Make sure you get this right! – Sermon Sunday 25th October 2020, Trinity 20
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). […]
Sermon for St Luke the Evangelist, Trinity 19 – Sunday 18th October 2020
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 […]
Sermon from Sunday 11th October 2020 – Trinity 18
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 […]
Race, Diversity and Racism – Taboo, Toxic, Overplayed? – Sunday 4th October 2020
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 – Sunday 27th September, Trinity 16A
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 and his accusers […]
Evening Prayer 20 September 2020
Matthew 6.19-end Tomorrow is the day we remember St Matthew and our lectionary encourages us to start celebrating him with evening prayer today. The collect, with its prayer that we ‘forsake the selfish love of gain and the possessive love of riches’, reflects Matthew the tax collector’s willingness to leave his lucrative, but corrupt, job […]
GOD’S TOPSY-TURVY, CRAZY, WONDERFUL KINGDOM – Sunday 20th September 2020
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 of […]
September 13th 2020, Trinity 14 – To err is human, to forgive, divine
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 […]
Living the cross shaped life
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 […]
