Have you ever been on the outside and wanted in? Have you observed a tight-knit group, and longed to be part of it? Maybe you’ve sought a position at a table, believing that it can give you status, power, opportunities, validation… And sure, perhaps you’ve had to push and strive a little to get invited…
Returning to our First Love (Revelation 2.1–7)
“What if Jesus’ definition of thriving leaders and thriving churches is different to ours?” Last weekend I had the privilege of speaking at Thrive – a conference for the Salt and Light Advance churches of which Oxford Community Church is a part. It was a fantastic event – with powerful times of worship, great speakers, and some…
Listening to the Spirit (Revelation 1)
On Sunday, I finished our sermon series at Oxford Community Church, by preaching from Revelation 1, on the subject of listening to the Spirit. We consider the significance of the church being depicted as a lamp stand, and looked at how Jesus loves to speak to his church, and through his church. If you’d like…
The Image of God (Genesis 1.26–31)
‘There are no gradations in the image of God. Every man from a treble white to a bass black is significant on God’s keyboard, precisely because every man is made in the image of God. One day we will learn that.’ Martin Luther King Jr. On Sunday I spoke at Aston and Cote Community Church,…
Hosting the Spirit
“The reason the church is in crisis today is because we have settled for the omnipresence rather than for the manifest presence of God.” Fred Hartley On Sunday, I started a new series at Oxford Community Church, by preaching on worship and the presence of God. We talked about the difference between God’s omnipresence and…
God With Us
On Sunday I spoke at Oxford Community Church’s Carol Service – a short talk exploring the message of light breaking into the darkness, and the wonder of knowing Immanuel: God with us. If you fancy catching up on the whole service, or the talk – or just getting a glimpse of my Christmas jumper –…
Put on the Suit: Cola, Christ, and the Santa-Verse
I wonder what you’ve made of this year’s flurry of Christmas adverts? Between John Lewis going all Little Shop of Horrors, M&S taking a flamethrower to family festivities, and Aldi giving us thinly-veiled euphemisms from a talking carrot, it’s been an odd bunch! For what its worth, my favourite offering for 2023 is Apple’s short…
The Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5)
On Sunday I spoke at Oxford Community Church, as part of our series on Galatians, and I talked about the Fruit of the Spirit. We looked at Paul’s instructions in Galatians 5, and I considered the questions: You can catch up on the audio or video here. (On the video, the talk starts at about…
Jesus the Healer (Matthew 8)
On Sunday I had the privilege of speaking at Christ Church Manchester’s CCM Day, where they gathered all their services together for a joint celebration. It was so much fun. We sang in English and Spanish, ate a lot of cake, and I got to speak on the subject of healing, and pray for people….
A change of heart for James the Just
I wrote yesterday about the lure of celebrity, and Jesus’ response to his brothers’ advice that: ‘No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.’ (John 7.4) Not only was the brothers’ advice worldly and built on unhealthy motives; it was…
Liam Thatcher 