Talks, Sermons and Reflections

JOHN 15:1-17 Many of us are driven to seek success It could be because we have a passion for a cause: and we wish the cause to succeed. Or it could be that we see success as a way to something else that we really desire: respect, money - or to prove (to ourselves or someone else) that we are someone And as a result, people will spend literally thousands of pounds going on courses which claim to be able to make you more successful. I've got good news: we don't need to spend that sort of money. Or at least you don't need to spend that sort of money to get the things that really matter in life. You can get them free. You can actually get them from this church Church: offer 4 things We offer people space to take time out, to enter a different world (particularly at this 11am service) and to really think: What matters? What do I want out of life? We offer wisdom for living - wisdom that comes not from us but from God. We find it here in this book We offer a community - of pretty

1 Samuel 3:1-21 We've heard the story of Samuel. Samuel was the little boy who Hannah so desparately wanted. But, she kept her side of the bargain, and when he was weaned, she took him to the temple. And Samuel became a ward of the temple. And Samuel learns three lessons 1. God speaks That is important. If we do not believe that God speaks, then we will not be ready to listen to him. If Eli did not believe that God speaks, he would not have said what he said to Samuel. He would have told him: "Go back to bed and don't be so silly". But as Christians we believe in a God who speaks. The question is, "How does God speak?" As Samuel lay on his bed at night he heard a voice: it was so real that he thought it was Eli. And then God told him what he was going to do. Now Samuel is exceptional. He was a prophet. And I don't think that we should expect God to speak to us as he spoke to Samuel - although some people do hear an audible voice. And God continues to spe