Luke 21:25-36 – Advent Today is Advent Sunday. Traditionally the start of the church year. A time of Advent calendars, mince pies, carols, and Christmas preparations. Though Advent calendars, which always used to just have pictures behind the doors but now invariably seem to have chocolate, start on December 1st instead of the actual start […]
Isaiah 55.1-11, Mark 10.46-end Today is Bible Sunday, a day when we give thanks for the bible, celebrate it and particularly remember those people and organisations that work to promote the bible, among them our own Hamish Bruce who of course works for the Bible Society Our readings today (OTanyway) is especially for Bible Sunday […]
Hebrews 4:12-16, Mark 10:17-31 The word of God is living and active This morning I would like to explore one way that we can hear God speaking with us. With you. With me. I wonder how you feel just now, hearing those words? Did your heart give a little surge? Was there a sense […]
James 3:13-4:3,7-8a – Creation Today is the third Sunday in the Season of Creation. But I am also going to be talking about our lectionary readings, which are quite appropriate – though they may not seem so at first. Though I have read it many times before, I was particularly struck by the passage […]
Praying for Creation James 5.13-20, Mark 9.38-50 The picture on the screen shows Växjö cathedral in Småland Sweden. As you know, Oxford diocese is twinned with Växjö diocese. This time last week we were there visiting our daughter. Like us the cathedral is marking the season of creation and its newsletter encourages members to […]
It has been a busy week for me in the run-up to Freshers Week at the University. When I finally got time yesterday to prepare this sermon I was already somewhat ‘highly strung’. My wife, Jo, feminist and academic, had gone away on a hen weekend with her future sister-in-law, part of which included a […]
Song of Solomon 2:8-13, Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 ‘Give me an undivided heart’ It would be difficult to find two readings that are more different. The one, part of the beautiful love-poem of Song of Solomon with its invitation to “Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away!”; the other a showdown between […]
Mark 6 v 30-34 and 53 to the end. Meeting God when we are busy We meet up with friends maybe after a service on a Sunday morning and we ask the time-honoured conversation starter “how have you been?” and after a pause for thought one of the stock answers that we give is “Busy”. […]
Amos 7.7-15, Mark 6.14-29 Amos and John the Baptist I want to talk about prophets this morning. It’s a big topic and I can only consider a few aspects in a sermon. I’m also aware that prophets can be controversial and that we won’t all necessarily have the same view of them, so hold […]
Mark 5:21-43: Compassion Our gospel reading today has two more of Jesus’ miracles, healings this time, as we follow on from the calming of the storm that Claire talked about last week (Mark 4:35-41): Jairus’ daughter and the woman suffering from bleeding. Claire’s sermon asked, Where is the miraculous today? Does God intervene in […]