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What does it mean to hope in Jesus for peace? In this talk, Owen Lynch looks at different ways countries have tried to bring peace through threats of violence and how different this is from God’s promise to absorb violence and give us healing. For more of the Christmas story and how we are celebrating this year, see severnvineyard.org/christmas
Read MoreHow does the promise of Jesus point us to an everlasting Father, and why is this good for us? In this talk, Joanna Moss looks at how Jesus' character revealed the Father heart of God, including self-giving love which can save and transform us. For more of the Christmas story and how we are celebrating this year, see severnvineyard.org/christmas
Read MoreWhat have people always wanted and needed from God? In this talk, Rebecca Kishtainy looks at how people have looked to God for hope throughout history and seen his intervention helping them through major challenges. Before Jesus, people might not have seen much past massive upheavals in their world but, looking back, we can see God working in a bigger timeframe and in bigger ways than anyone could imagine. Could that same God also provide the hope and help we need to see past the biggest challenges we face today?
Read MoreWhy does it matter that God entered our world in the person of Jesus? In our first Advent 2021 talk, Claire Lynch looks at how people were hoping for a wise king, full of wonder beyond understanding. We believe Jesus is that mind-blowing ruler, made even more remarkable to us by his approach to us through the vulnerability of childbirth and his sharing of our difficulties. Can we imagine God pursuing us, becoming us and modelling life to us? What difference would it make if we chose to follow this Jesus, a real, physical human in union with God, instead of just our idea of a perfect leader?
Read MoreHow is your connection with God right now? In this talk, Claire Lynch looks at reasons why we feel our connection gets lost and God seems distant. Do we think that God might let us go? Did Father God leave Jesus when when he was dying on the cross? What difference would it make to us if God always maintained his connection and never became distant?
Read MoreWhy would God be bothered about climate change and its consequences for life and the planet? In this talk, Owen Lynch looks at what the Bible says about God’s relationship with our planet and the role given to humanity in creation. The Bible mentions “dominion” over the earth, but what does this mean? Does God encourage us to act like we own the planet and consume what we like, or are we given greater responsibility? And is taking this seriously part of what it means to worship God?
Read MoreWhat happens when we doubt - is it the end of our faith? In this talk, Dan Green looks at one of Jesus’ followers who doubted and how they reconnected with the source of their faith and life. What can this mean for us when we struggle to reconcile simplistic ideas with the complexity of lives and relationships?
Read MoreHow much do we struggle to square simplistic Sunday school beliefs with our complex world? In this talk, Owen Lynch revisits some of the dramatic stories we tell our kids and puts them into context. What does God want us to know from the stories of creation, Adam and Eve and Noah’s Ark? And how can questioning our assumptions about these, while unsettling, lead to a deeper, healthier spirituality? (For more info, see “Genesis for Normal People” by Peter Enns and Jared Byas)
Read MoreIf we all see the world in our own unique, biased way, what about Jesus? Can we tell how he saw the world differently from us? In this talk, Owen Lynch looks at the ways Jesus looked at life, faith and religion differently from anyone else, in ways which shocked the establishment in his time - and might shock us now.
This is part of a series in which we are questioning our assumptions about God and faith and wondering how God might want to change our viewpoints.
Read MoreAfter bad times, how can we bounce back with hope? In this talk, Owen Lynch looks at what the Bible says about God’s love being poured out into our hearts. Did we earn or deserve this? Is there anything we have to do to receive it? If not, and if we can count on God’s unconditional love, can that hope give us a basis for whatever comes next in life?
Read MoreWhat happens when life makes it hard to believe in God? In this talk, Owen Lynch looks at crises of faith and identity which can arise in difficult times, perhaps because our faith expectations don’t match the reality of the world around us, or when the church seems to be offering easy answers which seem wrong, insensitive or even offensive to us. Have we undervalued questions, debates and doubts? What can we learn from Paul, whose personal crisis of faith and identity made him change when he met Jesus?
Read MoreHow many times does it take for us to learn? In this talk, Sarah Blackburn looks at two of Jesus' most famous miracles which look remarkably similar. After seeing what Jesus could do, why would his disciples need to learn the same lessons over again? Why do we? If we keep finding ourselves struggling or stuck in patterns of behaviour we would like to change, what can we learn from Jesus' perseverance and grace?
Read MoreHow do you picture Jesus and what he was like? In this talk, Owen Lynch looks at what we know about Jesus through the stories people told about him, from expectations of a Messiah before his birth to his life and encounters with people, his death and what happened next. Many were drawn into the crowd around him. If you had been alive at the time, would you have been one of them? How would this have changed your view of the world? And what would you make of Jesus' call to lose the life you have had and follow him?
Read MoreWhat is God like, and does he welcome us? In this talk, Liz Nixon looks at a story Jesus told about this which shocked religious people but should encourage us. If we have ever thought we have to perform for God and earn his love and acceptance, can this story help us reconnect with him and people who think life with God is not for them?
Read MoreShould people get what they deserve? In this talk, Joanna Moss looks at Jesus’s teaching on grace and ways to treat people better than they deserve. This includes giving things we need too, like forgiveness and restoration. If we receive these from God, can he enable us to give them freely and change our world?
Read MoreWhat does it mean to say that God is present in our lives, and what difference does this make? In this talk, Claire Lynch looks at three ways we can find this presence: as Christ in creation, as Christ in Jesus and as Christ Jesus in us. By learning to find God's distinctive qualities in our mixed up world, can we also find the power to overcome fear, pain and brokenness?
Read MoreWhat can you do that you love to share? In this talk, Bern Leckie looks at Jesus’s story about people trusted with incredible resources that they managed to multiply. It’s described as money, but is it really something else? What if we can overcome the things holding us back from sharing our talents, like comparing ourselves with others, and what if we can’t? Can this warning and encouragement from Jesus help us to grow good things in our relationships and ourselves?
Read MoreIf you could tell God what you really think, how much of it would be nice and how much would be angry, driven by rage, hatred or fear? Bern Leckie looks at how King David opened up his thoughts and emotions, and what journey God was taking people on to fix the problems David saw.
What difference does it make to see David and the law of his time as part way through that journey, not the destination? If that journey points to Jesus, and the law’s purpose is fulfilled with him, can he show us what God wanted for us all along, and could that surprise us?
Read MoreHow and when did God start getting involved in your life? Bern Leckie looks at David the Psalmist’s view that he didn’t have to do anything for God to do wonderful things with him. If we believe that we start life as originally sinful, broken, faulty ‘fixer uppers’, we might always think that we need to do something special to earn God’s acceptance. But when we look at how David credits God for making him wonderfully, can change how we relate to God and what we believe about ourselves too?
Read MoreWhat do you want your household to be known for? In this talk, Mal Calladine looks at how we can decide this and create a culture rather than having things just happen. It's also up to us how to develop spiritual lives in our families, and Mal has lots of practical ways to do this, and find time when it seems to be scarce. What will you choose to try?
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