John 16:5-15 The film Groundhog Day depicted someone being trapped in a time loop. And one reason the film was so popular is that it resonated with so many people’s experience. Each day follows the last, but what’s the point? We’re just trapped in this endless cycle, having to create our own sense of meaning and purpose. The film taps into a longing we have to be caught up in a grand and glorious story which is actually heading somewhere. Join us as we hear Jesus’ teaching about where history’s heading, and how we can live purposeful lives.
Isaiah 54:1-10From Ovid’s ‘Metamorphoses’ to ‘Chunky to hunky’ accounts of beer bellies becoming six-packs, we love stories of personal transformation. This passage is about the mother of all transformations – the spiritual one that comes about through the work of the suffering Servant.
John 15:18-16:4 One-hit wonder Joan Osborne had a top-ten hit in the 90s with a song called “One of us”. The songs asks the question about what kind of reception we would expect God to get if he became one of us. What about if God were to reveal himself to one people in the world, and if he were to show them what life’s about and how to live and flourish in this world, how do we think the world would respond to those people? Our answer to these questions reveals a lot about our assumptions about humanity. Come and hear Jesus’ answers to these questions and why a distinctive feature of a Spirit-filled church must be being unpopular.
2 Corinthians 5:16-6:2 Children’s books and TV programs categorize people into goodies and baddies, but as we grow up we discover that the world is more complicated than that. Rather than seeing everything as “black and white” we discover instead “50 shades of grey”. This is why, for many people, they can’t accept the Bible with its simplistic categories of good and evil; heaven and hell; saved and lost. Listen in as we consider this issue together.
Colossians 1:28Fast-forward a few years. You’ve achieved all your lifetime goals – career, finance, family. And you’re now sitting in a private nursing home aged 82, and you realise you’d never bothered to ask what God’s goal for your life might be. How would you feel? It’d be rather late to realise you’d neglected what matters most. Don’t leave it til then. In this talk we discover what God’s goal is for your life.
2 Corinthians 5:9-15 The range of religious and spiritual options in London is bewildering, how are we to navigate through it all? How are we to know where to find truth and what’s a dead-end? What about the Barge – how can we make sure that we are on track? Listen in as we consider the Bible’s teaching on what is authentic ministry.
Isaiah 50:4-11The question “Are you a Christian?” is not a terribly helpful one nowadays. According to the 2011 UK census, 59% of the population would say they are, but what…
Mark 15:16-39 The Kingdom of God is an upside-down kingdom. Victory comes through defeat; healing through brokenness; finding self through losing self. Listen in as we consider how the subversive God chose to undermine our values once and for all.
Isaiah 49:1-14“How do I do broomstick crochet?” is a question of interest to no-one but a few specialists. “How can I get more joy in my life?” is a question of interest to all of us. The answer is revealed in Isaiah 49. It tells us how every day can be a party day!
Mark 14:22-42 A clergyman in Waterloo recently hit the headlines for allowing a Muslim prayer service in his church, sparking a debate about whether Christians and muslims do in fact worship the same God. A recent survey of Anglican clergy in the UK revealed that only 28% would now say that “Christianity is the only path to God”. So is it narrow and divisive for Christians to insist that Jesus is the only way? Listen in as we consider this question.