Central Vineyard Church Sermon Podcast

Join us for Family News: A Sunday of vision, updates and inviations to join Jesus in the restoration of all things. Co-leaders Dan Sheed and Alisha Wiseman share on our mission to join Jesus in the restoration of all things, and significant pieces of how we sense to do this: generation-to-generation life, a micro-enterprise endeavour of creating a consignment store to support our outward initiatives, and our sense to build an intentional pathway for global missions. Also they update us on our continued exploration of buildings and facilities for the future and Josh Kimpton from our board then announced that the Wisemans’ will be taking a sabbatical at the end of this year.

To give financially to the special offerings mentioned in this podcast, see centralvineyard.org/giving

Lent 2026 begins with a new long-term journey for Central Vineyard: over the next seven years, we’ll move through the Deadly Sins FOR LENT, one each Lent, as we let Jesus reform what deforms us. In this opening message from Luke 4, we explore Lent as preparation, not punishment — a wilderness season where truth, repentance, fasting and generosity can make us ready for resurrection life.

We also begin with a light introduction to the Deadly Sins and highlight greed, naming how the quiet drive for “more” can shrink trust, distort vision, and harden the soul. To counter this, we are invited to practise generosity and simplicity, and rediscover the freedom of knowing Christ is enough.

In Week 2 of Shared Life, we turn to Philippians 2 and discover that real community isn’t held together by effort or chemistry, but by a way — the way of Jesus. Paul begins with grace received, not commands, inviting us into a shared posture shaped by encouragement in Christ, love, and life in the Spirit. At the centre is Jesus, who does not grasp for status but empties himself in humility. This sermon explores why community is hard, why humility feels risky, and how shared life slowly forms as our allegiance to Jesus becomes a shared way to not grasp, together.

We live more connected than ever, yet many of us feel unseen, unknown, and alone. In this opening talk of our Shared Life series, we explore why loneliness has become so normal — and how the gospel offers something deeper than thin connection. Drawing from Paul’s letter to the Philippians, this sermon invites us to rediscover koinōnia: a shared life that starts with a shared allegiance to Jesus, because the Gospel is a message about belonging already given.

As you consider your 2026, we invite you to consider how you will walk out living in God. Dan looks at church history, and how Perpetua and Felicitas embodied this in a radical way when they stepped into a Roman arena with joy, unity, and unwavering faith, leaving a lasting impact on those who witnessed their sacrifice. Today, we face our own arenas, and the question remains: how will we walk the way of Jesus?