More than any other, Psalm 110 reveals the identity of the Messiah.
Jesus is the fulfillment of David’s prophecy in this psalm: Jesus has completed the work God assigned him setting us right with God, Jesus is Lord over all that we ever face, Jesus is our eternal priest caring and interceding for us, and Jesus is extending His kingdom over evil with us as His willing army in the fight.
By Ed Flint
Psalm 19 (NIV); Psalm 19 (Message)
The Psalms don't just tell us about God—they teach us how to speak to him. Psalm 19 invites us into an ancient prayer of orientation, that begins with the skies, delights in instruction, and ends with a simple prayer of surrender.
But to hear it well, we have to step outside our modern assumptions about science, faith, and religious rules—and learn to see the world a little more like ancient Israel did. It's an invitation to slow down, recover wonder, and allow the Holy Spirit to write God's ways on our hearts.
By Hannah Flint
God of Humanity
The Bible answers the fundamental question of what it means to be human, by saying: it means to be in relationship with God.
It's less about who we are and more about whose we are. When we start with God, we experience life as it’s supposed to be lived: we see that God is enormous and powerful; we are small; our worship shuts the mouth of all that comes against us; God cares about the smallest details of our lives; and in our weakness he makes us strong. We come to God as we are, and he meets us there.
By Ed Flint
At bread, we value the manifest presence of God above all else. Worship is essential for that.
Since the beginning God's people have sung songs of worship. We are commanded to do so; it's who we were created to be; and He alone is worthy of it. Worship will always be the ultimate goal for humanity. So we're learning that as we bring our full selves- body, mind and spirit- to worship, trusting in the cross of Christ, we draw close to God, and He to us. Our worship welcomes in the King of the Kingdom. And wherever He is, his Kingdom comes.
By Ed Flint
Matthew 25:14-30; Genesis 2:15
Returning to Jesus' parable of the talents, we consider how this story relates to all areas of our lives other than money.
We have all been variously gifted by God - not just in respect of our abilities or talents, but also with regards to our history, our personality, our relationships, our experiences, all of what makes us, us. As co-collaborators with God in building his kingdom, we're called not to sit on all that we've been given, but to invest it. We're called to use it for the good of people, and the glory of God. If we don't, we're in danger of losing it.
But if we do, God promises to give us even more. And when we do, we get to delight in all the ways our investments make our world an even more wonderful place.
By Ed Flint
The Parable of the Great Banquet is Jesus opening the doors to everyone. After being invited to dinner by a group of Pharisees, Jesus answers their question on who’s in and who’s out in his new kingdom. Drawing from Isaiah’s messianic banquet prophecy 700 years earlier, Jesus redeclares God’s desire for everyone to be included. That means you too!
By Tom Powell
The parable of the talents is primarily about money. Jesus encourages his followers to be responsible with the money they have been given. All of it is a gift from God, because God owns all the money in the world.
We don't need to worry too much about where we are in the pecking order in terms of how much or how little we've been given. Rather we’re to be responsible with all that we've got, holding it with open hands, ready to use it to invest in God’s kingdom wherever we can.
By doing so we reflect God’s generosity to us, and we rob money of the power it can have over us- freeing ourselves from fear or worship of it.
The Kingdom of God being parabolically described as a mustard seed by Jesus in Mark 4 was surprising to his listeners by the shore of the sea, to say the least. And his reference to nesting birds might seem benign enough to us, but to them, the splendid cedar of imperial messianic power (from Ezekiel and Daniel) was supposed to provide birds shelter.
So the image of the mustard plant — found blooming bright yellow all over Los Angeles in springtime, just as it was across Galilee — becomes significant in all sorts of ways: there’s no singular main trunk, but a multitude of stems; it spreads invasively and at an almost unstoppable pace, partly because of how rapidly and abundantly each stem produces seeds; it grows together, and stands together, to produce shade. Even the size of the bloom depends entirely on the winter rains that come beforehand (throughout Scripture, God’s Spirit is poured out like water on dry land.)
Powerful symbolism for Mark’s original community, and a specific word to us as a community today.
By Hannah Flint
The Kingdom of God is what life looks like when Jesus is in charge. It has already begun through Jesus, but it’s not yet fully visible; it is present, but hidden, and we as His people are called not just to be in it, but to participate in God’s kingdom work in the world. The Parable of the Sower demonstrates Kingdom people as a quiet resistance force—joining God in pushing back against evil through love, witness, and action-- and teaches us three important principles.
First, sow generously: share the message of Jesus widely without worrying about results—God’s Kingdom is marked by abundance, not efficiency.
Second, recognize different responses: some hearts are hardened by busyness, some are shallow (driven only by emotion or intellect), and others are distracted by worries and wealth.
Third, cultivate good soil: make space for God, engage deeply with His Word, and allow it to shape every part of life. The promise is that, when we respond fully, God produces a multiplied harvest—bringing lasting love, joy, peace, and transformation, even in a broken world.
By Ed Flint
Following on from last week's talk about who the real Jesus of the gospels is, today we consider the sort of life he promises to bring.
In his interaction with Nicodemus, Jesus promises something more radical than any religious, political or social leader has ever offered. He says that what humanity’s needs goes beyond sociological, economic, or political revolutions, and beyond psychological revolutions. Jesus says humanity's problems all stem from a spiritual problem, so only a spiritual solution will do. He says everyone must be born again. Only with the spiritual cleansing, washing and refreshing of the new birth found in him and by his Spirit, will lives be fundamentally changed.
As God himself, Jesus is uniquely able to provide this for all who turn to him.
By Ed Flint
With our upcoming Alpha course beginning April 28th, we consider what it is we’re doing when we invite our friends to the course.
Ultimately we’re inviting them to meet Jesus. And He always meets people just as they are.
From his interaction with the Samaritan woman (John 4:1-30) we see that Jesus, fully human, is not afraid to admit his needs. He meets us on equal and humble footing: bestowing dignity, breaking down barriers, treating us equally, offering the supernatural water of life that fully satisfies, and bringing the presence of God into the midst of us. Jesus is the one we’re all made for. And by inviting friends to Alpha we’re saying: come and see!
By Ed Flint
How do we seek out the lost sheep? What does loving the most vulnerable look like? How do we see and love people with the heart of Jesus?
Our guest speaker Bob Ekblad shares his story and experiences of working with people on the margins: folks struggling with addiction, inmates, immigrants, and so many other people who have been overlooked by society. He unpacks what it looks like to be a disciple of Jesus: lambs called to seek out sheep in a world surrounded by wolves.
By Bob Ekblad
The resurrection means everything good will be restored. Because of Jesus’ bodily, historical rising from the dead, a new day has dawned. Just as the power of sin touched every single part of creation at the fall, the power of the resurrection is redeeming every single part of creation since Easter. Sin and death has been swallowed up in the victory of God.
God is restoring everything- paintings and buildings, people and marriages, relationships and families, hearts and bodies, and the whole universe! So, when it comes to the future, we need not be pessimists nor optimists; instead we can be something far more powerful: resurrectionists!
He has risen! Hallelujah!