The Bethel - Old Trafford Christadelphian Church

The encouragement this week was to keep our eyes on Jesus, to try to avoid being distracted by innocent looking things and to continue to support each other and help people that fall away. Based on Matthew 13 The parable of the Sower.

Maurice explores the origins of Mothering Sunday, how it was a momentary window of light and lifting the 'restrictions of lent' and tied it in to the situations and reactions of Elizabeth & Zechariah and Mary in Luke 1.

Tony encourages the family at Old Trafford to continue on supporting each other in the way that Tony and family were supported through their recent tough experience.

Mark Explores 1 John 1 "We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete."

We are all one in Christ Jesus, and Pete reminds us of our unity and strength even within our diversity.

Everybody worships! The question is, what do we choose to worship? Malcolm questions whether we allow the thinks we worship to define us, and so challenges us to worship the one that does not break - Jesus.

Where we are on our journey with God and are we walking a path trodden before? Knowing we aren't the only ones to follow the route may help us in our choices. Cedric suggests we choose a path that enables God to do new things with us. Walking the path previously trodden is not like walking in King Wenceslas' shoes, where it's just slightly warmer than the freezing snow and we just get a view of hi...

The profound sense of "that wasn't in there last time I read it", sometimes brings unexpected consequences. Mike explores Jesus words in Matthew 5:39 to this end, and looks at the far-reaching implications.

In the trivial and in the more dramatic and important things in life, Andy encouraged us by reminding us that trusting in God is well-founded and worth it.

A morning of reflection, including short thoughts, poems, songs and scriptures reminding us how incredible and powerful, yet interested and intimately involved in our lives God is.

Thinking about how we build our lives in the new year, Charles encouraged us to be careful as we choose what direction we take.

Alex encourages us to take heart, during and after all sorts of troubles and difficulties in life, it can be all right, it will be all right. He isn't pretending it is easy, the pain continues to be very real and very obvious, but he found that even in the thickest fog of despair, the deepest chasm of sorrow, the murkiest waters of upturned aspirations, we are still loved by God. We are, by His gr...

Is the 'Season of Good will' actually just a 'materialistic sense of benvolence', or Is there something more important to the proclamation of the angels regarding Jesus' birth. Colin looks at who the angels were speaking to and what it was about, bearing in mind the fact that there isn't yet peace on earth and people are still oppressed.

Steve used his recent tour of HMP Manchester to draw out lessons on forgiveness, community and rehabilitation. He asked if we would see such great acts of compassion as he learned of in the prison within a church.

Using James 3 & 4, Andrew unpacks how joined-up living, consistent with Jesus being at the centre of our lives is the way to live wisely. From that place, it changes how we react to people who have made mistakes and those who think differently to us. Andrew goes on to show that faith in action is about humility and grace, not pride and knocking down others who we think are in the 'wrong'.

The story of Jonah presents us with a clear example of Jonah having a 'teachable moment' (inside the fish's stomach). David asked whether we are teachable and when those moments might be. David also explored how our teachable moments are often when we are low or distressed and how we can develop ourselves to be teachable more of the time and more open to God teaching us.

Starting in Deuteronomy 8, Chris makes the point that discipline is about learning, not punishment and the lesson from the wilderness journey is one of humility. Moments where God teaches us humility are often when we are feeling like Elijah: "I'm the only one", when God says "I have 7000 more" and we learn humility. Chris also explored how God experienced grief, both with his people and when he w...

Richard tells us why John 6 is his favorite chapter in his favorite book, looking at finding Jesus in the everyday things.

Aaron explores the depths of God's love, how he accepts us as we are, how grace works, and encourages us to believe in that great love.

The Second part of Aaron's talk from Old Trafford Youth Weekend 2012

The First part of Aaron's talk from Old Trafford Youth Weekend 2012

Jack asks what we are committed to, where our priorities lie.

Martyn explores how what we want to happen and what ends up happening in life can often be in conflict. Sometimes we know the end of the story at the start but can still be blind to how things will end up. Other times as in Luke 23, we just need to trust, like the disciples did.

Water is a very important symbol throughout scripture, being essential for life and a constant, simple reminder from God of Him and the sustaining power that He expresses. Steven explores many aspects of water that are crucial to the Jesus story. We encounter the woman at the well in Samaria who's bucket was immaterial, we dig into being born of water and of 'the spirit'. Stephen reminds us that w...

Mark leads us through a series of devotions based on The Lords Prayer. The service was cut short by a failure of the heating.