What does it mean to meet with God outside of church? Owen Lynch shares about his experiences on sabbatical leave and looks at the story of Jacob, who had an intense encounter with God after fleeing his family. He’s also not the only person in the Old Testament to experience God’s presence far away from traditional places of worship. How do our encounters with God compare?

What difference does it make to believe we are seen and known by God? Liz Nixon looks at the story of Hagar, a character from near the beginning of the Bible who might be easy to overlook. While what she was made to do might seem difficult for us to process or accept, she was given special significance by God and her family line became important in the world. Could her encounter with God remind us about people we are overlooking in our lives? What can God do with us to address this?

What is it like to be forced unjustly from your home country, and what kind of life can you hope to find next? In Refugee Week 2022, Dan Green looks at the story of Joseph, who famously found uses for his gifts and, despite opposition and mistreatment, became a trusted leader in his adoptive country. How does his story challenge us to treat others differently, and perhaps seek to use our gifts to help others too?

How much do we struggle to square simplistic Sunday school beliefs with our complex world? In this talk, Owen Lynch revisits some of the dramatic stories we tell our kids and puts them into context. What does God want us to know from the stories of creation, Adam and Eve and Noah’s Ark? And how can questioning our assumptions about these, while unsettling, lead to a deeper, healthier spirituality? (For more info, see “Genesis for Normal People” by Peter Enns and Jared Byas)