St John’s Diamond Creek Talks

I Am...The Bread of Life

When we go back to what is at the heart of the Christian faith, we find Jesus, and his revelation of God. There are seven times in the Gospel of John where Jesus said 'I am', and gave a series of images that explained who he was. The first we are looking at in this series comes from John 6:35-59, where Jesus spoke of himself as 'the bread of life'. Tim Johnson looks at what this means, with Jesus as the one who nourishes and sustains those who believe in him.

Lost - Easter Sunday 2017

Easter Sunday is the most joyful day for the Church, as we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus. But the first Easter was not joyful to start with - in fact, it was a time of confusion and fear for Jesus' disciples. Andrew Bowles looks at Luke 24:1-12 and how the disciples came to realise that Jesus was unexpectedly alive again. How can we know today that Jesus is risen from the dead, and how will this change how we think and feel about our lives and the world around us?

Lost: Is it too late? Good Friday 2017

The Lost series has been building to this moment. The crucifixion of Jesus on Good Friday marks the beginning of the most important point in all of time. But is it too late? Have you, or I strayed too far for Jesus to love and forgive? In Luke 23:32-43, a criminal, dying next to Jesus on another cross, asks Jesus to remember him when Jesus comes in His Kingdom. It wasn't too late for that criminal, and it certainly isn't too late for us.

Lost - Weeping over the Lost

Our 'Lost' series continues on Palm Sunday as Jesus enters Jerusalem, from Luke 19:28-44. While this was a joyful celebration of his kingship, it ends on a sad note as Jesus mourns that the city will reject him very soon. This story gives us a helpful way to understand what our response should be to those we love who have said 'no' to Jesus.

Lost - To Seek and Save the Lost

In the lead up to Easter we are doing a short series reflecting on what it means for someone to be 'lost' when it comes to their spiritual life, and the concern that Jesus had for those who were lost. This week we look at Luke 19:1-10, where the story of Zaccheus shows Jesus' mission to seek out those who seem to have no hope of coming to God.

The Heart of Life - Our Pattern of Life

We finish our series on Leviticus with an overview of what we have learned, and looking at 26:1-13, where God lays out the blessings and promises he gives to those who live with him and follow his ways. We see that Leviticus challenges our 'idols', the things that we place in our hearts instead of God, and offers a vision of a life that heals our relationships and our world.

The Heart of Life - Our Relationship with Creation

Our journey through the book of Leviticus brings us to the question of how God's people should relate to the environment. Tim Johnson discusses Leviticus 17:1-14, how we are to relate to animals and the land in which we live. This speaks to many of our current concerns with the destruction of the natural environment, and our part as Christians in God's plan to renew the whole world.

The Heart of Life - Our Relationships with Others

This week our 'Heart of Life' series on Leviticus moves outwards to look at what this book says about how we treat each other, reading from Leviticus 19:1-18. We find that Leviticus is intensely interested in God's people treating each other as neighbours, in justice and generosity, and in the restoration of relationships between people through the forgiveness that God brings. Andrew Bowles is our preacher.

The Heart of Life - Our Relationship with Ourselves

Our series on 'The Heart of Life' and the book of Leviticus continues with a reflection on the meaning of the 'purity laws' of the Old Testament. Tim Johnson looks at Leviticus 20:22-26, God's call for his people to be holy as he is holy, how this worked out in their lives, and what it looks like for Christians to make of ourselves a place where God can live.

The Heart of Life - Our Relationship with God

We continue our 'Heart of Life' series this week, starting to look at the book of Leviticus. We consider the opening chapter of Leviticus, and the sacrificial system it describes. This shows us how we can think about putting our relationship with God at the centre of our lives, with practices of repentance and thanksgiving.