Series 7 of Bishop Steven Croft’s popular podcast looks at the first letter of Peter, with Bishop Steven and friends reflecting on its lessons for us as we look to becoming a deeper church again.
We are undoubtedly living through one of the greatest crises of our lives. Series 4, Reflections for a Church in Lockdown, and series 5, Comfortable Words, aim to resource the Church during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Series 6, Come and Eat, encourages us to put ourselves in the way of God’s grace as we regather.
Series 1 – 3 of My (extraordinary) Family see Bishop Steven talking with someone he’s come to know in his travels about their faith, their work and their story. What does it mean to them to become more Christ-like: contemplative, compassionate and courageous for the sake of God’s world?
When all around us is in chaos, coming back to the Father can help us recover a sense of identity and purpose. But what’s the next step on our journey?
The four gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – unfold the powerful truth of Jesus. But they weren’t written to simply tell us about him – they invite each of us to take the next step and follow Jesus for ourselves.
As far as we know, we are the only part of the whole universe able to consider the cosmos and its meaning. But who gave us that desire – the need to know and understand what we are created for?
From the very first line of the creed, we place our faith in God, the creator of heaven and earth. But God is more than just our maker – from all across the universe, his great love is calling us home. Come and see it for yourself.
Over the course of the pandemic, many people have been asking questions about faith. In fact, one in five people in our online congregation were not regular worshippers before COVID.
So now we want to invite everyone who is searching for truth and meaning to go deeper. As a Church, and across the Diocese, we are sending out a big, warm, open invitation to everyone, whether or not you know anything about the Christian faith: Come and See.
So we come to the final chapter, Isaiah 55. This chapter is about comings and goings, and they set a profound rhythm for the life of God’s people which flows through the worship of the Church.
The first verses of Isaiah 55 offer the most gracious and powerful invitation for thirsty, weary souls: Come. But our prophet turns this into a fuller and deeper invitation still.
Music in this episode is taken from this recording available on YouTube. Photo: Steven Buckley
Three times now, the unknown prophet has sung to us of the servant of God. The fourth song is a reflection on the suffering of the nation and the way God will raise up his people again, no matter how difficult the circumstances or how far we have fallen.
How are we to hear these words afresh today as we walk through the pandemic, as we re-assess our lives and the life of the church and the life of the nation?
Music at the start of this episode is taken from this recording available on YouTube. ‘Take Me To The Alley’ by Gregory Porter is also available to listen to in full on YouTube. Photo: Shutterstock
The Queen has approved the appointment of Gavin Collins as the next Bishop of Dorchester. In this special edition of My (extraordinary) family Bishop Steven talks with Gavin about his Christian formation, his ministry since ordination and his hopes for the role he is about to take on. Gavin will be consecrated on 28 January, you can find further details on the Diocese of Oxford website.
This episode is also available as a film on the Diocese of Oxford YouTube channel.
We often think of comfort as something soft and soothing, like a big hug. But to comfort someone is not simply to wrap them up in cotton wool and tenderness. Comfortable words are words which restore our strength, our core, our backbone.
The next three months or so may well be the hardest of the COVID journey – how can we find the resources to give strength to our communities when we are already tired and worn down?
Music at the start of this episode is from the Fellowship Worship Collective, here on YouTube. Image courtesy of Shutterstock
The prophet sings of love and forgiveness, of new hope and strength in God, to rekindle courage in the hearts of God’s people. The prophet sings of a new kind of leadership, based on humility and gentleness. The prophet sings to tell us not to be afraid even in the face of death. These are comfortable words the whole world needs to hear afresh in this season.
The Comfortable Words I want to explore today unfold a mystery which is at the centre of the universe: that Almighty God, maker of heaven and earth, calls women and men into a relationship of love and entrusts us with a purpose for our lives and a mission to God’s world.
Opening music: John Denver – Sweet Surrender, taken from YouTube.
The Summons (Will you come and follow me), by John Bell, taken from YouTube.
Photo, Shutterstock
One of the oldest books on my shelf is John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress, the famous allegory of the Christian life published over 300 years ago. The famous hymn Who Would True Valour See is taken directly from his text. I first read Bunyan as a young Christian and have returned to Pilgrim’s Progress many times. At the very end of Christian’s journey, after many twists and turns and trials, he arrives at last at a great river, symbolising death. There is no bridge over this river and no way around it…
Music: a brief extract from ‘Who would true valour see’ by Maddy Prior and the Carnival Band. Available here on YouTube.
Episode image: (c) Steven Buckley | Diocese of Oxford.
Brother, sister, let me serve you
Let me be as Christ to you
Pray that I may have the gift to let you be my servant too.
The servant song by Richard Gillard is one of the most popular contemporary worship songs, sung by churches of many different traditions. It’s often chosen for services of ordination and licensing new ministers. The song captures something vital about the way of discipleship. As Christians we are called to a life of service together, to love and support one another in all the joys and sorrows of our lives. But where does that idea come from?
Image: Shutterstock