Focus Reading  Philippians 1:21–30

In today's Phillipians reading Paul is thought to be writing from jail, with the threat of possible death hanging over him. When he says "to live is Christ, to die is gain" He's saying that all of us have the privilege of sharing in Jesus’ work. For Paul the Phillipians and us this meant paying a price, but it also means the support and service of others, fruitful labour, the growth of others faith, yes and even the church, and yes even ourselves. It means seeing how Jesus is at work in others and how he draws others to himself and having the wonderful privilege of taking part in that process. So let us not worry about preserving the structure of our business or governments, or church, or even ourselves. Instead let us rejoice in being joined to Christ and the life and service that he gives us now, and look forward to the even better life that is yet to come.

Questions for thought or discussion

What makes it hard to live out the Christian faith outside the church? What makes it hard to let go of trying to save the church and get on with being followers of Jesus? Why is it that the church is growing in places like Indonesia & China where it faces some persecution but is shrinking in most developed countries? What would make you willing to be like Paul & go to Jail for what you believe?

Focus Reading: Matthew 16:21-28

I believe that in this passage Jesus says that we must lose our lives to find them. At the heart of the Christian faith is a God of Love and a God of Justice. A God of salvation. God longs and seeks to rescue us, and heal us, not to destroy us and kill us. Just as he has done, Jesus is calling us to lose our lives by placing them in the hands of our loving God. And just as Jesus was given new life by the Father and raised to life on the third day, we are also given new life, now and even beyond death. Reflect on this wonderful truth. Just as Jesus placed his life in God’s hands we are called to do the same and place our lives in God’s hands. And just like Jesus God will rescue us. God will justify our existence. God will make us whole.

Questions for thought or discussion

Why was Peter so uncomfortable with the idea that Jesus was going to suffer and die? Why should we be uncomfortable with the idea that Jesus suffered and died?.... 

What does it mean to set our mind on divine things and not on human things? 

What does it mean to take up our cross and follow Jesus? What does it mean to deny ourselves?

What does Jesus mean when he says we will find our life if we lose our life to him?

Focus reading: 1 Thessalonians 1:1–10 

Think of your own faith story. There are surely people who have encouraged you in your faith because they have lived out the good news of God’s love in such a powerful way that it has encouraged you and others to go on in you faith or even to begin your faith journey. While it is ultimately God’s work to bring slavstion, God has worke through these people to bring it. Paul, Timothy and the people of the church in the ancient Greek city of Thessalonika were people like this. For me, my parents, a Sunday school teacher named Len and folk from St David’s Holland Park Uniting Church were people who God used to transform me. From a shy bullied teen I became a teacher and then a confident preacher. Today the whole Christian world has heard about the faith of the church in Thesolonika.

Questions for thought and discussion.

What is your story of transformation? What people has God used to change you and awaken faith in you? How has God used you in transforming the lives of others? Where and how is God calling you to share your faith and story?

Focus Reading: Matt 18:21-35

I believe that to understand today's reading is to understand that the unforegiving servant was forgiven more than 150, 000 years wages for a labourer, by his master. It was an amount that he could never repay. This is a picture of the grace and mercy of God. We can never repay God's love shown to us in Jesus. In God forgiving us, a debt has been paid that we can never repay. Yet like the forgiven servant, we somehow either don't believe or can not see how much God loves us. So when someone comes across our path who needs to be forgiven by us, of a debt or hurt, we demand payment. We demand this payment! This may be so we can pass some of that back to God to begin to repay the already paid debt that we can never repay. It may also be because we do not trust our master, and want to look after ourselves. If we understand how much God has forgiven us and how much it has cost God, how wide and deep God's love is, then surely we will want to forgive others! 

Questions for thought or discussion

To what extent do you trust God to forgive you? In what ways do you find yourself trying to repay God or prove your own value? How easy do you find it to forgive others? How does this parable about how much God has forgiven us motivate you to forgive others?

Focus Reading: Genesis 45:1–15

In today’s Sermon I want to talk about the way that God can even use disaster, or things going wrong to bring about good things. God Can turn tragedy into triumph, despair into hope and destruction into salvation.

We especially see this in the story of Joseph. As one commentary says: - “in & through all the events of Joseph's life God was at work to save the people.” (Texts A 444) This is also true of the Bible in general and even of our lives - I believe God works in & through all of our lives even the disasters, mistakes and setbacks.

In this story of Joseph, God uses the strangest circumstances to save the people. There is no strong sense of deserving - the brothers definitely  & even Joseph himself do nothing to bring about salvation - it is God who does all this by Grace.

We must live with faith for occasionally terrible tragedy can be turned by God into much greater good.  Jesus did nothing wrong - died in shame - BUT God raised him to new life. We worship a God who turns even the greatest tragedy - death into freedom and life - In all of life's tragedy we must trust and hope in God- the same God who brings light out of darkness, hope out of despair, and life out of death.

Questions for thought or discussion.

What difficult things have you faced in life? Has hs (or hasn't) God carried you through? Can you think of something hard in your life or the life of someone else which has turned been transformed into something wonderful? What happened?