This Sunday, guest speaker Charles Auld spoke from Lamentations 3 about how and why we need to talk about the justice of God.

This Sunday we continued in our series on HOME, looking at Prophecy: speaking out how God sees the present and the future. James looks at prophecy in both the Church today and the Bible and how we can read the prophets in the Old Testament. Together, we looked at Isaiah 11 and how Isaiah looked towards the person of Christ and the second coming. 

In our Little Churches we looked at these passages...

Isaiah 9:2-7

Isaiah 40:1-5

Isaiah 58:6-12

And discussed these questions...

Which verses are speaking about the context, the cross, the second coming?

What is God saying to me/us/our culture in this passage?

This half term as many people in our city celebrated Halloween, we gathered to celebrate Jesus, the light of the world, the one who has overcome the darkness. In this 2-part recording Wendy & Wayne unpack the armour of God, how we can get a hold of it and be people of the light.

Ephesians 6:10-17

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

This Sunday James spoke on the importance of communal suffering and what we can learn from the exile, and in particular Psalm 137, about being real with others and with Jesus.

Psalm 137

By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept

when we remembered Zion.

There on the poplars

we hung our harps,

for there our captors asked us for songs,

our tormentors demanded songs of joy;

they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

How can we sing the songs of the Lord

while in a foreign land?

If I forget you, Jerusalem,

may my right hand forget its skill.

May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth

if I do not remember you,

if I do not consider Jerusalem

my highest joy.

Remember, Lord, what the Edomites did

on the day Jerusalem fell.

“Tear it down,” they cried,

“tear it down to its foundations!”

Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction,

happy is the one who repays you

according to what you have done to us.

Happy is the one who seizes your infants

and dashes them against the rocks.

What do you worship in life? We're in a series called Home, looking at the exile and seeking to understand where we are in an uncertain world. This Sunday's talk looks at Psalm 115, how the people in exile overcame the temptation to worship idols, and why worship is the key for us in re-ordering our priorities as followers of Jesus.

Psalm 115

Not to us, Lord, not to us

Why do the nations say,

 All you Israelites, trust in the Lord—

 The Lord remembers us and will bless us:

 May the Lord cause you to flourish,

 The highest heavens belong to the Lord,

Praise the Lord.

In our Little Churches we asked these questions:

What are the idols of our culture and our lives?

Do I seek to be with God in worship?

Am I worshipping with others?

What difference do the promises of God make in my life?

This is the first in a new series of monthly podcasts exploring some of the key discipleship questions that get asked in our Little Churches and the theology behind them. In this episode we’re looking at 4 key theological concepts: The Kingdom of God, the Church, the World, and Culture.

We're in a new series, Home, helping us understand where we are in an uncertain world. This week, James explains some of the history of the exile from the Old Testament and explores why embracing God's holiness can help others see Jesus.

In our Little Churches this week we asked these questions:

How are those you are serving experiencing the world right now?

How are you presenting Jesus to them?

What do you want God to do next in your Little Church?

What do you think God wants you to do next in your Little Church?

Who is the Lord of your history? In the second of our series of talks on Home, seeking to understand where we are in an uncertain world, we're looking again at Jeremiah's letter to the Israelites who have been carried into exile in Babylon. Wayne unpacks what God is saying to them and what he might be saying to us now. God is in charge, he has a plan and he has promised that even in Babylon we can be full of hope.

How do we follow Jesus well in uncertain times? This week at The Gathering we began our new series, Home, learning from the exile. Wayne spoke from Jeremiah 29 about our identity that finds its home in Jesus. This culture is not our home, Jesus is our home. But because Jesus is our home, we can make our home in this culture. 

In our Little Churches we discussed these questions:

Is Jesus my home?

If yes, what rhythms and practises do I have in place to live this out?

Do I pursue God's presence?

If yes, what rhythms and practises do I have in place to pursue God's presence?

Most of us will be taking a break over the summer but there are some things that we shouldn't stop doing - and following Jesus together is one of them! That's why on Sunday at The Gathering we launched the B&A Summer Challenge. 

If you missed out I'm afraid you won't get the stickers but you can hear all about it on this week's episode of the Catch Up Podcast. You can find all the challenges on the website, just head to babristol.org/summerchallenge.