The Bethel - Old Trafford Christadelphian Church

Referencing a talk David shared in 2012 based on the song Desert Song by Brooke Fraser, David revisits the theme with new insights based on experiences and tragedies he and his family have been through over the past four years.

Accounts of climbing everest are littered with many useful spiritual lessons. Malcolm takes us on the journey of a spiritual climber, one who looks to the summit and continues to climb towards their goal, encouraging and uplifting others on the way. He asks if anyone has grown weary and stopped, wishing they were stil on the climb and urges us to shine like stars and make some noise so that people...

God is in the world for the ‘long game’, He sees the bigger picture, He is patient. God is a gardener who carefully tends and nurtures us and everything in the world. When we think we aren’t getting the results we want from and progressing in our spiritual lives, we should remember also to be patient. James 1:21 says “Humbly accept the word planted in you which can save you.” This should encourage...

A lost coin, a lost sheep and a lost son are just three of the 'lost' things that Jesus teaches about. Andrew draws parallels with how completely lost we often are but also how completely loved, completely accepted and completely forgiven. Jesus loves his church and that is where we can be found.

Is God a 'micro-manager'? Or is God a 'shaper'? Charles explores the different ways we perceive God may work in the world. It could be that the reality is a very subtle balance and requires trust as our major input.

John the Baptist gave his message heralding the coming of Christ, preached a baptism of repentance and then his only desire was to get out of the way. David reminded us of John's humility, that we shouldn't forget John and that, more importantly, we should worship Jesus.

The ark went ahead of God’s people to guide them into places they had never been before. What were the significant components of the ark, and how can they be a guide for us?

Pete explored how the 7 elements of the Shavot (The Feast of Weeks) are demostrated in the 'New Covenant'. He showed us how at times, there is reinforcement and in some places, there is deliberate contrast.

The constant necessary refocussing of our lives and our Church requires submitting to Christ as our Head. Maurice explores a heady collection of metaphors, sayings and ideas based around Colossians 2.

Recounting the story of Elijah handing over to his mentee Elisha, Elijah leaves him his cloak. The same cloak that has seen the glory of God and all of Elijah's challenges - Richard asks, what would Elijah's cloak feel like to you? He suggests we are called to be mentors and mentees to each other, to see opportunities to pass on responsibility and accept change in a new generation.

Comparing and contrasting two resurection stories form John's gospel, Martyn unpacks what Jesus says about 'eternal life'. The ancient Hebrew scriptures say very little about life after death, but Jesus says quite a lot. He modeled and described a state of being which he referred to as 'eternal life', something that was all about living fully now in a way that was life giving and self-sacrificial.

Illustrated by a couple of brushes with law enforcement officers, John explored how we are often caught up and distracted by the imitation substitutes that provide temporary, quick-fix satisfaction. Our challenge and encouragement was to focus on the real-deal, the firm rock of genuine flesh and blood reality that God and Jesus provide.

A fresh look at the account of the wedding in Cana where Jesus turned water into wine brings fresh lessons from the text. Jesus uses what's available as it is and uses us as we are, all we require is an openness to accept God. Jesus asks for the empty jars to be filled with water, just as we can be filled with living water. Jesus uses the containers that would have been associated with dirt and ch...

The Apostle Paul recognised Jesus as his messiah when he was confronted by Jesus. The change he went through in becoming blind forced him to become reliant on Jesus and not on himself. It is this coming to terms with the reality of a living Lord that changes us. Mike encouraged us to seek encounters with the living Lord and reassured us that our weaknesses won't disappear because they remind us th...

If we perform a 'life audit' - we will fail if we are truly honest with ourselves. The whole point is that this is not about Our Performance - it's about grace and forgiveness. Matthew 5:6 States 'Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled'. We have to get over ourselves, righteousness is unattainable, it is out-of-our-reach, it is not something we can achi...

We must honour Jesus Christ as He Is Now - exalt him as the Father has done: Philippians 2:9-11 If we give glory to Jesus we give glory to God! Jesus has done everything in order for us to be rescued and saved by grace - to be empowered; if we are not clear, we will fail. We need to talk about discipleship: if we try to be disciples we must talk about 'grace' and the connection between 'grace' and...

The children of Israel in the wilderness were set tasks to do to build a meeting place for the people with God. As Christians we get to be fellow builders, and, under Jesus’ leadership and by following biblical principles for spiritual growth, God will build his church. And in that Day when the tabernable is complete. When Christ returns and the Glory of the Lord fills not just a small tent in the...

1 Corinthians 13:12 says 'For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.' Andrew explores similar themes around how we tend to see and approach things in a very blurred-vision way but when the Kingdom of God is fully realised, everything will come into sharp contrast. We long for and look forwa...

A look at Psalm 63 - a song for the seekers. What did this psalm mean to David when he first wrote it, and what does it mean for us now?

Based on Galatians 5 v 13 “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” Malcolm looked at a couple of portraits of characters in the Bible who were portraits of servant and a couple who were not. We explored how Jesus gave his disciples and us the principle of servanthood and then looked at the pr...

We have, in the Bible, many stories that touch us and if we let them, can transform us. Stories that illustrate the struggles we all face as humans, stories that we can all connect with and remember. The Jesus story provides the most compelling, connecting story that goes beyond historical fact and reaches into our very core, the truth, passion, excitement and also the pain, the contrast of light...

Following Jesus is not easy! That was never the promise. Mike explored the difficulties we face with our inner wrestling and how, over time, we can learn to trust God's judgement about what is inside us rather than our own. We were reminded that God's kindness leads us to repentance and that what God wants is for us to want to get close to him.

Based on 1 Corinthians 13 – On Love and Compassion, Paul could not have made his point more strongly or more clearly. Love (Compassion) is an all-important characteristic of followers of our Lord Jesus. 1 Corinthians vs 4 to 7 – such a well known passage – lists characteristics we all should aim at if we are true Christians. Jesus’ whole life shows how he always managed to live up to these amazing...

In this special service, we welcome Lin into the body of Christ as he chooses to commit his life to Christ in baptism. Charles introduces us to Lin's spiritual journey and Steve gives a few thoughts on what this decision means to Lin and his relationship with God. Pete then leads our thoughts to the bread and wine by exploring the changes that happen to our relationship with God, with Jesus, with...

David looked at the apostle Paul's treatise on Christian love in 1st Corinthians ch 13, thinking about what love is, and what love is not, concluding that real love is not so much about what you feel, more about what you do.