Word of Salvation – Vol.53 No.45 – December 2008   Joseph — the Silent Partner   A (short) Christmas Sermon by Rev Leo Douma on Matthew 1:18-25 Scripture Reading: Matthew 1:18-25   Brothers and Sisters in Christ. I want to do something different this Christmas and deal with a character we don’t usually talk about on Christmas Day. He is seldom dealt with, although he is a key player in the drama. I guess one of the reasons we don’t talk much about him is that nowhere in the Bible do we read of him saying anything. We hear Mary speak...

Word of Salvation – Vol.52 No.46 – December 2007   Jesus: King Of The Jews, King Of The Nations (A Christmas sermon)   A Sermon by Rev John De Jongh on Matthew 2:1-12 Reading: Luke 2:1-20 Songs: 264; 257; 270; 255; 282; 265   Dear congregation, family and friends... What is Christmas all about? Isn't it about remembering Jesus born in a stable to Mary and Joseph, laid in a manger, and celebrated by angels and shepherds? A surprising thing is that Matthew doesn't even mention most of those things. In fact he doesn't even describe the birth - it gets...

Word of Salvation - December 2017   Christmas Carols: Zechariah style By Rev. John Westendorp Text: Luke 1:76-79   Theme: Zechariah's song of God's saving work thru John the Baptist who prepares the way for Messiah..   Introd:  Christmas carols don’t usually have any surprises in them.  We Christians know them too well. But a Christmas carol, “Zechariah style” – as we have it here in Like 1 – has several surprises. Think about what happened earlier in this chapter. The story is about an old man and his elderly wife. They've waited all their lives, unsuccessfully, to have children but...

MARY’S SONG OF FAITH Rev. John Haverland (A Christmas sermon)   Text: Luke 1:46-55 Reading: 1 Samuel 2:1-10, Luke 1:1-55 Theme: Mary responds to God’s work in her with a song of praise that recalls God’s blessing to her and to his people. Purpose: To encourage you to respond to God’s gift of his Son with humility and praise for who he is and what he has done in Christ. ***************************   No doubt in the weeks leading up to Christmas you will have heard many Christmas carols. You have probably heard them played in the supermarkets and in the shopping...

Word of Salvation - September 2017   From King to Babe By Rev. John Zuidema Scripture Readings: 1 John 4:7-21; Phil 2:5-11; LD 14 q35-36; Suggested singing: BoW 292 “All glory Laud and Honour” RJ2: 295 “Be still, for the presence of the Lord” BoW: 404 “From heaven You came helpless babe” BoW:  532 “Now blessed be the Lord our God”   Congregation, many of us have marvelled at the miracle of new birth.  From the time of conception to the time when we can see the new born with our own eyes it is just an amazing blessing.  And we...

Word of Salvation – Vol.48 No.41 – November 2003   The Christmas ... Dragon? Sermon by Rev A Quak on Revelation 12:1-17   Scripture Reading:  Revelation 12:1-17   Congregation in the Lord Jesus Christ. Think of "Christmas" and what are the thoughts that come to your mind? Peace and tranquillity. Shepherds on a hill being serenaded by an angelic choir. Magi crossing the desert on a quiet night as they make the long journey to Bethlehem. A child wrapped in a blanket and hugged by a young mother with delight in her eyes. Those are the sort of images many have...

Word of Salvation – Vol.53 No.47 – December 2008   Skin, Not Sin A Christmas Sermon by Rev John De Hoog on John 1:14 Scripture Readings: Matthew 1:18-2:12; John 1:1-18   Beloved people of the Lord Jesus Christ. Here is one of the most famous sentences uttered in the twentieth century: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Neil Armstrong said these words on 21 July 1969 as he took his first step on the surface of the moon. It was the Apollo 11 mission. Richard Nixon was President of America at the time, and as Neil...

Word of Salvation - September 2018   B.C.18 – Confessing Christmas Sermon by Rev. John Westendorp Scripture Readings: John 1:1-14, Galatians 4:1-4, Belgic Confession: Article 18 Text: Galatians 4:4   Introd: Is it just my imagination or are stores getting into Christmas earlier each year? I recall that last year I saw the first signs of it already in the first week of October.  Christmas decorations, Christmas wrapping... it was all there.  I confess I was surprised. That was more than 11 weeks to go... that’s almost a quarter of a year! And already Christmas was being keenly promoted. The reason for...

Ascension Day—falling on May 21st this year—is not usually remembered here in Oz.  We remember the birth of Jesus at Christmas and His death and resurrection on Good Friday and Easter Sunday respectively.  His ascension forty days later though, generally passes us by unnoticed.  That is not the case in some European countries where Ascension Day is a public Holiday just like Christmas and Easter. So why do we not remember and celebrate the Ascension of Jesus the way we do Christmas and Easter?  And does it really matter?  In fact, was the ascension of the Lord Jesus all that important...

  Christmas is a great opportunity to share the gospel. Just about everyone in our society celebrates Christmas, although many don’t really know what it’s all about. At Christmas time we get to share the Good News of God coming into our world in the person of Jesus Christ to save people from their sins (Mt 1:21-23). Every Christmas Westside holds what we call a Christmas Party. It’s based around four simple ideas:  1) Everyone is Invited: We invite our whole community through a letterbox drop (which our members hand deliver), and through signs that we hang up at all the...