34:45

Ep. 24 Oct 25, 2026

Sunday Gathering - John 8 : 21-30 - Erica Lugg - Sermon Only

Erica opens with a story about her parents being invited to a garden party at Buckingham Palace. Dressed up, mayoral chain and all, the family spent the day wondering what they were seeing. When they rang to ask how it had gone, her father — a man of few words — answered: “They had lovely ice cream.” That is the sermon in miniature. We can stand in front of something extraordinary, notice only the ordinary, and then start sorting the ordinary into what we like and what we would turn our noses up at. Erica suggests we do exactly this with Jesus: familiar with the church, the worship and the language, we lose sight of the one standing in front of us. John 8:21-30 continues the conversation Nick preached from last week, where Jesus called himself the light of the world. Now he says he is going away, that they will search for him and die in their sin, that they are from below while he is from above, and that unless they believe he is who he claims to be they will die in their sins. Their question in verse 25 — “Who are you?” — is the shock of the passage. These were not people who had never heard of him: they had listened, questioned and debated, and still could not see. Erica asks whether we recognise ourselves in that question — able to tell the stories, fluent in the language of Christianity, and still not really knowing the Jesus who is speaking. Verse 24 gives the reason belief matters. If Jesus is the light, the saviour and the life, then his absence is what leaves a person in darkness, bound to sin and separated from God. Erica distinguishes a threat from a warning: a threat coerces, while a warning tells you there is danger ahead and comes from someone who loves you — like telling your husband to watch for the dog poo. Jesus is not inventing a consequence to frighten people; he is telling the truth about who he is. From there she turns to the smaller Jesuses we build: the teacher whose advice we may argue with, the prophet who is one voice among many, the miracle-worker who fixes problems until a miracle does not come, the friend whose comfort we welcome while resisting his correction. Each is true as far as it goes, and each is too small. Only the Jesus who reveals himself as Lord has words that carry authority, and only he is the bread of life, the light, the gate, the shepherd, the resurrection, the way and the vine. Verse 30 closes with a sober note: many believed — but not all. Bible passages John 8:21-30 — the text: “unless you believe that I am he”, “Who are you?”, “when you have lifted up the Son of Man”, and verse 30, “many believed in him”. John 8:12 — last week’s text: “I am the light of the world”; whoever follows me will not walk in darkness. John 1:10-11 — the world did not recognise him; his own did not receive him. John 1:12 — to all who received him he gave the right to become children of God. John 6:35 — “I am the bread of life.” John 10:9 — “I am the gate.” John 10:11 — “I am the good shepherd”, who lays down his life for the sheep. John 11:25 — “I am the resurrection and the life.” John 14:6 — “I am the way and the truth and the life.” John 15:1 — “I am the true vine.” Key points Familiarity is the danger: standing in front of the extraordinary and noticing only the ordinary, then deciding which parts we like. “Who are you?” — the people closest to Jesus, with the most evidence, still failed to recognise him; proximity is not faith. The absence of Jesus is what leaves us in darkness and bound to sin; verse 24 describes reality rather than threatening. Every reduced Jesus — teacher, prophet, fixer, friend — is true as far as it goes and too small to save. If he is only a teacher we pick which of his words we obey; he is Lord before he is friend, and his friendship does not cancel his lordship. The “I am” sayings are claims, not advice: bread, light, gate, shepherd, resurrection, way, vine. What we do with Jesus is the only decision with consequences beyond this life; many believed, not all. Calls to action Stop settling for the Jesus we have constructed and ask to see the Jesus who has revealed himself in Scripture. If you have never believed, hear the warning as an invitation: come to him as he says he is, even without understanding everything. If you have believed for years, do not rest in familiarity — the church, the worship, the language, Christian values — but keep asking him to reveal himself again. Pray honestly: “Jesus, I don’t get it all, but I want to believe you as you say you are; help me to follow you, so that I walk in the light and not in darkness.” Be willing to embrace an uncomfortable life if that is what it costs to discover who he is. Young people especially: the choice about Jesus outranks where you live, who you marry, your career and your money. Watch the video: https://youtu.be/KnaHs3t_Xf0

26:15

Ep. 23 Oct 20, 2026

Sunday Gathering - John 8 : 12-20 - Nick Lugg - Sermon Only

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” (John 8:12) Nick opens up John 8:12–20, where Jesus makes one of his boldest claims — and refuses to soften it when the Pharisees tell him his testimony cannot be valid. Drawing on years spent living in Zambia, where power cuts and unlit roads made darkness something you felt rather than simply saw, Nick asks what it actually looks like to live without light: confusion, fear, disorientation, and no idea which way to turn. The light, he argues, is not faith, or understanding, or church attendance. The light is Jesus himself. That makes the claim uncomfortable as well as hopeful — it is possible to be near the church and still be in the dark. Bible passages John 8:12 — the sermon text: “I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will not walk in darkness” John 8:13–18 — the Pharisees challenge Jesus’ testimony; Jesus answers that it stands because the Father is his second witness John 8:19–20 — “Where is your father?”; Jesus teaches in the temple treasury and is not arrested because his time had not yet come John 8:1–11 — the woman caught in adultery, referred back to as the previous week’s passage Peter’s vow to follow Jesus even to death (Matthew 26:33–35) — used to show how quickly confidence collapses when the lights go out Luke 2:10–11 — the angels’ announcement of good news of great joy for all people, cited to show the light is for the whole world Key points “I am the light of the world” is an exclusive claim — Jesus does not say he is a light, or one option among many Darkness is a present reality: confusion, fear, uncertainty, not knowing which way to turn Nick’s years in Zambia — power cuts, night driving with no white lines, cat’s eyes or street lights, and the physical relief when light returns The light is not faith, understanding, church attendance, or the label “Christian”; the light is Jesus himself It is possible to come close to church and still remain in darkness Believing, enjoying church and understanding the Bible are not the same as a personal encounter with Jesus Nick’s own conversion at 16, thirty-nine years ago: his grandmother expected a phase, but something changed that never changed back Following Jesus is not a one-off decision but a daily commitment Revival begins with a community of people who deliberately focus on Jesus every day Calls to action If you have never given your life to Jesus: do it now — speak up, connect with someone, and let them pray with you Make a personal response today: “Lord Jesus, I want to follow you. Come into my life, shine your light.” Start each day deliberately turning towards Jesus: “Lord Jesus, today I’m going to follow you.” Join the church in becoming a community among whom Jesus lives and shines his light Recorded at Meadowhead Christian Fellowship. Watch the video: https://youtu.be/pi2PoilS_uE

28:47

Ep. 22 Oct 20, 2026

Sunday Gathering - John 7 : 53 - 8 : 11 - Andy Holingum - Sermon Only

Andy Holingum continues the series in the Gospel of John, reading John 7:53-8:11 (the woman caught in adultery). He opens by recalling two questions Micah raised two weeks earlier — “Who do you say Jesus is?” and “Who does your life say Jesus is?” — and moves into the passage as a fresh answer to that challenge. The teachers of the law and Pharisees drag a woman caught in adultery before Jesus, using her as a trap. Andy notes that Deuteronomy 22:22 demands the death of both parties, yet only the woman is brought: the man is missing, exposing the crowd’s true motive. They are not upholding the law but manipulating a vulnerable woman to entangle Jesus. Jesus bends down and writes on the ground, then offers a third way — “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone” — and the crowd disperses, older ones first, leaving Jesus alone with the woman. He neither condemns nor excuses her: “Neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin.” The heart of the message is what this episode says about how we handle sin — ours and others’. Andy traces finger-pointing back to Genesis 3, where Adam blames the woman and Eve blames the serpent. It is the same instinct that drives workplace blame, politics, and social media. Jesus’ response in Matthew 7 — the speck and the plank — turns the gaze back on ourselves. The calling-out of sin in this passage produces two responses: the woman stays, is forgiven, and receives freedom; the crowd admits sin in general, refuses to name it, and walks away still condemned. Only Jesus frees from the grip of sin, not just its penalty. Andy ties this to 1 John 1:9 — confession brings forgiveness and purifying — and to Philippians 2, where the attitude of Christ means laying down our ego rather than protecting it. Isaiah 58:9-10 adds that God answers when we do away with the pointing finger and malicious talk and instead spend ourselves on behalf of the hungry and oppressed. The Sully film anecdote drives it home: Jesus looks at us and says, “Can we get serious now?” Bible passages John 7:53-8:11 — the woman caught in adultery, the sermon text Deuteronomy 22:22 Genesis 3:6-13 Matthew 7:3-5 Philippians 2:5-8 Romans 1:16 Isaiah 58:9-10 1 John 1:9 Key points Finger-pointing is everywhere — homes, workplaces, politics — and we all do it to protect ourselves. The Pharisees are not upholding the law of Moses; Deuteronomy 22:22 requires the man as well as the woman, and he is absent. Jesus offers a third way that exposes the trap: only the sinless may throw the first stone. The crowd’s slow departure — older ones first — is an admission of guilt; they remain under condemnation. The woman stays and receives both grace (“Neither do I condemn you”) and truth (“go and leave your life of sin”). Confession before Jesus, with nothing hidden, is where condemnation and shame are lifted. 1 John 1:9 is John recalling this very episode: confession brings forgiveness and purifying. Philippians 2 calls believers to the attitude of Christ — laying down ego, not preserving it. Isaiah 58:9-10 links God’s answering prayer to putting away the pointing finger and serving the oppressed. Andy challenges believers to “get serious” about sin, moving beyond celebration to daily self-denial and cross-bearing. Calls to action To believers: stop pointing fingers; get serious with Jesus about the plank in your own life rather than the speck in others’. To believers: do away with pointing fingers and malicious talk; roll up your sleeves and serve the hungry and oppressed around you. To believers: deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and let Jesus change your life — not just celebrate what he has done. To believers: come before Jesus with everything laid bare, confess, and receive his forgiveness and freedom from sin’s grip. To anyone who has never professed faith: stay before Jesus as the woman did; do not walk away like the crowd, but find freedom from sin and condemnation in him alone — “let’s make good choices.” Watch the video: https://youtu.be/KpFza3UEMww

34:52

Ep. 21 Oct 20, 2026

Sunday Gathering - John 7 : 36-52 - Myke Walters - Sermon Only

Myke Walters, the church’s youth worker, takes John 7:37-52 and begins with a rapid tour of the series so far: the Word in chapter 1; the wedding, the temple, Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman in chapters 2 to 4; the Sabbath healing and the Passover in 5 and 6; and now the Feast of Tabernacles, where Jesus’ brothers press him to go up to Jerusalem and he goes secretly instead, before teaching in the temple courts. He reads the passage in full. On the last and greatest day of the festival Jesus calls out that anyone who is thirsty should come to him and drink, promising rivers of living water to those who believe — water John explains as the Spirit, not yet given because Jesus had not yet been glorified. The crowd divides over him: some call him the prophet, some the Messiah, others object that the Christ comes from David’s line and from Bethlehem rather than Galilee. The temple guards return empty-handed and are accused of being deceived along with a cursed mob, and Nicodemus, who had come to Jesus earlier, asks whether their law condemns a man without first hearing him. Walters’ through-line is the question: who do you say Jesus is, and who does your life say Jesus is? The competing answers in the passage show people holding the same words and still splitting over them, and he notes that the arguments hurled at Jesus then — deception, bias, a cursed crowd — are the sorts of voices that still speak over people’s lives. His weight falls on “anyone”: the invitation is not caveated, it was issued in front of people who wanted Jesus dead, and so the person next to you qualifies. Thirst, he says, is spiritual — the hole in a person that relationships, career, money and fame never fill — and drinking is obedience, receiving the Spirit who now lives inside believers. He closes with who God says we are: a new creation, free from condemnation, more than conquerors, and an invitation to look in the mirror and see what God sees. Bible passages John 7:37-52 — the passage read, beginning at verse 37 John 7:37-39 — the invitation to drink, and the Spirit not yet given John 7:40-44 — the crowd divided: prophet, Messiah, and the objection from Bethlehem John 7:45-52 — the guards, the Pharisees, and Nicodemus’ protest John 1:1 — “In the beginning was the Word”, from the series recap John 20:31 — written so that you may believe and have life in his name Deuteronomy 6:4-5 — the Shema, hearing and obeying, called God’s love language Matthew 16:15 — “who do you say that I am?” 2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 8:1, Romans 8:37 and Ephesians 1:3 — the identity affirmations he closes with Key points The recap places this passage at the Feast of Tabernacles Jesus invites anyone who is thirsty to come to him and drink The living water is the Spirit, given once Jesus is glorified The crowd splits over who he is, and the leaders want him arrested The guards come back empty-handed; Nicodemus objects on legal grounds Who do you say Jesus is, and who does your life say Jesus is? “Anyone” means the person next to you, and the invitation carries no caveat Thirst is spiritual, and nothing created can fill that hole Drinking is obedience — hearing and obeying, God’s own love language Messiah means the anointed one; John writes so that we may believe and live The voices that dismissed Jesus then still speak over people now Lewis’s trilemma: no merely great teacher option, only lunatic, devil or Lord Had Jesus not died and risen, the Pharisees would have been right Stay and drink, rather than a sip before going your own way The closing questions: are we thirsty, where are we drinking, and who is Jesus in my life? Calls to action If you have never believed: come and drink — recognise the thirst and act on it Turn to the person next to you and tell them, “you are anyone” Ask yourself who your life says Jesus is If you have been drinking from other pools, repent and ask God to water your soul Open the closed rooms of your heart to God Look in the mirror and see what God sees Come out of your seat during worship and find a mirror Watch the video: https://youtu.be/dNjWKgys8ag

34:23

Ep. 20 Oct 20, 2026

Sunday Gathering - John 7 : 25-36 - Cornelius Tanis - Sermon Only

Cornelius Tanis continues a sermon series through the Gospel of John, preaching from John 7:25-36 on 20 September 2026. Six months after the events of chapter 6, Jesus has gone up to Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles and is now teaching publicly in the temple. The crowd and religious leaders are divided: some wonder if the leaders believe He is the Messiah, others argue that since they know where He comes from He cannot be the Christ. The Pharisees and chief priests send temple guards to arrest Him, but no one lays a hand on Him because His hour has not yet come. Many in the crowd believe, while the leaders remain hostile and puzzled by His statement that they cannot go where He is going. Tanis sets the scene by recapping chapter 6 — the feeding of the 5,000, walking on water, and the bread-of-life discourse — noting that many disciples left and Peter confessed Jesus as the Christ. Tanis frames the passage around the question “Is Jesus the Christ?” and deepens it by exploring the significance of the Feast of Tabernacles, the last of Israel’s three great pilgrimage feasts. The feast celebrates God’s presence dwelling among His people — the tabernacle was God’s tent in the desert, where He promised, “I will be your God and you will be my people,” a phrase repeated roughly thirty times throughout Scripture. Jesus, God in flesh, now stands in Jerusalem at this very feast, yet His people reject Him just as the Israelites rebelled in the desert. Of the entire exodus generation, only two entered the Promised Land because they did not believe God’s promises of provision, guidance, and protection. Jerusalem itself is central — mentioned hundreds of times from Genesis to Revelation, the place where God will ultimately take up His dwelling. The preacher then turns to the Christological debate: Is Jesus man or God? He notes that even the early church wrestled with this until the Council of Nicaea (around AD 325) affirmed that Jesus Christ is God and man. He quotes Philippians to underscore that Jesus, being in the very nature of God, made Himself nothing and became obedient to death on a cross. Tanis warns that Jesus’ words — “you will search for me, but not find me, and where I am, you cannot come” — constitute a solemn condemnation for those who do not believe, and he ties this directly to John 3:16, where Jesus says whoever believes in Him has eternal life while whoever does not believe stands condemned already. He closes with a direct appeal for anyone who has never received Jesus as Savior to come forward and not remain an outsider. Bible passages John 7:25-36 John 7:26-27 John 7:31-34 John 3:16 John 1:14 Micah 5:2 Zechariah 8:3 Revelation 21:2 Philippians 2:5-8 Luke 15 Key points Jesus stands alone in Jerusalem at the Feast of Tabernacles, rejected by the religious leaders and debated by the crowd. The Feast of Tabernacles celebrates God’s presence dwelling among His people, a theme repeated from Exodus to Revelation. The Israelites’ unbelief in the desert — only two entered the Promised Land — parallels Jerusalem’s rejection of Jesus. Jesus is both God and man, a truth affirmed at the Council of Nicaea. “I will be your God and you will be my people” is the heartbeat of the covenant, appearing throughout Scripture. Failing to believe means being unable to go where Jesus is going — a warning and a call. Belief is the gateway to all of God’s promises: provision, guidance, protection, and eternal life. Christ means anointed one; Jesus means God who saves — the title “Jesus Christ” carries immense weight. Jerusalem is the city where God will ultimately take up His dwelling, and Jesus loves it despite its rejection. The early church prayer “Maranatha” — Come, Lord Jesus — reflects the longing for His return. Calls to action For those who have never professed faith: come forward and receive Jesus as Savior; do not remain an outsider. For the sick or unwell: come forward for prayer and anointing with oil. For all believers: surrender to Jesus, trust His direction, and wake up to the reality that He is God and man. Do not be standing on the outside like the people of Jerusalem — believe and receive the promises of God. Watch the video: https://youtu.be/iErTaHMfBdY

33:04

Ep. 19 Oct 20, 2026

Sunday Gathering - John 7 : 10-24 - Andy Holingum - Sermon Only

Andy Holingum continues a sermon series in John’s Gospel, preaching from John 7:10-24, set during the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem. After recounting recent weeks in John 5 and 6 — the Sabbath healing of a paralytic, the feeding of the five thousand, and many disciples falling away — he sets the scene: Jesus goes up to the feast secretly while the Jewish leaders watch for him and the crowd whispers divided opinions, afraid to speak publicly. Halfway through the feast, Jesus steps into the temple courts and teaches with an authority that amazes the crowd, who wonder how an uneducated man can speak this way. Holingum unpacks Jesus’ answer in verses 16-18, identifying three grounds for his authority: his teaching comes not from himself but from the one who sent him, so it is nothing new but the continuation of all God has said in the Old Testament; it is verified in lived experience, for anyone who chooses to do God’s will will find out whether his teaching is from God; and his motives are selfless, seeking the honour of the one who sent him rather than his own. He then moves to verses 19-24, where Jesus exposes the hypocrisy of leaders who keep the letter of the law — circumcising on the Sabbath — yet rage at him for healing a whole man on the Sabbath, and concludes with the command to stop judging by mere appearances and make a right judgment. The through-line is that Jesus’ authority is divine, not merely religious, and that following him means moving beyond surface-level religion and face-value judgment to the reality of a loving, merciful God. Holingum applies this to the tendency to cling to comfortable religion, to tribalism and gossip, and to the fear that keeps people silent about Jesus, calling the congregation to speak up, to test Jesus in everyday life, and to look beyond appearances as Jesus himself did with the Samaritan woman and the woman caught in adultery. Bible passages John 7:10-24 John 7:1-9 John 5:1-18 John 6:1-71 John 7:37-38 Acts 2:1-4 Psalm 34:8 John 4:1-42 John 8:1-11 Luke 10:25-37 Key points Jesus went up to the Feast of Tabernacles secretly, but halfway through he began teaching in the temple courts with astonishing authority. The crowd was divided — some called him a good man, others a deceiver — yet no one spoke publicly for fear of the Jewish leaders. Holingum gives background on the feast: a pilgrimage festival lasting eight days, with booths, daily sacrifices, and thanksgiving for God’s provision in the wilderness. Jesus grounds his authority in Scripture: his teaching is not new but the continuation of what God has already said in the Old Testament. Jesus ties his teaching to lived experience: anyone who chooses to do God’s will will discover that his words are true. Jesus’ motives are selfless — he seeks the honour of the one who sent him, not his own glory. Jesus exposes the hypocrisy of leaders who permit circumcision on the Sabbath yet condemn him for healing on the Sabbath. The command of verse 24 is to stop judging by mere appearances and make a right judgment. Jesus modeled this himself with the Samaritan woman, the woman caught in adultery, and in parables such as the Good Samaritan. Gossip is always based on face value; Holingum’s test is whether what we hear is loving, true, and necessary. Calls to action For those who have never professed faith: do not settle for thinking of Jesus as merely a good man or a deceiver — test his words in lived experience and discover that he is who he claims to be. For believers: speak up for Jesus publicly rather than staying silent out of fear of family, peers, society, or government. For believers: study Scripture diligently so that God’s voice and authority become the yardstick for all teaching. For believers: follow leaders who point to Jesus rather than to themselves, and help build a church that carries on beyond any individual. For believers: stop judging at face value — move beyond tribalism, love people who are not like you, and squash gossip by asking whether it is loving, true, and necessary. Watch the video: https://youtu.be/BuNXv1_qsnA

31:19

Ep. 18 Oct 20, 2026

Sunday Gathering - John 7 : 1-9 - Nick Lugg - Sermon Only

Nick Lugg preaches on John 7:1-9 as the series in John’s Gospel pauses before a busy summer break, under two titles: the courage of conviction, and the call of God on our lives being greater than the pressure we face. Jesus has been travelling around Galilee because the Jewish leaders in Judea were plotting his death; when the festival of shelters approaches his brothers urge him to go south where his followers can see his miracles, since he cannot become famous if he hides like this, and they want him to show himself to the world even though John notes they did not believe in him. Jesus refuses: now is not the right time for him to go, though they can go at any time, and the world cannot hate them but it does hate him, because he accuses it of doing evil. The preacher names the pressure as double-sided: enemies plotting to kill him, and those closest to him pressing him to dance to their tune, to turn his miracles into a miracle circus and make a name for himself. He reflects that we all face pressure, and that it only damages something when the pressure inside is less than the pressure outside, like a balloon popping or the implosion of the Titan submersible. Facing pressure for faith does not invalidate it; it proves it is genuine. The illustration carries through to the church’s own 146 project, where a million-pound cost and a roofless building could have been reasons to back off; instead he tells of Erica’s parents, David and Margaret, Elim missionaries sent to Ghana in the 1960s who were told there was nothing to do there, found 60 people at a welcome service and left eight years later to 6,000. The closing appeal is to step in, since God will do it with someone else if we decline. Bible passages John 7:1-9 (main text) John 7:7 (the world hates me because I accuse it of doing evil) Mark 8:34 (if anyone wants to follow me they must take up their cross and follow me) Hebrews 12:2 (Jesus endured the cross for the joy set before him) Luke 22:42 (not my will but yours be done) Esther 4:14 (who knows that you were brought to royal position for such a time as this) Key points Jesus stayed in Galilee because the Jewish leaders were plotting his death, facing it without panic or crisis. Jesus would not take his direction from anyone; he stuck to the timetable his Father had given him: my time has not yet come. Pressure only damages something when the pressure inside is less than the pressure outside, like a balloon popping or the Titan submersible imploding. Facing pressure for our faith does not invalidate it; it proves our faith is genuine, and the pressure to conform is huge in our society. As people of God we hold out the word of life, which calls us to change, align our will with God’s purposes and lay down our ego. Conviction and courage are inseparable, and without conviction we get blown about. He quotes Alexandre Auguste Ledru Rollin: there go the people, I must follow them, for I am their leader, and says we cannot live like that as followers of Jesus. Erica’s parents were redirected from Zimbabwe to Ghana in the 1960s, and on arrival they were told there was nothing to do there. They found 60 people at the welcome service and 6,000 at the farewell eight years later; Margaret co-founded Ghana’s children’s movement. He recalls his 1994 appointment as a pastor when Erica’s dad said, you haven’t got any experience and you are very young, but are you called? I said, yeah. Well that settles it then. He calls the congregation to humility about the 146 project: it is not our vision but God’s plan. He quotes Erica: we never step into a situation where God is not present, Emmanuel, God with us. He closes with Esther: God will do it from somewhere else if we will not, but who knows that you were brought to royal position for such a time as this. Calls to action Appeal to anyone who has never professed faith: the closing question is what is God doing and will you step in, with an invitation to respond in your hearts. Invitation to believers under pressure: recenter yourself this morning, focus again on him, and ask what the Lord is calling you to and what he is doing. Invitation to come to the front if you want prayer: come here down the front and we’ll pray if you want to settle it there. Ongoing challenge to believers: hold out the word of life without compromise, and let the call of God on our lives be greater than the pressure we face. Ongoing challenge to the church: be the engine room of transformation, not just a group that meets on Sunday, and transform communities by standing up, standing out and speaking out. Watch the video: https://youtu.be/lVkaUdmxdAQ

31:32

Ep. 17 Oct 20, 2026

Sunday Gathering - John 6 : 60-70 - Jonny Greaves - Sermon Only

Jonny Greaves preaches on John 6:60-70, the closing verses of a chapter that began with the feeding of the five thousand and became Jesus’ long “bread of life” discourse. Andy had preached the earlier section two weeks ago. Now the crowds are hearing hard words, and people start to leave. The through-line is the cost of following Jesus. The disciples’ grumbling uses the same word as the Israelites in the wilderness: “this is a hard teaching, who can accept it” is the moment people realize following Jesus could cost them. Many turn back. Jesus asks the Twelve, “You do not want to leave, do you?” Peter’s reply, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life,” becomes the hinge: Peter has handed out the bread and seen the healings, yet does not understand the cross. The key claim is that belief does not come from understanding. Even after the resurrection the disciples still expected Jesus to throw out the Romans, yet he welcomed them because they had met him. In Jesus, God reveals his heart — gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in covenant love and faithfulness (Exodus 34) — and his will: everyone who looks to the Son and believes shall have eternal life (John 6:40), echoing the bronze snake, where anyone who looked was saved. The call is to trust Jesus even when the way is costly. Bible passages John 6:60-70 — main passage, read in full John 6:54-58 — quoted from the earlier discourse Andy preached on John 6:63, 65, 67-69 — quoted within the main reading John 6:40 — “everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life” Exodus 16 — the manna story retold at length Numbers 11:5 — the “cucumbers” complaint (he calls it Exodus) Exodus 34:6-7 — “gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in covenant love and faithfulness,” which he calls his favourite John 1:18 — “no one has ever seen God, but… the Son has made himself known” (he guesses the verse number) Numbers 21:4-9 — the bronze snake, which he calls an Exodus story Matthew 16:13-28; Mark 8:27-38 — the parallel “who do you say I am” conversations where Peter objects that the Messiah must not die Exodus 7-14 — passing allusions (ten plagues, Red Sea) Jesus’ baptism — the Spirit landing on Jesus Key points John 6 moves from a simple miracle into Jesus’ long, difficult teaching; people have always struggled to accept what he says. Jesus’ bread-of-life language echoes the manna story: God fed the grumbling Israelites, but they needed true life, not just bread. John uses the same word for the disciples’ grumbling as for the Israelites’: “this is a hard teaching” is grumbling behaviour, not a neutral question. Following Jesus began as excitement, thousands fed, constant healing, but as the cost became clear, many turned back. Followers come in layers: some were just hanging on for the free meals. Jesus says the Spirit gives life and the flesh counts for none; yet some do not believe, and he knew from the beginning who would betray him. Jesus asks the Twelve plainly, “You do not want to leave, do you?”, an honest question about staying at a cost. Peter’s confession comes from experience: he handed out the bread and fish and saw the healings first-hand. Peter did not understand the cross. In Matthew and Mark he objects that the Messiah must rule and reign, not die; even after the resurrection the disciples still expected the kingdom. Belief does not come from understanding. The disciples believed because they had met Jesus; the person of Jesus has revealed God to them. In Jesus, God reveals his heart: Exodus 34’s gracious, compassionate God is exactly what Jesus demonstrated in his compassion for people trapped by sin and death. In Jesus, God reveals his will: John 6:40, everyone who looks to the Son and believes shall have eternal life. The bronze snake, anyone who looks is saved, is the imagery Jesus applies to himself; the path to victory runs through humility, sacrifice, and the cross, the “upside-down kingdom.” God’s will is not a complicated hidden plan; when you understand his heart, you know his will is to rescue people. Calls to action To those who have never professed faith: look to Jesus as Peter did, even without understanding; the bronze snake says “you’ve just got to look.” To all listeners: approach God’s word with a heart that wants to find him, not as an academic exercise. To believers: step out in faith today, trusting Jesus in hard circumstances, and keep supporting and praying for one another. To believers: bring the love God showed in Jesus into your life and the lives of those you love. Watch the video: https://youtu.be/QduGRY8Z7Vw

26:36

Ep. 16 Oct 20, 2026

Sunday Gathering - John 6 : 22-59 - Andy Holingum - Sermon Only

Andy Holingum continues a series in the Gospel of John, preaching on John chapter 6, working through the bread of life discourse that Jesus gave in the synagogue at Capernaum. The through-line is Jesus turning up the heat on his hearers: after the feeding of the 5,000 and the walking on water, a huge crowd has hunted him across the lake, and Jesus uses their search to move them from limited understanding of what he is about to what he is really here for. He frames the chapter as a movie-style plot twist that makes us press pause, rewind and re-read — by verse 66 many disciples turn back and no longer follow him. Jesus begins by naming the crowd’s real motive: they followed because they ate the loaves, not because they understood the signs, and he tells them to stop working for food that spoils and to work for the food that endures to eternal life. Asked what work God requires, he answers that the work of God is to believe in the one he has sent — unpicked as trust and faith in action, not mere agreement. The sermon sets our short, stuff-filled lives against eternity: the next fix only momentarily satisfies, because God has set eternity in the hearts of men. When the crowd asks for a sign and cites the manna their ancestors ate in the wilderness, Jesus answers that Moses did not give the bread from heaven, the Father does, and declares himself the true bread of life who permanently satisfies. The passage then moves to the Father’s drawing and Jesus’ welcome: all that the Father gives him will come, and whoever comes to him he will never drive away; mission is joining the Father’s heart, not our own idea. The Jews grumble that Jesus is just the son of Joseph, and Jesus repeats that no one can come unless the Father draws them. The sermon closes on the hardest saying of the chapter — unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood you have no life in you — insisting this is not cannibalism but Jesus pointing for the first time in John to the cross, where his flesh is given for the life of the world. To eat this bread is to agree with the cross, to admit that it should have been me, and to receive the great exchange of full surrender to the God who pursued me. Bible passages John 6:22-59 — main text, the bread of life discourse John 6:24 — the crowd boats to Capernaum in search of Jesus John 6:26-27 — do not work for food that spoils but for food that endures John 6:28-29 — the work of God is to believe in the one he has sent John 6:30-35 — not Moses but the Father gives the true bread from heaven John 6:36-40 — whoever comes to Jesus he will never drive away John 6:41-46 — the Jews grumble; no one can come unless the Father draws them John 6:51-59 — eat my flesh and drink my blood John 6:66 — many disciples turned back and no longer followed him Exodus 16 — the manna in the wilderness Ecclesiastes 3:11 — God has set eternity in the hearts of men Isaiah 54:13 — they will all be taught by God James 2:19 — the devil believes and shudders Key points The crowd hunted Jesus down looking for another meal, not because they understood his signs. Jesus redirects them from food that spoils to the food that endures to eternal life. The work of God is to believe in the one God has sent — trust in action, not mere agreement. We chase momentary satisfactions because we are made for eternity and nothing smaller can fill that depth. All that the Father gives Jesus will come, and whoever comes he will never drive away. The Father’s drawing and our coming stand together; mission joins the Father’s heart. Jesus’ hard sayings provoke a grumbling phase in every follower. Eat my flesh and drink my blood is not cannibalism; Jesus points ahead to the cross. To eat this bread is to agree with the cross: it should have been me, but Jesus died in my place. Jesus repeats his core promises three times because the message is life-changing. Calls to action For those who have never professed faith: come to Jesus — whoever comes he will never drive away. For those outside faith: receive the bread of life and let Jesus satisfy the longings nothing else can meet. For believers: reorder priorities from stuff that spoils to the food that endures. For believers: when Jesus’ words grow hard, do not grumble or turn back — re-read chapter six. For believers: pray with confidence for wanderers, the younger generation and families, because it is the Father’s heart to draw people to Jesus. For believers: come through the cross — agree that Jesus died in your place and live in full surrender. Watch the video: https://youtu.be/EdcspAtvtZI

28:21

Ep. 15 Oct 20, 2026

Sunday Gathering - John 6 : 16-21 - Erica Lugg - Sermon Only

Erica Lugg takes the disciples’ crossing of the Sea of Galilee as a picture of the place she calls “between shores” — far enough from the destination that it seems unreachable, far enough from the shore they left that going back feels just as impossible, and making no progress in between. She is careful about the geography: these were experienced fishermen, the crossing was only five to eight miles, and in normal weather it was a few hours’ work. Yet John says it was already dark when they set out, and Matthew puts Jesus’ arrival at the fourth watch, somewhere between three and six in the morning — meaning they had been rowing against the wind most of the night and covered three or four miles. Her point is that the dark place is not evidence that Jesus is absent; it may be precisely where he intends to reveal himself. Obedience, she insists, does not buy us calm water. Jesus had told them to get in the boat and cross, and the storm came anyway, because obedience sometimes takes us into places where we cannot see. She tells a story about Aidan, her eldest, then three years old, walking home from nursery with Nick when a thunderstorm broke. Aidan sat down in the road and refused to move, and they were drenched — the point being that sitting down in the middle feels like a reasonable option, but you always get wetter doing nothing than letting your legs keep going. Jesus, she notices, let them struggle for a long time before he came, and that was deliberate: he had something to show them that they could not have seen in easy water. She is honest about the questions that arrive in that gap — where are you, God? — and answers them with promise rather than feeling: he said he would be with us to the end of the age, and feelings are not the truth. When Jesus does come, John’s word is “suddenly”, and Lugg makes much of it: the suddenly of God rarely announces itself. The storm they had been fighting to control is the surface he walks on, and she draws the distinction sharply — her instinct is to manage a situation, to fix it and box it, but Jesus does not manage the storm, he rules over it. His words, “It is I; do not be afraid”, are the words of the burning bush, the divine name, so this is a revelation of identity rather than a cheery reassurance from across the water. That is why “do not be afraid” can carry weight at all. Their peace, she says, was not found in the weather changing; John never actually says the storm stopped, only that they reached the other side. The turning point was a change of heart — from fear to surrender, from striving to trust — and it came when they were willing to take him into the boat, which is a different thing from wanting him to sort out the storm while we keep hold of the tiller. She closes by inviting the congregation to give the wind and the waves to Jesus as an act of worship rather than waiting for every question to be answered. Bible passages John 6:16-21 — the crossing and the walking on water, the sermon text John 6:18 — the sea grew rough because a strong wind was blowing Matthew 14:22-33 — the parallel account, source of the “fourth watch of the night” detail Exodus 3:14 — “I am who I am”, the name spoken at the burning bush Matthew 28:20 — “I am with you always, to the very end of the age” John 14:6 — “I am the way, the truth and the life” John 6:1-15 — last week’s feeding of the five thousand, whose point about Philip she returns to Key points The dark place is not evidence that Jesus is absent Obedience takes us into storms rather than around them Seasoned fishermen, a short crossing, and still no progress all night Between shores: the destination out of reach, going back equally far, giving up feels sensible Aidan sitting down in the rain: you get wetter doing nothing Jesus let them struggle for a long time, because he had something to show them “Where are you, God?” is answered by his promise, not by our feelings How much of life is lived with no expectation that God will intervene? “Suddenly”: God breaks in unannounced Jesus does not manage the storm, he rules over it “I am” is the divine name, so this is revelation, not reassurance “Do not be afraid” only carries weight because of who says it Peace came from the revelation, not from the storm ending They were willing to take him into the boat: surrender, not merely rescue John never says the storm stopped; the change was in them Calls to action Bring the storm you are in to Jesus, and recognise who he is in it Stop managing what only he can rule over Willingly receive him into your boat, not just his help from a distance Surrender the control, not only the circumstances Choose worship over worry and striving, before anything changes If you do not yet know who Jesus is, look at him and see Watch the video: https://youtu.be/NcyWEcuO4qU

24:23

Ep. 14 Oct 19, 2026

Sunday Gathering - John 6 : 1-15 - Liz Patten - Sermon Only

Liz Patten takes the feeding of the five thousand a verse at a time, having abandoned PowerPoint in favour of imagination. She grounds it in place and calendar first, the far side of the Sea of Galilee and the nearness of Passover, then makes her first move: the crowd followed Jesus because they saw his signs, not because of his teaching, not because they had recognised the Messiah, though he had said so plainly a chapter earlier. Hence her question, put to believer and sceptic alike: why are you following Jesus today? She answers it with a story that costs her something. Hilda grew up in Bamenda in Cameroon, where Patten worked for two years, and contracted muscular dystrophy as a child, which marked her as cursed and wrote off her future. But her family carried her to school on their backs, and she gave her life to Jesus. Then one thing took hold of her: she wanted to be healed. She went church to church and to a Reinhard Bonnke crusade where a neighbour’s lame son came home able to run. Hilda never was healed, and the disappointment consumed her, until a biography of Joni Eareckson Tada showed her another way. She went on to excel at university and now broadcasts across Cameroon. Her point is sharp: do not let one thing eat away at you and become your reason for following Jesus. Then the miracle. Jesus asks Philip a question whose answer he already knows, testing whether there is any expectation of a supernatural intervention rather than enquiring after the nearest bakery. Philip counts money; Andrew offers a boy’s lunch, then shrugs. “Tell everyone to sit down” is the hinge, and Patten widens it: Jesus already knew what he would do, and still does, whatever crowd of needs is overwhelming you. Sitting is spiritual: Ephesians has Christ seated at God’s right hand and believers seated with him, and nobody sits on a chair with a wobbly leg. When Jesus takes the loaves, gives thanks and distributes, her focus is that he gives himself, the bread of life, and everyone ate as much as they wanted: there is as much of Jesus as we want. She refuses to treat the leftovers as an afterthought: the creator would hardly leave litter at his picnic, the disciples are being taught, small things matter, and nothing he gives is wasted. Twelve baskets for twelve disciples means there is a basket for you. Finally the crowd tries to make him the prophet who will break Rome; he slips away, having come to break a crueller regime. Bible passages John 6:1-15 — the text, read a verse at a time John 5 — what “after this” refers to, and where Jesus said plainly who he was John 6:4 — Passover, grounding the narrative in the calendar Matthew 13:52 — the householder bringing out new treasures and old Ephesians 1:20-21 — Christ seated at the Father’s right hand Ephesians 2:6 — believers seated with Christ in the heavenly realms Psalm 23:2 — green pastures, echoed by the crowd on the grassy slopes Deuteronomy 18:15 — the prophet the crowd believes has arrived Isaiah 55:8-9 — “his ways are higher than our ways” Hebrews 13:8 — “the same yesterday and today and forever”, quoted in her closing prayer Key points The crowd followed for the signs, not the teaching or because they knew who he was Why are you following Jesus: the question for believer and sceptic alike Hilda’s story, a fixation on healing that nearly consumed her faith Do not let one unmet desire become your reason for following Jesus Jesus’ question to Philip is a test; he already knew what he would do Philip counts money; Andrew offers a boy’s lunch and doubts its worth “Tell everyone to sit down”: Jesus already has a plan for the overwhelming situation Sitting is spiritual, seated in Christ on a chair that holds Jesus takes what is offered, gives thanks, and gives himself as the bread of life Everyone ate as much as they wanted: we have as much of Jesus as we want Are you satisfied in Jesus? The leftovers matter: no litter at God’s picnic, the disciples are being taught, small things count Stewardship: everything comes from him and nothing is wasted Twelve baskets, one per disciple: your fragments are worth offering The crowd wants a prophet to break Rome; Jesus came to break sin We cannot remake Jesus into what we want; he is King of kings and the great I AM Calls to action Answer honestly why you follow Jesus, or why you do not Do not let one unmet longing become your reason for following him Stop striving and sit down, trusting Christ’s finished work Come hungry and take as much of Jesus as you want Ask yourself whether you are satisfied in him Gather the fragments: waste nothing God has given you Offer your small, unimpressive scraps to Jesus Do the clearing up, in your own life and others’, without thinking it beneath you Bow the knee to Jesus as he is, not as you would prefer him Watch the video: https://youtu.be/X1yWjLx02gk

37:26

Ep. 13 Oct 19, 2026

Sunday Gathering - John 5 : 16-30 - Chris Simpson - Sermon Only

Chris Simpson continues straight on from last week’s healing at the pool, and opens with the Sabbath problem it created. The leaders were already harassing Jesus for healing on the Sabbath, and his reply — “My Father is always working, and so am I” — made things dramatically worse. Simpson unpacks why the Sabbath was such a flashpoint: an identity marker for God’s people, hedged after the exile with a fence of extra rules — thirty-nine for the Sabbath alone, one forbidding healing unless a life was in danger. So Jesus was not merely careless; he was, in Simpson’s phrase, pouring petrol on the flames, and he knew what the claim would cost. What follows, Simpson argues, is a trial — informal, but the opening of the case that ends at Calvary. The charge is blasphemy: claiming equality with God. He notes how dangerous that accusation was then and still is in some places, and quotes Raniero Cantalamessa: the real battle today is not over spirituality in general but over Jesus. Then he walks through Jesus’ answer, which is no defence but a deepening of the claim: the Son does nothing by himself, does whatever the Father does, gives life and judges as the Father does. The two things Scripture reserves to God alone, giving life and final judgment, are handed to the Son, who is honoured exactly as the Father is. Simpson pictures a carpenter’s shop, Joseph showing Jesus the trade, to hold intimacy, submission and equality together in one image. The second half turns to what that means for us. Believing, he says, is not nodding at a fact: he tells how John Paton, translating John’s Gospel for a tribe in the New Hebrides with no word for trust, seized on their phrase for resting your whole weight on something. Eternal life, on this reading, is not a waiting room entered at death — it begins now, and Paul describes it as being raised from death while still breathing. The proof that it is real is a changed life. He then shows why the “great moral teacher” option will not hold: Lewis’s madman, worse, or Lord; Arius and the councils that answered him; and Tom Torrance telling a dying soldier that God is exactly like Jesus, with no hidden God behind him. Only a God who is eternally Father, Son and Spirit can be love itself, and creation is the overflow of that love rather than a need. The sermon ends where Jesus’ own words do: the Son does nothing on his own, and being a child of God means dependent obedience, like a child’s hand in a father’s. Bible passages John 5:16-30 — the sermon text, read in full John 5:1-15 — last week’s healing on the Sabbath, the trigger for the confrontation John 1:1 — “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God”, where John uses a word meaning “toward” Ephesians 2:1-4 — dead in disobedience, made alive with Christ Daniel 7:13-14 — one like a son of man given dominion and judgment Genesis 18:25 — “shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” Matthew 6:10 — “your will be done”, cited from the Lord’s Prayer The Nicene Creed — quoted as the church’s answer to Arius (not scripture) Key points Last week’s Sabbath healing is the trigger; the leaders begin harassing Jesus The Sabbath was an identity marker, fenced with thirty-nine extra rules, one forbidding healing unless life was at risk “My Father is always working, and so am I” is a deliberate claim to equality, made knowing the cost This is the opening of the case that ends at the cross; the charge is blasphemy Blasphemy was dangerous then and remains so today The battle now is not over spirituality but over Jesus The Son does nothing independently, holding humility, intimacy and absolute equality together Life-giving and final judgment are God’s own prerogatives, and the Son exercises both To honour the Son as the Father is honoured places him within the Godhead Believing means resting your whole weight on Christ Eternal life starts now, not at death The Son has life in himself, having never begun The Son is fit to judge because he has known injustice himself Genuine belief is proved by a changed life Madman, worse, or Lord: the moral-teacher option is not open Arius’s “there was a time when he was not” was answered at Nicaea and Constantinople God is exactly like Jesus, with no hidden God behind him Only the triune God can be love; creation is overflow, not need Being a child of God means dependent obedience Calls to action Listen intently to Jesus’ message and believe in the God who sent him Put your whole weight on Christ rather than giving intellectual agreement Live now as one who has passed from death to life Let a changed life be the evidence your faith is real Give the Son the honour due to the Father Reach a verdict on who Jesus is; the option of a merely great teacher is closed Practise dependent obedience, holding on to God moment by moment Watch the video: https://youtu.be/ZQRUl-qnJbU

25:56

Ep. 12 Oct 19, 2026

Sunday Gathering - John 5 : 1-15 - Andy Holingum - Sermon Only

Andy Holingum takes the healing at Bethesda as a case study in the two things John says Jesus is full of: grace and truth. He opens by asking how we would explain Jesus given two minutes in a lift, then presses the harder question: where did our picture of him come from? We learn Jesus from scripture, from each other, from experience, but also from the culture we swim in, and he admits his own picture drifts at the edges. Returning to the Bible week by week is like going back to a recipe you have cooked from memory: it shows where you quietly changed the quantities. The room by the Sheep Gate is packed with the blind, the lame and the paralysed, waiting for the water to stir because only the first one in is cured — people jostling like a Boxing Day sale. Jesus walks past them all and stops at one man who has been an invalid for thirty-eight years. Holingum dwells on what that waiting felt like: no one to help him into the pool, others always ahead of him, the system against him, the quiet question of why others were dealt better cards. Grace, he argues, arrives precisely for people with no advocate. Which makes Jesus’ question strange. “Do you want to get well?” Of course he does. But Holingum reads it as a probe: after thirty-eight years, has he accepted his lot? Healing would cost him his routine, his sheltered accommodation, his benefits — it would mean looking for work. The man answers out of his own limited framework, explaining he cannot get into the water; Jesus ignores the explanation and says, “Get up.” Then the tone turns. The healing happens on the Sabbath, and the leaders’ first question is not how a man disabled for thirty-eight years is walking, but why he carries a mat — the first note of an opposition that grows through the rest of John. Later Jesus finds him in the temple and says, “Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” Grace and truth arrive together. Holingum is blunt that we cannot take the healing Jesus and leave the commanding one, noting wryly that we write many songs about grace and very few about wanting to stop sinning. Sin, he says — quoting a trainer at a recent addictions course — is at root self-obsession, as true of impatience as of anything more dramatic. He closes where the passage does: the man had no idea who healed him, but when Jesus told him to stop sinning, he knew. Bible passages John 5:1-15 — the healing at Bethesda, read in full (NIV), with his aside that verse 4 is missing from the earliest manuscripts John 1:14 — Jesus “full of grace and truth”, the frame for the whole sermon John 1:35-39 — the calling of the first disciples and Jesus’ question “what do you want?” (described in the sermon as John 2) John 2:1-11 and 2:13-22 — the wedding at Cana and the cleansing of the temple: “we can’t have a wedding Jesus without temple Jesus” 1 Samuel 16:7 — “man looks on the outside but God looks on the heart”, from David’s anointing among Jesse’s sons Colossians 3:5-9 — “rid yourselves of all such things”: anger, rage, malice, slander, filthy language and lying 2 Corinthians 12:20-21 — Paul’s fear of finding discord, jealousy, rage, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder, and grief over unrepented impurity Matthew 3:8 — “produce fruit in keeping with repentance” (attributed here to Jesus addressing the Pharisees) Key points Two minutes to explain Jesus exposes how much of our picture comes from culture rather than scripture John presents Jesus as full of grace and truth at once; we tend to pick one or the other At Bethesda a crowd waits for stirred water and a single cure; Jesus passes many and goes to one man Thirty-eight years with no one to help him — grace comes to those without an advocate “Do you want to get well?” asks whether he has settled for his lot; healing would overturn his whole life The man answers within his own limits; Jesus ignores the answer and simply says “get up” The Sabbath complaint reveals the leaders’ priorities: the mat matters, the healing does not “Stop sinning” — grace and truth together; the healed man is not free to carry on as before Self-obsession is the root of sin, in impatience and anger as much as in addiction Integrity means practising values rather than professing them Calls to action Return to scripture regularly, and let it correct a Jesus shaped by the culture around us Sit alongside the disadvantaged and overwhelmed, going to where they are rather than preaching from a distance Ask honestly whether you have accepted your circumstances instead of wanting to be well Count the cost: following Jesus means real upheaval, not an addition to an unchanged life Admit and address sin rather than cherry-picking the comfortable parts of the faith Practise your values, not just profess them Watch the video: https://youtu.be/L7p2Os4_huo

22:44

Ep. 11 Oct 19, 2026

Sunday Gathering - John 4 : 43-54 - Myke Walters - Sermon Only

Myke Walters, part of the youth team at MCF, preaches on John 4:43-54 — the healing of the official’s son. She opens with a quiz on the series: John is one of the four gospels and one of Jesus’ disciples, the beloved disciple, writing his memoirs late, around AD 70-100, and deliberately differently from the other three. He tells us why: Jesus did many other signs not recorded, but these are written so that you may believe he is the Messiah, the Son of God, and have life in his name. The recap runs through the poem in the beginning, the wedding at Cana, the temple in Jerusalem, and then Samaria, where Jesus met the woman at the well. Myke stresses the Samaritans’ response as the contrast that sets up today’s passage: they believed on his word alone. He gave them no sign, yet they told the woman they no longer believed just because of what she said — they had heard for themselves. After two days Jesus left for Galilee, having said a prophet has no honour in his own hometown — and yet the Galileans welcomed him because of what they had seen at the feast in Jerusalem. In Cana an official from Capernaum, whose son was at the point of death, asked him to come down and heal the boy. Jesus answered, “Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” When the man pleaded, “Sir, come down before my child dies”, Jesus said, “Go, your son will live.” The man believed and went. His servants met him with news of recovery: at the seventh hour, one o’clock, the fever had left — the very hour Jesus spoke. He and his whole household believed. Myke’s hook is that she can name the exact hour that changed her life: three fifteen on 20 February 2016, the day she married Toby, a minute before walking down the aisle. She finds the passage challenging because Jesus’ first words to a desperate father sound like a rebuke. Her way through it is the plural “you”: insert “y’all” and he is speaking to Cana as much as to the official — people who knew his family and wanted the spectacle without wanting to know him. That is not why he came. He came on a restoration mission, to restore the relationship we had at the beginning, which is why the church is described as the bride of Christ — a covenant like a marriage, built on trust and the daily laying down of life. If she had stopped at the wedding photograph, nothing of the last ten years would have happened. The official, told to go rather than come, had a day’s walk home in which every step was trust — which is why she says God’s love language is obedience. He could have taken the healing and carried on; instead he believed, with all his household. Nothing he did earned it — not his position, not the fifteen miles, not asking nicely. Grace is receiving what we do not deserve, and the sign is never the point: it points to a relationship, and the boy, healed, would one day be ill again. Bible passages John 4:43-54 — the passage for the morning, read during the service John 20:30-31 — why John wrote his book: that you may believe and have life (quoted) John 1:1 — “In the beginning was the Word” (recap of the opening poem) John 2:1-11 — the wedding at Cana, water into wine (recap) John 2:13-22 — Jesus cleansing the temple in Jerusalem (recap) John 4:1-42 — the woman at the well, immediately preceding this passage (recap) John 4:39-42 — “we no longer believe just because of what you said”; the Saviour of the world (quoted) John 4:10-14 — the living water, and never being thirsty again (quoted) John 3:16 — “For God so loved the world that he sent his one and only Son” (quoted) John 4:48 — “Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe” John 4:50 — “Go, your son will live” Key points The Samaritans believed on his word alone, with no sign performed among them The Galileans welcomed him only because of the signs they had seen — a deliberate contrast The official walked fifteen to twenty miles from Capernaum with his son at the point of death “Unless y’all see signs and wonders” — the plural includes Cana, not just the father Jesus came on a restoration mission, not to be a sign maker Her wedding, 20 February 2016, three sixteen in the afternoon — she knows the hour “Go, your son will live”: the official believed the word and obeyed it “God’s love language is obedience” He and his whole household believed — belief that came with matched action Nothing he did earned the healing: grace is receiving what we do not deserve The sign points beyond itself; the boy, healed, would be ill again Calls to action Reflect on where you are in your journey with Jesus this morning If you have heard him speak, take the step of obedience he is asking of you Say again today: I want a relationship with you Pray for the next step, and for the strength and obedience to follow it Watch the video: https://youtu.be/GKGrMnw-C3o

27:38

Ep. 10 Oct 19, 2026

Sunday Gathering - John 4 : 1-42 - Nick Lugg - Sermon Only

Nick Lugg continues the John series with John 4:1-42, which he titles “If You Only Knew”. It opens with Jesus leaving Judea for Galilee because the Pharisees had heard he was making more disciples than John — though Jesus himself did not baptise; his disciples did. Nick picks up the human detail: last week’s argument about who was drawing the bigger crowds is still in the air, and the narrator sounds faintly defensive on Jesus’s behalf. John had built Jesus a huge platform — prepare the way, one greater than me, I am not the Messiah — and the ministry was taking off: publicity, momentum, the chance to make an impact. Then Jesus hears the squabbling about popularity and leaves. He does not join in and does not say “make way”; Jesus simply steps out of the place where everything was beginning to revolve around status and perception. If anyone had the right to centre stage it was him. Nick’s reading is that Jesus withdraws exactly where ministry becomes competition — however well dressed up — because his ministry is on the edge. His father-in-law recommended a book, The Pilgrim Church, on precisely that theme. So he goes through Samaria, which was neither comfortable nor obvious — the satnav might take you that way, but the culture would not. Tired from the walk, he sits by Jacob’s well at noon and asks a Samaritan woman for a drink. She raises every barrier at once: you are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. The contrast Nick draws is sharp — where Jesus met a barrier in the busy, competitive ministry he withdrew, but where a person puts a barrier up he pushes through. The crowds were queuing to be baptised; this woman was simply going about her daily business, asking nothing, resisting, and he said if only you knew. That phrase becomes the centre of the encounter. She answers with limits: no rope, no bucket, the well is deep, are you greater than Jacob? He answers with living water. Nick calls it an uneven tennis match — if only you knew, against this far and no further — observing that her history forms the walls of what she believes is possible. Then Jesus asks for her husband and names the five, and the man she is living with. Nick is clear this is not exposure to shame her but a demonstration that he knows her — and that the offer of grace did not shrink once the truth was out. She deflects into a debate about Jerusalem and Mount Gerizim — the move we all make — and Jesus lets her lead and still opens it up: worship is not about the mountain but in spirit and truth. Religion was never the answer — religious people crucified Jesus, religious people were driven from the temple. Jesus came to take the lid off. The harvest, finally, is not theoretical: it looks like this woman by the well, exactly the sort the disciples would have disqualified. Bible passages John 4:1-42 — the passage for the morning, read in sections John 4:1-3 — Jesus leaves Judea and returns to Galilee John 4:4-9 — through Samaria, Jacob’s well, the Samaritan woman at noon John 4:10-15 — “if you only knew the gift God has for you”; the living water John 4:16-18 — “you have had five husbands” John 4:19-24 — Jerusalem or Mount Gerizim; worship in spirit and truth John 4:27-30 — the disciples return; she leaves her jar and tells the village John 4:31-38 — “I have food you know nothing about”; the fields are ripe for harvest John 3:30 — “He must become greater; I must become less” (quoted) John 1:26-27 — John’s testimony to the one coming after him who is greater (alluded to, and sung) John 2:13-22 — Jesus cleansing the temple (recalled: “Temple Jesus with his whip”) John 3:22-36 — last week’s passage, the argument over who was making more disciples (recap) Key points When the ministry became about status and perception, he left the environment entirely God’s work is on the margins, not the centre — “The Pilgrim Church” “He had to go through Samaria”, a route no self-respecting Jew would take “If you only knew the gift God has for you” is the heart of the whole encounter An uneven tennis match: “if only you knew” against “this far and no further” We filter grace, power and mercy through what we already know, and set limits Jesus names her five husbands not to shame her but to show that he knows her Worship is not about the mountain but in spirit and truth Jesus came to take the lid off religion, not to make more of it Calls to action Ask whether you are reducing Jesus to what you understand, or open to what he wants to do Ask what you would request if you really believed what is on offer Identify where you have set limits and decided something is not possible Pray: show us what we don’t yet see, and give us the courage to ask for more Respond during worship — come to the front to pray with the team, or quietly in your heart Watch the video: https://youtu.be/pHZn10wG660

35:43

Ep. 09 Oct 19, 2026

Sunday Gathering - John 3 : 22-36 - Erica Lugg - Sermon Only

Erica Lugg takes the series into John 3:22-36, opening with a recap of the gospel so far: the Word who was in the beginning, John the Baptist, water turned to wine at Cana, the temple cleansing, and last week Nicodemus and John 3:16. Then the passage: Jesus and his disciples baptising in the Judean countryside while John baptises at Enon near Salim, where a debate breaks out over ceremonial cleansing. She loves the human side of John’s gospel and finds it challenging, because its humans behave in ways humans are very good at. Enon means “many waters” and Salim means “peace” — a place of cleansing and preparation, and right in the middle of it an argument begins. She likens it to a harmonious Christmas dinner that disintegrates the moment politics or religion comes up, and to a candle shop at Crystal Peaks, ruined inside a minute by a two-year-old who wanted a stuffed giraffe. Washing was not new, but John was preaching an inner cleansing, a repentance, pointing to Jesus. She suspects the argument was really about whose way was better — “we’ve always done it like this”. Their language gives them away: they call Jesus “that man” although they knew his name, and they complain that everybody is going to him instead of us. A disciple gave their whole life to a rabbi, their identity wrapped up in his; John was a big deal, so their worth came from his success, and the crowds moving to Jesus must have felt like losing themselves. She recognises it: she wants to feel significant, and she told Nick beforehand she wanted to go home because it made her feel insecure. Her illustration is her childhood in Ghana: after the 1979 revolution she became convinced her father would die unless she was with him — a conviction that made school impossible until her parents locked her in a car. What the disciples wanted was reassurance; John neither dismisses nor agrees, saying a person can receive only what is given from heaven — you did not earn this and cannot lose it. He says plainly that he is not the Messiah, : insecurity is a matter of the heart and it takes a saviour. Her two asides land hardest — the people in your life are not your Messiah, and you are not the Messiah either. Then John changes their lens: the bride belongs to the bridegroom, so it was never about them — they are the friend at the wedding, close but not central. “He must become greater and I must become less” is the crux, and the antidote is letting the Holy Spirit fill the space fear has taken. Bible passages John 3:22-36 — the passage for the morning John 3:16 — last week’s text, recited together again (and in French) John 3:1-21 — Nicodemus, last week’s passage (recap) Numbers 21:4-9 — the bronze snake lifted up, referred back to from last week John 1:20-27 — John the Baptist’s plain declaration that he is not the Messiah John 2:1-11 — the wedding at Cana, water into wine (recap) John 2:13-22 — Jesus cleansing the temple (recap) John 3:29 — the bride belongs to the bridegroom; the friend stands and listens John 3:30 — “He must become greater; I must become less” John 3:31-32 — heavenly and earthly language; he testifies to what he has seen Jeremiah 17:9 — “the heart is the most deceitful of all things” (quoted, not cited) Luke 6:45 — “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (quoted, not cited) Key points Enon means “many waters”, Salim means “peace” — cleansing and peace interrupted by argument The complaint is “everybody is going to him instead of coming to us” They call Jesus “that man” though they knew his name, and they blame John Insecurity exaggerates, justifies feelings and says significance is scarce Erica’s Ghana story: aged seven she believed her father would die unless she stayed with him John neither dismisses nor agrees: “a person can receive only what is given them from heaven” He says plainly he is not the Messiah — what they wanted was beyond him The people in your life are not your Messiah, and you are not the Messiah either “It’s up to me to fix this” looks like care but is often insecurity taking control The bridegroom has the bride: we are the friend, involved but not carrying “He must become greater; I must become less” — the antidote to fear is the Holy Spirit filling the space Earthly language is about me; heavenly language says Jesus is enough We need critical friends who challenge our insecurity instead of validating it Calls to action Stand and be honest before God about where insecurity and fear have taken root Recognise yourself in the disciples — retreat, control, comparison, exaggeration, distance Stop making people, situations or places the source of your peace Ask the Holy Spirit to take up the space filled with fear, striving and the need to be needed Allow Jesus to become greater in you, and let critical friends speak into your insecurity Watch the video: https://youtu.be/uP2U0Z8S_48

30:47

Ep. 08 Oct 19, 2026

Sunday Gathering - John 3 : 1-21 - Cornelius Tanis - Sermon Only

Cornelius preaches on John 3:1-21, opening by asking the congregation for the most iconic verse in the Word of God. The answer comes straight back — John 3:16 — and he asks who can say it in another language. Then the passage is read: Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish ruling council, comes to Jesus at night, calls him a teacher who has come from God, and is told that no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. He calls the passage the carnal mind against the Spirit — Nicodemus’s intellect set against Jesus speaking in the Spirit, the two talking past each other, Nicodemus understanding almost none of it. The Pharisees were the learned, the ruling class in Jerusalem; they knew the Torah, the prophets and the traditions, and had added many laws. Nicodemus came at night because he did not want to be seen. “You must be born again,” Jesus says, three times, prefaced by “very truly”. What kingdom is he talking about? Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar’s dream: a statue of gold, silver, bronze, iron and clay standing for successive kingdoms, struck down by a rock not cut out by human hands, which grows until it fills the earth. Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome have all gone; the kingdom of England will pass too, but God’s kingdom will not. And you cannot join it by effort. He was not born in England, so he has to work for citizenship — but nobody earns their way into God’s kingdom, because you are born into it. The Pharisees knew an enormous amount about God, and missed that Abraham, Moses, David and the prophets had something else: relationship. Abraham walked with God; Moses was called at the burning bush and stood before God daily in the tabernacle; the prophets were in contact with him. The Pharisees studied God without knowing him, and many people do the same. It is not about works but the heart, and it is vertical. Then the bronze snake: Israel complained, venomous snakes came, and God told Moses to lift a bronze snake on a pole — look at it and be healed. Nothing to do, no medicine. Cornelius, who lived in Mozambique among venomous snakes, is emphatic that salvation by works does not exist. Likewise the Son of Man was lifted up, and simply looking at the cross saves. He quotes 2 Corinthians 5:21 and lands on John 3:16, which holds everything: God’s love, the gift of his Son, and eternal life for whoever believes. Bible passages John 3:1-21 — the passage for the morning, read in full John 3:16 — the verse the sermon opens and ends on John 3:14-15 — “just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up” Numbers 21:4-9 — the bronze snake on the pole, and healing for those who looked at it Daniel 2:31-45 — Nebuchadnezzar’s dream: the statue of metals, and the rock not cut by human hands John 6:63 — “the Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing” John 6:44 — “no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them” Romans 10:10 — “with your heart you believe” James 3:1 — teachers will be judged more strictly (attributed by the speaker to Paul) 2 Corinthians 5:21 — “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us” 2 Corinthians 5:17 — “the old has gone, the new has come” Key points Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a council member, comes to Jesus at night so as not to be seen The Pharisees knew the law, the prophets and the traditions, and had added many laws The passage is the carnal mind against the Spirit: they talk past one another “You must be born again” — said three times, and prefaced by “very truly” Daniel’s statue of metals stands for kingdoms that all pass away; the rock is God’s kingdom You are born into God’s kingdom; you cannot earn or study your way in The Pharisees knew about God; Abraham, Moses and the prophets knew him It is not about works but the heart, and it is vertical The bronze snake: nothing to do, only look and be healed — and likewise the cross Salvation by works does not exist; it is the grace of God John 3:16 holds it all: God’s love, the gift of the Son, eternal life for whoever believes His own story: peace and joy, then persecution and lost friends, then conviction over his parents His parents had been praying for him, which is how prayer and salvation connect In Africa he prayed and fasted for children nobody prayed for; on the thirteenth day three were born again The cross is a gate, not a place to stand still — the beginning of the new life Calls to action Come forward if you feel that burning in your heart — if you have never been born again Come forward to pray and stand in agreement for loved ones who are not saved Pray for your loved ones: your prayer is the beginning of their salvation Look to the cross — no works, no penance, simply look and be saved Take up your own testimony — forty years on, look at what God has done Watch the video: https://youtu.be/OtvTK7HO3PI

31:32

Ep. 07 Oct 19, 2026

Sunday Gathering - John 2 : 23-25 - Chris Simpson - Sermon Only

Chris Simpson preaches on John 2:23-25 — three verses, the shortest passage he has been asked to speak on. He reads it with the congregation repeating each line: because of the miraculous signs Jesus did in Jerusalem at the Passover, many began to trust in him. But Jesus did not trust them, because he knew all about people; he knew what was in each person’s heart. He sets the scene first. Jesus’ ministry ran about three and a half years from his baptism to the resurrection, and for most of it he was based in Galilee, a five-to-seven-day walk over hills from Jerusalem — his first visit there since the Jordan. The signs were not random displays: they carried information about God’s character, and they pointed at Jesus, asking who he really is. Coming to faith had a personal dimension too — many translations say they trusted in his name, and a name meant who someone actually was. Then comes the jolt, because the second sentence undercuts the first. People trusting in Jesus is wonderful, and John says Jesus did not trust them. A friend who read it told him it sounded negative, and he agrees: trust feels basic to relationship. The traditional explanation is that they were not genuine disciples, supported by Jesus’ warning about those who cry “Lord, Lord” but are unknown to him. But he thinks there is more, and asks how we handle the difficult parts of Scripture. Not by picking out what we agree with — God’s word interrogates us, not the reverse — nor by hurrying past, nor by grabbing the first explanation going. Instead, sit in the discomfort and read the hard part against the whole Bible: the best commentary on the Bible is the Bible. Why it is not negative. The Traitors, which he confesses to finding gripping, only works because people are very poor at knowing what is in someone else’s heart — even experienced barristers and police officers misread it. So Jesus knowing what is in each person’s heart is a pointer to who he actually is, a knowledge Scripture reserves for God alone. Hagar, a young single parent fleeing abuse, called him “the God who sees me”, : there is real comfort in being fully known, in having no secrets, in nothing passing him by. Peter is the worked example: Jesus would not flatter him when he vowed never to deny him, because he knew Peter better than Peter knew himself. Peter was devastated; Jesus was not surprised, and still loved him. And that is not the whole story — Jesus is not only in the forgiveness business but in the construction business, building a new you, so that we are God’s masterpiece. Bible passages John 2:23-25 — the passage for the morning, read with the congregation repeating each verse John 2:1-11 — the water into wine at Cana, the one sign so far, and it was in Galilee rather than Jerusalem John 20:30-31 — John’s note that Jesus did many more signs than are recorded (alluded to, not quoted) Matthew 7:21-23 — “not everyone who calls out to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom” and “I never knew you” 1 Samuel 16:7 — “people judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart”, at the anointing of David Jeremiah 17:9-10 — the heart is the most deceitful of all things; “I, the Lord, search all hearts” Genesis 16:13 — Hagar names God “the God who sees me” Psalm 56:8 — our tears kept in a bottle, cited as God knowing the details of our lives Matthew 26:33-35 — Peter’s vow that he would never desert Jesus, and Jesus’ prediction of the denial Mark 14:72 — Peter broke down and wept bitterly (quoted) Ephesians 2:10 — “we are God’s masterpiece… he has created us anew in Christ Jesus” (quoted) Key points Jesus’ base was Galilee; Jerusalem was a five-to-seven-day walk over hills Coming to faith was personal — trusting in his name, meaning who he really is The jolt: many trusted Jesus, but Jesus did not trust them One explanation is that they were not genuine disciples, echoing “Lord, Lord” and “I never knew you” Difficult passages are not ours to edit: God’s word interrogates us, not the reverse Read the hard part against the whole Bible — the Bible is its own best commentary Only God knows the heart, so Jesus’ knowledge of it points to who he is Hagar called him “the God who sees me”: being fully known is comfort, not threat Jesus would not flatter Peter; his failure deepened rather than ended his grasp of that love No hidden sin can derail God’s love — there are no shock surprises in heaven Calls to action Face up to your own untrustworthiness; you will not properly grasp God’s love until you do Don’t pick and choose in Scripture, and don’t hurry past the parts that jar — sit with them Take comfort that God knows you completely, and let that reshape how you come to him Choose to be among those who really choose him, and live as his workmanship Watch the video: https://youtu.be/M_nXB8lYtZA

20:18

Ep. 06 Oct 19, 2026

Sunday Gathering - John 2 : 13-22 - Nick Lugg - Sermon Only

Nick Lugg preaches on John 2:13-22, the cleansing of the temple, straight after last week’s wedding at Cana. He reads the account: it was nearly Passover, and in the temple courts Jesus found merchants selling cattle, sheep and doves for sacrifice, and money changers at their tables. He made a whip from ropes, drove them out, scattered the coins and overturned the tables, and said, “Get these things out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace.” His disciples remembered the prophecy, “Passion for God’s house will consume me.” He begins with the jolt of it: John puts two very different portrayals of Jesus in a single chapter. Wedding Jesus, a guest at the party, kind and generous, turning water into wine; then temple Jesus, confronting and disruptive, turning tables. Nothing changed between them — this is one Jesus. Our instinct is to divide him up and keep the parts we find comfortable, but the same grace that blesses the wedding party burns against corruption in the temple. What was he angry about? Passover recalled Israel’s deliverance from Egypt, when the blood of lambs on the doorposts caused God to pass over his people — itself a foretaste of Jesus shedding his own blood, as they had remembered in communion that morning. The temple trade began as practical provision: animals could be bought there for sacrifice, and the temple tax had to be paid in Tyrian shekels, so money changers met a real need. Slowly it became commercialised, controlled and exploitative — as Christmas and Easter have been hijacked into something that suits us. And Jesus did not say stop turning the temple into a marketplace. He said my Father’s house. He personalised it; it was not about a system or the religious status quo. The leaders, whose power and income the arrangement suited, demanded to know by what authority he acted. Jesus replied, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up” — deliberately provoking, because they thought stone and he meant flesh, building while he meant body, institution while he meant incarnation. He was not cleansing or improving the temple but replacing it. Worship and presence now centre on a person, which is why the church is a community, not a building. His zeal then is his zeal for his body now, so the church is not ours to shape. He closes on holding the whole Jesus together: grace and truth are not rivals but two aspects of one person, and good news is not always the soft word. Bible passages John 2:13-22 — the passage for the morning, read in full John 2:1-12 — last week’s passage, the wedding at Cana, which the sermon builds directly on Psalm 69:9 — “Passion for God’s house will consume me”, the prophecy the disciples remembered Exodus 12:1-13 — the first Passover, and the blood of lambs on the doorposts John 1:14 — Jesus “full of grace and truth”, behind the closing appeal 1 Corinthians 12:27 — “you are the body of Christ”, behind the temple-as-body reading John 8:32 — “you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free” John 16:8 — the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 — the communion shared that morning, linked to the Passover lamb Revelation 19:11-16 — the king who comes at the end of time to bring justice (alluded to, not quoted) Key points The wedding and the temple sit in the same chapter: two very different portrayals of one Jesus We tend to take the version of Jesus we prefer and leave the rest to one side The same grace that blesses the wedding party burns against corruption in the temple Passover remembered God’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt, and the lamb’s blood on the doorposts Temple trade began as practical provision, then became commercialised, controlled and exploitative He said “my Father’s house”, not “the temple”: personal, not a system or the religious status quo The leaders asked by what authority, and Jesus answered with a sign they could not read “Destroy this temple” — they thought stone, he meant flesh; institution against incarnation He was not cleansing the temple but replacing it: worship and presence now centre on a person The church is a community, not a building — what is left when the building burns down His zeal then is his zeal for his body now; the church is not ours to shape Grace and truth are not rivals, and good news is not always the soft word Calls to action Ask not which version of Jesus you prefer, but what he wants to do in you today If something in you feels empty, receive his kindness and grace poured in If he is putting his finger on something, respond rather than resist — the Spirit convicts to clear space and purify, not to shame Come to the front if you would like someone to pray with you As a church, ask what he wants of us, so that we reflect the Father’s holiness in this community and in this time Watch the video: https://youtu.be/UgRiijYOY3o

40:00

Ep. 05 Oct 19, 2026

Sunday Gathering - John 2 : 1-12 - Karen Dunning - Sermon Only

Karen Dunning, a semi-retired teacher, preaches on John 2:1-12, the wedding at Cana. She opens by recapping chapter 1 the way a teacher recaps previous learning: John the Baptist pointing to Jesus, and John 1:33, where God tells him that the one on whom the Spirit descends is the one who baptises with the Holy Spirit. Then she reads the passage — and warns that anyone who reads it only at that level, as a story about wine running out, will never grow. That is her theme: do not read the Bible on the surface. She draws on a holiday in Fuerteventura, where the mountains were the greenest they had been in fifteen years after unseasonal rain; two weeks earlier they were brown, and two weeks later they would be again. The seeds were there all along, waiting under the surface for water. A new Christian friend, overwhelmed by the Bible and staying with a single verse for days while journaling, is letting the word settle and growing because of it. She then digs into the details, and her method is to ask questions. Why were Jesus and his disciples invited? Because weddings in that culture drew whole villages and lasted days, so “on the third day” means they had already been around. What does “woman, why do you involve me” actually mean? She notes the Greek has no English equivalent and it is not harsh — it is almost a set phrase meaning “what has this situation to do with you or me?” And why “woman” rather than “mother”? Because, she suggests, Mary is not speaking to her human son: she knows who he is and speaks to him as God’s Son, just as she had said “your will be done, I am your servant” at the annunciation. Mary never instructs him. She states the problem — “they have no more wine” — and then tells the servants, “do whatever he tells you.” The six stone jars were for ceremonial washing: the old way, cleansing by the law. Jesus has them filled to the brim and sends the wine to the master of the banquet, who has no idea where it came from. John uses the word “sign” rather than “miracle”, and this is the first of them. Her reading is that the old ceremonial washing gives way to something new, since the wine now stands for the blood shed on the cross and we are under grace. She defines glory as the revelation of God’s presence in saving action, and dwells on the quality of the wine — free, extravagant, gracious, generous, given when he did not have to give it. The sermon closes on choice: Jesus chose to act, and chose to die for us, and we choose how far we let his grace into our lives. Bible passages John 2:1-12 — the passage for the morning, read in full from the NIV John 1:33 — John the Baptist’s testimony that Jesus baptises with the Holy Spirit, recapped from last week Luke 1:38 — Mary’s “I am the Lord’s servant, your will be done”, behind Karen’s reading of her confidence here Exodus 30:17-21 — the ceremonial washing the stone jars served, the old order of the law John 20:29 — “blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed”, applied to us after doubting Thomas 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 — the wine of communion as the sign of the blood shed on the cross Hebrews 5:12-14 — milk rather than solid food, her image for reading only at the surface Ephesians 1:7-8 — the closing prayer’s “rich in kindness and grace … purchased our freedom … forgave our sins” Key points A teacher recaps: chapter 1 introduced Jesus, with John the Baptist pointing to him Reading only on the surface keeps you on milk; the word has to be allowed to settle The seeds were already under the surface, waiting for water — Fuerteventura’s mountains after rain Weddings in that culture involved the whole village and lasted for days “Woman, why do you involve me” is a set phrase, not a rebuke: what has this to do with you or me? Mary speaks to him as God’s Son rather than as her son, and never tells him what to do “My hour has not yet come” points forward to the hour of his suffering and death The six jars held water for ceremonial washing — the old way of being made clean John says “sign”, not “miracle”; this was the first, and it revealed his glory Glory is God’s presence revealed in saving action Cleansing by the law gives way to the wine of the cross, and to grace The wine was free, extravagant, generous and gracious — given when he did not have to Jesus chose to act and chose to die; we choose how much of his grace we let in Calls to action Do not surface-read: sit with a passage, let it settle, and dig for what is underneath If you have never become a Christian, decide what you will do with Jesus If you are a Christian, consider afresh what the sign at Cana showed and what the wine signified Open the places in your heart you have kept closed, and let his grace reach them Choose how far you allow the power, grace and forgiveness of Jesus to affect your life Watch the video: https://youtu.be/wN7RiZ9X024

42:59

Ep. 04 Oct 19, 2026

Sunday Gathering - John 1 : 35-51 - Andy Holingum - Sermon Only

Andy Holingum finishes John chapter 1 with verses 35-51, the account of Jesus’s first followers — Andrew, Simon Peter, Philip and Nathanael, and possibly a fifth man who is never named. He opens by asking what people follow today: influencers, football teams, the news, social media, the car in front on a journey. Following Jesus is not like any of those, because with them we stay in control — we can ease in or back out. First, Jesus asks us the questions. When two disciples of John the Baptist start walking behind him, Jesus turns and asks, “What do you want?” — literally, what are you looking for. These are the first words God incarnate speaks on earth in John’s Gospel. Andy pictures them trailing along like a child on the back row at school hoping not to be picked, until Jesus looks them in the eye and their cover is blown. It cuts through the rabbi-following culture of the day, and it is a question we must answer: are we following because our parents did, because we always have, because the church is friendly — or because we have counted the cost? He worries that our generation has domesticated Christianity into something palatable that is mostly about what Jesus can do for us, and holds up the five American missionaries killed in the Ecuadorian jungle in the 1950s, one of whom wrote that “he is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” Second, following Jesus moves us from knowing about him to knowing him. Andrew begins the day calling Jesus “Rabbi” and ends it telling his brother, “We have found the Messiah” — something happened in a day spent in his presence. Third, we hear Jesus speak about what we will become. He looks at Simon and renames him Peter — the rock — naming not what he is but what he will be: the man who preaches in Jerusalem, a pillar of the early church. Jesus does not see us as defined by our circumstances, our history, our qualifications, our achievements, our failings or our health. He is building his kingdom, not ours. Fourth, Jesus connects with us where we are. Philip is found by Jesus rather than finding him, and immediately goes to Nathanael. Philip’s opening line — “the one Moses wrote about in the Law” — made sense in a culture soaked in the Old Testament but would land as irrelevant in Jordanthorpe or Batemoor today, so we have to work out our own connection points. Fifth, Jesus knows us completely. Nathanael’s scepticism — “can anything good come out of Nazareth?” — collapses when Jesus says he saw him under the fig tree, and he declares, “You are the Son of God, the King of Israel.” Jesus answers that he will see greater things: heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man. Andy closes with the Winter Olympics skeleton — athletes at the top of the run, deciding, because once they commit there is no stopping. Are we ready to commit, or content to spectate? Bible passages John 1:35-51 — the passage for the morning, read in full Genesis 28:12 — Jacob’s ladder, the image behind “the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man” Deuteronomy 18:15 — the prophet Moses said God would raise up, behind “the one Moses wrote about in the Law” Matthew 16:18 — “on this rock I will build my church”, the promise behind Simon being renamed Peter Key points Following Jesus is not like following an influencer or a team: he is not passive about it, and we do not stay in control His first recorded words in John are a question: what do you want, what are you looking for? Following him means counting the cost, not adding him to a life we have already arranged Andrew moves from “Rabbi” to “Messiah” in a single day spent with Jesus Jesus names what we will become, not what we currently are — Peter the rock, before Peter was anything like a rock He is not limited by our circumstances, history, failings or health, and we should not be either Jesus finds us where we are, and then sends us to the people around us The gospel has to be translated into the language of our own culture and estates Jesus knows everything about us, and knowing that, still says “follow me” Faith amazed by what Jesus has already done is promised greater things still Calls to action Answer the question honestly: what do you want, and why are you following Jesus? Count the cost and commit, rather than watching from the top of the slope Ask Jesus to show you what he intends to make of you, and refuse the labels that limit you Homework for small groups: work out the connection points between Jesus and the friends you actually have Respond during worship rather than staying a spectator of the word Watch the video: https://youtu.be/uAfT9Fj-siY

26:26

Ep. 03 Oct 18, 2026

Sunday Gathering - John 1 : 29-34 - Nick Lugg - Sermon Only

Nick Lugg continues the John series in John 1:29-34, the day John the Baptist saw Jesus coming towards him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” He picks up where Chris Simpson left off the previous week, on the ministry and identity of John the Baptist — a man who was not the Messiah, was not the main event, but was a signpost: someone who directed people to Jesus and then stepped back. John was clear that there was more to come than himself or his ministry, and Nick holds that up as a picture of what the church’s ministry should be. Whatever the church can offer, however connected someone is to it, it is nothing compared to the fullness of knowing Jesus. Our security and identity must come from knowing him, not from the church, our activity, our gifts or how useful we are. The heart of the sermon is recognition. Three times in six verses John says he did not recognise Jesus — “I did not recognise him as the Messiah”, “I didn’t know he was the one” — until God revealed it to him. Nick’s question is what makes Jesus remarkable, and his answer is that we only see it when God opens our eyes. That is uncomfortable, because it is possible to be close to what God is doing and still miss him: to be in the mainstream of church life, hearing the right words and doing the right things, and never quite to see Jesus. Coming to know him, then, is a spiritual encounter rather than an education. Nick illustrates this with his father, who read Luther and Martyn Lloyd-Jones before he believed, trying to think his way into faith, until someone told him to stop trying to understand everything and put his faith in Jesus. He adds John Wesley at Aldersgate in 1738, an ordained minister and missionary whose heart was “strangely warmed” — a man steeped in Christianity who saw Jesus for the first time — and his own experience of waking one morning to peace and an overwhelming sense of God’s presence. The sermon turns on what the Lamb of God actually does. The message is not “join the church and spend a lifetime trying to overcome your sin”, but that he takes it away. John came baptising with water; Jesus baptises with the Holy Spirit, and Nick insists that is not an optional extra or a denominational distinctives question but simply what Jesus does to everyone who meets him. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in us, so we should not settle or resign ourselves to a powerless gospel with diminishing expectations. Bible passages John 1:29-34 — the passage for the morning, read in full John 3:30 — “he must become greater; I must become less”, on John the Baptist’s posture John 12:21 — “Sir, we would see Jesus”, the request Nick turns into a prayer Isaiah 6:6-7 — the coal touching Isaiah’s lips and his guilt being swept away, quoted on sin being taken away Matthew 11:11 (and Luke 7:28) — “even the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John the Baptist” Romans 8:11 — the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead giving life to our mortal bodies, alluded to without being named Key points John the Baptist knew exactly who he was not: not the Messiah, not the main event, but a signpost The church’s ministry is the same — point people to Jesus and step back Our identity and security must come from knowing Jesus, never from church activity, gifting or usefulness “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” is the message, at the beginning and every day after John did not recognise Jesus until God revealed him — recognition is revelation, not intuition It is possible to be fully involved in church and still miss Jesus entirely Knowing Jesus is a spiritual encounter, not something you educate yourself into Wesley: a devout, educated, ordained man who only then had his heart “strangely warmed” John the Baptist closed one era; Jesus opened another, an age of encounter with God himself present The gospel is not a lifetime of trying to overcome sin — the Lamb takes it away Jesus baptises with the Holy Spirit; that is what he does, for every Christian The power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in us Calls to action Ask God, simply and honestly, to open your eyes to see Jesus afresh Pray “we would see Jesus” Come to the front during worship to ask God to reveal himself, without worrying what people think Ask yourself whether you have actually connected with Jesus or are only going through the routines Do not settle for a good thing when Jesus offers something greater Watch the video: https://youtu.be/EsJX0atMcLY

27:26

Ep. 02 Oct 18, 2026

Sunday Gathering - John 1 : 19-28 - Chris Simpson - Sermon Only

Chris Simpson continues the John series in John 1:19-28, where a delegation of priests and temple assistants is sent from Jerusalem to interrogate John the Baptist. John has been preaching up and down the Jordan, calling people to make major changes in their lives, to be baptised and to receive forgiveness. He has become the celebrity preacher of the moment, and the religious establishment has noticed. The delegation is not friendly — it is almost like a trial, with John questioned like a witness by the barrister for the other side. The question they put to him is “who are you?” — and Chris notes the irony that the passage is not directly about Jesus at all, yet John’s answers help us answer the same question for ourselves. John knows who he is partly by knowing who he is not: not the Messiah, not Elijah, not the Prophet. Chris observes how hard they are trying to pin a label on him, and how firmly he refuses it — an identity handed to us by other people either leaves us with imposter syndrome or grinds us down. John has accepted instead the label God gave him. Chris works through the three things John does say about himself. He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, “clear the way for the Lord’s coming” — belonging to something far bigger than himself, and pointing at Jesus rather than at himself. In a celebrity culture that says “look at me”, John emphatically says “look at him”. He is a baptiser in water: pressed on his credentials, he answers that he simply does human things by human means, and if anything important happens through them it is down to God, not to him. And he is unworthy even to untie the strap of Jesus’s sandal — but unworthy compared to him, not unworthy in a vacuum. Chris uses that to separate healthy humility from self-pity, quoting C.S. Lewis that humility is self-forgetfulness: not thinking less of yourself, but thinking about yourself less. Two threads tie it together. First, the delegation knew the Scriptures inside out and still missed the one standing in front of them — being a believer is not about knowing the answers but about being surprised by the God who is there. Second, the big deal is not about us. Chris illustrates with graves decorated as shrines to a football club: whatever ends up in first place becomes what defines you, and the dominant godless materialism of the West gives deeply inadequate answers to the question of identity. His point is not that football or family are wrong, but that they do not belong in first place — put first things first and second things get healthier. Bible passages John 1:19-28 — the passage for the morning, read aloud Isaiah 40:3 — “a voice shouting in the wilderness, clear the way for the Lord’s coming”, John’s answer to who he is Deuteronomy 18:15-18 — the prophet like Moses, behind the question “are you the prophet we are expecting?” Malachi 4:5 (and 3:1) — the promise that Elijah would come before the Messiah Matthew 11:14 and 17:12, Mark 9:13, Luke 1:17 — Jesus identifying John as Elijah, which sits awkwardly with John’s own denial Matthew 18:20 — “where two or three are gathered in my name”, read as attention fixed on Jesus himself John 3:30 — “he must increase, I must decrease”, John’s answer as Jesus’s ministry grows Galatians 4:5 and Ephesians 1:5 — purchased and adopted into God’s family, alluded to in the closing application Key points John is interrogated almost like a defendant, the delegation trying to pin him down He knows who he is partly by knowing who he is not — not Messiah, not Elijah, not the Prophet The puzzle of Elijah: John says no, Jesus says yes — either John was mistaken, or the identification is about the ministry not the man He is a voice: a voice matters only for the words it is asked to carry, and John is a signpost to Jesus He baptises with water — human means; anything powerful that comes of it is God’s doing, not his He is unworthy compared to Jesus, not in a vacuum; humility is self-forgetfulness, not a low opinion of yourself They knew the Hebrew Scriptures well enough to win a pub quiz, and still did not know God Faith is being open to what God wants to do, not knowing the answers The big deal is not about me; it is about him — which should come as a relief Identity is a gift, not something found in ourselves: purchased with the blood of his Son and adopted Whatever holds first place defines you, and Western materialism gives inadequate answers Calls to action Answer the question for yourself: who are you, and where does your identity actually come from? Be open to being surprised by God rather than settling for knowing the answers Become a signpost that points at Jesus rather than at yourself Ask God’s forgiveness for failing to recognise him among us Look at what is in first place in your life, and put first things first Watch the video: https://youtu.be/qBkUZqOsx64

29:25

Ep. 01 Oct 18, 2026

Sunday Gathering - John 1 : 1-18 - Andy Holingum - Sermon Only

Andy Holingum opens a new series through the Gospel of John with the prologue, John 1:1-18 — the passage he calls the “big introduction” before John gets into the detail of Jesus’ life. He begins with some context for the book: John is one of four eyewitness accounts, and he differs from the others. There are no parables in John; his emphasis falls much more on the miraculous and the supernatural, because he is writing to convey that Jesus truly is the Son of God. It was written late in the first century, the last of the four Gospels to be written, with John in Ephesus. The sermon then works through the passage as a series of foundations. Jesus is in the beginning and he is the Word; he was with God; he was God; through him all things were made; in him was life, and that life was the light of men. Andy is candid that the opening verses outrun our understanding — “whoa, stop messing with my head, John” — and argues that standing in wonder at what we cannot grasp is itself the right response, and part of why we worship. He then turns to the darkness. John describes the world without Jesus as a dark place, and says the darkness has not understood the light. Andy’s observation is that we get used to darkness — the way you don’t notice a garden getting dark until you go indoors, switch a light on, and look back out. Jesus is the true light, and he came to his own though his own did not receive him; yet to all who did receive him he gave the right to become children of God. Receiving, he insists, is more than knowing about Jesus. It is encountering him as a person, and it is a seismic shift in who we live for. The sermon closes on verse 14, the Word becoming flesh and making his dwelling among us. Bible passages John 1:1-18 — the whole passage, read in full at the start Genesis 1 — creation, alluded to in “through him all things were made”; Andy says the creation account is Jesus speaking it out John 10:10 — “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full”, quoted ahead of the series Hebrews 12:2 — “for the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame”, quoted on why Jesus came John 1:14 in Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase — “moved into the neighbourhood”, quoted from The Message Key points Jesus is the Word: he communicates who God is Jesus was in the beginning — there was never a “before” Jesus, unlike everything else we can speak about He was with God, and he was God: three foundations in a single verse, and more than we can grasp Through him all things were made — creation came by Jesus speaking it into being In him was life, and that life was the light of men; he still speaks life into the dead places of our hearts The world without Jesus is darkness, and the darkness has not understood the light We get used to darkness and stop noticing that we are in it Jesus is the true light, giving light to every person coming into the world He came to his own and was not received — this is the root problem of humanity Yet he came anyway, with no guarantee how people would respond, and he calls us to the same servant mission To all who received him he gave the right to become children of God Receiving is encounter plus a changed life, not simply adding Jesus to everything else The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us — God did not stay distant Calls to action Come to the front for prayer if your Christianity has become routine or boring, and ask Jesus to rekindle passion for him and for his mission Pray for Jesus to speak acts of creation into our lives, our families, the church, and into Jordanthorpe, Batemoor and Lowedges Receive Jesus as a person rather than merely knowing about him — a seismic shift in who you live for Recapture the servant heart of Jesus in mission, expecting to be shouted at, sworn at and dismissed Ask honestly: is your life full? Watch the video: https://youtu.be/fIDCUY6X75Y