What is our hope and vision for the year ahead? Claire and Owen Lynch look back on what God did in and through Severn last year, and present our aims and what we need looking forward.
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What does it mean to have hope in Jesus? Owen Lynch looks at the difficulties and divisions in society in Jesus’ time and we might relate to some of them today. People were not looking for a nice idea to make them feel better, they needed a restoration of hope, and the way Jesus offered this transformed their world. How can it do the same for us?
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Did you know there's a surprising way you can feel happier, right away, right now? Claire Lynch looks at the power of thankfulness, including its proven ability to make us feel more satisfied, while also improving our relationships when approached in certain ways. It's also a major theme in the Bible, part of healthy personal and community life with God.
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What does it mean that Jesus’ birth was written in the stars? Owen Lynch looks at the hopes and expectations which were carried by Israel’s promised Messiah, and how people had a range of reactions when it seemed like this person could have arrived. This Christmas, will we find that Jesus leaves us indifferent, resistant, or starstruck?
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How would you react to news that rocked your sense of who you were and what to expect from life? Owen Lynch looks at the ways one family in Israel would have been shaken by the news of expecting a child, and how this child would have an historic role which would surprise everyone. However, along with the shock came a call to trust. What does it mean that we can trust God, and grow to trust each other, and that God trusts us?
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What is it like to approach Jesus and faith like a child? Bern Leckie shares his experiences of growing up in a religious community and how some things seemed to make more sense than others. When Jesus told people they had to receive God’s kingdom like little children, what did he mean? Was he telling people to be mild and obedient, or hoping that they’d receive the enormous superpower of God’s love and enjoy finding out what it could do in and through them? And is this love only for a special people, or for everyone?
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What can we expect from life with God? David Jennings shares his experience of being in the middle of life-changing things like people being freed from addiction, and finding that this can still be messy and difficult. Jesus promised the reality of God’s kingdom would start to be visible in our lifetimes, so how do we deal with the tension of this being both “now” and “not yet”?
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How did the idea that God is angry with people become widespread, and is it true? Claire Lynch looks at some of the ways in history that people have formed a view of God, in many ways shaped by developing understandings of themselves. Pictures of God’s wrath seem easy to find in the Old Testament, but was there also something bigger, stronger and longer lasting being revealed? Jesus and the New Testament can make God look very different. Is this a change in God’s nature, or more of a fulfilment and completion of a picture we can now understand by following Jesus?
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How can we find strength by embracing our weaknesses? Owen Lynch shares about the choices he has faced in dealing with imperfections and needing to decide between denial and defensiveness or acceptance and vulnerability. Jesus told the story of the son whose admission of weakness led to stronger connection with his father than the son who claimed to have done everything right. What difference could it make to be honest about weakness with ourselves, God and someone we trust?
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How does it help us to deal with pain and loss? Owen Lynch looks at some of the effects that loss-bringing change can have on us, from adjustments in work and family life to the death of someone close. Psalms in the Bible can reflect some of our feelings and direct our attention to God for sharing them. Can we find hope in a relationship with God that brings to life Jesus’ ultimate confrontation with death itself?
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How can it be good to accept some limitations in life instead of striving to overcome them all? Owen Lynch looks at how this has applied to him and, maybe surprisingly, takes Jesus as an example of someone whose choice to live within limits may have set us a good pattern for a healthy life.
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How are we shaped by our family histories, and what can we do about this? Owen Lynch looks at repeating patterns of behaviour in himself and his own family, as well as stories of families shared in the Bible. Jesus offered another way of life he described as being “born again” - but what does this mean for us?
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What do we need for healthy spiritual and emotional life? Owen Lynch looks at the links between spiritual and emotional health, what we see happening on our surfaces and what might be going on beneath. What can we do to get a better understanding of what’s formed us and how can we deal with stress, pain and - when needed - change?
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What difference does it make to believe that God is present, protects and provides today? Owen Lynch shares what the gospel means about God’s role in his life, in a context where fewer and fewer friends and colleagues might believe in God or go to church. Can we draw lessons from history about what religious institutions do under pressure, and can we follow Jesus into a different way of life?
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What does it mean to rethink, and how can this change our view of faith and life? Liz Nixon looks at the difference it has made to change her mind and see God as primarily a father, and the influence this has had when relating to God in prayer, being a parent and learning to recognise God’s voice to share words from him.
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Why do people call Jesus’ teaching about a new kingdom good news? Jack Saunders looks at the different kinds of kings, kingdoms and driving forces people have experienced and compares what it means to be led by them or led by Jesus.
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What do we believe life with God should be like, and what do we need to do about it? Caleb Pedersen compares his experience of life growing up with limited power to the life we can expect in God's kingdom. Power from God, as displayed and shared through Jesus, can give us the hope of fulfilment. It's not limited to ourselves - sharing it with others can make us feel most fully alive. Can we earn this power? If not, how do we get it?
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How are our lives shaped by what we love most? Joanna Moss looks at different sources of love, satisfaction and contentment in her life and how they compare with loving and being loved by God. Jesus offered good news about a way to live with freedom, joy and peace - but how do we live this in practice? Can we learn to trust that Jesus' good news is good even when our life circumstances aren't everything we want?
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Gospel means “good news”, but what about the message or experience of following Jesus is good news to us? Jess Pedersen begins a new series of talks about how we have personally received ideas from or about Jesus and found them to be positive and life-changing. Jess considers encouragement from the Bible about talking to God with the expectation that he hears, knows and loves us like a father. It’s good news that we can approach God as family, but what can we do when we believe that?
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Do we think God always loves us, or only when we do the right things? Claire Lynch looks at how easy it can be to start believing that our worth is somehow linked to our performance in life, and how differently Jesus describes God’s remarkable, overflowing love for us. Will we let God love us like that?
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