by Susan Barnes | 24 Aug 2022 | Communion Talks
“Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders.” Ephesians 2:11 Ruth was an outsider because she was born a Moabite. The Moabites hadn’t helped the Israelites during their years wandering in the desert (Deuteronomy 23:3-6) so God told the Israelites to have...
by Susan Barnes | 10 Aug 2022 | Communion Talks
I was confronted by a lady who asked if I believed the story of Noah’s ark really happened. When I said, “Yes,” she was greatly dismayed, especially about the elephants who died as a result of the flood. I’m not sure why the elephants bothered her so much. Surely, the...
by Susan Barnes | 27 Jul 2022 | Communion Talks
Christians sometimes say they would like to be a New Testament church but I suspect they have a romanticized idea of what the early church was really like. Let’s consider these verses which reveal some of the conflicts in the early church: Acts 6:1 – Widows were being...
by Susan Barnes | 13 Jul 2022 | Communion Talks
In the wilderness, God told Moses to make the Ark of the Covenant. It was what we would call a wooden chest overlaid with gold. The Ark was a symbol of two things: First, it was a symbol of God’s Presence. The ark was kept in the Temple which was where Moses heard...
by Susan Barnes | 29 Jun 2022 | Communion Talks
For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of...
by Susan Barnes | 31 May 2022 | Communion Talks
One day the elders of Israel came to see Ezekiel to inquire of the Lord. Amongst other things, the Lord gave this message to his people. “I gave them my Sabbaths as a sign between us, so they would know that I the Lord, made them holy” (Ezekiel 20:12). In the Old...
by Susan Barnes | 17 May 2022 | Communion Talks
Every time we celebrate communion, we have the opportunity to consider God’s graciousness to us. Are we staggered at the magnitude of the sacrifice God made for us? Are we overwhelmed by the love and mercy of God? Are we grateful? Have you ever said, “I...
by Susan Barnes | 22 Mar 2022 | Communion Talks
I wrote an article for a Christian website which was a series of testimonies from people who had become Christians as middle-aged adults. I called the article, The many ways Jesus finds us. However, somewhere in the editing/publishing process, the title was changed...
