Central Church - A church in Edinburgh, Scotland

We look at the early church - ordinary people, spirit filled, persecuted and scattered. They were prayerful, united and generous, bold and active. So what would it look like to follow their example in rhythms, resources and relationships?

With a special emphasis on Tearfund, we read stories of the early church and the contemporary church at work making the kingdom known in words and works, in the power of the Spirit through weakness, limitations and opposition.

Peter's sermon after the Holy Spirit came down on the disciples at Pentecost explains that Jesus told them in advance that God's power would come on them to equip them to share the good news with others. God is giving His presence to us as part of His plan, with Jesus at the Centre.

Continuing our series on Encounter and Transformation following the account by Luke, we look now at how the apostles were transformed by their encounter with the risen Lord Jesus. We see how to turn to a new life of doing things God's way, taking part in God's kingdom, and enter into God's rest.

We follow the disciples on the road to Emmaus as Jesus came alongside them and explained the scriptures concerning his death and resurrection, then back with the disciples in Jerusalem. Luke's account shows us that it happened, how Jesus declared peace and gave instructions for the global peace plan.

This Sunday we enter the final week of Jesus' life, as he enters Jerusalem as a king. As we go through the week, following readings from Luke's Gospel, let's reflect on what type of king Jesus truly was. In times of disruption our best and only response is to depend on Jesus and worship Him.

How we respond in times of trouble - Consider Jesus

This week our focus is on humility vs self-exaltation. We also want to think about the subtle dangers of pride, and the difference between religion and true faith.

This week our focus is on the picture of the Kingdom of God being like a great banquet, to which all are invited to come and share at his table.

This week our focus is on the father-heart of God. In this chapter Luke records Jesus sharing three stories of things that were lost…and found.

This week our focus is on how this famous parable of Jesus reveals the heart of God for people who have been “beaten and bruised” by life and feel like they are in a vulnerable place.

This week our focus is on how Jesus welcomed and included women within his followers. In these two passages, Jesus raises a widow's son and later is “anointed” by a woman who, Luke says, “had lived a sinful life”. Jesus shows love to these women and extends that love to us, and he calls us to share love with those around us.

This week our focus is on Jesus the Teacher, who called his disciples to follow him and who taught with authority. Jesus' teaching was to reveal who God is, what God is doing in our world, what it's like to be in God's kingdom and how that changes how we live.

This week our focus is on Jesus' identification with those who were considered “outsiders” to the community of Israel: people who had leprosy and tax collectors.

This week our focus is on how Jesus came to bring healing and wholeness to people's lives. Note how Luke ties this ministry of Jesus into his announcement of the arrival of the kingdom of God (4:43). We should also take note of 5:17 when Luke says “the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick.”

In this section, Jesus begins his ministry by visiting the local synagogue in Nazareth, where he would have grown up as a boy and young man. He reads from the Scroll of Isaiah (and in particular Isaiah 61:1-2)

The Gospel of Luke was written for a largely non-Jewish audience. The writer, Luke, was likely the same person who joined Paul on his second missionary journey (see Acts 16:10), and who became his companion until the end of his life (see 2 Tim. 4:11). Apart from being a physician, Luke was also a theologian and a historian, who wrote this gospel and the Book of Acts. In his gospel, Luke is concerned to show how Jesus came as the saviour for the whole world. He gives special emphasis to themes like God's concern for the poor, Jesus' inclusion of the outsider and, in particular, women among his followers, as well as the role of the Spirit in the ministry of Jesus. Up until the beginning of Lent (which starts on March 5th), we will be considering how Jesus came as the great Liberator, and we will look at some of the people who encountered him, and how this subsequently transformed their lives. This week our focus is on how Jesus came and identified with us through his baptism by John, his reception of the Spirit and his temptation for 40 days in the wilderness.

In these passages, Jeremiah highlights that the coming “Branch” would be righteous, who would restore God's justice and right ways among the people and in the land. When this happens, the people would, once again, experience “joy and gladness”. Throughout Scripture these two themes always appear together: when God reigns and restores justice among his people, the result is a restoration of joy. This recording is from the Carols by Candlelight evening gathering.

In these passages, Jeremiah highlights that the coming “Branch” would be righteous, who would restore God's justice and right ways among the people and in the land. When this happens, the people would, once again, experience “joy and gladness”. Throughout Scripture these two themes always appear together: when God reigns and restores justice among his people, the result is a restoration of joy. This recording is from the morning gathering.

This week we're thinking about the peace that comes through the appearance of “The Branch”. In this passage from Isaiah, the prophet pictures not just a branch, but a “shoot” growing out of the “stump of Jesse” (thinking about the promised king who would come from the line of David). This recording is from the evening reflective gathering.

This week we're thinking about the peace that comes through the appearance of “The Branch”. In this passage from Isaiah, the prophet pictures not just a branch, but a “shoot” growing out of the “stump of Jesse” (thinking about the promised king who would come from the line of David). This recording is from the morning all-age nativity gathering.

This passage is entitled “A Promise of Restoration” in some Bibles. Isaiah the Prophet is promising that when “the Branch of the Lord” appears, it will be a beautiful and glorious thing. This is pointing forward ultimately to the coming of Jesus as our refuge and security. This was the hope of Israel and, during this season of Advent, we consider the HOPE that Jesus has brought to us.

This week we're thinking about another aspect of what it means to be All-In as a member of Central: that is committing to joining and participating in a community. The passage we're considering this week is one that summarises how Nehemiah mobilised the people into small communities, who then got together to do their part in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Once finished they came to seek God's will, to center their lives on him and to walk in his ways. In chapters 2-3, Nehemiah oversees the rebuilding of the walls, as he witnesses the people each doing their part in God's mission. In these small communities they committed to listening to what God was saying to them, through Nehemiah, and then working together. As a church, we are committed to gathering together for worship and around hearing God speak to us through his word, and then being scattered as communities on mission. Through this rhythm, we believe God transforms us, and then extends this through us as his people.

This week we're thinking about another aspect of what it means to be All-In as a member of Central: that is committing to serving God and one another. The chapter we're reflecting on this week is at the start of the Book of Nehemiah. Nearly 450 years before Jesus, the people of Israel had returned to their land in the time of Ezra. They had restored their Temple and started to worship and serve God again. However, during this time, the people had failed to repair the walls of Jerusalem, were living “in great trouble and shame” (Neh. 1:3) and were struggling to protect themselves from their enemies and live faithfully for God. In this chapter we are introduced to a prominent Jewish man called Nehemiah who still lived back in the city of Susa in the Persian empire. God places a great burden on his heart to do something about this situation and his story is of how God used him to mobilise the people of Jerusalem to rebuild the walls of the city, and hence to serve God by doing this together.

In this chapter, David has just received plans from the Lord for the building of the Temple (see 1 Chron. 28:12). David's son, Solomon, would eventually oversee the actual construction and witness God's glory (or presence) descend and fill the place. But here we also learn some basic principles about giving based on the words and actions of David. After he outlines what he will give personally, we then see how the leaders act and, finally, the response of the rest of the people. Also, this week, we'll be thinking about how to give, what we should give and why we should give towards supporting the work of God.

How to worship God in the workplace and include God in our workplace. (Re-recorded, no Q&A)

Short talks followed by questions and answers, led by three church members involved in politics and government, including what we can do.

Short talks and discussion about how families work for God's purposes.

Short talks unpacking the Gen Z culture, with questions and answers,

Talk and delegate comments on Christian values in Education

A celebration of 130 years since Morningside Baptist Church (now Central Church) was founded, with memories of members of the church, seeing God's faithfulness over the years.

The most common instruction from God in the Bible: Remember. Israel was changed in the wilderness from a slave people to a people ready to move into the land God was giving them, but God instructed them to remember their journey in the annual festivals.

We are considering, now, the second major event that happened to the people of Israel after they left Egypt – the giving of the Ten Commandments, and the instructions about the Tabernacle. These two events were to teach Israel the importance of centering their lives on God's word (or his teaching/ instruction) and God's presence in the midst of them. The Ten Commandments were a summary of what Israel referred to as the Torah, and the Tabernacle was a visual reminder to them of God's holy presence among them and how they could draw near to God in worship. As followers of Jesus, we see the ultimate fulfillment of these in him.

This month we are turning our focus to Israel (the tribes and descendants of Jacob) and, in particular how God shaped them into being his holy people. We will look at three key incidents in their early years in which they encountered the LORD in dramatic ways, and how these helped to form them as God's people, redeemed by him, centered on him and on a journey with him going before them. The first key moment is arguably the most significant in their history as they celebrate the Passover and then experience God delivering them from slavery in Egypt and bringing them through the Red Sea. These two events (much like the death and rising of Jesus for us) were foundational to who they were and how they, ever after, thought of themselves.

How Jacob was transformed through his developing relationship with the Lord, and specifically how he wrestled with God and received a new name and a new heart.

Families can be complex and broken, but God meets us in whatever family situation. God loves us; there will be a day when there is no more pain and suffering; God has adopted us into his family - the church.

In this section Jacob, now fleeing from his brother Esau, heads north to the region of the Arameans, around the city of Haran, where he would end up staying with his relative Laban (the brother of his mother, Rebekah) for the next 20 years. On the way, Jacob has his first encounter with the LORD at a place called Bethel, where God reveals himself to Jacob. The rest of these chapters record how Jacob's family were born. Through this encounter with Yahweh, and what he experiences during the years in Laban's household, God starts to transform Jacob.

In this section we are introduced to Jacob, along with his brother Esau and his father Isaac. As well as the dysfunctional family dynamics that are described in this story we are given glimpses, in particular, into the character of Jacob – a man who always seems to be grasping after things whatever the cost. The author is trying to show us how much Jacob needed to encounter the God of his father Abraham and, hopefully, experience transformation.

Paul wrote to Philemon about reconciliation, specifically with the runaway slave Onesimus, and gives reasons for the importance of reconciliation, which also apply to us. Is there a situation in which I could be a reconciler?

Phoebe was a deacon, the carrier and explainer of Paul's letter to the Romans. She gives us a model of how everyone has a part to play, whatever their back-story - what is our next step in what God is calling us to?

Paul's investing in Timothy illustrates a masterclass in discipling. Who should we be investing in? And how?

A beginner's guide to Barnabising - practical steps to being an encourager

Stephen was full of faith through the Holy Spirit (his foundation) and full of grace and power held in balance - humble authority and sacrificial discipleship. How much does following Jesus mean to me, and what does it look like to show grace and power in balance?

Priscilla was a teacher, mentor and co-worker with Paul, together with her husband Aquila - they worked as a team, risked their lives for the gospel. Is God calling me to mentor someone, lead a community or be a co-worker in the church?

The final foundation is that of faith or belief. What is true faith based on? How do we know if we have it and how do we get it? Can we be sure of anything in life and what is the role of faith in that process?