Central Vineyard Church - Messages

In the fifth and final part of our Deadly Sins for Lent series, Dan explores simplicity as a counter-practice to greed. Looking at Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6, this sermon unpacks how greed is more than wanting money or possessions — it is the restless ache for more — and how simplicity becomes a Spirit-formed pathway into contentment, trust, and learning to live with enough in the Kingdom of God.

In this fourth talk of our Lent series, Deadly Sins for Lent, Alisha speaks on generosity as the counter-practice to greed, and how generosity is far better than we can imagine, but it will cost us.

In this third talk of our Lent series, Deadly Sins for Lent, guest speaker Lyndon Reiff shares with us his real life experiences of practicing generosity as a counter-formation to greed, and encourages us to do the same with some helpful wisdom.

In this second talk of our Lent series, Deadly Sins for Lent, Alisha explores greed — not simply as having a lot, but as the subtle, restless pull for more that can quietly shape our hearts. Through Jesus’ words and the story of the rich young ruler, this talk names greed for what it is: a trap, a false promise, and a rival to the life Jesus offers. But this is not a talk about shame. It’s an invitation to freedom. As we begin this Lenten journey, we’re invited to come honestly to Jesus, to loosen our grip on what cannot satisfy, and to discover the deeper abundance of a life shaped by trust, generosity, and surrender.

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?

In this final message of the Introduction series, Dan reflects on Mary’s story in Luke 1:26–38 and the extraordinary forming of love within her ordinary life. Exploring the Spirit “overshadowing” Mary, this message traces God’s dwelling presence from Creation, to the Ark of the Covenant, to Mary — and now to the Church — reminding us that love is not manufactured but formed by God in willing, available hearts.

Join us for this third Introduction reflection, where we look at Elizabeth’s story as a picture of how God develops deeper joy in us. Luke shows that her five months of hiddenness weren’t wasted — they were the darkroom where God transformed years of disappointment into a joy ready to be shared when Mary arrived. This story invites us to embrace the slow, unseen work of God in our own lives, trusting that what He develops in the dark will one day be displayed in the light.

Join us as we continue our Advent reflection series Introduction. In this second reflection, Dan looks at Simeon and the “peace of recognition”—the kind of peace that comes not from circumstances resolving, but from seeing Christ in the middle of our lostness. A full description of the episode with detailed information. Episode Note A formatted description of this episode, supported by Apple Podcasts. Other podcasting platforms may display this description differently. Episode Type Full (default) A complete episode. Season Number Apple Podcasts only displays season numbers for podcasts with more than one season. Episode Number An episode number. This sets the recommended order for your podcast episodes. Episode Duration (hh:mm:ss) The duration of this episode. Explicit Content This episode contains explicit content. Podcast Analytics URL To track analytics for this episode using a third-party service, enter its URL. Learn more.

NOTE: Our apologies, but the opening minute of this talk was not recorded. Join us as we begin our Advent reflection series Introduction. Dan explored how Zechariah’s story in Luke 1 shows that God often restores hope not through noise or quick answers, but by creating space — the surprising gift of silence that softened his cynicism and slowly retuned his hope. Advent invites us into the same posture. In a season that easily fills with hurry, God meets us in the stillness we tend to avoid. Let’s make room for quiet, so we can begin to perceive the new things God is doing.

In this message Dan explores the final parable in Matthew 13 as a picture of God’s sweeping, uncurated grace towards a future where God puts the world right. The Parable of the Net shows us a Kingdom that gathers everything, while reminding us that the sorting is Jesus’ job, not ours — while also holding the sober truth that our choices matter in God’s story of renewal.

In this message, Alisha Wiseman explores Jesus’ parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl — two short stories about discovering something so valuable it reshapes your whole life. Through themes of discovery, sacrifice, and joy, Alisha reminds us that the Kingdom is a treasure worth giving everything for—and that in Jesus’ eyes, we are the treasure He joyfully gave everything to have.

In this talk Dan Sheed explores one of Jesus’ shortest parables — a one-sentence story on the Kingdom being like yeast that is mixed into a dough — and how even though it is hidden, it is quietly working its way through everything. This story invites us to patiently trust the unseen and unpanicked work of God’s Kingdom in our ordinary lives — because even when it’s hidden, we can stil trust that the dough is still rising towards completion.

In this message, Dan Sheed explores Jesus’ first recorded parable — the Parable of the Sower — as the doorway into all the others. What if this story isn’t about soil management, but about a reckless and generous Sower — a God is who is extravagantly sowing His Kingdom everywhere, even in places of resistance, and how good soil is found not through effort, but through grace and a willingness to listen.

In this opening message of our new series, Parables, Dan explores why Jesus chose to teach through these stories which create an analogy of comparison. These stories reveal the hidden reality of God’s Kingdom — grace breaking into ordinary life, and a world where God is ruling and reigning. Dan offers some wisdom on how to treat parables and how to practice reading them.

In this one-off message, guest speaker Adam Russell shares on the need for friendship in our discipleship journey and looks at the relationship between David and Jonathan as an archetype of covenant friendship.

In this one-off message, Communities Pastor Ella Oh invites us to revisit Jesus’ words: “You are the light of the world.” Together we explore what it means to live outward as God’s people—shining His light not just in safe spaces but into the dark and broken places of our city. Ella also shares the story of Gratis, our church’s long-running outreach birthed from a simple “yes” to joining God’s mission, and the new opportunity before us to dream together about how this ministry can be sustained and multiplied thanks to a generous offer in our community.