St Basil's Church

What do we do with our doubts, our fears and our deepest longings? On the third weekend of advent, Jonah looks at John and Jesus’s exchange in Matthew for a way to navigate through wilderness periods. We discover in scripture that we need not fear, we can find hope in the birth Jesus Christ.

We are called, like John the Baptist, to stand on the frontier of the in-breaking kingdom and watch for signs of Jesus’ arrival in our midst. To be a people that live in solidarity with those in darkness, but are characterised by a hope of those who expect the dawn.

Our visiting speaker, Pete Portal, shares insights into being a community of prophetic hope in the world as we begin our advent journey.

Pete unpacks the connection between contemplation, revivalism and activism in Philippians 3 and calls us to hold the three together in order to be a prophetic presence in the world.

Pete takes us through a reflection on the lives of David and Mephibosheth from 2 Samuel 9 and what they teach us about justice, mercy and kinship whilst offering a beautiful reflection on the role of betrayal in the process

Jude concludes our series with Peter’s closing thoughts in chapter 5 - as citizens of heaven we’re invited to cast our anxieties onto God, called to ‘put on’ humility, and warned to stand firm in our faith.

Pete James guides us through chapter 4 and three particular threads in Peter's reflections on how to be citizens of heaven: don't waste your time on emptying things; prioritise prayer; and love and serve one another.

Dan unpacks Peter’s advice in chapter 3 to sit under societal structures so that we might see their redemption. And then explores how we can live distinct and proximate lives in an ‘age of authenticity’ that provoke questions about the living hope we carry. 

In week 2 of our series on 1 Peter, Pete James encourages us to live lives in line with our identity as citizens of heaven: co-operating with grace; being alert to what either fills or empties our souls; and living confidently distinctive lives.

Jonah Horne opened our new series on 1 Peter by calling us to place our trust in the “living hope” of Jesus. He invited us to reflect on stories from within the church that show people living alternative lives in the kingdom of God. Jonah asked us, how can we orientate our lives to be one defined by holiness, formed by the Kingdom of God rather than the competing kingdoms of the world? Please note that we experienced some technical difficulties during the talk, which will explain some slight strange noises in the middle of it. We are sorry about this!