Sermons on A Secure Footing:

What Is True Friendship?

Contributed by Geoffrey Foot on Apr 24, 2018

We might know a lot of people and some we might call our friends - what are the characteristics of a friend, what do we look for in a friend? Jesus calls us His friends - are we worthy of this wonderful relationship with our saviour?

WHAT IS TRUE FRIENDSHIP? JOHN 15:9-17. Jesus tells us that we are His friends. What are the basic elements of friendship? There is acceptance. A friendship is composed of two people who accept each other as they are. I may not understand everything I know about you; I may not even like some of ...read more

Scripture: John 15:9-17

The Holy Spirit - Our Spiritual Aid

Contributed by Geoffrey Foot on May 16, 2018

In John's gospel he refers to the Holy Spirit as the Comforter who will not leave us desolate. But when we look at different versions of the Bible different words are used, e.g. Advocate and Counsellor each having a different but significant meaning.

The Holy Spirit - our spiritual aid John 14: 15-17 Have you ever lived life dangerously by taking a step into the unknown? A step of faith, you were in a situation when you were not sure what to do, you had to make decision and had no idea about the consequences of your actions. It was the kind ...read more

Scripture: John 14:15-17

Happy Birthday To The Church

Contributed by Geoffrey Foot on May 19, 2018

When the Holy Spirit was poured out on the disciples of Jesus on that first Whitsunday in a very real sense the Church was born. When a child is born we celebrate annually the date of that birth by giving presents but on the Church's birthday we receive.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Today is a very special day in the life of the Church it’s not just because today is called Whitsunday or the feast of Pentecost,,,,, it is however related to what happened on that first Whitsunday The sending of the Holy Spirit on the disciples of Jesus. No in many ways its ...read more

Scripture: John 14:18-24, Acts 2:1-21

But

Contributed by Geoffrey Foot on May 28, 2018

We use the word 'But' quite frequently and it can change the meaning of something said. In the Bible the word BUT and the context is profound, we are not object of God's wrath as sometimes seen in the Old Testament but objects of His love.

BUT… John 3:16-17 In my working life I’ve been on many training courses either related to management, finance, dealing with the media and so on.. One course still comes to mind when I was criticised for using the word’ ‘BUT’ I was using this simple and very significant little word to clarify ...read more

Scripture: John 3:16-17, Genesis 1:26-31

The Love Of God

Contributed by Geoffrey Foot on May 28, 2018

We all have our favourite verses from the Bible many we know by heart and they give us comfort in times of need. Many are from the Psalms or the Gospels and we focus on John 3:16 - God so loved the world..

The Love of God John 3:16 We all have our favourite verses from the Bible, it could be a verse from the psalms: ‘The Lord is my shepherd : therefore can I lack nothing.’ It could be a verse that Jesus said from the gospels: ‘Blessed are the pure in heart – for they will see God’ Or as we have ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 4:7-11

Collect For Trinity 1 And John Newton

Contributed by Geoffrey Foot on May 28, 2018

The collect for Trinity 1 is a prayer made for us all as it identifies our real need and our dependence upon God - it puts everything into perspective. Many of the great have fallen from high office or fallen out of favour from such a lack of dependence.

Collect for Trinity 1 and John Newton The collect for the 1st Sunday after Trinity is a prayer made for me and made for you. It’s a prayer that identifies our real need and our dependence upon God. It is a prayer that if we our honest with ourselves puts everything into perspective. How many ...read more

Scripture: Acts 9:1-8

Look Forward, Not Back

Contributed by Geoffrey Foot on Nov 29, 2017

Advent is a season when we look forward to the coming of Jesus, both His first coming born in Bethlehem and his second coming in power and great glory - are we ready? 'Be on your guard.' ‘KEEP AWAKE!

LOOK FORWARD, NOT BACK MK. 13:33-37. Today we start a new Christian year and that is marked in our lectionary by our gospel readings coming from St. Mark. Mark is unusual as it is the only synoptic gospel which does not give an account of the birth of Jesus. But it does speak of when Jesus ...read more

Scripture: Mark 13:33-37

Being Ready

Contributed by Geoffrey Foot on Nov 29, 2017

In the Gospel Jesus urges His followers to prepare for an uncertain future - but we can all be sure that one day our own lives will end, and we do not know when that will be. Jesus came to take the fear out death for those who believe in Him.

Being ready Mark 13:33 In his famous novel ‘The Power and the Glory’, Graham Greene describes, the last few hours of the life of a priest who was condemned to death during a time of religious persecution in Mexico. At first the priest had courageously resisted, but as time went on he turned to ...read more

Good News

Contributed by Geoffrey Foot on Dec 7, 2017

St Mark opens his gospel in a very unique way, its all about good news, a wonderful story all about Jesus Christ the Son of God. What better story can you have!

GOOD NEWS – Mark 1:1-11 I'm sure most of you have been abroad for your holidays and like me had a problem in talking to the locals. In fact to be honest I'm not very good at English let alone a foreign languages - I get totally lost and confused. When I was in Tenerife I went shopping and had an ...read more

Scripture: Mark 1:1-11

The Witness Of John The Baptist

Contributed by Geoffrey Foot on Dec 13, 2017

John the Baptist pre-figured and prepared the way for the ministry of Jesus but the religious authorities of the day could not understand what John was doing in his preaching and especially in baptising Jewish people when there was no need to do so.

THE WITNESS OF JOHN (John 1:19-28) In this 1st chapter of John’s gospel he begins his message, his good news to demonstrate that Jesus is the Mind, the Reason, the Word of God come into this world in the form of a human being. Having set down this central thought, John now begins to tell the ...read more

Scripture: John 1:19-28

The Greatest Gift Of All

Contributed by Geoffrey Foot on Dec 14, 2017

Christmas is a time of sharing presents and each other's company, a time when rifts between family members should be healed. During the WW1 on Christmas Eve the British and Germans stopped killing each other as Christ's message of PEACE prevailed.

THE GREATEST GIFT OF ALL. JOHN 1:1-18. The 1914 secret truce between the German and British soldiers has been told many times but it’s certainly worth repeating. In many ways it is surely the miracle of Christmas and its meaning was made manifest in the action of the soldiers who brought to light ...read more

Scripture: John 1:1-18

Do Not Be Afraid

Contributed by Geoffrey Foot on Jan 1, 2018

The message of Christmas is sometimes lost in the business of buying presents and getting ready for the big day. So the message of the angels announcing the birth of Jesus is reassuring, 'Do not be afraid' - Peace message.

“Do not be afraid.” – said the angel Those words are right in the middle of the gospel reading we hear at Christmas - in fact the very first words that are spoken. “Do not be afraid.” And then it gets even better. “Behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:8-20

Epiphany O Godhead Hid

Contributed by Geoffrey Foot on Jan 1, 2018

The Wise Men seek the child Jesus and travel a long way from the East following a star, they even have to seek advice from King Herod to find Him. Its a little like a children's game of Hide and Seek.

O GODHEAD HID. MATT. 2:1-12. One of the most popular games among children has to be hide-and-seek - the rules are very simple. One child closes their eyes and counts to a hundred, while all the others hide - "Are you ready? Here I come." And one by one they are sought out from their hiding places ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 2:1-12

God For All

Contributed by Geoffrey Foot on Jan 1, 2018

Jesus was born into a Jewish family as God's chosen Messiah for the Jews. The feast of the Epiphany when we celebrate to revealing of Jesus to the gentiles clearly shows that Jesus was born for everyone and is reaching out to YOU.

God for ALL Matt 2:1-12 Today we have the readings for the feast of the Epiphany and from the early days of the Church, this feast has been considered in some ways more important than Christmas. Epiphany recalls the arrival of the magi to Bethlehem in search of the King of the Jews and 'epiphany' ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 2:1-12

We Three Kings

Contributed by Geoffrey Foot on Jan 1, 2018

We all know the hymn, 'We three kings of orient are..' but do we know the gospel facts underpinning this hymn and the significance of that visit to the child Jesus?

We 3 kings Matt 2:1-12 When you think of Christmas carols that are appropriate with Epiphany I’m sure you will come up with: “We Three Kings of Orient are. ...” But ironically in just that 1st line of 5 words there are 3 very slight errors but that does NOT subtract from the importance of this ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 2:1-12