16 JUN 2024 · In our quest to learn about theology from the margins, we give our attention to a story in John 9 and read it from the perspective of disability. What can able-bodied people learn from reading the bible with a new lens? In this first part, we will examine Jesus' response to the disciples' curiosity about the link between the man's blindness and sin. Was the man born blind so that God could perform a miracle of healing?

2 JUN 2024 · Within the diverse and creative world of biblical interpretation, it's possible to encounter scripture freshly and dynamically which helps to bring new understanding. This talk takes a second post-colonial look at Jesus' encounter with a 'foreign legion' that had possessed and subjugated a man. How does it speak to us about how imperial power has occupied, dominated and diminished people and nations? What does it say to us, our privilege and power, and our complicity in the system and spirit of empire?

26 MAY 2024 · What place links the New Testament events of Passover with Pentecost? Elisha with Peter, Mary, mother of Mark with Jesus? It is the Upper Room. The Upper Room is synonymous with prayer and the preparation for an encounter with God. This physically spacious dwelling place becomes the setting for Jesus to help the disciples encounter and embody the person of God - a God who has many rooms. How is this worked out in Pentecost and the story of the church in Acts and what kind of Christianity has many rooms?

19 MAY 2024 · "This Thing Called Church" talk focuses on the most used illustration in the New Testament - The Body of Christ". The passage is from Paul's letter to the Church in Rome and explores how the metaphor gives insight as to how the Church should function, including shared insights from the whole congregation. 

12 MAY 2024 · The challenge of any reading of the Bible is that we all come to the text as interpreters with different lenses. Peter Enns said, "All theology has an adjective" - our theology and interpretation are pre-fixed with a setting, a world-view and a bias. How can we prevent letting our filter become the dominant one? How can the diverse experiences of other people help us to encounter the Bible more richly and deeply? We will start using the lens of post-colonialism, at the story of Jesus' encounter with a 'legion of unclean spirits' in Mark 5 and allow each other to imagine and encounter the text through a new and fresh lens. 

5 MAY 2024 · What is mission? What is our place in the story of God? At the start of our new series, This Thing Called Church, James talks about the mission of God and how we are invited into the story of the restoration of all things.

21 APR 2024 · We conclude our mini-series with a dive into some ancient habits and postures of prayer which are orientated toward being attentive to the sacred wonder in the ordinary and the everyday. We return to Nick Cave for some helpful examples and perhaps a surprising form of music as a metaphor of prayer.

14 APR 2024 · Continuing our series The Christian Life in Paradox, this talk explores, in a very personal way, living with hope and disappointment alongside each other and the implications for our faith journey. Trigger warning: this talk covers issues of grief, illness, loss and mental health challenges and is emotionally raw in places. If you are impacted by any of the themes in this talk, the leadership team of BGMC would be happy to talk to you further.

7 APR 2024 · What does God's presence and personhood in the world look like? That is the question we have been grappling with. We are seeking to be re-enchanted by the sacred divine presence - to imagine where and how God is. But what habits do we need to adopt and what posture do we need to make? Perhaps our language and our sight have been deficient? What can the experience of Jacob and Moses offer as a way forward to being more intentionally attentive to sacred meaning in the world?

31 MAR 2024 · The empty tomb of Jesus offered very little comfort or consolation to the disciples when they first encountered it. It was Mary Magdalene who refused to accept what she saw that first Easter morning. In this brief talk, we will reflect on how Mary's posture enabled her to encounter the risen Jesus which gives us an insight into what we need to do the fathom the depths of this new reality.