Trinity Methodist Church Shiney Row Sunderland

07/09/2026

Ready Steady Love

Referencing the 60s pop programme Ready Steady Go to arrive at the title of today’s service, we read the instructions from Exodus as to how the Israelites were to mark the Passover when the angel of death passed over their houses to kill the first-born of the Egyptians who were holding them captive followed by verses from Romans 13 where St Paul quotes from the ten commandments before telling people live a life of love.

Both of our readings looked to influence future generations to remember in a ritualistic way that it is God who rescues, in order for God to become embedded in His people.

But ritual is never the ‘be all and end all’ because we shouldn’t end up prioritising style over substance, talking the talk and not walking the walk. We’re called to be Ready, to be Steady and to Love which is what St Paul is saying in Romans - that true religion, as revealed by Jesus, cannot exist without loving and caring for other people rather than being obsessed with maintenance of rules because Love changes everything we do that impacts the world.

We’re constantly on our marks to Ready, Steady, Love just as Jesus is always on His marks to love us.
For example, by protecting the environment and loving His creation, our planet and everything on it, we love other people and look after them along with ourselves.

The Christian life is summed up best in the last line of the old hymn There is a green hill far away which reads: O dearly, dearly has He loved and we must love Him too, and trust in His redeeming blood and try His works to do.

So let’s get on our marks to Ready, Steady, Love - starting this very moment.

06/09/2026

This week's service: Ready Steady Love led by Local Preacher Bill Naylor

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01/09/2026

God loves His Creation

Today, Rev Alf Waite reflected upon the wonders of the entirety of Creation to explain to us what it tells us of God Himself and the pleasure He takes from what He has made.

God created everything for a purpose and the Bible is full of evidence that God finds pleasure in His creation. Psalm 104 vs 31 reads: ‘May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works’ and Genesis Ch 1 tells us that the whole Godhead, Father Son and Holy Spirit, were involved in the Creation.

Although we only know a part of it, and our scientific discoveries continue to amaze us, the wonders of Creation reveal God’s incredible power and point us to Himself, because they express His glory. Our response can only be to give Him our thanks and praise.

The masterpiece that is Creation also displays God’s great wisdom and power, and to ourselves, the greatness of His generosity and love which we benefit from because we belong to Him. God rejoicing in his works is proved by the fact that we too take pleasure in looking at everything that we see in nature.

But perhaps most importantly, as the 19th Century preacher Jonathan Edwards said, “The enjoyment of God is the only happiness which our souls can be satisfied by” because Creation points to God Himself and in the end, only a oneness with God can satisfy us.

Psalm 121 begins with the words I lift up my eyes to the hills where does my help come from? Our help comes from the Lord Himself and in His redeeming love, expressed in Jesus. It’s one reason why the Bible tasks us to steward God’s Creation carefully.

30/08/2026

This week's service led by Rev Alf Waite

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25/08/2026

Here's the summary of this week's message:

God’s Good Seed

Local Preacher Alan Irvin talked us through the parable of the Sower in Mark Ch 4, saying that it must have left those hearing it somewhat puzzled. The crowds wanted to see miracles but what they got was a ‘folk’ tale about a farmer sowing seed.

The disciples ask Jesus why he speaks in a way that people won't understand, turn to God and be forgiven. Jesus is using words from the book of Isaiah who asks how long he has to preach to people who don't understand what God wants and where God explains that the people must first go through a time of suffering and exile. Jesus is saying that people won't understand now but there will come a time when many will.

We can see the different scenes Jesus paints around us today:

People prayed about and witnessed to faithfully but who never get it! Is that Satan at work?

People who start strongly but fall away when hard times come because their faith has no root.

People whose faith wanes when the cares and riches of the world compromise it.

But then if we look and listen, we can see good people all around us in whom justice, mercy and love prevail and where faith leads to an enduring discipleship. They are the good seeds that bear fruit.

At the end when Jesus is crucified, Peter denies Jesus and the disciples are scattered like seeds with no roots. It looked like the Kingdom had failed. But three days later some women go the tomb, find the stone rolled away and an angel declaring that Jesus has risen from the dead.

Only then do people understand that God’s Kingdom has really come in power, bearing fruit 30, 60 and 100 times over.

23/08/2026

Here's this week's service led by Local Preacher Alan Irvin

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18/08/2026

This week's message from Rev Anne's service:

Love Thy Neighbour

We looked at Ch 2 of James’ letter this morning with Rev Anne Kilvington. In it, an example is given of two people turning up at Church, one who appears to be rich and the other poor. The rich-looking person is treated with more respect that the poorer one. Appearance, the way a person dresses, race, age, etc, can all affect the way we respond to people.

It’s a fact that we are drawn to people we think are similar to us and we naturally shy from others - our differences can become barriers. But James tells us - Don’t show favouritism. Don’t judge. Treat everyone with the respect they deserve.

In Matthew Ch 15 Jesus meets a Gentile woman who asks Jesus to cure her daughter. Jesus’ priority was to bring the good news to the Jews, not expanding his mission at this stage to the world beyond. At first Jesus seems to discriminate against her but she persuades Him to help and the child is made well, proving that
His salvation is available to the whole world.

How can we break down barriers? Well, whenever we see a need, perhaps you showing an unexpected kindness would help. James condenses the Scriptural law as being simply to “Love your neighbour as yourself” and if you don’t, then you are breaking the law.

Maybe the reading from Matthew prompts us to reflect on how we can break down those barriers, in particular those that are put up between people of different nationality or ethnic origin. We’re called to join the struggle for justice, remembering that God made each and every one of us in His own image.

Jesus called us to love our neighbour as ourselves, and that everyone is our neighbour.

Can we do that?

16/08/2026

This week's service with Rev Anne Kilvington

11/08/2026

Faith is Trust

Worship Leader Margaret Wakefield spoke about the story in Matthew Ch 14 where Jesus walks across the surface of a storm-tossed sea to rejoin His disciples as they battle a storm. Recognising Jesus, Peter gets out of the boat to join Jesus and for a few moments he walks on the water. It is only when he shifts his attention from Jesus to the strength of the wind that fear takes hold, and he begins to sink.

Because Peter’s faith is imperfect, he becomes afraid. Yet when he cries out, "Lord, save me!" Jesus reaches out and rescues him immediately.

Does that feels surprisingly familiar? We all face times when we feel as though we are rowing against the wind, facing illness, grief, uncertainty, conflict, or simply the exhaustion of trying to keep going. We wonder whether God has sent us into the storm and then disappeared.

But we have not been forgotten. Jesus reassures us as He did Peter. "Take heart, it is I - do not be afraid”. Not because the storm has stopped, not because everything suddenly becomes easy, but because God is present within the storm.

For those of us following Jesus today, this is deeply reassuring. Discipleship is not about never feeling afraid or walking perfectly across every storm. It is about trusting that when fear overwhelms us, Jesus's hand is already reaching towards us.

There will always be moments that feel risky when we undertake God’s work of love but we are never asked to face them alone.

May you have the courage to step beyond what feels safe, the humility to call for help when you need it, and the deep assurance that wherever the waters rise, Christ is already there, holding you with a grace that never lets go.

09/08/2026

This week's service was led by Worship Leader Margaret Wakefield