Matthew 4:10-11

Jesus said to him, ‘Away from me, Satan! For it is written: “Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.”’

Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

Jesus’ answer about worship is straightforward - only worship and serve God.

What does this mean for us, though? Is it just about religious activity?

How broad a role does worship have in our lives?

What does it mean for us to worship God while working, talking, doing everyday things?

How does this connect with our senses of identity, purpose and value?

What might happen if we choose to deepen our faith in God, worship more and serve him only?

We’re inviting you to reflect on this as Easter approaches.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this series - thank you for listening!

Matthew 4:8-9

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. ‘All this I will give you,’ he said, ‘if you will bow down and worship me.’

What if someone offered you a shortcut straight to something you’ve been working to achieve for ages?

What if it wasn’t just an obvious scam, but a real, tempting offer with just one string attached - it would get written up as an achievement owned by someone you didn’t trust and didn’t think was good for the world?

In Jesus’ time, popular stories which weren’t written into the Bible described widespread beliefs that God had given Satan power to rule the world, which explained its painful, broken state.

What if Jesus could do a deal with this power, brokenness and evil personified?

What if that is similar, in any way, to how we might let our good intentions and righteous ends justify any means of getting what we want?

How would we answer the call to do a deal like this?

We're inviting you to spend a few days reflecting on this before we look at Jesus’ reply in our final episode.

Matthew 4:7

Jesus answered him, ‘It is also written: “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”’

Tempted to use the Temple as a platform in a way it was not designed for, Jesus could have argued this out, but instead quoted from a well known Jewish story about a famous place named “testing”.

What did it mean for God’s people to put God to the test there?

What did it mean for Moses to fail there? What did he do wrong? (There might not be a simple answer to this - scholars have lots!)

Can we picture Jesus as succeeding where Moses failed?

How would he know how to do that? Where would he get the wisdom and strength?

And how can we follow Jesus here? What do we need to more of, or less of, to do this faithfully?

Can it help to have God remind us about who he says we are?

We're inviting you to spend a few days reflecting on this before we look at another trial in our next episode.

Matthew 4:5-6

Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the highest point of the temple. ‘If you are the Son of God,’ he said, ‘throw yourself down. For it is written:

‘ “He will command his angels concerning you,

and they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”’

Can we picture the scene here, and how different it is from being in the desert?

Can we imagine how high the temple stood and what visitors expected from the experience of visiting?

How carefully constructed was the temple to guide people into God’s presence and help them remember how special he is?

What did it mean to use the temple as a platform for something different?

Can we relate to the idea of using religion as a platform, for ourselves, or to claim God’s support?

Can we relate to the possibility of doubting whether God might show up? Do we fear that God might not be there, or might not care?

Can we relate to the temptation to throw ourselves into a crisis? Do we ever feel we need this to make God show up, or to strengthen our faith?

How would we answer the devil here?

We're inviting you to spend a few days reflecting on this before we look at Jesus’ reply in our next episode.

Matthew 4:4

Jesus answered, ‘It is written: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”’

What is surprising about Jesus' response here?

Is it as defensive as we might be when undermined, questioned, or accused about our identity and integrity?

Is Jesus replying on the enemy's terms, at their choice of battle location, or reframing the battle with a bigger, better way of seeing things?

What does it mean to live on God's word? Is it just about the Bible, or something more - perhaps something we can find explained in the Bible, a foundation of all creation, including us?

What can we find in the Bible to help us reflect on who God says we are? (Join us in exploring, and find a list if you'd like one at severnchurchbristol.org/lent)

We're inviting you to spend a few days reflecting on this before we look at another trial in our next episode.

Matthew 4:2-3

After fasting for forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.’

How different do we feel when we are hungry? Are we our best selves? Our worst selves? Which of those is closer to who we really are?

What is Jesus being tempted to do here? Is it just about bread?

What about the word "If" here? How much is that doing to try and undermine Jesus? Can we relate? How does it feel for our identity or integrity to be questioned?

How would we respond?

We're inviting you to spend a few days reflecting on this before we look at Jesus' response together in our next episode.

The story we have of this battle takes the form of a conversation between Jesus and God's enemy, Satan, "the devil".

In this introduction, we look at the whole story and how it fits into the bigger stories of the gospel and the Bible as a whole.

The desert was not just a difficult, desolate place. It was the front line of a battle, seen as a dumping ground of isolation, prison for demons and a stronghold of evil, the opposite of good life.

Jesus was not heading there for a peaceful retreat but to engage in battle, and he looked to readers of this story like a leader. For a Jewish audience, he would have sounded like Moses who spent 40 days fasting on Mount Sinai before receiving the Jewish law. Others will have noticed that Luke put this story after a family tree which linked Jesus to Adam, everyone's ancestor, and wondered if Jesus could succeed where Adam and Eve failed in dealing with temptation.

It's hard for us to find 40 days away from our normal lives, but can we find some time every day in Lent to spend with Jesus in the desert? Can it help us to see ourselves, our relationships and our purpose in the world a different way and get us ready for Easter, where Jesus finishes the battle?

Upcoming episodes (one per week every Wednesday):

• Episode 1 - the bread trial - what the devil said
• Episode 2 - the bread trial - what Jesus said
• Episode 3 - the temple trial - what the devil said
• Episode 4 - the temple trial - what Jesus said
• Episode 5 - the world trial - what the devil said
• Episode 6 - the world trial - what Jesus said

Find more about Lent and Easter at severnchurchbristol.org/lent

If you would like to know more about giving to Severn, see severnchurchbristol.org/giving. To find the FAQs and other material to accompany this talk, visit https://severnchurchbristol.org/vision2026.

Jewish people regularly celebrate this story and credit God, who is not directly seen in it, for saving and supporting them through Esther's faith and faithfulness. Can we also discern purpose from God in our work, family or community?

Could Jesus have held the power to change lives, and could this have been seen at the time we celebrate at Christmas?

This talk includes a recitation of TS Eliot’s poem, “Journey of the Magi”, a time for guided meditation and reflection, and a celebration of the Lord’s Supper.

Find pictures and full walkthrough steps here: https://www.severnvineyard.org/sunday-talks-bloglist/2025/11/6/visio-divina-led-by-claire-lynch-9-november-2025

To see this and the rest of the day’s celebrations, you can watch the whole service at https://youtu.be/G4yHL37vzoo, or browse our videos at youtube.com/@severnvineyard.

How do we know from Acts that the revolution brought by the Holy Spirit is surprisingly inclusive? Owen Lynch concludes this series with reflection on views he grew up with on what it meant to be Christian, and what he thinks and feels about this now.

The story of Acts shows the spread of God’s kingdom beyond the boundaries set by religious and cultural expectations. Towards the end, Paul’s party encountered people who had no stake in Judaism or the dominant cultures of Greece and Rome. Was Paul bringing the Holy Spirit to them, or finding that the Spirit was already there? What does this mean for our part in this revolution of love, and what kind of inclusion we can expect?

When ideas and faith spread, how much of a culture clash do we expect, and how do we deal with it? Owen Lynch looks at how the early church came into conflict with cultures that required assimilation in a forceful way. Some Jews wanted to force Christians to obey all Jewish laws. At the same time, Judaism was under threat from the Roman Empire, who tolerated differences up to a point, but would cancel and destroy cultures which they thought to be a threat. How different was Jesus’ approach, and that of his Spirit-filled followers? Had Jesus given people another way to unite through self-sacrificial love?

Find the script for this talk and an image Claire mentions for you to pray about and use at https://www.severnvineyard.org/sunday-talks-bloglist/2025/5/30/prophecy-by-claire-lynch-1-june-2025

Why can disputes about things we believe in passionately turn so bitter and desperate? Owen Lynch looks at what happened when a leader of Jesus’ first followers shared his story with people, from his religion, who did not follow Jesus. Emotions ran high and discussion turned to violence and death plots. What happened to the hope they had shared? Can any similar fury and defensiveness rise up in us when we believe we have truth, so people who disagree with us must not? What might Jesus change about our approach to this?

Are people ultimately divided into groups, say by nationality, family or faith? Owen Lynch looks at what happened in the early church when there were arguments about newcomers and what they might have to do to fit in. People were quick to see reasons to divide and either exclude people or force them to conform. Having some agreed, shared boundaries seemed to be helpful. But what if God’s Spirit kept being more inclusive than people expected? 

Creative Commons image by Dave Pearce, flickr.com

From the most ancient times to the Roman Empire of Jesus’ day, and still evident today, people have suffered through personal anger and cycles of vengeance which also feed into systems that brutally oppress enemies of the state. Many early church leaders were legally executed. But Christians recognised that Jesus’ self-sacrificial love was God’s answer to this. It came with power and hope that the worst oppression could be overcome. How can we experience this and share it today?

At the end of the talk, we reflect on a journey taken by fruit grown on a vine, and share the Lord’s supper together. See the video mentioned at https://youtu.be/VRUX6YR6z7A

What do we mean by calling God a “trinity”? Claire Lynch looks at the essence of one God as loving relationship, and explores how people have tried to express or explain this. Jesus talked about it in terms of his Father and his Spirit. If we can relate to God through knowing and trusting Jesus, can we do the same? What difference can it make to our lives to know that we are part of God’s loving relationship with creation?

Find pictures and resources for this talk at https://www.severnvineyard.org/sunday-talks-bloglist/2025/3/1/trinity-overflowing-love-by-claire-lynch-2-march-2025

The video and music mentioned at the end can be found at https://youtu.be/0hWnc8Lb2Go - use this to pray and contemplate as you would like to.

Claire Lynch brings a “Lectio Divina” meditation on these words, taken from Paul’s letter to the Colossians:

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible.

He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

Audio is included from a sermon by Dr. S.M. Lockridge given in 1976, with video made by Grace Community Church shared under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported licence. Music added by Bern Leckie, sharable under same licence. Video: https://youtu.be/-xHDoGM2Bvc

Maybe we can tell by asking if our faith life is making us weary, judgmental, unapproachable and inauthentic, when it could be lightening our hearts, making us more open minded, hospitable and authentic instead.

Is this the most intriguing book of the Bible? There is a huge variety of views about what this book means and, even if we can understand it, what we should do with that understanding today.

Bern and Owen start by looking at the culture it was written into, the challenges Christians were facing towards the end of the first century, and how words from Jesus and visions of future battles, judgements and resolutions would have been received.

Jesus had notes for every regional church, and the theme of “repent” - changing of mind - was consistent. Could our understanding of this today be too small? Did Jesus want to “come in and eat” only with new converts to faith, or with every believer throughout life?

John’s prophetic visions were dramatic and packed with meaningful symbols from stories across the whole of the Bible. But was this a code people needed to crack, or more of an encouragement to suffering people that they were richly connected to the God who had always promised to rescue and deliver them? 

The world as they knew it was coming to an end - as the world sometimes looks to us too - but they could look forward to a better future. God and his love wins.

Thanks for listening! You can review the whole of our Bible listening plan and hear every episode of this podcast at severnvineyard.org/bible.

Covering a broad stretch of history from before, during and after the exile of God’s people, the last minor prophets in the Old Testament are sharing words from God in different situations, looking from a broad range of viewpoints. 

The different angles of their approaches might even mean that the work they saw God doing looked surprisingly different to them.

Bern refers to a physical picture of this - a sculpture with a complex shape that looks like a pair of giraffes from one angle but like an elephant from a different angle a short walk away. (This is hard to imagine, so have a look here: https://youtu.be/S2iq8fYVNt4) 

Some people in history have seemed to dig in and defend particular viewpoints, giving them certainty that God’s kingdom was all about how it looked from their angle - for example, the Sadducees saw it about life centred on a physical temple, while the Pharisees saw it more about what God was doing to bring temple-like life into every home. We can think of modern examples where we’ve heard conflicting groups argue about what church should be focusing on today.

God’s people had to move and change their perspective during the time of these prophets, and God seemed to deepen the understanding of people who would listen. A picture of where God was taking people and what his promised Messiah would be like were emerging. But would anyone really understand until they met him?

In the next and final part of our boxset, we finish the Bible by listening to the book of Revelation. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

The story of how Jerusalem and the temple began to rebuilt was a major cause for celebration for God’s exiled people. Much in this story - formerly a single book - points people to God and the benefits of gathering together, faithfully observing his law and making the best possible effort to avoid the mistakes of the past.

But is there more to this story? Had people really taken onboard the fresh perspectives given by God through the prophets about what he really wanted from them, and what he was promising to do next?

Looking at how people were proceeding by their own best efforts, doubling down on some traditional ideas but skewing the law in the process, could this really be more of a warning against certain kinds of leadership instead of an encouragement to emulate the leaders described here? And can we see parallels which should give us caution and encouragement today?

The “Psalms of ascent” also give encouragement and cause for reflection to people gathering for festivals and worship. When gathering people put their hope in God, was this only to expect good life in the gatherings, or was God going to do something to transform life afterwards too? What are our hopes about this?

In the next part of our boxset, we finish the Old Testament by listening to the minor prophets Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, as well the rest of the Psalms, 132 to 150. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

Both were written for and about God’s people around the time of their exile to Babylon and the loss of their temple and centre of social order.

Lamentations expresses huge depths of pain and suffering, though in the Hebrew it’s ordered around the alphabet in a similar way to Psalm 119. There is devastation throughout, but also a strong central column of hope which might still feel relevant and needed for us today. Could this book be a good way for us to engage with suffering and find God’s presence?

Daniel’s story is memorable to Bern and Owen from childhood, and it seems to have become even richer in meaning since then. Trusting God in the most difficult times is a central theme, and the way God works through people who trust him can be astonishing. Daniel looks a lot like Joseph and might even look a lot like Jesus. What can we learn about God and his kingdom by following Daniel as he seeks to gain understanding and humble himself before God at the same time?

In the next part of our boxset, we continue the story of God’s exiled people as they start to return in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, and look at Psalms 120 to 131. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible. 

Was it too ambitious to try and take in these texts in a week? Any of these chapters could be studied for a lifetime, and scholars still debate the details, but Bern and Owen still found massive value in getting an overview from them and reflecting on God’s intentions for his kingdom.

Since the middle ages, the western church has often focused on a message of personal salvation which can be pieced together from these passages - a “ticket to heaven” necessary to avoid eternal suffering.

But an escape from earth to heaven does not seem as important for Jesus or Paul to teach as much as God’s plan to pour heavenly resources through believers to renew the earth, through relationships and societal change as well as personal development.

Jesus’ nature as a suffering servant, along with his willingness to accept a death caused by everyone else’s brokenness, show the power of heaven to overturn the worst of what can happen on earth. God’s kingdom is a social order which can look “upside down” to us and can turn injustice on its head.

Paul’s description to the Romans of how God moves to fix brokenness is a challenging one, perhaps requiring us to admit to being more broken than we would like to.

Bern and Owen discuss question of whether the fix is our faith in Christ, or the faithfulness of Christ - two alternative readings of the text. With the original culture in mind, some scholars are emerging with a view that this is a both/and rather than an either/or situation; what we call God’s “grace” would likely have been understood at the time as his offer of sponsorship or patronage, providing all the resources people needed to work and expecting a faithful response from people using them. This relationship seems irrelevant in terms of obtaining a “ticket to heaven”, but extremely relevant to a plan to renew the earth with heavenly resources.  

Paul leads from this towards the idea that we can know how to deal with our inner and interpersonal conflicts, and know God’s mind in general. What Jesus has done has made a way for us to approach God directly, as priests offering ourselves as sacrifices. What does this mean? For one thing, it means God considers us good and acceptable. For another, it means that we can expect to have to lay down some of the things we think are essential to us - perhaps stuff, perhaps opinions - in exchange for a renewal of our minds. This is a lifelong process within faithful relationship with God.

In the next part of our boxset, we turn back to the Old Testament and listen through Lamentations and the book of Daniel. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible. 

Following the story of Israel from the time of exile and God’s promised of a renewed kingdom, it’s clear that people wanted their anointed leader, the Messiah or Christ. But their expectations of how to recognise God delivering this differed among various groups. 

John told the story of how Jesus was this leader, and how people could know, but also of how many kinds of senior leaders rejected Jesus’ authority. There may have been lots of reasons for this, ranging from having firm ideas which were hard to displace, to perhaps not wanting to lose some of the status and stability they thought they had. 

But John’s account also shows how many people, especially the marginalised and people hungry for change, accepted Jesus’ authority and started to follow him.

There are questions for us about what Jesus was really asking from people and promising in return. His call could be seen as “radical”, which is not always a welcome word in discussions of faith today. Jesus’ ability to connect with people and transform from the roots, changing the inside out with living water, might make us question whether we should be satisfied with anything less than radical change.

In the next part of our boxset, we finish John’s gospel and listen to Paul’s great summary of Jesus’ role in God’s plans through history in his letter to the Romans. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible. 

We’ve produced a special audio version of John’s gospel with soundscapes, music and time for immersion and reflection built in. Search for “Time, Space, Jesus” on Spotify or find out more at severnvineyard.org/time-space-jesus

After some harsh and harrowing images, Ezekiel’s visions turn to glorious pictures of God’s designs for Israel’s future, including restoration and fulfilment of purposes God always had in mind for his people.

An amazing temple is described, bigger and better than people have ever known, and this serves as an image of God living and working with people, redeeming and transforming where needed.

This temple is also remarkable for what it produces - life-bringing fresh water that starts to look like a river, getting wider and deeper the further it gets from the temple. It’s a picture of transformational holiness, bringing life to the Dead Sea and to incredibly fruitful trees along its banks.

Bern and Owen discuss what these images meant to Israel then and to us now. Can we learn more about holiness and what it’s for, and could that release us from “holy huddles” into places where God wants to work through us? How important is spiritual fruit in our lives, and what is it for? 

Linking the river imagery with the Psalms, is our worship sometimes too shallow? What would happen if we became more immersed in the depths of emotions expressed in Psalms, and where can we find places and times to soak in a really comprehensive piece like Psalm 119?

In the next part of our boxset, we get back to the story of Jesus as told through John’s gospel. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible. 

We’ve also produced a special audio version of John’s gospel with soundscapes, music and time for immersion and reflection built in. Search for “Time, Space, Jesus” on Spotify or find out more at severnvineyard.org/time-space-jesus

How much has Jesus changed our minds since we first encountered him? Do we expect Jesus to change our perspectives from time to time when we read the Bible? What deeply held views, beliefs or doctrines might Jesus be inviting us to reconsider?

His visions and actions have been difficult listening, with harsh judgements and consequences for God’s people as well as loss which Ezekiel felt personally and was not allowed to grieve in the normal way. However, God was not remote from suffering, but walking through it with them.

God’s heart for people and their ultimate restoration was also revealed not to be restricted to Israel. Ezekiel was given words to share with all the surrounding nations, people with no access to Jewish worship rites but remarkably included in God’s promises for renewal.

The kind of leadership God promised for a restored situation was also remarkable - good shepherding, concerned for the whole flock, more humble and service-based than strident and dictatorial. How much did that fit anyone expectations then, or ours in similar political situations now?

Ezekiel’s vision of God’s ability to bring life from dead, dry bones might be the most remarkable so far. Did this meet people’s expectations of God’s power, or exceed them? How much difference would it make to us truly to believe in God’s ability to do this today, not just in terms of afterlife but in renewed relationships, trust, hopes and love where these seem to be lost to us?

In the next part of our boxset, we complete Ezekiel, looking at his visions for future hope, and also listen to Psalms 107 to 119. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

The vivid visions in this book are other-worldly and dreamlike, and as Ezekiel had been in Babylon, in exile from his home country for a few years, it might not be surprising to see visions of heavenly power which looked similar to the way his captors saw this.

But God seems to have added surprising twists, including his authority and radiant presence over all of the dark powers feared by people. Israel’s God was not defeated in the way people may have expected from his people’s fate, but had a purpose and plan which was yet to be seen and understood.

It’s easy to read these passages in isolation and form a dim, dark view of God, especially as the suffering described through Ezekiel’s words, pictures and actions would be brutal and shocking.

As with other prophets, there is hope to come later, but in the early parts of Ezekiel, there are also signs of what God wants the most and looks to restore - relationships in which people can share God’s vision and values, put love into practice, and work for justice and against everything which devalues life.

There are also signs that life in relationship with God may involve ongoing movement and developing understanding. Ezekiel’s words include fresh insight into some scripture people may have regarded differently, including “the sin of Sodom”, and we can also spot pictures which get developed later by Jesus, like the usefulness of a vine. Jesus moved people’s understanding along - should we expect to experience this too?

God’s presence was also on the move, tragically out of the temple of Jerusalem, but thankfully close to people wherever they were in exile. In the next part of our boxset, we continue through Ezekiel and find God’s power doing some incredible things. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

It’s worth considering where the main point, or climax, is the book of Jeremiah. Hollywood stories have this near the end to keep our attention, but ancient stories often cover the main point nearer the middle. If the point of this book is at the end, it’s destruction and judgment. But there are reasons to think that God’s heart for restoration is the real heart of the story of Jeremiah.

One reason is that events towards the end are not told in chronological order - the order has been chosen for other reasons. Promoted and put closer to the centre than earlier events was God’s command to abandon slavery among Hebrews. Judah’s last king agreed but did not put this into practice. Could this have been featured as part of the book’s core message, that God was going to act to restore and empower people to live a new way of life, with his word and values on their hearts?

The central nature of this message, as well as the way it’s also followed up by Jesus, seems to elevate its importance, both to Jeremiah’s original listeners and to us.

Psalms 90 to 106 also give us insight into how people were inspired to connect with God and express pain and suffering, as well as praise and hope, during their exile from Jerusalem. At the heart of this collection, the encouragement to “sing a new song” and expect joy to be shouted from “all the earth” also suggests a hope for a future of restoration, not just of Israel but of everyone and everything.

In the next part of our boxset, we turn to the prophet Ezekiel whose prophecy was around the same time as Jeremiah, but whose style was very different. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

When we form pictures in our minds, does God have a gender? Claire Lynch looks at the history of people forming views on this, and considers the range of Bible references to God which might seem more male or female in different places. The talk concludes with time for meditation for you to notice what comes to mind in response to the Bible’s descriptions of God. Could fresh images of God help you relate to God better?

What started as relentless sounding doom and gloom turns a corner here as hope is revealed, albeit at a traumatic time for God’s people.

One of the most popular prophecies for sharing and encouraging today comes from this part of the book of Jeremiah - God does know the plans he has to bring people hope and a future. But we need to understand what these were for the original listeners before we can grasp the power of this encouragement. 

The warned destruction and forced exile came true, and while one false prophet offered encouragement that it would be very short, Jeremiah delivered a different word - that it would last beyond the listeners’ lifetimes, but they could find new life and look forward to their descendants finding more.

God’s plans were not to deliver instant relief, but to love, strengthen, reconnect and restore people over time, sometimes in new and surprising ways. 

God’s ultimate aim is revealed here, for people to have his ways in their own hearts and minds, not just laws to follow but shared desires to love, strengthen, reconnect and restore where we are. This is easy to like as an idea, but hard to live in practice. Can we do it in our own strength, or do we need to let God work this out through us?

In the next part of our boxset, we complete Jeremiah and also listen to Psalms 90 to 106. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

It starts at a time of change and uncertainty for God’s remaining people in the southern kingdom of Judah. The Assyrian empire to the north lost their last great leader, and with recent religious reforms under King Josiah, the Jews may have had good reasons to feel comfortable, justified and protected by God.

Jeremiah’s messages about how unhappy God was with their unfaithfulness to him and their covenant might then have come as a surprise, or just sounded wrong. But the words God gave to Jeremiah included lots of examples of how their worship, life and society had become corrupt and toxic.

Nobody wanted to hear, let alone agree with or follow, Jeremiah’s call to repentance. The ruin of Jerusalem had been warned about, but people were unwilling to believe it or reconnect with God to deal with it.

We can know and agree that God wants relationship more than religion for us, but repentance, ongoing learning and change are still hard. Bern and Owen reflect on examples from their lives, and discuss how we can know the directions God wants us to take.

In the next part of our boxset, we continue with Jeremiah and find, in the middle of tragedy for Judah, that God still has good plans and offers life-changing hope for the future. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

The first followers of Jesus were suffering as they spread the news of God’s coming kingdom. They were not being equipped for armed struggle but to develop and mature in Christ-like character while overflowing with his Spirit and love.

From a distance, this sounds like something which can be calmly analysed to figure out how it works. But from the first Christians’ perspective, they were constantly learning from experience and having to work out what was happening, what was effective and helpful in their lives, and what to expect from God next.

The way they were learning, as well as the change they wanted to see in the world, might explain why these writers emphasised putting faith into practice.

Trying to turn their encouragements into laws, doctrines and rules might be harder to achieve than we think, however - some of the most prominent reforming theologians like Martin Luther and John Calvin made strenuous efforts, but were all their conclusions faithful to these writers’ intentions? If not, how can we know any better? And when we disagree among ourselves about things like this, is there any chance we can do this helpfully and lovingly?

In the next part of our boxset, we begin hearing from Jeremiah, one of the major prophets who brought word of how unfaithful God’s people had been, but also hope for a better future. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

The big theme seems to be what makes a good leader for God’s people. The best ones seemed to make a point of seeking God and doing what he commanded, and they also tended to support or help restore the temple in Jerusalem so that all people could find it possible to find God when they sought him.

But what does it really mean to seek God? While a religious system is at the heart of the social order being described, the stories in Chronicles might also point to a difference between following religious people or rules and finding the God we are seeking. 

There is the amazing story of one king who heard from 400 prophets, but still had a sense that he had to keep seeking the truth from God. There is also a story of how religious rules broke down when another king called people to celebrate together. This prompts the question: is it God’s purpose for people to seek him to obey religious rules, or is the more the purpose of the rules to encourage people to seek God? If there is ever a clash, which does God prefer?

Owen and Bern share their experiences of seeking God and sometimes needing to change direction, or learn a new way of doing things, as a result. 

They also discuss what Chronicles shows about faith and faithfulness, topics which will come up again next week as we look at letters by James, Peter, John and Jude. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

It’s become very noticeable that this account of Israel’s history has a different perspective and purpose from other versions of the same stories in the Bible. Some people like David and Solomon look like better versions of themselves, but why?

Other books were probably written to warn Israel of the dangers of separating from God, but Chronicles seems written to encourage Israel about the benefits of getting back together. In particular, after the exile of God’s people, some felt the opportunity to regroup and rebuild in Jerusalem would bring about the restoration of the kingdom of God.

So this account remembers past glory. Who wouldn’t want to regain it? Hadn’t God promised that if his people turn and seek him, he will heal their land? (Bern has views on how we pray this prayer today, though…)

In the next part of our boxset, we finish Chronicles and look at what it says about some of the best and worst leaders. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

A bit like Deuteronomy, this book is a retelling of familiar stories from a different perspective, and this time the special purpose of the book might make it look like the Bible has contradictions within itself.

What if it does? Bern shares discomfort about this idea, coming from being told as a young adult about how to deal with people who said “the Bible is full of contradictions” and didn’t want to put faith in God.

Chronicles seems to show, however, that the people who agreed what should count as scripture were happy to bring together partisan and conflicting views which show how God moved different people at different times.

What does this mean for us? Do we need to rethink how we engage with the Bible and take lessons from it or quote fragments in our prayers and worship? Can we also grasp what it means for us to be part of God’s movement of people through history, and be ready to keep moving?

WARNING: inspired by ideas sparked in Chronicles, Owen and Bern’s discussion moves into other topics about how God engages with us, how we sometimes miss the point and try to adopt snapshots of someone else’s history as our own, and how we can experience God moving us into new life with a new perspective.

In the next part of our boxset, we continue Chronicles with a look at how Israel was inspired to remember the goodness of worshiping God together. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

In lots of ways, we might not appreciate the revision sections of old laws. There are lots of questions about how they were conceived, what they meant to people, and what - if anything - they might mean to us today. What can we gain from understanding them better?

Being outside the Jewish family and the covenant described in Deuteronomy, we don’t have a duty to follow its rules, but we can appreciate something about what God was doing. The social order created by this covenant helped to define people and create a sense that they could live and grow in relationships and trust. 

We can still wonder how much of what this society practised would benefit us today, but it might be more helpful to see its formation as a signpost towards even better life in the future. Was “an eye for an eye” ever intended to encourage vengeance, or to limit it? And was it meant to be the final state of the life God wanted for people, or more of a step towards the ability to forgive and love enemies, as Jesus expected?

The ending of Proverbs might also create more questions than answers. The writer realises that they have not, in the end, learned wisdom. There is still much for them to learn. How important is it to recognise the depths of what we still don’t know, especially in relationships? Can seeing ourselves on a continuing journey help us gain from Proverbs’ final picture of ideal life as a source of hope and encouragement instead of an unrealistic burden?

In the next part of our boxset, we begin the book of Chronicles, another re-telling of familiar material from a different viewpoint which can help us understand God’s people and their history in more depth. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

This talk looks at times in life when we need help, and not just comfort, and the hope that believers through history have found in Psalm 121, which starts, "I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth."

The Bible also contains story examples of the help God gives - restoration to Noah, power to Elijah, wisdom and guidance to Moses, intervention for Abraham and Isaac, provision through the feeding of the 5000, and ultimately redemption through Jesus.

How might we need to wait and grow our intimacy and reliance on God's help? Can we grow our faith and build our trust on his promises to us?

This name means that it’s a repeat of the law described in the first few books of the Bible. Why is it there? The perspective isn’t quite the same as the first time this law was described, and seeing something from more than angle can make a huge difference to how we understand what it is, how it works and how it fits into people’s lives.

The Jewish law is part of a bigger social order which helps set people’s expectations of how to deal with each other and progress through life. Rules can be interpreted in different ways, so understanding how a society works turns out to be essential to know what a rule means to people - Bern has a good example from his recent holiday!

To understand Deuteronomy, it’s also useful to consider when, how and why it was written. Scholars’ views range from traditional - that it’s all from Moses exactly as presented - to more common current views that it was, at least partly, written or refined much later to help reform God’s people in a time of crisis. Can allowing for fresh interpretation like this strengthen our connection with God?

In next part of our boxset, we finish Deuteronomy and the final five chapters of Proverbs. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

How does life with Jesus shape us? Owen Lynch looks at the range of people described in Acts of the Apostles who became and grew as believers together. Between them, there were many roots of identity. Were they forced to abandon their sense of who they were, or was God deepening their relationships in their communities?

What does faith look like for Jewish believers in Jesus as their promised anointed saviour? Hebrews is the name we give to a letter written to the first such believers, and it connects their inherited identity, stories and hopes with the new life they discovered in Christ.

It turned out that they now had the best possible prophet, priest and leader, who was not new but had been working since the creation of everything. Could it be true that their familiar religious structures were only shadows of what God was always wanting for them? If so, what would change for Jewish believers in Jesus? For example, what would it mean that Jesus replaced imperfect, temporary sacrifices with a perfect, eternal one? And what could everyone learn from the examples of faith that the writer drew from Jewish history to set high expectations for life following Christ?

Elsewhere, Paul’s instructions to churches and leaders reflected his understanding that Jesus was returning, perhaps very soon. But even if we knew this would happen tomorrow, how should we live today? Paul encouraged hope in Jesus’ return, but also investment in the life and communities people had. Could his understanding and application of this have changed over time, perhaps as his experience grew and his viewpoint changed? How can we best learn from his teaching, and what are the dangers of taking some of it out of context?

In next part of our boxset, we look back at some very familiar stories, re-told in a revised way and maybe showing some viewpoints we’ve not yet seen, through the book of Deuteronomy. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

What does it mean to rely on God, and why is this important? Israel suffered through much of its history. While maintaining religious and legal systems which made it look and feel like they relied on God, the prophet Isaiah said they had really been relying on themselves, or on alliances with others, or on wealth or strength instead.

God would show them a different way of life through a suffering servant, someone totally reliant on God and, as we believe with hindsight, was also God in the flesh.

What sort of life would become possible because of this? Isaiah’s words held a mysterious hope for people who hadn’t yet encountered Jesus, and would also be a source of blessing and joy for people who believed God’s promise was fulfilled in him. 

In next part of our boxset, we look at how some of the first Jewish believers in Jesus were encouraged to develop their faith in the letter to the Hebrews, as well as other letters written to the Thessalonians, Titus and Philemon. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

When was the last time you thought about how amazing it is that people - including us - can hear from God? How can we know we hear from the real God, and don’t just replay our own ideas about life?

Isaiah gives lots of guidance on this to people who desperately needed to know the reality of God’s presence with them, love for them and hope for their future.

One way to measure this would be justice - life following things other than God ended up denying people’s access to this, but social justice would be achievable when people followed a way of life that God promised to reveal.

While people might have expected this way of life to be about recognisable strength, riches and powerful allies, Isaiah surprisingly prophesied that it would be more about service. Israel would learn how this works through a remarkable servant that God would raise up among them. In exile, Israel might have considered Daniel to be a leader like this, but did God have even greater plans, involving an even greater servant - God himself, revealed in Christ Jesus?

In next part of our boxset, we complete what Isaiah and his disciples shared with Israel about Israel’s future and God would change the world with them, and listen to Psalms 79 to 89. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

Can we imagine the horror and trauma of national exile? How would we feel and what would we do to try and feel better about ourselves and our future if it happened to us?

From a distance, we could look at Isaiah’s words of God’s judgement and correction to Israel as a history lesson we can easily grasp, but if that’s all we do, could we miss the point? And could we put ourselves in danger of repeating their mistakes?

According to Isaiah, God’s main desire was for social justice, and religious rules and practices were becoming part of the problem, not the solution. When we think and pray about how the world could or should be better, do we share God’s values as revealed here?

The vision God gave Isaiah for the better future he would bring about was promised to be surprising and new. Could listening and letting it reshape our vision also surprise us today, even if we’ve heard it before?

In next part of our boxset, we continue with Isaiah’s developing message as a new way of life is promised to emerge where life looked impossible chapters 28 to 49. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians had been harsh, strict and apparently hurtful to some in that church in some ways, and in this follow-up, we get to see more of Paul’s heart - what did he really want for them? It looked like people had been arguing about who should have authority, and it might seem to us that Paul joined in this tussle for power, setting clear directives which might sound like instructions for us today too.

But was Paul really pushing for his own authority or trying to point everyone in the direction of a more certain foundation for life - Christ? If so, what did this look like for him, and what can we expect if we recognise and build on Christ as a foundation today? If we believe Paul that Christ is in everyone, should that change the way we treat other people, especially people who don’t yet believe in God?

There seems to be a mixture of messages about this in Paul’s letters. It can be hard to know how to put his teaching into practice. His views, assumptions, expectations and practices may have been works in progress. But could Paul’s direction to work things out together, with God-given love and a growing faith in Jesus, be any clearer?

In next part of our boxset, we go back to the story of Israel in the Old Testament and listen to what had corrupted society, its leadership and religion, why God’s people were suffering, but also what hope they could expect for the future from God’s viewpoint, shared through the prophet Isaiah, chapters 1 to 27. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

The big, tragic message of this part of the story is that God’s people ended up exiled from their promised land, and the main reason given for this was their turning away from God.

Looking at how this happened, there are some intriguing details which might give us insight into how these people reflected on their circumstances, their identity and what they thought they would need to do differently to regain healthy and sustainable life in God’s kingdom.

In a couple of instances, leaders who seemed like they were seeking God to a great extent made mistakes which led to downfall, either for them or their descendants. Is it easy to draw messages from this, like not to be as proud as Hezekiah or as half-hearted as Joash? Or is it reasonable to think that the original audience for these stories might have wondered how these leaders could have known what to do to be fully correct?

Bern and Owen consider the possibility that not knowing, and having to seek God and listen better as a result, might have been an important part of the message, and one that applies to us too.

In next part of our boxset, we’ll return to Paul’s letters in the New Testament to see how he guided the church in 2 Corinthians, Philippians and Colossians. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

History is often told in terms of leaders, what they did and how their power influenced the world, but in this part of a story of corrupt leadership, the focus moves to prophets Elijah and Elisha. They were given power from God to help ordinary, suffering people, and to demonstrate the importance of God’s power over all others powers.

A dramatic showdown between Elijah and the prophets of Baal, a foreign god, is commemorated in opera but would also be an incredible way to settle political differences if we could watch it today.

Elisha asked for double Elijah’s blessing, and the stories of his work among people sound practically Christlike to us. In fact, the people who saw Jesus would probably have reflected that he was a continuation, even a fulfilment, of what God was doing through Elisha.

The Holy Spirit flowed through him to heal and bless people outside of the Jewish family and faith community. What could that same Spirit, if we believe it flows through us, do to heal and bless our neighbours too?

In next part of our boxset, we’ll finish the story of Kings and look at the fall of God’s people into exile, as well as listening to how they shared their experiences with God in Psalms 73 to 78. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

Peter’s choice to follow and believe in Jesus was remarkable, given his life experience, but maybe not as much as Jesus’ choice to call and believe in Peter first. Peter’s response to Jesus involved much practical learning, faith risks, new experiences and changes of mind. His life became an emotional rollercoaster at times, but even though his low points included denying being a follower, Jesus restored him to the heights of trust and leadership responsibility because of the love he saw in Peter.

Dan asks four questions for reflection:

• What is Jesus inviting you into at the moment?
• How strong is your desire to say yes and to follow?
• Where are we asking ‘Lord if it’s you, please speak’?
• Where do we need God’s acceptance and affirmation?

It can be hard to know what to make of these stories of life after King David. Characters like Solomon are awesome and sometimes live in ways we would love to have part of, but they are also complex and flawed. Drawing moral conclusions from what they say and do, and what happens to them, is usually tempting but often baffling and always needing to be done in the context of the larger stories being told.

One story with a recognisable pattern is Solomon’s fall, linked with the fall of Israel as a united kingdom, and eventually the fall of divided kingdoms into exile. Can we identify what caused the falls, and so grasp the message intended by the author?

Turning away from God is labelled as the main mistake, and while that might not sound surprising, the ways in which this was shown to happen, and the consequences for people who did this in different ways, might be shocking. This makes the book of Kings a dizzying listen, often hard to process, but also highly engaging and revealing of a need to seek God and not just people or things that look blessed.

In next part of our boxset, we’ll continue the story of Kings and see what prophets have to say and do as part of God’s intervention, not just with corrupt leadership, but with suffering people directly. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

After stressing to believers in Christ the importance of freedom from the law, why does Paul seem to be setting a lot of rules for the church in Corinth? Positioned at the intersection of lands and cultures, there were competing voices of authority in this early church, along with practices which failed to show the love Paul expected to see from growth and maturity they should have been developing in Christ.

We can learn a lot from what Paul writes, but it can be difficult for us to decide which of Paul’s teachings to adopt and which to leave as a result of the early church and their society being different from ours.

Could we have adopted our own unhealthy ways of looking at this, and is the “conservative vs liberal” paradigm an example of something we need to change? If so, what can we swap it for? What, if anything, could be a way of seeing the world and making judgements like this which brings us closer to Christ?

As many instructions as it contains, could the main focus of 1 Corinthians really be the expression of Christ’s work in and love for us? Paul’s famous passage about love, often quoted at weddings, is found here in the middle of his teaching about spiritual gifts and the power God provides to build people up. As our understanding grows, about God, his power and his world, should fixing rules be as important to us as learning how to adapt to others’ needs, change our plans and increase in love?

In next part of our boxset, we’ll return to the Old Testament story of Israel and see what happened after David in the first part of the book of Kings. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

Two key leaders, Peter and Paul, found themselves in dispute, but the story of Acts, and their letters which are also in the New Testament, show how God changed their understanding and revealed Christ as their foundation. How should this set our expectations and maybe change the way we treat others who are looking to follow Jesus?

We often think of the word “righteous” as quite religious or worthy in a traditional way, but when God’s prophets called people to righteousness, it looks like the major concern was how people were suffering because of a lack of social justice and people’s concern for each other. It turns out that God values people more than we do, and that without closeness to God, we find it hard to share God’s values and live with them as our own.

The prophet Jonah especially struggled with being asked to take a message from God to his enemies, not because he was afraid for his life, but because he didn’t want them to respond in a way that would bring them forgiveness. We might see this as a picture of how we or anyone might hear Jesus’ challenge, “Love your enemies.” This is hard, maybe impossible for us without God’s help.

So can we ever know what to do without constant direction from God? The prophet Micah brought assurance that we should already know the basic idea - “act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God”. This is harder to live in practice than to remember as a Bible verse, but can it give us a framework for a full, balanced life where we want to keep learning and growing in practical love?

In next part of our boxset, we’ll return to the New Testament and look at Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians and both of his letters to a young leader, Timothy. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

What does God want most from people? Some parts of the Bible make it look like religious practice is the most important thing, while others make following rules in the rest of life seem vital over everything else. 

But when God spoke through prophets about how life had been going with this, a couple of things emerged. For one, there were repeating patterns of failure, resulting in people suffering and injustice thriving. The other was maybe more surprising - that God’s promise of hope to remedy this was a revelation of what he really wanted most - relationships in which he would be properly known, and his heart shared, making justice, transformation and healing possible.

Working out how to make sense of the Bible, especially prophecy, can be tricky. Can we do it on our own, or can we only do it within relationships? We’d love to encourage you to make time to listen to God and pray through whatever you find grabs your attention here, and chat about it with people. We’re very open to this at church, so get in touch if you would like to!

In next part of our boxset, we’ll look at more of the prophets, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, as well as Psalms 66 to 72. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

Is the Bible an instruction book? It seems vital to review this before considering the wisdom literature, because that will shape our view on the role of what is written there. If the Bible is more of a conversation than a code to decipher, we can look at the role of these books in that conversation instead of trying to work out simplistic solutions to apparent conflicts between instructions.

Ecclesiastes has a lot to say about how we find meaning and value in life, and how we might limit our expectations for finding fulfilment in some things we chase a lot. If that sounds discouraging, can the encouragement that’s offered in this book help to reset our compasses for navigating life?

Song of Songs also offers encouragement, affirmation of value and purpose, and a passionate celebration of love. Is there a more powerful force in creation? And in the conversations we have about love and law in the Bible, and in life, can we possibly understand love through the lens of law, or can we only understand law through the lens of love?

In next part of our boxset, we’ll look at what the prophets Hosea and Joel had to say, along with Psalms 52 to 65. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

The gospel story of Jesus reveals a lot about what God really wants for people and the misunderstandings which arise when people think this is all about religion, ceremonies, sacrifices or following a set of rules. People who sincerely believed they were following God in Jesus’ time ended up opposing him with murderous force.

Is this a lesson we’ve taken to heart today, or can we end up making the same mistakes?

Is it too simplistic to say that love needs to be, and can become, the defining principle that God installs in our hearts to change everything? Or is that the central message in the gospel and Paul’s letters about putting faith in Jesus into practice?

In next part of our boxset, we’ll look at wisdom in the Old Testament including Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs and Proverbs chapters 19 to 26. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

Find more information in the transcript at https://www.severnvineyard.org/sunday-talks-bloglist/2024/6/1/prophecy-by-claire-lynch-2-june-2024

This seems written to introduce Jesus as part of his Jewish family, with a special place and purpose as a descendant of King David. Israel in Jesus’ time was divided over how to solve the problems of Roman occupation and see the kingdom of God restore the quality of life they longed for. Matthew seems to describe Jesus in ways that would remind Jewish people of Moses and show that he has the power to unite them, as well as bring God’s kingdom into their world in unexpected ways.

But what would it take to follow Jesus and gain the life he promised? What does this mean for us today?

Bern and Owen consider Jesus’ encouragement, “You are the light of the world,” and who Jesus pointed to as role models. This wasn’t to religious people or those who thought they had worked out what God wanted already, but to children who would be willing and able to learn. 

Do we really aspire to be like this? Do we know how much capacity we have to change our minds, or do we try not to? What would it take to reveal our true potential to live differently and realise what God has made us to be?

In next part of our boxset, we’ll finish Matthew’s gospel and look at Paul’s letters to the Galatians and Ephesians. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

Can we recognise anything from this situation in ourselves or the church around us? Have we lost sight of Jesus’ purpose to include everyone in the blessing of God? What difference would it make for us to be less defensive, prescriptive or exclusive, and more humble, vulnerable and inclusive, when we look for more of God’s kingdom to come?

After the rise of King David came corruption which affected him, the community around him, and his family. We can only guess what was in his mind when he acted on his desire for another man’s wife, but we can see what was in his heart after being called out by the prophet Nathan. 

David’s mixture of feelings and his meeting with God was recorded in Psalm 51. Bern and Owen wonder how much of this pointed to David’s need for more from God, and God’s plan to offer more than religion and ritual sacrifices ever could.

Ultimately, God’s promise to build David a house would be fulfilled, and we’ll look at that in next part of our boxset - Matthew’s gospel, chapters 1 to 20. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

The rise of King David is inspiring, like a hero story, although with some tragic twists to come. David’s initial struggles don’t just show his character as he hopes and trusts in God, but he meets creatively with God and ends up expressing all kinds of relatable conflict through the poetry and songs of the Psalms.

This made Bern and Owen reflect on their chances to be creative, what attracted them to Vineyard as a church movement, and how creativity with God is working out for them. It’s not all about music and creative arts, but the creativity needed to build relationships and be parents. Can we learn about doing this well through David’s vulnerability and honesty, as well as his creative expressions of joy, hope, pain and longing in life?

David was blessed by God with success and, at the peak of his achievements, he offered to build God a house. In one of the Bible’s most significant twists, God then offered to build David a house - not a temple, but a family line which would be the backbone of the Jewish nation, but also lead to a saviour and fulfilment of God’s promise to make his people a light to the world.

The next part of our boxset will look at the rest of 2 Samuel as well as Psalms 42 to 51. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

What sort of kingdom did God want to build, and how was this shown when it worked well, and not so well? 

The rules had been set about who was meant to do what, but Samuel was a surprising addition to the line of priests who would mediate between people and God. Born of faith and dedicated in faithfulness, Samuel listened and was responsive to God, so under his leadership, people could know what God’s leadership was like.

In contrast, Israel’s next leader was a strong man, loved for his appearance and for getting things done, but more likely to do things his own way than God’s way.

What can we learn from these people? Who do we really want to be our leaders, and how do we want to live in God’s kingdom ourselves?

The next part of our boxset will look at the rest of 1 Samuel as well as 2 Samuel chapters 1 to 10. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

Could the ideas of eternal, conscious torment and separation from God be based on misunderstandings or misapplications of the Bible? If so, what can we learn from the Bible, its prophecies, teachings and the words of Jesus to give us a better understanding of what God might do with us when we die?

What does it mean to be Jewish, or part of any meaningful group? The stories of Ruth and Esther are perspectives on this, both celebrated for what they can show us about faith, courage, loss and redemption, but differing in emphasis and perhaps what people might conclude from them.

Esther’s story was shared when Jewish people were scattered across the ancient world and needed reminding and encouraging about their shared identity and specialness. Others posed threats to their existence, but they could still prevail and thrive as a people, and remember this in the annual celebration of Purim.

Ruth’s story has a different perspective on the role of outsiders, demonstrating how a foreigner who shared the Jewish values of loyalty and love could find themselves grafted into the family tree. What happened with Ruth would lead to descendants King David, who would show what closeness to God looked like in worship, and Jesus, who would bring God’s kingdom close enough for everyone to grasp.

Can engaging with these stories, along with the Proverbs, highlight where we might be struggling with fear, loss or division between people, and encourage us to seek God’s perspective?

The next part of our boxset will look at the book 1 Samuel, chapters 1 to 20. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

There are lots of gory stories which aren’t suitable for Sunday School (Bern shares an embarrassing Dad moment…) and it’s hard to find good role models, but perhaps Gideon comes close in the way he consults and responds to God, ready to do surprising things with humility when asked.

In contrast, Samson looks like the kind of “strong man” leader who makes the most of their God-given blessings and look like they’re good at getting things done, but turn out to be fatally flawed. Does he remind us of anyone?

It can be tragic when we have God in our culture but not in our hearts. How much more can we expect from ourselves, each other and our leaders if we can really be guided by God and not misuse his culture, name, power, and the opportunities he’s given us?

The next part of our boxset will look at the books of Ruth and Esther, as well as Proverbs chapters 10 to 18. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

At face value, this story of the establishment of Israel in its promised land is a combination of glory and horror - there is new life for God’s people, but a lot of death for almost everyone else.

It’s important to consider how people at the time would have heard and understood these stories, which don’t fit together in a way which allows anyone to take them too literally. Scholars differ in their interpretations, but there is a strong case for finding the truth in the meaning of what is shared through symbols and hyperbole.

What does it mean that God was credited for bringing people across the river and acting decisively in battle? What difference does it make that this was not a kingdom being established by human effort but by God? And what difference would it make to us today if we recognised that what we thought was ours really belongs to God, and that we can trust him to guide us?

The next part of our boxset will look at the book of Judges. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

There began to be deadly consequences, both for a couple whose corruption undermined the integrity of the movement, and for man inspired by God to share the movement’s story as part of the history of Israel. 

These stories might be familiar to us, but we might have read wrongly or applied them unhelpfully if we haven’t understood their context. What can we do to understand and learn from them better today?

In lots of ways, this is a puzzling story that might seem not to fit well into the Bible - although that might depend on how we read the rest of the Bible. If we think it has given us explanations of why things work and rules we can follow with predictable results, we might be a bit like Job’s friends when we think someone needs our help or advice.

The challenge of Job’s story is that they are not as wise as they thought, and that we can’t always get answers to “why” questions or explain difficult situations.

But the encouragement seems to be that God offers a different path to life through being open to experiences that surpass our understanding, growing relationships and trust, and discovering that life-supporting wisdom is not always the same as life-explaining knowledge. 

The next part of our boxset will look at the book of Joshua. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

Looking at the history leading up to the time of Jesus, they reflect on the significance of Jesus' life and what it meant to live in and look forward to the kingdom of God. 

Where was, and is, the "battlefront" that establishes it? Between nations, between people, or between conflicting parts of ourselves? 

Did the way Jesus presented himself as leader fit anyone's expectations? And if not, could the role of the gospels (and the rest of scripture) be less about pinning us to rules and routines, and more about getting us ready to have our minds changed by God, in ways that are still happening?

The next part of our boxset will look at the book of Job. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

We could regard the whole business as mystery, or pick a clear and simple explanation. One which is widely shared is "penal substitutionary atonement", the idea that Jesus had to die to take the necessary punishment from God that our sins deserve.

There are Bible verses which seem to refer to this, but how should we interpret them? What view of God would they give us, and how would we see ourselves and other people, if this were the main reason for what happened to Jesus on the cross?

Bern and Claire also look at other ways that scholars through history have made sense of Jesus' death and resurrection, and how this may also have looked to people at the time of Jesus with little or no knowledge of Jewish theology, but who are still found responding to Jesus' death in the gospel accounts.

The meaning of Psalm 22 is also considered. It starts, "My God, my God, why have you foresaken me?" and Jesus is recorded as saying those words on the cross. Had God really turned away because of our sin? Or does the rest of Psalm 22 tell a different story? Bern and Claire suggest reading or listening and praying this through, not just to understand but also see where we might relate to it.

What’s so important about giving glory to God, or credit where it’s due to anyone? Bern shares his experiences of the difference that people sharing credit for their sources makes to workplaces. It took him a long time to make the connection that this might be a value received from God, but it now seems crucial to him for being able to remain healthy, responsive and able to grow into doing new things instead of becoming unhealthy, defensive and stuck in old ways.

Owen shares his highlights from Numbers of a talking donkey and its part in a story about God’s unconditional provision, protection and presence. Even when God seems distant or cannot be seen directly, can we be encouraged by the stories that God has worked in amazing ways with all kinds of people to bless and protect?

The next part of our boxset will look at the whole of Mark’s gospel. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

Numbers can be a tricky book to make sense of, seeming like a patchwork of pictures shared for different purposes which might not fit together as neatly as we think they should. 

But these purposes are important and reveal ways of life which could recognise the specialness of God and an ideal quality of life people would struggle to attain. There would be consequences for actions, but also ways to restore relationships. God’s people were ultimately a family, bound together by common history and heritage.

Reading Numbers as a set of religious rules might make us overlook this, but hearing it as a reminder of relationships and why they are important can point us towards God and what he has been doing through history to rebuild relationships and restore people to good, love-driven life. This is something the author of Psalms 38 to 41 seems to need and want desperately.

The next part of our boxset will look at beginning of the end of Numbers, chapters 17 to 36. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

It can seem hard to make sense of some ancient laws, and even harder to know what to make of their relevance to us today. 

Leviticus describes a covenant set out by a powerful Lord as conditions for his presence to remain with people. The overall purpose seems to be to establish a social order, giving God’s chosen people a distinct identity and maintaining the Lord’s good reputation. But scholars have debated the meaning, purpose and application of specific parts of Leviticus throughout history.

Some contemporary scholars have started to view Leviticus as less like statute law and more similar to wisdom literature, like Proverbs.

Looking at Proverbs alongside Leviticus, it seems that wisdom is the key needed to understand and apply good judgement, as well as the source of good decision making. Could it be more important to grasp what “the fear of the Lord” means than to try and master our understanding of ancient law?

The next part of our boxset will look at beginning of the book of Numbers, chapters 1 to 16, as well as Psalms 38 to 41. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

There is a lot to talk about here, including the role Leviticus played in the lives of its original audience. While many have understood it to be the source of statute law, both modern scholarship and the rest of the Bible suggest that judges may have been more used to building common law through their use of wisdom.

The purpose of Leviticus may be mainly to draw Israel’s attention to their source of that wisdom, a powerful Lord who wanted to establish social order so that his presence would be recognised and his name respected.

A good source text on this is “The Lost World of the Torah” by John H. Walton and J. Harvey Walton.

Looking at Leviticus like this should make us question the approach of trying to glean it for moral principles that are meant to apply today. Instead, we can appreciate its purpose to begin building a people with God’s presence who could be a light to the world.

The Psalms illustrate the power of faith in God and how trusting him to be present can help people overcome in a wide range of conflicts from personal to international. 

The next part of our boxset will look at the end of Leviticus, chapters 16 to 27, as well as Proverbs chapters 1 to 9. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

People see Moses go up a fearsome looking mountain into God’s presence, and there is a lot to discuss about what it means to be in the presence of God - how do we experience this today?

Two contrasting stories emerge in this part of Exodus about faithful and unfaithful response to God. The unfaithfulness seems odd, hard to explain and tragic. But the faithfulness results in people bringing themselves, their treasures and talents together, making something which glorifies God and celebrates the relationships his people can build with him at their centre.

The next part of our boxset will look at the beginning of Leviticus, chapters 1 to 15, as well as Psalms 29 to 37. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

There is a lot of important story to process here, beginning with the loss of good relationship between Egypt and the family of Israel, but with changes coming thanks to what God does through Moses.

It’s the foundational story of Israel as a distinctive people, ultimately a nation, but it also seems to be a universally relevant story about the relationship between good and evil, life with potential and the forces that block its fulfilment.

These aren’t just abstract ideas or the reasons for international conflicts, but real battles we face in and between ourselves personally.

Is this also a story about how God is involved with more aspects of our life than we might sometimes credit? Ancient people thought of gods as part of what they couldn’t otherwise explain in the world, but what if this God of Israel wanted to be the foundation for the whole of life?

The next part of our boxset will look at the rest of Exodus, chapters 23 to 40. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

The story of Joseph ends in a good place relationally, with reconciliation, forgiveness and restoration - it’s a picture of hope. But it’s also clear that there is more to come, both for Israel’s family and the rest of the world.

Psalms contrast with the Bible’s stories as they seem to be personal expressions across a range of emotions and situations, but they are also inspired by God, connected with his heart and concerns, and relevant to how we process the biggest issues in life together as communities.

Both of these parts of the Bible make us think about relationships - could God be grabbing our attention about this?

The next part of our boxset will look at life for God’s people after some important relationships were forgotten, and Israel’s family story takes a new direction in Exodus chapters 1 to 22. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

This could be well described as a family story and, as with many families, it can get a bit messy. Far from being a set of neat moral tales, it’s an account of people causing and dealing with difficulties. They are not perfect people, but they are loved and valued. 

After much gets broken by people’s weaknesses, what starts to get shown is how people can find redemption and restoration through relationship, which is the foundation of the Bible’s big story.

The next bit of our boxset will be Genesis chapters 45 to 50 and Psalms 1 to 28. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

What aspects of God’s character would you most like to show more in your life? The talk concludes with a reflection about this, including an illustration listing these qualities of God: loving, generous, self-giving, kind, forgiving, faithful, patient, self-controlled, good, honest, trustworthy, gracious, and compassionate. Find more at https://www.severnvineyard.org/sunday-talks-bloglist/2024/2/4/relating-reflecting-and-representing-god-by-claire-lynch-4-february-2024

What is described at the start of the Bible has been the subject of much discussion over centuries. People take different views on interpreting it, but most agree that it is an awesome statement of the wonder of life and the way order can emerge from raw materials. 

Bern and Owen look at the view of Bible scholar John H. Walton, author of The Lost World of Genesis One, that ancient people would have likened the Bible’s first story to the construction of a temple, a place where heaven meets earth. Remarkably, the image of God that is central to a temple is described as being in each of us.

What does this mean for our view of human potential? How does it lay the foundation for the rest of the Bible’s story about people’s instincts and actions which conflict with our God-given value and purpose? And does the Bible describe the ultimate remedy for this as religious order for a few people, or is religion only pointing the way towards something better for everyone?

The next part of our boxset will be Genesis chapters 25 to 44. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

In an election year, we probably won’t be short of promises to make life better, and as we take inspiration from Jesus for how God can really deliver this, we are aiming to live by four values that we find in Jesus: authenticity, generosity, inclusivity and courage. Finding hope in Jesus that we can put these values into practice is going to shape our year ahead together.

Find more about joining one of our teams at severnvineyard.org/teams, and info about financial giving at severnvineyard.org/giving

Peter gets a mind-blowing revelation from God which ends up changing how believers in Jesus saw themselves, other people, and the whole purpose of religion and its laws. This story is told by Luke who, we learn, joined in the missionary journeys to spread news of God at work in the world, and would have shared the perspective of people having their minds changed as their relationships and practical experience of a Spirit-filled people grew. 

Bern and Owen reflect on Luke’s purposes for writing, and how we might be intended to get ready for having our minds changed as we see and do things differently too.

The next bit of our boxset will be Genesis chapters 1 to 24. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

Luke’s story about Jesus and the surprisingly inclusive Kingdom of God continues with demonstrations of the power God wants people to have, to overcome suffering, injustice, and even death. This power reconnects people with God in ways which can cause tremendous thankfulness and praise in those experiencing it.

Bern and Owen reflect on how this is moving them to see and do things differently, and look forward to the next episodes in the boxset: Acts of the Apostles chapters 10 to 28. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

This talk on Luke’s Gospel will be followed by a series on Acts of the Apostles, starting in February 2024.

Luke is telling a story which is rooted in Jewish beliefs and customs, but turns out to be inclusive for everyone. In a difficult time, Jesus seems to challenge every authority and offer the love, power and hope that is desperately needed and sought for changing the world.

But the coming of God's kingdom, as Jesus demonstrates it, isn't about some powerful people having their way as much as it's about God changing the minds of everyone was comfortable or thought they were righteous.

Bern and Owen reflect on how this is shaping their lives today, and look forward to the next episodes in the boxset: Luke chapters 15 to 24 and Acts of the Apostles chapters 1 to 9. Listen along at your own pace at severnvineyard.org/bible.

Claire concludes this talk with a ten-minute "examen" reflection to help connect our experiences, relationships and hopes with thanks, goodness and God.

Our suggestion is to listen to the first 14 chapters of Luke's Gospel this week - they'll take about an hour and forty minutes (at 1x speed) from our recommended NIV UK version, read by David Suchet, available in many Bible apps or directly at https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/suchet/nivuk/Luke.1

We're sharing a few of our thoughts and expectations here, and next week, we'll share how these passages made us think, feel and move. Get in touch if you'd like to tell us how they've struck you too!

In this podcast, Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch discuss how listening through the whole Bible, and noticing how it makes us think, feel and move, can connect us with something bigger than ourselves too, and included in the epic work that God has been doing through history.

Top tips for getting through the Bible in a year include listening to a good version - we recommend the NIV UK audio Bible narrated by David Suchet, available in many Bible apps and linked from our website, severnvineyard.org/bible, where you can also find and follow the whole boxset binge plan for the year.

Find more from this series at severnvineyard.org/whatisgodlike

Find more resources to help with spiritual and emotional health at severnvineyard.org/health

At the end of this talk, we turn to pray for people in difficult situations around the world.

Find more resources to help with spiritual and emotional health at severnvineyard.org/health

This is not about limitations imposed by society on the grounds of race, class or gender, but about considering how we are uniquely shaped and equipped by our personalities, life seasons and situations, our emotional, physical and intellectual capacities, and our personal histories, including wounds or traumas.

There’s time at the end to reflect and try to recognise some of these limitations which shape us, and consider which of them we might embrace, accept or discuss with friends.

Find more resources to help with spiritual and emotional health at severnvineyard.org/health

Find more resources to help with spiritual and emotional health at severnvineyard.org/health

See more about how we sometimes discuss life together in a structured way at severnvineyard.org/triplets 

Find more of Jess' story and ideas about prayer and faith in her talk, which is also in this podcast series.

Find more about praying the "Our Father" Lord's prayer at https://www.severnvineyard.org/thelordsprayer

Christians and countries with Christian traditions cannot and should not claim ownership of Christ - the events of Pentecost showed that his kingdom and power are for everyone. But do we get that?

This talk concludes with a time for contemplation that, because of Christ’s ascension and the way the Spirit spoke at Pentecost, Christ Jesus is for everyone. See the images for this at https://www.severnvineyard.org/sunday-talks-bloglist/2023/4/30/whose-king-is-christ-jesus-by-owen-lynch-30-april-2023

Questions to help us figure out our part include:

• What are you good at?
• What are the opportunities around you?
• What are your skills?
• What can you offer?
• What is a dream that is planted in your core within you?
• What do you think is missing in the world?
• What does the world need?
• Where is the Spirit at work?

It's about the powerful meeting of prophet, priest and king, and it's not just for national leadership and special occasions. Patterns of how people can connect with God and receive power to change the world are rooted in history, displayed in Jesus and offered to us too.

Follow the series to see how this power has been working in the world for centuries and how it might be accessible to us.

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: How does it feel to be with Jesus today? What do you hope he can do with you?

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Afterwards, Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias. He revealed himself like this. Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus, “the twin”), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two more of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I’m going fishing.”

They said to him, “We’ll come with you.” They went out and got into the boat. That night, they caught nothing. But as daybreak came, Jesus stood on the shore; although the disciples didn’t know that it was Jesus. So Jesus said to them, “Hey kids, have you got any fish?”

They answered him, “No.”

He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.”

So they cast it, and now they weren’t able to haul it in because of the huge numbers of fish. Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!”

When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his coat (for he only had his underwear on), and launched himself straight into the sea. But as they weren’t too far from land, about 100 metres away, the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish. So when they got out onto the land, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish cooking on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.”

Simon Peter went up, and hauled the net in to land, full of 153 great fish. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn.

Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast!”

None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” knowing that it was the Lord.

Then Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to his disciples after he had risen from the dead. So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me selflessly, more than these?”

He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you like a friend.”

He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He asked him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me selflessly?”

He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you like a friend.”

He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He asked him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me like a friend?”

Peter was grieved because he asked him the third time, “Do you love me like a friend?” He said to him, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you like a friend.”

Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Truly, truly I tell you, when you were young, you dressed yourself, tied your belt and walked wherever you wanted. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will tie your belt and carry you where you don’t want to go.”

Now he said this to show by what kind of death Peter would glorify God. After saying this, Jesus said to him, “Follow me.”

Then Peter, turning around, saw a disciple following. It was the one Jesus loved, the one who had also leaned into Jesus at the supper and asked, “Lord, who is going to betray you?” Seeing him, Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?”

Jesus said to him, “If I want him to stay until I come, what is that to you? You follow me.” So word spread among the brothers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus didn’t say to him that he would not die, but, “If I want him to stay until I come, what is that to you?”

This is the disciple who testifies about these things, and wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true. There are also many other things Jesus did which, if they were all written down, I suppose that not even the whole world or the universe itself would have space for the books to be written.

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: When you haven’t been certain about faith in Jesus, what have you asked for in reassurance? Have you ever received any you can thank him for, or do you need to ask again today?

---

When it was evening that same day, the first day of the week, and where the disciples were together behind closed doors, for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I am also sending you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit! If you forgive and release anyone’s sins, they are forgiven and released from them. If you retain any, they are retained.”

But Thomas, one of the twelve, the one called Didymus, “the twin”, wasn’t with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples kept telling him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail stamps in his hands, and put my finger in where they made their marks, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

After eight days, his disciples were inside again and Thomas was with them. The doors were closed, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Bring your finger here, and see my hands. And bring your hand here, and put it into my side. Don’t be an unbeliever, but a believer.”

Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”

Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and still believed.”

Jesus performed many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing and trusting, you may have life in his name.

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: Imagine Jesus appearing to you. How do you feel?

---

Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

So Peter and the other disciple went out to go to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and got to the tomb first. Stooping down and looking in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he didn’t go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and entered the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths, but rolled up in a place by itself. So then the other disciple who had got to the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed. They had not yet understood from Scripture that Jesus must rise from the dead.

Then the disciples went back to their own homes. But Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she cried, she stooped down and looked into the tomb, and she saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been. They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I don’t know where they have put him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, though she didn’t know that it was Jesus.

Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who are you looking for?”

Thinking that he must be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him off, tell me where you have put him, and I will take him away.”

Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” which means, “Teacher!”

Jesus said to her, “Don’t hold onto me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

Mary Magdalene went to the disciples bringing the news, “I have seen the Lord,” and she told them what he had said to her.

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: What has Jesus done here? How many reasons for Jesus’ death have you encountered, and how are they meaningful to you?

---

After this, knowing that everything was now finished and done, Jesus fulfilled Scripture by saying, “I am so thirsty.” Now a jar full of sour wine was there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop stalk, and brought it to his lips. When Jesus got this, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

As it was the Preparation Day for the Sabbath, and the next day was a special Sabbath, the Jewish leaders did not want bodies remaining on crosses, so they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken away. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man and the other who was crucified with him; but when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they didn’t break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. The man who saw this has testified, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, so that you too may believe. For these things happened to fulfil the Scripture, “No bone of his will be broken.” And as another Scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”

After these things, Joseph of Arimathaea asked Pilate for permission to take away Jesus’ body. Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jewish leaders. Pilate gave him permission, so he came and took the body away. Nicodemus, the one who at first came to Jesus by night, also brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing a talent, about thirty kilograms. So they took Jesus’ body, and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the Jewish burial custom. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden. In the garden was a new tomb in which no-one had ever been laid. So, because it was the Jewish Preparation Day, and the tomb was near, they laid Jesus there.

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: What does it mean to you that Jesus submitted to this, despite being a king?

---

So they took Jesus and led him away. He went out, bearing his own cross, to what is called “The place of the skull”, or in Hebrew, “Golgotha”, where they crucified him, with two others, one on either side, with Jesus in the middle. Pilate also wrote a sign and put it on the cross. It was inscribed, “JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and the sign was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Don’t write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘he said, “I am the King of the Jews.”’”

Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, a part for each soldier. They also took the tunic, which was seamless, woven through completely from the top. Then they said to one another, “Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it to decide whose it will be.” This fulfilled the Scripture which says,

“They divided my clothes among them.

They cast lots for my clothing.”

So this is what the soldiers did.

But standing by Jesus’ cross were his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple he loved standing there, he said to his mother, “Woman, this is your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother!” And from that time, the disciple took her into his own home.

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: Who did the Jewish leaders really want to be their ultimate authority? What about you? What happens if that authority clashes with something you really want, though?

---

So then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. The soldiers twisted thorns into a crown and put it on his head, and dressed him in a purple garment. They kept saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and they kept slapping him in the face.

Then Pilate went out again, and said to the Jews, “Look, I am bringing him out to you, so that you may know that I find no basis for a charge against him.”

Jesus then came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple garment. Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”

When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!”

Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no basis for a charge against him.”

The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.”

Now when Pilate heard these words, he grew fearful. He went into the Praetorium again, and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. So Pilate said to him, “Are you not speaking to me? Don’t you know that I have the power to release you and I have the power to crucify you?”

Jesus answered, “You would have no power at all against me, unless it were given to you from above. So the one who delivered me to you has the greater sin.”

At this, Pilate was seeking to release him, but the Jews cried out, saying, “If you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar! Every self-made king rebels against Caesar!”

When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat on the throne of judgment at a place called “The Spread of Stones”, in Hebrew, “Gabbatha.” Now it was the Day of Preparation for the Passover, at about midday. He said to the Jews, “Here is your King!”

They cried out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!”

Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?”

The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!”

So then he handed him to them to be crucified.

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: What does it mean to you that Jesus is a leader whose purpose is to bear witness to the truth?

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Then the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching.

Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world. I always taught in the synagogues and in the temple, where the Jews always meet. I said nothing in secret. Why question me? Ask those who have heard me what I said to them. Look, they know what I said.”

When he had said this, one of the officers present slapped Jesus with his hand, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?”

Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken wrongly, make a statement about what was wrong; but if I have spoken correctly, why did you strike me?”

Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas, the high priest.

Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You aren’t also one of his disciples, are you?”

He denied it and said, “I am not.”

One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, said, “Didn’t I see you in the garden with him?”

Peter denied it again, and immediately a rooster crowed.

Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, the Roman Governor’s palace. It was early, and they didn’t enter the Praetorium themselves, to avoid becoming ceremonially unclean – they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate went out to them and said, “What charge are you bringing against this man?”

They answered him, “If this man weren’t an evildoer, we wouldn’t have delivered him to you.”

So Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law.”

The Jews said to him, “It is illegal for us to put anyone to death,” This fulfilled the word of Jesus, which he spoke, signifying the kind of death he was about to die.

So Pilate went back into the Praetorium, called Jesus, and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”

Jesus answered him, “Do you say this by yourself, or did others tell you about me?”

Pilate answered, “I’m not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered you to me. What have you done?”

Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not of this world. If my Kingdom were of this world, then my servants would fight, that I wouldn’t be delivered to the Jews. But now my Kingdom is from a different place.”

So Pilate said to him, “You are a king then?”

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. I was born for this, and came into the world for this, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”

Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

After saying this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no basis for a charge against him. But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. So, do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”

Then they all shouted back, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was an insurrectionist.

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: How important is the difference between Jesus’ “I am” and Peter’s “I am not”? When someone asks if you identify as someone defined by Jesus, how do you answer?

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When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the ravine of the Kidron, where there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it. Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples. So after procuring a body of soldiers and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, Judas went in with lanterns, torches, and weapons. Then Jesus, knowing everything that was about to happen to him, went out and said to them, “Who are you looking for?”

They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth?”

Jesus said to them, “I am.”

Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When Jesus said to them, “I am,” they drew back and fell to the ground.

So again he asked them, “Who are you looking for?”

They said, “Jesus of Nazareth?”

Jesus answered, “I told you - I am. So if you are looking for me, let these ones go.” This was to fulfil the word he had spoken, “Of those you have given me, I have lost none.”

Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus. So Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword away. Shall I not drink the cup which the Father has given me?”

So the body of soldiers, the commanding officer, and the officers of the Jews seized Jesus and bound him, and led him first to Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. It was Caiaphas who advised the Jews that it would be good for one man to die for the people.

Simon Peter followed Jesus, as did another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and entered with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard, but Peter was standing at the door outside. So the other disciple, the one known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the doorkeeper, and brought Peter in. Then the maid who kept the door said to Peter, “Are you also one of this man’s disciples?”

He said, “I am not.”

Now the servants and the officers had made a coal fire, for it was cold, and they stood there warming themselves. Peter was now with them, standing and warming himself.

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: From what Jesus prayed for you and the church, what do you think we need and should keep asking for most urgently? What difference would it make for us to receive this, and how might God need to change something in you to help make this happen?

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When Jesus had said these things, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, so that your Son may also glorify you. Just as you gave him authority over all of humanity, so he will give eternal life to all that you have given him. This is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one you sent, Jesus Christ. I have glorified you on the earth, accomplishing the work you have given me to do. Now, Father, glorify me with yourself with the glory I had with you before the world existed.

 “I revealed your name to the people you have given me out of the world. They were yours, and you have given them to me. They have kept your word. Now they know that all you have given me is from you, for the words you have given me I have given to them, they received them, and knew for sure that I came from you. They have believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I don’t pray for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All things that are mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep and look after them in your name which you have given me, that they may be one, just as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in your name. I have kept those you have given me. None of them is lost except the son of destruction, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.

But now I am coming to you, and I say these things while I am in the world so that they may have my source of joy to fill themselves completely. I have given them your word, and the world hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I am not asking for you to take them from the world, but for you to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth.

“I am not praying just for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, Father, just as you are in me and I in you, that they also may be one in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me. The glory which you have given me, I have given to them, so that they may be one, just as we are one, I in them, and you in me, that they may be made perfect in oneness, so the world may know that you sent me and loved them, just as you loved me. Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, so they may see my glory which you have given me, for you loved me before the foundation of the world. Righteous Father, the world has not known you, but I have always known you; and these now know that you sent me. I made your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the perfect love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I may be in them.”

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: How much do you ask of God in Jesus’ name? What would you like to ask today?

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“In a little bit, you will not see me. On the other hand, in a little bit, you will see me.”

Some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘In a little bit, you will not see me. On the other hand, in a little bit, you will see me.,’ and, ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” They kept asking, “What does he mean, ‘A little bit’? We don’t know what he is saying.”

Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, and he said to them, “Are you asking about this among yourselves, that I said, ‘In a little bit, you will not see me. On the other hand, in a little bit, you will see me.?’ Truly, truly I tell you that you will weep and wail, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief and pain will turn into joy. A woman has pain when she gives birth because her time has come. But when she has delivered the child, she doesn’t remember the anguish any more, for joy that a human being is born into the world. So for you, you now have grief and pain, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.

“In that day you won’t ask anything from me. Truly, truly I tell you, whatever you may ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now, you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, and your joy may be fulfilled completely.

“I have said these things to you in figures of speech. But the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in parables and metaphors, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day you will ask in my name; and I don’t say to you that I will pray to the Father for you, for the Father himself loves you dearly, because you have loved me dearly, and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”

His disciples said to him, “Look, now you are speaking plainly, and not using figures of speech. Now we know that you know all things, and don’t need anyone to question you. By this we believe that you came from God.”

Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? Look, the time is coming, yes, and has now come, that you will be scattered, each to their own personal space, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace and wholeness. In the world you have trouble; but take courage! I have overcome the world.”

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: What is your experience of having the Holy Spirit as a helper, connecting you with Jesus? What experience would you like to have?

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“When the helper has come, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will bear witness about me. You will also bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.

“I have said these things to you so that you won’t stumble or fall away. They will put you out of the synagogues, and the time is coming that if someone kills you they will think that they are offering service to God. They will do these things because they have not known the Father nor me. But I have told you these things so that when the time comes, you will remember that I told you about them. I didn’t tell you this from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to the one who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have told you these things, sorrow has filled your hearts. Still, I tell you the truth: It is good for you that I am going away; for if I don’t go away, the helper won’t come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. When he has come, he will prove the world wrong about sin, about righteousness, and about judgment; about sin, because they don’t believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to my Father, and you won’t see me any more; and about judgment, because the ruling power of this world has been judged.

“I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t bear them now. But, when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth, for he will not speak from himself; but whatever he hears, he will speak. He will bring word to you of things that are coming. He will glorify me, for he will take from what is mine and will make it known to you. All things that the Father has are mine; this is why I said that he will take from what is mine and will make it known to you.”

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: What does it mean to you to have fruitful life as a branch in Jesus’ vine?

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 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the farmer. Every branch in me that doesn’t bear fruit, he takes away. Every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes, so it can bear more fruit. You are already pruned clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. As the branch can’t bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you bear fruit, unless you remain in me. I am the vine. You are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in them will bear much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, they are like a branch that is withered and thrown out; branches like this are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want, and it will be done for you.

“In this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and emerge as my disciples. Just as the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be overflowing.

“This is my commandment, that you love one another selflessly, just as I have loved you. No one has greater selfless love than this, that they lay down their life for their friends. You are my friends if you do what I command, not servants any more, for a servant doesn’t know what their master is doing. But I have called you friends, for I have made sure you know everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not elect me, but I elected and appointed you, so that you should go and keep bearing fruit that will last, and so that whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.

“This is what I command you, that you selflessly love one another. If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. But as you are not of the world, since I elected you out of the world, this is why the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they have harassed me, they will also harass you. If they have kept my word, they will also keep yours. But they will do all these things to you for my name’s sake, because they don’t know the one who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me also hates my Father. If I had not done works among them which no one else has done, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen and disregarded, even hated, both me and my Father. But this happened so that the word may be fulfilled which was written in their law, ‘They hated me without a cause.’”

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: Jesus asks a lot from followers here, but also offers a lot. What do you need from what he is offering today?

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“If you love me, keep my commandments. I will ask the Father, and he will give you another helper to be with you forever: the Spirit of truth, which the world cannot get, because it doesn’t see him or know him. You know him, for he stays beside you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you. In a little while, the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Because I live, you will also live. On that day you will realise that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. Whoever who has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me will be shown my Father’s love, and I will show my love and myself to them.”

Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you are going to show yourself to us, and not to the world?”

Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, they will keep my word. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Someone who doesn’t love me doesn’t keep my words. And the word which you hear is not mine, but belongs to the Father who sent me.

“I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things, and will remind you of all that I said to you. Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, I really give to you. Don’t let your hearts be troubled, and don’t be afraid. You heard that I told you, ‘I am going away, and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced that I am going to my Father, for the Father is greater than I.

“Now I have told you before it happens so that when it happens, you may believe and trust. I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has nothing on me, but is coming so the world may know that I love the Father, and I do just what the Father has commanded of me. Come on, let’s go from here.”

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: What does it mean to you that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life?

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“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me. In my Father’s household there are many places to live. If that were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and will take you with me, so that where I am, you may also be. You know the way to where I am going.”

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?”

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me. If you have known me, you have known my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and you have seen him.”

Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.”

Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you such a long time, and you haven’t come to know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father?’ Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me? The words that I tell you are not me speaking for myself; but the Father who lives in me doing his works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me; or else believe me because of the works themselves. Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do, and they will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. And whatever you will ask in my name, I will do it, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: We can’t always tell from appearances what is going on inside people, but lots of hidden things get revealed in this passage. Consider how Jesus tells his disciples how people can know who they really are.

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I am not speaking about all of you. I know who I have chosen, but this Scripture will be fulfilled: ‘The one eating bread with me has lifted up his heel to trick and trip me.’ From now on, I am telling you before it happens, so when it happens, you may believe and trust that I am who I am. Truly, truly I tell you, whoever receives someone I send, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives the one who sent me.”

When Jesus had said this, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly I tell you that one of you will betray me.”

The disciples started looked at one another, at a loss to know who he was talking about. One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at the table right next to Jesus. Simon Peter motioned to him to ask who Jesus was talking about.

Leaning into Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”

Jesus answered, “It is the one I will give this piece of bread to when I have dipped it.” When he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. After he took the piece of bread, Satan entered into him.

Then Jesus said to him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.”

Now nobody else at the table knew why he said this to him. Judas had the money box, so some thought that Jesus told him to buy what they needed for the feast or give something to the poor. After receiving that piece of bread, Judas went out immediately. It was night.

When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and will glorify him immediately. Little children, I will be with you a little while longer. You will seek me, and as I said to the Jews, I tell you now, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have selfless, unconditional love for one another.”

Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?”

Jesus answered, “Where I am going, you can’t follow now, but you will follow afterwards.”

Peter said to him, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”

Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly I tell you, the rooster will not crow before you have disowned me three times.”

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: How do you feel about Jesus washing feet like a servant? And how do you react to his call to do the same for others?

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Now it was just before the Passover festival. Jesus knew that his time had come to depart from this world to go the Father. Having selfless love for his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. Supper was taking place, and the devil had already put betrayal of Jesus into the heart of Judas, son of Simon Iscariot. Jesus knew that the Father had put everything into his hands, and that he came from God and was going to God, so he got up from supper, laid aside his robes and wrapped on an apron. Then he poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the apron that was wrapped around him. Then he came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, you are going to wash my feet?”

Jesus answered him, “You don’t know what I am doing now, but you will understand later.”

Peter said to him, “No, you will never wash my feet!”

Jesus replied, “If I don’t wash you, you have no part with me.”

Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not just my feet then, but my hands and my head!”

Jesus said to him, “Someone who has bathed their body only needs to have their feet washed to be completely clean. You are clean, but not all of you.” For he knew who was going to betray him; this is why he said, “You are not all clean.” So when he had washed their feet, put his robes back on, and sat down again, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me, ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, because that is who I am. Now if I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you should also wash one another’s feet. I have given you an example, so that you should do as I have done to you. Truly, truly I tell you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, good for you if you do them.

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: What does it mean to you that Jesus came to save and not judge, and yet his message can still produce judgement or change in us?

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Even though Jesus had done so many miraculous signs before them, they didn’t believe in him. This fulfilled the word of Isaiah the prophet, who said:

“Lord, who has believed our news?

To whom has the strong arm of the Lord been revealed?”

Because of this, they couldn’t believe, for Isaiah said again:

“He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts,

so they won’t see with their eyes,

or understand with their hearts,

or change their direction;

or else I would heal them.”

Isaiah said these things because he saw Christ’s glory, and spoke about him. Nevertheless, many, even among the rulers, believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they didn’t declare it in public, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue - for they loved the honour of people more than the honour of God.

But Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not only in me, but in the one who sent me. Whoever sees me sees the one who sent me. I have come as a light into the world, so that whoever believes in me will not remain in the darkness. If anyone listens to my words and does not keep them, I don’t judge them. For I didn’t come to judge the world, but to save the world. Whoever rejects me, and doesn’t receive my words, does have a judge. The message that I spoke will judge them on the last day. For I have not spoken by my own authority, but the Father who sent me gave me orders about what I should speak out and say. I know that his order is eternal life. So what I say is what the Father has told me to say.”

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: How do you feel about Jesus overcoming every other power and drawing all to himself?

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Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and made a request, saying, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.” Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn, Andrew came with Philip, and they told Jesus.

Jesus answered them, “The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you most truly, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single seed. But if it dies, it will bring much fruit. Whoever loves their life will lose it. Whoever downgrades their life in this world will keep their eternal life. If anyone serves me, they should follow me, and then where I am, my servant will also be. If anyone serves me, the Father will honour them.

“Now my soul is troubled. What shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this time?’ But I came to this time for this cause. Father, glorify your name!”

Then a voice came out of the sky, saying, “I have glorified it and will glorify it again.”

The crowd who stood by and heard this said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”

Jesus answered, “This voice hasn’t come for my sake, but for your sakes. Now is the crisis, the judgment of this world. Now the ruling power of this world will be thrown out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all to myself.” Saying this, he made known what kind of death he was about to die.

The crowd answered him, “We have from the law that the Christ will remain forever. How do you mean, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up?’ Who is this Son of Man?”

Jesus said to them, “The light is with you just a little while more. Walk while you have the light, so that darkness doesn’t overtake you. Whoever walks in the darkness doesn’t know where they are going. While you have the light, believe and trust in the light, so you may become children of light.” Jesus said these things, then he went away and was hidden from them.

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: How surprising would it be to see a royal procession with the King on a little donkey? What do you think this means about Jesus?

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Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, the one Jesus raised from the dead. So they made a dinner for him there. Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who reclined at the table with him. Then Mary took a pint of perfume, pure nard, very precious, and anointed Jesus’s feet and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

Then Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, one of his disciples, who was about to betray him, said, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money – a year’s wages - given to poor people?” Now he said this, not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief; he had the money box, and used to take what was put into it.

But Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so she can keep this for the day of my burial. For you will always have poor people among you, but you won’t always have me.”

A large crowd of the Jews learned that he was there; and they came, not just because of Jesus, but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests conspired to kill Lazarus as well; because of him, many were leaving the Jewish leaders and believing in Jesus.

The next day, a large crowd that had come for the Passover festival and heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!”

Jesus had found a young donkey and he sat on it, as it is written, “Don’t be afraid, daughter of Zion. Look, your King is coming, sitting on the colt of a donkey.” His disciples didn’t understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and done to him. The crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead kept telling people about what they had seen. This made the crowd go out to meet him, because they heard that he had performed this miraculous sign. So the Pharisees said among themselves, “You see how your efforts are getting nothing. Look, the whole world has gone after him.”

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: Consider the tension among the Jewish leaders as they thought about what was best for their people. How do conflicting desires in you make Jesus hard to approach sometimes?

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Because of these things, many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary and saw what Jesus did believed in him. But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.

So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council, and said, “What are we doing? This man does many miraculous signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”

But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You don’t know nothing! Don’t you think that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, and not let the whole nation perish?”

Now he didn’t just say this as his own opinion, but as high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not just for the nation, but also for God’s children who had been scattered so that they would be gathered together as one.

So from that day, they plotted to kill him. Because of this, Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went away into the region near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim. He stayed there with his disciples.

Now the Jewish Passover was getting near. Many went up from that region to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves. So they looked for Jesus and spoke with one another as they stood in the temple courts, “What do you think—will he not come to the Festival at all?” The chief priests and the Pharisees had commanded that anyone who knew where Jesus was should report it, so that they could arrest him.

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: Think about what people expected and wanted from Jesus before he arrived, and how he brought life beyond all expectations here. How do you feel about this?

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So when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away, and many of the Jews had come to see Martha and Mary, to console them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary stayed in the house. Then Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you would have been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. But even now, I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.”

Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will still live, even if they die. Whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, God’s Son, the one who is coming into the world.”

When she had said this, she went away and called Mary, her sister, secretly, saying, “The Teacher is here and he’s calling you.” When she heard this, Mary got up quickly and went to him.

Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was in the place where Martha met him. When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary getting up quickly and going out, they followed her, thinking she was going to the tomb to weep there.

When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you would have been here, my brother would not have died.”

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled in himself, and said, “Where have you laid him?”

They told him, “Lord, come and see.”

Jesus wept.

So the Jews said, “Look how much he loved him!” Some of them said, “Couldn’t this man, who opened the eyes of the blind man, have also kept this man from dying?”

Deeply moved again, Jesus came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay across it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”

Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him, “Lord, by now he stinks, for he has been dead for four days.”

Jesus said to her, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believe, you will see God’s glory?”

So they took away the stone. Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I know that you always hear me, but I say this because of the crowd standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”

The man who was dead came out, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face with a burial cloth.

Jesus said to them, “Untie him, and let him go.”

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: Do you notice anything strange about Jesus’ movements in response to the death of Lazarus? What do you think John is communicating through this story?

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Now a man was sick, Lazarus from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister, Martha. It was this Mary who had anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. So the sisters sent word to Jesus, saying, “Lord, look, your friend is sick.”

But when he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness won’t end in death, but it is for the glory of God, that God’s Son may be glorified by it.” Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, Jesus stayed where he was for two days, then said to the disciples, “Let’s go into Judea again.”

The disciples said, “Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you – you are going there again?”

Jesus answered, “Aren’t there twelve hours of daylight? If anyone walks in the day, they don’t stumble, because they see by the light of this world. But if anyone walks in the night, they stumble, because the light isn’t in them.” He said these things, and then said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going on a journey to wake him up.”

The disciples answered, “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will get better.”

Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he was talking about normal sleep. So Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe. But anyway, let’s go to him.”

Then Thomas, who was also called Didymus, the twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s go too, so that we may die with him.”

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: What about Jesus makes you trust that he is who he claims to be?

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The time came for the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in Solomon’s Porch. The Jews surrounded Jesus and said to him, “How long will you hold us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you don’t believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name, these testify about me. But you don’t believe, because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father who has given them to me is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

Again, the Jews picked up stones to stone him. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of those works do you stone me?”

The Jews answered him, “We don’t stone you for a good work, but for blasphemy, because you, a man, make yourself out to be God.”

Jesus answered them, “Isn’t it written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods?’ If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture can’t be set aside), why do you say, ‘You blaspheme!’ to the one the Father set apart, made holy and sent into the world, because I said, ‘I am the Son of God?’ If I don’t do the works of my Father, don’t believe me. But if I do them, even if you don’t believe me, believe the works, so you may know and truly understand that the Father is in me, and I am in the Father.”

Again, they sought to seize him, but he got out of their hands. Again, he went away, beyond the Jordan into the place where John first baptised, and he stayed there. Many came to him. They said, “John did no miracles, but everything that John said about this man was true.” And many people there believed and trusted in Jesus.

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: What does it mean to you that Jesus is the gate, and the good shepherd?

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“Truly, truly, I tell you, one who doesn’t enter the sheep fold by the gate, but climbs up some other way, is a thief and a robber. But the one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. Whenever he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but will flee from them; for they don’t know the stranger’s voice.” Jesus told them this parable, but they didn’t understand what he was telling them.

So Jesus said again, “Truly, truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. I am the gate. If anyone enters in through me, they will be saved, and will go in and go out and will find pasture. The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came so that they may have life, and may have it beyond all expectations.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. Someone who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who doesn’t own the sheep, sees the wolf coming, leaves the sheep, and flees away. The wolf snatches the sheep and scatters them. The hired hand flees because they are a hired hand and they don’t care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me; just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep which are not of this fold. I must bring them too, and they will hear my voice. They will become one flock with one shepherd. This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, so I may receive it again. No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down by myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to receive it again. I received this command from my Father.”

A division arose again among the Jews because of these words. Many of them said, “He has a demon and is insane! Why do you listen to him?” Others said, “These are not the sayings of someone possessed by a demon. A demon can’t open the eyes of the blind, can they?”

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: When someone asks why you believe in God, it might be hard to answer in depth, but what can you say you do know, from what you have experienced?

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So the Pharisees called the man who had been blind a second time, and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man Jesus is a sinner.”

He answered, “I don’t know if he is a sinner. One thing I do know: that I was blind, but now I see.”

They said to him again, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”

He answered them, “I told you already, and you didn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it again? You don’t want to become his disciples as well, do you?”

They railed at him, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses. But as for this man, we don’t know where he comes from.”

The man answered them, “How amazing! You don’t know where he comes from; even so, he opened my eyes. We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, he listens to them. Since the world began it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of someone born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”

They answered him, “You were born in sin completely, and you are lecturing us?” Then they threw him out.

Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, then he found him and said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

He answered, “Who is he, sir, so I might believe in him?”

Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and he is speaking with you now.”

He said, “Lord, I believe!” and worshiped him.

Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, that those who don’t see may see; and that those who see may become blind.”

The Pharisees who were there with him heard this, and said to him, “We are not blind, are we?”

Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see,’ your sin and guilt remain.”

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: How do you, or people you know well, struggle to believe in God sometimes? What questions would you ask someone who claims to have changed because of Jesus?

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As Jesus passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, so that he was born blind?”

Jesus answered, “This man didn’t sin, nor did his parents; it’s so that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of the one who sent me while it is daytime. Night-time is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” When he had said this, he spat on the ground, made mud with the saliva, anointed the blind man’s eyes with the mud, and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means “Sent with a mission”). Then the blind man went away, washed, and came back seeing.

So the neighbours and the people who knew him as a beggar before said, “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?” Some were saying, “It is.” Others were saying, “No, it just looks like him.”

He answered them, saying, “I am.”

So they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?”

He answered, “A man called Jesus made mud, anointed my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.’ So I went away and washed, and I received sight.”

Then they asked him, “Where is this man?”

He said, “I don’t know.”

They brought the man who had been blind to the Pharisees. It was a Sabbath when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. The Pharisees asked him again how he received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, I washed, and now I see.”

So some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, because he doesn’t keep the Sabbath.”

But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such miraculous signs?” So there was division among them, and they asked the blind man again, “What do you say about him, because he opened your eyes?”

The man answered, “He is a prophet.”

The Jews then didn’t believe that this man had been blind and had received his sight, until they called for his parents and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he see now?”

His parents answered them, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but how he sees now, we don’t know; or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. He is of age. Ask him. He will speak for himself.” His parents said these things because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who had already agreed that if anyone declares Jesus as the Christ, they would be expelled from the synagogue. That is why the parents said, “He is of age. Ask him.”

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: What can it mean to be in the presence of Jesus who claims “Before Abraham was, I AM”?

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The Jews answered Jesus, “Aren’t we right to say that you are a Samaritan, and you have a demon?”

Jesus answered, “I don’t have a demon, but I honour my Father and you dishonour me. I am not seeking my own glory. But there is one who demands it and decides. Truly, truly, I tell you, if anyone keeps my word, they will never see death.”

Then the Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets; and you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, they will never taste death.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets died. Who do you think you are?”

Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, the one you say, “He is our God.” You haven’t even known him, but I know him. If I said, ‘I don’t know him,’ I would be like you, a liar. But I know him and keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day. He saw it and greeted it with joy.”

Then the Jews said to him, “You are not even fifty years old! And you have seen Abraham?”

Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I AM.”

So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and came out from the temple.

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: What does it mean to you that God is your father?

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Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you remain in my word, then you really are my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

They answered him, “We are the descendants of Abraham, and we have never been slaves to anyone. How can you say, ‘You will be set free’?”

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. A slave doesn’t belong in the household forever. A son belongs forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will truly be free. I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you want to kill me, because my word finds nowhere to belong in you. I am saying what I have seen from my Father, while you are doing what you have heard from your father.”

They answered him, “Our father is Abraham.”

Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do what Abraham did. But now you want to kill me, a man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham didn’t do this. You are doing the works of your own father.”

They said to him, “We are not illegitimate children. We have one Father, God.”

So Jesus said to them, “If God were your father, you would love me, for I came from God to be here. It wasn’t just my own idea to come, but he sent me. Why don’t you get what I am saying? Because you can’t listen to my word. You come from your father the devil, and you want to do what your father is longing to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and doesn’t stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks his truth, it’s lies, for he is a liar, and the father of lies. But because I tell the real truth, you don’t believe me. Which one of you shows that I am guilty of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? The one who is of God listens to the words of God. This is why you don’t listen, because you are not of God.”

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: What does it mean to you that Jesus is the light of the world?

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Again, Jesus spoke to the people, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Then the Pharisees said to him, “You are testifying about yourself. Your testimony is not valid.” 

Jesus answered them, “Even if I testify about myself, my testimony is valid, because I know where I came from, and where I’m going; but you don’t know where I’m from, or where I’m going. You judge by human standards. I judge no one. But even if I do judge, my judgment is true, because I am not alone, but with the Father who sent me. And it is written in your law that the testimony of two people is valid. I am one who testifies about myself, and my other witness is the Father who sent me.”

So they said to him, “Where is your Father?”

Jesus answered, “You don’t know me or my Father. If you knew me, you would also know my Father.” Jesus said these things in the treasury, as he taught in the temple. Yet no one arrested him, because his time had not yet come. Then Jesus said again to them, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sins. Where I am going, you cannot come.”

The Jews said, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?”

He said to them, “You are from below. I am from above. You are of this world. I am not of this world. So I said to you that you will die in your sins, because unless you believe that I am who I am, you will die in your sins.”

So they said to him, “Who are you?”

Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning. I have many things to say and to judge concerning you. But the one who sent me is trustworthy; and it’s the things which I heard from him that I say to the world.”

They didn’t understand that he was speaking to them about the Father. So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am who I am, and I do nothing on my own, but I say these things just as my Father taught me. The one who sent me is with me. The Father hasn’t left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.”

As he said these things, many believed in him.

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: How has following Jesus freed you, changed you, or changed some of the rules in your life?

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Everyone was going home, but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

At dawn, he went back into the temple, and all the people came to him. He sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery. They stood her in the middle, and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. What then do you say about her?” They said this to test him, so that they might have grounds to accuse him.

But Jesus stooped down and started writing on the ground with his finger. When they kept on asking him, he looked up and said to them, “The one who is perfectly blameless among you, let them throw the first stone at her.” Again, he stooped down and carried on writing on the ground.

One by one, starting with the elders, the people who heard this went away, everyone, from first to last. Jesus was left alone with the woman where she was, in the middle. Jesus looked up to her and said, “Woman, where are your accusers? Did no one condemn you?”

She said, “No one, Lord.”

Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on, no more sinning.”

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: Imagine you are full of food and drink at the end of a festival – how do you react to Jesus offering more? Are there things you still need and want from him?

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Then some people from Jerusalem said, “Isn’t this the man they want to kill? Look, he is speaking openly, and they say nothing to him. Could the leaders have judged that this really is the Christ? No, we know where this man comes from, but when the Christ comes, no one will know where he comes from.”

So Jesus schooled them in the temple, crying out, “You do know me, and you know where I am from, and I have not sent myself. But the one who sent me is true, and you don’t know him. I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.”

At that, they tried to arrest Jesus; but no one laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come. But many from the crowd believed in him. They said, “When the Christ comes, will he do any more miracles than this man?” The Pharisees heard the masses murmuring these things about Jesus, and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to arrest him.

Then Jesus said, “I will be with you a little while longer, then I depart to the one who sent me. You will seek me and won’t find me. Where I am, you cannot come.”

So the Jews said amongst themselves, “Where will this man go that we won’t find him? Will he go to our people scattered amongst the Greeks and teach the Greeks? What is this word he said, ‘You will seek me, and won’t find me;’ and ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?”

Now on the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let them come to me and drink! Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, from their bellies will flow rivers of living water.” He said this about the Holy Spirit, which believers were about to receive. But the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

When they heard these words, many of the crowd said, “This is truly the prophet.” Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “What, does the Christ come out of Galilee? Hasn’t the Scripture said that the Christ comes from David’s descendants, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” So the people were divided because of Jesus. Some would have arrested him, but no one laid hands on him. So the officers went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why didn’t you bring him in?”

The officers answered, “No man ever spoke like this man!”

The Pharisees answered back, “You haven’t been taken in too, have you? Have any of the rulers or any of the Pharisees believed in him? No, but this mob that doesn’t know the law is cursed.”

Nicodemus, the one of them who went to Jesus at night, said to them, “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and finding out what he has done?”

They answered him, “Are you from Galilee too? Look into it and you will see that no prophet has arisen out of Galilee.”

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: Who do you think Jesus is? Has putting Jesus’ teaching into practice shaped your view?

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After this, Jesus was walking in Galilee. He wouldn’t walk in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him. Now the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near. So Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Move on from here and go into Judea, so your disciples there can see the works you do. No one keeps things secret when they are looking to go public. If you do these things, reveal yourself to the world.” For even his brothers didn’t believe in him.

So Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. The world can’t hate you, but it hates me, because I testify about it, that its works are evil. You go up to the Festival. I am not going to this festival, because my time has not yet fully come.”

Having said these things to them, he stayed in Galilee. But when his brothers had gone to the Festival, then Jesus went too, not in public, but in secret. The Jews were looking for Jesus at the feast, saying, “Where is he?” There was much murmuring among the masses about him. Some said, “He is a good man.” Others said, “No, he misleads the mobs.” Yet no one spoke openly of him for fear of the Jewish leaders. But halfway through the festival, Jesus went up into the temple and taught. The Jews were amazed, saying, “How does this man know the scriptures without an education?”

So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not my own, but from the one who sent me. If anyone is willing to do his will, he’ll know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am just speaking for myself. Whoever speaks for themselves seeks their own glory, but whoever seeks the glory of the one who sent them is true, and there is no unrighteousness in them. Did Moses not give you the law? And yet none of you keeps the law. Why are you looking to kill me?”

The people answered, “You have a demon! Who is looking to kill you?”

Jesus answered them, “I did one work and you are all wondering. You circumcise someone on the Sabbath because Moses gave you circumcision (not that it came from Moses, but the fathers). Now if someone can get circumcised on the Sabbath, to avoid breaking Moses’ law, why are you angry with me because I healed someone’s whole body on the Sabbath? Don’t judge by appearances, but make the right judgement.”

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: Jesus said that you don’t have life without eating and drinking him in – how do you feel about this?

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This made the Jews argue and dispute with each other, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you don’t have life in yourselves. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food, and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me, and I in them. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me will also live because of me. This is the bread which came down from heaven - not like the manna our fathers ate - they died. Whoever eats this bread will live forever.” He said these things in the synagogue while he taught in Capernaum.

When they heard, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard idea! Who can take it in?”

But, knowing that his disciples were complaining about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this grab you as offensive? Then what if you would see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit who gives life. The flesh counts for nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and life. But there are some of you who don’t believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who didn’t believe and trust him, and who would betray him. He said, “This is why I have said to you that no one can come to me, unless they are enabled by my Father.”

After that, many of his disciples went back and no longer walked with him. Jesus said to the twelve, “You don’t want to leave too, do you?”

Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus answered them, “Didn’t I choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?” Now he was speaking about Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, one of the twelve but about to betray him.

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: What does it mean to you that Jesus is the bread of life?

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When they found him on the other side of the sea, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”

Jesus answered them, “Most certainly I tell you, you seek me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Don’t work for the food that perishes, but for the food that lasts and leads to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For God the Father has put his seal on him.”

So they said to him, “What must we do, so we can be doing the works of God?”

Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe and trust in the one he has sent.”

So they said to him, “What are you doing as a sign, so we can see and believe you? What work will you do? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness. As it is written, ‘He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.’”

Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I tell you, it wasn’t Moses who gave you the bread out of heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. For the bread of God is the one who comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world.”

So they said to him, “Lord, always give us this bread.”

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will not go hungry, and whoever believes and trusts in me will never be thirsty. But I told you that you have seen me, and yet you don’t believe.

“Everyone the Father gives me will come to me. Whoever comes to me I will never, ever reject. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. This is the will of my Father who sent me, that of all he has given to me I should lose nothing, but should raise it all up at the last day. This is the will of the one who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes and trusts in him should have eternal life; and I will raise them up at the last day.”

This made the Jews whisper and grumble about Jesus, because he said, “I am the bread which came down out of heaven.” They said, “Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then does he say, ‘I have come down out of heaven?’”

So Jesus answered them, “Don’t grumble amongst yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them; and I will raise them up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who hears from the Father and has learnt, comes to me.

“Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the one who is from God. He has seen the Father. Most certainly, I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and they died. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, so that anyone may eat it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread, they will live forever. And the bread which I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: Imagine you’re at sea right now – that might be how you are feeling about something difficult. What would it be like for Jesus to get into your boat?

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When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea. They got into the boat and were going over the sea to Capernaum. It was dark now, and Jesus had not come to them. The sea was getting rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat, and they were afraid.

But he said to them, “It is me, I’m here, I am. Don’t be afraid.” So they willingly took him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were going.

The next day, the crowd that stood on the other side of the sea realised that there had only been one boat there, and that Jesus hadn’t entered the boat with his disciples, but his disciples had gone away alone. But then, other boats from Tiberias came near to the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks. When the crowd saw that Jesus and his disciples were not there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: Imagine being hungry and part of the crowd, close enough to see what was going on here – would you have expected nothing, a bite of food, or a feast? How would you feel by the end of the meal?

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After this, Jesus went to the other side of the sea of Galilee, which is also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd followed him because they saw his signs and miracles healing the sick. Jesus went up the mountainside, and he sat there with his disciples.

Now the Jewish Passover festival was near. When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming to him, he said to Philip, “Where are we going to buy bread, so these can eat?” Jesus said this to test Philip, because Jesus knew what he would do.

Philip answered him, “Two hundred days’ wages wouldn’t get enough bread for everyone just to have a little bite.”

One of Jesus’ disciples, Simon Peter’s brother Andrew, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these between so many people?”

Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was lots of grass there. So the people sat down – just counting the men, there were five thousand. Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he gave them out to the disciples, and the disciples gave them out to the people who were sitting down. They did the same with the fish – everyone had as much as they wanted. When people were full up, Jesus said to his disciples, “Gather up the broken leftover pieces, so that nothing will be lost.” So they gathered them up, and filled twelve big baskets with broken pieces from the five barley loaves, which were left over by those who had eaten.

When the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus had done, they said, “This is truly the prophet who is coming into the world.” Knowing that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: What does it mean to go to Jesus for life, and not just the Scriptures, church leaders or your favourite authors?

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“If I testify about myself, my witness is not valid. It is another who testifies about me. I know that his testimony about me is true. You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth. It’s not that I am taking human testimony, but I say these things so that you may be saved. John was the lamp that kept burning and shining, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. But the testimony which I have is greater than John’s; for the works which the Father gave me to finish, t he very works that I do, testify about me, that the Father has sent me. The Father himself, who sent me, has testified about me. You have never heard his voice or seen his form. You don’t have his word living in you, because you don’t believe the one he sent.

“You keep on examining the Scriptures, because you think you have eternal life in them; and those Scriptures do testify about me. But you still won’t come to me to have life. I don’t take glory from men. But I know you, and you don’t have God’s love in you.

“I have come in my Father’s name, and you don’t receive me. If someone else comes in their own name, you will receive them. How can you believe, when you are giving and taking glory from each other, and you aren’t seeking the glory that comes from the only God?

“Don’t think that I will accuse you to the Father. Your accuser is your source of hope - Moses. If you really believed Moses, you would believe me, because he wrote about me. But if you don’t believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: Who has the most authority in your life? Whose word or lead do you trust most to deal with conflicting ideas or judgements you have to make?

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Later on, there was a Jewish festival, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now in Jerusalem by the sheep gate, there is a pool, which is called in Hebrew, “Bethesda”, and has five porches. In these lay a great number of people who were sick, blind, lame, or paralysed, waiting for the water to move, because an angel went down into the pool and stirred up the water at times. Whoever stepped in first after the stirring of the water was healed of whatever disease they had. A man was there who had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had been sick for a long time, Jesus asked him, “Do you want to get well?”

The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I’m coming, someone else steps down ahead of me.”

Jesus said to him, “Get up, pick up your mat, and walk.”

Immediately, the man was healed, and he picked up his mat and walked.

Now that day was a Sabbath. So the Jews kept saying to the man who was healed, “It is the Sabbath. It is not lawful for you to carry the mat.”

He answered them, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’” Then they asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Pick up your mat and walk’?” But the man who was healed didn’t know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into crowd there.

Later, Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “Look, you are healed. Stop sinning, so that nothing worse happens to you.”

The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. For this reason, the Jews persecuted Jesus and sought to kill him, because he did these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, “My Father is still working, so I am working, too.”

This made the Jews even more determined to kill Jesus, because he not only broke the Sabbath, but also called God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

So Jesus answered them, “Most certainly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing that comes from himself, only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son does the same way. For the Father loves the Son, and shows him everything he does. And the Father will show him greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, the Son also gives life to whoever he wants. For the Father judges no one, but he has given all judgement to the Son, so that everyone will honour the Son, just as they honour the Father. Whoever does not honour the Son does not honour the Father who sent him.

“Truly, truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me, they now have eternal life, and do not come into judgement, but they have passed over from death into life. Truly, truly I tell you, the hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the Son of God’s voice; and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in himself, he also gave to the Son to have life in himself. And the Father gave the Son authority to judge, because he is a son of man. Don’t be surprised about this, for the time is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and they will come out; those who have done good, to a resurrection of life; and those who have done evil, to a resurrection of judgement.

“I can do nothing by my own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and my judgement is correct, because I don’t seek my own will, but the will of my Father who sent me.”

What can happen when we form habits of praying for others and ask, in Jesus' words, for God's kingdom to come and his will to be done? And can it make a difference when we don't just pray alone, but pray together with other people?

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: How has Jesus ever surprised you with what he can do? How would you want him to?

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After two days, Jesus left there and went into Galilee. For Jesus himself declared that a prophet has no honour in his own country. So when he came into Galilee, the Galileans received him - they had seen all the things that he did in Jerusalem at the feast, because they were there too. So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee, where he had made the water into wine.

There was a certain royal official whose son was sick in Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come back from Judea to Galilee, the official went to Jesus and begged him to come down and heal his son, who was at the point of death. Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe a thing.”

The official pleaded with him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”

Jesus said to him, “Go on your way. Your son will live.” The man believed what Jesus said to him, and he went on his way. While he was on his journey, his servants met him and reported, “Your boy lives!” So he asked them the time when his son began to get better. They told him, “Yesterday at 1pm, the fever left him.” Then the father realised that this was the time when Jesus said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and his whole household believed.

This was the second sign that Jesus performed, after coming from Judea into Galilee.

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: How much are you trying to get done by your own initiative at the moment? How much could God be guiding you to be part of something bigger than you can do alone?

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Just then, his disciples came. They were amazed that he was speaking with a woman; yet no one said, “What are you looking for?” or, “Why do you speak with her?” So the woman left her water pot, went away into the city, and said to the people, “Come, see a man who has told me everything I’ve ever done. Can this be the Christ?” They went out of the city, and came to him.

Meanwhile, the disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat.”

But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you don’t know about.”

So the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?”

Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Don’t you say, ‘There are still four months until the harvest?’ Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, they are white for harvest already. Whoever reaps receives wages and gathers fruit for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true, ‘One sows, and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap what you haven’t worked for. Others have worked, and you have reaped the results of their work.”

Many of the Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the word of the woman, who testified, “He told me everything I’ve ever done.” So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they begged him to stay with them. He stayed there two days. Many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, “Now we believe, not just because of what you said; for we have heard for ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.”

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: Is Jesus is starting a conversation with you?

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When Jesus learned that the Pharisees had been told that he was making and baptising more disciples than John (although Jesus himself didn’t baptise, his disciples did this), Jesus left Judea and went back to Galilee. He needed to pass through Samaria. So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there. Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.

A Samaritan woman came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” His disciples had gone off into the city to buy food.

The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)

Jesus answered her, “If you knew about God’s gift, and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. So where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it, him and his children and his livestock?”

Jesus answered her, “Everyone who drinks this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks the water that I will give them will never thirst again; the water that I will give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I won’t get thirsty, or have to keep coming all the way here to draw.”

Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come back.”

The woman answered, “I have no husband.”

Jesus said to her, “You were right to say, ‘I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands; and the man you have now is not your husband. You have spoken truthfully.”

The woman said to him, “Sir, I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, but you Jews say that Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.”

Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You don’t know what you worship. We do know what we worship; for salvation is from the Jews. But a time is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such people to be his worshippers. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming, the Christ, the anointed one. When he has come, he will tell us everything.”

Jesus said to her, “That’s who I am, speaking to you.”

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: From your perspective, what difference does it make that God gives from heaven?

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After these things, Jesus came with his disciples into the land of Judea. He stayed there with them and baptised. John also was baptising in Enon near Salim because there was much water there. People came and were baptised; for John had not yet been thrown into prison. A dispute arose between John’s disciples and a certain Jew about purification. They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, the man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan – the one you have testified about - look, he is baptising, and everyone is coming to him.”

John answered, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. You yourselves witnessed that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before him.’ He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So my joy is made full. He must increase, but I must decrease.

“The one who comes from above is above all. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks of the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies about what he has seen and heard; and yet no one accepts his testimony. Whoever does accept his testimony has signed up to this, that God is true. For the one God has sent speaks the words of God; for God gives the Spirit without limits. The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life – instead, the wrath of God waits over him.”

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: What does it mean to you to have new life because of Jesus?

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Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler among the Jews. He came to Jesus at night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him.”

Jesus answered him, “Most certainly I tell you, unless someone is born again, they will never see God’s Kingdom.”

Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he re-enter his mother’s womb to be born?”

Jesus answered, “Most certainly I tell you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter God’s Kingdom. Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh. Whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit. Don’t be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wants to, and you hear its sound, but don’t know where it comes from and where it is going. It’s the same with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Nicodemus answered him, “How can these things be?”

Jesus answered him, “You are the teacher of Israel, and you don’t understand these things? Most certainly I tell you, we speak about what we know and testify about what we have seen, and you don’t accept our testimony. If you didn’t believe when I told you earthly things, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ever gone up to heaven except the one who came down from heaven, the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that whoever believes in him will not perish, but have eternal life.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, so that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God didn’t send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not judged. Whoever does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed and trusted in the name of the one and only Son of God. This is the judgement, that the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light, for their works were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light and doesn’t come to the light, for fear that their works would be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes to the light, so that their works may be revealed as being accomplished in God.”

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: What would it be like to see Jesus perform a miracle in person?

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On the third day, there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited. When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does that have to do with you and me? My time has not yet come.”

His mother said to the servants, “Whatever he says to you, do it.”

Now there were six stone water pots there, for Jewish ceremonial washing, that could hold twenty or thirty gallons each. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the water pots with water.” So they filled them up to the brim. Then Jesus said, “Now draw some out, and take it to the head waiter.” So they took it.

When the head waiter tasted the water which had turned into wine, and didn’t know where it came from (only the servants who had drawn the water knew), the head waiter called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when the guests have had a skinful, they serve the not-so-good wine. But you have kept the good wine until now!”

What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee, was the first of his signs revealing his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

After this, Jesus went down to Capernaum with his mother, his brothers, and his disciples; and they stayed there a few days.

The Jewish Passover was getting near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple, he found the people who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, and the money changers sitting at their tables. He made a whip of cords and drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep and the oxen; and he scattered the money changers’ coins and overturned their tables. To those who sold the doves, he said, “Take these things out of here! Don’t make my Father’s house a marketplace!” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

So the Jews responded, “What sign can you show us? What’s your authority to do these things?”

Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

The Jews said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple! You are going to raise it up in three days?” But Jesus spoke about the temple of his body. So when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he said this, and they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had said.

Now when Jesus was in Jerusalem at the Passover feast, many believed in his name after seeing his signs. But Jesus didn’t entrust himself to them because he knew what people are like, and because he didn’t need anyone to testify about human nature; Jesus already knew what is in each human heart.

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: What first excited you about Jesus? What makes you want to know him better today?

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Again, the next day, John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus walking, and said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, “What are you looking for?”

They said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?”

He said to them, “Come and see.”

They came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about 4pm. One of the two who heard John and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. Andrew found Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah!” (which means Christ). Andrew brought Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter, or rock).

On the next day, Jesus decided to go out into Galilee, and he found Philip. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the same city as Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael, and said to him, “We have found the one that Moses in the law and the prophets wrote about: Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said about him, “Look, here is a true Israelite, with no deceit in him!” Nathanael said to Jesus, “How do you know me?”

Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are King of Israel!”

Jesus answered him, “Because I told you, ‘I saw you underneath the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these!” Then Jesus said, “Most certainly, I tell you all, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten-minute podcast is part reading, part music, and part silence, all designed to help you create a space to picture and feel the scene with Jesus in it. You can use this space in lots of ways, including meditation, prayer, re-reading the passage or thinking about what it means for you today.

Today's reflection: Imagine hope is not just an idea in your head, but a person you can see – and you have just recognised them for the first time. How do you feel, and what do you do?

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This is John’s testimony, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed and declared, “I am not the Christ.”

They asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.”

“Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.”

So they said to him, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”

The ones who had been sent were from the Pharisees. They asked him, “Why then do you baptise if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?”

John answered them, “I baptise in water, but amongst you stands one you don’t know. He is the one who comes after me, who is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I’m not worthy to loosen.” These things were done in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptising.

The next day, John saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘After me comes a man who is preferred before me, because he was before me.’ I didn’t know him, but this is why I came baptising in water, so that he would be revealed to Israel.”

John testified, saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending like a dove out of heaven, and it remained on him. I didn’t recognise him, but the one who sent me to baptise in water said to me, ‘You will see the Spirit descending and remaining on the one who baptises in the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.”

What could happen if you take time and make space with Jesus today? This ten minute podcast includes a reading, some instrumental music and some silence to help create that space, for you to use as you like. Today's suggestion for reflection: what does it mean to you that God has been revealed?

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In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was there, in the beginning with God. All things were made through him. Without him, nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came as a witness, to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but was sent to testify about the light. The true light that enlightens everyone was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and although the world was made through him, the world did not recognise him. He came to his own, and those who were his own did not receive him. But to those who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become God’s children: born, not of blood, nor of the will of flesh or man, but born of God.

The Word became flesh and lived amongst us. We saw his glory, the glory belonging to the only born Son of the Father, full of grace and truth. John testified about him, crying out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me, for he was before me.’” From his fullness we all received grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses. Grace and truth were realised through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only born Son, who is in the closest intimacy with the Father, has revealed him.

This talk concludes with a visual meditation on Psalm 104, which you can do using the video and notes at Severn Vineyard's Bible Meditations page here: https://www.severnvineyard.org/bible-meditations/2023/1/22/psalm-104-visual-meditation

Find more in this series at severnvineyard.org/encounterswithgod

Find more in this series at severnvineyard.org/encounterswithgod

Bern Leckie and Dan Green discuss the Old Testament story of Daniel, how it demonstrates God's goodness and power, and sets a pattern for life driven by God in difficult circumstances where we might feel cut off from essentials but get to see God doing things in a new way in us.

Could choosing to credit our sources, especially God, really be the key to impossible things becoming possible in our lives?

Find more in this series at severnvineyard.org/encounterswithgod

Jess Pedersen and Bern Leckie discuss Moses, where he came from, his flaws and needs - including resilience, vision and a need to discern what was right and from God when it wasn't comfortable.

How does this connect with our lives today, and how do we develop our own senses of calling, vision for our community and resilience to persist and learn while moving through life?

Find more talks and discussions in this series at severnvineyard.org/encounterswithgod

Find more in this series at severnvineyard.org/encounterswithgod

Liz Nixon and Bern Leckie discuss how this worked for Hagar, a female servant in the Old Testament whose life was far from ideal but who ended up with huge signficance.

How can we recognise God speaking and giving us purpose today? Can we be part of a body of people that seeks and affirms us in this? If so, what are we doing about it at Severn Vineyard?

To find out more about The Gold Course, see severnvineyard.org/thegold, and to watch Liz's talk about Hagar and others in this series, see severnvineyard.org/encounterswithgod

Dan Green and Bern Leckie discuss how they have seen this working in the story of Joseph and in their own lives, as well as what it means to share hope, faith and love practically among people who believe different things.

Find more talks and discussions in this series at severnvineyard.org/encounterswithgod

Bern Leckie discusses the story of Joshua with Jack Saunders, who is also a youth and student leader at Severn Vineyard and has a sense of his own calling to share his faith and live faithfully according to his hope in God.

Can we get the full picture about the life God wants for people from Joshua's story, or do we need to look further ahead in the Bible? Where does Jesus come into all this? And if it is a good idea for us to share our faith today with people who have different beliefs, how can we do that?

Find more about this story and the rest of the book of Genesis at severnvineyard.org/bible/genesis

Bern Leckie and Joanna Moss discuss Rahab and how her story connects with larger things about faith, justice, big changes and how we find significance in life.

Joanna also shares about her experiences as a scientist and believer in God, and what has sustained her through difficult times.

You can find more about the biblical books of Samuel which include Rahab and are mentioned in the discussion at https://www.severnvineyard.org/bible/1samuel

Dan Green and Bern Leckie discuss the experience of listening through this book at boxset binge pace, how this helps in connecting the Bible with life, and what stood out to Bern when reflecting on what stood out as attention-grabbing or important.

They also discuss how people may have originally heard and interpreted Genesis differently from us. How can we make ourselves open to think about it differently so we get more of what God intended from it, rather than dismissing it or settling for a limited view?

By listening to the Bible in large chunks, perhaps while also doing other things, it's possible to cover large amounts of ground quickly and gain a sense of the Bible's scope, its big story and the range of characters, situations and life that it maps out.

By noticing what grabs our attention and sharing this with other people later, can we find God showing us new things or speaking to us in new ways? Can this actually give us a fresh outlook on life?

Find more Bible resources and guides for boxset bingeing the Bible at severnvineyard.org/bible

Rebecca Kishtainy discusses the Old Testament story of Hannah with Bern Leckie, set in a time when people did whatever they wanted (and this seemed not to be a good thing.)

As Rebecca and Bern get into the topic of big stories vs. little stories, shared vs. personal viewpoints and "you do you", they discuss whether rejecting authority is always a problem and what really good church and life with people connected by Jesus could actually be like.

What does it mean to have an encounter with God?

What does Ruth's story show us about the power of loyalty, the importance of welcoming strangers, and the surprising role of "mundane connectedness" in shaping history more than our biggest ideas, ambitions and plans? Does it feel empowering to experience this?

Dan talks about Bridges For Communities - a charity he runs which helps welcome refugees, made possible by some of the experience he has built up while travelling and learning. For more info, see bridgesforcommunities.com

It will help to have the passage in front of you - here's a link to find it online: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Colossians+1%3A15-23a&version=NIV

You can also find more Easter resources from us at severnvineyard.org/easter

Rebecca Kishtainy and Owen Lynch share with Bern Leckie about how and why they have been fasting, what they have gained from the experience, and how they might encourage others to try it.

Please note that fasting may not be for everyone - if you have medical conditions affected by your diet, please check with your doctor.

What can we expect from a prolonged period without food? How can the discomfort of this change the way we see and relate to ourselves, other people and God? We look at this and share practical advice to help approach the experience of fasting in the healthiest possible way.

Fasting is not suitable for everyone. We suggest that children and adolescents, anyone with stress related to body image or with a medical need to ensure a constant diet should not fast in the ways discussed here. Always check with your GP if you are in any doubt.

More info and resources at severnvineyard.org/lent

If you would like prayer, email prayer@severnvineyard.org

But how does this work, and how can it mean anything for God to forgive us when we've wronged other people? Is God simply judging everything we do, or is he much more involved with the flow of goodness and love in our lives than we realised?

As Jesus announces that it’s time for a significant turning point in our stories, what do we think he means? Could his story even shape our stories and expectations for the better?

The reconstructed image of a typical Galilean man mentioned in the talk can be found here: https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/461A/production/_87264971_jesus_bbc.jpg

Read more about how it was made here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-35120965

At the start of this gospel, Jesus' arrival seems to remind people of the beginning of the world and life itself. The relationship between Jesus, Father and Spirit could suggest that God isn't just loving, but is love itself. Could getting to know Jesus and seeing love in action connect us with the source of love? 

In this talk, Owen Lynch suggests five questions to help process some important aspects of our spiritual and emotional health: are we growing weary of any spiritual habits or rhythms, are we becoming judgmental, are we becoming more or less approachable, are we measuring spiritual life in superficial ways, and are we authentic with other people?

Reflecting on these questions can help us find where we might want to do things differently in 2022, and there are some practical suggestions to help build healthy habits.

In this episode, our panel discusses the different versions of themselves, when they show up and hide away, and how this connects with ethics at work and careful consideration of others, but also our insecurities, fears, imposter syndrome and difficulties in bringing our whole selves together in one place.

What can we do to live more healthily? We discuss building self awareness, acknowledging past problems, growing relationships and taking leaps of faith to serve and encourage others rather than getting lost in our own issues.

This is the last in our first series of podcasts, but we'll be back in a few months to cover another set of topics relating to our spiritual and emotional health.

If you're interested in more resources, including a course designed as a journey to explore the links between spiritual and emotional health in depth, look for "Emotionally Focused" on our website.

We'd love to hear what you think - email hello@severnvineyard.org

Could this be creating emotional tension which undermines our relationships and even threatens our health? What can we do to bring our different selves together and live more emotionally healthy, integrated lives?

Next week, we'll have our panel back to discuss experiences of this and what we've found helpful to do about it. If you have any questions or anything you’d like to share, email hello@severnvineyard.org

In this series, we look at things that Jesus did and encouraged people to do and we ask: can these things help us to live more like Jesus, and is there life in it for us if they become habits?

Here, Mal Calladine is talking about thanksgiving. Why would this make a difference to our lives? What sort of thanksgiving becomes a life-giving habit, and how have we found this can work in practice? 

Find more at https://www.severnvineyard.org/life-giving-habits

In this episode, our panel discusses times we have felt weak and out of control, and how we have grown our abilities to be more aware of our vulnerabilities and emotional triggers. Part of this has been through structured time spent with trusted friends giving each other permission to ask some probing questions.

We also consider the role of failure in life - have we learned more from it than through success? Could it be something we need to learn to celebrate and share more?

We'd love to hear what you think - email hello@severnvineyard.org

We'll discuss this with a panel of people next week. If there's anything you would like to share or ask us, email hello@severnvineyard.org

We look at a Psalm where David asks "Why?" a lot, and realise what an awkward, painful, incisive and revealing question this can be.

We also talk about the depths of what we can discover, and ultimately grow and delight in, when we can process our pain in relationships with friends and - as we do in our faith - with God.

We hope you'll find some encouragement here. If you would like to get in touch with any thoughts or anything you'd like to share, email hello@severnvineyard.org.

Can we imagine God pursuing us, becoming us and modelling life to us? What difference would it make if we chose to follow this Jesus, a real, physical human in union with God, instead of just our idea of a perfect leader?

Our panel will return to discuss this and our experiences next week. If you would like to share anything with us, email hello@severnvineyard.org.

In this episode, our panel shares experiences with this and how we have found good reasons and ways to accept our limits, say "no" to some things and say "yes" with more purpose where we can make a difference. We also discuss how this relates to life following Jesus, what people expected from him, and how he surprised everyone with his purpose to engage people like us in the work of changing the world.

If there is anything you would like to share or ask us, you can email hello@severnvineyard.org

We'll chat about this with our panel next week. If you have any questions or anything you'd like to share, you can email us - hello@severnvineyard.org

Find followup questions with a discussion and prayer guide here: https://www.severnvineyard.org/sunday-talks-bloglist/2021/11/7/why-does-god-feel-distant-by-claire-lynch-7-november-2021

There is a very big realisation lurking in here about the way we end up conflicted and stressed about all of this. It's to do with our expectations of perfection, initially in our parents, and then in ourselves. What can happen when we spot that and call it out for the impossibility that it is?

We'll look at this more next week when Owen brings more about how we see ourselves and our limitations. If you would like to share any thoughts or questions, email us - hello@severnvineyard.org

The Bible mentions “dominion” over the earth, but what does this mean? Does God encourage us to act like we own the planet and consume what we like, or are we given greater responsibility? And is taking this seriously part of what it means to worship God?

To join our COP26 prayer group, text COP26 to 07828 934275.

Next week, we'll gather our panel to discuss what this all means and how it feels to us. If you have questions or anything you'd like to share, email us at hello@severnvineyard.org

Join our panel discussing how we've struggled with inner conflicts and sharing honestly, what it means to start stripping off our protective scales, and how long we think it might take to become emotionally healthy.

Next week, Owen will be talking about family and how we can be shaped by our earliest experiences. If you'd like to share any thoughts or questions, email us - hello@severnvineyard.org

Next episode, we'll have a panel to discuss what they've found good or difficult about this. If you have questions or anything you’d like to share, email us at hello@severnvineyard.org

Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch discuss experiences of this, including how they have been building friendships in a church context with small groups of people who want to help each other grow.

This podcast is the start of a journey exploring more about spiritual and emotional health, why these need to link together (and what happens when they don't), and what we are learning from life and relationships.

If you would like to ask questions or share your experiences, email hello@severnvineyard.org

This is part of a series in which we are questioning our assumptions about God and faith and wondering how God might want to change our viewpoints.