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Published on 3 Comments on Carols Talk on Luke 2

Prometheus2

Talk Audio

Talk notes:

Prometheus is the Christmas story in photo-negative!

Intrepid humans make treacherous journey into heavens

We try to make contact with our makers

They turn out to hate us and seek our destruction

Only our own efforts can save us from our makers

Christmas is the polar opposite

It doesn't begin with intrepid humans but with Luke 2:8...

Farm-labourers on a night-shift.

But all heaven breaks loose.

Verse 9: The opposite of the science fiction stories

He doesn't say "Take me to your leader", but "Here, have our Leader!"

Verse 10: The Messiah - do you know Handel's Messiah?

Here's the One promised throughout the Scriptures

The Hope of the ages, the Desire of all nations

One filled to overflowing with the Spirit

Like the top glass of a Champagne fountain

In Luke 1 He's called "The Son of God"

This is who God is: A Father pouring the life, love and joy of the Spirit onto His Son

Here's the good news... the Son is given to us...

To share everything He has and everything He is with us.

God the Son became God our Brother...

Verse 12: A baby, wrapped in rags, laid in a feeding trough

Lo within a manger lies He who built the starry skies.

Why?  Verse 11 - He is Saviour.

What does He save us from? Disconnection

The human race is disconnected, like a Christmas tree.

All that's wrong is because of a foundational disconnect with God.

This Christmas will be hard because of disconnection...

Death, Divorce, Disease, Depression or simple Disappointment will ruin Christmas

We need re-connection and so...

The One connected to God connects Himself with us.

Will you receive Him?

He is a Gift "to you" - verse 11.

Around the ankle of the baby Jesus, imagine a gift tag "to you"

Will you receive the ultimate Christmas Gift?

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Published on 6 Comments on Need help with Christmas talks?

Well it's nearly Advent so it's time for preachers to think about Carols services, Christingles, Nativity plays, etc.

It's also a time to miss a golden opportunity.  The golden opportunity is to preach a theology of incarnation.  But, year in and year out, this chance is missed in evangelical churches.

Our mentions of incarnation boil down to the Abrupt, the Apologetic or the Anselmian.

The Abrupt:

“God in skin. Weird huh? Anyway…”

The Apologetic:

“Jesus shows up in time and space which means that we can verify the truth through historical methods, and really the New Testament documents are very reliable don’t you know…”

The Anselmian:

“God basically wants to acquit his elect and so needs a Scapegoat to take the fall. And there he is the manger. Weird huh?  Anyway…”

Where are the Athanasian, Atoning, Abasing themes?

The Athanasian Incarnation:

“In this marvellous exchange, He becomes what we are, that we might become what He is”?

The Atoning Incarnation:

"Here is God-With-Us, making us at-one in His very Person!"

The Abasing Incarnation:

"My God is so small, so weak and so helpless, there's nothing that He will not do... for you!"

I wonder if we shy away from the Athanasian incarnation because we don't want to get into (or don't properly understand) the trinitarian theology that makes sense of it.

I wonder if we shy away from the Atoning incarnation because ontology has no place in our thinking about atonement.  (This is also why our Easter sermons contain no theology of resurrection - only a 'proof that the cross worked'.)

I wonder if we shy away from the Abasing incarnation because we're wedded to a theology of glory that refuses to countenance the little LORD Jesus.

If any of these guesses are anywhere near the mark, let me suggest a remedy.  Read Athanasius' On the Incarnation and hear the kind of Christmas message that has warmed the hearts of millions down through the ages.  Get started here as you listen to Mike Reeves read extracts.

And for what they're worth, here are three of my own posts on incarnation:

Incarnation and Trinity

Incarnation and Creation

Incarnation and Salvation

(For good measure here’s a paper on Athanasius and Irenaeus)

These are some talks in which I've tried to preach this theology...

 

Christmas is God laying hold of us - Hebrews 2:14-18

The Coming King - Psalm 72

In the beginning… – John 1:1-2

The Word became flesh – John 1:14

Christmas brings a crisis – John 1:15-18

Student Carols – Isaiah 9

Evangelistic carols service – Light shining in darkness – Isaiah 9:2-7 (different to the other Isaiah 9)

Luke 1:26-38

All-age: Christmas turns slaves to sons – Galatians 4:4-7

All-age Carols Talk: Christmas is weird – Phil 2:5-11

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Here are some songs on the same theme and the Anti-Santy video

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What resources have you found helpful?  Please share the wealth in comments...

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Published on 1 Comment on For your listening pleasure: Blackham, Reeves, Myers and More

Paul Blackham's Men's Weekend Talks for City Evangelical Church, Leeds:
Beginning With Jesus

Talk 1

Talk 2

Talk 3

Talk 4

Talk 5

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Mike Reeves:
The Difference Jesus makes...

To your view of God

To your self esteem

To your prayer

To the hard times

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Ben Myers
John's Gospel.

Go here and download the row of files second from bottom

1. The Word Made Flesh (John 1)
2. The Coming of the Light (John 9)
3. The Triumph of Life (John 11)
4. The Doorway to Eternity (John 17)
5. The Way of Discipleship (John 21)

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A recent LTS conference:
The importance of Adam in the Bible, the Church and the World:

Introduction:  Garry Williams

Session 1: David Green: Adam in the Old Testament

Session 2: Lane Tipton: Adam in the New Testament

Session 3: Lane Tipton: Adam and Christ in Systematic Theology

Session 4: Stephen Lloyd: Adam, Where art thou?’

Session 5: Garry Williams: Adam in the Covenant of Works

Session 6: Steve Jeffery: Original Sin: Unbiblical, Unjust and Unreasonable?

Session 7: Michael McClenahan: Preaching Adam to Adam’s Race

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Published on 3 Comments on Adoption and Evangelism

If we get God wrong, then we'll get our mission and our motivation wrong too.

If God is a needy Individual, mission will look a certain way.

But what if God is Father, eternally and outgoingly loving His Son by the Spirit...?

Seminar Audio

Slides

Notes

 

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Published on 5 Comments on The Wonder of our Adoption: Transformission

Thanks so much Dave Bish for putting on Tranformission on Saturday.  We had a blast.

There is no other message that liberates - only the gospel of the Beloved Son.  May this gospel speed forth and bring life throughout the land...

Main Session 1 - Mike Reeves
Main Session 2 - Mike Reeves
Peter Mead workshop: Adoption and the Bible
Dan Hames workshop: Adoption and church history
Glen Scrivener workshop: Adoption and Evangelism (slides and notes here)

Mike's main sessions were powerful, pastoral, mind-expanding and heart-warming as ever.

I'm very much looking forward to listening to the other workshops. Apparently I get a Gold Star for the audio quality of my sessions.  Success!  No doubt in other departments I have only a frowny face and a Must Try Harder.

Enjoy!

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Published on 2 Comments on Jonah 3 sermon

The Ninevites hear this prophet back from the dead.

They acknowledge that God is right to judge.

They bury themselves in the dust.

And they trust Jonah's God to bring them through to resurrection.

 

We too hear a word of judgement from God's Resurrected Prophet (Acts 17:30).

We too are buried in Him (Romans 6:3-5).

And we are brought out beyond condemnation (Romans 8:1).

Christians note: God does many miraculous things in the book of Jonah.  At just the right time he appoints storms and fish and plants.  It's almost magical.  But there's one thing he refuses to do: He refuses to save Nineveh without a messenger.  Faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17).

It doesn't matter if you're a bad messenger (Jonah's sermon left much to be desired).  It doesn't matter if you struggle with motivation (Jonah struggled with motivation).  As those brought through judgement, we have a message that can save - no matter how rubbish we messengers are!

Text

Audio 

 

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Published on 1 Comment on A talk on being lost… and found

If you're lost, you don't need to find yourself. If you're lost and you find yourself you'll only find that you're lost. Which is no great find!

If you're lost what you need to find is home.  When you're home, then you will be yourself.

The good news of Christianity is that Someone from Home has come to find us!

12 minute lunchbar talk for Exeter CU
based on Luke 15:1-10 (and Luke 3:21-22).

Rough notes for the talk

 

 

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