Weekly Talks

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Mark 10: 46-52Mark 10: 46-52 (NIV)Jesus asked blind Bartimaeus the question: What Do You Want Me to Do For You? It's a question that Jesus continues to ask us, even though he's already done immeasurably more for us than we could ever hope for or imagine.

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Mark 8: 34-38Mark 8: 34-38 (NIV)Jesus' invitation to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow him is daunting and demanding, but it's also the most wonderful invitation we will ever receive.  We must be prepared to give everything in order to gain everything.

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Mark 16: 1-8Mark 16: 1-8 (NIV)Today we celebrated the most hopeful, exciting, and impactful event in all of human history - the resurrection of Jesus! In recent weeks we've been looking at some of the questions that Jesus asked. Today we're focused on a question that was asked by a group of women as they approached the tomb where Jesus' dead body was laid.

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Isaiah 53: 1-7, Mark 15: 1-20, Mark 15: 25-46Isaiah 53: 1-7 Mark 15: 1-20 Mark 15: 25-46 (NIV)When Jesus cried out on the cross, 'Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?' (My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?') - it sounded like a desperate cry for help, and it was - but it was also the first line of Psalm 22, which prophesied Jesus' crucifixion in detail.  A psalm that begins with despair, but ends with tremendous hope.

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Mark 14:1-50Mark 14:1-50 (NIV)In Mark 14, we see human opposition to God manifested in a number of ways: those who wish God dead; rejection of God in favour of materialism; and simply failing to fulfill the tasks that God gives us.

by Rev Charlie Lacey | Mark 12: 13-17Mark 12: 13-17 (NIV)When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the crowds welcomed him as their King, with shouts of joy and great excitement.  But the mood soon began to change. The chief priests and teachers of the law were determined to arrest Jesus, so they sent the Pharisees with a question that they believed would trap him. Jesus gave what was perhaps the cleverest of all his answers, but first he asked the Pharisees a question of his own.

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Mark 7: 14-23Mark 7: 14-23 (NIV)Jesus loved the disciples, but he didn't mollycoddle them, and sometimes he could be extremely direct, especially when they were being slow to understand.  Today we see the disciples struggling with the concept that we're not made right with God by doing outward religious stuff.

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Mark 3: 20-30Mark 3: 20-30 (NIV)Continuing with our 'Questions Jesus Asked' series, today we looked at a question Jesus asked the religious leaders when they accused him of being demonic.

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Mark 1: 16-20Mark 1: 16-20 (NIV)We began a new series today in Mark's Gospel called, 'Questions Jesus Asked.'  Today we looked at a command that was, in a sense, also a question - "Come, follow me."  In this episode, we explore what it means to hear those words as a personal invitation.  

By Rev Charlie Lacey | 2 Timothy 3: 14-172 Timothy 3: 14-17 (NIV)Reading God's Word is unlike reading anything else, because through it God speaks to us, giving us everything we need to know for salvation. It's not about collecting more information; it's about coming to know a person. From beginning to end, the whole Bible points us to Jesus.

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Matthew 9:14-17Matthew 9:14-17 (NIV)Today we looked at something that you might be surprised to find on a list of spiritual disciplines, namely, Celebration.  It's a good reminder that none of the spiritual disciplines ought to feel like chores, rather they're something that we joyfully look forward to as we draw ever closer to Jesus.

By Rev Charlie Lacey Psalm 51: 1-17Psalm 51: 1-17 (NIV)We see so much evil in the world around us, and even in our own hearts, but what can be done to counter it?  We must turn away from sin and towards Jesus, and encourage society to do the same.

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Matthew 4:1-4, Matthew 6:16-18, Acts13:2=3Matthew 4:1-4, Matthew 6:16-18, Acts13:2=3 (NIV)Of all the spiritual disciplines, fasting is probably the one we struggle with the most. Fasting has fallen out of mode with Christians in the West, but are we in danger of losing something important for our spiritual growth?  When do we fast?  Why do we fast?  Do we have to fast? These are some of the important questions explored in this sermon.

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Matthew 22: 34-40Matthew 22: 34-40 (NIV)Jesus teaches that the most important thing we can do in life is to love God with all that we are. That single commitment shapes so much of our lives now and everything about the life to come. And without that love and devotion to God, the spiritual disciplines we're exploring in this series lose their purpose entirely.

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Matthew 6: 5-15Matthew 6: 5-15 (NIV)We started a new series today all about Spiritual Disciplines to help get us in the right mindset for the season of Lent.  We started by looking at prayer, without which we do not have a relationship with God.

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Revelation 21: 1-7Revelations 21:1-7 (NIV)So far in our 'Glory' series, we've seen that God's glory is best seen through His character – and God's character is best seen in the person of Jesus.  But we've also seen that God wants us to reflect his glory, in preparation for the day when Jesus returns and God's people are perfected and fully glorified.

By Rev Carlie Lacey | Psalm 8Psalm 8 (NIV)We can't fail to notice that there's a huge gulf between the best and worst of human behaviour.  And, if we're honest, we'd have to admit that there's a huge gulf between the best and worst of our own behaviour.  In many ways human beings can be glorious – but often we're quite the opposite – we can be extremely inglorious.  Today we found out why.

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Matthew 17: 1-13Matthew 17:1-13 (NIV)We've come to week two of our first series of the year, which is called ‘Glory'.  Last week we saw that God's glory is best expressed through his character – and this week we're going to see that God's character has been perfectly expressed in and through the person of Jesus.

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Exodus 33: 12-23Exodus 33: 12-23 (NIV)Today was The Epiphany of Our Lord.  Epiphany means ‘appearance,' and God has made himself known to us, not only through creation – but by making an appearance and revealing himself to us personally.  We're started a new series today called ‘Glory,' and over the next 4 weeks we're going to explore all the ways that God's glory is manifested on earth. 

by Rev Charlie Lacey | Psalm 90Psalm 90 (NIV)On the last Sunday of the year, as we headed into 2026, we thought about ‘time'.  What is it? Why does it exist? How do we use it? How should we use it?  And what are we going to do with the 8760 hours that will make up 2026?

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Matthew 1:18-25Matthew 1:18-25 (NIV)The birth of Jesus is the defining event of human history - God became man and entered into his creation.  To discover why this happened, we don't need to look beyond the two names that appear in today's reading: Jesus and Immanuel.

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Luke 2: 22-40Luke 2: 22-40 (NIV)As part of our ‘Songs of Advent' series we looked at Simeon's song, sometimes called the Nunc Dimittis (‘now dismiss').  It's a song that reminds us that the whole of history has been moving ever closer to God's final act of salvation.

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Isaiah 9: 2-7a & Luke 2: 1-21  Isaiah 9: 2-7a & Luke 2: 1-21  (NIV) Humanity longs for peace, whilst simultaneously making it an impossibility.  There is only one who can bring true and lasting peace to the world and to our individual lives, and his name is Jesus.

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Luke 1: 57-80Luke 1: 57-80 (NIV)God had been silent for 400 years, and then, all of a sudden, Jesus' birth narrative begins - and various people are filled with the H/S, burst into song, and prophesy.  Today we focussed on Zechariah (the father of John the Baptiser), who reminds us that Jesus saves us from something, but he also saves us for something.

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Luke 1: 39-56Luke 1: 39-56 (NIV)On this first Sunday of Advent we began a new series called, ‘Songs of Advent'.  Luke includes four songs in the first two chapters of his Gospel. Mary, Zechariah, the angels, and Simeon, all break into song.  And over the next four weeks we'll see that their song is also our song – as we celebrate what God has done, is doing, and will do to redeem and restore this broken world.

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Genesis 6: 1-8Genesis 6: 1-8 (NIV)We've come to the second of our two-part mini-series called ‘Perplexing Passages'; and today we were looking at the time in Genesis when humanity had become so evil that the Lord decided to destroy everything with a flood.  At this point, we're told about some mysterious people, called the Nephilim - and it's not at all clear who or what they are.

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Number 22: 21-35Numbers 22: 21-35 (NIV)The book of Numbers does not begin with the words, “Once Upon a Time.”  In fact, the genre of Numbers is historical narrative and law.  So, what is a talking donkey doing in this book? Today, we explored this question as part of our 'Perplexing Passages' mini-series.

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Philippians 4: 10-23Philippians 4: 10-23 (NIV)Over the past seven weeks, we've explored Paul's letter to the Philippians.  A letter that's full of joy, even though Paul wrote it from prison.  Paul's relationship with the Philippians is one of mutual love, affection, concern and support.  It is a partnership in the strongest sense of the word and there's a lot we can learn from it.

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Philippians 4: 4-9Philippians 4: 4-9 (NIV)A lot of Christians don't seem to realise that following Jesus is completely radical.  The life he calls us to is very different from what our culture teaches or expects of us.  And if we're going to live in a way that goes against the grain of the world – we must first win the battle of the mind.  Right thinking will inevitably lead to right living.

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Philippians 3:10 – 4:3Philippians 3:10 – 4:3 (NIV)Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians from prison, yet it was full of joy and hope. How is that possible? Well, because he was ‘living up' to what he had already attained in Christ. Resurrection life is an absolute certainty – but we don't always live as if it is. We need to aspire now to the kind of life that we will have with Jesus forever.

by Archbishop Jeremy Greaves | Philippians 3:1-14Philippians 3:1-14 (NIV)In today's passage, Paul makes it clear that our confidence should not be in ourselves.  Instead, we put our confidence in Jesus.  He wants to change and transform our lives, and ultimately, he's made a way for us to experience resurrection life, with him forever.  Archbipisop Jemery Graves

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Philippians 2: 12-30Philippians 2: 12-30 (NIV)Today's passage began with Paul telling the Philippians to ‘work out their salvation with fear and trembling'. He then gives two examples of men who were doing just that, Timothy and Epaphroditus. Two amazing servant-hearted men, who gave their all to spreading the good news of Jesus.

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Philippians 2:1-11Philippians 2:1-11Jesus was the most joyful person who ever lived, and if we want to experience true joy, we must have the same mindset as Jesus.  The world tells us that we find happiness and fulfilment when we focus on ourselves.  The Bible says something very different.  The Bible says that joy is found in humility and selflessness.

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Philippians 1: 12-30Philippians 1: 12-30 (NIV)It's not so much that Jesus is our ultimate priority – it's that Jesus is our whole life – and all our priorities should emanate from a life led in obedience to Him.

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Philippians 1: 1-11Philippians 1: 1-11 (NIV)Even though Paul was in prison when he wrote his letter to the Philippians, he expressed tremendous joy. One of the sources for his joy was the love and affection that the Lord poured into his heart for his brothers and sisters in Christ.

by Rev Charlie Lacey | James 5: 1-11James 5: 1-11 (NIV)We live in a world where wealth is seen as the primary measure of success.  Very often, when we have more, we feel like we are more.  And when we have less, we feel like we are less.  Today we challenged that assumption.

By Penny Howchin| Colossians 1: 15-20Colossians 1: 15-20 (NIV)Our creativity is a gift from God, the ultimate creator.  One of the ways we reflect God's image is by being creative.  Being creative in our unique ways honours God and who he made us to be.

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Genesis 1: 27-28, Genesis 2: 20-25Genesis 1: 27-28, Genesis 2: 20-25 (NIV)What does it mean to be male and female – why is it important – and how much does our gender have to do with our identity anyway?

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Matthew 12: 46-50Matthew 12: 46-50 (NIV)Today, as part of our 'Who Am I?' series, we looked at the family.  There's no doubt that all of us have been shaped by our family environment, but what part does that play in our actual identity as we stand before God?

By Rev Trevor Adams | 2 Corinthians 5: 1-102 Corinthians 5: 1-10 (NIV)In the Bible Paul says our current body is like a tent! It has a ‘use by' date. So what then is the other existence that Paul alludes to as “In the mean time,”  ‘The Holy Spirit is given to us as our guarantee of that future life?' 

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Philippians 3: 1-14Philippians 3: 1-14 (NIV)There will be things that we're trying to achieve today – and there will be things that we're trying to achieve in life more generally.  But how much do our achievements contribute to our identity - and are we trying to achieve the things that God wants us to achieve?

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Luke 10: 38-42Luke 10: 38-42 (NIV)Each of us is wonderfully unique, and our personalities are a gift from God.  We don't need to change our personalities, but we must invite the Holy Spirit to shape them.

By Rev Mike Uptin | 2 Corinthians 5: 16-212 Corinthians 5: 16-21 (NIV)We began a new series today called, ‘Who Am I?'  The question of our identity has never been more important – and, in our culture, it's never been more confused.  Over the next eight weeks we're seeking to get a biblical understanding of our identity, and particularly our identity as Christians.

by Rev Charlie Lacey | Mark 14: 32-42Mark 14: 32-42 (NIV)When Jesus walked the earth, he was faithful to God the Father.  He's also been faithful to unfaithful humanity - and he remains faithful to us, in spite of our flaws and failings.

by Rev Charlie Lacey | Mark 6: 30-44Mark 6: 30-44 (NIV)The virtue of kindness is almost so obvious a requirement for Christians that some might think that it doesn't warrant talking about.  However, when we remember that the standard is Jesus, we begin to realise that we still fall a long way short.

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Luke 4:1-13Luke 4:1-13 (NIV)We started a new mini-series today called the ‘Fruit of the Spirit'. When we give our lives to Jesus and receive the Holy Spirit, certain characteristics begin to develop in our lives. Over a three week period we'll be looking at three aspects of the fruit of the Holy Spirit, starting today with self-control.

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Genesis 18: 20 – 19: 17Genesis 18: 20 – 19: 17 (NIV)We worship a just God—who does not overlook evil. Today, we confronted one of Scripture's most harrowing episodes: the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Yet even in judgment, God's mercy breaks through, as seen in his rescue of Lot and his family.    This passage ultimately points us to Jesus—the Righteous One who was crucified in the place of the wicked. Justice met with mercy on the cross.

by Rev Charlie Lacey | Genesis 17: 1-27Genesis 17: 1-27 (NIV)In previous weeks we saw that God promised to give Abraham countless descendants and ratified it with a covenant.  Today we focussed on the final stage of the covenant making process.  2000 years later, Jesus fulfilled God's covenant with Abraham and brought in a new covenant.  The sign of the Old Covenant was circumcision – and the sign of the New Covenant is baptism.

by Rev Charlie Lacey | Genesis 16: 1-13Genesis 16: 1-13 (NIV)God promised Abram and Sarai a son, but when nothing seemed to be happening they grew impatient and deviated from God's plan (again) – and created all kinds of problems (again).  But God remained faithful, not just to Abram and Sarai, but also to the slave girl, who got mixed up in their mess.

By Rev Charlie Lacey | Ephesians 1: 15-23Ephesians 1: 15-23 Today we celebrated the Day of Pentecost – when God poured out his Holy Spirit on all believers.  As Christians, it's not enough to understand who the Holy Spirit is and what he does – we also need to allow ourselves to be guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit in our everyday lives.

by Bp John Roundhill | Genesis 15: 1-21Genesis 15: 1-21 (NIV)Yahweh made a covenant with Abraham, that his descendants would be more numerous than the stars. The Lord was true to his word, and Israel became a great nation. Today we live under a new covenant, whereby all who accept Jesus are included in God's family.