MU Area Service - Sermon

 A Sermon preach at MU Area service - Lisburn Cathedral - Sunday 18th June 2026 

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be now and always acceptable in thy sight, O Lord our strength and our redeemer. Amen.

It is wonderful to come together this afternoon as we celebrate 150 years of Mothers’ Union.

It is a privilege to preach at this service. My late grandmother was Enrolling Member for many years in Seapatrick Parish, and down through the years I’ve received so much support and encouragement from Mothers’ Union members. 

In Cork, I worked closely with MU members as they developed partnerships supporting women whose lives had been impacted by domestic abuse. And through that, and other connections, I’ve seen something of the remarkable work Mothers’ Union does with women and families, both locally and across the world.

Its been great to work with Christine and the group organising this service. 

The two readings I’ve chosen today speak about thanksgiving and growth.

Paul writes to the Church in Colossae:

“We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you.”

He has heard about their faith, their love and their hope & Practical work.

And then he says something which speaks wonderfully into our celebration today. He describes the Gospel as:

“bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world.”

And 150 years after the beginnings of Mothers’ Union, perhaps those words give us good reason to rejoice.

• We look backwards with thanksgiving.

• We look around and see something of what God is doing.

• And we look forward with hope.

Christian thanksgiving isn’t simply nostalgia. 

Paul isn’t saying, “Wasn’t it wonderful what God did once?”

He gives thanks because God is still at work.

• The Gospel is still bearing fruit.

• The Gospel is still growing.

• Lives are still being changed.

Then Jesus gives us two wonderful pictures of how that Kingdom grows.

A mustard seed and some yeast.

• A tiny seed which you could almost lose between your fingers.

• And yeast which, once mixed into the flour, virtually disappears.

Neither seems particularly impressive.

Yet Jesus says:

“The kingdom of heaven is like…”

Like this.

• Small.

• Ordinary.

• Sometimes almost invisible.

• But growing.

And perhaps there couldn’t be two better pictures for 150 years of Mothers’ Union.

Because 150 years ago there wasn’t a worldwide organisation.

• There was Mary Sumner.

• There was a concern for mothers and families.

• There was faith, prayer and a willingness to do something.

There was a mustard seed.

It was planted. Others joined her. Others joined in. And it grew.

Today that mustard seed has become a worldwide Christian movement with millions of members across more than 80 countries.

Or, to borrow Paul’s language, it has borne fruit and grown throughout the world.

And that brings us wonderfully to this anniversary theme:

Join Us. Join In.

Join us.

Come and be part of this. There is room for you.

And join in.

Don’t simply stand at the edge and watch.

• Get involved.

• Play your part.

• Plant your seed.

But Jesus also talks about yeast.

Yeast works differently. It disappears into the flour. You can’t see it, but something is happening — quietly, gradually, from the inside out.

As well as the general kingdom of God – which Jesus talks about – it also seems to me a description of how MU’s ministry within the kingdom works as well 

There is the visible growth of 150 years.

But underneath it are countless acts of Christian faithfulness which nobody notices.

Here in Ireland there is support for families facing difficult circumstances, those affected by imprisonment 

and domestic abuse, older people and those experiencing isolation.

There is campaigning against gender-based violence.

And there are those ordinary acts of care which are almost impossible to count.

• A phone call.

• A visit.

• A cup of tea.

• A prayer.

• A lonely person remembered.

• Someone noticed.

• Someone cared for.

As a Church Leader - I want to thank you for this essential - so often unseen ministry which MU carries out. 

There is the yeast.

Quietly working its way through our churches and communities.

And across the world the same thing is happening.

Literacy programmes. Savings groups. Vocational training. Parenting support. Work challenging violence and injustice and strengthening families and communities.

Often it happens through Mothers’ Union members who are already part of those communities.

• They know the people.

• They understand the needs.

• They are neighbours and friends.

The yeast works from the inside out.

• A woman learning to read.

• A family getting a desperately needed break.

• A survivor discovering that she isn’t alone.

• A Christian noticing somebody whom everybody else has overlooked.

Small things?

Perhaps.

But Jesus says:

This is what the Kingdom of heaven is like.

And Paul says:

The Gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the world.

But there is another important part of our Colossians reading.

Paul doesn’t simply give thanks for what has happened.

He prays for what comes next.

He prays that they will know God’s will, live lives worthy of the Lord, bear fruit in every good work and grow in their knowledge of God.

And that is a wonderful prayer for Mothers’ Union at 150.

Because anniversaries naturally make us look backwards.

We remember the stories and celebrate those who have gone before us — and so we should.

But the question isn’t simply:

What did God do?

It is also:

What is God doing now?

And:

Where is God calling the MU next?

Mary Sumner looked at the needs of her generation and responded.

And down through the years Mothers’ Union has had to do the same.

The world isn’t the same as it was in the 1800s, the 1970s or even the 1990s.

As part of preparation for this I’ve been reading A History of Mothers’ Union - written in 2009 - In the foreword the Archbishop of Canterbury at the time Rowan Williams -and his wife Jane Williams wrote - “[MU] continues to gather people from diverse cultures around the focal imperatives of mission and service. Long may it continue to do so for the good of the church and the world.

Reading this book -  it occurs to me that there has - as with any organisation a journey of who MU has 

been down through the era’s - and making sure it continues to grow and develop remaining relevant. 

So the challenge is to keep asking:

• What are the pressures facing families today?

• Where are people lonely?

• Where are women and children vulnerable?

• Where are relationships struggling?

• Where are the new needs?

• And where might God be calling us to respond?

Some of your banners today remind us of Mary, the mother of Jesus — someone willing to risk saying yes to God and becoming part of his purposes.

So perhaps that is the challenge for Mothers’ Union today.

As individuals, as branches, as an area and as an organisation in the years ahead :

What radical yes might God be calling you to next?

And I want to leave you with three simple questions.

First: What seed can I plant?

• Who could you encourage?

• Who needs a phone call?

• Who could you pray for?

• What small act of kindness could you offer?

Sometimes we think:

“Somebody really should do something about that.”

And occasionally God answers:

“Yes. Why not you?”

Plant the seed that is in your hand.

Secondly: Where can I be the yeast?

Where has God already placed you?

In a family, a friendship, a workplace, a church or a community.

Perhaps there is a situation you cannot fix.

• But you can be present.

• You can listen.

• You can pray.

• You can bring kindness, hope and something of the presence of Jesus.

• Never underestimate what God can do through a faithful Christian presence.

And finally: Who can I invite to join in?

Because perhaps that is the particular challenge of this 150th anniversary.

Not simply to celebrate those who joined in before us, but to invite another generation to become part of what God is doing now.

Who could you invite?

Who might simply be waiting for somebody to say:

“There is a place for you. Come and join us.”

Jesus says the Kingdom begins like a mustard seed.

It works like yeast.

And Paul says the Gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world.

That is the story we celebrate today.

And it is a story which is not finished.

So:

Plant one seed. Be the yeast where God has placed you. Invite one person to join in.

Three small things.

Nothing spectacular.

But then again 

the Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed.

The Kingdom of heaven is like yeast.

And 150 years of Mothers’ Union reminds us what God can do when ordinary people faithfully say:

“Yes, I will join in.”

So today we rejoice.

We give thanks for what has been.

But we also look forward.

Plant the seed. Be the yeast. Join us. Join in.

And, in the words of Paul, may we continue:

“bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God.”

Amen.

 

Let us pray

Loving God,

we thank you for 150 years of Mothers’ Union,

for Mary Sumner and all who have followed her,

for seeds faithfully planted,

for lives and communities quietly transformed,

and for the Gospel which continues to bear fruit and grow throughout the world.

Give us courage to plant the seeds you place into our hands.

Help us to be like yeast,

bringing your love, hope and peace

into our families, churches and communities.

Show us the people who need to hear your invitation,

and give us courage to say:

“Join us. Join in.”

May we bear fruit in every good work,

grow in our knowledge of you,

and never underestimate the small things you can use for your Kingdom.

And as we give thanks for all that has been,

give us faith and hope for all that is still to come.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

I AM Sayings of Jesus - Light of the world

Sermon preached in Lisburn Cathedral on 4th October 2026 

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be now and always acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer. Amen.

Over these weeks we have been looking together at some of the great claims Jesus makes about himself in John’s Gospel.

And these claims matter because they take us right to the heart of the most important question we can ask:

Who is Jesus?

Not simply: What did Jesus teach?

Not: Was Jesus a good man?

Not even: Do I like what Jesus says?

But who is he?

Because if Jesus is who he claims to be, then that changes everything.

And this morning we come to another of those extraordinary claims.

Jesus says:

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Have you ever been in a dark place? How did it feel?

Darkness

<Zambia Story> Copper Mines 

The setting

The setting of this passage is important.

We’re around the time of the Feast of Tabernacles, or the Feast of Booths.

It was one of the great Jewish festivals, when the people remembered God’s provision for Israel in the wilderness.

And light formed part of the celebration.

Later Jewish tradition describes enormous golden lampstands being lit in the Temple courts.

 The Mishnah describes their light illuminating Jerusalem. 

Imagine that.

The Temple sitting high above the city and these enormous lamps burning through the darkness.

Just to give us some sense of scale, the tower and spire of Lisburn Cathedral together are around 95 feet high. But the tower is around 75 apprently same size as these 

So imagine enormous lights burning high above the Temple courts, visible across Jerusalem.

And those lights weren’t simply decorative.

For the people of Israel, light was full of meaning.

It recalled the pillar of fire by which God led his people through the wilderness.

It spoke of the presence of God.

It pointed towards God's promises.

Isaiah 60 says:

“Arise, shine, for your light has come,

and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.

See, darkness covers the earth

and thick darkness is over the peoples,

but the Lord rises upon you

and his glory appears over you.

Nations will come to your light,

and kings to the brightness of your dawn.”

And it is into that world, with all of those images and promises in people’s minds, that Jesus stands and declares:

“I am the light of the world.”

Notice what he doesn’t say.

He doesn’t say, “I can show you some light.”

He doesn’t say, “I’ve got some helpful teaching that might make life a little brighter.”

He doesn’t even say, “I know the way towards the light.”

He says:

“I am the light of the world.”

And not simply the light of Jerusalem.

Not simply the light of Israel.

The light of the world.

That’s an extraordinary claim.

Who is Jesus?

Light and darkness run right through John’s Gospel.

Right back at the beginning, in John chapter 1, John tells us:

“In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.”

And:

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

So when Jesus says, “I am the light of the world,” this isn’t an isolated illustration.

John wants us to understand something about the identity of Jesus.

This is who he is.

And that explains what happens next in our passage.

The religious leaders challenge him.

Essentially they say: You are appearing as your own witness. Why should we believe you?

And notice some of the language running through the passage:

• Witness.

• Testimony.

• Judgment.

• Judge.

• Identity.

It has almost the feel of a courtroom.

The question being examined is:

Who is this man?

Can his testimony be trusted?

Where has he come from?

Who sent him?

Who is his Father?

And Jesus keeps bringing them back to his relationship with the Father.

He knows where he has come from.

He knows where he is going.

He knows the Father who sent him.

And therefore his claim to be the Light of the World is rooted in his identity.

This isn’t Jesus simply offering people a philosophy for living.

He is revealing who he is.

And that matters enormously.

Because Christianity ultimately stands or falls on Jesus’ Identity .

A difficult verse

And that brings us to one of the hardest verses in this passage.

Jesus says:

“If you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.”

That’s jarring.

It jars against our twenty-first-century instincts.

We live in a world which often says: Believe whatever you want. Find whatever works for you. All roads ultimately amount to much the same thing.

But Jesus doesn’t speak like that.

He makes an enormous claim about himself.

He says that our response to him matters.

And the people listening to Jesus understood just how significant his claims were-which is precisely why they challenged him.

They knew he wasn’t merely saying, “Here’s another way of looking at life.”

He was claiming an identity and an authority which demanded a response.

And ultimately each one of us has to wrestle with that same question:

Who is Jesus?

Some of us here this morning have been following Jesus for many years.

We know him as Lord. We’ve entrusted our lives to him. And we’re trying-sometimes successfully and sometimes rather imperfectly-to make daily decisions which keep us close to him.

Others may be on a journey with all of this.

You’re asking questions.

Does this stand up?

Can I trust Jesus?

What would it actually mean for me to follow him?

And if that’s you, keep asking the questions.

Look at Jesus.

Look at his words.

Look at his actions.

Look at the cross.

Look at the resurrection.

Because Christianity isn’t asking us simply to believe an idea.

It is inviting us to encounter a person.

When darkness isn’t physical

But there may be others here for whom my question at the beginning-“Have you ever been in a dark place?”-immediately meant something completely different.

Because perhaps you have been in a dark place.

Perhaps you are in one now.

And changing the light bulb isn’t going to solve it.

Darkness can come in many forms.

Loss.

Uncertainty.

Fear.

Loneliness.

A relationship which has broken down.

A future which suddenly looks very different from the one we expected.

Questions we can’t answer.

Prayers which don’t seem to have been answered.

And sometimes Christian people can be far too quick to offer easy answers to difficult darkness.

Jesus does not promise here that those who follow him will never experience difficulty.

He doesn’t say that Christians will never grieve.

Or never struggle.

Or never become frightened.

His promise is much deeper:

“Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

In other words, we do not walk through the darkness alone.

Sometimes the light of Christ completely changes our circumstances.

But sometimes something else happens.

The circumstances haven’t changed yet-but suddenly we know who is with us.

A bit like that lift in Zambia.

When the churchwarden stepped into that lift, we were still hundreds of feet underground.

We were still going down.

It was still dark.

Nothing about our immediate circumstances had changed.

But now we knew something we hadn’t known before.

We understood where we were going.

And that changed how we experienced the journey.

There will be moments in the Christian life when faith looks something like that.

We don’t understand everything.

We can’t see very far ahead.

We may not even understand why the journey seems to be taking us further down rather than up.

But Christ says:

I am the Light of the World.

Follow me.

Trust me.

Walk with me.

We need light every day

And there is one final thing I want us to notice.

We don’t only need light when life becomes difficult.

We need light every day.

We need Christ on the wonderful days.

We need Christ on the terrible days.

But we also need Christ on the completely ordinary Tuesday afternoon when nothing particularly dramatic is happening.

Because following Jesus isn’t an emergency service we call when everything else has gone wrong.

It is a relationship.

It is walking in his light.

It is allowing his words to shape our decisions.

His character to shape our character.

His priorities to shape our priorities.

His love to shape how we treat the people around us.

And so perhaps there are three very simple questions for us to take away this morning.

Firstly: Who is Jesus to me?

Not simply who does the Church say he is?

Not who did my parents say he was?

But have I recognised him as the Light of the World and entrusted my life to him?

Secondly: Where do I need his light at the moment?

Perhaps there is something you are carrying this morning which feels very dark.

You don’t need a simplistic answer.

But perhaps you need to hear again the promise of Christ:

You are not walking there alone.

And perhaps, like that churchwarden appearing unexpectedly in a lift deep underground, we need to allow other people to bring something of the light of Christ into our darkness too.

To pray with us.

To listen.

To walk alongside us.

To remind us of things which, in the darkness, we struggle to see for ourselves.

And thirdly: Where can I carry Christ’s light this week?

Into our homes.

Our workplaces.

Our schools.

Our streets.

Our friendship groups.

Our communities here in Lisburn.

There are people around us walking through darkness.

We don’t need to pretend that we can solve everything.

We can’t.

But we can point towards the one who says:

“I am the light of the world.”

The one whom John tells us shines in the darkness.

The one whom the darkness has not overcome.

The one who knows where he has come from.

The one who knows where he is going.

And the one who calls us simply:

Follow me.

And perhaps this morning, wherever you find yourself-whether life feels wonderfully bright, painfully dark, or simply very ordinary-the invitation of Jesus is the same:

Come into the light.

Walk in the light.

And carry that light into the world.

Let us pray.

Jesus Bread of Life & his Claims

 Sermon preached on Sunday 20th September in Lisburn Cathedral at both 9.30 and 11am services

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be always acceptable in thy sight O Lord our strength and our redeemer. Amen 

Text John 6:25-51 

This morning we are rolling up our sleeves and getting stuck into a new sermon series which will take us between now and the end of November to complete- It’s also being woven into the home group series as well.  My hope is … in the sermons I’m preaching in this series will take into account some of the questions from the home group booklet but go beyond the scope of them as well to look at the passages a bit more widely.  

I do want to encourage you to open Bibles If you have them near you - It was quite a long passage this morning - It can be found on Page [xx] or it is John Chapter 6 - if you want to look it up on devices. 

The background to this passage is the Feeding of the 5,000 + people - Jesus is attracting crowds who are following him around - he is teaching and sharing with them important truths and not only is he teaching them but also showing them amazing things which are happening in front of them. By his words and actions he is displaying the inbreaking of the Kingdom. That God is with them. 

Firstly - I want would love us to see the importance in this passage about dialogue with Jesus. Look at how many times Jesus gets asked questions by the crowd around about him. 

He doesn’t just stand there and say these in a vacuum nor as a whole sermon -… what he’s doing is in response to the crowd and the needs in the crowd. 

It goes quickly from the ordinary - how did you get here  to the very deep questions very quickly 

Then they begin wondering as we do from time to time  - who is this and what’s he offering? 

There are all sorts of things going on in this passage - but when a crowd gathers anywhere there are differing understandings and a myriad of differing views and questions depending upon where they are and what they are up to. 

I suspect its the same here this morning - Disciples - those with L plates up, those who come with questions, those who are wondering and those who maybe dispute some of the things … its great that you’re all here today. 

The questions - the wonderings the quarreling and the searching things out are part of the adventure of faith - they have been from early days. 

Secondly this morning - I want to look at the claims which Jesus makes about himself 

 I don’t know if you’ve seen the ad for the FCA - the financial conduct authority - about scams - with the seal. There are many out to scam us with all sorts of claims.  Check it out Before you seal the deal.

We're rightly taught to be skeptical about claims that are too good to be true

If anyone was to stand up and make these claims in Lisburn town square on a saturday - I hope that person might be looked upon with skepism at the very least. We should be suspect of anyone making claims such as these. Finding out who they are and what authority them have is important 

It would be extremely difficult to believe if someone making these claims someone who said they have come 

• To satisfy our deepest needs and desires v35

• To come from God the Father v38

• To raise our bodies from the dead on the last day v40

• To be the source of eternal life v51

Those are some claims to make. 

In religiously charged Israel in the 1st Century - these were enough to get you killed! On Blasphemy charges and this is relatively early on in Jesus’ ministry life but he makes them unapologetically. 

Why would we take these claim seriously? - I suppose that is at the heart of what it means to be a Christian - a follower of Christ. Its these things that we have found these claims exactly to be true ...

CS Lewis famously said in his book Mere Christianity 

I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: “I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.” That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: Touchstone/Simon & Schuster, 1996), pp. 55-56.

I want to pause on this for a moment. 

Our deepest needs - Knowing we’re loved and accepted - Knowing when the storms of life come - when the worst news comes through, when we’re faced with illness or grief - knowing that he is the one who can sustain us through the most difficult of days is important. 

The past couple of weeks I have had the privilege and opportunity to draw along side - those who have been through difficult times - Both planned visits and chance encounters with those who are ill, those facing terminal diagnosis, those overcoming operations and those undergoing tests. 

When friends have messaged to say they have had a unwanted diagnosis … or going through grief

When faced with ultimate issues and the fragility of our humanity or if we are in a state of grief for whatever reason - it is in these moments particularly that we need to hear these words. 

I once was taking a Bible study group - of seniors and they raised a question - or a sort of feeling - we’re not sure. These were people who had been coming to church all their life but they are wondering if when the time came these things are to be relied upon. 

The answer to the question can Christ be relied upon?, can these teachings be relied upon - the answer is simply yes! 

You might ask - why … how do you know? 

Quite simply because of who Jesus is - his identity in full. - we summarise it in the creeds of the church

• As the Son of God, as the one who knows the end from teh Beginning 

• The one who faced the reality  of death but was able to over come death through resurrection. 

• The one who is the Bread of life 

And also coupled with the witness and testimony of believers down through the years 

If it was anyone else saying these things then - no! 

• But because it was God’s one and only son 

• The word made flesh and who dwelt among us. 

• It’s because of Jesus that we can have confidence in what he said & What he did, what he is doing now and what he will do at the end of time! 

What’s also important to realise - Jesus said that he is bread of life … not just medicine for the sick

• This is not just a message for those who are sick or hurting - its for everyone 

• Life, meaning is for everyone, purpose, mission  - whatever we’re up to this week. 

• Bread - is eaten at all sorts of times in my house - particularly at lunch for sandwiches 

Whether we retired, student, pupil, working, not working - whatever we’re going through right now 

In another part of Johns Gospel we read - I have come so that you may have life to the full. 

Give us today our daily bread we pray in the Lord’s prayer

Thirdly this morning - I want to pick up on one of the claims this thing about Jesus being able to satisfy our deepest needs and desires 

I want to lean into this this morning 

When I go into Tescos or Greens or Lidl or wherever - there are all sorts of options when it comes to bread - I was amazed … In the supermarket you can find roughly 114 - I’ve done the research! - from my desk rather than going around the shop counting them! 

Some of the many ...

• Tesco White Toastie Bread Thick Sliced 800g

• Tesco Medium Sliced White Bread 800g

• Tesco Lightly Seeded White Bread Loaf 800g

• Tesco Multiseed Batch Medium Sliced White Loaf 800g

• Tesco Hi Fibre Seed Loaf 800g Sliced

• Tesco Hi Fibre Seed Loaf 400g Sliced

• Tesco Finest Wholemeal Loaf 800g

• Tesco Finest Wholemeal Seeds & Grains Loaf 800g

• Tesco Finest Super Seeded Sliced Farmhouse Loaf 800g

• Kingsmill 50/50 

• KIngsmill White 

• Ormea

• Veda 

• Brendans 

• Gluten Free 

• Many more 

There are all sorts of options that lie before us on a daily basis  so many choices we have - for our physical hunger to be satisfied 

But we do have another hunger - the one that Jesus is talking about - down through the years there always have been ways people have tried to satisfy and search for something that will satisfy - to try and fill our spiritual hunger - people try all sorts of things. 

As someone who found at a young age the Christian Gospel - I’ve not found anything that surpasses the teaching, the truth of the Gospel - and the truth is simply - I never will.  

That is a dangerous claim to make but it is the claim that Christians down through the centuries have found to be solid ground. Many have come into conflict because of it. 

For our physical hunger - yes we satisfy that with both good food and not so good junk food from whatever source tickles our fancy

But we will grow hungry again - thats natural 

For our spiritual hunger - some have described it as a God Shaped hole inside of us - however we describe it. Whatever ultimate questions we may be asking. 

The uniqueness of Christ - his actions, his teaching, the relationship we have with him - is able to quench our thirst and satisfy our desire - if we would turn to him. 

His actions - have made a way for us to find meaning and purpose, he has opened the gate of life to all. 

Sam writing in the Harvest Magazine this month has helpfully reminded us that we are called to be faithful followers of the Lord 

1.by being closer to the Lord.

2.by digging deeper into his word.

3.by building our lives on the Rock of salvation.

This is so important 

As I conclude this morning - bread - our everyday staple food - whatever bread you eat the 114 varieties which satisfy our physical needs - Whatever we have for breakfast, lunch and dinner  today and everyday this week - We need to eat healthly - in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle - Doctors & Health professionals will tell us that. It’s important! 

Tescos aparently have 4,622 products in “Fresh Food” and 8,489 products in “Food Cupboard. To satisfy our physical hunger 

Let’s remember that a key part of life is our spiritual hunger as well -  we’ve a need to satisfy our spiritual hunger and questions by meeting with the one who said and is the bread of life - there are all sorts of options presented by all sorts of people - BUT there is only one name under heaven that can fully satisfy   - Jesus Christ our lord and saviour.  The one and only. Nothing else satisfies.  - Come to him this morning. 

Let’s Pray

God isn't finished Yet ...

 God Isn’t Finished Yet

Acts 25:1–22

A Sermon preached at Sunday AM on sunday 12th July 2026  in the Carraig Centre 

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be now and always acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer. Amen.

In books and films there are moments when everything feels uncertain. We wonder, Where is this going? How will the hero escape? How can this possibly end well? Sometimes the story reaches a point where all we can see is confusion, and we are left waiting for the next chapter.

That is exactly where we find the Apostle Paul in today’s reading.

Earlier in Acts, in chapter 23, verse 11, the Lord stood beside Paul and said:

“Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”

God had given Paul a promise. Rome was his destination.

But by chapter 25, he isn’t in Rome.

He isn’t even on the road.

He’s sitting in prison in Caesarea.

The Jewish leaders still want him dead. The Roman authorities are holding him. Humanly speaking, the future could go either way. The story is caught between the promise and its fulfilment. There is uncertainty, frustration, fear and waiting. Paul simply does not know how God is going to accomplish what he has promised.

A number of years ago, while on pilgrimage in the Holy Land, I had the opportunity to visit Caesarea Maritima, this magnificent Roman city on the Mediterranean coast where Paul was imprisoned. Standing there, you realise this is neither Jerusalem nor Rome. It is an in-between place.

Throughout the book of Acts, Paul has travelled from city to city, crossing seas and continents, always moving. But here he is stuck.

As I reflected on this passage, it struck me that this is quite an appropriate sermon for my last Sunday here at the Carraig Centre.

• Because this isn’t the end of Paul’s story.

• Nor is it the end of yours.

• Nor is it the end of mine.

Acts 25 doesn’t resolve anything. There is no verdict. There is no dramatic rescue. There is no happy ending.

God has told Paul that he will preach in Rome, but he isn’t there yet. There are still a few chapters to come.

This morning I could say many things, but because it’s summer—and because I promised myself I would keep this sermon a little shorter—I simply want to leave you with three thoughts.

The first is this:

God isn’t finished with you yet.

One of the greatest lessons I have learned through life’s joys and difficulties is that God is still writing the story.

• Sometimes we only see one chapter.

• Sometimes we only see one page.

• Sometimes we only see one sentence.

• But God sees the whole story.

Many of us know what it is to wonder what God is doing. We pray. We wait. We struggle to make sense of circumstances. Yet over and over again, I have discovered that even when I could not see God’s hand, he was quietly at work behind the scenes. And sometimes I don’t  and I wonder God where are you! 

The story was still unfolding.

The second thing is this:

We still have choices to make.

In this passage, Paul doesn’t simply sit back and say, “Well, whatever happens, happens.”

He knows God’s promise.

He knows his calling.

And so, when Festus suggests sending him back to Jerusalem, Paul refuses. He knows that is not where God is leading him. Instead, as a Roman citizen from Tarsus, he exercises his legal right and appeals to Caesar.

Paul trusts God’s sovereignty, but he also acts wisely.

Faith is never passive.

Trusting God doesn’t mean doing nothing.

It means prayerfully making the decisions that are ours to make while trusting God with those things that are beyond our control.

Which brings me to my final point.

Some things happen that are outside our control.

As a rector, one of the great privileges of pastoral ministry has been walking alongside people through every stage of life.

I know that here this morning—and indeed in churches throughout the world—there are people who find themselves in places they never imagined they would be.

• Some are living with grief.

• Some with illness.

• Some with uncertainty.

• Some with broken relationships.

• Some with anxiety about the future.

• Some are simply wondering what comes next.

• I’ve discovered a word for these seasons.

They are called liminal seasons.

• Places of transition.

• Not where we once were.

• Not yet where we will be.

• Simply where we are today.

And if we’re honest, they are often uncomfortable places to be.

I know something of that myself.

Since making the difficult decision to leave here and move north, I too have been living in one of those liminal places—a season between what has been and what will be.

• There has been excitement.

• There has been sadness.

• There has been anticipation.

• There has also been uncertainty.

Yet through it all, I have been reminded again and again that God is present in the in-between places.

This morning I simply want to encourage you with that truth.

God is still at work.

Sometimes we lose sight of the bigger picture.

We’ve spent a long time together journeying through the book of Acts.

Think where it all began.

A frightened little group of disciples gathered in Jerusalem.

• Then the Holy Spirit came.

• The gospel spread across Judea.

• Into Samaria.

• Across Asia Minor.

• Into Greece.

• Towards Rome.

• Across Europe.

• Across continents.

• Across centuries.

Until, by God’s grace, the ripple effects of the witness of people like Paul have reached us here today.

Just think about that.

A man sitting in a prison cell nearly two thousand years ago is still speaking to us this morning.

God certainly wasn’t finished with Paul.

I came across an illustration recently that I found really helpful.

When we look at the back of a piece of embroidery or tapestry, sometimes it looks like a complete mess.

Knots.

Loose threads.

Colours going in every direction.

There seems to be no pattern whatsoever.

(Show images.)

But turn it over…

…and suddenly you see the beautiful picture the artist was creating all along.

• Perhaps that’s how our lives often look.

• We see the tangled threads.

• God sees the finished masterpiece.

• Or think of a jigsaw puzzle.

• One piece tells you almost nothing.

It is only when all the pieces come together that you begin to see the whole picture.

Again and again throughout Scripture we meet people whose lives appeared confusing in the moment.

• Joseph in prison.

• Moses in the wilderness.

• David hiding in caves.

• The disciples after the crucifixion.

• Paul in Caesarea.

Yet time after time we discover that God had never left them.

He was already preparing what came next.

As I come towards the end of this sermon, let me finish with something more personal.

Over these past fourteen years, it has been one of the greatest privileges of my life to serve in this place.

• Together we have faced difficult seasons.

• We have made courageous decisions.

• We have seen God grow his Church.

• We have grieved the loss of people we dearly loved.

• We have welcomed many new faces.

• We have celebrated answered prayers.

• We have also carried prayers that remain unanswered.

Through every season, we have known God’s faithfulness.

Some of my most treasured memories won’t be the big events.

• They will be the quiet conversations over coffee.

• The unexpected phone call.

• The arm around a shoulder.

• The person who noticed someone struggling.

• The gentle word of encouragement.

When I found myself in places of uncertainty – I think particularly of those who supported me through the time when Dad died, it was often those quiet acts of kindness that reminded me that Christ was present through his people.

So keep doing that.

Dream big dreams for the future.

Seek God’s vision.

But never underestimate the ministry of quiet encouragement.

Churches, and this church particularly is built as much through cups of coffee, faithful friendships and gentle words as they are through programmes and plans.

• God isn’t finished with you yet.

• Keep allowing the Holy Spirit to shape you.

• Keep close to Jesus.

• Keep encouraging one another.

And let me finish with Paul’s words to the Christians in Philippi written as it was when he was in prision —words that I can honestly pray for each one of you today:

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Prayer Ministry is important – At the end of the service – if you are going through one of those seasons – of waiting, of pain, of uncertainty – take time to get someone to pray with you.  

Amen.