Community Church Edinburgh: Sermons

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 13th Sep 2026.This week Andrew asks ‘What is church?’, as he seeks to refresh our understanding what the church is and why we belong to one. He helps us appreciate the beauty of being part of a church and in doing so encourages us to invest deeper into the life of this local expression of church.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 6th Sep 2026.What is Prayer? A practical re-exploration of Christian prayer and spirituality. In this talk Andrew explores prayer from the broader perspective of Christian spirituality centred on the Triune God and revolving around the unity and oneness of the divine life. He then spends some time exploring different types of prayer such as breath prayer, intercession, contemplative or centering prayer and active prayer.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 30th Aug 2026.If we walk through life with open eyes and open hearts, God can speak to us in all kinds of ways. Sometimes even when we have difficult or unpleasant reactions to things. In this sermon, Rupert tells the story from is hometown that speaks of some of our human longings and some of the deepest longings of human hearts.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 23rd Aug 2026.In their talk, Emily and Tom each reflect on a painting which has deeply impacted them: “The Man of Sorrows”, and Holbein’s “The Ambassadors”. In doing so, they show the capacity of visual art to reveal deep truths about life and faith. The subject matter in this talk may be upsetting, if you need to speak to someone or require support, please email office@cce.community

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 16th Aug 2026.Reflecting on the experience of ‘wilderness’ where conventional answers no longer suffice, Sarah Squire continues the ‘Open Eyes, Open Hearts’ series with a look at the book of Job. Using the essay “Non Sequiturs” by Amy Leach, as well as a poem by Walt Whitman and Psalm 139, her offering considers how the unruly wilderness might invite curiosity, liveliness, justice, and, most surprising, the experience of God’s (unruly) presence.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 26th Jul 2026.Mark Michael continues our summer series ‘Open Eyes, Open Hearts' with a talk ‘There's a Song for Everything”. In it, Mark considers how music has been transformational in experiencing God and helping navigate difficult times in his life, and how it can be a spiritual practice. Reflecting on Moses and the burning bush we discover how something as ordinary as a walk or a song can become an extraordinary, holy experience.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 19th Jul 2026.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 12th Jul 2026.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 5th Jul 2026.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 28th Jun 2026.In the first talk of this new series ‘Open Eyes, Open Hearts’, Andrew explores Jazz music with a sermon titled, “What does John Coltrane have to do with Julian of Norwich?” In it, he uncovers a mutual obsession shared between the 14th century English Anchorite Saint, and the 20th Century Saxophone virtuoso.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 21st Jun 2026.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 14th Jun 2026.What happens to our faith in the midst of struggle and suffering? How can struggle change our understanding of God? From the Old Testament to the present day people of faith have found God to be with them in their struggle and suffering – though perhaps not always in the ways they might expect. As we continue our series The Struggle is Real: Being Fully Human in a Broken World, Johanna shares stories of how people encountered God in their suffering and offers ways that we might too.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 7th Jun 2026.This week we hear directly from our youth as they speak to us about social media, how it affects their lives and their walk with God.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 31st May 2026.The word lament is not part of our contemporary vocabulary. Despite the fact that lament plays a significant role in the scriptures (there is even a whole book of the bible named Lamentations,) the whole concept can feel quite out of place in many contemporary christian environments. As we continue our series The Struggle is Real: Being Fully Human in a Broken World, Andrew explores the role of lament in scripture and why it is an important part of healthy and authentic spirituality.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 24th May 2026. The natural world is filled with examples of life emerging in the most unpromising of circumstances. What if this mirrors how God acts in our broken world? This sermon, on Pentecost Sunday, explores the work of the spirit bringing life in the midst of the difficult, painful, dry seasons of our life, often in quiet ways like a breath, and occasionally in more dramatic ways like wind or fire.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 17th May 2026.Kirsty shares her thoughts on what Jesus showed us about how to be fully human in a troubled world. This is followed by an open mic time where various people share their thoughts on the following question; What is it about Jesus' life and words that have helped you live well in a broken world?

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 10th May 2026.In her sermon “Joseph: A Masterclass in Resilience”, Bella explores the qualities that defined Joseph not only in hardship but also at the height of his power in the passage of Genesis 50, 15-26. She highlights his emotional maturity, God-centred perspective, and hope for the future of his people beyond his own lifetime. Even in success, these traits continue to shape his character and leadership. The sermon invites reflection on what resilient faith looks like in every season of life.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 3rd May 2026.Kali explores what it means to be fully human not by avoiding pain but engaging with it honestly. She looks at how sitting with discomfort and struggle may not be a barrier to joy, but places were deeper joy and resilience can be found.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 26th Apr 2026.The world in which we live is a chaotic and broken place and increasingly so. In the wider world of politics, current affairs, and in our personal worlds, there is much heartache and struggle. This sermon explores a couple of simple steps in how we can journey in the midst and through these struggles, finding how to be more fully human as we follow in the footsteps of the one who shows us what it is to be a mature, fully alive human being.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 19th Apr 2026.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 12th Apr 2026.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 5th Apr 2026.This Sunday we reflect on and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Drawing on imagery from C S Lewis and the Narnia stories Rupert reminds us that Jesus' presence and resurrection life is there for each and every one of us, no matter whether we recognise it or not. He is risen, and he offers new life to us all. In what situation would you like to see his renewal and life-giving presence?

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 29th Mar 2026.Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week. At this point in the biblical narrative, each of the four gospel writers slow down to a sometimes granular level as they examine the final week of Jesus' life. The story of Jesus arriving in Jerusalem riding on a donkey with large crowds shouting “Hosanna!” and waving palm leaves is already a fairly bazar story, but when you add to that the fact that within a week he was condemned by both the religious and political authorities, beaten and publicly executed, the story becomes even more full of intrigue.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 22nd Mar 2026.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 15th Mar 2026.It is often implied that God turns his back on human sin, creating a chasm between God and humans. But the text at the end of chapter 3 has a markedly different tone, one of compassion and kindness, and the story continues with God being present to the humans, caring for them, and inviting them back home. Listen to the whole sermon for more…

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 8th Mar 2026.Continuing our journey through Genesis, we'll be looking at the story of Abram (or Abraham) in Genesis 12 and a pattern that appears again and again throughout scripture: God's unwavering faithfulness even when we lose sight and choose our own path. When fear and doubt creep in, it becomes easy to hear the same question whispered to Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden: “did God really say…?”. In those moments, it can be so tempting to take control for ourselves rather than trusting the God who promises to provide. Abram's story shows just how easily this can happen, and how quickly fear can lead us away from trust. Yet even in the midst of our failings God continues to pursue us and lead us out of the mess we have made for ourselves.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 1st Mar 2026.It is so easy to read the so-called curses of Genesis 3 as God’s punishment on the erring humans. This reading has led to all kinds of unhelpful and even harmful practises such as hierarchy, gender roles etc. But is there a different way to read this text? Is there a better story to be told? Of a God who’s not punishing, who takes the wrongdoing seriously, but whose posture is one of healing and restoration?

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 22nd Feb 2026.Dis-union and Communion: How we found ourselves separated from God, ourselves and others and how God brings us back together. The story of the Fall, or original sin is one of the most deeply embedded stories in our collective psyches. Eve eats the fruit. Passes it to Adam, and next thing you know they are exiled from Eden. Among other things, this is a story of estrangement. People who were once intimately connected to one another, their creator, and the earth itself now feel distance, disharmony and shame. In this message, we will look at why this story resonates so deeply with us and what God has done to bring us back together.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 15th Feb 2026.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 8th Feb 2026.God saw all that God had made and it was very good. But what happened next? What was God’s intention for humanity in creation and can we experience that still today? This talk takes a look at the story of the garden and explores the invitation of life that God makes to us in it.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 1st Feb 2026.This week we dig into Genesis 2:4-25, and look at another aspect of the Creation story which is meant to shape us better than the stories we've come to believe in.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 25th Jan 2026.At the end of the creation story there is this odd phrase that God ‘rested' from his work. What does it mean for God to rest from work? It clearly can’t mean that God was stressed and tired. And what does it mean for us to enter God’s rest? How does that promote human flourishing? This sermon looks at four different ways that God’s rest has been understood offering a summary phrase for each, and a posture that helps us enter into this life-changing understanding.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 18th Jan 2026.We all live within a series of stories, personal stories, family stories, cultural stories, cosmic or religious stories. Sometimes these stories compete, and sometimes they feel grim or hopeless. We believe the scriptures speak a better and more beautiful story over us and helps us understand our identity, our purpose and our place in God's world. Perhaps there is no greater illustration of the paradox of human existence than the creation account in Genesis 1:26-31 whereby mankind is formed from dirt and then infused with divine breath. Sometimes it's hard to see anything but dirt in ourselves or in others, but this passage invites us to look deeper and see the divine love, beauty and dignity that animates us all.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 11th Jan 2026.Stories don’t tell us just what to think they train us how to see. They shape our imagination long before they shape our opinions. They teach us what kind of world we live in what kind of people we are and what kind of future is possible. We often think beliefs shape us most, but stories hold more power. That’s why arguments rarely transform people, but stories do. And that’s why the Bible doesn’t start with a list of doctrines, but it starts with a story. Much debate is had on how to interpret the early chapters of Genesis. But this debate often misses the powerful way in which these stories tell of who God is, what kind of world this is, and how we flourish as human beings.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 7th Dec 2025.This sermon concludes our Autumn series “A Christlike Way” by exploring the birth of Jesus and the counterintuitive nature of the incarnation of God. In the familiar Advent story of Jesus' birth we are exposed to contrasting figures of authority: Augustus Cesar, the most powerful man in the world, and Jesus, the world's creator, born in obscure poverty. In a world obsessed with upward mobility, aspiring to be more like Cesar, what would it look like to embrace the downward mobility of Jesus?

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 30th Nov 2025.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 23rd Nov 2025.When we think about following Jesus we tend to think about the ‘shoulds and oughts’. But sometimes there is an invitation to just be.  In this sermon we explore what it looks like to show up authentically for ourselves and others. 

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 9th Nov 2025.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 2nd Nov 2025.This Christ-like way sermon series has explored welcome, hospitality and inclusion. So does it matter how we live? This sermon explores a text that has often been used to exclude and reinterprets it as a text of invitation to experience the God-life here and now as we let go of our disordered passions.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 26th Oct 2025.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 12th Oct 2025.When Jesus comes for lunch, Simon the Pharisee takes on the role of religious gatekeeper after an encounter with a woman who was a known sinner.  Jesus tells a very short that puts the woman's outrageous display of affection into perspective.  The story has a lot to say about who is welcome in Jesus presence, and in his community.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 19th Oct 2025.This week we looked at one of the seven facets listed in Brad Jersak’s book “A more Christlike way”, this week focusing on “Radical hospitality”. We based the message on part of the story of Ruth in the Bible, particularly chapter two when “Ruth, the Moabitess” is received, welcomed and included, by Boaz, into the community of God’s people. The challenge for us as a church, and individually, is how well we practice this radical hospitality and embrace the stranger, the alien and even those who may have been opposed to the good news of Jesus at one time.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 5th Oct 2025.Often when reading scripture we can be drawn to the obvious miraculous stories, but sometimes if you look closely beneath the surface you can find hidden miracles. This sermon explores a hidden miracle in Acts 16, the way of peace making and nonviolence that invites us into courageous and vulnerable presence with our enemies.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 28th Sep 2025.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 21st Sep 2025.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 14th Sep 2025.Keith looks at the importance of the Holy Spirit to the lives of the the early Christians, the early church, and to their mission. We explore what lessons we can learn, asking what difference does the Holy Spirit make to me, my church, and my community.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 7th Sep 2025.Colin looks at the glory and honour with which He is crowned, and His attraction for us, as well as at the emptying of Himself to taste death for all our sakes.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 31st Aug 2025.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 24th Aug 2025.As The Deer: Revisited – Despite being the source material for a famously pastoral and serene worship song about a deer panting for water (if you know it, you know it well), Psalm 42 is a song of disorientation and despair. In this lament, the psalmist candidly refers to struggles which cause them to feel distant from God, crying a refrain of “why, my soul are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?” Perhaps this ancient saint's unabashed honesty can give us permission and courage to confront our own difficult emotions when our souls are downcast and God feels far away.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 10th Aug 2025.

The weekly message from Community Church Edinburgh. This talk is from Sunday, 3rd Aug 2025.