Comfort in Close Reading

Matthew 13-21: Discipleship in The Shadow of The Cross

Matthew 13-21: Discipleship in The Shadow of The Cross

Matthew 13-21: Discipleship in The Shadow of The Cross

Matthew 13-21: Discipleship in The Shadow of The Cross

Matthew 13-21: Discipleship in The Shadow of The Cross

Matthew 13-21: Discipleship in The Shadow of The Cross

Matthew 13-21: Discipleship in The Shadow of The Cross

Matthew 13-21: Discipleship in The Shadow of The Cross

Matthew 13-21: Discipleship in The Shadow of The Cross

Matthew 13-21: Discipleship in The Shadow of The Cross

Matthew 13-21: Discipleship in The Shadow of The Cross

Matthew 13-21: Discipleship in The Shadow of The Cross

Matthew 13-21: Discipleship in The Shadow of The Cross

Matthew 13-21: Discipleship in The Shadow of The Cross

Matthew 13-21: Discipleship in The Shadow of The Cross

Matthew 13-21: Discipleship in The Shadow of The Cross

Matthew 13-21: Discipleship in The Shadow of The Cross

Gathered: Episode 9. Sin & Abuse in the Church Too much for one sermon so a little scatter-gun, especially since second lockdown was announced to commence the next day. As a result, the series didn't finish: - Baptism & The Lord's Supper - Church as 'family' and 'body' - Gender & Racial diversity in the church - Who is church 'for'? - Does church have a 'mission', and, if so, what is it?

Gathered: Episode 8. In the immortal words of Depeche Mode: 'Everything Counts in Large Amounts' ... how do we approach diversity in the body? I led a brief question-time at the end of this sermon (also recorded). Parallel evening church sermon (not recorded): 'Who Is Church For?'

Gathered: Episode 7. The wardens asked me to preach on money this week. Note that this occurs in two halves: the preaching, and a separate 'wisdom application' that I wanted to keep away from the pulpit. Parallel evening church sermon (not recorded): 'Disagreement, Division, and Discipline in the Church'

Gathered: Episode 6. Church is the fruit of mission, but what fruit does it itself bear? Parallel evening church sermon (not recorded): 'Christian Worship'

Gathered: Episode 5. Sunday morning at St Typical's, yes, but also something far more glorious and lasting! Also: is church still church if it's not meeting? Parallel evening church sermon (not recorded): 'Church & Hope'

Gathered: Episode 4. Sinai models the future expectation of church: Gathered to God to listen to him, who meets us in his Word. Parallel evening church sermon (not recorded): 'Does The Church Have Priests'

Gathered: Episode 3. An old perspective (!), as old as the Old Tesatment, in fact: *first* salvation, *then* church. Parallel evening church sermon (not recorded): 'Wrath & Mercy: The "Tension" in God's Character'

Gathered: Episode 2. If church is 'gathering', who are what are we gathering *to*? Parallel evening church sermon (not recorded): 'What Is Heaven?'

Gathered: Episode 1. To understand 'gathering', we must first understand what we are being gathered *from*. Parallel evening church sermon (not recorded): 'What Is Hell?'

Ruth's kindness to Boaz. Yes, that is the right way around! Please note: This audio has a fair degree of reverb. Further: The issues in church's recording reached their nadir the next week, and the end of the story is missing! Spoiler: The end of the book is about God's kindness in giving us a king (ultimately Jesus)! In the time of the judges, when God seemed absent and Israel so desperately needed a king, God was quietly providing one: a king from Judah, from Bethlehem, who would lead his people.

What does life look like for a people who are conscious of their God as they live in an 'in-between age'? What are the practicalities of care and compassion in families and communities of God's people? Please note: There is an extended application regarding violence and safety towards women, and the responsibility of older men to teach the younger men to care for women (without patronisation!). Further note: The audio for most of the application is broken due to a recording issue.

How should we read the Book of Ruth? What is its theme? Is it a romance? A pre-feminist manifesto? Is Boaz pre-figuring of Jesus? In short, does the book itself give us any clues about how to read it? As we enter Ruth 1, we'll see that Ruth explores the theme of kindness: Ruth to Naomi, Boaz to Ruth, Ruth to Boaz, and - above all - God to his people. Set against the backdrop of an era so desperately lacking in kindness, collated in a series of books in which God is 'distant', this book has a lot to say about life 'under the sun' in an 'overlap of the ages'.