Sermons from All Souls Church

Joe picks up the story in Matthew where Jesus leaves the wilderness and starts teaching. What does Jesus call us to do in 2024? Are we to talk about his ethics, his love for the lost, his exhortation to love your neighbour? Well, repentance is the foundation, in recognition of the king and his kingdom. Having allowed humans the freedom to choose God is reclaiming his world; so repent (respond!) fo...

Mike takes us through a familiar passage (when Jesus was led to a solitary place) and asks "What is the wilderness?", "What is temptation?" and "So what?". He compares Jesus's experience to that of the people of Israel being led from the abundance of fertile Egypt and out into the desert. Mike bounces us through parallels - from the Post Office to Potiphar to his own hospital bed experience - to i...

Joe starts us off with context - recognising the bible was built by many authors and whose architect is God. He then invites us to consider Matthew through 3 focal lenses - our visionary cornerstones - being with Jesus, learning to be like him and doing as he did. With that backdrop he then takes us through how John prepared the way for the coming king... who then humbles himself and asks to be ba...

Joe takes on a challenging passage to push through January. Not a common Nativity story but it is there in the book - child murder, sudden departure, being refugees. Becoming like Jesus - a whole and integrated life - this may not play out as we expect... Joe draws upon the teachings of wise Christian leaders as well as a personal encounter with a shooter in the shadows to highlight how we should...

All Souls welcomes Richard back to finish off our vision series. Remembering camping excursions and the "collecting the kit" stage he reflects on stuff - for a church that is people buildings and money - and encourages us each to ask not "What do we do with what we've got?" but "Why has God given this to us?". Using a passage from 1 Chronicles he highlights how a sense of scarcity (for some) and a...

On safeguarding Sunday Joe, Katherine and Eva take us through why as well as how we are to honour all members of the church body. We all go through times when we are particularly vulnerable due to our own unique circumstances. As a church we need to continually be watchful; looking out for one another and looking after one another. We need to be mindful of past failings and the positive role of sa...

Joe starts this week by asking how we'd advise our younger selves - what would you tell younger you? Asaph, in Psalm 78, talks about the responsibility to share testimony from generation to generation - "teach them to know God and follow his ways". God searches you, knows you and loves you; we need to instill this sense of connection and appreciation in the next generation. Joe encourages and comm...

Maf talks about home improvements. It can seem like the work never stops - as soon as one job is done another begins... In the church, given that Jesus is the builder and we need to keep growing, individually and collectively, this is a good thing(!). Maf reflects on how we respond to change - resisting it, tolerating it or embracing it. He parallels church growth with lego construction - it may n...

Joe talks about what it is to be hands and feet. He asks us to think about a familiar story - the tale of the good samaritan - differently. Identify first with the one cared for rather than those who encountered him. We love because Jesus first loved us. Joe then familiarises us with opportunities in our own neighbourhood - including Ivybridge - to contribute once we have seen ourselves as cared f...

On this baptism day Maf eases us into the sermon with 3 short readings and Joe acquaints us with the wider church's London 2030 vision - confident disciples forming compassionate communities leading to creative growth. Being baptised into God's expansive family we learn to be confident of God's rescue and confident sharing the good news.

Parallel bible passages from the old and new testaments launch us into this sermon on being sent. Joe shares family stories of superhero appeal - being part of something bigger - and his own honest response to the prospect of leading mission. We live in a society that seeks self satisfaction but risk missing out on the joy of mission. We are called out for a higher purpose - will you respond as Is...

Concluding this short September series Joe starts with the tale of a dampened Bible - open on Isaiah 35. What does it mean to do what Jesus did (then and now)? Lots of topics - preach the gospel, teach the way, heal the sick, cast out demons, eat and drink with those far from God, pray, prophesy, stand against corruption, etc. - and there are lots of options to connect and explore these together -...

Joe dips again into Isaiah 35 to refocus us on Jesus. Our formation depends on our focus and we are constantly subject to temptation and distraction. If we are to be like Jesus we need to practice long obedience. There is a highway. It is for the redeemed (not to redemption). Find it. Focus. Follow. Be like Jesus to find freedom, community and meaning. Whose disciple are you?

Joe delves into Isaiah 35: 1-4 to talk about flourishing in hard places. He takes apart a poem that foreshadows Jesus's arrival. It's real setting was of a land that was essentially fruitful, if only water were available. Are you feeling parched? Do you see only desert? Jesus is our living water - jump in, stay in and see life differently!

This week, Joe looks at John 3:1-13 to see what we can learn from the encounter between Nicodemus and Jesus.

Joe continues our summer series by examining Mary's encounter with Jesus from John 12:1-8

This week, Maf looks at what we can learn from Jesus' encounter with a diminutive tree-climbing chap...

Jon continues our series entitled 'Encounters with Jesus', this week looking at the centurion from Luke 7:1-10, and discovering what we can learn from this encounter about faith.

Joe begins a new series for the summer, entitled 'Encounters with Jesus', starting with one of Peter's famous encounters.

Ritesh Patelia concludes our series from the book of James by looking at what it truly means to have Patience & Trust.

Mike English continues our series on 'Living like Jesus', by looking at what James 4:11-17 has to say about having Jesus on the throne of our lives.

Joe continues our series from the book of James, looking at what it means to have true wisdom.

Maf looks at the spirit with which we give. He takes us back to his first wage and the choices he had. He goes further back to the widow with her two coins and the choices she made. He also looks's at the practice of tithing (giving 10%) and concludes it is not how much we give but how we giive that matters. God loves a cheerful giver - let him make you one - first we need to receive.

Joe takes us forward in our mini-series looking at giving - how to adopt a mindset of abundance amidst a society beset with anxiety and fearful of scarcity (e.g. toilet rolls). He reflects on recent realities of snapped flower heads (his locally) and drowned animals (in Ukraine) and what Jesus meant by linking together the "build bigger barns" and "consider the lilies" stories. He goes on to encou...

Joe intros a mini-series on generosity. Creation abounds with God's generosity but, lacking trust, we have a tendency to see scarcity and selfishly accumulate. Joe invites us to reframe our thinking and shows how Jesus put the poor at the centre of his ministry. Happiness and generosity are interlinked so think afresh on opportunities you have to give of yourself, your time and your attention as w...