1 Thessalonians 2:1-8, Matthew 22:34-end We heard read just now from the gospel of Matthew. Matthew, the hated tax collector who was summoned by Jesus to leave behind his shallow life of avarice and greed, called to his life’s true vocation as a disciple of Jesus with the simple words, ‘Follow me!’ (Matt 9:9). […]
2 Timothy 4:5-17 5As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully. 6 As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. 7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have […]
Philippians 4:1-9: Rejoice Always I am going to be looking at our epistle reading today, from Philippians, rather than at the parable of the wedding banquet. I really like the letter to the Philippians, in that it is so personal, and Paul clearly likes the church there. When he wrote the letter, Paul was […]
This talk is titled Race, Diversity and Racism- Taboo, Toxic, Overplayed? Any time the subject of race and/or racism comes up for discussion, public debate or argument, there is a temptation for people to look for an easier subject to talk about like say climate change or corona virus. It is becoming so difficult to […]
Lessons for the Journey Exodus 17:1-7 Philippians 2:1-13 Matthew 21:23-32 In the Lectionary we’ve been in Exodus for a few weeks now. This morning is no exception. The alternative was a short passage from Philippians, which is a message about being of one heart and mind, and in Matthew’s gospel we have an exchange between […]
Jesus was a shocker Jesus was a shocker, and I use the word not in that playful way which I might use when my grandson has done something naughty but actually quite clever. No, Jesus was deep down shocking, truly taking people’s breath away, as when he called into question the legitimacy […]
This is a difficult passage. Difficult for two reasons. Firstly, because the subject matter, forgiveness, is difficult. None of us find it easy to forgive. And forgive 77 times, as Jesus said? Really? What am I, a doormat? Secondly, because it’s quite a tough parable, ending as it does with these harsh words: ‘In […]
Please contact the office (email or leave a message on the answerphone) if you’d like to come to a Eucharist in the building, as numbers are limited and we need to adhered to social distancing guidelines; or email for the link if you’d like to join us online at Zoom. office@stjohnandststephen.org.uk or phone 01189263633 Below […]
Today we’re thinking about something I’m calling the Cross-Shaped Life. What does a cross-shaped life look like and what is it like to live one? I’ve taken the phrase from the gospel today where Jesus warns his disciples he’s going to the cross. Peter, after scoring an A in discipleship last week, gets downgraded by the algorithm […]
*It’s the annual fortnight of examination results. They’ve even reached into our Gospel reading. Peter is clearly sitting GCSE discipleship, for he’s given a multiple-choice question rather than an essay: “Who do you say that I am?” asks Jesus. “Some say, John the Baptist, others Elijah… [I say] you are the Messiah, the Son of […]