Talks, Sermons and Reflections

Listen to this talk We are looking at 2 Peter 3 It is an appropriate reading for today, Advent Sunday. We prepare to celebrate Jesus' first coming, and we look forward to Jesus' second coming. And in chapter 3 Peter focuses on one particular promise: the promise that one day this current heaven and earth will face judgement, come to an end, and be replaced with a new heaven and earth, the home of righteousness (3:13) We may believe that the world is going to end. Scientists tell us that in about 4 billion years this planet will be burnt up by an expanding sun. But the idea that Jesus will return, and that there will be a new heaven and earth (in which stars do not turn into red giants on us) belongs to the realm of Bermuda triangles, UFO's and little green men. It's there for odd people walking about with billboards, which say, 'the end is nigh'. And anyway, Jesus said that he would return, and the first Christians expected that he would

St Peters vision at St Peters Church by vicar@stmarystpeter.net We seek to worship the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, teach the bible, grow people in faith, love and understanding, equip people to serve, and make Jesus known. We aim to do this at St Peter’s by being a community of Jesus Christ, submitted to His Word and serving His world Our vision is to be a united community, of all ages, meeting together on the first day of the week, focussed on Jesus Christ. Our vision is to listen to Him, receive from Him and be equipped to live as His body in this place: an open, loving, welcoming, forgiving, growing, empowering, serving and witnessing community. We long to be a people who are open to God’s word: gathering together expecting to meet with and hear from the crucified and risen Lord Jesus. We long for our worship to be real, relevant, exciting and life-giving. We long for our teaching (whether in age relevant groups, or preaching) to be biblical, stimulating,

Hebrews 7:15-28 According to Hebrews we have three great human needs our need for purification – so that we can stand in the presence of God our need to live the good life – perfection our need for eternal life PURIFICATION We are cut off from God because of sin. I wonder whether you have ever been in a situation where you are seriously underdressed. You come to the front door in your torn jeans and dirty T-shirt, and it is the Bishop. What you need is a good scrub up. We cannot come into the presence of God with our metaphorical torn jeans and dirty T-shirt. We need to be scrubbed up. And with God it is not about something on the outside. We need to be purified within. We need a deep clean. When we stand in front of God, he sees us as we are. What is inside us becomes completely transparent: the laziness, the resentments, the selfishness, the arrogant pride, the lack of love and hard-heartedness, the fears that drive us, the unforgiveness and jealousy which crippl