Pastor Darryl

John 17:20-26

One of the last things that Jesus did while with his disciples, was to pray to God the Father for them. But Jesus’ prayer was not just for those gathered round him. Before you were even born, Jesus prayed for you. “Father,” he said, “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me, I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one. I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them, even as you have loved me. Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
“Righteous Father, the world does not know you, and these know that you
have sent me. I made your name known to them, and I will make it known,
so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in
them.”
A wonderful prayer to hold onto, regardless of any situation you
may find yourself in. This prayer is not about what you do,
but what is done for you. May we also pray for others that
They may also receive this prayer of Jesus.
Pastor Darryl

Acts 16:9-15
When reading the Bible, we are usually confronted with words describing how we are to live and act as Christians in response to the gift of God’s grace through Jesus Christ. In our prayers we often ask our heavenly Father to help us to ‘DO’ or Lord, what do you want me to ‘DO?” It is often more difficult to ask, “What should I NOT do?” We know how eager Paul and the apostles were to spread the Gospel to all nations. Yet, in the lead up to the Acts reading this week, Jesus through the Holy Spirit is telling Paul what NOT to do, where he SHOULDN’T go and to whom he should NOT preach. The Bible doesn’t tell us exactly how the Holy Spirit prevented the mission.
But we do see that God was in charge of the mission. Often the church searches for God’s calling in mistaken directions and failed attempts. God’s spirit often speaks through frustrating and difficult insights. By NOT doing something, Paul was left free to finally do what God had intended for him. So he was free to act when he received the vision instructing him to go into
Macedonia. NOT DOING can free us up to DO God’s will. Is there something that God might be forbidding us to do or tackle today? Who should we NOT talk to? What should we NOT do so we are ready for what God has in mind
for us, perhaps a little further down the road? And how do we know? Lord, open our hearts and minds to hear both the do’s and don’ts that you speak to us and give us the wisdom to discern your will as you lead us. Amen
Pastor Darryl

John 10:22-30

Our text is all about relationships. There are four basic relationships mentioned. All of these relationships begin with God the Father. The relationship between Jesus and non-believers begins with works in the Fatherʼs name, which testify to Jesusʼ identity, yet people refuse to believe. Jesus doesnʼt reject the relationship, rather it is people who reject Jesus. There is the relationship between Jesus and the Father, they being ʻone.ʼ The relationship between Jesus and those who believe (the sheep), who are not believers by their own doing, but by ʻmy Father who has given them to me.ʼ Then there is the relationship between believers (sheep) themselves. The term ʻsheepʼ is used in the plural, indicating that believers, regardless of wooliness, colour, size, age, have something in common. They are all ʻsheepʼ, are all unified under one Lord, one faith, one baptism, a unity of believers. A unity being attended to by the shepherd, Jesus.

So, when we come to worship, it is not we who are the ones doing or offering anything to God. Rather, as ʻsheepʼ, it is God who offers everything to us, and our response is worship, it is God through our shepherd Jesus Christ, who calls us, who offers his love, his words of comfort and support, his forgiveness, his body and blood.

Letʼs not let our pride, our self-centredness, our continual busyness, stand in the way of Christ the good shepherd serving his sheep. But rather, take time to enjoy being in his presence.

Pastor Darryl

Acts 9:15-16

If you were to host a dinner and could invite any of the characters from the Bible, who would you choose? Basically they would all have this characteristic in common: that in spite of them having lived imperfect lives, being disobedient to God in many and shameful ways, God still used them.
Abraham told Pharaoh that Sarah was his sister, Pharaoh taking her into his household. Jacob tricked his brother Esau out of his inheritance. He wasnʼt really honest regarding his father-in-lawʼs sheep either.
David committed adultery with Bathsheba and then he organised the death of her husband Uriah. Peter three times denied that he even knew Jesus. Paul agreed with the stoning of Stephen, and then Paul wanted to eradicate the Christian faith. The list could be enlarged and could probably also include you and me. If God was limited to using only those without guilt or shame, I think that the table would be empty. Maybe we think that our wrongs have been minor compared to those listed above, but remember no wrong is trivial with God. An interesting line up at the dinner table! I donʼt think that their personal achievements would be boasted about at the table. Rather, the conversation would likely centre on the wonder of the love and grace of God, that despite their imperfections, God had honoured them with service in His kingdom. The good news is that we are all loved by God. Because of Jesus, God forgives, and forgets the past, and gives us his Spirit for our new lives, lives lived by faith as He calls each of us to serve in His kingdom in many and varied ways.

Pastor Darryl

Acts 10:34-43

Most historians and scholars agree that Easter was originally a pagan festival, of Germanic origin, associated with the goddess Eostre, the goddess of Spring. She was often depicted with the hare, an animal that represents the arrival of spring as well as the fertility of the season. In Germanic mythology, it is said that Eostre healed a wounded bird she found in the woods by changing it into a hare. Still partially a bird, the hare showed its gratitude to the goddess by laying eggs as gifts, symoblising rebirth and renewal. While some linked Easterʼs date to the spring equinox, others linked the memorial to the ancient Hebrew calendarʼs celebration of Passover. It appears that some early Christians chose to celebrate the resurrection of Christ on the same date as the Jewish Passover, which fell around day 14 of the month of Nisan, in March or April. These Christians were known as Quartodecimans (the name means “Fourteeners”). By choosing this date, they put the focus on when Jesus died, but were also retaining links to Judaism out of which Christianity emerged. Some others instead preferred to hold the festival on a Sunday, the day of Jesusʼ resurrection. Finally, in 325 AD Emperor Constantine decreed that Easter would fall on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox. However, the controversy continues since western churches use the Gregorian calendar, while Eastern churches use the Julian calendar. Yet still some of the Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate Easter at the end of Passover week. With or without the Easter Bunny, Easter today means victory over death, for millions of Christians around the world. For it was on this day in the history of Easter, that Jesus conquered death and rose again, bringing light and life to the world forever.

Pastor Darryl