Riverside Church, Birmingham, Uk

Title: Why Are You Crying? By: Tim Chilvers Bible Reading: Book of John (Chapter 20, verses 1-18) Recorded: Sunday 31/05/2020 (Online Service) Longing For Hope: Why Are You Crying? There have been a lot of tears over these last few months. Tears of sadness and grief; tears of frustration and boredom; and tears of fear and loneliness. But for some there have also been tears of joy. What would it take for our tears of sadness to turn to tears of joy? In this dramatic encounter with Jesus we are given a reason. Mary’s confused devastation turns to astonished joy (v13-16). The one who was dead is now alive. Can it be so? Put yourself in Mary’s place for a moment. All of her longings and dreams had been shattered when Jesus was crucified. And now, in this great reversal, it was almost too good to be true! There is a huge difference between hope and optimism. Optimistic people want something to be true regardless of the evidence. According to the Bible, lasting hope is true regardless of whether we want i

Title: Costly Love By: Judy Moore Bible Reading: Book of John (Chapter 12, verses 1-11) Recorded: Sunday 24/05/2020 (Online Service) Longing For Hope: Costly Love It’s noticeable who the heroes have been during this crisis. From the nurses to the delivery drivers, from the shelf stackers to the carers, many of the heroes have been people that are not often publicly praised. And yet, these painful times have given us a glimpse of how crucial some roles really are. And so we have rightly honoured them. We celebrate what we value. And in this passage we have two very different examples of giving honour where honour is due. Firstly, we read that Jesus is being thrown a banquet (v1-2). And it’s important where this meal takes place - the home town of Lazarus. If ever there was a reason to publicly honour someone, it is when they have demonstrated the power to overcome death! And into this party comes a second display of love and honour as Mary recklessly, extravagantly, pours expensive perfume over Jesus. A

Title: If You Had Been Here By: Nathanael Ballew Bible Reading: Book of John (Chapter 11, verses 17-36) Recorded: Sunday 17/05/2020 (Online Service) Longing For Hope: If You Had Been Here In amongst many stories of hope during this crisis, some of the most powerful reports have been about sacrifice on behalf of others. From the NHS staff risking their lives for strangers, to selfless victims giving up ventilators for others there have been beautiful moments of redemption. They have reminded us about the collective power of giving to others. And that’s why this encounter initially seems so jarring. Verse 6 confuses us. We’re told that Jesus cares about Lazarus (v5) and then he seems not to do anything about it as he simply stays where he is for a couple of days. And yet, as the story progresses we are given a more moving and life-changing portrait of Jesus than we had ever imagined. As Jesus does an incredible miracle by bringing Lazarus back to life, we are given two snapshots of Jesus. Each snapshot

Title: No-one To Help By: Sarah Auger Bible Reading: Book of John (Chapter 5, verses 1-15) Recorded: Sunday 10/05/2020 (Online Service) Longing For Hope: No-one To Help One of the most devastating experiences during this painful time has been the isolation. From the monotony of social distancing to the tragedy of being alone in sickness and death, this disease has separated us. It has highlighted our long-forgotten need for each other. As the old poet said ‘No man is an island.’ What is true now has been true throughout history, and during this encounter we see Jesus rescuing a man who is very alone. The words in v7 that there was ‘no-one to help me’ are full of sadness, aren’t they? You can’t help but wonder how long he’d experienced such isolation, given how long he’d been in this condition (v5). And yet Jesus treats him with such honour and respect by not presuming what he wants (v6) - a key foundation of our modern healthcare provision. It could be easy to only emphasise the compassion and care th

Title: Meeting Our Needs By: Tim Chilvers Bible Reading: Book of John (Chapter 4, verses 1-26) Recorded: Sunday 03/05/2020 (Online Service) Longing For Hope: Meeting Our Needs This is one of the most memorable encounters with Jesus in the gospels. It is a raw description of a mixed-up individual and the beautiful hope that Jesus offers. In a society of shame, fear and judgement we discover lasting hope and grace, regardless of who we are. The heart of this encounter is Jesus unveiling what the needs of the unnamed Samaritan woman really are. It is easy to focus on our physical needs. But Jesus provides for a much deeper need. A desire to get our physical needs met is natural, but only ever a temporary thing. Jesus offers hope that truly lasts and truly meets our deeper needs. And, he does this without prejudice (over social hierarchies or acceptabilities - she is a woman, with ‘unacceptable’ living arrangements), or favouritism (she is a Samaritan woman, after all). Perhaps this encounter points to tw

Title: Needing A Miracle By: Andy Mackie Bible Reading: Book of John (Chapter 2, verses 1-11) Recorded: Sunday 26/04/2020 (Online Service) Longing For Hope: Needing A Miracle If ever we needed a miracle, it is now. And so, it’s valuable to spend some time exploring the first miracle, the first ‘sign’, in John’s gospel. Verse 11 spells out that Jesus’ miracles are never just blunt displays of power. No, they point to something - to who Jesus really is. Therefore, this beautiful miracle has some really important pointers for us today, in a time when we are desperate for a miracle. The first, and obvious, point is that Jesus is the real master of the banquet. His mother knows it (v5 – mums always know best!), and everyone else is about to discover it. Even though everyone has their role to play, Jesus is actually the only one who really is in control. Secondly, Jesus is the real master of the banquet. It is no coincidence that Jesus’ first recorded miracle was about a party. He is interested in our joy and

Title: You'll See By: Judy Moore Bible Reading: Book of John (Chapter 1, verses 43-51) Recorded: Sunday 19/04/2020 (Online Service) Longing For Hope: You'll See: This encounter between Jesus and Nathanael is often overlooked. It comes very near the beginning of John’s gospel and reveals something very important. In a time of such global disruption, where should we look for answers? And where shouldn’t we look? From the opening words of John’s gospel, we discover that life has a meaning, a purpose, all centred on the person of Jesus. Nathanael doubts this is true. He’s already got his mind made up about Jesus, and proudly dismisses him because of preconceived ideas. (v46 - Nazareth?!? Can anything good come from there?!) But, an actual encounter with the real Jesus changes everything for him. His friend Philip has tried to get him to see the hope of Jesus - perhaps he has found the other so-called answers on offer to be empty and unconvincing?, but it’s only when he begins to explore real Jesus for himself

Title: Easter Sunday By: Tim Chilvers Bible Reading: Book of Luke (Chapter 12) Recorded: Sunday 12/04/2020 (Online Service) Easter Sunday: For full videos of our livestream services please visit our YouTube Channel - http://bit.ly/RiversideChurchOnline Note: Subtitles/closed captions are available in this video. (Main talk begins at 58:00 and ends at 01:04:34) What's true of Riverside Church when we meet together physically on a Sunday morning is still true of us online. We exist to help people get to know Jesus and grow as his followers. Whoever you are, whatever you believe, you're so welcome in this community. To find out more about Riverside Church and to find our social media account infomration please visit: https://riverside-church.org.uk/ Note: While this talk is based on the above listed sections of the Bible, the actual bible readings used during our services may sometimes change.

Title: Rest By: Tim Chilvers Bible Reading: Book of Mathew (Chapter 11, verses 28-30) Recorded: Sunday 05/04/2020 (Online Service) Rest: For full videos of our livestream services please visit our YouTube Channel - http://bit.ly/RiversideChurchOnline (Main talk begins at 27.18 and ends at 41.27) What's true of Riverside Church when we meet together physically on a Sunday morning is still true of us online. We exist to help people get to know Jesus and grow as his followers. Whoever you are, whatever you believe, you're so welcome in this community. To find out more about Riverside Church please visit: https://riverside-church.org.uk/ Note: While this talk is based on the above listed sections of the Bible, the actual bible readings used during our services may sometimes change.

Title: The Hope Is Real By: Judy Moore Bible Reading: Book of Romans (Chapter 8) Recorded: Sunday 29/03/2020 (Online Service) The Hope Is Real: For full videos of our livestream services please visit our YouTube Channel - http://bit.ly/RiversideChurchOnline Note: Subtitles/closed captions are available in this video. (Main talk begins at 29.03 and ends at 40.37) What's true of Riverside Church when we meet together physically on a Sunday morning is still true of us online. We exist to help people get to know Jesus and grow as his followers. Whoever you are, whatever you believe, you're so welcome in this community. To find out more about Riverside Church please visit: https://riverside-church.org.uk/ Note: While this talk is based on the above listed sections of the Bible, the actual bible readings used during our services may sometimes change.

Title: Love In A Time Of Coronavirus By: Tim Chilvers Bible Reading: Book of 1 Thessalonians (Chapter 3, verse 9-13) Recorded: Sunday 22/03/2020 (Online Service) Love In A Time Of Coronavirus: Full video of our 'livestream' service - https://youtu.be/HR0tdW6syaY~ Note: Subtitles/closed captions are available in this video. (Main talk begins at 32.13 and ends at happens at 47.27) A video of the main talk with subtitles can also be viewed from: https://vimeo.com/399384994/24dc45cc9d What's true of Riverside Church when we meet together physically on a Sunday morning is still true of us online. We exist to help people get to know Jesus and grow as his followers. Whoever you are, whatever you believe, you're so welcome in this community. To find out more about Riverside Church please visit: https://riverside-church.org.uk/ Note: While this talk is based on the above listed sections of the Bible, the actual bible readings used during our services may sometimes change.

Title: CommUNITY By: John Auger Bible Reading: Book of Ephesians (Chapter 4, verse 1-6) Recorded: Sunday 15/03/2020 at our Bournville Gathering. CommUNITY: Video - https://vimeo.com/396984442 To find out more about Riverside Church please visit: https://riverside-church.org.uk/ Note: While this talk is based on the above listed sections of the Bible, the actual bible readings used during our services may sometimes change.

Title: Here's To The Crazy Ones By: Andy Mackie Bible Reading: Book of Acts (Chapter 5, verse 12-42) Recorded: Sunday 08/03/2020 at our Bournville Gathering. Description: Part of our teaching series called '#AGAIN' looking at the early chapters in the book of Acts in the Bible. Our hope and prayer as we explore these studies together is that God would begin to awaken us to what he is doing and will do again. Maybe, just maybe, we might dare to see extraordinary things happen among us! Here's To The Crazy Ones: Video - https://vimeo.com/394947044 In every generation, there are one or two people who change the rules. They are game-changers, with such vision, that everything that comes after them is completely different. William Wilberforce, Emmeline Pankhurst, Martin Luther King. It’s easy to see how important these people are. But, what we so easily forget is the pain and opposition that they had to endure as they went about changing the world. And that’s the thing with challenging and changing the status

Title: The World We All Want By: Andy Worthington Bible Reading: Book of Acts (Chapter 4, verse 42-47) Recorded: Sunday 08/03/2020 at our Moseley Kings Heath Gathering. Description: Part of our teaching series called '#AGAIN' looking at the early chapters in the book of Acts in the Bible. Our hope and prayer as we explore these studies together is that God would begin to awaken us to what he is doing and will do again. Maybe, just maybe, we might dare to see extraordinary things happen among us! The World We All Want: Video - https://vimeo.com/384231047/7b2746b4b3 Everywhere we look, people want to change the world. From climate change to poverty, from political reform to issues of security, everyone wants a better world. What about you? What kind of world do you long for? When you dream about the kind of world that could be, what is it like? How do people relate? What happens? What doesn’t happen? In the ancient world, life was very hard. With no welfare state or NHS it was up to you, and those around yo

Title: Here's To The Crazy Ones By: Andy Mackie Bible Reading: Book of Acts (Chapter 5, verse 12-42) Recorded: Sunday 01/03/2020 at our Moseley Kings Heath Gathering. Description: Part of our teaching series called '#AGAIN' looking at the early chapters in the book of Acts in the Bible. Our hope and prayer as we explore these studies together is that God would begin to awaken us to what he is doing and will do again. Maybe, just maybe, we might dare to see extraordinary things happen among us! Here's To The Crazy Ones: Video - https://vimeo.com/394947044 In every generation, there are one or two people who change the rules. They are game-changers, with such vision, that everything that comes after them is completely different. William Wilberforce, Emmeline Pankhurst, Martin Luther King. It’s easy to see how important these people are. But, what we so easily forget is the pain and opposition that they had to endure as they went about changing the world. And that’s the thing with challenging and changing t

Title: The Masks We Can Take Off By: John Goodliff Bible Reading: Book of Acts (Chapter 5, verses 1-11). Recorded: Sunday 23/02/2020 at our Bournville Gathering. Description: Part of our teaching series called '#AGAIN' looking at the early chapters in the book of Acts in the Bible. Our hope and prayer as we explore these studies together is that God would begin to awaken us to what he is doing and will do again. Maybe, just maybe, we might dare to see extraordinary things happen among us! The Masks We Can All Take Off Video - https://vimeo.com/392963977 Bible Reading - Book of Acts (Chapter 5, verses 1-11). There’s no doubt that we live in an age of the individual. An era when everyone is valued and empowered to dream big dreams and achieve big things. At least that’s what we want to believe is true! When you look at the evidence, though, our age of greater independence and apparent empowerment has actually led to greater and greater emotional and relational strain. It’s almost as if the more pressure

Title: The Masks We Can Take Off By: Judy Moore Bible Reading: Book of Acts (Chapter 5, verses 1-11). Recorded: Sunday 23/02/2020 at our Bournville Gathering. Description: Part of our teaching series called '#AGAIN' looking at the early chapters in the book of Acts in the Bible. Our hope and prayer as we explore these studies together is that God would begin to awaken us to what he is doing and will do again. Maybe, just maybe, we might dare to see extraordinary things happen among us! The Masks We Can All Take Off Video - https://vimeo.com/392963977 Bible Reading - Book of Acts (Chapter 5, verses 1-11). There’s no doubt that we live in an age of the individual. An era when everyone is valued and empowered to dream big dreams and achieve big things. At least that’s what we want to believe is true! When you look at the evidence, though, our age of greater independence and apparent empowerment has actually led to greater and greater emotional and relational strain. It’s almost as if the more pressure we

Title: How Much Is Too Much? By: Sarah Auger Bible Reading: Acts Chapter 4, verses 32-37 Recorded: Sunday 16/02/2020 at our Bournville Gathering. Description: Part of our teaching series called '#AGAIN' looking at the early chapters in the book of Acts in the Bible. Our hope and prayer as we explore these studies together is that God would begin to awaken us to what he is doing and will do again. Maybe, just maybe, we might dare to see extraordinary things happen among us! How Much Is Too Much? Video - https://vimeo.com/391244485 Imagine that one day you receive a large inheritance from a long-lost uncle. What would you do with it? Your immediate answer can be quite telling! Yes, sure, we know we’re supposed to want to give it away...but so often we immediately think of things we would buy. It’s almost as if money and possessions have a greater hold on us than we dare to admit. In the 16th Century, the German priest Martin Luther described how people go through 3 different conversion experiences in their j

Title: How Much Is Too Much? By: Tim Chilvers Bible Reading: Acts Chapter 4, verses 32-37 Recorded: Sunday 16/02/2020 at our Bournville Gathering. Description: Part of our teaching series called '#AGAIN' looking at the early chapters in the book of Acts in the Bible. Our hope and prayer as we explore these studies together is that God would begin to awaken us to what he is doing and will do again. Maybe, just maybe, we might dare to see extraordinary things happen among us! How Much Is Too Much? Video - https://vimeo.com/391244485 Imagine that one day you receive a large inheritance from a long-lost uncle. What would you do with it? Your immediate answer can be quite telling! Yes, sure, we know we’re supposed to want to give it away...but so often we immediately think of things we would buy. It’s almost as if money and possessions have a greater hold on us than we dare to admit. In the 16th Century, the German priest Martin Luther described how people go through 3 different conversion experiences in their

Title: Does Prayer Make Any Difference? By: Harry Hewitt Bible Reading: Acts Chapter 4, verses 23-31 Recorded: Sunday 09/02/2020 at our Bournville Gathering. Description: Part of our teaching series called '#AGAIN' looking at the early chapters in the book of Acts in the Bible. Our hope and prayer as we explore these studies together is that God would begin to awaken us to what he is doing and will do again. Maybe, just maybe, we might dare to see extraordinary things happen among us! Does Prayer Make Any Difference? Video - https://vimeo.com/388228991/2d964a852c In survey after survey, most people admit to praying at some point in their lives. Whether or not people do it as some sort of superstition, or genuinely believe that prayer works, most of us pray. Why? Perhaps it is because we all need hope beyond ourselves. As a society, we want to believe we are in control of our destiny. But at some point we all realise that we aren’t. Things happen, life doesn’t work out how we planned. And it is then that we