The Glorious Gift of Deacons (Special Service: Inauguration of Deacons)
We’re in an exciting season as a church, Thomas says, growing not just spiritually but in number, to the point of needing more chairs and more communion cups. He marks this inauguration of new deacons...
1689 BCF, Chapter 8, Paragraph 4: Resurrection of Christ the Mediator
We all hope to achieve something great in life, something that outlasts us, Thomas says. He works through 1 Corinthians 15 and the confession’s teaching on Christ’s resurrection as the Mediator, the achievement that actually...
1689 BCF, Chapter 8, Paragraph 4: Passive and Active Obedience of Jesus
How big a deal is obeying God, Thomas asks: just beneficial, or a matter of life and death, heaven and hell? He works through the confession’s distinction between Christ’s active obedience, keeping the law for...
in Easter
Matthew 26:36-39: Jesus in the Garden (Good Friday Service)
Imagine what a condemned man faces the night before his execution, alone in his cell, waiting for the sun to rise on his last day, Thomas says. He works through Jesus’s own agony in Gethsemane...
1689 BCF, Chapter 8, Paragraph 3: Christ Fully Furnished
The SAS are renowned not just for skill but because they’re fully furnished for their task through gruelling training, Thomas says. He works through the confession’s teaching on how the Spirit equipped Christ himself for...
in 1 Timothy
1 Timothy 1:1-2: Introduction to 1 Timothy
We’ve all faced a moment at work where our decisions get questioned and criticized by someone with authority over us, Thomas says. He opens 1 Timothy by introducing Paul’s own authority as an apostle, writing...
1689 BCF, Chapter 8, Paragraph 2: Nicean Creed: 1700th Anniversary
2025 is a special year for the whole church universal, Thomas says, marking exactly seventeen hundred years since Nicaea in the year 325. He works through why that council’s creed still matters for how we...
1689 BCF, Chapter 8, Paragraph 2: Humanity of Christ
There was a day when kings led their armies into battle themselves, Thomas says, their whole credibility resting on it. He works through Hebrews 2 and the confession’s teaching on Christ’s full humanity, the King...
1689 BCF, Chapter 8, Paragraph 2: Deity of Christ
Plenty of people say they follow and love Jesus, Thomas says, but which Jesus do they actually mean? He works through the confession’s affirmation of Christ’s full deity, the non-negotiable foundation for any Jesus worth...
1689 BCF, Chapter 8, Paragraph 1: Prophet, Priest, and King
What’s humanity’s biggest problem? Thomas asks, running through the usual suspects, hunger, war, inequality, corruption, before naming the real one underneath them all: sin. He opens the confession’s teaching on Christ’s threefold office as prophet,...
Psalm 110: The Enigmatic Royal Priest
Who doesn’t love a good riddle, or a detective story where the clues slowly add up to a solution? Thomas asks. He works through Psalm 110’s mysterious portrait of a king who is also a...
2 Peter 1:5-11: Maturing and Assured in Christ
If I told you I loved my wife but never spoke to her or listened to her, would you believe me? Thomas asks. He works through Peter’s call to add to our faith, and why...
in Psalms
Psalm 2: The Absolute Reign of Jesus Inevitable
We all know the stereotype of the rebellious teenager, finally old enough to make their own choices and fed up with the rules, Thomas says. He works through Psalm 2’s picture of the nations raging...
2 Corinthians 5:18-21: The King Sends a Message
The Bible pictures our relationship with God many ways, Thomas notes, sheep and shepherd among them. He works through 2 Corinthians 5 and Paul’s picture of Christians as ambassadors carrying the King’s own message of...
in Christmas
Luke 2:1-7 / Philippians 2:6-11: The Grueling Path to Glory
Thomas looks at the Christmas story through two lenses: first the sheer physical hardship of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem, then the far greater humiliation behind it, God the Son descending to take on...
2 Corinthians 5:11-16: Motives of an Ambassador at Work
It’s amazing what someone will do with the right motivation, Thomas says, recalling a story from his teenage years. He works through 2 Corinthians 5 to ask what actually motivates the Christian life and ministry.