SPB Sermons | Sunday 17th May 2026
Witnesses with Great Joy
The disciples had been through the cross, the silence of Holy Saturday, the shock of the resurrection. Now the risen Jesus stands among them, explains everything, sends them into the world, and ascends into heaven — hands raised in blessing. And they return to Jerusalem not crushed, but with great joy.
When the Story Finally Makes Sense
Have you ever had one of those moments when everything suddenly clicks into place? A conversation that made no sense at the time, but months later you understood exactly what the person was saying. A difficult season where you kept asking what God was doing, and only later could you see the thread running through it all. The disciples are living in that kind of moment here in Luke 24. They have seen the cross, known the grief, and experienced the shock of resurrection. Now the risen Jesus stands among them and begins to explain everything — the past, the present, and what comes next.
Jesus Is the Centre of the Whole Story
"Everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled."
Jesus does not begin with the mission. He begins with the Scripture. The whole Bible — the Law, the Prophets, the Psalms, the sacrifices, the promises, the exile, the longing — was always pointing toward him. Then he opens their minds to understand. The disciples had heard the Bible before. Many had grown up with it. But spiritual understanding is not merely intellectual. You can know Bible stories and miss Christ. You can know church culture and not know Jesus. You can sit in a congregation for years and never truly see him. We need Christ himself to open blind eyes. We need revelation, not just information.
Christianity is not about moral improvement. It is not about tradition or cultural religion. It is about Christ.
The cross was not an accident. The resurrection was not a surprise. This was the eternal plan of God — Jesus suffering for sinners, rising victorious over death.
The Message
Repentance and Forgiveness for All Nations
The gospel is to be proclaimed — not kept within church walls. Notice the balance: repentance and forgiveness. Truth and grace. Turning and mercy. The modern world wants forgiveness without repentance, or repentance without forgiveness. But the gospel brings both together in Christ, and it is for all people — in North Belfast as much as anywhere.
The Witness
Survival or Witness?
Jesus says: "You are witnesses of these things." A witness speaks about what they have seen and heard. One of the great dangers for the church today is becoming obsessed with survival — maintaining buildings, structures, habits, nostalgia — rather than bearing witness to a risen Christ. Jesus did not leave his church on earth to survive. He left us here to proclaim.
The Heart of the Sermon
Power from on High — and Hands Raised in Blessing
Before they go, they must wait. The church cannot live on personality, strategy, or nostalgia. Ministry in Belfast is hard — secularism, cynicism, addiction, trauma, poverty, division, weariness. If we do it in our own strength, eventually we burn out. But Jesus promises power from on high. The same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead now dwells in his people. That is why small churches can become places of extraordinary gospel life. That is why ordinary, weak people become faithful witnesses.
And the last image the disciples have of Jesus is not anger, not disappointment, not distance. It is his hands raised over them in blessing as he ascends. The ascension is not Jesus abandoning his church. It is Jesus taking his throne — reigning, interceding, pouring out his Spirit, building his church. Because he reigns, the church has hope.
They Returned with Great Joy
The disciples' response to the ascension is astonishing. Jerusalem is still dangerous. The Roman Empire still stands. Opposition still exists. And yet they return with great joy, continually in the temple, blessing God. Why? Because Christ is alive. Because Christ reigns. Because Christ is with them and the mission of God is moving forward. Christian joy is not denial of hardship. It is confidence in Christ in the middle of hardship.
We live between the ascension and the return of Christ. And in this in-between time, the church has a calling: to know Christ, to proclaim repentance and forgiveness, to depend on the Spirit, to worship with joy, and to bear witness in the world. That is still the calling today — in North Belfast, in 2026, in whatever is hard and uncertain around us.
Listen to the Sermon
The full sermon is available to listen to now. Whether you were with us on Sunday or picking it up during the week, we hope it opens your eyes again to the risen, reigning Christ — and sends you back into your week with something of the same great joy.
Come and Join Us
You Would Be Very Welcome
Maybe today some of us need our eyes opened again to Christ. Maybe some have drifted into religion without relationship. Maybe some are weary, discouraged, or carrying burdens they have not named. This passage reminds us that Christ is risen, Christ reigns, Christ sends, Christ empowers, and Christ blesses. Because of that, the church can still live with great joy — even in a weary world.
St Paul's & St Barnabas is an Anglican evangelical parish in the heart of North Belfast, seeking to make Christ known and to love our city in his name. We gather on Sundays at 208 York Street, Belfast, and we would love you to join us.
Christ Reigns — and the Church Has Hope
The hands that were nailed to a cross are the same hands raised in blessing over his people. The risen Christ ascends, not to leave us, but to reign for us. And because he reigns, ordinary people can bear extraordinary witness. Weak people can speak with courage. Weary people can return with great joy. That is the news of Luke 24 — and it is still true today.
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