St Mark's Plumstead - Sermons: The Gifts Of Christmas

Serving the King in 2026

Dylan Marais — Sun, 04 Jan 2026 09:30:00 +0000

Serving the King in 2026

Series: The Gifts Of Christmas

Preacher: Dylan Marais

Sunday Morning

Date: 4th January 2026

Passage: Isaiah 9:7

-------------------

As one year ends and another begins, many of us feel a strange mix of hope and uncertainty. We want to believe the next year will be better, yet the noise, pressure, and turmoil of the world around us threaten to steal our joy before January even arrives.

So what have you resolved to do in 2026? Maybe it’s to grow closer to God. To feel more grounded. More confident. More secure in your faith. But how does that actually happen – especially when motivation fades, and life gets busy again?

This final message in our Gifts of Christmas series challenges some of our most common assumptions about spiritual growth. It points to a surprising pathway God uses to shape our hearts, steady our hope, and carry us through uncertain seasons – one that often gets overlooked, yet makes all the difference.

Click to listen to the final instalment of Gifts of Christmas and step into 2026 with renewed trust, lasting joy, and a deeper confidence in God’s sovereign plan – no matter what the year holds.

The Zeal of God

Nick Louw — Sun, 28 Dec 2025 09:30:00 +0000

The Zeal of God

Series: The Gifts Of Christmas

Preacher: Nick Louw

Sunday Morning

Date: 28th December 2025

Passage: Isaiah 9:7

-------------------

Is God distant and detached… or deeply invested and passionately involved? We often imagine God as calm, measured, and uninvolved in the chaos of our lives. But what if that picture is incomplete? What if the force shaping history, holding promises together, and sustaining hope is driven by something far more personal?

This message explores a side of God that’s easy to overlook yet impossible to ignore – a relentless, purposeful passion that refuses to let go of His people. It’s the reason hope doesn’t fade, peace doesn’t fail, and joy isn’t abandoned when life gets hard.

✨ Click to listen to the latest instalment in our Gifts of Christmas series and discover what God’s passion means for the world, and how it invites a response from each of us.

The Only One Who Can Deliver God’s Gifts

Nick Louw — Thu, 25 Dec 2025 09:30:00 +0000

The Only One Who Can Deliver God’s Gifts

Series: The Gifts Of Christmas

Preacher: Nick Louw

Christmas Day

Date: 25th December 2025

Passage: Isaiah 9:6

-------------------

We all know the disappointment of buying a gift that looks perfect online… only to discover it’s a cheap knock-off when it arrives. It promises more than it delivers – and leaves you wishing you’d chosen the real thing.

In life, we often settle for substitutes, too. Temporary fixes for joy. Quick escapes for freedom. Surface-level peace that doesn’t last. We keep hoping the next thing will finally fill the gap – yet the emptiness remains.

Isaiah 9:6 reminds us that some gifts can only be delivered by One. Not an idea. Not a system. Not an upgrade to your lifestyle — but a Person.

In this message, The Only One Who Can Deliver God’s Gifts, we explore why Jesus alone brings the real thing: lasting truth, deep joy, genuine freedom, and unshakeable peace – the gifts our hearts were always meant to receive.

The Peace that Jesus Gives

Dylan Marais — Sun, 21 Dec 2025 09:30:00 +0000

The Peace that Jesus Gives

Series: The Gifts Of Christmas

Preacher: Dylan Marais

Sunday Morning

Date: 21st December 2025

Passage: Isaiah 9:5

-------------------

“Peace on earth” sounds beautiful – until December arrives. Between busy roads, packed shopping centres, strained relationships, and a world that feels anything but calm, peace can feel more like a slogan than a reality.

Yet Christmas begins with a bold promise: that Jesus was born to bring peace – not a fragile, surface-level calm, but a deep, steady peace that can hold us even when life doesn’t slow down. And for many of us, that’s exactly what we’re longing for.

If you’re feeling tired, overwhelmed, or desperate for a peace you can actually experience in real life, this message is for you. Click to listen to the latest message in our Gifts of Christmas series and rediscover the peace Jesus gives – peace that restores hope, steadies the heart, and carries you through this festive season.

Share this with someone who could use a moment of calm and hope right now.

True Freedom

Nick Louw — Sun, 14 Dec 2025 09:30:00 +0000

True Freedom

Series: The Gifts Of Christmas

Preacher: Nick Louw

Sunday Morning

Date: 14th December 2025

Passage: Isaiah 9:4

-------------------

We all thought freedom would come after school. Instead, it came with deadlines, pressure, and expectations that quietly wrapped themselves around our lives.

Even outside of work, we chase “small freedoms” – more money, more choice, more control, yet somehow feel more tangled than ever. When we recently asked our community to rate how free they feel, the average was 3 out of 10… after three decades of living in a democratic nation.

So why does freedom still feel so hard to reach? And what if the freedom we’re longing for was never meant to be earned, managed, or chased?

Listen to the latest message in our Gifts of Christmas series and discover the deeper source of our frustration – and the unexpected path to true freedom this festive season.

Finding The Joy of Christmas

Dylan Marais — Sun, 07 Dec 2025 09:30:00 +0000

Finding The Joy of Christmas

Series: The Gifts Of Christmas

Preacher: Dylan Marais

Sunday Morning

Date: 7th December 2025

Passage: Isaiah 9:1-7

-------------------

Christmas is meant to be joyful, yet for many, the closer we get to the day, the harder it is to find. Between the stress, the pressure, and the whirlwind of expectations, the season can leave you feeling stretched thin, overwhelmed, or secretly running on empty. Joy feels rare… maybe even out of reach.

But Christmas joy was never meant to be fragile or fleeting. This message will help you rediscover what real joy is, where it truly comes from, and why it can carry you not just through December – but through every season of your life.

listen to the second message in our Gifts of Christmas series and reclaim the joy your heart has been missing.

The Age Of Disclosure

Nick Louw — Sun, 30 Nov 2025 09:30:00 +0000

The Age Of Disclosure

Series: The Gifts Of Christmas

Preacher: Nick Louw

Sunday Morning

Date: 30th November 2025

Passage: Isaiah 9:1-7

-------------------

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by a world full of misinformation, noise, and uncertainty, you’re not alone. With AI reshaping everything around us, it’s easy to wonder whether real truth still exists.

This message will remind you that truth does exist and it’s closer, steadier, and more life-giving than anything the internet can offer. Click to listen to the first message in our new sermon series on The Gifts of Christmas and uncover the truth your heart has been searching for.

Discover Jesus - https://stmarks.churchtrac.com/card/132