SERMON SERIES, Sunday May 3 to July 5
Most of us wrestle at some point with the reality of evil and suffering. Whether we are Christian or not, suffering and evil impact significantly our belief in God and our attitude toward God. For some it is the cause of their rejection of the existence of God. The world today seems to be at a crisis point, it is a profound cultural moment. How does the church serve the community in its response? And how can we be ‘prophetic’ at the same time?
The Deacons have elected to close Hobart Baptist Church for the next two Sundays (22/03 and 29/03) due to government requirements with the Covid-19 Pandemic. This will be reviewed on April 1 by the Deacons for the safety of our congregation.
During this time we will have representatives at an online statewide Baptist service streamed through the Citywide Baptist Youtube Page or online through: https://www.citywidehobart.org.au/. Heather has already sent out an email with connection details for the service so don't forget to check any and all folders for it.
All the blessings of God to you,
May you be filled with the spirit of peace in this time.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
(Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)
2020 marks a pivotal moment in the life of Hobart Baptist Church. The upgrade of the buildings will be completed; we will begin raising funds and start the upgrade of the Tab; it will be our second year of engagement with Dark Mofo; and we prepare to celebrate our 140th anniversary.
The church has a long a proud engagement with and ministry into the city of Hobart.
What is God calling us to in our next phase?
That is what this next sermon series, Catching the Vision, is about.
As a church our prayer is to make Jesus Christ known by growing devoted witnesses for him. We dream of a church “prophetically serving” the city of Hobart. So, in this series we will explore what God has been revealing to us, about how the Holy Spirit is moving across the city of Hobart.
We will focus on how we are already responding and what we sense God is calling us to in the near future.
MAKE SURE YOU COME ALONG AND CATCH THE VISION!
During this special service, we are giving one another space to reflect on what we have experienced as individuals, as a community and as a nation. We are grieving our losses and the losses of our friends and neighbours. We are also turning to God and to one another for support and finding hope in the depth of our relationships and in knowing that God is here with us.
“Tell him he’s dreaming” from the Aussie classic, The Castle, has become part of the Australian vernacular. The Sermon on the Mount comes with such high expectations and ambitions one could say the same to Jesus.
Yet, throughout history thousands have been inspired by this teaching--from Augustine to Gandhi, Leo Tolstoy to Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Luther to Martin Luther King Jnr.
Jesus’ sermon reminds us that God has a dream for this world. God promises a day when sorrow, pain and death are vanished, wounds are healed, and tears wiped away by God’s own hand. This summer we will allow this sermon to inspire us too? We will accept the invitation to dream God’s dream for our world and work with God in seeing it become a reality.
During this Summer we are studying the Sermon on the Mount with the intention of allowing it to search our hearts and inspired to join God in bringing shalom to planet earth.