Weekly Sermon Reflection Questions

In today’s world, enhancing productivity and managing time efficiently are key priorities. Resources such as articles and team management software offer guidance on organising time effectively for better productivity, but it’s crucial to pause and reflect on why productivity matters and its deeper purpose.

Jesus was criticised by the Pharisees (Luke 15:2) for dining with sinners. The Lord responded by telling three parables about the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son. These parables reveal God’s heart for seeking the lost.

According to the dictionary, Prodigal can mean recklessly extravagant, very generous or lavishly abundant. This famous parable is not only about two sons, but also sheds spotlight upon the prodigal Father who lavishes extravagant love and abundant grace upon his wayward son.

After the reign of King Solomon, the people split into the Northern and the Southern Kingdom (between Israel and Judah).  This division led to frequent conflicts.  The Kingdom struggled to maintain its identity and to protect its territory from the surrounding nations. 

Unless we think like our LORD Jesus Christ – having tender, compassionate, selfless love for others, how can we imitate His example of humility?

As we usher in the month of June, it’s an opportune moment to conduct a mid-year review of our discipleship and walk with God. Let us draw inspiration and encouragement from today’s Scripture text from Luke 5. It presents us with three discipleship lessons.

The Bible does not portray aging as an issue. On the contrary, it shows that the elderly were respected and seen as bearers of wisdom. In Exodus 18, Jethro, who was Moses’ father-in-law, counseled Moses to assign judges and distribute his tasks to avoid exhaustion. Job 12:12 tells us “Wisdom belongs to the aged, and understanding to the old.” (NLT)

Today, we observe Aldersgate Sunday, a day of celebration. This day is dedicated to remembering the profound spiritual encounter that John Wesley had, often described as a ‘strangely warmed’ experience with God.

Pentecost Sunday is celebrated each year to commemorate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon believers. On that day, the Holy Spirit came down on the disciples in Jerusalem as rushing wind and tongues of fire, symbols of God’s presence and might.

Millennials and Gen Z often find their jobs meaningless and repetitive, leading to stagnation, disillusionment, and stress. Burnout is increasing across all generations. Ecclesiastes 2:23 states, “All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless.”

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. This familiar verse is a pledge to follow and serve God as a family. But when life gets very busy and there are many distractions, we risk crowding God out of our life and taking our eyes off Him. May we recapture the Joshua spirit, when serving the Lord.

Jemima has been a missionary to East Africa (Congo, Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda) primarily working with refugees who have been caught up in war, famine and genocide for the past 12 years. Conditions in the camps are harsh, with families having little hope of even seeing their kids survive. Mission workers try to provide clean water, food, housing, education and address their trauma.

John talks about Christian love for the 3rd time. In v8 and 16, John says God is love.

Which is worse?  To start a project and not be able to finish or not to start at all?  Haggai 2 is about starting and finishing well.

How we respond to difficult relationships and situations shows whether or not our living is “all about Jesus”, and “to live is Christ”.

Paul’s situation was not ideal. He was captured and imprisoned for preaching the gospel. He faced opposition and rivalry from both the pagans and Christians. Despite his chains, Paul had a certain lightness in his spirit. He used the words ‘joy’ and ‘rejoice’ at least sixteen times in his letter (Philippians 1-4).

After Jesus’s resurrection, for the next 40 days, he taught and ministered to His disciples, in preparing them for His ascension into heaven. The road to Emmaus encounter took place just days after the resurrection.

At the end of David’s life, he showed how real and vulnerable a king and God’s servant he is. He modelled authentic discipleship.

The first two verses of Psalm 22 seem to be full of complaint and therefore unworthy to be used in a ‘Call to Worship’. However, prayer should be an honest and truthful expression to God even when we are at the lowest point in our lives. Even as we have honest exchanges with a friend, so we can bring our complaints, anger, despair, doubt and fear to the Lord.

Navigating power dynamics at work can be challenging.  It’s not solely about the tasks but also the people involved – whether they’re our superiors or subordinates.  Dealing with an unreasonable or unethical boss can be particularly demanding.

Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, urging fellow workers to soldier on despite the challenges they faced. The Church was a divided, ill-disciplined and quarrelsome church but Paul encouraged these workers with 2 Cor. 4:7-12. The same verses are applicable to us today as they remind us that God has placed in each of us a treasure which will see us through life’s journey.

1. Meaning of metaphor “jars of clay”
A “jar of clay” describes each member of the human race. We are made of dust (Gen. 2:7) and we will return to dust (Gen. 3:19). Like pottery, we are fragile and easily broken. Many of us have experienced affliction in body and in spirit, in the form of broken dreams, ambitions, hearts and bodies. Some have been driven to despair that is so deep that they have taken their lives. But this is not the solution. Christians and even full-time church workers are not exempt from being crushed and discouraged. But God is still on the throne and He has not left us in a state of hopelessness. He has placed in each of us a treasure.
2. God has placed a treasure in these “jars of clay”
The Greek word for “treasure” (vs.7) is thesaurus, which means “storehouse of wealth”. God has placed this treasure in us to makes us into who He wants us to be. The Greek word skeuos means vessel or jar while ostrakinos means earthen. Such earthen vessels are cheap pots used for holding garbage or even human waste. Why would anyone put a treasure in such a pot? The word “treasure” is in singular form as it refers to a Person – our Lord Jesus Christ. “… it is only the living Christ within who keeps us safe”. 2 Cor. 4:10 (TLB). The treasure is therefore Christ who lives in us. Our life mirrors Christ’s. As He suffered, so also will we. “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). The presence of Jesus in our lives makes a total difference to how we live. But do we value this treasure? Or is there a competitor? Satan distracts us with other temporary treasures (Luke 4:5-8). Some have succumbed and bowed down to worldly power and wealth. They discover that there is no end to wanting more. We can be in danger of losing the real treasure.
3. The treasure in you can transform you
God is at work to change us and those around will be able to see the transformation. In order to be transformed, we need to:
a) Believe in this treasure in us. When we accept Jesus as our Saviour, He becomes the Treasure in our lives.
b) Believe in the power of the Treasure. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to be transformed. This is a surpassing power, an excellent and abundant power.
c) Claim the power of transformation for myself. Faith unlocks this Treasure. Have we experienced His power?

Kintsugi is a Japanese art form of creating art pieces from broken pottery. The pieces of broken pottery are glued together and the cracks are filled with gold, silver or other precious material. These exquisite pots are highly valued. Indeed, broken does not mean useless. We may be broken but we can be transformed by God into a beautiful art piece for His glory. May we testify of Jesus’s life in our lives, to bless and encourage others to His glory.

When faced with threat and danger, we often respond in one of the four following ways. However, the Bible offers a fifth response…

Jesus’s death on the cross shows us that even if one is walking perfectly in the will of God, one still can experience suffering and despair.  Even Jesus on the cross had cried out – my God why have you forsaken me. But today we come to resurrection Sunday. The scripture passage highlights the actions and reactions of three women who are honoured in the Bible as the first persons to receive the Easter good news that Jesus is risen!

READ | SERMON NOTES Summary | Mark challenged his readers to address the question of who Jesus is. Who is Jesus to seekers and to church goers? 1) For Seekers  V1-11 (Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem) What is your motivation to

READ | SERMON NOTES Summary | Jesus was welcomed into Jerusalem with crowds rejoicing and celebrating His arrival. They shouted “Hosanna!” (Mark 11: 8-10) meaning ‘Save us!’ expecting a warrior king like King David who would rescue them from their physical

Have you ever made a request without knowing the extent of that request or what that request entails? That is exactly what James and John did when they approached Jesus. They made a request to be at the right and left hand of Jesus, in what was their misguided view of the Kingdom of God.

Our wish list often reflects the values of worldly culture – power and honour. James and John’s request exemplifies this influence, prompting Jesus to challenge their understanding of greatness. While Jesus did not oppose the pursuit of greatness (Matthew 20:26), He sought to address their worldly influence by illustrating using a child.

Trust not in the strength of our faith, but put our reliance on the Giver, Author and Perfecter of faith! Though we may not see His hand at work in our distressing situations, know that God sees us and that’s ALL that matters.  

The question we are asking ourselves during Lent is where we are in our intentional discipleship journey and what our next step is. Today’s passage gives us valuable lessons on faith, healing and spiritual warfare.