TEACHING SERIES: Letting The Light In SERMON TITLE: Abandonment BY: Nathanael Ballew DATE: Sunday 17 March 2024 BIBLE PASSAGES: John – Chapter 18, verses 15-27 EXCERPT: Every now and again you hear a truly tragic story about a person being abandoned by those who are meant to look after them. Most of us will never face such tragedy. But on a much smaller scale, at various times in life, we can all feel a bit abandoned. Whether it be our friends, family, spouses or employers, many of us identify with feeling abandoned, forgotten or ignored. As he approached the cross, Jesus went from being heralded by the crowds to being all alone. Even those closest to him abandoned him. But, as if that wasn’t enough, we remember the words he cried on the cross, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.’ To feel forsaken not just by your closet friends, but by the God of the universe. That is abandonment! But what if that completely changes how we see our own feeling so being abandoned, forgotten or ignored. ‘And when you suffer, you may be completely in the dark about the reason for your own suffering… But the cross tells you what the reason isn’t. It can’t be that God doesn’t love you; it can’t be that he has no plan for you. It can’t be that he has abandoned you. Jesus was abandoned, and paid for our sins, so that God the Father would never abandon you.’ (Timothy Keller) Welcome: What's true of Riverside Church when we meet together in-person is still true of us online. We are on a journey together to help people get to know Jesus and grow as his followers across Birmingham and beyond. Riverside is a church made up of people from a diversity of backgrounds and experiences all with one thing in common; our discovery of God and His amazing love. We hope you will feel at home among us and that you will find our weekly services, events and groups welcoming and relevant to your life. Whoever you are, whatever you believe, you're so welcome in this community. To find out more about Riverside Church please visit our website: https://riverside-church.org.uk/ Useful Links: # OUR WEBSITE: https://riverside-church.org.uk/ # READ ONLINE (Church Blog) - https://www.riverside-churchblog.org.uk/ # WATCH ONLINE (YouTube) - https://www.youtube.com/RiversideChurchBirmingham