Is Multiculturalism Working?

It’s a question plaguing British politics. The days of youthful optimism, when most agreed that multiculturalism was a good thing, are behind us. Instead, we are now divided, with some continuing to advocate for it and others declaring it a danger to national unity. As former Home Secretary Suella Braverman put it, “Multiculturalism has ‘failed’ and threatens security. ...It has fostered difference between communities".

The choice appears to be a lose-lose. Either aspire to national solidarity and abandon multiculturalism, or hold to it and face its fracturing consequences. Neither seems ideal. 

But while modern debate frames the choice between unity and diversity as a dichotomy, scripture doesn’t. Instead, it presents us with a rich vision of community, offering neither naive optimism nor faithless pragmatism, but something altogether better: unity in diversity, diversity in unity. Not an either-or but a both-and.


Diversity in unity

Scripture is clear that multicultural community is a good thing. It has been God’s vision for the church even from its inception. As the Apostle Paul writes in Galations 3.28, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

The church was never meant to follow the dividing lines of society, but thrive as a counter-cultural gathering where those from all backgrounds, cultures, and walks of life are welcomed. Membership does not follow man-made distinctions or hierarchies; receiving the gospel through faith is what counts. The result is a spiritual family that is diverse like none other.


Unity in diversity

Yet to imagine a harmonious multicultural community is one thing. How is it actually possible? 

According to scripture, cross-cultural unity is a God-given reality. Consider again the verse from Galatians: “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” 

Lasting solidarity is not achieved through better national policies or systems - though these have their place - but the gospel. Our forgiveness and adoption as God’s son gives us a new identity marker - in Christ - which is our foundation. I am no longer primarily a caucasian British male, but a son of God, bought with the blood of Jesus. In Christ is what I am first. And if you are too, then you’re a brother or sister.


So, in the fractured life of British politics, we needn’t lose heart. Let’s continue to build a diverse spiritual family, drawn together by a radical gospel and our status as sons. And let’s echo the prayer of Jesus, “make us one as you are one”.

These articles are 100% man-made, without the use of generative AI.

TikTok Boom?

A mental health crisis is brewing. It has been since the early 2010s. Rates of self-harm, eating disorders, anxiety, depression, and suicide have risen sharply over the last decade, and the trend continues amongst Generations Z and Alpha.

All this coincides with the explosion of social media, the defining cultural shift of our time. Modern life is more connected than ever, yet many feel more anxious, distracted, and dissatisfied.

In the age of doomscrolling and brainrot, how can we truly flourish?

Join our speaker, Professor of Psychiatry Glynn Harrison (more below), as he explores the effect of social media on our minds and lives, and whether we can have faith in the future.

Date: 3rd February 2026
Time: 7.30pm
Price: Free
Location: London Nautical School, SE1 9NA

About our speaker

Glynn Harrison is Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry, University of Bristol UK, where he was a practising consultant psychiatrist and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry. 

He has acted as an advisor to the World Health Organisation, the UK Dept Health and is a past President of the International Federation of Psychiatric Epidemiology. He is interested in the interface between mental health, neuroscience and spirituality and now speaks widely on issues related to faith and human flourishing.

Grace Fuelled Effort

One of the great challenges I’ve found in ministry is helping people to understand the tension between grace and effort in the Christian life. And the tension is real! When we lean too far toward grace without effort, we can drift into what theologians call antinomianism—the belief that how we live no longer matters because it’s all grace. German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer famously described this as “cheap grace,” a gospel that offers forgiveness without transformation.

But if we swing too far in the other direction of effort without grace, then we fall into legalism. We begin to believe that our discipline, resolve, or wisdom can somehow produce spiritual growth. And this is where many Christians live: stuck somewhere in between. Unsure of how grace and effort actually work together. The result is often spiritual stagnation rather than spiritual transformation.

Peter addresses this tension in 2 Peter 1.5-7, when he writes:
 

“Make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.” (ESV)

Notice that Peter doesn’t shy away from the language of effort. He uses the phrase “make every effort” to describe a sustained and purposeful diligence in the pursuit of godliness. He then explains why this matters in verse 8:
 

“For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

What Peter is saying is that if we do not make a deliberate effort to grow spiritually, our faith risks becoming ineffective and unfruitful.  He goes on in verse 9 to warn that those who fail to develop these virtuous qualities are spiritually short-sighted and blind, forgetting the great price Jesus paid for their salvation.

For some, this passage can feel uncomfortable. Words like “make every effort” and “add to your faith” may sound like works-based religion. Isn’t the Christian life about what Christ has done for us, not what we do?

Absolutely! Peter is not describing how we are saved, but how we grow after we have been saved. Our effort is not the cause of our salvation; it is the evidence of it (v.10). This is why Peter can call us to “make every effort” without contradicting the gospel because our ability to grow does not depend on ourselves, but on the grace and power of God.

He makes this clear earlier in verse 3, reminding us that “God’s divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness.” Spiritual growth is possible for every believer because God, in His kindness, has already provided everything we need to grow. In other words, God is committed to your spiritual growth!

So let’s resist the temptation to live in the polarising tension of grace versus effort, as though we must choose one or the other. When it comes to growth in godliness, trusting does not put an end to trying. Instead, let’s be disciplined and purposeful in our spiritual growth, pursuing it with grace-fueled effort, so that our faith will not be stagnant or ineffective, but increasingly fruitful for the glory of God.

Key dates for the spring term

Regular Rhythms 

As a church community, we follow regular monthly & termly rhythms. On the first Wednesday of each month, we meet for Upper Room, our prayer and worship gathering (7.30pm, London Nautical School). On the third Sunday of the month, we have a post-service BBQ/lunch together. And each term, we gather all three congregations for a Together Sunday (4.15pm, Westminster Chapel).

Upper Room

Tuesday 6th January

Wednesday 4th February
Wednesday 4th March
Wednesday 1st April

Together Sunday
Sunday 25th January

Sunday BBQ / Lunch
Sunday 15th February
Sunday 15th March
 

Grace Men & Women

These events are a great opportunity to hear from God’s word, worship together, and connect with others.

Women’s Event
Stay tuned for deets (!)

Men’s Evening
Thursday 26th March, 7-9.30pm @ London Nautical School

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Courses/Special Events 

Salt Live is a series of talks on today's pressing issues and how the Christian faith speaks into them. Previous events include ‘Screen Fatigue’ & ‘The Crisis of Masculinity’ (7.30-9.30pm @ London Nautical School).

Foundations & Salt Course are two courses running in tandem. Foundations explores the core beliefs and practices of our faith, whereas the Salt Course considers life’s big questions from a Christian perspective. Click on either below for more info.

Salt Live
Tuesday 3rd February

Salt Course
Seven consecutive Tuesday evenings beginning 17th February

Foundations
Seven consecutive Tuesday evenings beginning 17th February
 

Salt Live last spring

My Favourite Reads of 2025

How to Read a Book by Andrew Naselli. It is difficult to read well these days. Our minds have been conditioned to seek out distractions, which are readily available and highly compulsive. At the same time, I am convinced that no amount of articles or podcasts can come close to the importance of developing a habit of reading in order to develop depth and wisdom. And so, from time to time, I pick up books to help me remain inspired and motivated as a reader of books. As Ecclesiastes puts it, ‘If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge, he must use more strength, but wisdom helps one to succeed.’ Naselli’s book is worth reading in order to sharpen the mental axe, and make you a better reader. It’s also full of great recommendations on books Naselli has enjoyed over the years.

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Christianity and Liberalism by J. Gresham Machen. Published in 1923, this book remains extraordinarily important and insightful if you want to understand the problems afflicting the church in the West. Why did the denominations collapse over the course of this past century? Why are we constantly disagreeing with one another on issues of morality and culture? Why are so many churches hell-bent on disregarding the Bible on key issues? Machen understood the fundamental problem long before it ravaged the church, and his book remains as relevant today as when it was written. It goes straight to the heart of the matter, and shows how there are actually two different religions posing as Christianity – one that is authentic, the other that is not. I think every Christian should read this book (this was my third or fourth reading).

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Superbloom by Nicholas Carr. Some years ago, I read Carr’s provocative book, The Shallows, all about how the internet is making us more stupid and less capable of deep and sustained thought. Anyone who grew up experiencing life on either side of the internet and smartphones (as I did) resonates with this diagnosis. You start to wonder, What happened to my ability to concentrate?! To me, it’s one of the greatest cultural and spiritual challenges facing us today. Carr’s latest book, Superbloom, is another brilliant assessment of the way technology is harming us, this time looking at its impact on communication and relationships. His book is a call to return to embodied relationships – something we, as Christians, passionately believe in and seek to embrace through our commitment to church and our love of neighbour.

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What It Means to Be Protestant by Gavin Ortlund. It may have escaped your notice, but there is a powerful trend unfolding as many people are being drawn to the old denominations of Catholicism and Orthodoxy. In fact, these denominations are pumping out content in order to capitalise on this trend. The impulse has emerged out of an angst and a search for rootedness and tradition in a world that is being stripped of culture, and turned into a mass-entertainment, mass-consumer, two-dimensional desert. How should we react to this trend? On the one hand, I resonate with the basic urge: our world does indeed need to look backwards to what is ancient in order to find truth and meaning. At the same time, I’m deeply concerned about the fashionable drift towards Catholicism and Orthodoxy, as though we Protestants do not have a more ancient and more stable foundation in Scripture. Ortlund does an incredible job of showing the beauty of Protestantism over against Catholicism and Orthodoxy, all the while speaking in a gracious and generous tone.

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The Wager by David Grann. This is a breathtaking account of an almost unbelievable true story. The Wager was shipwrecked in the mid-18th century whilst attempting to sail around Cape Horn (at the tip of South America). Grann has achieved something extraordinary in being able to piece together the characters and events involved in this tale, giving plenty of detail and texture to make it all come to life. It reads with the pace of a novel, unfolding this shocking account, whilst also giving eye-opening insights into the reality of life on an old sailing ship. There are lessons in leadership and loyalty, but most of all, it’s just a brilliant read. A perfect Christmas gift for your bookworm friends.

A December without Christmas

It’s hard to imagine December without Christmas. For many, it truly is one of the most wonderful times of the year with all the festive sights, sounds, and scents of the season. A December with no carols playing in the background or lights decorating streets and homes, and where the 25th is just another day, is inconceivable. 

I remember my first Christmas in the Middle East. It felt so foreign and disorienting. The familiar traditions of Christmas that make this time of year so special were nowhere to be found. But that first December on the Arabian Gulf was also clarifying. The people in that cultural context don’t need a beautifully decorated tree with twinkling lights, nor neatly wrapped presents underneath. They need to hear of a Saviour wrapped in swaddling cloths lying in a manger.

Christmas is about God’s mission to send His Son to seek and save the lost (Luke 19.10). It is about the good news of great joy that will be for all the people (Luke 2.10) and the true light that has come to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death (Luke 1.79). Christmas is ultimately all about God’s mission, which compels us to consider how we may commit our lives to that mission. The reality is that there are two billion people with no access to the gospel who have never heard of the grace of God in Christ that we celebrate this season.

Will you consider the trajectory of your life this Christmas season? Will you hold your dreams and desires for your life open-handed before the Lord? Will you pray bold, gutsy prayers about your future? Will you consider crossing a culture and learning a language to make disciples among a people group where Christmas doesn’t exist?
 

“God is pursuing with omnipotent passion a worldwide purpose of gathering joyful worshipers for Himself from every tribe and tongue and people and nation…let us bring our affections into line with His, and, for the sake of His name, let us renounce the quest for worldly comforts and join His global purpose.” John Piper

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” Romans 10.14-15

When God Feels Far at Christmas

Christmas is supposed to be “merry and bright”, full of warmth, family, and joy. Yet for many, this season only magnifies what is missing. Empty chairs. Broken relationships. Lingering grief. Unanswered prayers. And in the quiet beneath the celebration, a question sometimes rises: Has God forgotten me?

One of the most honest prayers in the Bible opens this way through David:
 

“How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I take counsel in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all the day?” (Psalm 13.1-2)

This is not polished worship. This is raw. David names the full weight of his pain. He talks about emotional distress, anxious thoughts, enemies, shame, and sorrow that return day after day. He wonders if his suffering means God has forgotten him. Many of us feel that same tension at Christmas. We see lights everywhere, but inside it feels dark. We hear songs of joy, but inside, there is grief. We hear about hope, yet we feel stuck in cycles of despair. We wonder if God still sees us. David goes on to say,
 

“Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death.” (Psalm 13.3)

This is more than a prayer for relief, it is a prayer for clarity. “Light up my eyes.” In other words: Help me see You rightly. David understands that while feelings are real, they are not always reliable. Our emotions can describe our experience, but they do not define God’s reality. Feeling forgotten does not mean we are forgotten. At Christmas, this truth matters deeply. We may feel abandoned, but the manger declares otherwise. God does not move away from our darkness, He enters it.

Finally, I love David's resolve at the end.  He says,
 

“But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
because he has dealt bountifully with me.” (Psalm 13.5-6)

Notice what has not changed. The enemies are still there. The feelings are still heavy. The waiting is still hard. And yet David discovers something that remains within his control: he can choose to trust, to rejoice, and to sing, even before circumstances change. His worship becomes an act of holy resistance against despair.

And this is where Christmas speaks most powerfully into the fear of being forgotten. The world waited four hundred years in silence between the last prophet and the first cry from the manger. Many must have wondered if God had abandoned His promises. But at just the right time, God did not send a message, He sent His Son (Gal 4:4). The birth of Jesus is heaven’s unmistakable answer to our deepest fear of being forgotten. So when Christmas feels heavy, when joy feels forced, when God seems silent, we can still ask our honest questions. We can still pray for light. And we can still sing!

Four books on prayer

You have God’s ear. Every time you pray, the maker of the universe bends to listen. The one holding together every atom wants to hear your voice.

Prayer is an astonishing gift. But how do we actually do it? And what exactly is the point? These four books tackle those questions and much more.

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A Praying Life by Paul Miller impacted me like few other books. I read it at nineteen, and the opening chapters hit me hard. Miller offers a down-to-earth, honest look at the struggles and joys of prayer and invites readers to approach God as children would a loving father - honestly, persistently, and dependently.

I’d recommend to anyone who wants to experience more of God but has become jaded and quietly sceptical.
 

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Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire by Jim Cymbala is part autobiography, part call to arms. It retells how the Holy Spirit transformed the struggling Brooklyn Tabernacle into a thriving church through the power of prayer. Cymbala urges us to seek God earnestly, especially in times of weakness and desperation. It’s a stirring read for anyone longing for hope and renewal in the church today.
 

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Prayer by Tim Keller is a modern classic on the subject, and for good reason. Keller accessibly explores the power and practice of talking with God, drawing from scripture, church history, and personal experience. The purpose? To help us cultivate a richer, more intimate prayer life.
 

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Power Through Prayer by E. M. Bounds might be small, but it packs a punch. The message is simple: the church doesn’t primarily need new methods, programs, or strategies but people who pray. In his own words:
 

“What the Church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organisations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Spirit can use—men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Spirit does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men—men of prayer.”

Expect to be provoked. (Plus, it’s only £1.20. Stocking filler, anyone?)
 

If you prefer listening, check out the audiobooks here: A Praying Life, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire, Prayer, and Power Through Prayer.

Sisters in Scripture

Over the last few months, women from across all three congregations have been gathering on Saturday mornings to walk through the Old Testament scriptures together. Each biweekly session follows a simple rhythm: breakfast, Bible-reading, reflection, and prayer. Led by Bisi, Paulina, and Naomi, the study has brought together women from all walks of life, who share more below.
 

Seeing Scripture as One Story

Following David Platt’s Secret Church: A Survey of the Old Testament, the group has been unpacking scripture as one unified story that points to Jesus. As Bisi shared, “It was a joy to trace God’s glorious story as it unfolds and to see how it all fits together perfectly. God has been establishing his kingdom right from Eden.”

“If you want to properly understand Christ”, she continued, “you need to understand the Old Testament. It’s rich in Christ symbolism, hiding more easter eggs and foreshadowing than any Marvel movie. This also matters because knowing that the Bible is coherent and totally consistent gives you confidence that it’s not only reliable but the true revelation of God.”

Naomi added, “It’s so good to see such hunger for God’s word among sisters at Grace. A highlight for me has been tracing God’s heart for mission throughout the Old Testament. I could write for ages about this, but I’ll summarise by saying I didn’t expect to be so stirred for mission through this study. It has deepened my understanding of God’s unwavering and faithful heart, and made me so excited about his kingdom coming. It’s been such a gift.”
 

Building community

For Paulina, a highlight has been seeing not only spiritual hunger but also friendships flourishing. “Welcoming people who started this with us one year ago, when we were studying 1 Peter, has been really encouraging, as well as seeing new faces. We’ve seen such a growth in interest this time around!”

“I hope we continue gathering to open God’s word and to remain curious about what he’s doing in and through our lives, the church, and the world. I just love all the women that have come… happy, weary, curious… all have been a blessing.”

Salome, who joined the Waterloo PM service earlier this year, reflected, “Being new to London sometimes feels isolating, but this Bible study has helped me experience God through a community of fellow women. It's more than just an intellectual study of scriptures - it's life-giving to hear from people of all different ages, personalities, and backgrounds.”

As we wrap up our Old Testament study and look ahead to our next session in the New Year, we warmly invite any woman at Grace—whether you're happy, weary, or curious—to join us for the next study. To get involved or ask questions, email Bisi at bisi@grace.london or join the women’s Bible study group chat via our WhatsApp community.

As Laura from the Waterloo evening service put it, “I will never regret not sleeping in on a Saturday - but to think what I could have missed if God didn’t meet me and say, ‘Come, I’ll fill your cup till it overflows!’”

This Christmas could be different

Inviting a friend to church can feel daunting. You brace for the polite "no". Again.

But maybe, despite our low expectations, the answer will be a grateful “yes”. The Spirit moves in ways we can’t predict, after all. Nobody would have expected the brutal Saul of Tarsus to become a Christian (and then pen much of the New Testament). Nor former slave-trader John Newton, writer of Amazing Grace. Nor you perhaps. God loves to turn 'lost causes' (people like us) into beloved children. He works the impossible.

And he might do the same this year with your friend or family member. Who knows. Of course, there are a thousand ways God could move in their lives—he’s not confined to our calendars or services—but perhaps he’ll include you somewhere in their story through a simple invitation.

So, I encourage you to pray for your friends as we approach Christmas and invite them to one of our festive events below. This Christmas could be different.

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Carols

Sunday 7th December, 4pm & 7pm @ Cheng Kin Ku Building

Join us for carols, a message and delicious festive treats. Think mulled wine, fairy lights, and Joy to the World. If you have children, please attend the 4pm service, where we'll have groups for kids aged 2-12.
 

Wreath Making Workshop

Saturday 6th December, 11am-1pm @ London Nautical School

A fun, informal, hands-on experience to celebrate the Christmas season. All materials are included, and everyone will take home a handmade wreath. Open to all - so come along, bring a friend.

Tickets are £25. Limited spaces are available, so book your spot ASAP here.

Come with nothing

How do you feel about yourself as a Christian? 

Perhaps you feel like a failure. Your prayer life is patchy (at best), and your Bible reading plan is a distant memory. When you’re at church, you look around at the ‘good Christians’ and wish for the same picture-perfect devotion. To make it worse, you’re battling the same old sins, which never seem to abate.

Or maybe you feel good. You pray and read the Bible daily, and give generously each month. Your family is walking with the Lord, and you’ve evangelised to several colleagues over the last few weeks. The battle over sin feels easy, and life feels fruitful.

However you feel—flourishing or failing—the truth is that we come to the Father with empty hands. He’s not checking your good works at the door with a sign reading ‘only successes allowed’. Nope. You come to the Father through Jesus’ spotless record, counted as your own. Whether you’ve had the best or worst week, you are covered with Christ’s perfection, not your failures or achievements. You bring nothing.

This is at the heart of our homegrown song Come to the King. It’s an invitation to return to God with all our brokenness, sin, and weakness. As one line puts it:

“Bring all your heart, you’re welcomed as you are.” 

God doesn’t ask us to polish ourselves up beforehand, but to come empty-handed and messy and let him do the mending.


Come with nothing, together.

But there’s another layer to the song. Although it began as a moment of personal devotion, Come to the King is also a song for the church. We return to God in community. On our own, we often become paralysed by guilt, shame, introspection and despair. We need words of encouragement and challenge, and the regular rhythms of life groups and Sunday services to shake us out of ourselves. Shoulder to shoulder, we come with nothing, together.

So, when writing Come to the King, we made a few intentional moves. In the first draft of the chorus, there was no ‘all we need’, only ‘all I need’, which we quickly changed. We wanted something we could belt out together, as one church family. And when our producer suggested recording group vocals, we were keen to try it out. During our Worship Team Night in August, we set up a couple of microphones, filled the room, and recorded the bridge and final chorus live. Rather than only one or two voices, this song now has 25.

Come to the King drops next Friday (14th Nov) across streaming platforms, and we can’t wait to share it with you. We hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we have, and that it causes you to worship without striving or performance.

Until then, you can pre-save the song here so it’s waiting for you on release day.

How to eat the book

Reading is a lot like eating. 

But then again, so is watching, and scrolling, and listening to your favourite pods. That’s why we talk about consuming content.

The biblical authors talk this way. They speak about God’s word as something you can consume. Ezekiel was told to ‘Eat this scroll…’ and so he adds, ‘Then I ate it, and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey.’ Jeremiah says something similar: ‘Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart…’ 

The Psalmist talks about God’s words as desirable and edible: ‘More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.’ And again, ‘How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!’ 

Why is reading (and watching, and scrolling, and listening) like eating?

We know that, at some level, the things we consume become a part of us. That’s true of food, and it’s true of words. They change us, very often in unconscious ways. Everything we are exposed to leaves its mark upon us, affecting how we think about the world and about ourselves. 

This means that you can approach eating and reading in much the same way. You eat regularly (at least once a day), habitually (even when you wish you wouldn’t!), by necessity (or you’ll die), and mostly with enjoyment; it’s sweet to your tastebuds. 

I think that God wants us to read his word in the same way: regularly, habitually, by necessity, and with deep enjoyment.

How should you go about consuming the book?

Of course, there is a maximal approach to studying the Bible. Some people are called to dedicate their whole lives to it, and even then, after years of dedicated study, they will often feel that they have barely begun.

But it can be unhelpful to think about the maximal approach when most people struggle to make any headway in reading the Scriptures. And so, I want to suggest that eating the book should look like the straightforward, daily practice of just reading or listening to the Bible. 

Don’t overthink this so that you paralyse yourself. Just as you manage to pour a bowl of cereal each morning, or buy a meal deal at lunch, or whip up your favourite pasta dish at night, so should you establish a habit of eating the Bible every day – same place, same time, following a manageable reading plan. (I like this one.)

You won’t understand everything. You may not even know what difference it is making at first. But just as eating does you good regardless of whether you understand the biochemistry involved, so does God’s word.

As this habit becomes a part of your life so that you love it and actively look forward to it, you’ll find ways of going deeper. But that’s for later. Right now, just read.

Why bother with Communion?

Over the centuries, the bread and wine we share in remembrance of Jesus’ crucifixion have been called many things: the Eucharist, the Lord’s Supper, the sacrament—and my favourite, Communion. The word itself speaks of relational intimacy—think of community or communal—and captures the heart of why we eat and drink each week.


Drawing Near to God

Communion is a moment to remember Jesus. We recall his suffering and death for us, and draw near to God in our hearts. In this sense, it is a memorial—we eat and drink to remember and make Jesus’ sacrifice the centre of our gathering. As he instructed, “Do this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22.19)

So, taking Communion is an act of worshipful obedience to Christ. We say in effect, 'Lord, you are worth remembering. I return to you and make the cross the centre of my life once again.'

It’s a relational act—an opportunity to remember, to draw near to God, and to glorify him as we do so.


Drawing Near to Us

However, if Communion were only about our drawing near to God, it might feel like a one-sided relationship—God standing at a distance while we try to inch closer. Yet this couldn’t be further from the truth. While we edge towards him with mustard-seed faith, he races out to meet us and comfort us with his presence.

In particular, Jesus draws near to us through Communion. He is present with us as we share it. The bread and wine don’t become his literal body and blood (we’re not Catholics, after all), but Christ is truly and spiritually present in them. And where he is present, fresh happiness and rejuvenation flow. Just as bread and wine nourish our bodies, through the Lord’s Supper, Jesus nourishes our souls.

How exactly does he do this? Well, bread and wine are more tangible than words and ideas. They speak concrete words of truth to our often wavering, doubtful minds. Undeniable taste and texture, telling undeniable truths. As writer and theologian Tim Chester put it, “[Jesus] could have said, Say this in remembrance of me, or Think this… But he knows how battered by life we can be. So he gives bread and wine as physical reminders of his love.”

Communion is a channel of God’s grace—a tangible means by which he makes himself known. Of course, God is always with us, but in eating and drinking, we feel that presence more deeply. Again, Chester describes it beautifully...

“A good husband will tell his wife that he loves her, and Christ tells us that he loves us in the gospel message. But a good husband will also hug his wife as a physical demonstration of his commitment to her. Communion is Christ’s reassuring hug.”

So, as you take Communion this Sunday, let Jesus reassure you with his presence. He loves you more than you can imagine.

Waiting on God

Before leaving Abu Dhabi, I met with a friend to catch up on her life and ministry in the Middle East. She is a missionary, speaks fluent Arabic and shares the good news of Jesus Christ with women in the Arab world. Her life and faith are an encouragement to many. She is faithfully serving the Lord and taking the gospel to the hard places.

As our conversation unfolded, I could see that something was weighing heavy on her heart. She felt like she was reaching the end of her rope. She had waited for the Lord to answer a particular prayer about her future and cried out to him countless times for things to change. Life was not turning out like she had hoped, and it seemed as if God wasn’t there or simply didn’t care. It felt like God was distant and disengaged when it came to the hopes and dreams of her life.

Have you been there? Have you looked at what is (or isn’t) happening in your life and felt like you are reaching the end of your rope? You have waited, prayed, but nothing changes.

Waiting is a part of everyone’s story. Men and women in the Bible endured significant times of waiting. Abraham and Sarah waited to hold in their arms the child God had promised. Joseph waited in prison after being unjustly accused by Potiphar’s wife. The Israelites waited for their slavery to end. Habakkuk waited for God to intervene in the chaos of his time. The disciples of Jesus waited for hope to return when he died on the cross and was buried in the tomb.

Author Mark Vroegop writes in his book Waiting Isn’t a Waste that “Waiting isn’t a supplemental experience of the Christian life. It’s central. Following Jesus involves a life of waiting.” So where do we anchor our hearts while we wait? How do we wait well and not lose hope? We hold onto what we know to be true of God. We remember the promises of an unchanging God and anchor our hearts in his Word. We trust his character and ways, even when what is happening in our lives may not make sense.

If you find waiting to be hard, I want to encourage you to consider these three truths about God.

God is near and has not abandoned or forgotten you. “I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory.” Psalm 73.23-24

God is still sovereign. There is nothing that can prevent him from fulfilling his plans and purposes for your life. “My times are in your hand.” Psalm 31.15

God is still steadfast in his love for you. “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.” Lamentations 3.22

As John Piper says, “God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them.” Anchor your heart on the promises of a sovereign, loving God who is always near. Will you trust him while you wait?

Stories of Grace

Without baptisms, Grace London wouldn't really be a church. A group of believers, sure, but a church? Not quite. Maybe that sounds over the top, but Christians have agreed throughout the centuries that baptism is integral to our life together. Celebrating salvation in the lives of brothers and sisters is Jesus’ design and delight.

So, here’s a recap from our Together Sunday baptisms. What a day.

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I was bracing for rejection, expecting my parents to disown me, but instead, I was met with tears, hugs, and compassion.

My dad later told me that in his anger and disappointment, he prayed to God about how to respond, and God told him to show me unconditional love and forgiveness.

That was unimaginable for me. In that moment, through my father's embrace, I felt God's own embrace.

- Chloe
 

It wasn't until I was 21, in the midst of another dark time, that I experienced God's love and understood what it meant to be forgiven.

I was living in Australia, and started attending a church overflowing with excitement for God. The pastor spoke about how God has removed our sins as far as the east is from the west, that we are made new, and when we wake up in the morning, we step onto a floor of God's grace.

That experience was over 10 years ago, but it revolutionised my faith. I still feel the impact today.

- Joanne
 

I was in my kitchen and felt like I had the weight of the world on my shoulders. I was at rock bottom.

​I looked up and she said, ‘God, are you there?' and immediately felt something come over me. I broke down in tears on my kitchen floor. I even distinctly remember the weather outside changing, and a ray of sunshine just washed over the apartment.

​That was the moment when I knew without a doubt that I had to come back to God.

- Josh
 

In one of his last sermons, Jeremy preached about self-reliance, and that message really hit home. I realised how much I had been depending on my own strength instead of God's.

Today, I am here to declare that Jesus is my Lord and Saviour. I am choosing to lay down my old ways, die to myself, and live fully dependent on him. I want my life, my marriage, my work, everything that I do to reflect God's grace and goodness.

- Kyle
 

My dad shared something similar to C.S. Lewis' words that Christianity is either false and of no importance or true and of infinite importance.

We realised that if Christianity was true, then it deserved more than just a casual belief, so we decided to try church again, but this time with open hearts. The very next Sunday, I walked into church and cried throughout the worship. I can't explain it. I just knew that this was what I'd been missing.

- Tara-Lynn
 

The topic of baptism has been a big one for me. For nearly two years, it's been bubbling in the background, but it wasn't something I met with excitement or joy. I met encouragement with resistance.

But nothing good comes easy.

The challenges along the way have led me here — speaking in front of you all, about to take part in the very act I was previously not jumping for joy about. That in itself shows how God can work in our hearts over time.

- Tyrone

Two courses for big thinkers

This October, we’re starting two evening courses: Foundations and Salt. Both are safe spaces to ask questions, seek truth, and share good food and conversation with others. Each course runs for seven Tuesday evenings, starting 21 October 2025.

Here’s a breakdown of each so you can choose the right one for you. Make sure to sign up!

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Foundations

For those seeking to grow in their faith.

Understanding God, his word, and his ways strengthens us. It gives us stability in difficult times, confidence in sharing our faith, and motivation to live for God. Yet many of us struggle to find the time—or even know where to start.

Foundations was set up to address this challenge. We’ll unpack the core beliefs and practices of the Christian faith and explore their life-changing implications. It’s a space to learn, to wrestle with your questions in community, strengthen your convictions, and pave the way to deeper spiritual formation.
 

What to expect

• Dinner together (free!)

• Interactive talk + small-group discussion

• Q&A

Where

• London Nautical School, SE1 9NA

Sample topics

• God: Delving into the nature and character of the Almighty.

• Prayer: Confidently approaching the throne of grace.

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The Salt Course

For those exploring life’s big questions.

Salt takes a more philosophical angle. It begins with the universal longings we all feel—for meaning, peace, purpose—and explores how Christianity speaks into them.

The course is for those who wouldn’t call themselves Christian or have been away from the faith for a while. You might be curious, sceptical, or simply interested in having a good discussion about the stuff that matters.

What to expect

• Dinner (free!)

• A short talk

• Table discussions (groups of 6–10), diving into that week’s question

Where

• Costa Coffee, The Cut, SE1 8LP

Sample topics

• Meaning: Isn’t there more to life than this?

• Peace: How do we overcome anxiety?

The best things in life are free

There’s a line from Ed Sheeran’s The A Team that struck me recently: “The worst things in life come free to us.” It rings painfully true. Disease, injustice, grief, depression, and death all arrive uninvited, barging into our lives without warning or cost. Ed was on to something.

But it's only half the picture. Because the best things in life are free too. The deepest sources of truth, beauty, and goodness aren’t bought—they’re received. They come as sheer gifts, poured out by a generous Father.

​In light of this, here are three of life’s greatest treasures that are ours to (freely) enjoy.
​

Creation

Living in a capital city, we can easily overlook the wonder of nature. For starters, there’s just less to see. Light pollution and the abundance of concrete make the stars dimmer, and wild spaces scarcer. But even so, life has a way of finding the gaps in the tarmac - the sun still dawns in unrestrained beauty, the birds still sing, the clouds still form their patchwork quilts. Creation quietly insists on being noticed.

Step outside the city and the spectacle widens: oceans, forests, mountains, skies that stretch unbroken. It’s all from God, who loves to shower us—all humanity in fact—with undeserved common grace.
​

People​

The people God places in our lives are among his sweetest gifts. For most of us, the love and company of family make life’s highs higher, and its lows more bearable. We didn’t choose our family (sometimes that’s obvious!), but God chose them for us and knitted them into our lives with great intentionality. We never earned their kindness, but he knows we need it.

And when family is absent or strained, God’s grace is no less evident. He gives us friends—often in unexpected ways. Most of my closest peers are not those I consciously invested in from the get-go, but old flatmates, life group members, and school friends. God sovereignly brought us together, and the rest is history.


Jesus

This gift surpasses all others. We get to enjoy time with Jesus every day. He speaks to us through the Bible, hears us as we pray, and nourishes us as we take communion. He encourages and challenges us through prophecy and the faithful words of a friend. He walks with us and loves us. He loves us, he loves us, he loves us.

This intimacy was never guaranteed. Once estranged from God because of our sin, we had no claim to it. But Jesus closed the gap, choosing the cross and paying the debt. The treasure of knowing God is now ours to enjoy, the invoice already settled. Into eternity we go, an endless discovery of his love freely given.


Wherever you find yourself today, why not enjoy God’s gifts and let them stir up thanks? Take 10 minutes away from your desk to walk through a park. Reconnect with a friend. Most importantly, spend time with your saviour who paid for your life so that you don’t have to.

"Spiritual but not religious"

Sage and crystals, star signs and chakras. The modern West may be less religious than in the past, but it is no less spiritual. Many have traded Christianity, with its dos and don’ts, for spiritual practices offering transcendence without obligation. Yet, in the noisy and confusing marketplace of spiritual practices, many feel untethered and uncertain.

Does being “spiritual but not religious” offer the freedom it promises? Does it satisfy our souls’ deep ache for higher power?

Join speaker and author Simon Edwards as he explores this cultural shift towards spiritual autonomy and considers what the Christian faith says to our longing for liberty and transcendence.

Date: 7th October 2025
Time: 7.30pm
Price: Free
Location: London Nautical School, SE1 9NA

Sign up via Eventbrite

About our speaker

Simon Edwards is a speaker and writer. He originally hails from Australia, where he worked as a lawyer before moving to the UK to study at Oxford.

He is the author of The Sanity of Belief: Why Faith Makes Sense (2021) and has spoken internationally at churches, businesses, government institutions, conferences, and universities. In the UK, he has been interviewed for several BBC Radio programs, as well as Christian radio stations and podcasts.

Simon lives in Buckinghamshire, England, with his wife, Natasha, and their three young children.

Home from home

The door opened to a familiar face. “Welcome,’ Alex said. ‘Come in. Come in!”

A hubbub of chatter, caffeinated air, and clattering plates greeted me as I left the quiet street and entered the Tait’s home. Alex’s wife, Kat, stood talking by the stove, every gas ring covered by a pan. Their kids, George, Clara, and Oscar, played with grown-up friends, unfazed by the organised chaos around them. Preparations for brunch were in full flow, and it all reminded me of a big family gathering - loud and busy, yet warm and relaxed. Home from home.

For Alex and Kat, welcoming people is a passion. Since joining Grace London three years ago, they've made it their mission to bring others into authentic church life, over brunch, life group, or a post-service picnic. Last May, they also began leading the Waterloo AM Welcome team, helping newcomers feel at home each Sunday. But their story at Grace didn't start as you might expect.

“When we came, we didn’t feel hugely welcomed. We stood alone for a while,” laughed Kat as I chatted to them last week, a few months after that first brunch. The room was calmer this time round, the dishwasher quietly churning in the background.

"We used to run the Welcome team at our previous church," Alex added. "So, it mattered a lot to us. Our first Sunday here was slightly uncomfortable, but we left feeling that there was an opportunity for the church to grow in this area. Grace drew us in—people who adored Jesus, passionate worship, strong teaching—but we were hesitant about our experience of being welcomed."

Given their initial hesitation, I wanted to know why they stuck around. “On the flip side”, I said, “now you’ve been a Grace for three years, what’s your favourite memory?”

A pause. “Shortly after we joined, our daughter, Clara, went to hospital and was very, very sick,” Kat replied. “But within two hours, we had a week's worth of meals and babysitting rotas. It was a real testament to the incredible community that exists within Grace. It was certainly an amazing thing to witness.”

“The community really stepped into its own,” agreed Alex.

“And it gives us confidence as we welcome people into the church - we know that we're drawing them into something amazing and can do it with such sincerity.”
 

Kat alluded to their role of spearheading the welcome at our Waterloo morning service, and I was keen to know more. “What’s your favourite thing about your current team?” I asked.

“I’m probably gonna say the same thing,” Alex said to Kat, smiling.

“We love that there are loads of families in our team. It has been special to see those with young kids finding a way to serve. It's such a delight to have our son George—he's four—on the gate with Alex, highfiving people as they enter church.”

“Dare I say, he’s a far more effective welcomer than I will ever be,” Alex said. “Who can say no to a happy four-year-old?”

“And what kind of people are you looking for to join the team?” I asked. “Besides, you know, four-year-olds.”

“Five-year-olds are also welcome,” Alex joked.
”Another strength of the team is that we don't just have extroverts. I’m your typical ‘E’ - I'm energised by a room of people I don't know, but for a lot of people, that's their worst nightmare. Our Welcome team is blessed to have many who seek out quieter conversations. We need people who can energetically say hi to anyone, but also people who can welcome those who don't enjoy an energetic greeting.”

Our conversation was coming to a close, but over the course of it, I had learnt that for Alex and Kat, church is as much ‘home’ to them as their Kennington terrace. Both are places where they open up their lives and hearts—and stand by an open door. Saturday brunch and Sunday service aren’t so different in their eyes.

“In the same way that I would welcome people into my home—looking out for those who are new, offering a drink—that’s how I want to welcome people on a Sunday”, Kat said when I asked her about her heart for the ministry. “Church is God's house, and we get the privilege of welcoming people into it.”

*The Welcome team differ from the hospitality team, who prepare food, drinks and communion. If you’d like to join any of our volunteering teams, visit grace.london/serve.