The Way is about more than a set of beliefs — it’s an invitation to live with Jesus, walk in His truth, and follow His pattern of life. Across three months we’ll discover what it means to centre our lives in Him.
In November, we begin with The Way of Jesus as He reveals Himself as our guide, truth, and life.
In December, the Christmas story brings The Way into our world, showing how God meets us in both hardship and hope, and how His kingdom turns things upside down.
Then, as a new year begins, January invites us to practise The Way through rhythms of prayer, community, and mission. Step by step, we’ll learn how to live in the presence, love, and power of Jesus — today and into the year ahead.
Sermon Study Guides
We are excited to launch a study series to support our Sunday sermons. Visit each week to find reflection questions and devotions. These resources are developed with groups in mind and we invite you to join with others for discussion and encouragement. Find out more about NewHope Groups.
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Week 1. The Way of Jesus - Adam Southwood
The early church called themselves “followers of the Way.” It wasn’t about ascribing to a certain set of beliefs or religious affiliation—it was about living a new kind of life shaped by the presence, love and power of Jesus Christ. And that invitation continues for every one of us today.
In this new series, we’ll explore what it truly means to follow the way of Jesus as we live with Him, walk in His truth and follow His pattern of life.
Week 2. The Way of Jesus: Truth - Sally Agostino
Most of us would profess a love of truth. We want to know what is right and real. We want honesty, clarity and transparency—until it confronts us and challenges our comfortable versions of reality.
This week, we explore what happens when we “bump into” the truth of Jesus and face a choice: to walk away unchanged, or to let His truth unsettle assumptions, name what’s hidden, and set us free.
Week 3. The Way of Jesus: Life - Lance Blythe
There is more to living than being alive. This statement is simple but true. We know there is more to living than a beating heart and breathing lungs, but what does “more” actually look like?
This week we explore Jesus’ invitation to have “life to the full” and consider what it means to move from thief thinking to an attitude of abundance, where God’s grace and generosity are the foundation, and our humble obedience is the call.
Week 4. The Way of Jesus: Love - Tim Spencer
Love is the most important thing. It is a non-negotiable of the Christian life—active, costly and open to all. Jesus shows us what it looks like: “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” 1 John 3:16
This week we reflect on the heartbeat of God’s love, and the invitation to receive this love afresh—letting it fill and overflow from our lives, so that the world might see Christ through us.
Week 5. The Way in the Midst of Evil - Lance Blythe
At the end of another busy year, we’re often eager to retreat into the warmth, wonder and nostalgia of the Christmas season. But the Gospel of Matthew reminds us that the full story of Christmas is much more than just a cosy stable scene. It’s disruptive, confronting and deeply honest about the reality of evil in the world and in the human heart.
Into the middle of this reality, Christ enters and invites us to choose a different way. This week we reflect on what it means to live as people of wisdom and courage in the midst of a broken world.
Week 6. The Way in Times of Hardship - Adam Southwood
Most people know what it’s like to receive that call—the message that suddenly changes everything. Sometimes it brings joy. Other times it brings heartbreak. Either way, those moments have a way of flipping our worlds upside down.
The Christmas story begins with exactly that kind of disruption. But in the midst of unexpected calls and interrupted plans, comes the promise of hope and an invitation to surrender, obedience and trust. This week we reflect on the story of Mary and Joseph, and consider what faith looks like when life doesn’t unfold as expected.
Week 7. The Way in Celebration - Sally Agostino
Christmas is often wrapped in imagery of brightness and cheer—with twinkling lights, familiar carols, joyful gatherings, and cute nativity plays. Yet, the Christmas story does not happen in a calm, safe or glowing world. It happens in a time of darkness. And the recent acts of violence at Bondi, remind us that the darkness is still present today.
So why celebrate? Why sing and laugh and look for joy this Christmas season? Because Jesus came into our dark world—the Light which shines in the darkness “and the darkness has not overcome it.” Wherever Jesus is, there is true light and enduring joy. This is the heart of Christmas.
Week 8. The Way of the Humble - Lance Blythe
Imagine, for a moment, that your heart is an empty photo frame. If you could take everything you’re carrying this Christmas season—your emotions, memories and hopes—and place them inside that frame, what would it look like? There might be relief at having made it through another year, or excitement about what lies ahead. For others, the picture may be very different. There may be loss, unanswered prayers, or the quiet ache of another Christmas that doesn’t quite feel complete.
God is passionately invested in the contents of your heart. As we come to this Christmas you are invited to wrap it all in humility and bring it to God, because whatever you see inside that frame, it matters to Him.
Week 9. The Way of Rest and Reflection - Adam Southwood
There is something about the beginning of a new year that feels different. Time seems lighter, a little less rigid. The calendar has not yet filled up, routines are not quite locked in, and many people find themselves unsure what day of the week it even is. It is a season marked by rest, reflection and reset—a space to breathe before life speeds up again.
In the Christian tradition, this moment can be understood as more than just a holiday lull. It can be a kairos moment—a God-appointed time that sits outside ordinary clock time. A moment when God invites his people to slow down, pay attention, reflect honestly and respond intentionally. This is the gift of Sabbath.
Week 10. The Way Up: Abide - Sally Agostino
At the beginning of a new year, there is often a sense of fresh possibility. New calendars. New plans. New rhythms. Yet alongside that optimism sits a familiar pressure: the feeling that life is already noisy, demanding and overwhelming before the year has even properly begun.
It’s not possible to strive our way into peace, but Jesus offers a different way. As we continue our series on “The Way”, we pause to consider His call to come and abide.
Week 11. The Way In: Belong - Phil Gaudion
The Christian faith is deeply personal, but it was never meant to be lived in isolation. From the earliest days of the church, followers of Jesus gathered together to learn, pray, eat, serve and grow. In a world that values independence and convenience, Scripture calls believers back to proximity, shared life and mutual transformation.
This week we reflect honestly on our relationship with Christian community—its joys, challenges and its role in shaping our discipleship.
Week 12. The Way Out: Serve - Beth Jackson
What does it really mean to follow Jesus—not just believe in him, admire him, or agree with his teachings, but to shape an entire life around his call?
This week we have the privilege of hearing from guest speaker Beth Jackson, Head of Mission Catalyst and Ordination at the BUV, as together we explore our call to be participants in God’s work in the world.
Other Resources
Practicing the Way
We all have experienced unwanted parts of our spiritual journey: distance from God, gaps in our character, the fear that our lives will be trivial and empty… Jesus is calling us into more. Calling us to be shaped in his likeness. To experience his abundance of life.
But how, practically, can we do that? By becoming his apprentice. By practicing the Way.
Bible App
The YouVersion Bible App is a free app designed to help people engage with the Bible anytime, anywhere. It offers a wide range of features, including Bible translations, audio Bibles, reading plans, verse highlights, and devotionals.
Set NewHope as your church to get updates.
The BibleProject App
With the mission to help people experience the Bible as a unified story that leads to Jesus, the Bible Project is a great resource to help you explore your faith. Watch free Bible videos on different books and themes of the Bible.