St Matthias, Brighton - Talks

Tom speaks on how Jesus life-giving teaching transforms our understanding of money helping us to worry less and live generously.

In part 1 of the Vision Sunday talk, Tom explores St Matthias' vision to be centred upon Jesus and to see our communities transformed by the goodness of God.

What difference does worship make when the world feels unstable, fragile and driven by powerful forces beyond our control? In this talk, we step into Revelation 4 and 5, where John is given an unveiling of ultimate reality. Beneath the surface of empire, anxiety and fragile peace, he sees a throne in heaven. And at the centre of that throne, not a violent conqueror, but a Lamb who was slain. This...

In this talk, we take a look at the importance of songs of lament and how we can find hope in God through this process by looking more specifically at emotionally outpoured worship, honest-to-God worship and hope-filled worship.

Worship is where we slow down and become attentive to God. It is also where we express joy, longing, creativity, and praise that words alone cannot carry. But what is so special about singing? And how does our decision to shift our attention to worship change us? Join Sarah as she unpacks the power of our decision to give our attention to God.

Why do Christians sing, week after week? In this talk, we take a look “under the bonnet” of sung worship and explore what is happening beneath the surface. Drawing on Psalm 115, we consider the formative power of worship, becoming like what we trust and revere, and the cultural “stories” that quietly shape our hearts: consumerism, producerism, and individualism. From there, we turn to a simple fra...

Of all the emotions we struggle with, anxiety is perhaps the most tricky: a vital human emotion but so often overwhelming, even suffocating in its intensity and impact. How do we manage anxiety - particularly in seasons where there IS a lot to worry about, when it feels like we're at the end of ourselves and our comfort zone is a distant memory? And what can we learn from an episode in the lif...

Emotions (especitally the negative ones!) are one of the most challenging aspects of what it is to be human. We feel under so much pressure to stay in control, stay calm, hold back or even eradicate those negative emotions. We see this is a sign of maturity - and in the church all too often we can think this is a mark of spiritual maturity as well. But Jesus experienced emotions. Join Kate as she...

Kate kicks off a new short series thinking about what Jesus modelled as God living with the human brain and body he designed. What can we learn about how he embraced the limitations of what it is to be human? How does this challenge our culture of pushing limits and chasing the superhuman? And what might Jesus have to say to us in our moments of overwhelm and the start of a new year?

Join Tom in this first talk of 2026 as he remembers the visit of the Magi, called by a message they saw in the stars, to meet Jesus. What can we learn from this at the start of this year?

Join Kate this final Sunday of Advent to pause and take a moment to ponder just how amazing this story we tell and retell every year is. What was it that motivated John to write his gospel, revealed in his powerful opening words? How does this link to the ancient story of Moses and the people of God? And what does it mean for us as we contemplate God's glory this Christmas?

Recap our online seminar with Revd Dr Mark Scarlata exploring the beautiful and complex mythology of Revelation - with a particular focus on this season of advent and how it inspires and directs our prayers and worship at this time of year. In this seminar Mark shared his thoughts with Kate and Tom - and then took live questions.

Join Kate in this short talk given at our Carols by Candlelight service. How did Jesus come to bring a different kind of peace to the world? Kate reminds us that the peace God's love offers to the world is a peace that was for ALL people, and a heavenly hope that holds firm in all circumstances because it is sustained by not by human power or force but by the Almighty God, the everlasting Fath...

In this final talk of our  All Things New  series in Revelation, Clark explores the bold promise at the end of the biblical story, that God is renewing all things. Beginning with a simple question from his daughter about death and resurrection, he opens up the earthy, embodied, justice-shaped hope of the new creation, and why it matters for how we live now. This week also marks a shift into Advent...

Join Tom in this next talk in our series exploring Revelation, as he explores the importance of the Bible’s vision of the new heaven and the new earth - and how we are to be and bring a culture of life and light in a culture of death and darkness. 

The middle section of Revelation contains perhaps the most bewildering and alarming set of images and descriptions. But how can understanding the way they describe the two inherent weaknesses of humanity help us as we read these uncomfortable scenes? What is the big drama these stories tell and retell? How does God transform a human story of tragedy into a tale of heavenly hope - and what is our p...

What does it look like to find a career where you feel fulfilled - even in the face of challenges? How do you manage when busyness or limited resources stop you from bringing what you'd really like to in your work? Can you change an organisational culture that feels unhealthy? And what do you do if you've hit despair or disillusionment with your career or job? Join Kate Middleton and our l...

Ever feel like work culture pushes you to compromise what really matters? Join Kate Middleton and special guest Hazel Hyslop as they explore how to bring your heart and values to your workplace - even when it threatens to overwhelm them.

So many of the symbols and descriptions in revelation hold great power in our minds and imaginations. Why is it so important we understand that the imagery in Revelation is not literal, especially when they seem to depict violence and warfare and provoke a lot of anxiety? How then do we understand Revelation's vital message about a new kind of power that is at the heart of the throne and the K...

What do you think of when you think of Revelation? For so many people an honest answer to that question brings up fear or bewilderment, a sense that you have to be a theologian or scholar to get anything from this complex book. But what really is Revelation all about? How should we read it, and why does it have a vital message of hope and blessing to us? Join Kate as she kicks off our new series,...

This is the final session in our series starting a journey as a church exploring Justice. And we're joined by three people from our Church community, sharing their thoughts about Justice, considering questions like: What does this mean to us? Why is justice so important in our journey of following Jesus and what Justice issues is God bringing to mind and placing on our hearts?

Our guest speaker this Sunday, Philip Powell, is a theologian at Tearfund and former Co-director of the Justice Conference. He served at the Jubilee Centre, and as Head of Engagement and Chief Representative for an international NGO at the United Nations. Born in India, he lives in Cambridge with Renate and daughters Josephine and Dorothee. Join Phillip as he shares about Justice in the real world...

Tom continues our justice series by exploring how we can focus our work towards two areas: ‘environmental justice’ and ‘inclusion and accessibility’. The Bible passage is Ephesians 2:12-16

In this opening talk of our new Justice series, Clark explores the biblical foundations of justice: why it matters, where it comes from, and how it connects to God’s character and mission in the world. And what does the gospel of Jesus have to do with justice? Join us as we begin this journey into the heart of God’s justice - learning to see, to lament, and to live as apprentices of Jesus who embo...

What does it really mean to be a Christian? Too often, faith gets reduced to a “ticket to heaven” or a self-help sales pitch. In this talk we look back at how the church has wrestled with this question through history, and then turn to Jesus’ own invitation to take up his yoke. We explore what it means to apprentice ourselves to him today by learning to be with Jesus, become like him, and do what...