St. Luke's, Ramsgate

"One thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14)So, after our lives have ended, what will come next? At one level it’s apparent that our material ‘waste’ will be reconstituted into something different. In funeral services the words of committal still echo those of Ecclesiastes 3:20… we come from dust, and to dust we shall return, which prompted one child to deduce that somebody was either coming or going under the spare room bed!!

"But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep." (1 Corinthians 15:20)The Christian belief in life beyond death is one we can have confidence in because it is rooted in the historic event of Jesus’ actual resurrection. He is the first fruits of those who die, meaning that our life beyond death will be ultimately like his, a bodily physical resurrection, to a much better transformed life in close relationship with God. Yet, there is a consequence to how we live this life. God will judge the dead. It’s never too late to turn back to Him and receive his amazing grace and start living life for him now, but we do need to align ourselves with God in this life, if we want his blessings in the next.

Easter is not over! We hear about Thomas, who on meeting the resurrected Jesus found his doubt demolished (John 20:19-31)

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3)These are great words of praise from Peter’s first letter and echo the point in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians of the importance of Jesus’ resurrection and the truth of it (1 Corinthians 15:3-6a).

"For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." (1 Corinthians 12:26) At the Last Supper Jesus explains that his death is for the forgiveness of our sins and to create a new covenant - a new relationship between us and God.

"The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ." (1 Corinthians 12:12)As we reflect on this passage, we need to ask ourselves how we are enabling every church member to play their part in growing the church, the body of Christ?

"And now these three remain, faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13)To become a father takes only a few minutes. To become a mother takes nine months of pregnancy - and that is only just the start of it!

"These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come." (1 Corinthians 10:11)In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul is concerned that the Christians of Corinth will lose their faith. He is worried that some of them are so complacent about the strength of their own faith, that they are in danger of slipping into idolatry without realising the danger.

"Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone to win as many as possible." (1 Corinthians 9:19)Paul is concerned to win. But he is not after the prestige of winning for himself. His concern is to win people for Christ. That is to share the good news or gospel of God’s salvation through Jesus, so that they might believe and so be forgiven for their sins, be reconciled to God and receive the gift of eternal life. When this happens, there is a sense of success for Paul and rejoicing in heaven, but the greatest reward goes to the one who has been won for Christ.

"Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up." (1 Corinthians 8:1)Paul shows that love is the eternal value that builds up Christ’s church. When we grasp this, then knowledge can be used for building up others rather than justifying our own freedoms and pride.

"Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud. 'This is my Son whom I love, 'Listen to him!'" (Mark 9:7)Who do you listen to? The modern super-connected world hurls a tidal wave of different voices at us day after day, bombarding us with a multitude of news, opinions and stories. How do we choose what to listen to when we are faced with such an enormous selection?

"God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth." (John 4:24)This week is the last in our series on Nehemiah and we are thinking about Holy Worship. The work is completed, the community gather, the word is read, praise to God is given, and they commit themselves again to being the people of God. Yet in ch. 13 Nehemiah returns as the people have not maintained the call to live holy and distinct lives, which it could be argued is because they’re not dedicated to Holy Worship.

Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honours him. (Proverbs 14:31). In our series on Ezra-Nehemiah we have reached a point in the narrative (in Nehemiah ch5) where the conflict that has come from opposition to the rebuilding of the walls, and the work of rebuilding itself, takes a back seat and a new problem emerges – the problem of hunger and exploitation.

When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and morurned for days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven (Nehemiah 1:4)

For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD and to do it and to teach the statutes and ordinances in Israel (Ezra 7:10)

Then the heads of the families of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and the Levites—everyone whose spirit God had stirred—got ready to go up and rebuild the house of the LORD in Jerusalem (Ezra 1:5)

For many people Christmas is the time when family and loved ones visit to enjoy the festivities together. It is also a time when Christians celebrate the greatest visitor of all: Jesus Christ. As the Son of God, he visited us from heaven to reconcile the world to God.

We might feel very familiar with the Christmas story and the reason we repeat it every year is because there is real treasure in Jesus and the gift he was that first Christmas

One of the key traditions of Christmas is the giving and receiving of presents.But how easy is it these days to buy the perfect present? To give a gift that is truly worth giving?

This third Sunday of Advent is traditionally one where we remember John the Baptist as the modern prophet who came to testify about who Jesus was. John's part in God's stroy was to come and be a witness. He invited people to come and be ready to receive the truth about Jesus in their lives, and to believe in him.