bread church

By breadReligion & Spirituality Christianity

bread church episodes

August 04, 2025 Testimony Sunday.
It’s a regular rhythm for us at bread to share stories of how Jesus is
meeting us in real time in our lives.
Today we’ll hear from five people in our community as they testify to the
ways the voice of God is meeting them in each of their unique journeys.
35 min
July 28, 2025 Jonah (…).
Throughout this short exploration of the book of Jonah, we have been
confronted with the radical – and uncomfortable - nature of God as being
full of compassion. If we are on the receiving end, it is quite lovely! But
when we are charged to proclaim that mercy to others – at least some of
whom we would prefer not be given the opportunity to hear it lest they
repent! – it is a different story.
In a world in which we are weaponized against one another, Jonah calls us,
in spite of himself, to learn compassion from God – and especially towards
those we think, perhaps accurately, least deserving of it. If we are going
to be at all useful in partnering with God to save the world, it is a
lesson needing to be learned.
By Bill Dogterom
34 min
July 21, 2025 Nineveh repents.
As we dive into Jonah chapter 3, we find a reluctant prophet carrying a
very short message to his enemies in Nineveh.
In this talk, we explore a few questions together: What does it mean for us
that the whole capital city of such a brutal empire responded so
spectacularly to God’s invitation (even to include the animals!)? What’s
with all the mourning clothes and ashes? And what does “repentance” even
mean, for our context? What is the Spirit of God inviting us to, and how
can we join him?
By Nelly D'Alessandro
48 min
July 14, 2025 Jonah repents (kind of).
Everybody loves a redemption arc, and it's tempting to try to give one to
Jonah by the end of Chapter 2. But has Jonah really had a change of heart,
or just a change of mind?
After a series of chaotic events, the action in our story hits a complete
halt. 3 days and 3 nights of silence. Darkness. Leaving Jonah alone with
his thoughts, and with his God. Not only has Jonah run physically from
where God called him to be, he has traveled spiritually to the depths of
Sheol.
In this talk, we explore Jonah's prayer inside the belly of the fish, and
what it shows us about Jonah's heart. Jonah might not be ready to love his
enemies, but he is ready to recognize how his path was leading him to death
and God' faithfulness through it. He is finally ready to obey, albeit
through clenched teeth.
By Tavia Grubbs
33 min
July 07, 2025 Jonah flees.
In this series introduction to Jonah, we explore how to approach such a
small but formidable prophetic book, along with the historical context of
the story.
The story of Jonah asks us to take seriously the outrageously scandalous
grace of God and the ways (with Jonah) we may find ourselves running from
His presence. All throughout chapter 1, we find Jonah doing exactly the
opposite of what we’d expect; and, as we follow along, let us consider our
own instincts in responding to the painful invitations from God toward our
individual “Ninevahs.”
By Nelly D'Alessandro
47 min
July 01, 2025 Jesus and the ten commandments: do not covet.
The final commandment is like a lens through which to view, and the key to
living out, all the others. Murder, idolatry, stealing, failing to rest;
these all proceed from covetousness. This is because coveting is a matter
not of outward behavior, but of the heart. And when our heart is
misaligned, everything else in our life will be too.
Desire is an essential part of what it is to be human, but we’re rarely in
control of what it goes after. With the exception of our fundamental
material needs like food and shelter, we’re lead by our desire not
primarily for things, but for identity. We desire what other people desire.
And when those desires are not met, the result is often anger or violence.
The only one who can satisfy our inbuilt desire is God himself, and in
Jesus we have the only worthy model for our desire. He is who we’re called
to imitate. And when we set our hearts on him, all covetousness for what
others desire, and which will never satisfy, is robbed of all its
destructive power.
By Ed Flint
39 min
June 23, 2025 Jesus and the ten commandments: do not bear false witness.
Do not bear false witness…what does this word actually mean? Who among us
never stretches the truth; never avoids upsetting someone unnecessarily
with a casual truth-omission, or holds back our honest thoughts and
feelings for all the right reasons?
In its original context, the ninth commandment was a prohibition against a
false word that could cost someone their life, but (just like the rest of
the them!) it speaks a truer word about being a people who bear true
witness. It's about community, justice, allegiance to the God of truth, and
building relational fabric of trust and honesty. To gospel-writer John,
truth was never presented as a principle or standard—it is a person. Jesus
is Truth. He has given us the Spirit of Truth. And those who follow Him are
called to speak, live, and embody truth in love. This truth-telling is not
about perfection, but participation: in the unity of Christ’s body, in the
slow, patient work of sanctification, and in resisting the all the language
of the deceiver.
By Hannah Flint
39 min
June 16, 2025 Jesus and the ten commandments: no stealing.
There are two ways in which we can miss the heart of God’s commandment
against stealing. If we minimize the gravity of stealing, we fail to see
that an intrinsic part of what it means to be human is to be given things
by God to look after. Stealing from others robs humanity from them,
dehumanizing them, and marring God’s image within. This is why all
stealing, big and small, is beneath God’s lofty ideal for the people of his
kingdom- it goes against something fundamental to how God has created
humanity.
But, if we treat what we have been given, not as gifts from God to be held
loosely, but our very own to hold onto tightly, we will find ourselves
stealing not from others but from God himself. ‘The earth is the Lord’s and
everything in it’, says the Psalmist. So we’re to treat what we have openly
and generously, continually giving it back to the One who first gave it to
us. We’re called not just to stop stealing, but to work - to work to
further God’s kingdom so that we might have something to give back to him
and to those in need.
This new perspective comes as we live daily according to who we have now
become through God’s extraordinary generosity in Jesus. This is what Paul
means when he encourages us to put on our ‘new self.’
By Ed Flint
40 min
June 09, 2025 Jesus and the ten commandments: no adultery.
Jesus is not interested in outward performative actions. This is the
righteousness of the Pharisees, but has little to do with the kingdom of
God. Instead Jesus calls his people to a much deeper, more fundamental
level of heart righteousness.
Lust is the root cause of adultery, and it has no place in those who take
their inclusion in the kingdom of God seriously. At its heart, lust is a
misdirected, misaligned, corrupted desire. When desire rules us, as opposed
to us it, we degrade the image of God in other people, and in turn
ourselves.
Instead Jesus calls us to redirect our desire, a holy gift from God, to
where it is supposed to point: firstly to Him, and then appropriately and
with godly boundaries to other people, in whom we see the image of God.
This is where freedom from being bullied by our desire lies. Jesus is
looking for men and women He can trust, so that He can empower them to do
whatever they want, knowing that whatever they want is whatever He wants.
By Ed Flint
43 min
June 02, 2025 Jesus and the ten commandments: you shall not murder.
“You shall not murder” -- it's not just a good idea, it's the law! In fact,
"murder is bad" is one of the few points with which nearly everyone on
Earth agrees. On paper, most of us would say that, of the ten, this is the
easiest commandment to follow. But, from a biblical perspective, what does
it really mean to commit murder?
In the New Testament, Jesus equates murder and anger towards a brother or
sister. This indicates that, in God's perfect plan for the world, it is not
enough anymore to just not kill each other. We are encouraged to not even
be angry with one another -- a task much easier said than done. We are
encouraged to release our anger and let Jesus give us the eyes to see
everyone we encounter the way he does: as beloved children of God.
By Rebekah Covington
31 min