what's on
Thursday 2 April - Maundy Thursday service 10:30am
Friday 3 April - Good Friday service 9:00am
Sunday 5 April - Easter Sunday service 8:30am
Wednesday 29 April - Young at Heart (10:30am)
Friday 3 April - Good Friday service 9:00am
Sunday 5 April - Easter Sunday service 8:30am
Wednesday 29 April - Young at Heart (10:30am)
maundy thursday (2 april)
On this Maundy Thursday we gather at the table where Jesus sat with his betrayers. One of the Twelve had already sold him for thirty pieces of silver, and the rest would soon scatter in fear. Yet it is precisely “in the night in which he was betrayed” that our Lord instituted his Supper. This is no gentle story of friendship; it is the shocking reality that Christ gives himself to sinners at their very worst.
Many will hear Maundy Thursday and think first of foot-washing and a “new commandment.” But Jesus did not give us a new religious ritual or a fresh burden of law. He gave us his own body and blood. The Lord’s Supper is not something we do for God – it is what God does for us: a living promise, not a sacrifice we repeat or a memory we recall.
Here is the provocation: you and I belong at this table. Not because we are faithful or worthy, but because we are betrayers too. We have sold out our Lord in a thousand small ways. We have failed him, doubted him, and run from him. Yet Jesus looks straight at us and says the words we most need to hear. The holy One gives himself to the unholy so that we might be made his own.
So come. Take and eat. “This is my body, given for you. This is my blood of the new testament, poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins.” Here Christ himself meets you tonight, forgives you completely, and makes even betrayers into beloved children of God.
Many will hear Maundy Thursday and think first of foot-washing and a “new commandment.” But Jesus did not give us a new religious ritual or a fresh burden of law. He gave us his own body and blood. The Lord’s Supper is not something we do for God – it is what God does for us: a living promise, not a sacrifice we repeat or a memory we recall.
Here is the provocation: you and I belong at this table. Not because we are faithful or worthy, but because we are betrayers too. We have sold out our Lord in a thousand small ways. We have failed him, doubted him, and run from him. Yet Jesus looks straight at us and says the words we most need to hear. The holy One gives himself to the unholy so that we might be made his own.
So come. Take and eat. “This is my body, given for you. This is my blood of the new testament, poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins.” Here Christ himself meets you tonight, forgives you completely, and makes even betrayers into beloved children of God.
good friday (3 april)
On this Good Friday we do not look upon a tragic hero or a fine moral example. We behold a man crucified. Outside the city gate, at the place of the skull, the sinless Son of God suffers what we deserve – not as a noble deed, but as the willing bearer of the world’s sin.
This is the great exchange. Between two guilty thieves Jesus hangs, taking upon himself every one of your failures, rebellions and secret shames. The curse of the law, the wrath of God and the devil’s vicious accusations have all been poured out on him. What looks like utter defeat is in fact the decisive moment of salvation.
When Jesus finally cries “It is finished,” something extraordinary is completed. Your sin is finished. The law has nothing left to accuse you of, the devil is silenced, and death has met its conqueror.
So hear this promise today, right at the foot of the cross: I forgive you all your sin. In this crucified man your guilt has been swallowed up forever. You are free. Rest here, for his death is your life.
This is the great exchange. Between two guilty thieves Jesus hangs, taking upon himself every one of your failures, rebellions and secret shames. The curse of the law, the wrath of God and the devil’s vicious accusations have all been poured out on him. What looks like utter defeat is in fact the decisive moment of salvation.
When Jesus finally cries “It is finished,” something extraordinary is completed. Your sin is finished. The law has nothing left to accuse you of, the devil is silenced, and death has met its conqueror.
So hear this promise today, right at the foot of the cross: I forgive you all your sin. In this crucified man your guilt has been swallowed up forever. You are free. Rest here, for his death is your life.
easter sunday (5 april)
Many of us turn up on Easter Sunday expecting a pleasant story about an empty tomb and a bit of hope to get us through the week. But the risen Christ is far more dangerous and wonderful than that. He doesn’t simply prove he’s alive so we can feel a little more hopeful, he comes to raise the dead right here, right now.
You and I are just like those women trudging to the tomb, hearts heavy with grief and guilt. Deep down we’re still staring at our sins, our failures, our fears, the very places where the law, death and the devil have buried us. Yet suddenly the earth shakes, the stone is rolled away, and the angel’s word thunders: “He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.”
Then the living Jesus meets you on the road with two simple words that change everything: “Do not be afraid.” He takes hold of your life and declares that your sins have been swallowed up in his victory. The tomb is empty because your guilt is finished.
So hear this promise today: Christ is risen, and he is risen for you. Your old life is dead and buried with him. Your new life has already begun, hidden with Christ in God. Be free.
We Pray For:
† The light of Christ to shine in our community, so that our friends and neighbours may know with us the joy of new life.
† Those in mental anguish and racked by doubt in themselves or in God.
† Those who hunger for understanding, that God's word may be revealed to them.
† All who rule and govern, that they may be shepherds to their people.
† Those who have become lost on the path of life.
You and I are just like those women trudging to the tomb, hearts heavy with grief and guilt. Deep down we’re still staring at our sins, our failures, our fears, the very places where the law, death and the devil have buried us. Yet suddenly the earth shakes, the stone is rolled away, and the angel’s word thunders: “He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.”
Then the living Jesus meets you on the road with two simple words that change everything: “Do not be afraid.” He takes hold of your life and declares that your sins have been swallowed up in his victory. The tomb is empty because your guilt is finished.
So hear this promise today: Christ is risen, and he is risen for you. Your old life is dead and buried with him. Your new life has already begun, hidden with Christ in God. Be free.
We Pray For:
† The light of Christ to shine in our community, so that our friends and neighbours may know with us the joy of new life.
† Those in mental anguish and racked by doubt in themselves or in God.
† Those who hunger for understanding, that God's word may be revealed to them.
† All who rule and govern, that they may be shepherds to their people.
† Those who have become lost on the path of life.
second sunday of easter (12 april)
This Sunday after Easter we find the disciples, and often ourselves, locked behind closed doors, paralysed by fear. Fear of others, fear of failure, and most of all fear of the risen Christ who knows our betrayal. We build our own prisons thinking we can protect ourselves, yet the law only tightens the lock.
Suddenly Jesus stands among them. “Peace be with you,” he declares, real absolution, not polite words. He shows his pierced hands and side, inviting them to see that their sin is no longer theirs but his, nailed and defeated. This is incarnate, finger-stickable grace.
Thomas, far from the poster-boy for doubt we so often hear about, becomes believing Thomas. He touches the wounds, feels his sin conquered in Christ’s body, and confesses with certainty, “My Lord and my God!” Faith is not half-doubt; it is the sure gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus then bestows the Office of the Keys upon his Church.
Hear this promise today, dear friends: Peace be with you. Your sins are completely forgiven for Christ’s sake. The risen Lord has come through every locked door. Live free.
Suddenly Jesus stands among them. “Peace be with you,” he declares, real absolution, not polite words. He shows his pierced hands and side, inviting them to see that their sin is no longer theirs but his, nailed and defeated. This is incarnate, finger-stickable grace.
Thomas, far from the poster-boy for doubt we so often hear about, becomes believing Thomas. He touches the wounds, feels his sin conquered in Christ’s body, and confesses with certainty, “My Lord and my God!” Faith is not half-doubt; it is the sure gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus then bestows the Office of the Keys upon his Church.
Hear this promise today, dear friends: Peace be with you. Your sins are completely forgiven for Christ’s sake. The risen Lord has come through every locked door. Live free.
when jesus calls you a fool (19 april)
Two bewildered disciples trudged the dusty road out of Jerusalem, hearts as heavy as their feet. They swapped stories about “the things that had happened,” blaming priests, rulers, even God Himself for their crushed hopes. Sound familiar? We still flee the cross the same way, chatting among ourselves, pointing fingers, refusing to see the risen Jesus walking right beside us. Yet there He is, refusing to let us run.
Jesus doesn’t offer sympathy. He calls them fools, slow of heart, blind to the prophets. Then He rips open the Scriptures from Moses onward and shows them the only way: the Christ had to suffer and so enter His glory. No warm fuzzies, no clever theories, just the raw, offensive Word that shatters our excuses and names our betrayal. That same Word still lands on us today, uncomfortable and true.
At the table He took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them. Eyes opened, not by ritual or sign, but by the preached promise that had already done its work. Don’t turn this into a recipe for the Lord’s Supper; Luke isn’t teaching liturgy here. He’s showing how the living Word alone makes the stranger known and the sinner forgiven.
And then, in the upper room, the same Lord stands among His frightened people and speaks the only word that matters: “Peace be with you.” Your sins, every last one, are forgiven. That is the Promise. Hold it tight, and go tell someone. He is risen indeed!
Jesus doesn’t offer sympathy. He calls them fools, slow of heart, blind to the prophets. Then He rips open the Scriptures from Moses onward and shows them the only way: the Christ had to suffer and so enter His glory. No warm fuzzies, no clever theories, just the raw, offensive Word that shatters our excuses and names our betrayal. That same Word still lands on us today, uncomfortable and true.
At the table He took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them. Eyes opened, not by ritual or sign, but by the preached promise that had already done its work. Don’t turn this into a recipe for the Lord’s Supper; Luke isn’t teaching liturgy here. He’s showing how the living Word alone makes the stranger known and the sinner forgiven.
And then, in the upper room, the same Lord stands among His frightened people and speaks the only word that matters: “Peace be with you.” Your sins, every last one, are forgiven. That is the Promise. Hold it tight, and go tell someone. He is risen indeed!
fourth sunday of easter (26 april)
This Fourth Sunday of Easter we hear Jesus declare himself the door of the sheepfold in John 10. Forget the sentimental pictures of a gentle shepherd cuddling lambs above the crib. Jesus speaks this parable not to cosy us up but straight to the Pharisees whose guilt still clings to them after the healing of the blind man. It divides and disturbs because the true Shepherd exposes the thieves and robbers, the voices of the law, who have imprisoned us all.
The sheep aren’t a happy little community sharing everything in common. They are captives who need rescuing. The robbers come only to steal, kill and destroy. Jesus doesn’t offer tips on being better sheep or building a nicer flock. He comes as the door flung wide open, calling his own by name and leading them out to pasture.
Yet how easily we turn even this into another demand: be more sheep-like, suffer like the Good Shepherd. No. Parables give signs and examples that condemn; the gospel gives a promise that saves. Christ doesn’t leave us to imitate him from inside our prison.
Instead, hear the promise: the Good Shepherd lays down his life for you in the joyous exchange. Your sins and death become his; his righteousness, life and freedom become yours. By his wounds you are healed and led out into abundant life. Come, enter by the Door who knows your name.
The sheep aren’t a happy little community sharing everything in common. They are captives who need rescuing. The robbers come only to steal, kill and destroy. Jesus doesn’t offer tips on being better sheep or building a nicer flock. He comes as the door flung wide open, calling his own by name and leading them out to pasture.
Yet how easily we turn even this into another demand: be more sheep-like, suffer like the Good Shepherd. No. Parables give signs and examples that condemn; the gospel gives a promise that saves. Christ doesn’t leave us to imitate him from inside our prison.
Instead, hear the promise: the Good Shepherd lays down his life for you in the joyous exchange. Your sins and death become his; his righteousness, life and freedom become yours. By his wounds you are healed and led out into abundant life. Come, enter by the Door who knows your name.