Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about the Old Testament prophets Hosea and Joel, and Psalms 52 to 65.

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.

Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about wisdom in the Old Testament including Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs and Proverbs chapters 19 to 26.

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.

Bern Leckie and Owen Lynch share thoughts and feelings about the end of Matthew’s gospel, chapters 21 to 28, as well as Paul’s letters to the Galatians and Ephesians.

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.