For some of us, those two words don’t naturally seem to fit together; holiness and love. The idea of God’s holiness can feel daunting or scary, whilst the idea of His love may feel far more warm and inviting. So it’s tempting to see these as two aspects of God’s character which are at war…
Tag: the gospel
Gaia: Has the church silenced the sermon of creation?
‘The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge…Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.’ (Psalm 19.1-2, 4) ‘Since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen,…
Two types of prodigal. Two types of Father.
Writing about David, Absalom, Judas and Jesus reminded me of this thread I posted a couple of years ago on the return of two prodigal sons. When reading through 2 Samuel, I was struck by how vastly different Absalom’s return to David is in 2 Samuel 14ff, compared to the return of the younger brother…
Healing in his Wings (Luke 8:40-56)
This weekend I preached at Christ Church Manchester, and in the morning I spoke on one of (or rather, two of!) my favourite stories in Luke’s gospel: the healings of Jairus’ daughter and a lady who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years. It’s a remarkable passage, which demonstrates the heart of God, the power…
Living Sacrifice: Leave Room for God (Romans 12:17-21)
When we are wronged, we can easily feel tempted to retaliate, defend ourselves and seek revenge. But Paul says there is a better way. In the penultimate talk of our series, I consider how and why we should resist vengeance, and what it means to trust in the justice of God. For more on this…
The Spirit Filled Life: The Hand of God
In Acts 4, the church prayed for God to give them courage and stretch out His hand in signs and wonders. In the final talk of our series, Liam unpacks their prayer and considers what it means for us, as we seek to live lives filled with the Spirit of God. Audio: Listen or download Here…
The Spirit Filled Life: Empowered for Mission
The resurrected Jesus stood before his disciples and breathed upon them, giving them the Holy Spirit. In this talk, Liam considers the significance of this strange act, and looks at how Jesus sends us out with his message of forgiveness. Audio: Listen or download Here is a small-group practice to help you reflect on and…
Reading While Black
‘I want to make a case that […] this unapologetically Black and orthodox reading of the Bible can speak a relevant word to Black Christians today. I want to contend that the best instincts of the Black church tradition – its public advocacy for justice, its affirmation of the work of Black bodies and souls,…
Liam Thatcher 