St Matthias, Brighton - Talks

Join us in the first of our summer series where some fresh voices reflect on conversations people had with Jesus in the gospels. Today, Simon considers the story of Blind Bartimaus calling out to Jesus - and what happened next.

In this closing talk from our Origins series, we hold together the wonder of Genesis 1’s “very good” creation and the harsh realities of our fractured world—war, hunger, injustice, climate crisis. We explore how Jesus’ life, death and resurrection inaugurate God’s healing work, and how the Spirit calls us to join in renewing relationships and reforming systems. Drawing on Scripture and real-life s...

As human beings we are designed to need connection. Join Kate as she explores what Genesis teaches us about our being designed to need connection with one another, why in a world that emphasises sexual connection and intimacy we're missing the potential of emotional intimacy in friendship, and why AI will never replace other people in your life. And whilst people are great, Kate reminds us our...

Join Kate and her panel of four local people as they explore the juggles of everyday life and talk avoiding overwhelm, domestic load, balance, boundaries and more!

Join Kate as she opens our Livewell conversation about the busyness of life. Is it possible, in a season where 75% of us sometimes feel totally overwhelmed, to not just survive but even thrive in the midst of so much we're trying to keep on top of? How do you avoid being pushed into overwhelm, and what does this have to do with the way our emotions are designed to function?

Humans were created in the image of God who created them and blessed them. How does this account, from the origin stories of Genesis, help us make sense of a world where identity has become so complex and difference and diversity so often leads to division and distress? Join Kate as she thinks about identity in a world where we pressure to fit in can leave us feeling like we have to fake it or hid...

We were designed to live in a beautiful created world. And we were asked to tend and care for it. How is the goodness of creation a gift in a chaotic world, and what is the role of creation and nature in wellbeing? And how does creation connect us to God the creator? Join Sam as he unpacks the wonders of the world around us.

This Sunday we celebrated with our candidates as they were baptised! But what can we learn from Jesus' baptism about the character of God, and the way he responds to us? Join Tom as he explores the gentle ways of God.

Genesis 2:1-2 talks about an ancient rhythm modelled by God in creation of work and rest. What does this teach us about our need to feel productive? How does productive work differ from the toil described as a result of the fall? And why does this reality of work in a fractured world make understanding our need for rest so important? Join Kate as she unpacks what Genesis teaches us about work &amp...

This Sunday we celebrated Pentecost at St Matthias! But what was Pentecost all about - what did it mean for the disciples back in that upper room all those years ago? And what does it mean for us today? Join Tom as he talks about the pouring out of the Holy Spirit.

Our new series takes us back to our very origins, exploring the earliest stories of Genesis 1-3 to ask: how were we and the world created? As we read these ancient accounts, what do they tell us about what we need to flourish in a fractured world? How does that wisdom sit alongside the discoveries of modern science, and help us understand our faith, our life, our relationship with God - and how sh...

Sabbath is not only a personal spiritual practice—it is a public act of resistance. Rooted in Israel’s liberation from slavery, Sabbath disrupts the values of consumerism, hurry, and injustice. Join Clark as he explores how keeping Sabbath trains us to say “enough” in a culture that always demands more.

Sabbath is not just about what we stop doing—it’s about what we start noticing and enjoying. This week, Tom explores Sabbath as a time to feast, laugh, sing, connect, and savour God’s goodness in creation and community. Sabbath reawakens our hearts to beauty, joy, and gratitude, drawing us into deeper worship.

In a world that never stops, where more is always better and our worth is often tied to what we produce or consume, the ancient practice of Sabbath offers a radical alternative. In this opening talk of our summer formation focus at St Matthias, Clark Buys invites us to rediscover Sabbath as a weekly rhythm of ceasing — from work, from striving, from buying — and to receive it as a holy gift of res...

In this standalone talk, Tom takes time to remember and be inspired by the life of Pope Francis. What can we learn from his wisdom, his example and his teaching?

The final in our series contemplating the cross, guided by Rowan Williams' book 'God With Us'. This week, on Palm Sunday, we join with the crowds who cheered Jesus into Jerusalem as we celebrate his Kingship, his victory over the dominant dark powers of this world. But we also need to recognise that the cross exerts its power in a very different way to the systems of our world. What do...

We continue our series inspired by Rowan Williams' book "God With Us" thinking about the cross. This week we ask: why? What is it that the cross did that was so world changing? How do we understand the deep significance of this moment and what does it have to do with an ancient system of animal sacrifice that feels so mysterious to us now? Join Kate as she explains why Jesus death wa...

In this talk, the first of three inspired by Rowan William's book "God With us," we explore the sign of the cross—not just as a symbol of faith, but as a powerful revelation of human nature and divine love. Why did Jesus die such a violent and public death? What does it say about us that when God came near, we rejected him? And what does it say about God that, knowing all of this, Ch...

This Sunday we had an opportunity to look forward as we focused on our vision for the next six months, and how everyone can play a part in it. Join Tom as he invites us to consider praying, joining a team and giving financially. But what should motivate our giving, and as we focus on the gift of Jesus, His death and resurrection, how are we transformed when we give by how God gives back to us?

Join our panel for real conversations about the challenges of supporting kids and teens. How do we hold the many tensions so we can collaberate with them instead of just ending up in conflict with them? Are adults over-reacting to the concerns and anxieties raised by the media? What's it really like to be a teen navigating not just this complex world, but the reactions and responses of your pa...

Talks from this month's LiveWell community conversation thinking about how we support kids and teens in the online world. With contributions from psychologist Kate Middleton, plus local experts Mandy Marshall-Taylor and Erik Selby the evening looked at the pros and cons of the online world. What's the evidence for how the online world is impacting different generations - especially Gen alp...

Vision Sunday is an opportunity to tell stories of all that God has done over the last 6 months, and hear some exciting plans for the next 6 months. Hear from Tom as he shares his sense of God's vision for St Matthias - and also two of our youth talking about how coming to know God has changed their lives.

In this talk, we explore how fasting is less about getting God to respond and more about helping us to hear, see, and desire God more clearly. Drawing on personal experience, theology, and Scripture, Clark Buys unpacks how fasting disrupts distraction, breaks through numbness, and reawakens our longing for God’s presence. Through the lens of Joel 2:12, we reflect on how fasting is a way of rending...

Fasting has been an instinctive human practice across centuries and religious traditions. But in our modern day culture it has become so complex, muddled as it is with other reasons to fast that are far from spiritual. So what is the spiritual purpose of fasting and how does that sit along the cultural motivations we might hear or see modelled around us? Kate explores how Paul inspires us to bring...

In this talk, we explore the ancient practice of fasting and its power to reorder our desires. Drawing from Scripture, theology, and church history, we consider why fasting isn’t just about self-discipline but about training our hearts to hunger for God. We reflect on Paul’s struggle with desire in Romans 7, Jesus’ own practice of fasting, and the wisdom of Christian thinkers like John Mark Comer,...