Redeemer Central

Fasting 01 - Offering Ourselves to JesusAs powerful as the mind is, because we are holistic beings, we can’t simply think our way into spiritual maturity. Our discipleship to Jesus must take seriously our body, as it is “the temple of the Holy Spirit” — a home where we make room for God to dwell. Most of us are used to approaching our spiritual formation and life with God through the door of our mind — by thinking, talking, praying, reading, or hearing teaching and preaching. But very few of us are comfortable approaching our spiritual formation through our stomach, or our body as a whole.In this first teaching David Armstrong looks at how Fasting is one of the best disciplines we have to reintegrate our mind to our body, and offer our whole selves to God in surrender.Part of the Practicing the Way Series. For info and resources on this series go to redeemercentral.com/ptw***Note: The first half of the sermon didn’t record live on Sunday so we re-recorded that part later .

Prayer 05 - Q&APrayer is simply the medium through which we communicate and commune with God. The practice of prayer is learning to set aside dedicated time to intentionally be with God, in order to become like him and partner with him in the world.In Prayer part 4 David Armstrong explores the fourth stage of prayer: being with God. There comes a point in our spiritual journey when prayer goes beyond words to simple loving presence, or what the ancient Christians called “union” with God. This type of prayer has come to be called “contemplation,” based on 2 Corinthians 3v18. To contemplate is to look, to gaze upon the beauty of God, receiving his love pouring out toward you in Christ and by the Spirit, and then giving your love back in return.Part of the Practicing the Way Series. For info and resources on this series go to redeemercentral.com/ptw

Prayer 04 - Being With GodPrayer is simply the medium through which we communicate and commune with God. The practice of prayer is learning to set aside dedicated time to intentionally be with God, in order to become like him and partner with him in the world.In Prayer part 4 David Armstrong explores the fourth stage of prayer: being with God. There comes a point in our spiritual journey when prayer goes beyond words to simple loving presence, or what the ancient Christians called “union” with God. This type of prayer has come to be called “contemplation,” based on 2 Corinthians 3v18. To contemplate is to look, to gaze upon the beauty of God, receiving his love pouring out toward you in Christ and by the Spirit, and then giving your love back in return.Part of the Practicing the Way Series. For info and resources on this series go to redeemercentral.com/ptw

Prayer 03 - Listening to GodPrayer is simply the medium through which we communicate and commune with God. The practice of prayer is learning to set aside dedicated time to intentionally be with God, in order to become like him and partner with him in the world.In Prayer part 3 John Herron helps us understand that prayer is not just when we talk but when we listen to hear his voice. As Jesus said in John 10v27, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” This is a Spirit-generated desire in the heart of a disciple of Jesus.Part of the Practicing the Way Series. For info and resources on this series go to redeemercentral.com/ptw

Prayer 02 - Talking with GodPrayer is simply the medium through which we communicate and commune with God. The practice of prayer is learning to set aside dedicated time to intentionally be with God, in order to become like him and partner with him in the world.In Prayer part 2 Stephanie Wilson helps us begin to learn how to talk with God. Praying pre-made prayers is a beautiful way to pray. It’s where we start our prayer journey, and it’s a place we revisit all through our lives. But at some point in our life of prayer, we desire to pray our own words to God — to share what’s on our mind, our heart. Our pain, our joy, our hopes and fears. We can’t help but desire to interact with God in a more authentic, personalised way.Part of the Practicing the Way Series. For info and resources on this series go to redeemercentral.com/ptw

Prayer 01 - Talking to GodPrayer is simply the medium through which we communicate and commune with God. The practice of prayer is learning to set aside dedicated time to intentionally be with God, in order to become like him and partner with him in the world.In Prayer part 1 David Armstrong explores the first stage of prayer: talking to God. When the disciples asked Jesus, “Teach us to pray,” in Luke 11, Jesus replied, “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name...’” He gave them a pre-made prayer, or what some call a liturgy, to pray to God.One of the single most important tasks of discipleship to Jesus is starting, habituating, and fine-tuning a daily prayer rhythm. So we start our four-week journey simply, by praying pre-made prayers to God.Part of the Practicing the Way Series. For info and resources on this series go to redeemercentral.com/ptw***Note: This recording begins with a prayer captured during our time of sung worship. The sermon begins at 6min30secs.

David Armstrong finishes our Advent series looking at this season as a divine invitation and divine interruption.Note: This recording begins with a prayer led by Ian Ryans for Israel-Palestine, amid all the conflict and violence taking place there.

Scott Witherick brings a reflection on the season for our Advent series

Glen Mitchell begins our Advent series

Sabbath 04 - WorshipIn Sabbath Part 4 we look at how sabbath isn’t just a day to stop, rest, and throw a feast in community — it’s a holy day set apart and dedicated to God himself.For many Western Christians, Sunday has become what Eugene Peterson called a “bastard Sabbath”–the illegitimate offspring of the Sabbath and a secular day off. Whether you practice Sabbath on Sundays, Saturdays, or another day of the week, it’s essential to remember God commands us to “remember the Sabbath by keeping it holy.” To keep it “holy” means to sanctify it, set it apart, and dedicate it to God for his special purposes. Sabbath isn’t just a day to sleep in, relax, and do whatever brings you joy (it is, but it’s more): it’s a day to worship. To reorient your entire life back to its center in God. In our final week of Sabbath, we elevate the Sabbath from a restful, joyful day off to a holy day of worship and delight in God himself.***Note: Due to a last-minute change of circumstances we used the teaching resource from Practic

Sabbath 03 - DelightSabbath is a day of rest by which we cultivate a spirit of restfulness in all of our life. In Sabbath part 3 John Herron looks at the third movement of Sabbath– delight. Jesus himself said plainly, “In this world, you will have trouble,” but he also said his desire for his disciples was “that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full.” Sorrow is inevitable in this life, but joy is not. In the Way of Jesus, joy is a gift, but it’s one that must be chosen and cultivated, day after day, as an act of apprenticeship to our joyful God.Previous generations often thought of the Sabbath as a somber, serious day full of religious duty and legalistic rules. Today, many people think of it as a day to chill, relax, or sleep. Both generations miss the essential truth – the Sabbath is designed by God as a day to give yourself fully to delight in God’s world, in your life in it, and ultimately in God himself.Part of the Practicing the Way Series. For info and resources on this series go to redee

Sabbath 02 - RestSabbath is a day of rest by which we cultivate a spirit of restfulness in all of our life. In Sabbath part 2 Stephanie Wilson explores the second movement of Sabbath–to rest. The idea of rest sounds wonderful, but in reality, rest is a radical, countercultural act of resistance to the powers and principalities of a world at war with God and his kingdom of peace. To practice Sabbath is to draw a line in the sand against all external (and internal) forces that would encroach upon your apprenticeship to Jesus and formation into his image. It’s to say, “This far you shall go, but no further.” It is to defy some of the most powerful forces known to humanity as an act of non-cooperation done in love for community, for the poor, for the earth, and ultimately for God himself.Part of the Practicing the Way Series. For info and resources on this series go to redeemercentral.com/ptw

We begin a new series — Practicing the Way — exploring 9 ancient practices of the way of Jesus that promise to help root us in the faith and deepen our experience of God as we serve our world.When practiced regularly these keystone habits can powerfully guide our journey of spiritual growth and help us become more like Christ, transformed into the people we were created to be.Each practice is taught in 4 parts and David Armstrong begins with our first practice, Sabbath — a day of rest by which we cultivate a spirit of restfulness in all of our life. In Sabbath Part 1 we examine the most literal meaning of the Hebrew verb shabbat – “to stop” and how sabbath is, at its most basic, a call to stop, to cease, to be done.Part of the Practicing the Way series. For info and resources on this series go to redeemercentral.com/ptw

A morning with our friend Jonny Clark exploring the relationship between faith and peacemaking and his own journey into the work of mediation, public theology and peace-building.Jonny Clark is the Program Manger of Public Theology for The Corrymeela Community. He is a facilitator and mediator working in political and inter-faith contexts and has devoted significant energy to the development of peace-building organisations around the world in post-conflict societies. His involvement in peace-building work continues to this day. He is also the curator of a monthly event of music, stories, dialogue & reflection called Borderlands that gathers people at the intersection of art, faith and community.Notes & LinksCorrymeelaBorderlandsGuardians of the Flame - (Jonny’s Documentary & Podcast)With God on our Side (Documentary)The Other Side of the Wall (Book) by Rev Dr Munther Issac

Our friend and guest speaker Dr. Richard Laugharne explores the relationship between faith, spirituality and our mental health. Following a talk from Richard, he is interviewed by Stephanie Wilson before a time of Q&A with questions from those in attendance. If following this episode you have any questions or would like support in any way related to the topics discussed please reach out to any of our Senior Leaders who are ready to talk, walk with you and offer pastoral care. Thanks Richard Laugharne has been an NHS consultant in general adult psychiatry for 23 years and is Lead For Research at Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. His research interests include therapeutic relationships and trust between patients and clinicians in the UK and mental health services in West Africa. Richard is a Reader in the Church of England and has been involved in many different styles of Christian community throughout his life. Richard is the author of the book 'I Will Be Glad: Combating Spiritual Depression' a

Stephanie Wilson teaches on what it means to be church saturated by grace. Part of the series ‘What Kind of Church’ that explores the values that give shape to our community.

David Armstrong teaches on what it means to be a church community shaped and oriented firstly by the values of the Kingdom of God. Part of the series ‘What Kind of Church’ that explores the values that give shape to our community. Note: Unfortunately due to technical difficulties the sermon by David Armstrong on 24 September entitled WKOC Part 4 - A Spirit Filled Church was not recorded. Apologies for any inconvenience. You can listen back to previous talk on this topic in the Podcast Archives in September 2022.

Stephanie Wilson teaches on what it means to be church as family. Part of the series ‘What Kind of Church’ that explores the values that give shape to our community.

As followers of Jesus we invited to locate ourselves in a bigger story, the story of God. This is a story with ancient roots that is still unfolding, and we are invited to embody and live out. David Armstrong shares how the wisdom of this story tells us the road to the future actually runs through the past. These ancient paths lead us home to God’s presence, right where we belong. Part of the series ‘What Kind of Church’ that explores the values that give shape to our community. Sermon begins at 8min mark approx.

David Armstrong teaches on what it means to be a Jesus-Centred church. Jesus is the lens through which we see and understand everything. When we ask the question “what is God like?” we are peering into a mystery. But Jesus has made the mystery knowable, the invisible, visible. (Col 1). We believe Jesus shows us what God is like. He tells his disciples “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” Jesus life reveals to us a new way of being in the world and asks us to follow him and his way of love. Our job as the church is to practice — to enflesh and live out — genuine unity in our diversity. We do this by confessing together that Jesus is Lord and taking on a posture of a bandwidth of grace in all our difference. Part of the series ‘What Kind of Church’ that explores the values that give shape to our community.