St Matthias, Brighton - Sunday Talks: Recent Episodes
St Matthias Church, Brighton
Welcome to St Matthias. Brighton. We’re an Anglican church, partnered with St Peter’s Brighton. Our mission is to be a family which brings Jesus’ love to our community. Come and listen to our talks and content from our Sunday gatherings here every week.
Normally, we meet on Sundays at 9AM, 11AM and 5PM and throughout the week for lots of other events like the Alpha Course, Dadventure, Prayer and supporting the Homeless in Brighton. You can find us online at https://www.stmatthiasbrighton.org/ and on Instagram (@StMatthiasBTN) and on Facebook ("St Matthias Church, Fiveways, Brighton").
Tom continues our justice series by exploring how we can focus our work towards two areas: ‘environmental justice’ and ‘inclusion and accessibility’.
The Bible passage is Ephesians 2:12-16
In this opening talk of our new Justice series, Clark explores the biblical foundations of justice: why it matters, where it comes from, and how it connects to God’s character and mission in the world. And what does the gospel of Jesus have to do with justice? Join us as we begin this journey into the heart of God’s justice - learning to see, to lament, and to live as apprentices of Jesus who embody God’s abundant peace in the world.
What does it really mean to be a Christian? Too often, faith gets reduced to a “ticket to heaven” or a self-help sales pitch. In this talk we look back at how the church has wrestled with this question through history, and then turn to Jesus’ own invitation to take up his yoke. We explore what it means to apprentice ourselves to him today by learning to be with Jesus, become like him, and do what he did, and how we at St Matthias are Practising the Way together this term.
Catch up with the second part of our Vision Sundays - as Tom shares how contentment leads to Generosity.
On Vision Sunday Tom explores the transformational power of selfless, sacrificial love, and how to expand your capacity to love.
How can you live in alignment with your highest priorities? The ‘living with intention’ series gives you an opportunity to think through God‘s priorities for this season in your life. This Sunday Tom launches with ‘intentional prayer’.
We all have burdens we have to carry, whether we like it or not, however hard we try to avoid them or avoid them. Burdens are heavy, awkward, difficult to manage - so what does Jesus have to say about the challenging things in your life? Join Tom as he shares from Matthew 16:24-25.
We all face storms in our lives. These might be small or dramatic, situations we face or experiences of conflict or uncertainty. Whether small or more dramatic, storms can blow us off course, or just push us into a place of instability and chaos in all the questions we face. Felicity shares her own experiences, and draws from this example in the disciples' lives of a storm they faced. How can this help us when we hit our own moments of overwhelm and panic in life's stormy seasons?
It can be all too easy for us to think of reasons why God might not want to be in relationship with us, notice us or be with us. When we feel like this it feels like we're a long way from God - but are these boundaries all in our mind? Join Melissa as she reflects on this conversation one woman had with Jesus - and what it has to tell us about how Jesus desires to meet with all of us - no matter what we think our barriers are.
We all love hospitality, a great meal or evening with friends. But can our desire to create the perfect space sometimes become a problem when it distracts from spending time with our guests? How does this apply to our relationship with God? Might we risk becoming so preoccupied with doing for Jesus that I was forgetting about being with Jesus? Join Flo as she explores our cultural pull towards perfection, the challenge of comparison and how to avoid the nowhere space in our desire to get everything just right.
Join us in the first of our summer series where some fresh voices reflect on conversations people had with Jesus in the gospels. Today, Simon considers the story of Blind Bartimaus calling out to Jesus - and what happened next.
In this closing talk from our Origins series, we hold together the wonder of Genesis 1’s “very good” creation and the harsh realities of our fractured world—war, hunger, injustice, climate crisis. We explore how Jesus’ life, death and resurrection inaugurate God’s healing work, and how the Spirit calls us to join in renewing relationships and reforming systems. Drawing on Scripture and real-life stories, we discover what it means to live as signs of God’s Abundant Peace today, one small act of love, justice and hope at a time.
As human beings we are designed to need connection. Join Kate as she explores what Genesis teaches us about our being designed to need connection with one another, why in a world that emphasises sexual connection and intimacy we're missing the potential of emotional intimacy in friendship, and why AI will never replace other people in your life. And whilst people are great, Kate reminds us our ultimate connection and the place we experience the love and security that is the anchor for our soul is through an amazing invitation into friendship with God.
Join Kate and her panel of four local people as they explore the juggles of everyday life and talk avoiding overwhelm, domestic load, balance, boundaries and more!
Join Kate as she opens our Livewell conversation about the busyness of life. Is it possible, in a season where 75% of us sometimes feel totally overwhelmed, to not just survive but even thrive in the midst of so much we're trying to keep on top of? How do you avoid being pushed into overwhelm, and what does this have to do with the way our emotions are designed to function?
Humans were created in the image of God who created them and blessed them. How does this account, from the origin stories of Genesis, help us make sense of a world where identity has become so complex and difference and diversity so often leads to division and distress? Join Kate as she thinks about identity in a world where we pressure to fit in can leave us feeling like we have to fake it or hide the person we really are.
We were designed to live in a beautiful created world. And we were asked to tend and care for it. How is the goodness of creation a gift in a chaotic world, and what is the role of creation and nature in wellbeing? And how does creation connect us to God the creator? Join Sam as he unpacks the wonders of the world around us.
This Sunday we celebrated with our candidates as they were baptised! But what can we learn from Jesus' baptism about the character of God, and the way he responds to us? Join Tom as he explores the gentle ways of God.
Genesis 2:1-2 talks about an ancient rhythm modelled by God in creation of work and rest. What does this teach us about our need to feel productive? How does productive work differ from the toil described as a result of the fall? And why does this reality of work in a fractured world make understanding our need for rest so important? Join Kate as she unpacks what Genesis teaches us about work & rest, and what Jesus' own rhythms teach us about how to live in our modern world - whatever season your life is in.
This Sunday we celebrated Pentecost at St Matthias! But what was Pentecost all about - what did it mean for the disciples back in that upper room all those years ago? And what does it mean for us today? Join Tom as he talks about the pouring out of the Holy Spirit.
Our new series takes us back to our very origins, exploring the earliest stories of Genesis 1-3 to ask: how were we and the world created? As we read these ancient accounts, what do they tell us about what we need to flourish in a fractured world? How does that wisdom sit alongside the discoveries of modern science, and help us understand our faith, our life, our relationship with God - and how should it shape our response to some of the challenges of 21st century life? Today join Kate as she opens the series and reflects on control. How do we differentiate constructive control: part of God's character and something than enables flourishing from another kind of control that dominates and becomes destructive. How does healthy control and reaching out to God help us in moments of chaos and disorder and what is our part to play in bringing more order and calm to a chaotic world?
Sabbath is not only a personal spiritual practice—it is a public act of resistance. Rooted in Israel’s liberation from slavery, Sabbath disrupts the values of consumerism, hurry, and injustice. Join Clark as he explores how keeping Sabbath trains us to say “enough” in a culture that always demands more.
Sabbath is not just about what we stop doing—it’s about what we start noticing and enjoying. This week, Tom explores Sabbath as a time to feast, laugh, sing, connect, and savour God’s goodness in creation and community. Sabbath reawakens our hearts to beauty, joy, and gratitude, drawing us into deeper worship.
In a world that never stops, where more is always better and our worth is often tied to what we produce or consume, the ancient practice of Sabbath offers a radical alternative. In this opening talk of our summer formation focus at St Matthias, Clark Buys invites us to rediscover Sabbath as a weekly rhythm of ceasing — from work, from striving, from buying — and to receive it as a holy gift of rest, renewal, and reformation. Drawing from Scripture, history, and cultural insight, this message invites us to live differently: not from a place of scarcity and pressure, but from trust, presence, and gratitude. What if stopping isn’t laziness, but obedience? What if enough really is enough?
(apologies that the recording misses the very start of Clark's talk)
In this standalone talk, Tom takes time to remember and be inspired by the life of Pope Francis. What can we learn from his wisdom, his example and his teaching?
The final in our series contemplating the cross, guided by Rowan Williams' book 'God With Us'. This week, on Palm Sunday, we join with the crowds who cheered Jesus into Jerusalem as we celebrate his Kingship, his victory over the dominant dark powers of this world. But we also need to recognise that the cross exerts its power in a very different way to the systems of our world. What does this mean for us, in moments we might feel weak, failing, falling far short of the people we might hope to be? What when the world feels hopeless or out of control? What is the call of the cross to us?
We continue our series inspired by Rowan Williams' book "God With Us" thinking about the cross. This week we ask: why? What is it that the cross did that was so world changing? How do we understand the deep significance of this moment and what does it have to do with an ancient system of animal sacrifice that feels so mysterious to us now? Join Kate as she explains why Jesus death was the ultimate sacrifice, liberating us from fear, guilt and the worry of a world so full of darkness and chaos. And as we head into Holy week, what does this mean for us, the reason and focus for our life and passion, as we reflect on Christ's Passion?
In this talk, the first of three inspired by Rowan William's book "God With us," we explore the sign of the cross—not just as a symbol of faith, but as a powerful revelation of human nature and divine love. Why did Jesus die such a violent and public death? What does it say about us that when God came near, we rejected him? And what does it say about God that, knowing all of this, Christ still came?Drawing on insights from René Girard, Francis Spufford, and the Apostle Paul, Clark Buys unpacks how the cross reveals our brokenness, our capacity to scapegoat and blame, and our deep need for grace. But the cross also reveals something greater: the upside-down love of God, how Christ empties himself not to condemn but to save, not to dominate but to serve.This talk is a call to see the cross not only as a mirror into our own human condition, but as a window into the love that holds us still.
This Sunday we had an opportunity to look forward as we focused on our vision for the next six months, and how everyone can play a part in it. Join Tom as he invites us to consider praying, joining a team and giving financially. But what should motivate our giving, and as we focus on the gift of Jesus, His death and resurrection, how are we transformed when we give by how God gives back to us?
Join our panel for real conversations about the challenges of supporting kids and teens. How do we hold the many tensions so we can collaberate with them instead of just ending up in conflict with them? Are adults over-reacting to the concerns and anxieties raised by the media? What's it really like to be a teen navigating not just this complex world, but the reactions and responses of your parents?
Talks from this month's LiveWell community conversation thinking about how we support kids and teens in the online world. With contributions from psychologist Kate Middleton, plus local experts Mandy Marshall-Taylor and Erik Selby the evening looked at the pros and cons of the online world. What's the evidence for how the online world is impacting different generations - especially Gen alpha. Is it really changing their brains - and are all the effects negative? With so much in the media triggering parental anxiety, how do we respond to the risks? be aware Mandy Marshall-Taylor's talk discusses the very real concerns around p*rn so might not be suitable for younger ears
Vision Sunday is an opportunity to tell stories of all that God has done over the last 6 months, and hear some exciting plans for the next 6 months. Hear from Tom as he shares his sense of God's vision for St Matthias - and also two of our youth talking about how coming to know God has changed their lives.
In this talk, we explore how fasting is less about getting God to respond and more about helping us to hear, see, and desire God more clearly. Drawing on personal experience, theology, and Scripture, Clark Buys unpacks how fasting disrupts distraction, breaks through numbness, and reawakens our longing for God’s presence.Through the lens of Joel 2:12, we reflect on how fasting is a way of rending our hearts before God—clearing the fog of busyness, comfort, and consumption so that we can return with renewed hunger. How does fasting sharpen our attention in prayer? How does it expose our deeper dependence on God? And how does it train us to seek what truly satisfies?If you’ve ever felt disconnected from God or distant from your own spiritual hunger, this talk is an invitation to rediscover desire, awaken prayer, and step into fasting as a way of pulling back the fog.
Fasting has been an instinctive human practice across centuries and religious traditions. But in our modern day culture it has become so complex, muddled as it is with other reasons to fast that are far from spiritual. So what is the spiritual purpose of fasting and how does that sit along the cultural motivations we might hear or see modelled around us? Kate explores how Paul inspires us to bring our whole selves holistically in worship through fasting, and contrasts that to three reasons the world might tell us to fast as we all explore and reflect on what God is calling us to this lent as our own act of worship.
In this talk, we explore the ancient practice of fasting and its power to reorder our desires. Drawing from Scripture, theology, and church history, we consider why fasting isn’t just about self-discipline but about training our hearts to hunger for God. We reflect on Paul’s struggle with desire in Romans 7, Jesus’ own practice of fasting, and the wisdom of Christian thinkers like John Mark Comer, Dallas Willard and Tish Harrison Warren.Why is fasting from food so central to spiritual formation? What happens in us when we voluntarily embrace hunger? How does fasting shape us in a way other forms of abstinence don’t? Whether you’re new to fasting or have practiced it for years, this talk unpacks its deeper purpose—not as an obligation, but as an invitation to transformation.Join us as we step into this ancient rhythm, seeking God with our whole selves.
As we head towards lent we're preparing ourselves for a month of focus on the Lord. But why does Jesus sometimes call us to step back and retreat into prayer and his presence? Hear Tom share three purposes for those periods of retreat, stepping back, and ultimately of preparation.
This is the final part of our series considering how to read and understand Scripture. But if we're honest many of us find reading the Bible really challenging. And recent debates, disputes and disagreements have also affected people's confidence as they consider the inspiration and wisdom in these ancient texts. Join Kate as she considers what underlies our fears and frustrations and asks - how then SHOULD we read the Bible?
please note the very beginning of this recording was lost - when Kate started by considering how we often seek and prefer clarity and certainty as we read the Bible. Apologies for the abrupt start!
Join Kate and her panel of local people sharing their personal and professional perspective on the challenges of managing anxiety alongside the demands of everyday 21st century life.
Join Kate as she hosts and introduces our evening thinking about anxiety. What is the point of anxiety? How is it designed to work in the healthy functioning human mind and when and why does it sometimes become so dysfunctional - or even make us ill?
We know the Bible is a significant source of wisdom and direction - but how do we read and apply its teaching wisely? As we see examples of people debating and disagreeing over interpretation, what does it look like for us as ordinary people, not academics or professional theologians, to read and understand the Bible.?This week Helen Garratt, Associate Vicar at St Peters, Brighton, shares her thoughts and takes us through an example of how we might be inspired by scripture.
Join Tom as he explores how we read the bible, and talks through some meditative approaches including Lectio Divina and Ignatian Imaginative Reading.
In the second part of our Formation Focus: Scripture series, we explore how the Bible tells one unified story—a grand narrative that invites us to find our place within it. Discover how understanding the bigger picture of Scripture can transform the way we read, live, and are shaped by its message. Join us as we delve into the “meta-narrative” of the Bible and see how this incredible story becomes the story of our hearts.
In this episode, we explore the transformative power of Scripture and what it means to truly meditate on God’s Word.
Drawing from Psalm 1, we unpack the Hebrew word hāgâ—a rich, active concept often translated as “meditate,” but also meaning “growl” or “chew.” Through this, we discover how Scripture can reshape the stories we live by, challenge our mental maps, and draw us closer to Jesus.
Whether you’re new to the Bible, returning to it, or looking to deepen your practice, this episode reflects on how Scripture forms us, shaping our hearts and lives in profound ways.
On the final Sunday of Advent, Tom Stonehouse reflects on the passionate love of God, the true meaning of the 'Zeal of the Lord God almighty' in that famous passage from Isaiah 9 - and he tells us a story about some shepherds on the way to Bethlehem who made a surprising discovery - but its probably not the story you are expecting ...
This week we're thinking about the joy of Christmas! But looking back to the nativity story, we know Mary wasn't filled with joy when she first found out the part she was going to play in bringing Jesus into the world. Join Abby as she shares how and why Mary's fear turned to joy - and how she broke out in a song of celebration!
*In this clip Abby refers to two videos that were played during the service. The first is a recording of an early practice of 'From Now On' from The Greatest Showman - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-CCxYR80mU
The second is Pentatonix singing Joy to the world - which you can view at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Xo64Q2ucQ8
We understand a lot of life through story, surrounding our most important truths in the beauty of myth and mystery. How might this help us understand the significance of what is probably the most memorable and important story in all of history?
This recording combines the spoken word monologues shared at our service with the talk Kate gave afterwards - so you'll first hear our opening spoken word, followed by dramatic reimaginings of the story of three characters: Mary, Joseph and finally John, the author of the gospel and disciple of the man the baby Jesus became. And finally Kate shares some thoughts as well as some of the theology behind that famous reading so often shared at Christmas services.
This December we're taking time to consider some of the traditional themes for the Advent Sundays, through the lens of some beautiful songs and writing inspired by the promise of the coming of Jesus. On this first Sunday of Advent, Tom thinks about hope, and the song of Zechariah in Luke 1. Zechariah experienced the unexpected birth of hope long after he had given up hoping - and he sang prophetically of a wider hope for all the world. How does this help us today, especially if we're waiting for something - but it feels like in human terms there is little hope in sight?
(please note: there are periods of silence in this recording - do use those as moments to pause and pray before the audio continues)
The conclusion of Ruth’s story shows the impact of grace and kindness when it breaks down barriers and changes the way we think about ourselves and one another, realising how God sees us and reflecting divine love and generosity to one another.
Join Tom as he explores how our understanding of identity and possibility can be stretched by grace in action, bringing change and hope to the world.
Join Kate and her panel members in the conversation originally recorded live as part of our Live Well evening thinking about burnout.
Burnout is an increasingly common issue discussed in our busy buzzing 21st century world. But is it something we just have to accept as part of adult life, or as necessary should we want to be succesful? Is it possible to be fulfilled, to achieve the things we dream of, to carry all life's responsibilities and NOT burn out? Join Kate as she introduces our evening talking about Burnout.
Naomi and Ruth have been through a season of terrible trauma and tough times. Chapters 3 and 4 mark a change however: the moment when they look up and begin to dare to hope again. But how do we seek breakthrough when we have no power and all we can see is our own vulnerability? What do you do if you know something needs to change but you feel like the wrong person to challenge the way things have been happening? In this talk Kate looks at the three protagonists in Ruth 3 for inspiration.
Belonging is such a powerful human driver, influencing both other people’s perceptions of us but also our own concept of identity and who we are. But how can a story break through walls and divisions that limit us and make people vulnerable or unable to flourish? What does it look like to be the first person to step over a boundary and create the possibility of a better story - and how can Ruth's example inspire us in our own context and time?
Tom kicks off our new series taking a fresh look at the Old Testament book of Ruth.
This first act of Ruth challenges us to recognise how stereotypes and labels limit us and our understanding of others. - and how our willingness to cross borders can stop cycles of harm and conflict, recognise the humanity of the people caught up in them and take hold of the things we can control to change the future.
Join Kate as she rounds up this our series introducing the concept of following and practising the way of Jesus. But what does a life lived in apprenticeship to Jesus look like? How do we balance our hopes, our plans and dreams for becoming more like Jesus with the reality of our flaws, failings and messy reality? What does persevering through the pressured times of our lives look like as we run the race of ciscipleship? Kate takes a look at the example of one of Jesus' disciples to ask how we let ourselves be ordinary whilst setting our eyes on heaven's extraordinary promise for us and the world.
In this deep-dive session, we go beneath the surface of spiritual formation, exploring how our everyday habits, routines, and the “storied” rituals we inhabit shape our hearts and direct our lives. Building on the foundations from our Sunday talks in the Practising The Way series, this session grapples with the unseen influences guiding your desires and choices, the importance of embodied spiritual practices, and the power of intentional and unintentional rhythms in forming who we become.
In this talk, Clark explores what it means to embrace the process of spiritual formation through regular, intentional practice. Using 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 as a foundation, Clark unpacks the analogy of running a race—highlighting how training and doing the deeper work of transformation shape us into people who live like Jesus. He also delves into the importance of a “Rule of Life,” drawing from ancient monastic practices and modern habit science, and provides practical guidance on starting small, being consistent, and finding a rhythm that leads to sustainable growth.
The first of our Live Well community events helping us navigate life's tricky topics. Hear local psychologist Kate Middleton talk about the challenges of parenting in this season and her three top skills we need to equip our kids and teens with in order to support their emotional wellbeing and resilience through whatever life - and their future - brings.
Tom thinks about what it means to practically live out Jesus' teachings in our daily lives, and how our personal transformation enables us to engage in and be part of Kingdom work.
Clark explores the process of inner transformation and character formation, and how our habits and practices shape us into Christ's likeness, focusing on the renewal of our minds and hearts.
In a new season for St Matthias, Clark lays out the invitation to follow Jesus and see the transformation of our lives and our community.
Tom lays out a big vision for our church, community and city that has been prayerfully developed with the wider church leadership team. This vision is way too big for us to do in our own strength and starts with our own transformation through the power of our discipleship to Jesus. This weeks reading are Romans 3: 27-28 and Philippians 2: 1-4
Flo finishes our series looking at the favourite sayings of Jesus talking us through Matthew 13: 53-58
In August we are asking members of our congregation what are their favourite sayings of Jesus. In our latest episode Katherine Le Roux takes us through John 21: 1-14.
In August we are asking members of our congregation what are their favourite sayings of Jesus. To kick off the season, Millie takes us through John 4: 21-26.
Starting our mini series on Parties, Johnny takes a look at the origins of his favourite festival and what it means for us today.
Finishing off our series on the role our faith plays in politics, Tom and guests explore what it means to be actively involved in promoting shalom in our local community.
To find out more about Christian Action Brighton visit:
https://www.christianactionbrighton.org.uk/
To find out more about Citizens Brighton and Hove visit:
https://www.citizensuk.org/chapters/brighton-hove/
Is the current political climate negatively forming us or are we positively influencing it?
In the first episode of a new series on the relationship between our faith and politics, Richard looks at what the bible has to say about politics and how this has effected the relationship between the church and the ordering of our society.
In the penultimate episode of our series on prayer, Kate helps us navigate when prayers don't get answered.
On Pentecost Sunday Tom invites us to pray one of the oldest and shortest prayers in the Christian Church.
Clark continues our series on prayer looking at God's invitation to bask in his presence.
Clark kicks of our new series on prayer with an invitation rather than obligation to prayer.
Three members of the St Matthias family share with us what it means to have a passion for service.
In the second part of Vision Sunday, Tom looks at what it will take to resource the vision for St Matthias and our role in the city.
To access the slide click link below:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1B1UTgoOCW1pHHHNTeSe5Lf0MlAQKH6R8?usp=sharing
We continue to work through the themes and events of passion week. This week Kate looks at the centrality of community and in particular the last supper.
For Lent this year we are looking at key moments in the passion narrative starting Matthew 21 and the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem.
For the start of the new year we are having a community conversation about some of the big questions in life. This week Tom helps us explore different approaches to the question of Is God Real.
Kate continues our series looking at some of the big questions we wrestle with. This week Kate helps us explore the issue of violence in the bible.
In the penultimate Sunday of our 'Is God....' series, Clark looks at the subject of Justice. Clark works in theological research for Tearfund and is the spiritual formation director at St Matthias.
Follow this link https://bit.ly/Isgodjust for the illustrations mentioned in Clark's talk.
Kate continues our exploration of Isaiah. This week we are looking at the theme of liberty in Isaiah 61:1-8.
At our Community Christmas Carols, Kate explores he light that can not be overwhelmed. Isaiah 40:1-11
Kate continues our series on Romans to see what St Paul has to say about hope in times when things seem hopeless.
Tom continues our Loved series looking at how we receive Gods love as we read in Romans chapter 3.
29th October | Kate shares from Romans 3 and reminds us that the cross is a sign, a sacrifice and a victory. She explores what it looks like for the work of Jesus to be a free gift with no strings attached, and how hard it can be for us to accept the gift.
22nd October | Tom continues our series looking at Romans, and explores this week how we might be able to understand God's anger towards sin as part of and essential to his love for us. What does it mean for God to be 'slow to anger, abounding in love' and how does this affect us and our city.
15th October | This week to mark Black History Month in October, Flo Sparham shares how racial justice, social justice and working for change in these areas are not just add-ons to life as a Christian but are a central part of what it means to live like Jesus.
8th October | Speaking at the new 5pm service, Kate continues in our series on Romans and explores what Paul means when he writes about the good news of Jesus being power within us. She explores how the cross not only has power to change and transform our lives, but that we carry that power to share and change situations around us.
1st October | Kate kicks off our new series exploring the book of Romans and the message of God's love that it brings. In Romans 1, Paul gives a introduction that reveals how the good news of Jesus totally transforms our identity.
24th September | In the second of a two-part Vision Sunday series, Tom looks at what Jesus says about money and challenges us to think about how we can overcome the crippling effects of financial anxiety to see what God can do through collectively investing in a shared vision.
17th September | For this term's Vision Sunday, Tom asks us to reconsider how we are putting God as our first priority and making loving him the pillar of our lives. We have so many pressures and demands on our time and resources, but Jesus encourages us that the most important thing is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.
10th September | We're so pleased to welcome Kate, our new curate, for her first talk at St Matthias, looking at the power of people and why community is so important to us as a church. In Matthew 18, Jesus gives us a beautiful picture of how God moves powerfully through the gathering of Christians to bless the city around them.
3rd September | This week we hear from Maleni Delport, Community Pastor at St Richard's Hollingdean, to share her passion for prayer and speak on how we can give all of ourselves to God in times of prayer. How can we be a community that really does 'pray without ceasing'?
27th August | Wrapping up our series on the signs of Jesus in John's gospel, Clark shares a unique story about spit, soil, suffering and sight. How often do we draw the line in blame between a situation we see and how it might have got there, before we look to see in faith what God can do about it?
20th August | This Sunday, Dom explored the story of Jesus feeding 5000+ people in John 6 and how this demonstrates that Jesus is the bread that we can feast on and pass onto others. We are called to Jesus for all our strength for each and every day and to pass on the gift of his presence to others.
13th August | Sean continues our series looking at the signs of Jesus in the book of John, and explores how Jesus reveals his heart and mission through raising Lazarus from the dead.
23rd July | In the second part of our series on the refugee and migration crisis, Rich interviews Angie Lynn from Sanctuary on Sea to find out how what the reality of refugees in our city is and how communities are responding. Rich invites us to consider hospitality as a joy and a spiritual experience when we invite the stranger into our locality.
16th July | Rich kicks us off on a two-part series looking at the refugee and migrant crisis, and how we are called to respond as Christians. He unpacks themes, language and commands that the Bible gives us to help our understanding of how we think, speak and act towards those who arrive in our land from a different place.
2nd July | This week, Tom wraps up our Kingdom Culture series by interviewing Samara Levy, who works with Christians in Syria and set up Samara's Aid Appeal to provide aid to those displaced and persecuted. She shares her understanding and experience of religious and missional persecution and unpacks what this means for Christians around and the world and for us here at St Matthias.
18th June | This Sunday, Tom shares again from Matthew 5 looking at the beatitude 'Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy' and unpacks what it might mean for us to act with mercy. In order to have mercy and give forgiveness to others, we need to recognise how much we have been forgiven ourselves.
11th June | This Sunday, Abby continues in our Kingdom Culture series, looking at what it mean for God to bless the 'pure in heart'. We learn that to be whole-hearted is about integrity, wholeness of character and ways in which we can give our whole lives to see the movement of Jesus around us, not just part.
4th June | This week, Sarah continues our Kingdom Culture series by looking at 'Blessed are the peace-makers', drawing from her experience at Tearfund in working within areas of poverty and conflict. We are called to join in the work of peace-making together by cultivating connection with others and the world around us, encouraging curiosity for different perspectives and opinions and finding courage to confront problems and fix issues rather than avoiding injustice.
28th May | On Pentecost Sunday, Rich shares with us about who the Holy Spirit is, how he moves and what he calls us into as a people of God. Through unpacking how the Holy Spirit speaks and guides, we understand how we can live in step with his voice and his calling.
21st May | This week, we hear from Sam who heads up Youth at St Richard's in Hollingdean, continuing on our Kingdom Culture series. Sam unpacks 'Blessed are those who hunger & thirst for righteousness', exploring how being hungry for God's presence and his movement is the best place to be to experience change and transformation.
14th May | Tom continues in our talk series - Kingdom Culture, looking at 'Blessed Are The Meek'. Tom unpacks what it might look like to live with a meek heart, being open to God using and working through us. In doing so, we hear from Jean Belgrove about her experiences in Hong Kong and Nepal and how God led her both to those places and to particular amazing situations in them.
7th May | Reflecting on Luke 17, Tom reflects this Sunday on the question 'How is the kingdom of God within your heart?'. Tom gives a little more space for us to reflect on the spaces where Jesus is moving and where we can surrender our hearts to him again.
30th April | Rich Merrick, who is joining us as Curate for a few months, continues in our talk series - Kingdom Culture: Blessing in Broken Places. Jesus proclaims that 'Blessed are those who mourn', and Rich unpacks what this means both for us as individuals experiencing loss and also how as a community we have our hearts broken in order to comfort others. He also interviews Jess about her experiences of grief and loss and how she is able to see God at work in places of death and bereavement.
23rd April | Our Vicar Tom kicks off our new talk series - Kingdom Culture: Blessing in Broken Places. Diving into Matthew 5 and the 'Beatitudes', we find out that the places we find God most active and at work aren't the places of achievement or false humility, but the places of brokenness and hurting. Tom also interviews Kerry about her story of finding God at the most broken times in her life, and the difference Jesus has made so far.
16th April | This Sunday Flo, who heads up our Fiveways & Hollingdean Foodbank, looks at the story of the disciples walking to Emmaus in Luke 24:13-25 and speaks about how Jesus longs for us to return to him and trust in his ability to transform even the most difficult situations.
9th April | On Easter Sunday, Tom shares a quick thought about what Easter must have felt like for the first disciples and how Easter means we can all have a 'fresh start' to our new life.
7th April | At our Good Friday Reflection service, Tom shared three reflections on what the cross of Jesus means for us today. Through reading John 19, we see the reversal of three themes - Weakness over Power, Love over Hate and Life over Death.
2nd April | To finish our series on Noah, Tom looks at the narrative of the ark and how it shows us about God's plan to bring dead things back to life. As we look towards Easter, Genesis 8 allows us to see that fruit is able to be planted and grown on the other side of difficult times.
26th March | This week we welcome Piers Arthur-Crow, who directs The David House - a charity that explores Christianity through it's Jewish roots and theology and aims to reach Jewish people through sharing God's love for them. Piers continues our series on Noah, reading from Genesis 9:8-17 and exploring what it might mean for God to make a covenantal promise with us and how he wants to use us to accomplish his purposes.
We apologise for the lack of audio quality over the first minute of this talk due to an unforeseen technical problem.
19th March | As Part 2 of our Vision Sunday series, Tom reads from 2 Corinthians 9 and asks us how we can go deeper in our vision, action and blessing to our city. Following on from last week's call to abide in the presence of God in order to bear fruit, Tom explores how we can invest and play our part financially in bearing fruit in Fiveways.
12th March | On Vision Sunday, Tom challenges us to think about how we play our part in the vision at St Matthias. By looking at John 15, we see that Jesus' vision for each of us is to remain abiding in him and bear fruit and as we journey into the next stage at the life of St Matthias, Tom considers how we can go deeper into that abiding.
5th March | Tom kicks off our series looking at the life and story of Noah, in Genesis. After a difficult and strange week for Brighton and the community in Hollingdean and Fiveways, Tom reflects on what it means to live in a broken world and how God reacts to the problem of sin that is anywhere and everywhere around us.
26th February | We were so excited to welcome Clark Buys, part of the Theology team at Tearfund, to speak on Sunday. Clark shares his passion for making prayerful space for God to speak, explores what a contemplative spirituality could look like and mean for us and invites us to encounter God in the silence and stillness. This is one not to miss!
19th February | This week, Lisa finishes off our Gifted series by exploring the gifts of compassion and mercy. Through the Parable of the Lost Son in Luke 15, we begin to understand the movement of the Father consistently towards the lost and hurting and Lisa demonstrates what can be accomplished when we truly feel and understand God's heart for the broken, and are motivated to action.
12th February | Helena continues our Gifted series, exploring the ins and outs of what 'evangelism' means. She speaks about how doing evangelism can sometimes create discomfort and awkwardness but that when done well, evangelism is motivated out of love for others and a vision to see God's love change lives.
5th February || In an interview with Ali & Sean Avard, Tom asks how we begin to identify what spiritual gifts God may have equipped us with and how we can begin to use them. Sean shares from Romans 12, and encourages us that in using our spiritual gifts, our final aim should always be to love others with everything we have.
29th January | Tom continues our Gifted series, exploring how God can work through us to do amazing things by his spiritual gifts. In looking at the second half of 1 Corinthians 12, we see that Paul imagines the church as a body, where all of us have spiritual gifts that play our part in building up the collective whole and making more of an impact by working together.
22nd January | We are delighted to welcome Angie Green to St Matthias, as she shares with us about the gifts of healing as part of our Gifted series, exploring how God can work through us to do amazing things by his spiritual gifts. She speaks deeply from 1 Corinthians 12, about healing and restoration and how might we deal with when prayer goes unanswered and healing does not occur.
15th January |Tom kicks off our Gifted series, which explores how we are all equipped to bring about change and transformation and how God can work through us to do amazing things by his spiritual gifts. By looking at 1 Corinthians 12, we gain a picture of how God might speak through us to our local community and those around us.
8th January | On Send Out Sunday as we celebrated with the Harleys and the team in their new adventure partnering with All Saint's, Patcham and The Ascension, Westdene, Tom encourages us from the story of Nehemiah 1 to think and pray about the calling and passions that God has placed on our hearts to change and transform the world around us.
25th December | On Christmas Day, Tom shares with us why Jesus came into the world - to bring goodness, freedom and to set in place a way for us to know God fully and be restored.
24th December | Jon shares at our Christmas Eve Nativity service about the power of being held, and how the Christmas story shows us that Jesus holds us through the most joyful and most difficult times in life.
Abby rounds off our series unpacking John 1:1-14, and explores how Jesus not only brings life in all it's fulness, but also how Christmas shows us that the true life is breaking in the here and now amongst us through him.
11th December | Tom continues in our God With Us series, with three reflections on what it means for us for Jesus to be the Light.