When Jesus describes Himself as the Bread of Life, he’s making two very clear connections. The first is that the feeding of the 5,000 is not just about the miraculous act, but about the one who performs it. Remember, in this sermon series we’ve been really pressing into the idea that miracles are signs that don’t point to themselves but are meant to point us to Jesus. The Jews got caught up in the idea that Jesus provided food for them once, and therefore He could be relied on to keep giving them food on demand. While we do experience (and should expect) miraculous provision from God, we must never forget that signs and wonders should always lead us directly to Jesus Himself. Jesus does not allow us to make Him a foodbank or jukebox, but as a God to be worshiped.  Read More

There are parts of scripture which have worked their way into our very culture, not just as Christians, but also as a culture. The feeding of the 5,000 is one of those narratives. Maybe it is the drama of it that makes it so relatable. Maybe it is because if touches on one of our most basic needs – food! It is one of the only narratives that appears in all four of the gospels (Why not have a look at the other versions found in Matthew 14, Mark 6 and Luke 9). In the sermon this week we focused on the miracle itself – this was a real event, it really happened and it is amazing. As with all miracles in John it reveals to us the character of Christ – he is fully God, and God is the God of creation and provision.  Read More

This week we’ve been looking at John 5:16 onwards. We find in these verses Jesus’ response to being challenged, persecuted, criticised for healing a man on the Sabbath. The Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day didn’t like what Jesus had done but also hated the fact Jesus was claiming His equality with God. They wanted to get rid of Him.  Read More

After a few weeks out of sequence we’re now back in John 4. So far John has shown us how The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We’ve seen John the Baptist point to Jesus and the calling of the first disciples. Jesus turned water in to wine and cleared the Temple. He’s taught Nicodemus and John the Baptist testified about Jesus, again. Then Jesus met the woman at the well in Samaria and a whole town encountered Jesus. Our stories today pick up where we left off in John 4.  Read More

I felt called to leadership when I was 16 years old. I had become a Christian in a Baptist church in Bedford in 1983 and got thoroughly plugged in to an amazing youth group. We would gather to pray on a Friday night, intending to pray for an hour and ending up praying until the early hours of the morning. It was an incredible time of blessing and many of us have gone on to lead within the church. We would also gather for larger worship events with visiting worship bands – often from other parts of the world. It was at one such event that God spoke to me so clearly from Isaiah 61.  Read More

This year we’re working our way through John’s Gospel. And this Easter we’re jumping ahead to look at the how John tells the story of that first Easter week. This week we’re in John 12; next week we’ll explore John 20 and Jesus’ resurrection. There are two stories in this week’s passage. v1-11, tell the story of Jesus being anointed by Mary at Bethany. v12-19, of Jesus’ triumphal entry in to Jerusalem. For this week’s devotion we’ll focus on the first of these two. As we start, it is worth noting that this story is part 2 of 2. It follows on from the events of John 11 where Lazarus is raised from the dead. It’s a tremendous event, and here in John 12 they’re throwing a party to celebrate!   Read More