Our new sermon series for Sunnyside and St John’s begins this Sunday (30th May). The series will be rooted in Jesus’ invitation:
‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’
(Matthew 11.28-29).
Accepting this invitation each day will enable us to experience the fullness of life that Jesus promised (John 10.10). The series aims to help us reflect on our experiences of the past year and what God wants us to learn from them. This is part of the recovery process which Rebecca spoke about at our annual church meetings (click here to read Rebecca’s talk if you haven’t already done so). We are going to ask three key questions through the series and consider how we might answer as individuals and a church community:
- what are we thankful for? This will include small daily things (e.g. the beauty around us) as well as bigger ones (e.g. the vaccine)
- what are we missing or longing for? This may be people or things we have lost, hopes dashed or longings for a better future
- what have we learnt? What does God want us to learn about him, life, and ourselves? What does God want us to do differently as a result of the pandemic?
If you have any questions about the series or its content, please do speak with Rebecca.
‘I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me –
watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.’
part of Matthew 11.27-29 in The Message
Come to me: an invitation to new life
30th May Come to me: invitation
readings: Isaiah 55.1-13; Matthew 11.25-29
Jesus invites us to come to him as we are and learn from him a new way of living. We do this by letting Jesus teach us how to be and what it is that he has prepared for us to do.
6th June Come to me: thanksgiving
readings: 1 Chronicles 16.8-36; Luke 17.11-19
We are called to be thankful in all circumstances because it turns our focus onto God and helps us see where he has been at work, even in the darkness.
13th June Come to me: lament
readings: Psalm 42; Mark 5.21-34
God both hears and sees our sorrows. We have all experienced losses over the past year and the process of moving through them begins with naming them before God.
20th June Come to me: learning
readings: Job 42.1-6; Luke 10.38-42
God invites us to let him take all that we experience and use it to helps us grow in love and faith. He wants us to learn from the changes of the past year and let him use them to reshape us as we move forward as individuals and a church.
27th June Come to me: growing
readings: Isaiah 61.1-7; Colossians 1.3-14
If we are to grow in faith and number, we need to accept Jesus’ invitation. We need to ask what God is inviting us to do with what we have learnt through the past year as individuals and a church.