The Whitehouse Church Podcast

When we face challenges and everything seems to be on fire… what do we grab on the way out the door? Do we grab love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control? Do we grab onto one another with hope and compassion and cheer? In times of stress, tragedy, confusion, doubt, anxiety, or worry, do we love God and love our neighbour?

Blind Bartimaeus threw aside his cloak and all that it represented to follow Jesus. He is the exemplar of faithfulness where the rich young ruler was the antithesis. May we all have the courage of this blind beggar who could see who Jesus truly was.

The rich young ruler gained his identity, security and comfort from his wealth. When Jesus told the rich young ruler he must lay down his wealth it was not an accusation of greed, it was a challenge to his identity and his source of power, comfort and security.

Acting against injustice, slavery, oppression, poverty, and the systems that perpetuate a worldview of in and out or us versus them are essential to following Jesus. It is beholden on us as followers of Jesus to ensure we do not cause the little ones of our society to trip and fall, but rather we should be lifting them up.

Have you even failed a test that you thought you were going to ace? That’s what happened to Peter in Caesarea Philippi. He was expecting a high distinction and instead he got rebuked in front of everyone. In my view, this is amongst the most scathing rebukes that Jesus makes in his entire ministry. Imagine being Peter having his worldview blown apart in this conversation and then being called Sata...

Ritual and tradition that help us to transform our hearts can be incredibly beautiful, but tradition that only serves to make us feel morally superior and set apart is not beautiful.

Consider the nature of the gods in the ancient near eastern world. The gods were fickle and often amoral. They didn’t care for good behaviour or righteousness at all. In contrast, the Hebrew God “Yahweh” was a radically different type of deity. Not only was Yahweh morally upright, he wanted his people to be righteous also. And through the righteousness of his people Yahweh intended to reach the wo...

The people of God should be known for their kindness, compassion, and forgiveness. They should be known as people that turn away from their anger and bitterness, seeking to make peace and forgiving one another. This is our witness in the world to a kingdom that is yet to fully come. We have the privilege to live in the hope of a renewed world.

This psalm expresses the grief and repentance of king David following his adultery with Bathsheba. It is a model and a warning for us as we approach repentance and forgiveness.

The 'fool' of Psalm 14 is not an atheist, but rather they think that God is absent. In their arrogance the fool consumes the poor and cannot perceive that God is present with the righteous.

Mark paints Jesus as the fulfillment of kingship. Jesus is the true shepherd of Israel, greater than Moses or David, certainly greater than Herod. And this king is not living lavishly in a palace away from the suffering and hunger of his people. This king is in the midst of his people, healing them and meeting their needs physically and spiritually.

It is common when reading the psalms to identify with the psalmist and take on their prayer as our own. Whilst I know I live a life of great comfort and privilege; the depths are still a place that we can all understand. The depths of grief or disappointment, the depths of regret or shame, the depths of sickness or pain, the depths of frustration or disillusionment, the depths of anger and rage. W...

The emotion of this scene is something Mark’s audience would have understood. A strong wind was blowing in their world. The times and seasons were violent and uncertain, and the waters looked like they were only going to get rougher.

The obvious story here is not hard to perceive, the kingdom of God is like the seed that grows secretly under the earth and then at the appointed time it springs forth into view. But a like a seed that first grows under the soil, there is more going on in this parable.

When people talk about coming to faith, they often remark about leaving the world, or leaving behind a life of sin. But Nicodemus had already built his life around being set apart and avoiding sin. To be born again is not simply about sinning less, it is about living more beautifully as the Spirit transforms us. It is about being made new daily.

When teaching his disciples how to pray Jesus reveals a lot about the identity and nature of his father. In this simple prayer we are given a model rather than a mantra, with a lot of subtext going on behind the scenes that would have been much more obvious to a first century audience.

Ecclesiastes teaches me to grasp continually for the gifts of joy that God offers. To eat, drink, celebrate, and love despite how fleetingly each of these experiences can seem. It makes me appreciate the beautiful and delightful breath-like moments of each day.

The psalms of new orientation are a herald of hope beckoning us beyond grief, anguish, and anger into a surprising realisation of God’s power, presence, and faithfulness.

Christ is risen. He is risen indeed! The images and story used in this video and podcast are from "The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name" written by Sally Lloyd-Jones and illustrated by Jago.

On Good Friday we remember how the people in charge tried to make Jesus be quiet. We remember how they were so upset by his message of love and forgiveness that they killed him. We remember how they thought their violence was more powerful than his love.  And we remember how Jesus forgave his enemies, and how Jesus also forgives us.

Sadly, like the first century Jews, many modern Christians are awaiting a warlord. They are waiting for a triumphant Jesus to ride in on a warhorse soaked in blood and seeking vengeance. But the Hebrew Scriptures don’t just give us a warrior Messiah, they also give us a picture of a suffering servant that Jesus perfectly embodies and fulfils.

Psalm 29 1 Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendour of his holiness.3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.4 The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic.5 The voice of the Lord break...

The Psalms of disorientation deserve a place in our prayer lives. They are a window into the raw, chaotic, and despairing voice within humanity that emerges during times of crisis and confusion. The Psalms of disorientation give us both the language to cry out our rage and grief, and the permission to authentically petition God. These Psalms also have the power to draw us into the experience of ot...

"In popular piety, without people ever thinking about it, the only Psalms people know are the Psalms of orientation . . . it's important to keep the rest of the repertoire working that allows for faith in disorientation . . . the Psalms of orientation are enormously valuable resources for us, but they are by themselves not adequate because they do not allow for the slippages of disorienta...

In modern times the word hope can often be understood as a desire for something to happen. The Hebrew word translated as hope three times in Psalm 25 is better understood as waiting . The outcome is inevitable, it is the timing that is unknown. And it is the same with the coming of the kingdom of God. The promises of the kingdom that we are hoping for are not in question, they are a future reality...