Bethnal Green Mission Church

This is the second sermon in our mini WWMI series on Desire. James K. A. Smith believes that as teleological creatures, all humans have a specific vision of the good life, a picture of human flourishing. Our desires will focus on this goal. But what is the good life? What does 'good' mean, and how, as Christians, can we understand if our desires for the good life align with God's vision for human flourishing? This sermon takes us back to the creation narrative in Genesis and to the Garden of Eden, a place of good and desirable trees.

In the first of our new Compendium series, James dives into the words of Evelyn Underhill. Drawing on natural theology, scripture and re-examining belief, he unpicks what she might have to say about the Christian life today.

WWMI returns for a mini-series on Desire. Augustine said, "Our life is a gymnasium of desire", that is, as humans we exist by desire. But how are these desires formed and curated in us and what do they  tell us about our human identity, God and our spiritual formation? In a world where desire feeds the economic system of capitalism and consumption, who or what is desiring us? For the next 5 weeks we will explore these questions along with many others.

The focus of this talk is Psalm 84, with an emphasis on viewing it from a New Testament perspective. Luke records that the resurrected Jesus declared to his disciples "Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms". With this in mind, we considered how this  Psalm prophetically looks forward  to what the New Testament reveals about Jesus, and how applying this may strengthen us in our spiritual pilgrimage"

In this talk we consider the meaning we can draw from the metaphor of the church as the bride of Christ. What does this image tell us about the identity of the church, its relationship with Christ, and its role in the world today?

In this last talk on John 9, we explore the further reaction to the man's healing and testimony by his parents and the religious authorities. Will anybody choose to be his advocate and will his voice be finally heard? What do these scenes say about powerful, 'able-bodied' domination systems that get challenged and disrupted by the marginalised and disbelieved? What irony is employed by John that is pertinent to our understanding of disability theology?

This is the second part of our reflection on the encounter of a blind man with Jesus through the lens of disability. John 9 is a public trial of disability and ability, with several 'stakeholders' interacting with the man and Jesus over 6 scenes. The man has been given his sight by Jesus and this attracts debate and questioning from neighbours and religious authorities (v.8-17). What issues arise that may resonate with those who experience disability and what can able-bodied people learn from man's experience?

The early followers of Christ referred to themselves as followers of the Way. The Way is how Jesus referred to himself, a phrase taken up by the first-century church in the book of Acts. But what does this Way look like and what does going this Way entail for the church today?

How the message of 1 Peter weaves together key aspects of Israel’s relationship with God with the person of Jesus and those who believe in him. How can the separate roles of Royalty and Priesthood make sense together? Who is Melchizedek? What might it look like for us to inhabit this priestly role? What are these acceptable spiritual sacrifices we are meant to offer?

In our quest to learn about theology from the margins, we give our attention to a story in John 9 and read it from the perspective of disability. What can able-bodied people learn from reading the bible with a new lens? In this first part, we will examine Jesus' response to the disciples' curiosity about the link between the man's blindness and sin. Was the man born blind so that God could perform a miracle of healing?