Central Church Port Kembla

Who is your enemy? Most of us don’t really resonate with the idea of a personal enemy like we see in movies so how does Jesus’ teaching on enemy love (Matt 5:43-48) relate to us? Ryan delves headfirst into this passage to explore Jesus’ hidden challenge to us as he invites us into greater wholeness.

This week three of our men shared their experiences of God as a mother, we also discuss patriarchy and how we can continue to be a church that celebrates both men and women as made in the image of God.

Oran looks at the often quoted and frequently misunderstood “eye for an eye” passage in Matthew 5:38-42.

Cheryl continues our look at the sermon on the mount with an exploration of Matthew 6:19-24

In celebration of Easter, Caro invites us to participate in the story of Easter. This message was more of an experience than a sermon, involving art, music and reflection. To view the art shown throughout the podcast click here: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1DQ_HDdlCVJLmk0x-kWEJb528HzY57wbzAP3-rOLFvMc/edit?usp=sharing Song Credits: When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, by Isaac Watts in 1707, Public Domain. Son of Sorrows, by our friend Steve Schallert, 2014, off the Album ‘Songs of Sorrow, Songs of Hope’ Battle Hymn of the Republic by William Steffe and Julie Ward Howe, Public Domain

Carolyn speaks from Luke 19:28-44 and looks at finding God in the unexpected places.

Lust - the topic we all love to hear about (!). But Jesus doesn't shy away from confronting lust. We know adultery is not ok, but how much do we let Jesus into the area of our sexual desire? We chat this week about what lies beneath our lust and the things that drive us to unhealthy sexual activity and how Jesus offer us wholeness in the deepest places

Most of us in our lifetime will be able to refrain from murdering someone, but what about when Jesus ups the ante to confront the anger we hold within. Caro dives into Matthew 5:21-26

Continuing on with our series on the Sermon on the Mount, Cheryl speaks on Matthew 5:17-20 – The fulfillment of the Law

An introduction to our series this year on the Sermon on the Mount.

This week Caro share some of the culture and values we hold as a church and communicates our church theme and other specific church info for 2019. If you belong to Central and are catching up on a missed week, then this will fill you in on what’s going on this year. If you’re a listener outside of our community, then this message will give you more of an idea of who we are as a church.

Historically Christians have had a somewhat dysfunctional relationship with flesh. But the theology of the incarnation lays out that God willingly 'put on flesh'. So, what if our body, our flesh is not something to ignore, escape or overcome, but the very meeting place of God? Caro unpacks these ideas.

Kenosis is a word used by Paul in Phil 2 to describe the self-emptying of Christ in his incarnation. Caro raises the idea that this kenosis, rather than being a one-time event in the person of Jesus, may in fact reveal something to us about the nature of God, that He is eternally self-emptying. We then look at what this teaches us about our own spirituality.

The second part of Oran’s two part talk looks at Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness.

Our friend Joel Marsh speaks about his struggles with anxiety and finding God in the dark places.

This week Caro dives into the parable of the widow and the judge…and Jesus’ encouragement to us to pray and not give up. FYI there’s a little story we edited out because it was too personal for a podcast…so if it seems a bit disjointed around the 28 minute mark…that’s why.

Paul shares how the parable of the rich fool found in Luke 12:13-21 is applicable to wealthy Western nations today.

The first part of Oran’s two part talk on Jesus in the wilderness looks at the time prior to Jesus’ baptism and how this relates to the seasons in our own life.

Brendan shares on Jesus The Good Shepherd and Psalm 23.

Carolyn looks at the compassionate Jesus, and what making room for compassion looks like in our increasingly complex world.