Jesus prayed for his church, that they would be one, even as the Trinity – Father, Son and Spirit – are one. In this talk, we consider the call and challenge of unity, and how a unified church can be a powerful witness in a divided world.
Category: God
This section won’t be everybody’s cup of tea, but here are my musings on faith, preaching and theology.
Rooted Podcast: Decoding the Parables
I recently got to sit down with friends from Bible Society and talk about the parables. Here’s our conversation on the Rooted Podcast: In this episode we discuss how Jesus used simple illustrations to convey profound truths about the kingdom of heaven, emphasising the hidden yet transformative nature of these teachings. Looking at the parable…
Stand Firm: Four talks on Daniel
Back in the summer, I had the opportunity to speak at the Dreaming the Impossible youth festival on behalf of Bible Society. Every morning, we led a Bible Study based in the book of Daniel and connected to the overall theme of the conference, ‘Stand Firm’. Given that this was the first year they’d run…
Abraham: Faith and Blessing (Genesis 12)
On Sunday I had the privilege of preaching at Carterton Community Church, continuing their new series on the life of Abraham. We considered the theme of blessing, which I argued is both a gift and a responsibility, and I encouraged the church to respond to the blessing of God wisely, not with pride, nor false…
God’s Manifold Wisdom (Ephesians 3)
On Sunday I kicked off a new sermon series at Oxford Community Church, looking at biblical images of the church. We considered Paul’s conversion, and what that taught him about Christ and the church, before turning to Ephesians 3 and thinking about how the wisdom of God is made known through the mystery of the…
Faith and Wisdom (James 3.13–18)
On Sunday, I preached at Oxford Community Church, as part of our series in the book of James. We looked the subject of faith and wisdom, considering what it means to be truly wise, and contrasting the Wisdom of Heaven with the Wisdom of Earth. If you’d like to catch up, you can find the…
Stewarding Faith through Disappointment (Luke 7)
Earlier this month, we hosted a series of prophetic conferences at Oxford Community Church, with guest speakers Ben and Heather Armstrong and Paul Manwaring, from Bethel Church, Redding California. These events were SO much fun – packed with great teaching that lay a strong foundation for growing in the prophetic and developing a culture where…
Two pastoral keys to the book of James
We’re currently preaching through the book of James at our church, and I kicked off the series the other week with some introductory reflections, about the author, his letter, and the central theme of faith. One of the things people are often struck by when reading this letter is its weightiness. I’ve felt the challenge…
Faith in Action (James 1.1; 5.19–20)
On Sunday, I preached at Oxford Community Church, kicking off a new sermon series on the book of James. We looked at who the author and recipients were, and considered some of the main themes of the letter – in particular, grace and faith. If you’d like to catch up, you can find the audio…
Re-Branding Through Baptism: Celebration, Cynicism, and Cautious Hope
So Russell Brand got baptised. Last Sunday, in the Thames. I watched this video of him describing the experience – you may have seen it. It was moving and beautiful to hear him describe the peace he has searched for in many places, and has now come to experience, since accepting Christ as his saviour….
Liam Thatcher 