Hope

10th January 2025

Building holy hope for the new year

Helen Brocklehurst Sunday Sermon Ben Askew, Hope, Romans 15, sermon 1 Comment

On Sunday 5th January, we had a small gathering for those who were able to make it to Kairos in the snow and ice. The day did not unfold quite as we expected and there was need to improvise, including recording the talk on a mobile phone rather than proper sound equipment! So please excuse the occasional coughs and rustles as you listen to this encouraging message.

We read Romans 15:1-13 and Ben focused on v13 (see picture) as he spoke about hope. How can we find or build hope, especially if we’re experiencing a ‘hope deficit’ in our lives? Searching out others’ sources of hope can be so encouraging and discussing the question ‘what makes you hopeful?’ in your communities or households might be a place to start.

Many of the biblical encouragements to hope were written by people in exile or dealing with difficulty or times of waiting. As the new year starts, do you need to take some time to clear away the ‘rubble’ that can get in the way of building hope, honestly lamenting the times you’ve felt God’s absence?

Jesus gives us solid foundations on which to build our hope – affirming the goodness and beauty of creation; sacrificing himself to solve all that has gone wrong, unite all with God, beat death and offer us a certain future of eternity with God; promising to return and put everything right; and empowering us by God’s Spirit to pray and work for God’s kingdom here and now.

You can listen here or using the player below.

16th December 2024

Journey to Bethlehem

Helen Brocklehurst Sunday Sermon advent, Ben Askew, Hope, Isaiah 42, Sarah Allison, sermon 1 Comment

Several suitcases appeared around the hall during our gathering on 15th December. Looking inside them, we worked out that they must belong to the angels, the shepherds, the wise men and Mary and Joseph, all journeying to Bethlehem. They were carrying a mixture of good news, obedience, wonder, fear, anxiety and prophetic gifts along with some practical items needed on the way. The fifth suitcase belonged to Jesus who brought God’s generous gifts with him to Bethlehem: freedom, hope, justice, release, healing. Jesus still brings ‘the way heaven is to Earth’. Ben asked us, what do you bring to Christmas? What do you need from Jesus? The reading is Isaiah 42:1-7. You can listen here or using the player below.

9th December 2024

Advent hope

Helen Brocklehurst Sunday Sermon advent, Hope, Jen Bradley, light in the darkness, sermon 0 Comments

We marked the beginning of Advent on 1st December, a season where we acknowledge the realities of fear, violence and exploitation while hoping, working and praying for a better future shaped by God’s justice and peace. Jen spoke about hope, encouraging us to be open to God’s transforming power in our lives which forms us into people who can be agents of peace, justice and reconciliation in the world. The reading is Isaiah 11:1-10. You can listen here or using the player below.

8th November 2024

Light in the darkness

Helen Brocklehurst Sunday Sermon Hope, light in the darkness, Mission, Poppy Anguandia, sermon, Tearfund 0 Comments

On Sunday 3rd November we were visited by Poppy Anguandia, Tearfund’s country director for the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Poppy shared stories of her life and work in DRC, the challenges she, her family and her team have faced, and how they have experienced God’s goodness in the midst of difficulty. The reading is John 1:1-5. You can listen here or using the player below. You can find out more about Tearfund’s work in DRC here.

21st April 2024

Resurrection encounters – Peter

Helen Brocklehurst Sunday Sermon Forgiveness, Friendship Matters, Hope, John 21, Paul Dowling, resurrection, sermon 0 Comments

Reflecting on the restoration of Peter recorded in John 21 v1-19, Paul talks about the possibilities and challenges of forgiveness, reassuring us of the kindness of God who is always ready to make the first move towards reconciliation with us. The first minute or so of the talk is missing from the recording; here Paul set the scene by reminding us of Peter’s betrayal of Jesus on the night of his arrest. You can listen here or using the player below.

The image is of a bowl repaired using the kintsugi method which Paul refers to in his talk. Picture by David Pike.

1st April 2024

Resurrection life

Helen Brocklehurst Sunday Sermon Ben Askew, Hope, John 20, resurrection, Sunday Sermon 0 Comments

Happy Easter – Jesus is risen! When Mary Magdalene encounters the risen Jesus, he helps her to enter his reality and see from a different perspective then share this new understanding with others. We are invited to enter God’s reality too, where fear, violence and intimidation do not have the last word. Jesus has overcome death and we have hope to share with the world. The reading is John 20 v1-18. You can listen here or using the player below.

Images below by Gergely Dudas (www.thedudolf.com) which Ben references at the beginning of his talk.

20th July 2022

One Hope – Sunday Sermon

Ben Askew Sunday Sermon Hope, One 0 Comments

On Sunday June 19th Helen spoke on the ‘one hope to which we are called. The reading was Ephesians 1: 15-23. You can click this link to download the talk or listen on the player below.