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How do we grow in God’s love, and what does it mean to remain? David Jennings looks at Jesus’ teaching that his followers are branches in him, a vine, made for fruitfulness under God’s gardening care. This fruit isn’t work we do, it’s the character of love, joy and peace that grows as we accept Jesus’ love and become defined by him and his character. Is it challenging to allow this to happen, some...

What does God's coming kingdom look like in you? Owen Lynch looks at how Jesus compared this to a little bit of yeast that transforms a whole batch of dough - but what does that actually mean for us? Could the apparent weakness of self-sacrifice and small expressions of love, joy, peace, patience and kindness really be all that significant, especially when we love big, spectacular experiences? We...

When people in churches disagree, is there anything we know that should unite us? Owen Lynch looks at how Paul addressed believers who were becoming divided over personalities, leadership, ideas and practical issues. The believers and leaders were diverse, surprisingly inclusive to many. Was the answer to change that? Or was the cross of Christ uniquely powerful and necessary to unite people? Clai...

Are you a journey or destination person? This talk looks at what it means to leave the familiar and head towards a deeper spiritual home. How can we tell which way to go? The Magi in the Christmas story had a star to follow, which pointed them to Jesus - can we fix our eyes on him? Audio is included from a sermon by Dr. S.M. Lockridge given in 1976, with video made by Grace Community Church shared...

Does this new year feel light and joyful, or have we loaded ourselves up with burdens? Owen Lynch looks at how spiritual and emotional health are important to us and need to be kept in balance. Jesus criticised religious leaders who brought loads of expectation which they could not carry themselves, and offered a better way of life. Have we taken up Jesus’ offer?  Maybe we can tell by asking...

Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about the book of Revelation. Is this the most intriguing book of the Bible? There is a huge variety of views about what this book means and, even if we can understand it, what we should do with that understanding today. Bern and Owen start by looking at the culture it was written into, the challenges Christians were facing towards the end of...

Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about the books of Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, as well as Psalms 132 to 150. Covering a broad stretch of history from before, during and after the exile of God’s people, the last minor prophets in the Old Testament are sharing words from God in different situations, looking from a broad range of viewpoints.  T...

Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, as well as Psalms 120 to 131. The story of how Jerusalem and the temple began to rebuilt was a major cause for celebration for God’s exiled people. Much in this story - formerly a single book - points people to God and the benefits of gathering together, faithfully observing his law and making the best pos...

What makes a great gift? Liz Nixon looks at the value of thoughtful, meaningful gifts and how they can build relationships when we grow love in return. The talk concludes with ten minutes of ‘examen’ prayer, which can also be practised with the Pray As You Go app at https://pray-as-you-go.org

Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about the books of Lamentations and Daniel. Both were written for and about God’s people around the time of their exile to Babylon and the loss of their temple and centre of social order. Lamentations expresses huge depths of pain and suffering, though in the Hebrew it’s ordered around the alphabet in a similar way to Psalm 119. There is devas...

Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about chapters 18 to 21 of John’s gospel and Paul’s letter to the Romans. Was it too ambitious to try and take in these texts in a week? Any of these chapters could be studied for a lifetime, and scholars still debate the details, but Bern and Owen still found massive value in getting an overview from them and reflecting on God’s intentions fo...

What does the story of Jesus' birth tell us about God? Owen Lynch looks at this and shares his own reasons for having faith in Jesus. Do we want the stories which define us to be God's stories about us, our value, and how much we are loved and filled with his love, joy and peace to share this year?

Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about chapters 1 to 17 of John’s gospel. Following the story of Israel from the time of exile and God’s promised of a renewed kingdom, it’s clear that people wanted their anointed leader, the Messiah or Christ. But their expectations of how to recognise God delivering this differed among various groups.  John told the story of how Jesus w...

Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about chapters 40 to 48 of the book of Ezekiel and Psalms 107 to 119. After some harsh and harrowing images, Ezekiel’s visions turn to glorious pictures of God’s designs for Israel’s future, including restoration and fulfilment of purposes God always had in mind for his people. An amazing temple is described, bigger and better than people have...

What does it mean to follow Jesus and end up changing our minds about something important? Owen Lynch looks at Paul’s movements in Acts of the Apostles, which were not just physical across Europe, but changes in his long-held beliefs about what the long hoped-for Jewish messiah - their anointed leader - would look like. Many were quoting “clobber” passages from scripture to prove that Jesus could...

Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about chapters 22 to 39 of the book of Ezekiel. His visions and actions have been difficult listening, with harsh judgements and consequences for God’s people as well as loss which Ezekiel felt personally and was not allowed to grieve in the normal way. However, God was not remote from suffering, but walking through it with them. God’s heart f...

What effect has the gospel of Jesus had on the way we see the world? Owen Lynch looks at the way this gospel spread across Europe in the time of Jesus’ first followers. It met with opposition from ruling powers and traditional institutions, but was received and spread in an inclusive, progressive and hopeful way. What could make anyone think it should be about exclusivity, regression and fear? Why...

Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about the first 21 chapters of the book of Ezekiel. The vivid visions in this book are other-worldly and dreamlike, and as Ezekiel had been in Babylon, in exile from his home country for a few years, it might not be surprising to see visions of heavenly power which looked similar to the way his captors saw this. But God seems to have added sur...

How do we feel about breaking the rules and crossing boundaries? Dan Green has lived across multiple cultures and trains people in what can help to build good relationships across cultural divides. In this talk, he looks at the story of a woman whose approach to Jesus looked completely wrong to many, but showed love and honesty which Jesus recognised and praised. Could the way we feel when we see...

Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about chapter 44 to the end of Jeremiah and “Book 4” of the Psalms, 90 to 106. It’s worth considering where the main point, or climax, is the book of Jeremiah. Hollywood stories have this near the end to keep our attention, but ancient stories often cover the main point nearer the middle. If the point of this book is at the end, it’s destructi...

From the series ‘What is God like?’ When we form pictures in our minds, does God have a gender? Claire Lynch looks at the history of people forming views on this, and considers the range of Bible references to God which might seem more male or female in different places. The talk concludes with time for meditation for you to notice what comes to mind in response to the Bible’s descriptions of God....

Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about chapters 23 to 43 of the biggest book in the Bible, Jeremiah. What started as relentless sounding doom and gloom turns a corner here as hope is revealed, albeit at a traumatic time for God’s people. One of the most popular prophecies for sharing and encouraging today comes from this part of the book of Jeremiah - God does know the plans...

Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about chapters 1 to 22 of the biggest book in the Bible, Jeremiah. It starts at a time of change and uncertainty for God’s remaining people in the southern kingdom of Judah. The Assyrian empire to the north lost their last great leader, and with recent religious reforms under King Josiah, the Jews may have had good reasons to feel comfortable,...

Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about a selection of letters in the New Testament from early church leaders. The first followers of Jesus were suffering as they spread the news of God’s coming kingdom. They were not being equipped for armed struggle but to develop and mature in Christ-like character while overflowing with his Spirit and love. From a distance, this sounds lik...

What does God really want from us? Phil Joiner from Breathe Ministries looks at his forty-year journey of coming to terms with an idea he thought he knew, that God wants relationship. We can get a different idea from the efforts people put in to find correct answers to hard questions, including how to make sense of theology. Occasionally, revelations might occur to us and we might wonder if their...