then a nation to be his holy people, to be a light of revelation to the other nations. Alongside the Law and the Historical writings, the Psalms are the hymnbook of God’s people. But to authenticate these writings as truly the Word of God, from eternity, God foretold and revealed events in space time history before they occurred.

“If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. No one should be alarmed.” (Deuteronomy 18:22)

The Apostle Peter adds a New Testament perspective:

“We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:19-21)

The prophets therefore fulfilled a unique role in corroborating the giving of divine revelation in a way that was verifiable and unmistakable. The Place of Prophecy: Authenticating Divine Scripture.

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God’s Amazing Book: Bible Prophecy from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

The Floodgates of Heaven: Malachi 3:6-12

The Floodgates of Heaven: Malachi 3 from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

In Malachi 3 we are introduced to the Floodgates of Heaven. There is an unmistakable connection in Scripture between spiritual growth and material values. Israel’s giving patterns were a consistent thermometer of the nation’s inner spiritual condition. When the Israelites’ hearts were kindled with a spirit of worship to God, they overflowed with contagious expressions of generosity. But when Israel’s hearts turned inward to ingratitude, complaint and idolatry, their hands withheld. And the more their hands withheld, the more their hearts turned away from God.

With their hearts went their wallets. Malachi challenges their behavior and explains how God’s blessings are experienced. If we want to experience God’s blessing we must do three things.

1. We must turn back to God (3:6-7)
2. We must stop robbing God (3:8-9)
3. We must start trusting God (3:10-12)

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Servant Leadership – The Role of Church Leaders

Servant Leadership: John 13 from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

A year or so ago I attended a celebration at Lambeth Palace. Besides the archbishop, there were many other bishops present and guests from all around the world. All there to honour a frail 90 year old gentleman who had them all in awe. Kenneth Cragg is the leading scholar in the world today on Islam and Christian mission in the Arab world. He has written 30 books, all of them classics using a typewriter. His words are so distilled you have to read each sentence several times to have any hope of understanding its meaning. After the Archbishop and various Bishops had expressed their appreciation, Kenneth spoke with humility and erudition about his love of the Lord Jesus Christ. He summed up his long life, his academic studies, his contribution to our understanding of Islam and interfaith relations in one sentence – “Confronted by the love of Christ, we have no choice.” I like that because it sums up why we are here, I hope: Confronted by the love of Christ we have no choice. No choice but to serve the one who in loving service gave his life to set us free. Serve the one who in loving service forgave our sins, who in loving service gave us eternal life. The apostle Paul explains it like this, “For Christ’s love compels us.” (2 Corinthians 5:14) For Christ’s love compels us. That is why we serve and that is why we are here.

On the night that he was betrayed, Jesus, “got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.” (John 13:4-5). Then, “when he had finished washing their feet [all 24], he put on his clothes and returned to his place. Do you understand what I have done for you? He asked them” (John 13:12). Do you understand what Christ has done for you?  Lets look at these verses in a little more detail for Jesus has provided us with a model.

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Photos from the Church Council Away Day

How to fireproof your marriage and avoid sexual temptation


On Sunday 1st February, during the most popular US TV programme of the year, the Super Bowl, a controversial advert was aired. The NFL and NBC both felt it was inappropriate but local affiliates in Texas decided that $250,000 for a 30-second spot was too much to turn down. The commercial advertised an online dating service for… married people. It showed a couple at a restaurant on their wedding anniversary. The man was an obnoxious jerk who talked on the cell phone al through the supper. Then, he got up to leave during dessert, and said, “Happy anniversary, honey.” The voice-over, targeted at women, asked, “Isn’t it time for Ashley Madison?” Their website promises “Have an affair…guaranteed”. The company owner defended the ad by noting he was simply providing a service for people wanting to be honest about their displeasure with marriage. He started the service in 2001 after reading that 30% of the people signing up for singles dating services were married. He now has 3.3 million members. Texas was the only state to see the ad, but that was intentional. Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio represent their fastest-growing markets with nearly a quarter-million members joining in the past few months. Less than 24 hours after the Super Bowl ad, Houston alone accounted for more than 147,000 hits to the site.

How does adultery occur?
In Temptations Men Face, Tom Eisenman lists 12 common steps that occur in sequence as a relationship moves toward adultery.

1. Readiness Unresolved issues in a marriage that make the partners vulnerable.

2. Fantasizing Innocent thoughts about someone else beginning to turn to fantasizing. The ‘what if” which we rationalize as day dreaming.

3. Innocent Meeting Heightened awareness when around someone. Electricity.

4. Intentional Meeting Plotting to be in the same area so you might see them again. Playing games. This is the point when a person enters the danger zone.

5. Public Lingering Mutually agreeing to spend time together, ignoring others, shutting others out of the conversation. Showing particular interest in the other person’s personal history, interests. Observers might pick up that something is unusual at this point.

6. Private Lingering Long after others have left they are still talking. A growing excitement in being together alone. Converrsations shift from ideas to feelings. Caring is shared.

7. Purposeful Isolating Now the couple begin to plan times alone for legitimate purposes. Men will often confide in the woman and ask for advice with their marriage problems. Or the woman asks the man to stay late at the office to help her with the computer. The couple will still deny any suggestion that their relationship is not completely appropriate. At home, however, a wife might notice a decrease in verbal and nonverbal communication. He seems detached, almost formal.

8. Pleasurable Isolating Now a couple are planning times alone just for the sheer enjoyment and fun of being together. It takes on a youthful euphoria. There is more intimacy. The warm touch of the hand or arm. The couple will still rationalize that they are just good friends.

9. Affectionate Embracing Secret longings become intense. There is embracing often through tickling or wrestling. Physical expression is still rationalized.

10. Passionate Embracing Alcohol or anything that reduces inhibition contributes to increased physical desire and expression. Behaviour is rationalized because a husband or wife is unfeeling or doesn’t make me feel this way.

11. Capitulation Denial is eliminated. There is no longer anyway they can deny the reality of what is happening.

12. Acceptance The couple will admit to each other that they are having an affair. If it continues it is by mutual consent. The spouse is almost always aware at this point. The emotional investment in the affair is at its highest and investment at home at its lowest. The tension of living a double life is usually too much to bear for very long and there is often relief when it is discovered.

Eisenman asks, “Is this the end of the story? Do the man and woman live happily ever after? No. The story of an affair is not a comedy. It is a tragedy.” As James Dobson says, “The grass is greener on the other side of the fence, but it still has to be mowed.” Once the excitement wears off the couple have to return to the real world and the imperfections they had not seen or had ignored become apparent. But by now there is a trail of pain much like a cancer that begins to eat away at the new relationship. Children have been hurt. A wife or husband abandoned.  One or more marriages wrecked. Have you ever tried to put toothpaste back in the tube? Hard isn’t it?

Read more here or listen here

How to fireproof your marriage: Matthew 5:27-30 from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

Living with Purpose

Yesterday I gave two presentations on “Living with Purpose” at a Church Away Day for Farnham Baptist Church pastored by John Ross. You can read the presentations here and here.

Purpose Driven Mission: Matthew 28:18-20 from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

Purpose Driven Membership: Ephesians 4:1-16 from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

I concluded the first presentation with a quotation from William WIlberforce, written in 1797, that stands as a prophetic indictment of our own contemporary society and a rallying call for Christians to give their lives fully and wholeheartedly in the cause of Christ – to know God and make him known.

“Boldly I must confess that I believe the national difficulties we face result from the decline of religion and morality among us. I must confess equally boldly that my own solid hopes for the well-being of my country depend, not so much on her navies and armies, nor on the wisdom of her rulers, nor on the spirit of her people, as on the persuasion that she still contains many who love and obey the gospel of Christ. I believe their prayers may yet prevail… May there be here at least a sanctuary, a land of true faith and piety, where we may still enjoy the blessings of Christianity. May there be in this nation a place where the name of Christ is still honoured and men may see the blessings of faith in Jesus.”

How to deal with anger: Matthew 5:21-26

How to deal with anger: Matthew 5:21-26 from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

A woman was driving home one night. The weather was really nasty. Rain was coming down in buckets and visibility was very poor. Seeing taillights ahead of her, she followed the car in front. The car in front seemed to be going in the right direction. So she gingerly followed. All of a sudden the car in front put his break lights on and came to a stop. She began to wonder what had happened; Maybe the road was impassable or he had hit a deer.  She began to feel uncomfortable. Parked in the middle of the road was not a good place to be in a storm. Someone might run into the back of her. Much to her alarm the driver in front turned their lights off. Her confusion turned to frustration then anger. Suddenly a man get out of the car in front and walked over to her car. He knocked on her window. She opened the window an inch and nervously asked the man what his problem was. “That’s what I was about to ask you.” The man replied. Angrily, she retorted that she wasn’t the one who had stopped in the middle of the road and turned off her car lights.

The man corrected her “Lady, we are not in the middle of the road. We are parked in my drive way.”

Benjamin Franklin once said “Anger is never without a reason, but seldom with a good one.” Christopher Hall writes, “To live in a world permeated with evil is enough to make you angry. Those we love can arouse deep anger within us as they purposely or unknowingly hurt us.

People unleash enormous wickedness and suffering on the world at large, and suddenly we find ourselves sucked into evil’s vortex. The instinctive, natural way to express anger is to respond aggressively. Anger is a natural, adaptive response to threats; it inspires powerful, often aggressive, feelings and behaviors, which allow us to fight and to defend ourselves when we are attacked. A certain amount of anger, therefore, is necessary to our survival. On the other hand, we can’t physically lash out at every person or object that irritates or annoys us; laws, social norms, and common sense place limits on how far our anger can take us.

So how should the Christian respond? Is it legitimate to become angry, either over our own pain or the suffering inflicted on others? At first glance, the New Testament exacerbates the conundrum. Both Jesus and Paul teach that anger is inappropriate or at best should be short-lived (Eph. 4:26-27), but both clearly became angry at times (Matt. 22; Gal. 1). Our experience and the Bible both suggest that there is legitimate anger and sinful anger. How are we to distinguish them?” Christopher Hall argues that “Too many Christians… have been taught that anger is always sinful… and should be absent from the spiritually mature.” Obviously, “anger that is expressed destructively toward others, ourselves, or God adversely affects our spiritual journey. Anger’s power can destroy our health, our relationships, our community, and our sense of God’s presence and grace.” Yet the capacity to become angry, an attribute of Jesus himself, is a significant aspect of humanness, rather than sinfulness. Tonight we are going to learn how to distinguish between righteous and sinful anger and how to deal with the latter. I want us to recognise when rage is so deadly. Realise why reconciliation is so essential. Remember why resolution is so imperative.

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The Grace of God Revealed – Malachi 2:17-3:6


This week the people of Britain have been preparing to vote. There has been unprecedented levels of media attention in the polls. Popular support for some of the candidates in the last few days has reached fever pitch. Not just in Britain but around the world, millions and millions of ordinary people have been watching, speculating and cheering on the candidates.

What has impressed voters has been the honesty, the integrity, the complete lack of guile, the down to earth, no nonsense, approach of some of the candidates. For weeks I have been in no doubt whatsoever as to the outcome. I believe that if Susan Boyle had been standing as a candidate for the local elections or the European Parliament, instead of last night’s final of Britain’s Got Talent, she would win on Thursday with a huge landslide. Susan is a 48 year old church volunteer from West Lothian in Scotland. She lives at home with her cat Pebbles. Susan has been singing since she was 12 years old. She  regularly attends her local church and helps them out however and whenever she can.

On Thursday, England goes to the Polls a second time this week. Turn out will probably be much lower than on Saturday night. It will be a referendum on our entire political system.

This is not a good time to be an MP.  Melanie Philips wrote,

“There has never been anything like it. The political class is disgraced. Public fury is unassuaged. Revolution is in the air. Yet our MPs are still obdurately behaving true to discredited form. Some are taking refuge in self-pity, claiming they are being driven to the edge of nervous breakdowns or even contemplating suicide. Certainly, public shaming is a savage ordeal. But since this has occurred only because MPs hid shameful behaviour which has now been exposed, such an appeal to public sympathy just adds insult to injury…parliamentary democracy certainly has been undermined – not by those who have shone a light on the corruption of the system, but by those who have corrupted it.”

How do we change the system? Hold up our hands, shrug our shoulders, stay at home or cast a protest vote? No, that is the last thing we should do on Thursday. Only the extremists will benefit. I urge you to vote. But not in some Pavolvian way as you have always done. Do your homework and vote for the local and European candidates who demonstrate integrity, who can earn your respect and will act responsibly as your representatives. That is the democratic way to change the system. And there is more that MPs can do as well. One political leader has declared that in future, when his MP’s submit their expense claims, they will simultaneously publish them online so that anyone can see what they are claiming for. That is how you change the system. Transparency. Although I am not claiming expenses at the moment, I want you to know that you can ask the Church Wardens to see any of my expense claims over the past 12 years, at any time.

God holds each one of us accountable for our actions. In Malachi, these Sunday mornings, we have been examining six such disputes God had with his people:

1.     A dispute about God’s love (1:2–5)

2.     A dispute about God’s honour (1:6–2:9)

3.     A dispute about Godly faithfulness (2:10–16)

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The Grace of God revealed in Malachi 2:17-3:6 from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

From This Day Forward: Malachi 2:10-16

After breaking up with his fiancée, a young man realized the error of his ways and wrote: “Dearest Marie, No words could ever express the great unhappiness I’ve felt since breaking our engagement. Please say you’ll take me back. No one could ever take your place in my heart, so please forgive me. I love you! Yours forever, Jimmy…P.S. Congratulations on winning the lottery.”  I’m not sure how sincere this guy was, but at least he was right to restore their broken relationship at any cost.

It is hard to talk about strained or broken relationships isn’t it? As Phillip Jensen and Richard Pulley say in Burning Desire

“Many of us know it close to hand, and it may be almost impossible to discuss it without bringing complex emotions to the surface. It is one of the most painful and pervasive social issues… and it is one of the most personal. We would prefer to avoid raising it. However… when God says “I hate divorce” we cannot leave the matter to one side. We need to understand the warnings of Scripture about breaking faith, and then heed them. It’s a difficult task, but one which we must try to do, in prayer, humility, and with an eye open to those of our Christian brothers and sisters around us for whom this subject will be very relevant indeed.”

So, please, please, remember what we learnt two weeks ago in the opening verses. “I have loved you,” says the LORD” (Malachi 1:2a). Remember how this oracle begins – God declares His unfailing love: “I have loved you,’ says the Lord.” He doesn’t begin by pointing out their sins or listing his complaints. The word “love” is in the perfect tense, indicating that God not only loved in the past but loves in the present as well. “I have loved and do love you.” And the word He chooses for “love” is not the typical OT term that describes “tough love” or “covenant love.” This word is more relational: “I have embraced you. I have expressed my affection for you,” At its core then, Malachi is really a love letter from God. A love letter full of hope and encouragement.  And it is a love letter containing some heated exchanges.

Malachi contains six such disputes between God and his people:

1.     A dispute about God’s love (1:2–5)

2.     A dispute about God’s honour (1:6–2:9)

3.     A dispute about Godly Faithfulness (2:10–16)

4.     A dispute about God’s justice (2:17–3:5)

5.     A dispute about God’s blessing (3:6–12)

6.     A dispute about God’s mercy (3:13–4:3)

Today we come to the third. Please turn with me to Malachi 2:10-16. A dispute about Godly faithfulness. I’ve entitled this, “From this time Forward: Faithful in all things”. Because five times in this passage we encounter the word “faithless”. Twice the Lord commands, “do not be faithless” (2:15, 16).

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Listen to the sermon here

Watch the sermon here

Malachi 2:10-16 “Be Loyal” from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

Happy Families

Have you ever played the card game “Happy Families”? I think it was the first game I ever played with my grandparents. The game dates from about 1860 although I’m not that old. There are many varieties today. Even Barbie, the Incredibles and Wall-e apparently have a family. We all want to have a happy family don’t we? To be a happy family? To create a happy family for our children? And that is God’s will too. God wants us all to be in a happy family.

Over 4,000 years ago, through his prophet Moses, God gave his people Ten Commandments. They came with a promise. “You shall walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land you shall possess.” (Deuteronomy 5:33)

The commandments were not given to stop us enjoying life – quite the reverse. They were given to protect and provide for a long and fulfilling life. They are literally the ‘makers instructions’. God wants us to be happy and fulfilled, safe and secure. But happy families don’t just happen do they? Whether or not we experienced a happy family when we were growing up, we can build one for our children and grandchildren. How? God has given us three simple steps.

“Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:5-9)

Parents are to impress their children. How do we impress our children? By how much we earn? By how much allowance we give them? Where we live or take our holidays? No. By loving God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our strength. “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.” Says God. This is how we ‘impress’ our children.  This is how we make a lasting impression on them. By our love for God and our desire to please him. This is what we are to impress on our children. We can’t lead them where we have not gone ourselves. They won’t learn the value of God’s commands unless we model them. Faith is not so much taught as it is caught. Children learn from what we say but they learn a whole lot more, and a whole lot faster, from what we do.

Becoming a happy family is not rocket science. God gives parents here three simple instructions on how to impress their children. The Three ‘T’s of happy families.

Talk – “Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” (Deut. 6:7). Specifically, God tells us to talk about the commandments and what they mean from when we get up in the mornings to when we go to bed. But by application, reading the Bible together – and discussing what it means – and asking God to help us apply it –  in the mornings and before bedtime – This is our first priority.

You may feel a failure but you can start again today. You may feel your life is too busy – then it is too busy. We take this seriously as a church and offer lots of resources to help you bring up your children in the Christian faith.

Tie – “Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.” (Deuteronomy 6:8). Some Jewish people take this literally and tie little boxes with these verses inside to their forehead and wrists. Some Christians wear a wrist band or a cross round their neck or in their lapel. I wear a ring with a cross on it. It reminds  me to live for God and keep his commands where ever I go. Symbols help us remember we belong to the Lord. Do whatever it takes to tie yourself to the Lord – to love him with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength, all day, every day.

Tell – “Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:9). The Christian faith is a personal faith but it was never intended by God to be private. It should be obvious to friend & neighbour that you and your family belong to the Lord. This is how children grow up confident to share their faith – when they see their parents not ashamed to be known as Christians. In Palestine Christians often place a sign on their houses to tell everyone that theirs is a Christian home. Some people place a cross or a fish symbol on their car as a sign that they are Christians. What about you and your family?

Talk – Tie – Three ‘T’s to a happy family. This is how we build a happy family. This is how we maintain a happy family. Whether you are married or a lone parent. Whether you are single or widowed, married or divorced, with brothers and sisters or an only child, orphaned, with one, two or more parents, you are not alone. God has provided us with an extended family in the Church. That is what Christ Church aspires to be.

We become children of God when we trust in Jesus..”Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12). When we are born again, we are adopted into the family of Jesus. Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” (Matthew 12:49-50). That means every other Christian is like a brother or sister, like a mother or father, an aunt or uncle, or even a grandparent. We exist as a Church to be an extended family – to help parents bring up their children in the faith.

Our crèche, Sunday Clubs, Cherubs, Scallywags, youth groups, parenting course, marriage course – these are all designed to help you fulfill your primary role as parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles – but not replace you. We encourage you to come next Sunday and find out more about God’s wonderful plan for yourself and those you care for.