Pentecost: A City Stirred, A Word Proclaimed Over the past two Sundays at St Paul’s & St Barnabas, we’ve taken time to linger in Acts 2 — that moment when everything changed. Pentecost wasn’t simply a dramatic scene in history; it was the beginning of God’s people living out the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. It wasn’t about the spectacle, but the sending. In Part 1 , A City Stirred , we stood alongside the disciples as the Spirit came in wind and fire. We heard how this divine disruption didn't just transform their hearts — it transformed the city. The crowd was bewildered, divided between amazement and mockery, yet all were confronted with the same question: “What does this mean for us?” In Part 2 , The Word Goes Out , we listened in as Peter — once full of fear — now stands filled with the Spirit, ready to speak truth with clarity and courage. His sermon is more than a speech; it’s the declaration that this Jesus, crucified and risen, is both Lord and Messi...
Spiritual Vitality: A Psalm for the Spiritually Weary We don’t often admit it, but many of us know what it’s like to feel spiritually dry. We’re not hostile to God, just tired. Life keeps moving, we keep showing up, but our souls feel like they’re running on fumes. In this sermon from Psalm 63 , Rev. Andrew Irwin invites us to see spiritual vitality not as a bonus for the super-committed, but as a core part of walking with God — even in the wilderness. Desire in the Dry Places David writes this Psalm not from a mountaintop, but from the desert. Hunted, hiding, and weary, he cries, “O God, you are my God… my soul thirsts for you.” It’s not a cry for rescue, success, or answers — it’s a longing for God himself . David remembers being in the sanctuary, lifting his hands in worship, and he yearns for that nearness again. Spiritual vitality begins not with more effort, but with more honesty . When we admit our weariness and desire, we open ourselves to the God who satisfies. Dryne...