Liam Thatcher

A God-given Name There’s a moment I love in the story of David, when he and Bathsheba have a child, who would go on to become Israel’s wisest king and build the Temple for God’s presence. His parents named him Solo…

In 2 Samuel 12 David and Bathsheba decide to call their child Solomon. But the Lord has other ideas, declaring that his name is Jedediah.

A short encouragement about names, and how what God says about your identity is the truest thing about you.

liamthatcher.com/2025/07/18/a...

Who knew Bear Grylls was so old?!

A Living Community At Oxford Community Church we are currently in a series on Community Groups, and this Sunday I co-preached on one of my favourite gospel stories in Mark 2 Four men bring their friend to Jesus, seek…

On Sunday I (co)preached on Mark 2, in which four men go to extreme lengths to get their friend to Jesus! In this talk, Chloe and I consider what it looks like to build a community characterised by life and faith.

liamthatcher.com/2025/06/30/a...

Tithing and the New Covenant — Salt & Light Advance Tithing is a spiritual practice encouraged in our family of churches. We often get asked about it, so this article will help you understand a New Testament, New Covenant view on tithing.

A few thoughts on the practice of tithing under the New Covenant, adapted from a recent sermon:

www.advancechurches.uk/news/tithing...

And it's also a great reminder of the importance of honouring an OT text in its original context, as well as interpreting it through the lens of the New Covenant!

Today, the day after Pentecost Sunday, I'm writing a sermon on Joel 2. While I've preached on Acts 2 many times, I've never before preached in a series on Joel. It's a beautiful challenge to get into the mindset of a pre-Pentecost reader and imagine what they might have expected.

Venom and Antivenom: A Gospel Metaphor Tim Friede has been bitten by snakes more than 200 times and received 700 injections of venom. Now his blood could save hundreds of thousands of people. It’s an imperfect gospel metaphor to be sure…

Tim Friede has been bitten by snakes more than 200 times and received 700 injections of venom. Now his blood could save hundreds of thousands.

It’s an imperfect gospel metaphor to be sure, but it’s not bad. 🐍

liamthatcher.com/2025/05/06/v...

May the 5th be with you

Sweat: A Biblical Theology in Three Acts Sweat. It’s the body’s natural cooling mechanism, regulating our temperature when it rises due to heat, exercise, fear or stress. Perspiring can be an unpleasant but very necessary bodily function …

It’s amusing to me that on this hottest of weeks, my most read article is an old one I wrote on a biblical theology of sweat 💦

liamthatcher.com/2021/10/01/s...

The Death of David’s Innocent Son (2 Samuel 12) There are stories in Scripture which, honestly, I struggle with. One of them comes in 2 Samuel 12, when the Lord took the life of David’s innocent son. The context for this is the sin of David agai…

There are stories in Scripture which, honestly, I struggle with. One of them comes in 2 Samuel 12, when the Lord took the life of David’s innocent son. Here's how I try to make sense of this troubling passage, in the context of God's salvation plan.

liamthatcher.com/2025/04/29/t...

The Banished are Beloved: A Holy Week reflection on David’s Sons This week I’ve found myself reading through a rather unpleasant stretch of 2 Samuel – the story of David’s sons, Amnon and Absalom. These chapters are full of violence, abuse, manipulation and hear…

THE BANISHED ARE BELOVED

A short reflection for Holy Week, comparing David's wicked sons with David's True Son.

liamthatcher.com/2025/04/15/t...

Project Weekender: The Empowered Life A few weeks ago I spoke at Project Weekender, a 24-hour conference for students and 20s passionate about seeing God move in their generation. It was so much fun – and I was delighted to disco…

A few weeks ago I spoke at Project Weekender, a 24-hour conference for students and 20s passionate about seeing God move in their generation. It was so much fun – and I was delighted to discover I wasn’t even in the top 10 oldest people in the room!

liamthatcher.com/2025/04/14/4...

Me: "I wonder when my favourite band will release new music."

Band: "Allow me to answer that with a series of riddles, which can only be cracked by the most experienced of cryptanalysts with nothing else to occupy their time."

Me: "Yeah, I'm just gonna find a new band..."

J: “Daddy, I don’t like your new glasses.”

Me: “Why not?”

J: “It’s the colour and the shape. Oh… and your face!”

“Yes, and…” A prophetic principle from improv comedy When learning to prophesy, I often find that people fall into one of two mistakes. They’re paralysed by overthinking or limited by underthinking. Some people feel they need the entire prophetic wor…

When learning to prophesy, people often fall into one of two mistakes. They’re paralysed by overthinking or limited by underthinking.

Here's a helpful principle from an unlikely source: the world of improv comedy.

liamthatcher.com/2025/03/31/y...

Day 25: Hebrews 8 – Our high priest of the new covenant As we’ve read through the instructions for the tabernacle this week, we’ve begun to see how so much of the design points forward to the new covenant in Jesus. The letter to the Hebrews is a great plac...

HEBREWS 8: HIGH PRIEST OF THE NEW COVENANT

The tabernacle was an earthly representation of a heavenly reality. This is why Moses was warned to follow the pattern God showed him. He was depicting something that already existed: the dwelling place of God.

www.biblesociety.org.uk/resources/th...

Day 24: Exodus 29 – Consecration and communion God finishes his instructions for the tabernacle by introducing a ceremony of consecration and communion. All the blood and sacrifice can seem very strange to us today, but we can imagine what it all ...

EXODUS 29: CONSECRATION AND COMMUNION

Having described the tabernacle and priestly clothing, God introduces a seven-day ceremony involving a lot of blood!

In today’s reflection we consider the purpose of the sacrificial system.

www.biblesociety.org.uk/resources/th...

Day 23: Exodus 28 – Dressed for the occasion Exodus 28 details the priestly clothing worn by Aaron in his role as high priest. There’s so much symbolism here that points forward to the person and ministry of Jesus.

EXODUS 28: DRESSED FOR THE OCCASION

The High Priest’s clothing is described in great detail. Heavy, ornate, covered in jewels and rich in symbolism. But what does it all represent?

www.biblesociety.org.uk/resources/th...

Day 22: Exodus 27 – Bearing fruit and shining light Inside the tabernacle was a beautiful lamp on a stand ... sound familiar? Join us today to think about and pray through what it means to be light to those around us.

EXODUS 27: BEARING FRUIT AND SHINING LIGHT

Inside the tabernacle, in front of the curtain, was an ornate golden lamp stand covered in shapes like almond flowers. What is the purpose of this lamp stand, and what relevance does it have for us today?

www.biblesociety.org.uk/resources/th...

Day 21: Exodus 26 — Behind the curtain Today we’re thinking about the most important part of the temple – the Holy of Holies, the Most Holy Place, hidden behind layers of curtains.

EXODUS 26: BEHIND THE CURTAIN

After giving instructions for the ritual furniture, God begins to describe the design of the tabernacle itself. There are a lot of curtains!

www.biblesociety.org.uk/resources/th...

Day 20: Exodus 25 – A portable Eden In Exodus 25 God begins laying out his instructions for building the tabernacle – his dwelling place. There’s more to it than just some poles and canvas, though. This tent has been deliberately design...

I had the privilege of writing for Bible Society's Lent Encounter. Each day this week, you can find a short reflection - written and audio - on the Tabernacle, the Priesthood and how they point to Christ.

Today's offering - Exodus 25, a Portable Eden:

www.biblesociety.org.uk/resources/th...

Freedom from Sin (Romans 6) On Sunday I spoke at Horizon Church Carerton as part of their series on Romans. We looked at the subject of freedom and considered how our beliefs affect our behaviours, and how the gospel radicall…

On Sunday I spoke at Horizon Church Carterton, continuing their series on Romans, looking at 'freedom' in chapter 6.

It's always a joy to visit, and to see the ever-increasing number of new faces and ever-decreasing number of spare chairs!! 🙂 #ThrivingChurches

liamthatcher.com/2025/03/17/f...

A Priest like Melchizedek (Hebrews 7) On Sunday I continued our series at Oxford Community Church, looking at the identity of Jesus in the letter to the Hebrews. After a few weeks of tantalising hints, we finally spoke about the enigma…

A PRIEST LIKE MELCHIZEDEK: How does an enigmatic priest-king, mentioned only in a handful of Old Testament verses, point to Christ? And what does Melchizedek teach us about the levitical priesthood, the wonder of scripture, and the practice of tithing?

liamthatcher.com/2025/03/05/a...

Bathbombination (noun): The full-scale olfactory ambush experienced when walking past a LUSH store.

Strike the Ground (2 Kings 13) Last weekend the Salt and Light Advance family of churches held our annual Leaders’ Conference, Thrive. It was a great event, at which we enjoyed powerful times of worship, teaching and minis…

STRIKE THE GROUND (2 KINGS 13)

At the recent Thrive conference for Salt and Light Advance, I spoke on praying for revival, from the story of Joash and Elisha, calling us to cry out to God with desperation and faith.

liamthatcher.com/2025/02/26/s...

Strike the Ground (2 Kings 13) Last weekend the Salt and Light Advance family of churches held our annual Leaders’ Conference, Thrive. It was a great event, at which we enjoyed powerful times of worship, teaching and minis…

STRIKE THE GROUND (2 KINGS 13)

At the recent Thrive conference for Salt and Light Advance, I spoke on praying for revival, from the story of Joash and Elisha, calling us to cry out to God with desperation and faith.

liamthatcher.com/2025/02/26/s...

Yep, I contemplated that!

I'm writing a sermon on Melchizedek, and you better believe I've got his name on my clipboard ready to paste. Ain't no way I'm repeatedly typing that out!

Rooted Podcast: What does Proverbs say about wealth? I recently sat down with some friends from Bible Society, Noel and Esther, to have a conversation for the Rooted Podcast. This podcast series looks at the book of Proverbs, following the theme of t…

What does Proverbs say about wealth?

I recently had a conversation with friends at Bible Society for their Rooted Podcast, talking about the theme of wealth in the book of Proverbs. You can listen in here 👇🏻🎧

liamthatcher.com/2025/02/24/r...

Questioning Keller’s 200 Terrible Sermons “For the first 200 sermons, no matter what you do, your first 200 sermons are going to be terrible.” I’ve encountered this quote from Tim Keller a good many times, and have found it to be a m…

“No matter what you do, your first 200 sermons are going to be terrible.” (Timothy Keller)

A few thoughts on improving as a preacher, with some suggestions for development.

liamthatcher.com/2025/02/18/q...