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The Practice of Service – 01: Love Love is the hallmark of Jesus’ followers, but what does it look like? In the Way of Jesus, it means offering hidden acts of service to those right in front of us, allowing ourselves to be interrupted by unexpected needs, and overlapping our lives with those on the margins. In the first part of our short series on the practice of service, David Armstrong explores how love isn’t just a warm feeling or a general sense of goodwill towards those in need. It is embodied, practical actions of self-giving service, modelled by Jesus and given to us as the hallmark of true discipleship. → Part of the Practicing the Way series. Also includes some important family news as we see changes to our Senior Leadership Team and Board plus latest announcements. Join a Table: View our Table Groups and request to join one: https://redeemercentral.com/tables Chapters/Timestamps: [00:00] Intro [00:28] Call to Worship [03:30] Family News: Honouring Naomi & Kerry [14:07] Notice #1: New Nominees for Board [16:43] Notice #2: Tables [20:35] Sermon [52:19] Prayer & Communion *** 🌿 How to support us Redeemer Central is a diverse and vibrant church in the heart of Belfast, practicing the way of Jesus through simple, intentional, and inclusive community, and seeking the peace and common good of our city. ~  You can support our work financially at https://redeemercentral.com/give. Your generosity is greatly appreciated. ~ Learn more about our building renovation project https://redeemercentral.com/the101project

In Part 3 of our Community Life series, David Armstrong shares how even when we come to the table as a community, it’s easy to stay in the shallows and engage superficially, being present but feeling totally alone. The good news is Jesus demonstrated something different with his disciples: the power of sharing our joys and sorrows with one another. Through encouraging each other and bearing one another’s burdens, our time with our community can become deep communion with one another and with God. →  Next steps: As a new season of church life begins, we’re highlighting two ways we practice community together — Tables & Teams. Table groups invite community to be experienced face-to-face as we eat together and share life, while Teams allow us to experience community side by side as we serve together. ∙ Join a Table: View our Table Groups and request to join one: https://redeemercentral.com/tables ∙ Join a Team: Find out about each Team and signup to join one: https://redeemercentral.com/teams *** 🌿 How to support us Redeemer Central is a diverse and vibrant church in the heart of Belfast, practicing the way of Jesus through simple, intentional, and inclusive community, and seeking the peace and common good of our city. ~  You can support our work financially at https://redeemercentral.com/give. Your generosity is greatly appreciated. ~ Learn more about our building renovation project https://redeemercentral.com/the101project

As we begin a new season of church this month, we’re highlighting two ways we practice community together — Tables & Teams. Table groups invite community to be experienced face-to-face as we eat together and share life, while Teams allow us to experience community side by side as we serve together In Part 2 of our Community Life series, David Armstrong uses the metaphor of a potluck lunch to illustrate the power of participation and how serving on a team can help move us into a deeper sense of belonging. We also hear Adrian McCartney and Louise Brown share how being part of Teams has helped them find connection & belonging in community. Next steps: ~ Join a Team: You can view and signup for any of our Sunday focused Teams and Compassion Teams at redeemercentral.com/serve and on our Church Centre App ~ Signup Sunday: Join us on Sun 20 Sept (10:30am) for a catered brunch, a chance to meet our Table leaders & Serving Team leads and sign up for the year ahead 🌿 Support our ongoing work Redeemer Central is a diverse and vibrant church in the heart of Belfast, practicing the way of Jesus through simple, intentional, and inclusive community, and seeking the peace and common good of our city. ~ You can support our ongoing work by giving financially at redeemercentral.com/give. Your generosity is greatly appreciated ~ To learn about our building renovation project visit redeemercentral.com/the101project

This month we are launching a new season of Table groups — small, local expressions of Redeemer Central that gather in homes to form community, share life and practice the way of Jesus together. In Part 1 of our three-part series Community Life, David Armstrong explores how the biblical vision of church as family and the subversive table practice of Jesus offer a radical antidote to the human disconnection we often experience. Looking through Genesis, Mark, Luke, and Acts, we discover the Kingdom of God where strangers become family, social barriers are dismantled around shared meals, and there is always room at the table for everyone. We also hear from Tim Reynolds alongside Kerry and Campbell Mulholland who share how being part of Table groups have helped them find connection & belonging in community. Next steps: ~ Tables Directory: All available Table groups for 2026-27. Launching later this month at redeemercentral.com/tables and our Church Centre App ~ Signup Sunday: Join us on Sun 20 Sept (10:30am) for a catered brunch, a chance to meet our Table leaders & Serving Team leads and sign up for the year ahead 🌿 Support our ongoing work Redeemer Central is a diverse and vibrant church in the heart of Belfast, practicing the way of Jesus through simple, intentional, and inclusive community, and seeking the peace and common good of our city. ~ You can support our ongoing work by giving financially at redeemercentral.com/give. Your generosity is greatly appreciated ~ To learn about our building renovation project visit redeemercentral.com/the101project

The Book of Psalms is a rich and diverse collection of ancient Hebrew poems, songs, and prayers that have shaped the worship and spiritual life of God’s people for millennia. Spanning a wide range of human experience—from deep lament and raw anger to exuberant praise and quiet trust—the Psalms give voice to the complexities of faith in the real world.  We continue our summer series reflecting on these ancient writings and here John Herron opens up a heart-wrenchingly honest Psalm 51, written by King David as he grapples with his failings and seeks God’s forgiveness. Chapters/Timestamps: [00:00] Intro [00:28] Welcome [01:39] Call to Worship/Prayer [04:00] Notice #1: Board & Staff Update [10:01] Notice #2: Dinners & Learning Groups [15:12] Notice #3: Sabbath Sunday [17:30] Scripture Reading [19:56] Sermon  [54:33] Prayer & Communion  🌿 Give & Support Redeemer Central is a diverse and vibrant church in the heart of Belfast, practicing the way of Jesus through simple, intentional, and inclusive community, and seeking the peace and common good of our city. ~  You can support our ongoing work by giving financially at redeemercentral.com/give. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.

The Book of Psalms is a rich and diverse collection of ancient Hebrew poems, songs, and prayers that have shaped the worship and spiritual life of God’s people for millennia. Spanning a wide range of human experience—from deep lament and raw anger to exuberant praise and quiet trust—the Psalms give voice to the complexities of faith in the real world. David Armstrong continues our summer series by reflecting on the awe and wonder of Psalm 24 and an invitation to rediscover God as our ultimate destination. Chapters/Timestamps: [00:00] Intro [00:28] Welcome [00:55 Notice #1: Tables [02:18] Notice #2: Dinners  [03:31] Notice #3:  Learning Groups [05:23] Sermon - David Armstrong  [35:00] Prayer & Communion  🌿 Give & Support Redeemer Central is a diverse and vibrant church in the heart of Belfast, practicing the way of Jesus through simple, intentional, and inclusive community, and seeking the peace and common good of our city. ~  You can support our ongoing work by giving financially at redeemercentral.com/give. Your generosity is greatly appreciate

What happens when the gospel calls us to step past our safety zones and engage with the people we've deemed completely "beyond the pale"? In Part 3 of our series, John Herron explores one of the most seismic shifts in the early church: the radical inclusion of the Samaritans in Acts 8. For centuries, a deep-seated gulf of bitterness, ancestry, and religion had divided Jews and Samaritans, making Samaria a boundary line no self-respecting Judean would ever cross. By tracing the trajectory through Luke’s Gospel, John breaks down how Jesus spent His ministry intentionally preparing the soil to shatter these old prejudices. John challenges us to look past our own "holy huddles" and ask a transformative question for our lives and our city today: Who is our Samaria, and what happens when we realize the Spirit is already out there waiting for us? 🌿 Give & Support Redeemer Central is a diverse and vibrant church in the heart of Belfast, practicing the way of Jesus through simple, intentional, and inclusive community, and seeking the peace and common good of our city. ~  You can support our ongoing work by giving financially at redeemercentral.com/give. Your generosity is greatly appreciated ~

How does a movement that starts in a tiny, hidden corner of the world explode into a global reality? In Part 2 of our Before & After series, Adrian McCartney uses the vivid imagery of a 70-meter-long tapestry to trace the expansion of the early church from the Gospel of Luke into the Book of Acts. Moving from the narrow, traditional borders of Jerusalem, Adrian maps out a beautiful trajectory of a God who is constantly widening the circle. By looking at the parallel threads of the Feeding of the 5,000 (Luke 9) and the first church conflict over food distribution (Acts 6), we see the heart of Jesus on display: a ministry where everyone gets filled, where control is shared, and where leadership is handed over to the community. Adrian challenges us to recognize that we are the living end of this tapestry—called not just to debate who Jesus is, but to show the world what He is like through our shared life, hospitality, and radical inclusivity right here in Belfast. 🌿 Give & Support Redeemer Central is a diverse and vibrant church in the heart of Belfast, practicing the way of Jesus through simple, intentional, and inclusive community, and seeking the peace and common good of our city. ~  You can support our ongoing work by giving financially at redeemercentral.com/give. Your generosity is greatly appreciated ~

On this Pentecost Sunday, Adrian McCartney kicks off our new 5-week series, Before & After, exploring the missional trajectory found in the writings of Luke. Drawing on Luke’s unique perspective as an "outsider" (the only non-Jewish New Testament writer), Adrian explores how the Holy Spirit didn't just empower individuals, but birthed a brand new kind of community. By comparing the baptism of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke with the arrival of the Spirit in the Book of Acts, we see a mirror image of power, prayer, and purpose. Adrian challenges us to move beyond seeing faith as a "blueprint" to copy, and instead to see it as a "trajectory" to follow—allowing the warmth, generosity, and grace of God to "ooze out" into the streets of Belfast today. 🌿 Give & Support Redeemer Central is a diverse and vibrant church in the heart of Belfast, practicing the way of Jesus through simple, intentional, and inclusive community, and seeking the peace and common good of our city. ~  You can support our ongoing work by giving financially at redeemercentral.com/give. Your generosity is greatly appreciated ~

The meaning of the cross is bigger than any single theory. In the second part of this series, David Armstrong traces the road to Calvary — from Israel’s sacrificial system and the ritual of Yom Kippur to the Hebrew prophets wrestling with the tensions of justice and mercy. We also explore various rich understandings of Jesus’s death offered throughout church history — from Christus Victor to René Girard's remarkable scapegoat theory — before approaching a question many of us carry but rarely voice: what about the wrath of God? We conclude seeing that Good Friday and Easter Sunday are unified — not a failure followed by a rescue but one single, world-altering event. The cross was a victorious act of love descending into the deepest darkness, and the resurrection made that victory visible. 🌿 Give & Support Redeemer Central is a diverse and vibrant church in the heart of Belfast, practicing the way of Jesus through simple, intentional, and inclusive community, and seeking the peace and common good of our city. ~  You can support our ongoing work by giving financially at redeemercentral.com/give. Your generosity is greatly appreciated ~

From a piece of Roman graffiti scratched on a wall near the Palatine Hill, to the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. From an instrument of imperial terror, to the central symbol of the world's largest religion — inked on skin and worn around the necks of millions of people today. The journey of the cross is one of the most extraordinary stories in human history. But what actually happened at the crucifixion of Jesus  — and what does it mean? In this first part of a mini series, David Armstrong explores the historical reality of crucifixion in the Roman world, asks hard questions about the dominant theory of what the cross achieved, and makes the case that the God revealed at Calvary is not an angry judge demanding payment — but a God of inexhaustible love who went all the way into the darkest place humanity could put him, and refused to be destroyed by it. Chapters/Timestamps: [00:00] Intro [00:28] Prayer [01:46] Mother’s Day Prayer [04:38] Upcoming Events & Community News [08:41] Sermon - David Armstrong [44:01] Communion Liturgy 🌿 Give & Support Redeemer Central is a diverse and vibrant church in the heart of Belfast, practicing the way of Jesus through simple, intentional, and inclusive community, and seeking the peace and common good of our city. ~  You can support our ongoing work by giving financially at redeemercentral.com/give. Your generosity is greatly appreciated ~

Mark 8 presents a collision between two visions of the kingdom. Peter's Messiah conquers. Jesus' Messiah suffers. In this Lenten message, David Armstrong traces that collision through history — from Christendom to colonialism to Christian nationalism — and argues that the church has repeatedly made Peter's error: baptising the way of empire in the name of Christ. The antidote, Jesus insists, is not a better empire. It is the cross. Chapters/Timestamps: [00:00] Intro [00:28] Call to Worship [03:33] Prayer [04:35] Prayer of Peace [11:28] Family News [12:11] Notice: Update on The 101 Project [14:37] Notice: 101 Prayer & Worship [15:37] Notice: Alpha Course [20:29] Sermon - David Armstrong [63:03] Closing Prayer & Benediction 🌿 Give & Support Redeemer Central is a diverse and vibrant church in the heart of Belfast, practicing the way of Jesus through simple, intentional, and inclusive community, and seeking the peace and common good of our city. ~  You can support our ongoing work by giving financially at redeemercentral.com/give. Your generosity is greatly appreciated ~

The Good Samaritan What must we do to inherit eternal life? John Herron opens up one of Jesus most famous parables, the story of the Good Samaritan, showing that true life comes not from knowing the right words, but from the radical, often unexpected, act of loving our neighbour. This message challenges us to move beyond fear-based religion and towards a wider, more expansive love—a love that changes opinions, breaks prejudice, and ultimately transforms enemies into friends. Chapters/Timestamps: [00:00] Intro [02:16] Sermon - John Herron 🌿 Give & Support Redeemer Central is a diverse and vibrant church in the heart of Belfast, practicing the way of Jesus through simple, intentional, and inclusive community, and seeking the peace and common good of our city. ~  You can support our ongoing work by giving financially at redeemercentral.com/give. Your generosity is greatly appreciated ~

David Armstrong brings a Lenten message looking at a significant moment in Jesus life before he starts his ministry bringing God's Kingdom — his 40 nights in the wilderness and the three dark temptations that come to him. Chapters/Timestamps: [00:00] Intro [00:28] South Bend City Church Trip [01:55 ] Sermon - David Armstrong [30:38 ] Song - Fra Sands [35:49] Closing Prayer & Benediction 🌿 Give & Support Redeemer Central is a diverse and vibrant church in the heart of Belfast, practicing the way of Jesus through simple, intentional, and inclusive community, and seeking the peace and common good of our city. ~  You can support our ongoing work by giving financially at redeemercentral.com/give. Your generosity is greatly appreciated ~

Look for the Light (Part 4): The Courage of Gideon John Herron brings the fourth part of our series, 'Look for the Light: An Epiphany Series' as we reflect upon an ancient story found deep in the Old Testament scripture; the story of Gideon. The season of Epiphany calls us to slow down and pay attention to the divine presence of God revealed in Christ. As we do we discover God is so often found in the darkest and most unlikely of places.