Christmas and peace. How do those two words fit together in your mind? For some, peace at Christmas means getting together with and tolerating family members you dislike. For others, peace is only possible after Christmas, when the pace of everything slows down for the summer break. This week we look at the angels’ song in Luke 2 and the peace that they sing about. This peace is not the end of military conflict, family discord, financial anxiety, or even a frantic lifestyle. No, the peace they are proclaiming is peace with God and it’s linked to, not just the birth of the Saviour, but also his death on the cross that brought genuine forgiveness and peace. That is lasting peace. It's the peace we need more than anything else. By trusting in who Jesus is and what Jesus did, we receive the greatest Christmas gift of all. Peace with God! And if you have received it, savour it. Let it bring joy and praise to your heart and glory to God in the highest.

Preacher: Jim de Witte

Passage: Luke 2:8-21

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Zechariah has spent nine months in total silence turning his thoughts over and over in his mind till they have blended into this amazing song. And what do the words teach us? That God has come to his people and redeemed them, just as he promised. That we are set free to worship him through forgiveness and for illumination. It is a song of exhortation to praise God, God who has stooped from heaven in the person of Jesus Christ, who has been faithful to his promises, who lights up our lives with the warmth of his love and who will lead us home. Interestingly, his song is not firstly about the son born to him in his old age, but praise to God who has remembered his promises. This is the joy that flows from the heart of Zechariah, and this joyful praise flows from our hearts that are stirred as we reflect on the God-man in the manger.

Preacher: Jim de Witte

Passage: Luke 1:67-80

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Can you imagine Christmas without Christmas carols? Christmas carols are one of the things that make Christmas, Christmas. Songs praising the Saviour’s birth have always been a part of this celebration. Some songs were sung before the Saviour was even born, proclaiming his birth. Songs that proclaim a very special event, God taking on human flesh. Luke records songs from Mary, Zechariah, Simeon and angels. This Sunday we will look at the first song in the gospel, Mary’s song known as the Magnificat. It is a song that glorifies Jesus Christ as Lord, even before he was born. Her song of praise helps us praise our great Lord and saviour too.

Preacher: Jim de Witte

Passage: Luke 1:39-56

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Preacher: Dylan Patruica

Passage: 1 Peter 1:13-2:3

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We can’t share the good news of the gospel and leave Jesus dead. His death is certainly important, because through it we receive forgiveness. But there is so much more, with the resurrection also central to our faith. The Heidelberg Catechism asks the question: How does Christ’s resurrection benefit us? The summary of their answer is that by Jesus’ resurrection he has overcome death, we now experience resurrected life, and we have a glorious future guaranteed. Paul supports all this as he writes 1 Corinthains 15. Without the resurrection the good news becomes bad news. If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead all our praying, serving, church attendance, God honouring ways of life and more have been a waste of time. But the good news is Jesus has been raised from the dead. That brings hope; that changes everything. The resurrection of Christ is not a theory or an idea. It is a historical fact, and a demonstration of the power of God.

Preacher: Jim de Witte

Passage: 1 Corinthians 15:12-34

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Why did God send Jesus, his one and only Son to live as a man? Have you ever asked yourself this question? When we truly begin to grasp the significance of our sin against God, it is natural to wonder what could possibly motivate God to send his Son Jesus. Yet, God loves the world he created, and he loves us, so he didn’t leave us to suffer the consequences of our rebellion. He sent his own Son into the world to save us: the man Jesus Christ. God sent Jesus not to deny the fact of sin or help us forget about our sin. Death is the punishment for rebellion, and Jesus died our death. Jesus took on himself the judgement and punishment that we deserved, by dying on the cross in our place. In Christ, God forgave sin and released us from its penalty. Through faith in the Son, we have full deliverance from guilt, and we have peace with God. And all of this is completely undeserved by us. We rejected God, but because of his great love, God sent his Son to die for us, and we praise him for it.

Preacher: Jim de Witte

Passage: Romans 5:1-11

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When Jesus returns, every knee will bow and tongue confess him as lord as he rules with love, justice, and wisdom. As we wait for that day however, we journey together and persevere by his grace. Paul writes Philippians from his prison cell to encourage the church. As we prepare and are prepared for that great day, Paul reminds us that Jesus will complete the work he began in us. Together, we look back to what Jesus did for us, and what he began in us. Then we can look forward knowing that he will be with us as we serve him, until that day he returns.

Preacher: Troy Smalley

Passage: Philippians 1:3-11

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Last Sunday we saw that our sin has ruined the world that God gave us to rule. And what’s even more, our rebellion against God makes us deserving of His righteous judgment. We don’t like this idea of God’s judgment, do we? Many argue that God’s love should stop Him from judging those He loves. The wrath of God is difficult to grasp. This is especially so when each of us are in rebellion against God and we also deserve God’s wrath and eternal judgement for our sins. It’s true that from a purely human perspective God’s eternal judgment of sinners can seem at best harsh and even absurd. Yet, in a way, God’s justice is good news. Evil is not going to have the final say. Those who have suffered abuse and mistreatment need to know that God hates those things, and He will someday make it right. The justice of God is a difficult, but crucial, component of the gospel message. We can proclaim that ‘Jesus Saves’, but from what does he save us? We need the bad news for only then will sense the beauty of God’s grace and mercy.

Bible Passage: Psalm 96

Pastor: Jim De Witte

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