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St Ninian's Online

St Ninian's Online

By Stewart Cutler

Weekly sermons and thoughts from St Ninian's Church in Stonehouse, Scotland.
You can find us on facebook @stninianschurchstonehouse, twitter @stniniansstonehouse and instagram @stniniansstonehouse.
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time to change

St Ninian's OnlineSep 26, 2020

00:00
18:08
It's Time!!!

It's Time!!!

Have you ever had a moment when you reach a crossroads and you’re not sure which way to turn? Or when the satnav says go left and you have this strange feeling that it’s just not the right direction? Stewart Cutler explores why the choices we make matter. And not only to us.

Mar 16, 202421:53
We're getting John 3:16 wrong!!!

We're getting John 3:16 wrong!!!

What if we're getting this faith thing all wrong? What if we're meant to be doing something different?

Mar 09, 202419:43
What's YOUR Identity?

What's YOUR Identity?

Who are you? Not what are you? Or, what do you do? But who are you? What’s your identity? And how do you know?

Mar 02, 202423:22
Start!

Start!

It's time to start... but first Jesus has to get ready!

Feb 17, 202417:37
Jesus true identity revealed!

Jesus true identity revealed!

Who is Jesus? We reveal his true identity!

Feb 10, 202422:06
personal Jesus

personal Jesus

It’s so easy to get lost in the crowd. To think that we don’t really matter. That nobody notices us. That’s not the case with Jesus. Each of is seen and known and loved. All of us matter to God.

Feb 03, 202419:41
what possesses you?

what possesses you?

What happens when an unhelpful idea takes hold?  When a lie is told often enough that people believe it’s the truth?  Or perhaps worse, don’t care?  And what does Jesus have to say about that?  Or what does Jesus do about it?

Jan 27, 202415:39
Listen!

Listen!

Listen…. Really listen.


I wonder what God has to say to you today?  Or is God is done speaking?  because I don’t think God is quiet at all.  Perhaps we just need to be better at listening?

Jan 20, 202429:49
What's your perspective?

What's your perspective?

Everyone’s has a point of view these days.  We all have our own perspective on the world and sometimes we’re not all that open to hearing something new or thinking about something we think we know about in a different way.  And then Jesus comes along and tells some people just like that, just like us, that he can turn their worlds upside down.  Want to know how?  Come and see…

Jan 20, 202424:53
TRUTH revealed!!!

TRUTH revealed!!!

Who is this Jesus? All of a sudden he's is all grown up and ready to start… but first he goes to be baptised. But why? And what can we learn about Jesus from this?

Jan 06, 202422:21
what are you waiting for?

what are you waiting for?

you wait… and you wait… and you wait.  You wait for years… and all of a sudden the thing you wait for happens.  It's there, right in front of you. But what do you do now?

Dec 30, 202319:25
God slips into skin...

God slips into skin...

Incarnate. It matters that God becomes human. That God slips into skin and moves into the neighbourhood...

Dec 23, 202319:55
witness

witness

John was a witness to someone even greater... are we? Stewart has been unwell this week so we delve into the archive...

Dec 16, 202320:09
A threshold moment

A threshold moment

The writer of Mark’s Gospel seems not to have been interested in Christmas.  He jumps straight in to the story with a strange man out in the wilderness, at one of those threshold places where the story of their people took a new turn generations before.  Today the same story calls us to another threshold… But will we step through it?

Dec 09, 202322:21
Wait Here...

Wait Here...

It's Advent... and so we wait.  But we don't wait for Christmas... so, what do we wait for?

Dec 02, 202325:00
king of kings

king of kings

When we call Jesus 'king of kings' what do we mean? And what does that mean for us? Join Stewart as we explore Matthew 25:31-46.

Nov 25, 202323:57
What is God like?

What is God like?

I wonder what you think God is like?  It’s one of those big questions and our answer to it shapes our response to all kinds of things, probably more than we imagine.  Do you think God is an angry absentee landlord?  Or kind and loving?

Nov 18, 202317:09
Required?

Required?

What does God require of you as we stand in silence to remember?

Nov 11, 202329:53
do as they say...

do as they say...

What’s your reaction when leaders set hard rules and then don’t follow them?  Should we ignore the rules too?  But what if the rules are good rules?  Rules to help us live well together or to keep us safe?  And what does Jesus have to say about it?

Nov 04, 202324:47
love, love, love...

love, love, love...

What’s the most important commandment? It seems like such a straightforward question, especially if you know about these things. It’s got to be the first one… Right?

Oct 28, 202317:10
whose image?

whose image?

Should you pay tax?  For most of us the answer is,”Yes, we have to.”   But for some people the answer is “only if you have to.”  And this was a question in Jesus’ time too.  Should you pay tax to the Romans?  It’s a trap.  It’s a question that Jesus is supposed to stumble over.  But he doesn’t.  Instead, he sets his own trap.

Oct 20, 202324:40
what not to wear

what not to wear

Weddings are fascinating!  Who gets invited and who doesn’t can cause family rifts that echo for generations.  If you do get an invite there’s the dilemma of what to wear!  Who else will be there?  What table will I be at?


A king throws a wedding party for his son and the people he has invited don’t show up!  Worse they assault the people who brought their invitations… You can bet he’s going to be livid with them but he has all this food prepared… and it would be a shame for it to go to waste… wouldn’t it?

Oct 14, 202320:50
Speaking truth to power

Speaking truth to power

They say power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Speaking truth to that kind of power can be dangerous. But if nobody ever does then nothing will every change.

Oct 07, 202320:47
authority

authority

On who’s authority? It’s a good question. One the should ask. But why would you ask. question when you’ve already made up your mind what you think. But as usual the answer from Jesus is an even better question.

Sep 30, 202319:39
How much money is enough?

How much money is enough?


How much is enough?  And when you think about your answer to that are you wondering how much is enough for you?  Or are you thinking about how some people have too much?  Or are you wondering what a fair share for everyone would be?

Sep 23, 202320:37
repair shop

repair shop

Forgiveness is hard. Really hard. And yet Jesus seems very serious about how important it is.

Sep 16, 202322:27
how to end an argument!

how to end an argument!

Do you argue a lot?  Get frustrated by other people who are obviously wrong?  Wonder how we ended up in a world where everyone takes sides? What can we do about it?  How can we settle our arguments in a way that’s fair?

Sep 09, 202324:34
what does your cross look like?

what does your cross look like?

Have you ever felt on such a high one minute only to be brought down a peg or two the next? To be praised one minute and chastised the next? Well, in today’s reading that’s exactly what happened to Peter.

Sep 01, 202331:09
Who am I?

Who am I?

Jesus asks, 'Who do people say I am? And what about you? Who do you say that I am?' Identity is a big deal. We all want to be known… and known for the right things, but who is Jesus? And what difference does that make to me? Stewart Cutler explores a big question for all of us.

Aug 26, 202319:50
Crumbs of Mercy

Crumbs of Mercy

Clean hearts. There’s a phrase that gets used often in churches. But what does it mean to have a clean heart? Today Jesus takes on the idea that it is practices and rituals that make our hearts pure… It’s not the things that go in but what comes out that shows what we are really like. But then the very next thing he does is have a really awkward conversation with a woman from a different culture to his. He calls her a dog. Not exactly a great example of what he’s just been talking about. So what’s going on?

Aug 19, 202322:39
water walking

water walking

When Jesus walks on the water we’re less than surprised. Sure, it’s unusual, but he’s the son of God and earlier that day he fed 5,000 men, along with all the women and children there with a few loaves and a couple of fish and he healed many diseases. So when Peter is bold enough to get out of a perfectly good boat so he can do some water walking we need to ask some big questions about what’s going on.

Aug 12, 202321:38
your daily bread

your daily bread

Jesus feeds 5,000 men.  And there were woman and children there too, but only men counted.  Some things haven’t changed much.  They were hungry… but I think we perhaps forget to ask why?  Why were they hungry?  And what does Jesus do to change that?

Aug 05, 202320:17
the kingdom of heaven is like...

the kingdom of heaven is like...

The kingdom of heaven is like… well, like what?  It’s like a mustard seed, yeast, treasure found by accident, a pearl found after a long search and fish caught in a net.  But how?  How can it be like those things?

Jul 29, 202323:19
Don't be hasty!
Jul 22, 202317:11
scatter

scatter

Jesus tells a story about a farmer who sows some seed.  He throws the seed everywhere. and some doesn’t go where it’s meant to… and some lands on good soil and is fruitful.  But I’m not a farmer so what does this have to do with me?

Jul 15, 202322:05
is it really that simple?

is it really that simple?

Have you ever been offered a fix for something, a solution to a problem that just seems too simple so you reject it? I wonder why we do that?

Jul 08, 202320:41
Are you welcome?

Are you welcome?

You are welcome here. No really. You are. But how would you know that you are welcome? How do we show welcome? And why does it matter?

Jul 01, 202319:20
Do not be afraid!

Do not be afraid!

Go and tell your friends, neighbours and even strangers that their worldview is wrong and a new way is possible... and, the the way, some of them won't like it!

Jun 24, 202324:42
What does compassion feel like?

What does compassion feel like?

We talk about feelings all the time... but they are called feelings because we physically feel something. The emotion has an impact on our body. So, what does compassion feel like?

Jun 17, 202328:20
Who are you here for?

Who are you here for?

When Jesus comes for Matthew it's a statement. I'm here for people like him... who are you here for?

Jun 10, 202326:53
Go!

Go!

Go. Yes you!  Go and make disciples… But how?  How would we even begin to do that?

Jun 03, 202321:14
forgiveness is healing

forgiveness is healing

Jesus stands among his friends and speaks words of peace and forgiveness... because forgiving is healing!

May 26, 202321:47
glory

glory

Want to know what God is like? Just look at Jesus!

May 20, 202324:34
Just Breathe

Just Breathe

Breath is life... but for Jesus it's more... more life that you could ever imagine!

May 13, 202327:38
embody

embody

Thrown back into the events of Holy Week we find ourselves confronted by familiar words, but in a different context.  Jesus’ talks of many houses, mansions or dwelling places, and of leaving, going somewhere else but at the same time remaining.  It’s confusing, sometimes difficult stuff so what does it all mean?  And what does any of it have to do with us?

May 06, 202334:42
slow down & listen

slow down & listen

Jesus is in sheep and shepherd mode... but his disciples have no idea what he's talking about. Do you?

Apr 29, 202319:11
Burning Hearts

Burning Hearts

An encounter with Jesus leaves a couple of his followers with burning hearts... will it do the same for us?

Apr 21, 202319:22
rumours of resurrection

rumours of resurrection

It's almost the end of the day. It's getting dark... and Jesus appears to 10 of the disciples... but Thomas isn't there. He's out. And he misses out!

Apr 15, 202323:08
resurrection

resurrection

It's Easter Sunday!

Apr 08, 202318:42
Good Friday

Good Friday

Jesus trail and crucifixion...

Apr 07, 202316:53