20th September 2015                                                                                                                                                                                              Geoff revisits last week’s text of 1 John 1:7-17 with a talk entitled “ overcoming evil “ drawn from the reasons John wrote the letter. The talk looks at how, given the pressures and realities of urban life, we might learn to live more tangled rather than tweeted lives. Where, as communities of believers, we can strengthen and encourage fellowship with one another so we not only do not let evil defeat us but instead conquer evil with good. GTH

Notes will usually be available on the downloads section of the  website  

13th September 2015                                                                         

1 John 1: 7 - 17. This week Jane says that John in his letters puts great emphasis on “living in the light” with one another in the church community and also on “living in the world”. We may experience tensions even with our own family over differences in values and aspirations. We ask how we as Christians should view the world. We see that John even challenged erroneous views of the world that were expressed from within the church itself. Judeo-Christian world views have not seen matter as evil but the doctrines of Docetism saw matter as evil and therefore distorted the understanding of Jesus as fully human and also the Holy One of God. John challenges followers of God through Jesus “not to love the world” (v15). But what is meant by the term “world” in this context. How do we stand in opposition to the world while loving the world?

Notes will usually be available on the downloads section of the  website

 

6th September 2015                                                                                                                            

  1 John 1: 1 – 10. Loving the world: loving one another so that the world knows. Jane builds on the 4 earlier talks on why Jesus added a new commandment. If this command is kept then it not only builds a genuine community of mutual care but also demonstrates to the world what following Jesus means. As such it is a community of challenge to the members and the world. The community is based on a shared desire to do the “will of God” and this must be the means of reconciling differences. JTH

Notes will usually be available on the downloads section of the website 

30th August 2015                                                                                                                     

Galatians 6: 1 – 10. Jane continued on the importance of the new commandment as a demonstration to the world of a community following Jesus’ example by mutual love. After a quick recap we focussed on the metaphor of “bearing burdens” – and lightening the load for one another when we began to stray from the path of following Jesus. Mutuality and love “for one another” is a clear New Testament teaching. Jesus moves beyond the narrow care of our own family and tribe to care for all but especially those who do the will of God: these are our brothers and sisters, mothers, grandfathers – our family of faith (Galatians 6: 1 and 10. Again the world will see this as the hallmark of Jesus’ followers. JTH

Notes will usually be available on the downloads section of the  website 

23rd August 2015                                                                                                             

John 13: 14 and also 34, 35. We continue to ask why Jesus gave a new commandment when the Jews were already rich in commandments and overloaded by their religious leaders. We looked at the practice and metaphor of foot washing and discussed what this means in practical love terms. We discussed loving others and letting ourselves be loved and served by brothers and sisters who also follow Jesus. Jane contrasted this with the world’s way of living. JTH

Notes will usually be available on the downloads section of the  website 

16th August 2015

Jane asked why Jesus added a new commandment to the already very extensive Law. John 13: 34 and 35 and also Matthew 22: 34 -40. We considered Jesus’ setting up of a new model society so that the world can see how followers of Jesus live in a mutually loving community. What is the hallmark of authentic followers of Jesus?
Notes will usually be available on the downloads section of the website