Talk: Who do you say I am? - Joanna Ashby

From the series ‘A community of hope’ on the book Acts of the Apostles.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? 

How do you describe yourself? Is it mainly about what you do, or other things about who you are, and what you are becoming? This talk looks at Moses, a key character in Biblical history, and shows how his identity had many sources. This included how he was born, how others saw him, what people had seen him do, and what he took on from what people said about him. But God had a different view, and became the source of Moses’ identity. How can we live out our identity with God?

What would it be like to see Jesus enter Jerusalem in his unusual triumph parade, days before he died? Jason Whiley looks at what happened, and what this would have looked like from the different angles of people in the story. If you can imagine yourself there with them, how might God grab your attention? What could he show you about his love, encouragement and purpose for you?

What makes a great leader? Dan Green looks at the differences between what people often expect and what Jesus showed through his service and self-sacrifice. Why was it controversial to put a life-size, captive Jesus (Mark Wallinger’s “Ecce Homo”) onto a giant plinth in Trafalgar Square, and would we find this comforting, inspiring or disturbing to see? Could it help to remind ourselves of how people were so surprised to see Jesus lead the way he did, and even more surprised to see the power of his kingdom?Creative Commons image by Dave Pearce, flickr.com

What difference can it make to be told who we are? Joanna Ashby looks at a conversation between Jesus and one of his followers, Simon, who knew the identity and historic role of Jesus as the Messiah or Christ. Jesus gave Simon a new name, Peter, which gave him the identity of a rock that Jesus could build his church on. What has God said to us about who we are and what he can do with us? How can we put that into practice?

How much can God’s love change the world? Owen Lynch looks at Jesus’ first followers who were discovering that they were not just encouraged and empowered to have better loving relationships, but they were also equipped to challenge the systems of violence in human civilisation. 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

From the series ‘What is God like?’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

What do we mean by love, and how do we get better at loving? Kyle Henderson-Begg looks at different kinds of love and what we expect from them, and the kind of self-giving love most talked and written about by Jesus and Paul in the New Testament. This turns out to be something which God grows in us - but how?

How do we grow in God’s love, and what does it mean to remain? David Jennings looks at Jesus’ teaching that his followers are branches in him, a vine, made for fruitfulness under God’s gardening care. This fruit isn’t work we do, it’s the character of love, joy and peace that grows as we accept Jesus’ love and become defined by him and his character. Is it challenging to allow this to happen, sometimes needing to give up what we’d been aiming for ourselves? If so, can we find assurance in Jesus’ promise that, by remaining in him, we will be incredibly fruitful?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.

What does God's coming kingdom look like in you? Owen Lynch looks at how Jesus compared this to a little bit of yeast that transforms a whole batch of dough - but what does that actually mean for us? Could the apparent weakness of self-sacrifice and small expressions of love, joy, peace, patience and kindness really be all that significant, especially when we love big, spectacular experiences? We might imagine the church's first leaders to have been amazing speakers, full of charisma, but this wasn't how Paul described himself. What else was God doing then that he might be doing with us now?