The Word in Biggleswade

Continuing to explore more about the Holy Spirit, this week we take a look at the Spirit’s role as advocate – both wonderful and bringing wonders. A comforter, encourager, teacher and a companion – not just alongside us but within us too. The Holy Spirit brings hope and fills us with hope that we are not alone. He also offers us assurance of our salvation. The everyday ministry of the Holy Spirit – the little prompts and nudges – is making us more and more like Jesus every day.   Let us keep in step with the Spirit #2 John 14:15-27 Martin Ceaser   Sunday 12th January   Find out more about our church community at www.bbchurch.org.uk

At the start of a new series – and the start of a new year too – we begin exploring what it means to live, keeping in step with the Spirit. Like officers taking part in drill, we need to listen to orders, see what others are doing and follow. But follow what – what exactly is the Holy Spirit anyway? What do we need to do differently this year to keep in step with the Spirit?   Let us keep in step with the Spirit #1 Galatians 5:13-26 Martin Ceaser   Sunday 5th January   Find out more about our church community at www.bbchurch.org.uk

In the space between Christmas and New Year, we take some time to unpack the visit of the Magi to the new King. Bearing the most unusual yet valuable gifts – not the typical presents for a baby – the travellers come to worship the King bringing what they have. What can we bring as gifts this Christmas time?   Matthew 2:1-11 Cliff Andrews   Sunday 29th December   Find out more about our church community at www.bbchurch.org.uk

Martin unpacks the twists and turns of the Christmas story during our traditional carols by candlelight service (N.B. Talk originally split into 3 separate parts) Martin Ceaser Sunday 22nd December Find out more about our church community at www.bbchurch.org.uk

Following on from this week’s Sunday Club nativity – featuring all of the wonderful children of the church – Martin shares a short talk on the various surprises experienced during the story of the first Christmas.   Martin Ceaser   Sunday 15th December   Find out more about our church community at www.bbchurch.org.uk

Continuing our ‘Down to Earth’ series on Advent, this week we explore the unexpected nature of Christ’s arrival. God’s people expected a warrior or political leader and not for God to work through the birth of a baby. A beautiful truth hidden in plain sight. Everything about Jesus was unexpected – the way he lived, talked, treated people and even how he died and returned. But when it comes to rescue, what we need may not always be the rescue we expect. This Advent we need to expect the unexpected – for God to do something unusual.   Advent #2 Matthew 1:18-25 Martin Ceaser   Sunday 8th December   Find out more about our church community at www.bbchurch.org.uk

We begin our series on advent looking at the mind-blowing words at the start of John’s Gospel. The almighty creator of all became human and humbled himself for us. He moved into the neighbourhood, to live among us – stepping away from the glory of heaven. He reaches down to offer us forgiveness – to pull us up and restore us to relationship with him. Known for grace and truth rather than laws and power. This is no ordinary King… but he is our King!   Advent #1 John 1 Martin Ceaser   Sunday 1st December   Find out more about our church community at www.bbchurch.org.uk

This week Cliff teases out the masterplan of the Father – the bigger, overarching narrative, broken into 4 parts. Creation, fall, redemption and restoration. Creation demonstrates God’s glory and reveals his heart for this people. But we fall short of this glory due to our disobedience and stubborn hearts. It leads to tragic consequences and rebellion on our part. However, God had a plan to restore us to him through the ultimate sacrificial system. Enter Jesus, stage left…!   Cliff Andrews   Sunday 24th November   Find out more about our church community at www.bbchurch.org.uk

Our final session in our Prayer Course series unpacks the tricky topic of spiritual warfare. We are all in the middle of a battle, between good and evil - there’s no neutral ground in the universe. The cross and the resurrection are reminders that we are on the winning side – Jesus has secured the victory for us. He’s disarmed the principalities and powers. His power and authority are greater than our enemy and all that the world can throw at us. Know the scriptures, know the enemy and know who has the victory!   The Prayer Course #9 Luke 11:1-4 Martin Ceaser   Sunday 17th November   Find out more about our church community at www.bbchurch.org.uk

This week Gareth leads us through a short reflection on Psalm 19 and the question of whether we are focusing our hearts on what God wants. Are our hearts and thoughts focused on Him at all times and part of our everyday lives – the direction of our meditations and in all that we do? On a day when our thoughts turn to those who have gone before and given their lives for our freedom, we’re reminded that it is God that we should remember at all times.   Psalm 19 Gareth Godfrey   Sunday 10th November   Find out more about our church community at www.bbchurch.org.uk

In the latest in our series on prayer, this week we look into listening for God and listening to God. Prayer is always a two-way conversation but are we allowing him to get a word in edge ways? Take time to sit at his feet and listen so we can recognise his voice. We follow the Good Shepherd because we have got to know God’s voice. Speaking words of life to us. But it’s our responsibility to ensure we’re tuned in to the right frequency.   The Prayer Course #8 John 10:1-18 Martin Ceaser   Sunday 3rd November   Find out more about our church community at www.bbchurch.org.uk

The latest session in our prayer series explores the subject of contemplative prayer – including the misunderstood topics of meditation and mindfulness. Being attentive, learning to stop and becoming aware of the presence of God. In contemplation, we move from religion to relationship and putting our faith into practice. Being present in the moment through prayer in the stillness, we can become completely saturated in God’s love.   The Prayer Course #7 Psalm 8 Martin Ceaser   Sunday 27th October   Find out more about our church community at www.bbchurch.org.uk

This week, we tackle the challenging subject of unanswered prayer as we continue the series on The Prayer Course by Pete Greig. How do we ensure the pain and heartache of unanswered prayer won’t diminish our view of God? Where’s the good news when it comes to unanswered prayer? Amongst the bitter disappointment, we need to remember that God knows best and that we can trust that he’ll never leave us or forsake us… ‘yet not my will but your will’ as Jesus would say!   The Prayer Course #6 Mark 14:32-42 Martin Ceaser   Sunday 20th October   Find out more about our church community at www.bbchurch.org.uk

In the latest in our series on prayer, we turn our attention to intercession – the vital and powerful act of praying on behalf of others. Our prayers call on the Father to intervene and our prayers can make a difference – but do we see this power at work in our lives? When we come together with others in prayer, it unleashes a greater power into situations. We need to get informed, get inspired, get indignant and get in in sync with others and with God.   The Prayer Course #5 Acts 12:1-19 Martin Ceaser   Sunday 13th October   Find out more about our church community at www.bbchurch.org.uk

All prayers great and small Picking up the next part of our series on the Prayer Course, this week we explore how much God our Heavenly Father loves to hear our prayers. Prayers of daily need and eternal significance. Prayer builds relationship, breeds gratitude and helps us live with the wide-eyed wonder of children. Prayers of boldness allow us to see change and make a difference. Never be afraid to pray for the smaller things in life, for it gives us the chance to see God’s miracles in the everyday.   The Prayer Course #4 Luke 11:1-13 Martin Ceaser   Sunday 6th October   Find out more about our church community at www.bbchurch.org.uk

This Sunday we were joined by a guest speaker from Tearfund – Diana Pereira – as we celebrated harvest and thought about the practical response that prayer requires of us all. In the words of Tearfund’s vision – poverty is not God’s plan but the Church is! We need to step up and back up our words with concrete actions when it comes to those in need – whether at home or overseas. Addressing the damaged relationships between us and God, us and each other, us and ourselves and us and creation.    Harvest Philippians 2:3-4  Diana Pereira   Sunday 29th September   Find out more about our church community at www.bbchurch.org.uk

This week we explore the wonder that can be experienced in prayer when we fix our focus on God. We can all experience ‘wow’ moments – times in our lives when we realise there are things that we can’t explain away – and these in turn point us to God. We need the right lens to ensure we are properly focused on him, because how we see God affects our experience of prayer and the way we do it.    The Prayer Course #3 Luke 15 Martin Ceaser   Sunday 22nd September   Find out more about our church community at www.bbchurch.org.uk

Continuing our introduction to our series on prayer, this week we explore what is so important about prayer and why we should do it. Fundamentally we all pray but we all need help to do so. We pray because Jesus did it, the Church did it and it is essential to our spiritual life – as essential to spiritual life as breathing, eating and drinking is to our physical life. Let’s keep it simple, keep it real and keep it up!   The Prayer Course #2 Philippians 4:4-7 Martin Ceaser   Sunday 15th September   Find out more about our church community at www.bbchurch.org.uk

We kick off our new series based loosely on The Prayer Course from 24-7 Prayer, digging deeper into the mysteries, challenges and joys of prayer. This week Martin, in his first sermon back, unpacks the reasons why we can find prayer challenging and even a little scary – plus what we can do to reengage with that most essential of Christian disciplines – conversation with the Father.   The Prayer Course #1 Philippians 4:4-9 Martin Ceaser   Sunday 8th September   Find out more about our church community at www.bbchurch.org.uk

We’re delighted to welcome our Pastor, Martin, back from his time of sabbatical and recuperation from illness. Martin shares his own reflections on his time away and some of the insights and learnings he’s gained since we last saw him. We take some time to pray for and recommission Martin as he returns to his role at Biggleswade Baptist Church.   Martin Ceaser, Cliff Andrews & Gareth Godfrey   Sunday 1st September   Find out more about our church community at www.bbchurch.org.uk