The Word in Biggleswade

It’s been another fantastic Holiday Bible Club week, full of faith, laughter and chaos. Mike recaps the themes of the week, with the help of the Watt Family, in the midst of their adventures to save the Olympics! Prepare yourselves for something a little different this week as we share a glimpse of what Holiday Bible Club is all about.   (And a massive thank you to everyone who played their part i...

This week Nick Treby reflects on one of his personal favourite books of the Bible – Habakkuk. We explore the importance of perspective and how the position we take affects how we see the world. Habakkuk brings his complaints to God and the Father puts him in his place – teaching him both how big God is and how small we are. God is taking action even when we can’t perceive it happening – we need to...

This week’s guest speaker is Gavin Calver from Evangelical Alliance, unpacking Psalm 16. The psalm reveals three key things that God provides – a great reminder to encourage us in the week ahead. The Lord gives refuge – you can lose everything but you can’t lose Jesus. The Lord gives confidence – we have something to declare and he gives us confidence to declare it. The Lord also gives hope – that...

The final part of our series on Ephesians reflects on the final thoughts from Paul’s letter, concluding with an overview of the protection and equipping that the Spirit gives us. With the help of a visual aid that doesn’t quite translate to the podcast (!), John Ingrey takes us through the armour of God and how it stands us in good stead for the daily battles of the Christian life.   Ephesians #6...

This week we’re joined by Adam Penwright - who will be very familiar to many of us – and he’s unpacking the latest chapter in our series on Ephesians. Adam explores how we can live a good life, pleasing and holy to God, because we are His children and He wants the very best for us all. As we look to live a holy life, love will flow from us too. But we must distance ourselves from any hint of those...

We take a look at the role of the Bible in giving as spiritual food this week. This short reflection from our All Age Service explores the nourishment provided by the scriptures and how we can get what we need from God each week.   All Age Service Ellen Andrews   Sunday 23rd June   Find out more about our church community at  www.bbchurch.org.uk

Returning to the next chapter of the letter to the Ephesians, this week we are unpacking the subject of unity of the body of Christ. We are united as one family and we are called to make every effort to maintain that unity. It’s truth in action and it requires character. We are called by the Spirit and given gifts by that same Spirit and the more we serve each other, the more we become our new sel...

This week’s guest speaker is Steve Rouse from The London Institute for Contemporary Christianity (LICC). Steve helps us unpack what it means to view our work – and the rest of everyday life – as an extension of our worship to God. How can we see our Monday morning as just as much of a holy moment as Sunday morning - and even more of a mission field?! Steve’s message is one of commissioning for all...

We’re joined by another guest speaker this week – Bishop Chris Edmondson. He explores the challenging message of the love of Christ. Love of another kind – love must be completely sincere. Genuine self-sacrificial love that’s not fake. We should be fully available to others, especially to those who are not yet part of God’s family. We are uniquely placed to do our bit to love others. Time to be sp...

We’re joined by a guest speaker this week – Paul Peterson from Danehill summer camp. Paul explores the culture of the early church in Acts and what we can learn from it to make a difference to the places we live and interact. It was a culture of risk-taking, stepping out of their comfort zone. It was a culture of devotion, growing in their relationship with God. A culture of unity, of generosity,...

This week we’ve reached part 3 of our Ephesians series – the halfway point. We’re exploring God’s great plan, or at least as much of it as we’re able to know, amidst the uncertainty of life and faith. God is the head of our community and as part of the same family, we are all in this together. We can draw on God’s power and provision through what Christ has done for us. We are rooted in His love,...

The second part of our series on Ephesians, we explore what it means to die to self and be alive in Christ. He takes us from death to life – being included, gifted with grace and knowing the hope that Christ has for us – to no longer be foreigners and strangers but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of His household. In Him we are being built to be a dwelling for God to live, by His spi...

This week we begin a new series on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, with an overview of the context of the book and a dive into the first chapter. We unpack the simple truth that God has done so much for us, through Jesus. We have the privilege to know God’s grace lavished upon us and to be chosen and adopted into His family. We have the privilege to be the subject of God’s will and his pleasure as...

In the next in our series on prayers in the Bible, we look at how we can deal with our anxieties and worries, using the example of Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah facing multiple armies waging war on them. They were terrified but they sought God, got praying, worshipped Him and kept their eyes on the Lord. When our fears overwhelm us, we may not know what to do but… “our eyes are on you Lord!”...

This week we had the pleasure and privilege of baptising some church members and so we take a break from our current series on prayer, to turn our eyes on Jesus. We unpack what Jesus did for us and the impact he has on all our lives – if we will only accept him in to our lives. Jesus was a great teacher, he performed miracles, he had compassion for others, especially the downtrodden, he walked the...

In our latest in the series on prayers in the Bible, we explore the less popular psalms – the ones full of raw honesty, complaint and lament. Even these challenging outpourings, begin with the focus on God. They offer glimmers of hope in the middle of despair, mainly thanks to the strength of the relationship between the writer and God. Plus they highlight the power of the word ‘yet’…!   Prayers i...

As we continue to look to the Bible for lessons on how to pray, this week we unpack how the apostles – Peter and John - used prayer in confrontational situations. We see how when faced with someone more powerful, the apostles turned to the one more powerful than their opponents. They saw past the immediate to the bigger picture – to the God’s eye view. They focused on Him, they quoted scripture an...

Happy Easter everyone! This week’s talk explores the Easter story with all its surprises and twists and turns. It’s such a familiar story but we forget just how unexpected so much of the first Easter was. Will you allow Christ to surprise you this Easter?   Easter Sunday John 20:1-18 Martin Ceaser   Sunday 31st March   Find out more about our church community at  www.bbchurch.org.uk

This week is Palm Sunday, we conclude our series on the prayers of Jesus and we welcome Martin back too. This final week focuses on the prayers of mission in the context of preparing for Easter. When we, his people, engage in his mission, we bring Jesus joy and he intercedes on our behalf. As we look towards the events of Easter and Jesus fulfilling his own mission, we can know that Jesus relied o...

This week’s prayers of Jesus explore a tough area – His words of desperation, pain and anguish. But despite this dark starting point, there’s a consistent theme running through these most desperate of prayers. An underlying trust and a firm hope and a promise of connection… “Father and My God”; hope against the odds. We can be confident in the one we pray too, that He is listening and there’s alwa...

In a break from our current series (although, as you’ll hear, not a break from our focus on prayer by any means!) on Mother’s Day, we take some time to think about what we have learned about faith and life from our mothers – courtesy of some of our church members.   Mother’s Day Cliff Andrews   Sunday 10th March   Find out more about our church community at  www.bbchurch.org.uk

Reflections on the epic prayer of Jesus in John chapter 17, with the focus on God’s glory being revealed on earth as it is in heaven. We will know God’s glory as his chosen people and what’s more, knowing his glory will bring us joy. In addition we can know that God enjoys being present with us and sharing the journey with us too – and he runs to meet us like a Father reunited with their child.  ...

In the latest in our series on the prayers of Jesus we continue to listen to the heartbeat of God. This week we’re exploring the blessings that Jesus spoke and therefore prayer for us – the grace he bestows on us. They allow us to see from God’s perspective, knowing Him as provider, our comforter and our place of belonging. It’s reassuring to know He wants the best for us and will do what He promi...

Continuing our series on the prayers of Jesus, this week we look at the prayers that Jesus might have been expected to pray. Yet he didn’t. Amidst the intensity of Holy week, Jesus didn’t ask for his Father to rescue him from his mission. He didn’t protect his disciples from the anguish that was to come. Jesus never prayed for the easy, comfortable option but for the right one – the one that would...

Beginning our new series, connecting with our motto verse for the year, we’re looking at the prayers of Jesus – and in particular one word that features in almost all of Jesus’ prayers. Abba. Father. Daddy. One word that represents the closeness and trust of a child approaching their Dad. Jesus wants us to have this kind of relationship with the Father – we are redeemed, no longer slaves and adopt...