The passage we’re exploring this week through our service, Life Group Guide and devotions is John 3:1-21. It’s the first time we meet to Nicodemus in John’s Gospel. He’ll turn up a couple more times before the end, but this is his most famous moment. While there is so much that could be said about this passage, I want to focus us on to the most well known verse in this section, John 3:16. Let’s savour it together, a bite-sized chunk at a time.  Read More

We might come with a tiny bit of expectation, but we come to an amazing God who understands every part of our lives and meets us in the dirt. He meets us where we are.  Read More

Listen to these mind blowing words from 1 Corinthians 6.19-20: 19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your bodies.  Read More

Well in my message I focused on John 2:1-11, which is Jesus’ first recorded miracle, the wedding in Cana where he turned water into wine. It’s such an iconic episode in the life of Jesus, and even through it’s only 11 verses, you could easily study just this one miracle for weeks on its own, such is the richness of the symbolism and so multi-layered is the story.  Read More

I was slightly frustrated when I came to this passage. John’s gospel includes some incredible moments in Jesus life, but on first look this appears a bit of a filler passage. But then I read it again, and again, and again. In effect, I meditated on the passage. Through that repetition I found real joy and inspiration. I caught sight of the texture of these verses as they described real people having real encounters. John the Baptist willingly releasing followers (disciples) to follow Jesus. Yet another example of John the Baptist’s humility and prophetic calling. Five different men deciding to follow Jesus. Friends inviting friends, brother inviting brother. John the gospel writer refusing to name himself in the narrative as he stays true to his vision for his gospel – to point people to Jesus.  Read More

We seem to be in the middle of a pandemic of apologies. Barely a day goes by without a new demand for an expression of remorse from someone in power for their failings. The trouble is that many of our leaders seem to have perfected the art of “apologising” without acknowledging that they have actually done anything wrong; “It wasn’t that serious…, I misunderstood…, I wasn’t told it was wrong…., I was misled…”. It may be more honest if they had confessed; “I was arrogant..., I was deceitful…, I was greedy…”. But we all prefer to present our most shameful actions as understandable mistakes rather than acknowledge them for what they are. The Bible speaks of such things plainly; it calls them “sin”. It makes it clear that they are the root cause of our fractured relationships with the Holy God who created us and the darkness that engulfs the world as a result.  Read More