While preparing a talk on Acts 8, the story of Philip and the Ethiopian Official, I was struck by something I’d never noticed before. It wasn’t strictly relevant to the talk, so it didn’t make the cut (despite how much I wanted to keep it in. Gotta keep killing those darlings!) But here it is……
Tag: god
God’s Book: An Honest Look at the Bible’s 7 Toughest Topics
By now you will have heard the stats, I’m sure. The Quiet Revival report from Bible Society indicates that church attendance in the UK has risen by over 50% in the past 6 years, with the most dramatic growth coming from 18–24 year olds. And with that has come an enormous increase in people turning…
A God-given Name
There’s a moment I love in the story of David, when he and Bathsheba have a child, who would go on to become Israel’s wisest king and build the Temple for God’s presence. His parents named him Solomon, which is a solid name. It’s related to the Hebrew word shalom, so it means in essence:…
A Living Community
At Oxford Community Church we are currently in a series on Community Groups, and this Sunday I co-preached on one of my favourite gospel stories in Mark 2 Four men bring their friend to Jesus, seeking healing. When faced with a crowd blocking their way, they take a courageous choice to do whatever it takes…
Venom and Antivenom: A Gospel Metaphor
Tim Friede has been bitten by snakes more than 200 times and received 700 injections of venom. Now his blood could save hundreds of thousands of people. It’s an imperfect gospel metaphor to be sure, but it’s not bad. The Seed and the Serpent From its opening pages to the closing ones, Scripture uses…
The Death of David’s Innocent Son (2 Samuel 12)
There are stories in Scripture which, honestly, I struggle with. One of them comes in 2 Samuel 12, when the Lord took the life of David’s innocent son. The context for this is the sin of David against Bathsheba and Uriah. The King summoned Bathsheba to his courts while her husband was away and, presumably…
The Banished are Beloved: A Holy Week reflection on David’s Sons
This week I’ve found myself reading through a rather unpleasant stretch of 2 Samuel – the story of David’s sons, Amnon and Absalom. These chapters are full of violence, abuse, manipulation and heartbreak. They’re not enjoyable to read at any time of year. Reading them on Holy Week, however, adds an extra layer of poignancy,…
We Love God’s Spirit (Conference recordings)
Helen and I recently had the joy of speaking at King’s Church Eastbourne for their weekend conference, We Love God’s Spirit. I’m a big fan of this church! We have many friends there and have visited countless times for theology and leadership training, albeit about 15 years ago! So it felt precious to be able…
Jesus and the Wasgij
‘In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways,but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son’ (Hebrews 1.1–2) Last week I delivered a sermon on Hebrews 1, looking at how Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God – the one who fully reveals His…
Slow Mercy
What if what feels like the slowness of God is actually his mercy? What if what feels like the unnecessarily long route is actually him protecting us from battles we are not yet ready to fight? Here’s a short reflection on Exodus 13 If you’re not familiar with Jubilee + I’d highly recommend checking them…
Liam Thatcher 