Simply teaching the Bible, simply

Advent calendar: Day 16 – Death

Death somehow seems more tragic this time of year. Yet it is always tragic. And Christmas can be hard, no matter how long it’s been since we lost a loved one. But the good news of Christmas is that death will no longer be the winner in all this. Because Jesus came to earth as…

Advent calendar: Day 15 – God with us

A popular Christmas reading from Matthew’s gospel says “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”. But what did it really mean for God to be with us? Well, Jesus didn’t merely come to show us the way, but to be THE way.…

Advent calendar: Day 14 – Christmas songs

How soon is too soon for Christmas songs? Regardless of what we think, it’s pretty hard to get them out of your head once you’ve heard them start — whether that’s because we’ve heard them so many times before, or because the tune (at least sometimes) is such a good one. But at the first…

Advent calendar: Day 13 – Jesus

On one hand, it’s easy to get caught up in all the trappings of Christmas — the food, the music, the decorations, the presents, the family gatherings. But it’s also inescapable that this celebration marks something that fundamentally changed the world, whether that’s first in our minds or not. And that something is actually someone;…

Advent calendar: Day 12 – Arguments

Have you ever had an argument at Christmas? Whether it’s the stress at work, the burnt offering that is Christmas dinner, or poor Wi-Fi, we so easily see our sin at this time of year. And often that’s in our words. But some 33 years after that first Christmas, Jesus, even when He was falsely…

Advent calendar: Day 11 – Hope

Sometimes the things we hope for seem to take forever to come around; whether it’s the start of the school holidays, putting our out of office message on, or the lighter evenings coming round again. And what a feeling when we get there! But there was a hope that God had promised soon after the…

Advent calendar: Day 10 – Christmas cards

This time of year, many of us send Christmas cards to each other to send our best regards, to wish someone a happy Christmas, or maybe share a message of our news with those nearest and dearest to us. But the greatest message of all that arrived that first Christmas, was the love that God…

Genesis 21:1-34

This study is part of our series of verse by verse studies of Genesis, the 1st book in the Bible. Taught by our pastor, Simeon Forder, at our Sunday morning service on the 10th December 2023. About this book Genesis is the first book in the Bible, and in its more than 1500 verses, there…

Advent calendar: Day 9 – Joseph

Joseph was engaged to be married to Mary, when the news came that she was pregnant. And He had a choice — listen to those around him, who would undoubtedly told him to get out of that situation, or listen to God. And in a step of faith, He listened to God who told him…