St John’s Diamond Creek Talks

The Heart of Life - Introducing Leviticus

This is the first in our new series called 'The Heart of Life', where we think about how we can put God at the centre of our lives in practical ways. We will be looking at the book of Leviticus, a strange and difficult book of the Old Testament, which is probably the least favourite book of the Bible for many Christians. But it contains many images and concepts that make sense of the coming of Jesus. Kirk Mackenzie starts off the series by looking at Hebrews 8, where the 'shadow' of Jesus in the Old Testament is discussed.

2017 Combined Launch Service - Our Calling as Christians

We began the first Term of the year together with a combined service, reflecting on our calling as Christians. Tim Johnson gave an interactive retelling of the calling of the first disciples in Luke 5:1-11.

The Early Years of Jesus - Jesus' Baptism

For our final sermon in the 'Early Years of Jesus' series, Kirk Mackenzie looks at Luke 3:21-22, the short but significant story of the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. This story shows us more about who Jesus was, and how we can understand our own relationship to God the Father.

The Early Years of Jesus - Lost in the City

Our latest sermon in our series on 'the early years' of Jesus jumps to the last episode in Luke before we see Jesus as an adult. At age 12 Jesus leaves his parents to go and learn in the Temple. This shows us the growing self-understanding of Jesus, his knowledge of God as his Father, and the call to for us to take the next step onward in our personal knowledge of God. Andrew Bowles speaks from Luke 2:41-52.

The Early Years of Jesus - Growing in Wisdom

Our third sermon in our series on 'The Early Years of Jesus' considers what it meant for Jesus to grow in wisdom as he grew up as a boy. What can we learn from him about how Christian wisdom is acquired? Delle Matthews considers Luke 2:36-40, the story of Anna in the temple with Jesus and his parents.

The Early Years of Jesus - Presented in the Temple

Our second look at the 'origin story' of Jesus comes in Luke 2:22-35 when Mary and Joseph took him to the Temple as a baby, and met with the prophet Simeon. This story shows us the deeper meaning of the humanity of the Son of God.

The Early Years of Jesus - Named & Circumcised

This month we think about the stories of the childhood of Jesus. We start with the story of the circumcision and naming of Jesus in Luke 2:15-21, and how it shows the destiny of Jesus as the Saviour of God's people.

Christmas Eve 2017 - The Wait is Over

 
On Christmas Eve, Tim Johnson reminds us that while the world is still not all as it should be, because of the birth of Jesus we are no longer waiting for God to act to bring salvation and justice to us.

White (space) Christmas - Love All

In our final sermon in the series on 'White (space) Christmas', Jeremy Watson considers how we can relate to others in a way that reflects the true spirit of Christmas. We look at Philippians 2:1-11 and the sacrificial humility of Jesus.

White (space) Christmas - Give More

Our third topic in the 'White (space) Christmas' series is 'Give More'. How can we be truly generous at Christmas, a time that demands so much from us already? We find help in the story of the birth of Jesus (Matthew 1:18-25), who was 'God with us', the greatest gift ever given.