St Helen's Sunday talks podcast

Luke Cornelius - What happens when reformation is not enough, when forgiveness is repeated but change is not? How does the Lord save the world when his church is utterly compromised? In 1 Kings 19, we begin that journey.

Aneirin Glyn - 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart.' How will God respond when Israel, persistently, refuses to do that? Elijah is summoned to Mount Sinai where God reveals what he will do. We see that God will not clear the guilty, and yet is also merciful and gracious.

Gwilym Davies - In James 3:1–12, James warns against rushing to teach and turns our attention to the power of the tongue. Though small, it directs, destroys, and reveals far more than we expect. Untameable by human effort, our speech becomes a tell—exposing the true state of our hearts. James leaves us asking not simply how we speak, but whether our faith is truly single-minded.

Tim Sheppard - The book of James offers a spiritual check-up that continues in chapter 3 with an assessment of the tongue. Rather than treating it as a small, insignificant muscle, James shows how far it punches above its weight. He gives a sobering warning to those who presume they are ready to teach—but his challenge is for all of us. Do our words reflect God’s transforming work within us, or do they expose our double-mindedness?

Luke Cornelius - This sermon explores the scandalous mercy of God in 1 Kings 18, where the living God proves himself on Mount Carmel and turns Israel’s heart back from idolatry. Even after leading the nation into deep compromise, Ahab is not crushed but shown astonishing mercy as judgment falls on a substitute and rain returns to the land. The miracle exposes the emptiness of false gods and points forward to the gospel, where God’s mercy triumphs over human failure.

Aneirin Glyn - Who is the one true God? How can we know? How should we respond to him? The showdown on Mount Carmel provides conclusive answers.

Gwilym Davies - Can we tell the difference between faith and its counterfeits? In James 2:14-26, James wants us to see that real faith isn’t just a matter of what we say or what we think. It will be visible in what we do. And it matters, because only faith in the Lord Jesus Christ can save our souls.

Tim Sheppard - It’s so easy to make excuses for failing to live in line with what we say we believe, but James asks a penetrating question: can that faith save you? In this familiar but striking passage, he raises the stakes and lays down the challenge: saving faith is never alone, so if ours is, we need to do something about it.

Luke Cornelius - This sermon launches a term-long exploration of reform—not through politics or power, but through the word of the living God. Using the story of Elijah and a compromised Israel, we see how flirting with the world slowly leads to being conquered by it, and why the church’s unfaithfulness leaves a darkened world without hope. Yet alongside judgment comes real hope: God reforms his people and rescues the world by speaking truth that exposes sin, provokes repentance, and even brings life out of death. As the story opens, we are left asking whether God’s people will listen—and whether we will.

Aneirin Glyn - As the darkness of evil, idolatry, and death engulfs the land, where is hope to be found? Astoundingly, the living Lord God gives life through his word.

Gwilym Davies - What does it look like for the implanted word to establish deep roots in a Christian? What does it look like for a Christian man or woman to be shot through with the mercy of God? James’ purpose in chapters 2–4 is to teach us to tell the difference between self-deceived 'faith' in the Lord Jesus and the real thing. And in 2:1–13, he begins his curriculum with partiality, and with the difference the gospel should make in the way we see one another.

Drew Balch - Favouritism feels small. James says it isn’t. In James 2, we discover that showing partiality, even in subtle, respectable ways, makes us law-breakers and reveals how easily we adopt the world’s values. We need the snobbery in our hearts to be exposed, to challenge both pride and reverse snobbery, which leads us to the only hope we share: the mercy of God that triumphs over judgment in Jesus Christ.

William Taylor - Man-made and imaginary agendas for Jesus all fail because they fail to take seriously the condition of humanity. Jesus insists that it is only through his death, resurrection, and enthronement that eternal life can be made available. And that eternal life only comes by his Spirit and through his word. The problem for us is that the concept of a crucified Messiah is, and always has been, deeply offensive.

William Taylor - Man-made and imaginary agendas for Jesus all fail because they fail to take seriously the condition of humanity. Jesus insists that it is only through his death, resurrection, and enthronement that eternal life can be made available. And that eternal life only comes by his Spirit and through his word. The problem for us is that the concept of a crucified Messiah is, and always has been, deeply offensive.

Phil Hudson - James wants to equip Christians to be firstfruits of God’s new creation who bear fruit. So, how do Christians grow? James shows us it is by meekly receiving the Word which saves and by actively doing the Word we hear. And there’s no other way!

Drew Balch - James warns us about the most dangerous lie of all: self-deception. James challenges us not just to hear God’s word, but to do it. Hearing without obedience doesn’t save. Disturbingly, it only deceives. True religion is truth that actually changes us.

William Taylor - Jesus insists that no one can come to him for eternal life unless God the Father draws them. This challenges the modern understanding of our human state to its core. But Jesus shows that it is not only logically inevitable, but also deeply liberating and reassuring.

William Taylor - Jesus insists that no one can come to him for eternal life unless God the Father draws them. This challenges the modern understanding of our human state to its core. But Jesus shows that it is not only logically inevitable, but also deeply liberating and reassuring.

Phil Hudson - What is the bedrock for single-minded faith in Jesus as we meet various trials? Assurance of the single-minded goodness of God.

Drew Balch - In a world full of voices, James warns us that the most dangerous deception doesn’t usually come from outside; but from within. We must ask: Is God always good? Through trials, temptation, and suffering, we are prone to doubt God’s goodness and even blame him for our sin. Yet James shows us a God who is utterly single-minded; unchanging, generous, and always good. As we fix our eyes on the Father of lights, we’re called to remain steadfast, reject the oldest of lies, and trust the God who gives every good and perfect gift.