Category: Articles

The Challenge of Preaching at Christmas

July 24, 2023 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

A visual of a candle and a Christmas tree to draw attention to the theme of 'Preaching At Christmas'.

The Challenge of Preaching at Christmas

(Preaching at Christmas time is never easy. May this article be useful to all preachers in their preparation.)

Our pastoral team was planning for the Christmas Season and at that moment, focusing on our main Christmas Event. The event which is held mid-December is normally a well-planned production that would attract anything from 1300-1500 (sometimes more) people from cross-sections of the city. As the discussion continued, one of the pastors casually asked, “Who will be our speaker?” As thoughts of a number of possible guest preachers went through my mind, the Senior Pastor looked at me smilingly. He wanted me to be the speaker.

My immediate reaction should have been, “Not me. Not at Christmas time.” But strangely, I felt a peace about taking on the challenge which was not too far away. Since that day, I have had the opportunity to preach at many of our Christmas Events, besides speaking around 6-10 times at our outreach ministries every December. Over the years, I have learned many lessons about preaching at Christmas time and would like to share some of my learning experiences in this article. They are as follows.

10 Practical Ways to Improve Mental Health

October 9, 2021 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

A visual with the words Mental Health to denote the theme of the post.

(Article on Steps to Improve Mental Health)

The lady who called me was clearly struggling as her depression had worsened. She had been through many sleepless nights and kept hearing voices at times. Restful sleep had eluded her the previous night as well. “Pastor, could you please pray with me?” she requested. I did. I prayed with her.

I normally sleep well at night, but there are some occasions when I struggle too; particularly if a tough decision or a difficult conversation is ahead of me. On such occasions, I generally feel quite sluggish the following day. Focusing on my work seems more difficult too. “If I struggle so much after losing just one night’s sleep, how difficult must it be for someone who has to cope with many sleepless nights?” I thought to myself after the call.

Article : A Mother’s Day Devotional

May 13, 2017 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

tulips 2071066 1920

“A woman who fears the Lord is to be praised, give her the reward she has earned” (Proverbs 31:30-31)

The world is celebrating Mother’s Day as usual on a large scale and I’m so happy that The Peoples Church in Sri Lanka is also celebrating our mothers at our services.

I would like to take a moment to salute ALL mothers through this post and to thank you for the excellent commitment shown towards your children and family. Thank you also to all who have enriched our family through your friendship and your prayers.

Article : Prayer – The Power Behind Our Preaching

February 18, 2017 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 8 Comments

holding hands 752878 1280

All preachers know only too well the value of surrounding our preaching with prayer. Yet, we may sometimes neglect this vital ingredient in our ministry. Martin Luther said, ‘If I should neglect prayer for a single day, I will lose a great deal of the fire of faith’.

The Apostle Paul refers to prayer many times in connection to his preaching ministry. I would therefore like to share a few thoughts from the writings of Paul, to help us pray strategically for our preaching.

Article: An Antidote for Anxiety

October 10, 2016 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 2 Comments

Article: An Antidote for Anxiety

Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:25-34 shows what I believe is a great stress-buster for handling life in today’s highly stressful environment. A lot of our stress and discouragement is caused either by unfounded or maybe even real fears and anxieties. The Lord Jesus however said in Matthew 6:34 “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own”. He was advising us to ‘Live one day at a time’.

We should consider doing so for the following reasons.