Love your enemies. What a strong lesson we learn from Joseph as he endured persecution from his family. Godly love is very different from the selfish, self-seeking human love of the natural man. Look to Luke Chapter 6 for encouragement if you are struggling with loving difficult people.
Luke Chapter 5 explains the recruitment of Jesus' first disciples and His teaching and healing ministry. Jesus' word to Simon Peter is also a word to us: “Do not be afraid.” This is Christ's mission. We trust that He will keep working with us and through us, “catching” others as He has caught us in the deep, wide net of God's mercy and love. Melville Church has been through many changes in 173 years, and our goal is to be "not afraid" and let God work in and through us.
Luke 4 describes Jesus' first public proclamation of His ministry, where He reads from Isaiah in the synagogue, declaring that He is fulfilling the prophecy of bringing good news to the poor, release to captives, sight to the blind, and freedom to the oppressed. Revelation 21 depicts a vision of the "New Jerusalem," a heavenly city representing the ultimate state of perfection and renewal after the end of the world, where there will be no more death, mourning, or pain, signifying a complete eradication of suffering and evil. PWS&D participants seek to follow these steps by caring for the needy.
John 2 refers to the second chapter of the Gospel of John, where Jesus performs his first recorded miracle by turning water into wine at a wedding in Cana, signifying his divine power and marking the beginning of his public ministry. The act of turning water into wine is a symbol of Jesus' ability to transform lives to bring eternal salvation.
This is the week of prayer for Christian community throughout the world. Find out what it means to be a Christian and how important the Nicene Creed is to believers.
In the first half of Luke's gospel, he writes of the one who is coming to baptise you in the Holy Spirit and fire. In the second half, Jesus is baptised, and the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form as a dove on Him. Our baptism is a personal testimony of our faith in Christ, a very important event for believers.
Isaiah the prophet told the people to look beyond themselves to see how God will work in the future. This is further demonstrated in Matthew as the Magi endured a long journey from Persia to Bethlehem to meet Jesus, the King. Christians celebrate January 6th as a special day when God manifested himself as the baby Jesus.
Join us to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ in scripture, song and story. Luke 2:1-20 is an account of the shepherds who first heard the good news of Jesus’ birth. It tells of the peace between man and God that is available for those who have faith in Christ as the son of God and their saviour.
On this Fourth Sunday of Advent anticipation is building for the fast approaching birth of Christ the Saviour. At this time, we focus on Love. It is God's love through Jesus Christ that the world can experience through faith. We are to bring Christ's love to others.
Hear the good news of Christmas through scripture reading and song. Join us to celebrate the birth of our saviour Jesus Christ at this holy time of year.