In 2026, we are reading trhrough the Bible in a year. All of us are encouraged to download the app called The Bible with Nicky & Pippa Gumbel and to read a section every day. Alongside this, we have sermons exploring the books we are reading, and monthly meetings for discussion. There is also a WhatsApp group for instant reaction.
11 January 2026
Nick launched the series with two stories from the early chapters of Genesis. Dwelling on the bad news of human rebellion and murderous jealousy, contained within the grim stuff is a remarkable promise: a “seed” who will one day crush the power of evil, while sustaining a mortal blow himself. Who could this “seed” be? We will see many candidates presnting themselves, but each time our hopes will be dashed as they fall short. In this way, the Bible builds anticipation to a remarkable level, until a carpenter’s son fulfils the ancient promises in a quite unexpected way.
18 January 2026
John confronts one of the hardest passages in the first book of the Bible. Did God really ask someone to sacrifice their son? And if he didn’t mean it, what sort of cruelty was it to lead him up the garden path like that?
John attempts to help us know what to do with this difficult story, and other difficult stories like it.
25 January 2026
Nick talks about two crucial characters in the book of Genesis: Judah and Joseph. Their names will keep popping up as we travel on through the Bible, they were both full of flaws, yet rose to the occasion at critical moments in their story. Again, there are hard parts to their stories, and some clues on how to read these difficult texts.
1 February 2026
Moving into the second book of the Bible, here is an interlude about seven women who saved Moses. Moses, perhaps the most impiortant leader in the whole of the Old Testament, had a dangerous beginning. His life was saved, and his future destiny preseved, by the courageous actions of women who ignored and opposed the dicates of the powerful, and evil emperor: Pharaoh.