Love and its obligations traverse the boundaries of “private residences” and “nuclear families” because they initiate us into a household that is bigger than that which is under the roof of our house. James Smith

As a sacrament, baptism is not a bottom-up expression of our faith but a top-down symbol of God’s gracious promises. He chose us before we could believe; he loves before we even know how. James Smith

Recognising worship as the heart of discipleship doesn’t mean sequestering discipleship to Sunday; it means expanding worship to become a way of life. James Smith

In other words, historic Christian worship is not only the heart of discipleship; it might also be the heart of our evangelism. James Smith

In contrast to a worship service that vaguely begins when the music starts playing and parishioners slowly saunter in to join the crowd, a worship service that begins with the Call to Worship has already received a word from the God who is active in worship and who wants us there. James Smith

The sermon from the Combined Service is now available on the New life web site.

In this sermon, which is based on James 5:3-20, I talk about Healing Prayer.

Click here to listen or download the mp3

Worship that restores our loves will be worship that restor(i)es our imagination. James Smith

In a similar way, Christian worship should tell a story that makes us want to set sail for the immense sea that is the Triune God, birthing in us a longing for “a better country—a heavenly one” that is kingdom come (Heb. 11:16). James Smith

Worship is the arena in which God recalibrates our hearts, reforms our desires, and rehabituates our loves. Worship isn’t just something we do; it is where God does something to us. Worship is the heart of discipleship because it is the gymnasium in which God retrains our hearts. James Smith

The church’s worship is a uniquely intense site of the Spirit’s transformative presence. James Smith