catherine de souza

We don’t leave God’s presence behind in the church building on a Sunday but, through the Holy Spirit, carry His presence into our daily world. Learn how, being the temples of the Holy Spirit, believers today are the instrument that God uses to help others encounter the presence of God - wherever we go and whatever we are doing. Discover what it means to be carriers of God's presence even in the ordinary and how to bring hope into despair, light into dark places, and love into brokenness.

God is pouring out new wine – but where are the new wineskins that will contain it? This sermon, based on Jesus’ parable of the wineskins, inspires us to thirst for more of the Holy Spirit and also to be flexible enough to adapt, grow, and welcome the transformative teachings of Jesus. We see why new wine and old wineskins don’t mix – and we also learn how, if we’re willing, God can make us into new wineskins.

This sermon inspires us to put our trust in Jesus, no matter what we are facing. Looking at the account of Jesus healing the official's son in John 4, we learn that when we are on the journey between hearing from God and experiencing a breakthrough, we can be confident that Jesus is faithful and trustworthy.

Has the tithe been abolished? In this age of grace is the principle of tithing applicable? This final sermon in our ‘Financially Free’ series deals with the often contested matter of tithing. Addressing some of the misconceptions that exist about tithing, we see that the establishment of the tithe is a great starting point in seeking to fulfil the New Testament commands to give generously, cheerfully, proportionately and regularly. We discover how the freewill discipline and practice of tithing not only leads to the advancement of God’s work through the local church but also to blessing and freedom for the person tithing too – and as such is something that every believer should seek to cultivate in their life.

This Pentecost Sunday sermon encourages us to raise our expectations about what the Holy Spirit wants to do in and through us. The Holy Spirit is available to all who have put their trust in Jesus and want to be filled; discover what it means to live a Spirit-empowered life and expect to have a tangible and actual experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit.

Rahab’s city was destined for judgement and destruction but she and her family were delivered because she recognised God as the one true God and acted in faithful obedience by tying a red cord - a crimson thread - in her window. This red rope was a sign to the invading army not to touch her household and is a foreshadowing of our own redemption by the blood of Jesus. This Good Friday message shows us the glorious hope and future we have because of the shed blood of Jesus.

Although Mary is probably the most well-known mother in history, too often she is overlooked or misrepresented. This sermon, delivered on Mother's Day 2022, explores Mary's somewhat revolutionary song from Luke 1 and the wonderful and significant truths we can learn from it about who God is and what He has done.

The phrase "everything happens for a reason" has often been used as a way to try to explain away the pain and hardship of life. But does everything that happens in our lives, in the lives of others and in the world around us ultimately happen for a good reason? This sermon explores God's goodness, authority and trustworthiness to help us understand why difficult things happen and what our response should be.

Be inspired to pick up the bricks of pioneering, perseverance and the pursuit of justice in this third sermon in our REBUILD series. Learn what it means to be a people of action who lead the way, keep on going in the face of opposition, and respond to and tackle injustice.

The pandemic has left many things in disrepair and in need of rebuilding. This opening sermon in our 'Rebuild' series introduces our 'Word For The Year' and shows how to recover from disaster and difficulty. Drawing lessons from the book of Nehemiah, we learn about the significance of picking up the bricks of passion and prayer as we go about our mandate to rebuild the walls of revival. As you listen, be encouraged to step into the burden that God is wanting to put on our heart, to pray deeply and then to start the good work that He is calling us to do. Discover how God wants to rebuild you and then use you to rebuild that which is broken.

This short Christmas Day sermon, based on the popular carol by Phillips Brooks, inspires us about the Jesus who doesn’t just defeat fear but also brings hope. As you listen, be reminded that, no matter how hopeless you might feel, hope is here and His name is Jesus - God with us!

Injustice is a cause for lament - but true lament about injustice leads us to take action. Based on the call to justice in the book of Amos, this sermon explores the place of lament in our response to injustice. Discover how we must allow our hearts to be broken for what breaks God’s heart as we seek to pursue justice in our nation and beyond.

Discover fresh insights about prayer through this inspiring sermon about the Parable of the Persistent Widow. Our persistence in prayer is not a plea to be heard but is rooted in who we are as children of God, and also who God is as the one who loves us and cares about us. In contrast to the widow in the parable who approached a judge who was unjust, we persist in prayer precisely because God is good and we can trust His promises. 

Packed with fresh insights about discipleship, this sermon reminds us that gathering together is essential to being a disciple of Jesus - that when we get together, we grow together so we can go together. Our getting together has purpose – to help us grow in our maturity, in our likeness to Jesus; and to equip us in our disciple-making.

What would it look like if the potential of the Church was unleashed? Recognising the vital importance of sharing the gospel, this Pentecost Sunday sermon explores how each one of us can be empowered to share the great news about Jesus through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and how as a result God can use us to have a significant impact on those around us. 

This Easter Sunday sermon highlights Jesus’ sixth statement on the cross: “it is finished”. By this Jesus meant that the debt of our sin has been paid for in full. These glorious words show that our search for salvation is over - that in Jesus we can find hope, meaning and love. They also remind us that the power of sin is broken – that the barrier to God is removed and that in Jesus we can find life. Be inspired by this message and gain deeper insight into, and fresh appreciation for, the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross.

This message paints a picture of what an invitational lifestyle looks like. The great news of Jesus is too good to keep to ourselves. Our passion for Jesus needs to overflow into our invitations to others to encounter Him - intimacy WITH Jesus leads to invitations TO Jesus.