preview

Resurrection Blues

Share to

16 February, 2025Pastor John Strelan

Now that my youngest son has his licence he is regularly using my car to get around. Whenever I get in the car after he has driven it there are two things I always have to adjust. First, I move the seat forward because his legs are much longer than mine. Second, I switch the radio over from the Bluetooth setting (he streams his favourite music from his phone) back to ABC Classic FM. Well, the playlist may be different but we both have a soundtrack that gets us moving.

Do you have a soundtrack that gets you out of bed in the morning, that gets you going for the day, that keeps you going? I hope so. Actually, I hope that soundtrack is ‘hope’. Without hope life stops. I’ve always found the best place to find hope is in the music of the gospel. That’s ‘gospel’ as in the good news that Jesus is risen from the grave, death is no longer a full stop to life, there is always more to come.

If you haven’t tuned into that station for a while, I recommend having a listen. How about today?

 

1 Corinthians 15:12-20

12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

More From 'Sermons'

The right kind of confidence

4 October, 2026 Pastor Dale Gosden

Self-confidence mostly seems to be a good thing. Unless, of course, your confidence is completely misguided. The Apostle Paul had his spiritual self-confidence smashed to pieces by the risen Lord Jesus, and it was something for which Paul was forever thankful. Now, this wasn't a case of Jesus cutting down tall poppies. Instead, he wants to cut out any self-righteousness in all of us - the sort of spiritual self-confidence that pushes God away and keeps us focussed on ourselves. It's like waking up from chasing 'fool's gold' and discovering that Jesus is the true treasure right on our doorstep. There's no going back.

~ Pastor Dale Gosden

Click here for a link to our new spotify podcast containing the latest sermon recordings.

If you are unable to access spotify, 2026 sermon recordings can be found here

View

Responding to God

27 September, 2026 Tim Foulkes

Our responses to different situations tell a lot about us. Some people are good in a crisis, they respond rapidly in the midst of stressful situations where others might freeze. Some people respond slowly, and I have just as much respect - if not more! - for people who have the presence of mind to wait patiently until they have the right thing to say or do. How we respond to God is another situation again. When God lays something on us that requires a change of heart how do we respond?

Change of any kind is always unsettling but being unsettled isn’t always unwelcome. Sometimes responding to God requires us to change our minds and sometimes that change turns out to be what we were looking for the whole time.

~ Tim Foulkes

Click here for a link to our new spotify podcast containing the latest sermon recordings.

If you are unable to access spotify, 2026 sermon recordings can be found here

View

One of Us?

20 September, 2026 Pastor John Strelan

A one hit wonder.

That’s what we call an artist whose star flamed brightly for a brief moment and then lapsed into obscurity. One such artist is Joan Osborne. Back in 1995 she had a massive hit song (#1 in Australia, #4 in America) titled ‘One of Us’. It’s got a crunchy little distorted guitar riff and some pretty ordinary rhymes, but not the usual lyrics for a hit pop song. Osbourne sings:

What if God was one of us

Just a slob like one of us

Just a stranger on the bus

Trying to make his way home?

That’s not a bad question, even for Lutherans who believe that God was one of us. But, how much humanness will we allow God to have? Will we allow God to be ‘a slob like one of us’? Or, would we rather keep him at arm’s length, safe in heaven?

This is one hit that makes me wonder.

Click here for a link to our new spotify podcast containing the latest sermon recordings.

If you are unable to access spotify, 2026 sermon recordings can be found here

View