Riverside Church

How do we find out the mission God has planned for us? We each have a different call to mission that God has given us and in today’s talk Jake explains how ours differs from Jesus’ disciples commission.

Starting a new sermon series called ‘Go’ based on The Great Commission from Matthew ch28, Simon explains how that in following Jesus’ example we have to ‘go low’ and have a servant heart and experience the lows before we enjoy a resurrection life.

We live in a mobile phone, attention sapping world and in his message today Simon suggests some ‘Life Rules’ we may want to give ourselves to help us to find ways to slowdown and give God back the attention he deserves.

In part four of the Un-hurry series Jake explains how we live in a culture that is always looking for the next thing. Maybe it is a new concept, a new book, the latest phone or even the latest series on Netflix. There is a need to simplify things and bring us back to the person of Jesus. The only way to live a simple life is to live an intentional life. The challenge is to make the main thing, the main thing.

Using four key points Simon explains how the Sabbath is a time to rest from work and reconnect with God. Something increasingly difficult to do in our busy high speed 24/7 lives.

In today’s sermon entitled ‘Solitude and Silence’ part of the ‘Un-Hurry’ series Simon talked about ideas to help us find time and space to focus in on God in our busy lives.

As we go back to the busyness of life after the Christmas season Simon explains how by fasting something that doesn’t have to be food, but will free up time to focus our minds and letting God in deeper into our own lives and create a hunger for all he wants to do in the church and the community.

At our morning nativity family service Jake explains how insecure Mary must have felt and how it changed when her focus shifted to be on Jesus and how our insecurities can go when we also shift our focus onto Jesus.

At our evening Carol service Jonah talks about how peace seams so allusive and Simon help us to understand how Jesus can give us peace. Peace with him, peace with ourselves and peace with those around us.

In part three of our advent series Simon explains how joy is something we all long for but that often seems difficult to grab hold of. Experiencing joy should be a part of every Christian’s life and in the Christmas story we learn that joy is found in the person of Jesus Christ who comes as our saviour.

In this talk of the advent series Jake focuses on how the name ‘Emmanuel’ can bring hope to the hopeless because it means ‘God with us.’

Julian Barnard considers differing aspects of Jesus who is the Light of the World. We often hear of God’s radiance and magnificence but is there another vista of Jesus we can discover?

This week our guest speaker Kevin Crook from Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) talks about stepping out in faith as in the feeding of the 5,000 in the book of Mark ch6 v30 and also a particular miraculous MAF rescue mission in Kenya. Is Jesus asking you today to give something up to serve in the mission field?

Simon explains how God has “plans for people”. He looks at Acts 9 and at how Ananias played a key role in Saul’s conversion and that God also has plans for us as well and we need to follow his will and go out to fulfil them.

Simon explains how “starting out” starts the story. He looks at how Philip’s obedience to the Holy Spirit in Acts 8 carries a radical message of God’s love and inclusion to the Ethiopian travelling back from Jerusalem. The full interview with NT Wright referred to in his talk is available to view on our website www.riversideuk.org/2019

Using the story of Jesus’ first miracle in John chapter 2 where he turns the water into wine Jake explains how obedience is a choice and obedience is also an action and Jesus will lead us when we step out in faith.

Simon teaches us using the book of Acts ch27 v9-44 about the apostle Pauls shipwreck, that we are called to bring words of life into the storms of life.

Our expectation is influenced by our perspectives and prejudices and today Simon explains how sometimes our perspective around church, religion and even Jesus obscures the reality of the spirit of God at work in our lives.

We all have doubts, especially hearing God’s voice and having the confidence to act on it. Jake explains how it will become easier when we change our mind set from our worrying about our ability and just giving God our availability.

Our six monthly look back and celebration of the great things going on in the life of Riverside and also looking ahead to what we believe God has for us in the coming year.