|
DATE |
SUBJECT |
BIBLE
REF. |
|
21st April |
Revelation: I wonder if you’ve ever tried to imagine
what it would be like to be in the very presence of God? Well today
you and I can stand alongside John and look right into the throne
room of God, courtesy of his amazing vision or revelation. We’ve
just listened to this reading where the angels are worshipping God
and singing ‘Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and
honour and power and might be to our God and to the Lamb who is at
the centre of the throne!’ |
- |
|
14th April |
The Open
Book Test: The end of John’s gospel as we saw last week is
full of echoes of the total earthly ministry of Jesus and the
message the gospel writers - and particularly John -have set out to
proclaim right from the beginning: comprising stories that all build
up to the resurrection reality. |
John 21:1-19 |
|
7th April |
Seeing
(and NOT SEEING) Is Believing: One senior church leader is convinced that many churches simply throw Easter away year by year. He thinks they don’t make enough of Easter because it’s all about the wild delight of God’s creative power. Although it’s probably not very Anglican, he thinks we should probably be shouting hallelujahs instead of murmuring them; and that we should be continuing the festival with champagne served with lots of expressions of praise after morning worship. |
John 20:19-31 |
|
31st March |
Easter
Day: So in a culture of scepticism about any grand
narrative; any cause for hope – what good, robust, cogent reasons do
we have for getting excited today, despite whatever emotional state
we’ve been in, or how tired and strung-out we might be feeling? We
know we live in a world where people are used to measuring their
investment and only committing themselves to things that they
calculate might have relevance for them – and when they’re going to
get some payback. We know we live in a culture still influenced by
the rationalist. materialist legacy of the Enlightenment where
to be able to measure things scientifically is felt to be the only
sure basis for confidence and belief. |
Luke 24:36-48 |
|
24th March |
Palm
Sunday:
I wonder what kind of Easter you’re looking forward to next week. I know the kids will be gearing up for Easter eggs and getting excited – but what with the calendar this year, recent Siberian weather and the body blow of losing dear Jen - as we enter Holy Week it is with a sense of utter dependence on God that will perhaps enable us (I hope) to simply be with Jesus as he faces his destiny on our behalf: a week that started with the adulation of the crowds, but would take him on a journey to die in agony on a brutal Roman cross on the Friday morning, into a dark, borrowed tomb on Friday night and all day Saturday. And then... despite all he’d been saying to them, his disciples really didn’t have a clue that ultimately he would be raised to life again on the following Sunday morning. |
Matthew 21:1-11 |
|
17th March |
Lent 5:
I wonder do you get a sense that the momentum and the challenge of our Lenten readings is hotting up. Last week, with the help of the parable of the prodigal son and his reluctant brother we considered how God always takes the initiative regarding his lost children (whether these be seemingly far away or very close) – a God who seeks and finds; a God who rejoices – who throws a party, indeed, whenever we turn back to him, whenever we realize how very much he loves us.
|
John 12:1-8 |
|
10th March |
God Doesn't Play by Our Rules:
There was a conference some years ago on comparative religions (which is what inter-faith activity would’ve been called decades ago) and experts from around the world were debating what (if any) belief was unique to the Christian faith. The debate went on for some time until one C.S. Lewis wandered into the room and asked “What’s the rumpus about?” and was informed that his colleagues were discussing Christianity’s unique contribution among world religions.
|
Luke 15 |
|
3rd March |
Lent 3:
I think the hardest question anyone in Christian leadership
often has to face is "Why did God let this happen". "This" may be
the death of a loved one, a child, spouse, a friend, a baby. "This"
may be the lingering agony of a debilitating illness, the unexpected
death of a mother in a freak plane crash, or ‘this’ maybe a wanton
criminal or violent act. “What have I done to deserve this?”
Question about why God allows suffering apparently (& not
surprisingly) tops the list of issues for people – and in our gospel
passage this morning, Jesus addresses this question.
|
Luke 13:1-8 |
|
24th February |
Lent 2:
I’ve always been drawn to the work of the Impressionists – and especially the paintings of Vincent van Goch, ex-evangelist (as a very young man) and a troubled, tortured soul (& I was always highly amused when friends from the US would talk about him as ‘van Go..’).Today’s gospel is a bit like one of his later paintings - bursting with colours, contours, moods and movement. There’s such a lot packed in here & it’s not possible to focus on every conflicting and complementary theme, so we’ll focus on a few impressions. |
Luke 13:31-35 |
|
17th February |
Lent 1:
Today’s
reading from Deuteronomy brings us the ‘remembrance of times past’
when Yahweh (Israel’s God) had rescued the people from slavery in
Egypt – and it was the very struggle to get to where they were –
into a more settled state in land that was promised - that gave
them huge reason to be grateful. So Moses is giving them rituals for
remembering – like the things we do at harvest festival, recalling
God’s goodness and provision. I’m sure those in this church and
community could talk in similar ways of God’s faithfulness amidst
the struggles and hard times – and here we are today with a sense (I
hope) that things are moving – and we’re so thankful to those that
tilled the ground over the years to make our worship and witness
possible. |
Luke 4:1-13 |
|
10th February |
Transfiguration Sunday:
I love good
stories – good plotlines; the way situations are put alongside each
other to reveal the author’s intentions. I think that’s what’s
placed Christian writers like CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien right up
there as two of the greats – they tell a cracking story. So when
Joel suggested we go and see Les Miserables on his birthday there
was not only a fascination as to whether Russell Crowe would get
away with singing, but also because, from all the reviews I’d read,
the story rather than the musical form is the main feature. (By the
way it’s an incredible, disarming film) |
Luke 9:28-38 |
|
27th January |
Epiphany
3:
During this
season of Epiphany, we begin in different ways to see the
significance of the baby who was born in the manger. We get some
insights into who this child really is and is to become. God the
Father is revealed to us in his Son by the indwelling
presence of the Spirit during this season. The life and joy of the
Trinity is manifested and made known in One who intrigues us and
beckons us to follow and see where he’s staying. I love one
definition of ‘epiphany’ as “an experience of sudden and striking
realization”. And my prayer is that such a realization will be
personal to each one of us – and draw us into the kind of
relationship with our Lord and King that is fresh and full of life. |
Luke 4:14-21 |
|
20th January |
Epiphany
2:
I wonder if
you can think of certain people you always love showing up at any
get-together. When you hear that they might be going, you think to
yourself – well it’s not going to be that bad then – probably even
worth making the effort of going out on a cold, miserable winter
evening. (I can hear you saying ‘so long as there aren’t any clergy
thereg’!) |
John 2:1-11 |
|
13th January |
Epiphany
1:
The gospels
introduce us to John the Baptist as a messenger preparing the way
for the coming king - with a message for all the people that was
simple – there wasn’t any fuss or ostentation; no clever gimmicks or
manipulation – not even some kind of strapline that might have been
dreamed up by the latest overpaid marketing company. It was honest &
straight from the hip: “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near”.
|
- |
|
6th January |
Epiphany:
Epiphany
- a Christian feast that originated in the East
actually in honour of Jesus’ baptism – and in the West from the
fourth century where it became associated with the manifestation of
Christ to the first Gentiles to worship him – the Magi, the Wise
Men. |
Matthew 2:1-12 |
|
24th December |
Christmas Eve:
The birth
of the Baby King is as momentous as the whole created order coming
into being (which is why John’s version imitates the first words in
the Bible; bigger than any Big Bang – because this One comes from
the beginning, from the boundaries of light and darkness and chaos –
to give life to all humanity. The Word is heard, the light seen – in
a very particular time and place. The light we’ve been longing for
shines into history – this is the entry point for God. |
John 1 |
|
9th December |
Advent 2:
Isn’t it the case that good news comes in strange packages? There I was bringing the failing through-floor lift at the vicarage from upstairs (having got my mother safely up for bed) down for Sue - when there was a huge metallic crunch a few feet down and I had to clamber out. What a mess – potential disaster as we dutifully moved Sue’s bed downstairs resigned to the fact that She’d be downstairs in the dining room for Christmas, unable to get to her show. Good news? – hardly – until the engineer said “heh I think I might get this to work – the damage is only cosmetic. It’s not going to look pretty – the ceiling’s mangled – but it’ll work – and I think I can even get the door to work so you don’t need to be going up and down in it.! Yay! Couldn’t believe it!
|
Luke 3:1-6 |
|
2nd December |
Advent
Sunday: Today we start our new Christian Year with Advent
Sunday – “advent” - from the Latin word ‘adventus’ meaning (?)
‘coming’ or ‘arrival’ – because it’s all about the coming of the
King, all about joyful expectation. And each of our readings seems
to point to the importance of waiting. And it’s not like
waiting in Tesco in long queues while they decide who’s on duty at
the till; or when they decide the £20.00 note you want to pay with
is dodgy, or when the card machine packs up and you never have quite
enough cash, or when that one last item ‘doesn’t have a bar code’
and the person at the till has to ask her ‘supervisor’ (the slowest
one on staff) to get another one – which is all the way over with
the crockery in the far corner – and then you see her ambling back
shaking her head saying there are no bar codes on any of them (& you
think ‘I could’ve told her that otherwise I’d have got one’), so
then they have to get the senior supervisor to decide how much the
item costs on their database, but oops, the computer’s gone down (&
by this time I’m needing to shave again...?) – No!!,
absolutely not that kind of utterly frustrating ‘will I ever
get my life back again’ kind of waiting!!
|
- |
|
25th November |
Christ
the King: These past weeks we’ve been following Mark in his
account of Jesus and his teaching about the kingdom of God. I hope
we’ve begun to understand that the values and perspectives of that
kingdom of God are all ‘upside down’ in comparison with those
of our culture (although ‘right-side up’ would probably be more
appropriate!). To use the description attached to what will be
happening here this afternoon, it’s also a ‘messy’ spirituality for
most of us rather than ordered, neat and tidy – and if the woeful
decision of just a few recalcitrant traditionalists within the
Church of England Synod is anything to go by, it’s a gospel of
liberation that needs to be allowed to replace careful control and
the protection of their own position. |
John 18:33-37 |
|
18th November |
Preached
by Julie Wagstaff: Rather than referring to today as the
third Sunday of the Kingdom, the Church of England Lectionary refers
to it as the Second Sunday before Advent and as Advent is a time of
looking forward, we are in a time of looking forward to a time of
looking forward , if you see what I mean. And today’s readings speak
of a time in the future, a time to come ........... Indeed to a time
when time itself will actually cease to exist – to the end of time.
|
- |
|
30th September |
Are You
With Me Or Not?:
There comes a time when the relationships we have with people get
to you – get under your skin – get personal – and you can kid
yourself that you can take or leave particular people – because you
find yourself thinking about them, trying to figure out ‘why’ for
goodness-sake because they intrude to such an extent on what we
think is our private space and they demand that we answer a
fundamental question: “just what does this person mean to me.” –
like it or not! It’s a watershed question in any human relationship,
because once it’s asked, the relationship can never be the same.
It’s a question that forces us either to move deeper in the
relationship or acknowledge that there is distance between us. It
forces us to search ourselves deeply decide what this other person
means. |
Mark 9:38-50 |
|
16th September |
Who Do
You Say Jesus Is?:
There comes a time when the relationships we have with people get
to you – get under your skin – get personal – and you can kid
yourself that you can take or leave particular people – because you
find yourself thinking about them, trying to figure out ‘why’ for
goodness-sake because they intrude to such an extent on what we
think is our private space and they demand that we answer a
fundamental question: “just what does this person mean to me.” –
like it or not! It’s a watershed question in any human relationship,
because once it’s asked, the relationship can never be the same.
It’s a question that forces us either to move deeper in the
relationship or acknowledge that there is distance between us. It
forces us to search ourselves deeply decide what this other person
means. |
John 8:27-33 |
|
2nd September |
Pentecost 13: You might have noticed this morning that our
lectionary leads us to change direction and pace (again) in our set
readings as we return to Mark’s gospel – the gospel for this year.
We’ve been considering in some depth John’s account of Jesus’
discourse on the living bread from heaven – in all its power and
elegance – and Mark’s gospel is just so different. |
John 7:1-8; 14-15; 21-23 |
|
26th August |
Pentecost 12: The gospel message challenges us to the core –
or should do, if we’re hearing it right. And something very natural
and human is going on here in this situation in our gospel readings
these last few weeks from John 6. Several of his hearers begin to
complain about what Jesus is saying – continuing the same attitude
that they as a people had in the wilderness centuries before while
the first Exodus was going on – at the very point they were being
freed from slavery from Egypt and Yahweh was feeding them with the
manna. There’s absolutely no pleasing some people! |
John 6:59-69 |
|
19th August |
The
Table of Life: There must have been so many times in Jesus’
Ministry when his disciples must have asked themselves "Are we
following the right leader here?" At first it might’ve been easier
to follow Jesus - those heady days when everyone flocked to hear
him, when miracle followed miracle, and when so many began to follow
him that the numbers were often overwhelming. Their hearts must have
swelled with pride and joy as they saw their master’s success – and
they basked in it all. |
John 6:51-58 |
|
12th August |
Jesus
the Bread of Life: “I am the Bread of Life…” They’re simple enough words. Yet to those listening this was a shocking statement (We’ve embarked on a bit of a series here – Jesus feeding the crowds by transforming the meagre things he was offered; the masses following him so he could carry on meeting their physical needs and wowing them with more magical entertainment – and him trying to shift their thinking onto more important spiritual matters to give them greater understanding of who he was and what it was all bout – and in so doing he’s defying their expectations – he won’t be boxed. But why are his words so shocking to them? |
John 6:-25-35 |
|
5th August |
Jesus
the Bread of Life: The gospel writer John in this long
chapter 6 goes on to tell us the people’s reactions to Jesus’
attempt to get them off their physical and political preoccupations
onto spiritual matters – as he tries to deepen their thinking. Some
I’m sure found what he had to say to them – well – “interesting”
(like some of the polite responses I had to my first sermon up at
the Cathedral last week! Mind you, even worse is “nice” sermon
vicar!). |
John 6:-25-35 |
|
29th July |
Feeding
the Five Thousand: Preached by Julie Wagstaff. Our gospel
reading today tells a very familiar story - the feeding of the five
thousand. It is a story that appears in all four
gospels, but today we hear John’s account. As is sometimes the
case, John tells us about things that we don’t find in the other
gospels, and which clearly come from different sources. So this
miraculous feeding must be something that was told as part of very
nearly all early Christian witness.
|
John 6:1-21 |
|
29th July |
Feeding
the Five Thousand: A while ago – it must have been exactly
three years - I had reason to take a careful look at an edition of
the weekly London Church Times newspaper - because one of my
parishioners had the bright idea of entering our St. Barnabas
Waunarlwydd church website in a national competition. Hardly the
Olympics, but surprisingly with global reach we didn’t win – but at
least merited a mention. “Have something eye-catching (the article
went). |
John 6:1-21 |
|
8th July |
Pentecost 5:
Can you remember the first time you did something in public in
front of your parents? I can remember the first time I got up in a
pulpit and preached in front of mine. It was after my ordination as
priest and mum & dad were attending my first Holy Communion service.
And it wasn’t the same as the other things I’d done. They’d heard me
play the guitar and sing in public before (& listened to the band I
belonged to practising on numerous occasions at all hours of the
night); they were there when my grammar school rugby team reached
the Cardiff Schoolboy finals and we played on the old Cardiff Arms
Park – but this was different – because preaching is something
dangerously ‘out there’ in public – and yet is also about something
intensely personal.
|
Mark 6:1-13 |
|
1st July |
Pentecost
4:
Why does Jesus insist on identifying himself with all the
wrong kinds of people? Have you noticed how often that happens when
he’s around. And why does he seem to be making a point of shocking
people out of their religious comfort zones as he demonstrates his
power (in this case) to take people from a state of being afraid to
a place where they can put their trust in him?
|
Mark 5:21-43 |
|
24th June |
Pentecost
3:
If you’ve seen the 1994 movie Forrest Gump - for which
Tom Hanks got one of his Oscars – you might remember Sally Field who
plays his mother telling him “Life is a box of chocolates Forrest,
you never know what you’re going to get.” Instinctively we all know
that that phrase is true…that life is anything but predictable; that
circumstances can change with the blink of an eye; that they can
“throw you a curve ball” as the Americans say – that’s the one a
baseball pitcher throws at you that seems to be coming straight at
you – and you think you can give it a good wallop, and then it
suddenly curves, dips – and you ‘swing and miss’.
|
Mark 4:35-41 |
|
10th June |
Sunday
After Trinity:
“Tell me the stories of Jesus I
love to hear”. Remember the old children’s chorus? “Things I would
ask him to tell me if he were here”. The stories Jesus tells – his
parables – are so full of meaning that they can be understood in
many different ways – a bit like the combination of notes that make
up a chord of music. You can hear the main note of a melody line –
(in this case) - that seeds grow quietly and unassumingly in the
dark and even the tiniest seeds can produce big bushes (that’s the
straightforward, simple meaning – the melody if you like) - but
there’s so much more to pick out if you can hear harmonies – and
like the people in Jesus’ day, we have to learn how to listen to the
other things going on, the other levels. |
Mark 4:26-34 |
|
4th June |
Trinity Sunday:
I love these
celebrations of Pentecost followed by Trinity Sunday. We had the
Olympic flame being passed from person to person here in Swansea on
Pentecost – and now on Trinity Sunday we celebrate the Queen’s
Diamond Jubilee. For us as Christians, it’s overwhelming to see God
our King and Father at work in and through Christ – and then in such
power by the Holy Spirit – because this is the Tri-une, 3-in-1
Godhead at work, defying any understanding that we may think we’ve
arrived at; exploding any categories we’ve tried to use to contain
our limited understanding. |
John 3:1-17 |
|
25th March |
We Wish
to See Jesus:
When a group of strangers came up to the disciples, they expressed a desire that has been felt by millions upon millions of people ever since. Speaking to Philip they said: "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."
– it’s a statement of intent that has motivated Christians for almost two thousand years; one that’s inspired artists from Michelangelo to Salvador Dali; that’s been the driving force behind numerous works of scholarship and literature. And it touches us this morning late into this Lenten season as we’ve been reflecting upon the importance of Jesus Christ for our lives – in our lives.
|
John 12:20-26 |
|
18th March |
Living
in Freedom:
I wonder how you feel about snakes? There was a recent Hollywood
movie ‘Snakes on a plane’ with Jodie Foster which was pretty scary –
and I’m sure you can think of many others that had snakes as the
main fear factor); in literature of course there’s the slimy Kaa in
the Jungle Book, or the boa constrictor in the Little Prince. In
biblical terms there’s the Serpent in the Garden of Eden. |
John 3:14-21 |
|
11th March |
Jesus in
the Temple:
There’s really no adequate way of trying to picture this
astonishing scene in the Temple in Jerusalem. Although I’ll have a
bit of a go in a minute – but there’s no illustration that can do
justice to what Jesus did – we have to try and understand what it’s
all about, in all its uniqueness, in order to see what the gospel
writer John wants us to see in it. |
John 2:13-22 |
|
26th Feb |
Lent:
It’s so good to be together as we begin this season of Lent.
It’s a great opportunity to take just a few precious moments to
think about the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, a journey that starts
with his baptism and a period of temptation in the wilderness. |
John 1:9-18 |
|
5th Feb |
Candlemas:
As we celebrate Candlemas today, Luke introduces to us two
people who meet the baby Jesus at the Temple when he’s been brought
by Joseph & Mary to be dedicated to God & circumcised according to
the Law. And there’s just something about the way that these two
react to Jesus that’s worth a look again as we begin to escape the
turmoil & stress of a gloomy winter and look forward to the warmer
days of Spring. |
Luke 2:22-40 |
|
22nd Jan |
Jesus,
Philip and Nathaniel:
Jesus said some pretty strange and thought-provoking things
didn’t he? ‘Nothing if not unpredictable’ – which makes his
encounters with people and his conversations with them so incredibly
interesting – and I wonder if you noticed this rather curious
statement at the end of our gospel reading? He seems to be referring
to the Genesis story in the Old Testament when Jacob was running
away penniless from his brother Esau whom he’d tricked out of his
birthright and his father’s blessing. |
- |
|
8th Jan |
Epiphany:
It’s great to be with you at the beginning of the new
year – and a very happy new year to you all (if you didn’t quite
manage to make it last Sunday). Although the Christmas decorations
(for most people anyway) have now been put away, as Christians we
continue celebrating the joy and wonder of Jesus’ coming in the
season of Epiphany. I picked up a letter around this time from the
Times which made a good point: |
Mark 2:1-12 |
|
11th Dec |
3rd
Sunday in Advent:
At last – after several weeks of foreboding, of warnings in our set readings that the coming of the Lord is not something to take lightly, or to be unprepared for (or else..!) – at long last the sense of excitement is beginning to mount. So writes Jane Williams as she reflects on today’s Advent 3 readings.
|
Mark 1:1-18 |
|
4th Dec |
Helping
to Point the Way:
I wonder how you’d respond to the question ‘Why are we here as a church in Waunarlwydd? What’s the Church in Wales for? What’s our purpose? There are lots of clues in today’s Advent readings about what we’re supposed to be doing. Indeed it’s been the job of Christian people throughout the centuries to point the way to God. |
Mark 1:1-18 |
|
20th Nov |
Christ
the King: Sheep and Goats:
Today is the Sunday before Advent, known as the Feast
Day of Christ the King. It’s the last Sunday of the Church year and
it’s the day on which we remember and celebrate that Christ is King
of the whole of creation – the eternal Christ who came to earth for
a brief period to show the world the way to God, to live life as God
intended it to be lived and to open the doors of salvation and new
life for all those who believe in him. |
Matt 25:31-46 |
|
13th Nov |
The
Parable of the Talents:
It’ll be a such a huge relief to Sue and me when Joel
(our 21 yr old son) finally – well hopefully - finishes his degree
at King’s College in London. (he won’t mind be saying this) but when
he managed to finesse his A Levels doing relatively little work, he
will admit, and got into a Russell Group university we were both
gob-smacked and of course unbelievably proud. |
Matt 25:14-30 |
|
6th Nov |
The Wise
and Foolish Girl:
I think most of you are very aware know by now that
I’m a great fan of JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. I’ve read it 3
or 4 times in all (it is a long read – but well worth it), but it
was the release of the films that really brought it to life for lots
of people who’d never been anywhere near the book. |
Matt 25:34-46 |
|
30th Oct |
The
Beginning of the Birth Pangs:
Jane Williams in her Lectionary reflection on today’s
gospel reading from the end of Matthew imagines the kind of
conversation that could go on between Jesus’ disciples – that would
seem quite believable in light of what we’ve been thinking about in
Matthew’s gospel these past few weeks. |
Matt 24:1-14 |
|
23rd Oct |
The
Greatest Commandment:
One of
the highlights of early summer for me is the Wimbledon men’s final.
The one that’s been hailed as the greatest tennis match ever staged
was between arguably the best two players the world has ever seen:
in 2008. Roger Federer, 5 times Wimbledon Champion and going for his
6th who seemed down and out at two sets down before a
rain break interrupted the match – and Rafael Nadal the young
pretender. |
Matt 22:34-36 |
|
10th July |
Parable
of the Sower:
Try and
imagine the scene: a group of pilgrims in the Holy Land – on the
shore of the Sea of Galilee on a spring morning. Everything is
peaceful and still; the lake glistening in the early morning sun and
behind the group of people, land that slopes steeply from the shore. |
Matt 13:1-9;18-23 |
|
3rd July |
Come to
Me and I Will Give You Rest:
If
sure if you’ve ever been the parent of a girl as she reaches that
age when she begins to be interested in boys you’ll shudder at this
picture: (Imagine it) a bright red sports car sweeps by you on the
street with tyres screeching – the driver with opaque dark glasses –
‘shades’, predictably long hair and designer stubble, rock music
playing at a million decibels – and the sticker in the back window
reading proudly “I’m the one your mother warned you about!”
|
Matt 11:16-19;25-30 |
|
19th June |
Trinity
Sunday:
Today is Trinity Sunday. It’s a festival
that’s unique in the church calendar because it’s the only one to be
based on a doctrine, rather than a specific historical event. We’ve
seen in our readings that the Bible refers to God as Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit – but we don’t actually find the word Trinity
mentioned. So why’s it so important? |
John 20:19-23 |
|
12th June |
Pentecost:
Christian life – and especially today as we celebrate Pentecost
Sunday together - is all about change and transformation –
it’s where we see frightened, disloyal disciples like Simon Peter
preaching the good news of the Kingdom fearlessly. The Spirit has
come (as Jesus had promised) and everything’s different. I know I’ve
quoted these lines before from Elizabeth Barrett Browning, a
nineteenth century poet and an invalid for much of her life. |
John 20:19-23 |
|
29th May |
Another Advocate:
If you
think about it: some of his closest friends betrayed him and denied
him – handed him over to the authorities. Even the beloved disciple
(which is how John describes himself) ran away in the garden. And
when Jesus was around, people couldn’t really make him out. |
John 14:15-21 |
|
22nd May |
The Good Shepherd:
Like many students this time of year
Joel’s in the middle of his exams – and I know he’d be glad when
they’re over (and so will Sue and I). A few years ago Joel attended
his mate Luke’s 18th birthday party and it was sometime
in June just after they’d completed ‘A Level’ exams and Luke was
having a special black tie dinner party for around 70 of his friends
– with 18 of his closest friends invited to stay overnight. 18 on a
sleep-over? |
John 14:1-14 |
|
15th May |
The Good Shepherd:
I don’t
know whether you’ve noticed but it seems everywhere you go you
discover a world full of unhappy and dissatisfied people. It seems
so many people are looking for answers to the emptiness they feel
inside: and they’ll try anything – and boy don’t the commercial
markets know it - self-help programmes, how to get rich courses,
expensive diets, cosmetic surgery, the makeover of self, home, job –
and don’t they all point to an essential human disquiet about the
state we’re in? |
John 10:1-10 |
|
8th May |
On the Road to Emmaus:
I’ve
really grown to love the gospels, particularly preaching out of the
gospel readings since being here in Waunarlwydd and being part of
the parish bible study – and while John’s amazing portraits of
people and situations is incredible, you can’t get better than
Luke’s storytelling – think of the Prodigal Son parable and what
that reveals about God’s heart of love towards us – even when we’re
far away from him. |
Luke 24:13-35 |
|
1st May |
Seeing (and NOT Seeing) Is Believing:
One
senior church leader is convinced that many churches simply throw
Easter away year by year. He thinks they don’t make enough of Easter
because it’s all about the wild delight of God’s creative power.
Although it’s probably not very Anglican, he thinks we should
probably be shouting hallelujahs instead of murmuring them; and that
we should be continuing the festival with champagne served with lots
of expressions of praise after morning worship. |
John 20:19-31 |
|
24th
April |
Easter Day:
Now
is that a reason for feeling positive today? What do you
think? We know we live in a world where people are used to measuring
their emotional investment and only committing themselves to things
that they feel have relevance for them or give them a substantial
return. There’ll be people saying today: “OK so Easter’s here. So
what? How’s that going to make a difference in my life tomorrow
after I’ve stuffed my face with the chocolate I’ve (well more or
less anyway) denied myself during Lent.” |
Matthew 28:1-10 |
|
10th
April |
The Raising of Lazarus:
In
today’s amazingly dramatic and touching gospel story we’re told that
when Jesus got the message from the two sisters about their dying
brother – and it was a desperate cry for help – he stayed where
he was for a further two days – and didn’t even mention it to
his disciples, didn’t even send a message to tell them he was on his
way, he just stayed there - and Martha and Mary had to deal with
simply watching their brother slip away. |
John 11:1-11 |
|
3rd
April |
Mothering Sunday:
I’m sure like me you’ve been transfixed
by the media accounts of what’s been happening in Libya. It’s like
war-torn Beirut all over again – with state militia and rebel forces
stalking the streets, and men armed to the teeth. But there’s an
interesting phenomenon that often occurs in such situations of
conflict. |
John 4:25-27 |
|
27th
March |
The Woman of Samaria:
When I
was an undergraduate in Sheffield in the dark distant past there was
a singer-songwriter who made a mark for a while called Andrew Gold.
One of his albums was titled ‘What’s wrong with this picture’. |
John 4 |
|
20th
March |
Jesus and Nicodemus:
When
Christians get to discussing the ‘new birth’ or ‘second birth’ or
‘birth from above’ they often get in a real pickle. The so-called
‘born-again’ brigade – or ‘born-agains’ who are often (perhaps
wrongly) associated with a particular brand of US fundamentalism
can confuse people us and turn them off. |
John 3:1-17 |
|
13th
March |
Temptation in the Wilderness:
We’re beginning Lent together and it’s not very fashionable
these days to talk about sin and temptation in church, yet this is
where the readings set for today are directing us as we join
together as a family. What have we just heard read?: the story of
the fall of Adam and Eve in Genesis; Paul speaking of sin and
redemption, Adam and Christ in Romans; and then the temptations of
Jesus in our gospel reading from Matthew. |
Matthew 4:1-11 |
|
6th
March |
Transfiguration Sunday:
I remember the first time I looked
through a microscope as a kid – I think it was a human hair on a
slide multiplied so many times it’s been difficult to ever look at
it in an ordinary way again (mind you I’d have to borrow a specimen
for scrutiny these days). And then there was the first time my great
uncle Edgar let me look through his telescope at the night sky.
|
Matthew 17:1-9 |
|
20th Feb |
2nd Sunday Before Lent:
In Florida , an atheist created a case against the upcoming
Easter and Passover Holy days. He hired an attorney to bring a
discrimination case against Christians and Jews and observances of
their holy days. The argument was that it was unfair that atheists
had no such recognized days. The case was brought before a judge.
After listening to the passionate presentation by the lawyer, the
judge banged his gavel declaring: case dismissed! |
Matthew 5:38-48 |
|
13th Feb |
3rd Sunday Before Lent:
Choices, choices – we seem to be faced with so many in our
ultimate consumer society. Although they are rather arranged
for us, in quite a powerful way aren’t they? So it’s which
supermarket chain you shop at, rather than whether to shop there at
all? (and there’s probably not terribly much to distinguish between
them - it’s mostly all about them being in convenient reach for us
– which means they get everywhere). But, in contrast, today’s
readings are all about a real choice with real and important
consequences. |
Matthew 5:21-37 |
|
6th Feb |
Candlemas:
For some people this is a difficult time of year. Hard, cold
grey months of winter weather. Now we’re at the beginning of
February, and it seemed darker than ever this morning. Folks are
longing for Spring and new life. With all the disastrous happenings
in our world recently, and global state of the economy, let alone
all those things nearer home perhaps that have the potential to
stress us out, it’s almost as if there’s a rebellion going on
against the promises and hopes that the birth of the baby King (and
the way he was ‘revealed’ to be God with us) brought with him. |
Luke 2:22-40 |
|
30th Jan
|
Wedding at Cana:
This incredible account, so early in John’s gospel is the first
recorded miracle that Jesus did. Let’s remember that because we’re
in Epiphany this (again) is all about an event that reveals the
light of Christ coming into the world. We’ve had the visit of the
Magi - the wise men; and then God telling Jesus how very much he
loved his Son at his baptism – and now here we get what John calls
‘the first of his signs’. |
John 2:1-11 |
|
23rd Jan
|
The Arrival of the King of Heaven:
You must have caught the news over the past week about the
ongoing panic and fear that’s been taking hold of the Tunisian
people as they realize their country has been ground to an economic
standstill – and their mistrust of any new leadership. Well the
warning of an approaching event is always important – (or not ~ as
we discovered in that classic faux pas quite a few years ago when
those gales hit the UK and the poor weatherman Michael Fish said
“there was nothing to worry about” – he never lived that one down!).
Somehow I think with the recent extremes of weather they’re all
getting more cagey! |
Matthew 4:12-23 |
|
16th Jan
|
"Come and See":
Have you ever tried a product or purchased an item because
someone recommended it to you? Or gone to a restaurant recommended
by a friend? Ever rented a movie because someone else said they
thought you’d enjoy it or because they said it was fantastic? |
John 1:29-42 |
|
9th Jan
|
You Want Me to Baptize YOU?:
It’s probably safe to say that John’s surprise at Jesus request
would be shared by anyone who read this gospel passage
without knowing what was coming. Why this way around? But we need
the wider picture to help us get a fuller sense of John’s dismay at
what Jesus was asking him to do for him: |
Matthew 3:13-17 |
|
2nd Jan
2011 |
Epiphany:
As the world slips somewhat hesitantly into a new year, the
Church begins again to think about the ministry of Jesus Christ and
the absolute centrality of the Lord Jesus in everything we are and
everything we do as his rescued and forgiven people. Next Sunday
begins our Epiphany season that starts with Jesus’ baptism by John
and it’s the beginning of a story that continues to changes the
lives of millions of people who hear it |
John 1:10-18 |
|
19th Dec |
Discipleship Has Its Costs:
To be able to understand what’s going on in today’s set
(Lectionary) readings we have to bear in mind that there are two
main characters here who make two very different responses to God –
and they help show the kinds of response God loves from his children
(on the one hand) and those I don’t think he’s particularly
enamoured of!! (on the other). I’m sure you’ve heard the famous
Christmas story of a family who had twin boys whose only resemblance
to each other was their looks. |
Matthew 1:18-25 |
|
12th Dec |
Are You the One?:
We don't quite know what to make of John the Baptist do we? –
but this 3rd Sunday in Advent is when we think about him:
his life and his message - and the rather sorry end he’s facing in
this morning’s gospel reading – holed up in prison, facing certain
death. |
Matthew 11:2-11 |
|
5th Dec |
Turn Toward God:
It’s always a bit of a shock that the good news of the coming of
Jesus Christ begins with John the Baptist: such wild-man:
long-haired, dishevelled, dressed in the skins of wild animals
(which would have been a bit smelly!) wandering in the desert
wilderness eating honey and locusts, and then crying out to the
people – “Repent - The Kingdom of God is at hand”. |
- |
|
28th Nov |
The Unexpected Arrival:
I’m sure you’ve been there. It’s the start of a season when
unexpected visitors just drop in, isn’t it. If you’re anything like
the Davies’s you’ll be completely completely unprepared: house looks
like a wreck, dishes unwashed; books and magazines, coffee mugs and
biscuits lying around: the sort of cheerful untidiness any family
can produce in about – half an hour!! |
Luke 24:36-44 |
|
21st Nov |
Christ the Crucified King:
Today we celebrate Christ the King. And there’s a question
lurking behind these gospel accounts of the crucifixion that
continues to fascinate and trouble people. If Jesus is a king, then
what kind king is he that would end up in such a predicament? A
rebel king for the Jews who wants to get their own back on the
Romans and regain power. |
Luke 23:33-34 |
|
14th Nov |
Remembrance Sunday:
I don’t
know whether you’ve seen them, but there’ve been a number of recent
movies about asteroids hitting the earth. And while they seem a bit
far-fetched, there’s often a tiny seed of truth behind the way –out
story. A couple of years ago, it was announced in the news that an
asteroid was on a collision course with Earth and would hit in the
year 2028. |
Luke 21:5-19 |
|
7th Nov |
Marriage and Resurrection:
All Saints, All Souls, acts of remembrance, the harsh reality of
those we love no longer being with us, 4 funerals in 5 days,
heart-rending loss – all combine today to lend particular
significance to Jesus battling the Sadducees in this little
encounter. A famous theologian, confronted by an eager young
theological student eager that he say a few words about the
resurrection of the dead, refused. |
Luke 20:27-38 |
|
25th
October |
The Pharisee and the Tax Collector:
We know this story so well, don’t we? - Jesus' parable, of a
Pharisee and a tax collector: two men Jesus says, "who went up to
the temple to pray.” So what do we need to have in our minds as we
take another look at this story? We must remember that a tax
collector was a crook. He was a Jew but he who worked for the Roman
government. |
Luke 18:9-14 |
|
26th
Sept |
Open Church Weekend:
We go on quite a journey with all the celebrations and feasts we
have in the Church calendar. For us, the church year culminates not
with Christmas (and that’ll be on us soon enough!) but with (?) Holy
Week and Easter, the death and resurrection of Jesus, which then
take us into Ascension, and Pentecost and the celebration of the
coming of God’s Holy Spirit to be with us and in us as we
learn to trust Jesus for ourselves and follow him. |
Matthew 5:38-48 |
|
19th
Sept |
Children of the Living God:
Well here’s a challenge! What on earth is being said in our
reading from Luke’s gospel. A woman came up to a very well-known
vicar (who’s now a bishop) after the service demanding to know what
the readings meant. It was this same parable from Luke, and like
today, was read after an Old Testament reading from the prophet Amos
who was denouncing the commercial activities of the businessmen who
couldn’t wait to get the religious festival over so they could get
back to ripping off the poor people. |
Luke 16:1-3 |
|
12th
Sept |
The Lost Sheep and a Lost Coin:
You’ve just moved house into your dream location – a quiet,
secluded cul de sac backing onto a river near woods and fields. It’s
your first Saturday night in your new home. Everything seems so
peaceful and perfect and having got the kids settled you’re drifting
nicely into sleep. Then without any warning all chaos breaks loose:
loud music, amplified voices, cheering, even fireworks – all going
on without a break into the small hours – keeping the children
awake, driving you to utter distraction. And you begin to wonder: |
Luke 15:1-10 |
|
15th
August |
"I Came to Bring Fire and to Divide" -
What's that all About?:
It was a bit cruel and impolite perhaps
– and Beethoven could have found less antisocial ways of telling his
hearers that the world was full of pain as well as beauty. But the
shock of the discordant crash to his upper crust audience is a good
picture for what Jesus had to say at the end of Luke chapter 12 –
because it comes as a huge shock. |
Luke 12:49;56 |
|
8th
August |
The Kingdom of God - Psalm 33:
We’ve
been trying to get our heads around the notion of the kingdom of God
– and the difficulties people had in Jesus’ day and have had
throughout history understanding what it’s all about – that God is
about bringing his creation into (to quote Monty Python) “something
completely different”. Centuries before Calvin tried to get the
French monarch to understand that he’s on a loser going in any other
way, in the psalm we just read we get the same kind of idea –
because it’s what God has always intended. |
Psalm 33:1-33:22 |
|
25th July |
What's God About? The Importance of
Seeing the Big Picture:
I’ve never been a great watcher of
soaps – even though I had a tutor up in Oxford (Michael Green) who
would recommend them to his students going on Christian missions –
because, he said, that’s what people would probably be talking
about. He probably had a point. But I sit there dutifully for a
while, completely lost as far as the following the story is
concerned, because I only see bits, now and then. And I’m sure it
drives Sue bonkers when I always have to ask what’s going on. And
it’s so easy to get the wrong end of the stick dipping in and out,
like I tend to do. |
Luke 11:1-13 |
|
18th July |
What's Going On With Martha and Mary?:
Now if you thought the ‘good Samaritan’
was radical, the powerful little story we have as our gospel reading
this morning suggests that Luke the gospel writer has plenty more
where that came from – as Tom Wright puts it in his ‘Luke for
Everyone’ commentary. And once again there are ways this interaction
between two sisters has been generally understood that doesn’t seem
to fully grasp how scandalous this incident and Jesus’ use of it
might have seemed at the time - so I wonder if, like me, you’re
getting the sense from looking into these gospel stories that Jesus
was an incredible risk-taker? Let’s have a quick look. |
Luke 10:38-42 |
|
11th July |
The Good Samaritan - What's Really Going
On Here?:
Some of the best-known and best-loved stories are the hardest to
understand – because there’s lots going on at different levels. I’ve
always loved the Narnia books by C.S. Lewis, that even his fellow
Inklings in Oxford, like Tolkein thought were quite simple and
‘twee’. But in
2008 Michael Ward published some research that proposed that each of
the seven books actually related to one of the
seven moving
heavenly bodies or "planets" known in
the Middle Ages, according to the Ptolemy’s classic model of
cosmology (how about that!). |
Luke 10 |
|
4th July |
Bringing Joy to God's Heart - Jesus Sends
Them Out:
I wonder if you’ve ever thought you’re capable of bring joy to
God’s heart? What me?? Come off it! And anyway God’s not really that
interested in what I do…! Luke’s Gospel is the only one that tells
us about Jesus appointing and sending out seventy others. It’s also
the only version that describes their joyous return and victory over
all the darkness they’d discovered when they were ‘on the road’ (so
to speak). |
Luke 10:1-24 |
|
27th June |
Conversations on the Road to Jerusalem:
I wonder where you think you’re headed – most of the time, if
you thought about it? In our gospel reading this morning Luke tells
us Jesus set his face – “like a flint”, one version tells us – to go
to Jerusalem – where he’s going to face torture and execution on a
Roman cross. This is the ultimate cost he’s prepared to pay to get
us back into a relationship with God and nothing’s going to divert
him from fulfilling what he came to do. |
Luke 9:51-62 |
|
20th June |
Healing of the Demoniac:
we’re not sure exactly why Jesus did a lot of the things that he
did. Why he would leave Capernaum and travel down to the obscure
little village of Nain (as we saw last week) or why would he go to
the land of the Gerasenes – an area to the east of Galilee, where
for the most part the land rises steeply from close to the lake.
What we do know is that this was largely Gentile territory –
although many Jews would’ve lived there as well. |
Luke 8:26-39 |
|
13th June |
Barnabas: An "Unsung Hero of Faith"?:
Barnabas we’re told was a Levite who’d become a believer in
Jesus the Messiah (you probably noticed that the title ‘Christian’
came later at Antioch. In other words, he’d been part of the Jewish
religious system... and to break away from that was no mean feat! (
and we’ll see more about that in minute). |
Acts 11:19-30 |
|
6th June |
God Is Here to Help His People:
It seems to have been a time for funerals recently in the
village; time when we’ve been able to take stock of what’s
important. There are four funeral scenes on the pages of the New
Testament. At each one of these, the people attending are touched by
the presence and power of Jesus Christ. |
Luke 7:1-11 |
|
30th May |
Trinity Sunday:
On Trinity Sunday (May 30th), which is the fifth
Sunday in the month our service was led for the first time by our
Lay Worship Leaders (Phyl, Chris and Julie). The following is the
dialogue they presented in lieu of a sermon.
We would like to share with you some extracts from a book called The
Shack, written by Wm Paul Young. We would stress that this book is
a novel, it is not a true story. Nevertheless, it has impressed all
three of us, not least in its portrayal of The Trinity. |
- |
|
23rd May |
Pentecost:
I don’t know whether you’re on e-mail lists when someone with a
great ministry gets together the kinds of material that lifts the
spirits. Here’s one Jaki kindly passed on about KIDS IN CHURCH
3-year-old Rhys: ' Our Father, Who does art in heaven, Harold is His
name. Amen. ' (or) A little boy overheard praying: ' Lord, if you
can't make me a better boy, don't worry about it. I'm having a
really good time just as I am. ' |
- |
|
16th
May |
Paul Silas in Prison:
There’s a fascinating research study done by an academic from
Northwestern University in the United States. She studied Olympic
medallists and discovered that Bronze medallists were happier than
Silver medallists. Here’s why. Silver medallists tended to focus on
how close they came to winning gold so they weren’t satisfied with
silver. Bronze medallists tended to focus on how close they came to
not winning a medal at all so they were just happy to be on the
medal stand at all. |
Acts 16 |
|
13th
May |
The Ascension:
Ascensiontide and Pentecost draw us with their rich imagery and
their proclamation of triumph in Christ’s majesty and the Holy
Spirit’s empowering presence and gifts. This is the time when we
remember the Church has something to say which is good news for all
the earth. Ascension Day used to be one of the great days of the
Christian year, but now most of us never even notice it. |
Psalm 67:1-7 |
|
9th
May |
The Mission Song (Psalm 67:1-7):
One of the most beautiful and most used blessings is from the
Book of Numbers in the Old Testament. Those who come up to receive a
blessing during Communion have sometimes heard me using it
"The Lord bless
you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and
be gracious to you. The Lord lift up the light of his
countenance upon you, and give you his peace. (Numbers 6:24-26)
For the people of God
this blessing has great significance because it’s the blessing that
Yahweh himself gave through Moses for Aaron to bless the Israelites.
It was the blessing then pronounced those who held his priestly
office, at all the public assemblies. |
Psalm 67:1-7 |
|
18th
April |
The Open-Book Test:
The end of John’s gospel as we saw last week is full of echoes
of the total earthly ministry of Jesus and the message the gospel
writers and particularly John have set out to proclaim from the
beginning: stories of miraculous trawls of fish; of Jesus calling
Simon and his brother to be ‘fishers of men’ (in the old version) or
catchers of people if you want a more pc rendering –all sorts of
similarities, parallels with this resurrection story. In those early
stories of the calling of the disciples you can feel their
excitement. |
John 21:1-19 |
|
11th
April |
Seeing (and NOT Seeing) Is Believing:
One senior church leader is of the
opinion that many churches simply throw Easter away year by year. He
thinks they don’t make enough of Easter being about the wild delight
of God’s creative power. It’s probably not very Anglican but he
thinks we should probably be shouting hallelujahs instead of
murmuring them; and that we should be continuing the festival with
champagne served with lots of expressions of praise after morning
prayer. |
John 20:19-31 |
|
4th
April |
Easter Day:
(It’s great to see everybody – and may
I wish you all a Happy& joyous Easter – after quite a journey
together this week (in more ways than one) – and after what seems
like such a long winter. It’s great to have cause for celebrating
today. Spring is on it’s way – &, guess what? Jesus is truly
and fully alive!! So what good, robust, cogent reason do we have for
getting excited today, despite whatever emotional state we’ve been
in, or how tired and strung out we might be feeling? What do you
think? |
Luke 24:36-48 |
|
28th
March |
Palm Sunday:
I wonder what kind of holy week you’re
expecting this will be? I really hope there’s going to be time to
think about Jesus and the monumental week he had; a week that
started with the adulation of crowds of people but which would take
him on a journey to die in agony on a brutal Roman cross the
following Friday morning, into a dark tomb on Friday night and all
day Saturday. And then despite all he’d been saying to his
friends and close followers, his own disciples didn’t have a clue
that ultimately he would be raised to life again on the Sunday
morning. |
Luke 19:25-40 |
|
21st
March |
Mary Anoints Jesus' Feet:
When a
group of strangers came up to the disciples, they expressed a desire
that has been felt by millions upon millions of people ever since.
Speaking to Philip they said: "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." –
it’s a statement of intent that has motivated Christians for almost
two millennia; one that’s inspired artists from Michelangelo to
Salvador Dali; that’s been the driving force behind numerous works
of scholarship and literature. And it touches us this morning as we
reflect upon the importance of Jesus Christ for our lives – in our
lives. |
John 12:20-26 |
|
28th Feb
|
Jesus Grieving Over Jerusalem:
Well here we are, heavily into Lent now – how’s it going?
Lenten lunches have begun after Communion and Douglas’ question-and
answer-study on Wednesday mornings. This coming Tuesday evening why
not come and have a cuppa and have your mind and heart enriched with
the unique ministry of Rob Bell – you won’t be disappointed. Our
Enquirers Group starts on Wednesday evenings – so lots to consider –
and, of course, please do borrow one of the books at the back to
accompany your own quiet time with God these next few weeks. |
Luke 13:3-35 |
|
21st Feb
|
Delighting in the Good News:
Today’s reading from Deuteronomy brings us the ‘remembrance of
times past’ when Yahweh (Israel’s God) had rescued the people from
slavery in Egypt – and it was the very struggle to get to where they
were – into a more settled state in land that was promised - that
gave them huge reason to be grateful. So Moses is giving them
rituals for remembering – like the things we do at harvest festival,
recalling God’s goodness and provision. |
Luke 4:1-13 |
|
31st Jan
|
Candlemas:
We’ve had some pretty grey months of hard winter weather haven’t
we? I was reliably informed by the kids of some close American
friends when I stayed with them a couple of winters ago (they’re now
back home in Colorado) that it was actually a week last Friday
January 22nd that’s supposed to be the most depressing
day of the year. |
Luke 2:22-40 |
|
17th Jan
|
Do What He Tells You:
I wonder if you can think of someone you always love showing up
at any get-together. When you hear that he or she might be going you
think to yourself – well it’s not going to be that bad then –
probably even worth the effort of going. Mind you, as I was thinking
of this I also thought of words that might strike fear and
consternation into the minds of some people and kill any
occasion dead – how about this – “oh and the vicar’s going to be
there!” (Ha!) |
John 2:1-11 |
|
13th Jan
|
Do Not Be Afraid:
It’s great to
be in this Epiphany season – and (if I missed you last week) a very
happy new year to you. Although the Christmas decorations (for most
people anyway) have now been put away, as Christians we continue
celebrating the joy of Jesus’ coming. I picked up this letter from
the Times newspaper in early January a couple of years ago to
encourage those who might not have got ‘round to it yet (& you can
imagine the tone of voice - from ‘outraged of Peckham’) |
- |
|
3rd Jan
|
Epiphany:
As the world slips hesitantly into the fresh measurement of what
it means to enter a new year, the Church begins again to think about
the ministry of Jesus Christ. Next Sunday begins our Epiphany season
that starts with Jesus’ baptism by John and it’s the beginning of a
story that changes the lives of millions of people who hear to it –
(or rather who listen to it.) But already, today,
we’re in the seasonal mood for new beginnings, announcing that the
good news is starting to unfold – right here, right now. |
John 1:10-18 |
|
24th
Dec |
Christmas Eve:
It is so great to see everybody here
tonight. And may I take this opportunity to wish you all a
peace-full Christ-mas. This is a good place to be isn’t it? – worth
suspending the craziness for a nanosecond - and just for a few
stolen moments a chance to make sure the person – Jesus Christ -
gets back into XMAS (such are the pressures to rename this
Christian festival ‘Winterval’ or whatever, “so’s not to offend”!
|
- |
|
13th
Dec |
So What About While We Wait?:
We don't quite know what to make of John the Baptist – but this
3rd Sunday in Advent is when we think about his message.
Who he actually was and what he has to say is certainly important -
we have to admit that. After all he was Jesus’ cousin; and someone
who would baptize him right at the beginning of his ministry? But
what an oddball! Shall we say, an interesting taste in clothes and
food? But John is the one identified by the Prophets as the
messenger, preparing the way for Jesus – the Messiah – despite the
fact that he was in no doubt whatsoever that he was just the
voice. |
Luke 3:7-18 |
|
6th Dec |
Repent and Turn Towards God:
How does the good news of Jesus Christ begin in Luke’s gospel?
With John the Baptist: wild-man John: long-haired, dishevelled,
dressed in the skins of wild animals wandering in the desert
wilderness eating honey and locusts, and crying out to the people –
“Repent - The Kingdom of God is at hand”. |
- |
|
29th Nov |
Advent Sunday:
Today is Advent Sunday – “advent” - derived from the Latin word
‘adventus’ meaning (?) ‘coming’ or ‘arrival’ – because it’s all
about the coming of the King. And each of our readings seems to
point to the importance of waiting. And it’s not like waiting in
Tesco either in long queues while they decide who’s on duty; or at
the badly named express self-service checkout where it waits for you
to put the item in the bag – and that voice tells you several times
to do what you’ve already done, but then the item wasn’t heavy
enough to register in the first place, so you try fooling it... |
- |
|
22nd Nov |
Christ the King:
These past weeks we’ve been following Mark in his account of
Jesus and his teaching about the kingdom of God. I hope we’ve begun
to understand that the values and perspectives of that kingdom are
all ‘upside down’ in comparison with those of our culture (although
‘right-side up’ would probably be more appropriate!). |
John 18:33-37 |
|
15th Nov |
Shaking the Foundations:
I wonder if there’s ever been a time in your life when your
foundations have been totally rocked – when something’s happened
that’s completely altered the way you see things. Many people have
taken that view ever since the planes flew into the twin
towers of the world trade centre in New York in September 2001. |
Mark 13:1-8 |
|
8th Nov |
A Call to Discipleship:
As we’ve been seeing these last few weeks from the gospels,
Jesus is looking for us to be disciples, rather than merely
customers or consumers or of Christianity – and there’s another call
we hear him make in today’s reading.
Someone once
observed that "an athlete was never made by reading an instruction
manual, but by training and practice.” In other words things don’t
happen just through the reading and repeating of words – but by
living them out - and working hard at them! |
Mark 1:14-20 |
|
25th
Oct |
Bartimaeus:
This story from Mark is the kind that lends itself to quiet
meditation. (Christians have been using their imagination when using
Scripture for centuries). Try to visualize being part of that
surging mass of people. You’ve been on a long journey; you’re all
hot and sweaty; dust is clinging to your clothes and skin; you’re
weary - but also excited – you can’t wait to see what Jesus is going
to do next. He’s at the height of his popularity and you’re there:
part of a huge crowd pressing close to him. (Can you imagine it?) |
Mark 10:46-52 |
|
11th
Oct |
This Discipleship Thing:
Don’t we
complicate things as adults?! I’ve spent quite a bit of time with
kids this last week – deluged by the Infants last Monday who came up
from school for their Harvest Service – and then down at the Primary
School on Friday after being invited by the year 6 kids to come
explain what Harvest is about at the end of their Harvest Service –
so I was the final act - after they’d said and sung it all
(brilliantly!) They knew it was all about saying “thank you” - and
(as the Bishop said last Sunday) all about ‘sharing’. I couldn’t add
a thing. |
Mark 10:17-31 |
|
27th
Sept |
Are You With Me or Not?:
I have to
confess I’m not an avid watcher of the soaps – and I know Sue and
Joel get totally fed up when I have to ask what’s going on – who’s
this or that character? – and what’s the story all about? It seems
to me that it only makes sense if you have some idea of the bigger
narrative after watching it for a while and getting familiar with
the characters. Only then are you able to locate what on earth’s
going on. |
Mark 9:38-50 |
|
20th
Sept |
So What
Makes Someone Great?:
I wonder who
your heroes were when you were growing up? Whose pictures would you
have put up in your room? (that’s if you ever had your own room and
were allowed) What kind of role models were they? |
Mark 9:30-37 |
|
13th
Sept |
Peter Declares Jesus to be the Messiah:
There comes a time when relationships get personal - when you
have to figure out for yourself just who that other person is to you
and what he or she means to you (& that’s certainly the case if
you’ve ever been in love!) We heard some of the story of Lowri and
Chris at yesterday’s wedding celebration. |
Mark 8:27-38 |
|
6th
Sept |
Jesus and the Gentile Woman:
Have you ever felt when things just seem to close in on you that
you just want to get away from it all? If you haven’t been able to
get off this grey misty island this summer (as one of my American
friends describes it) I hope at least you’ve managed a bit of space
from all the demands which can crowd in. |
Mark 7:24-27 |
|
30th
August |
Mark's Gospel: "Lots to do, must
dash...!":
You might have noticed this morning that our lectionary leads us
to change direction and pace (again) in our set readings as we
return to Mark’s gospel. We’ve been considering in depth John’s
account of Jesus’ discourse on the living bread from heaven – in all
its power and depth and elegance – and Mark’s gospel is just so
different. |
Mark 7:1-8 |
|
23rd
August |
Lord, to Whom Can We Go?:
I guess we’ve all been in situations where the speaker is
talking over our heads. We go along thinking we’ll hear an
introduction to a subject, only to find the lecturer speaking to
those ‘in the know’ in very abstract terms – those who’ve already
had the basics - and we don’t usually give it another try, do we?
|
John 6:56-69 |
|
9th
August |
Jesus - the Bread of Life Part 2:
“I am the Bread of Life…”
They’re simple enough words. Yet to those listening this was
shocking. Shocking for a start because Jesus dared to associate
himself with the name of God by actually using the words ‘I AM’ -
which would have reminded the Jews of the story of the burning bush
when God tracked down Moses to tell him he was going to be the one
to rescue his fellow Israelites from slavery in Egypt. Shocking
because Jesus then compounds his blasphemy by claiming to be ‘the
bread of life.’ |
John 6:25-35 |
|
2nd
August |
Jesus - the Bread of Life:
Try and imagine the scene if you will – it’s right after the
astonishing event we looked at last week - where 5,000 people were
fed out of practically nothing. Jesus is at the height of his
popularity - the crowds are wanting to take him - by force if
necessary – to make him their King. He even tries to get away from
all the people’s demands by crossing the lake – only to be followed
the next day when they’d figured out where he might be, and a huge
flotilla of boats follows him across Galilee. |
John 6:25-35 |
|
26th
July |
Feeding the Five Thousand:
The whole of this long 6th chapter of John is
dominated by one aspect of the Passover theme. Do you recall how God
fed the children of Israel as they were wandering in the desert? It
was through ‘bread from heaven’ – you can read all about it in
Exodus 16 where ‘manna’ was provided for the people who were all
complaining and grumbling. And what do we have here in this story,
which is told in all four gospels? Jesus provides food for a large
crowd (where?) – in an area of wilderness, across from the Sea of
Galilee and away from towns where food might have been available. |
John 6:1-21 |
|
19th
July |
Breaking Down the Dividing
Walls - A Whole New Humanity:
Some break eh? Just settling down to what you think is a free
evening and someone arrives. The other week for Sue and me it was a
chap called Marcus from Germany – a traveller, a pilgrim, needing a
bed for the night and his clothes washed…. Well here is Jesus
anticipating the wisdom of modern therapeutic approaches - taking a
rest after the exhaustion of work – making sure his disciples take
time-out. But a short boat trip is the only time he and his
disciples actually get to themselves, because by the time they get
to the shore everyone else has got there first. Great?! |
Mark 6:30-34 & 53-56 |
|
12th
July |
The Utter Extravagance of God's Grace:
I wonder if you’ve been catching a sense that God might be
speaking to us through the weekly lectionary readings of Scripture –
and particularly the gospels these past few weeks. Maybe it’s
because I’m hyper-sensitive to what I hope the Holy Spirit might be
saying to us (or have been thinking about things a bit more during
clergy school). |
Ephesians: 1:3-14 |
|
5th
July |
Fix Your Eyes on Jesus:
Can you remember the first time you did something in public in
front of your parents? I can remember the first time I got up in a
pulpit and preached. It was after my ordination as priest and they
were attending my first Holy Communion service. And it wasn’t the
same as the other things I’d done. |
Mark: 6:1-13 |
|
28th
June |
From Fear to Faith:
Why does Jesus insist on identifying himself with all the
wrong kinds of people? Have you noticed? And why does he seem to be
making a point of shocking people out of their comfort zone as he
demonstrates his power (in this case) to take people out of their
fears and into faith? Because that’s what this is all about today.
So let’s at least try and understand what’s behind Mark’s ‘story
within a story’. |
Mark: 5:21-43 |
|
21st
June |
Jesus Calms the Storm:
You might remember the phrase from Forrest Gump - that famous
movie for which Tom Hanks got one of his Oscars. His mother tells
him “Life is like a box of chocolates…you never know what you’re
going to get.” And we all know that that phrase is true…that life is
anything but predictable. Circumstances can change with a blink of
an eye, can “throw you a curve ball as the Americans say” – the ball
from a pitcher in baseball that seems to be coming straight at you –
and you think you can give it a good wallop, and then it suddenly
curves, dips – and you ‘swing and miss’. |
Mark: 4:35-41 |
|
14th
June |
Parable of the Growing Seed:
As we saw last week with the ambiguous image of the old and
young woman, sometimes things are not as they appear to be. And this
parable has long been used to describe the amount of faith one would
need to be used by God: it’s about our littleness - his greatness; a
lunch pack of a few loaves and a couple of sardines – and Jesus
feeding 5000 people. |
Mark: 4:26-34 |
|
7th
June |
Trinity Sunday:
There’s a story of a little girl who was asked to write an essay
on “birth”. She went home and asked her mother how she’d been born.
Her mother, who was busy at the time, said ‘the stork brought you
darling, and left you on the doorstep.’ Continuing her research she
asked her dad how the same question. |
|
|
31st
May |
Pentecost Sunday:
This Day of Pentecost must have been a great day – we sometimes
called it the birthday of the church (& join us for this afternoon’s
Whitsun Tea when we’ll be cutting the cake!). The great wind of
God’s Spirit swept through Jesus’ disciples and filled them with a
new joy and a sense of God’s presence and power – new confidence to
proclaim from the rooftops that Jesus was indeed the culmination of
God’s rescue plan for the human race – and not just for the Jews,
but for everybody. |
John 15:26-27 |
|
24th
May |
Ascension Sunday:
Ascensiontide and Pentecost draw us with their rich imagery and
their proclamation of triumph in Christ’s majesty and the Holy
Spirit’s empowering presence and gifts. This is the time when we
remember the Church has something to say which is good news for all
the earth. So let us daily seek to bear the fruit of the Spirit and
work for this Kingdom that will not pass away. |
John 15:9-17 |
|
17th
May |
Abiding in Christ:
We talked last week about drawing strength and life from Jesus
in our relationship with him. ‘Abiding’ or remaining in Christ means
we remain in his love. “As the Father has loved me, so have I
loved you. Now remain in my love.” But what does that mean? Does
it mean Christ might stop loving me? No, his love for us is
everlasting and unconditional. He will never stop loving us. |
John 15:9-17 |
|
10th
May |
Abiding in the Vine: I’d
struggle through the week sincerely trying to “live the Christian
life” and then go to church Sunday morning. I’d look around at all
the people. They seemed so pious and holy sitting there in the pews.
It seemed to me that others might be cut out for Christianity but I
certainly wasn’t. But the truth is I just didn’t understand what
Jesus is saying here. |
John 15:1-8 |
|
3rd May |
The Good Shepherd: Jesus
seems to be addressing this eternal question is our reading today –
"How do we find our security; our satisfaction in life?"
We’re all desperate to find our real identity aren’t we? To discover
where we belong – to be known and loved unconditionally – recognized
as special. I’m sure you’ve seen this if you’ve spent any time on
the Gower. |
John 10:11-18 |
|
26th
April |
Life after 'life after death': Last
week (if you remember) we had John’s take on the resurrection – and
today we have part of the closing scene of Luke’s Gospel, which is
full of joy and excitement, but also brings into focus one of the
abiding questions about what actually happened at Easter. For a
biblical scholar like Tom Wright, the present Bishop of Durham, this
is a cause of fascination – and is for us if we to think about it
for a moment. |
Luke 24:36-48 |
|
19th
April |
Seeing (and NOT seeing) Is Believing: This
remarkable passage describes the first appearance of the resurrected
Jesus to the assembled disciples.
In it we sense the fear felt by the disciples, even though it
doesn’t say precisely what they were afraid of. Perhaps they afraid
of the Jews because they suspected them of stealing the body and
making it all up. Maybe they were afraid people would accuse them of
leading some kind of insurgency movement? |
John 20:19-31 |
|
12th
April |
Easter Day - Alive for Ever and Ever: It’s
a curious choice that has been made to favour Mark’s somewhat
truncated account of the resurrection over John’s this morning. In
the reading we have before us (printed) it’s almost like the last
bit of the manuscript has been torn off and Mark ends with the
disciples being ‘seized with fear’. |
John 20:1-21 |
|
5th
April |
Palm Sunday: as we enter
Holy Week, what a beginning to the final week of Jesus’ life: a week
that started with the adulation of the crowds but which would take
him on a journey to die in agony on a brutal cross on a Friday
morning, into a tomb on Friday night and all day Saturday. And
despite all he’d been
saying to them, his disciples didn’t have a clue that ultimately
he’d be raised to life again on the following Sunday morning. |
Luke 19:25-40 |
|
29th
March |
We Wish to See Jesus: There's
something in us that won’t rest until we have a clearer picture of
the one we worship as the very Son of God. All our biblical
affirmations, theological statements, creeds and sermons, all our
words, however effective, still leave us with that elementary desire
to see him for ourselves. |
John 12:20-26 |
|
22nd
March |
Jesus and Nicodemus:
Like many
devout Jews of the time Nicodemus was longing for God’s kingdom to
come – and (here’s the thing) he would have assumed that he would
have had the right to enjoy God’s blessings automatically by virtue
of belonging to the Jewish race – God’s special people – and also as
a reward for his devotion to religious tradition – his piety. |
John 3:14-21 |
|
15th
March |
Jesus in the Temple:
There’s really no adequate way of trying to picture this astonishing
scene in the Temple in Jerusalem. Although I’ll have a bit of a go
in a minute, there’s no illustration that can do justice to what
Jesus did, but we do have to try and understand the event, in all
its uniqueness, to see what the gospel writer John wants us to see
within it. |
John 2:18-22 |
|
8th
March |
Following Jesus - Take Up Your Cross: Well despite Jesus’ friends and
followers being used to danger and knowing that following him was
risky – because anyone growing up in Galilee would have known that
the holy revolutionaries of the time ended up getting crucified –
what we have in our gospel reading today is something different,
something new. |
Mark 8:31-38 |
|
1st
March |
You Are My Dear, Dear Child:
the whole of the Christian gospel could be summed up in what we
read: that when the living God looks at us, at
every baptized and believing Christian, he says to us what he
said to Jesus on that day. He sees us, not as we are in ourselves,
but as we are in Jesus Christ. Now I know that it sometimes seems
inconceivable, especially to those who have never experienced this
kind of unconditional support or regard from their earthly parents,
but it’s still true: God looks at us – you, me - and says, ‘You are
my dear, dear child; I’m delighted with you.’
|
Mark 1:9-18 |
|
25th
Feb |
Ash Wednesday:
I remember the
first time I looked through a microscope as a kid – I think it was a
human hair on a slide multiplied so many times it’s been difficult
to ever look at it in an ordinary way again (not that I have many
home-grown specimens to research these days). And then there was the
first time one of my great uncles let me look through his telescope
at the night sky – it was just mind-bogglingly amazing. I’m sure
you’ve had similar experiences when life as you’d known it up until
that point is suddenly transformed; when you begin to see things in
a different light. Well ratchet that up a few notches on the
‘gob-smacked’ scale and we see how Peter James and John (in Mark’s
account of the Transfiguration event) get completely overwhelmed when
they are confronted by a new reality about Jesus. |
- |
|
22nd
Feb |
Transfiguration Sunday:
I remember the
first time I looked through a microscope as a kid – I think it was a
human hair on a slide multiplied so many times it’s been difficult
to ever look at it in an ordinary way again (not that I have many
home-grown specimens to research these days). And then there was the
first time one of my great uncles let me look through his telescope
at the night sky – it was just mind-bogglingly amazing. I’m sure
you’ve had similar experiences when life as you’d known it up until
that point is suddenly transformed; when you begin to see things in
a different light. Well ratchet that up a few notches on the
‘gob-smacked’ scale and we see how Peter James and John (in Mark’s
account of the Transfiguration event) get completely overwhelmed when
they are confronted by a new reality about Jesus. |
Mark 9:2-9 |
|
15th
Feb |
Touching the Untouchable:
leper came to Jesus, and said "If you will, you can make me clean "
Notice his exact words. "If you choose to you can make me
clean; if you want to, Jesus…". He was taking a risk and putting his
whole life into the hands of this young teacher.
Being a leper, this man was taking a chance that Jesus might walk
away - as the scribes and Pharisees would have done, or have stones
thrown at him, or be taunted, like he and many others were
accustomed to. But he obviously felt that Jesus was different, that
he just might be the one who could change his whole life.
|
Mark 1:40-45 |
|
8th Feb |
Finding the Strength in Prayer:
generally than just this enforced break from so-called ‘normality’.
How many of us lead way-too-busy lives? How many of us wish we could
slow down and smell the flowers (as they say) - replenish our
energy. Perhaps it’s taken some freak weather to give us some space
to think? |
Mark 1:29-39 |
|
1st Feb
Evening
Prayer |
Overflowing Supply:
Psalm 130 is one of probably seven Penitential Psalms - which have a
pattern of confessing sin and stating a desire to return to God.
What these seven Psalms all have in common is that they are the
cries from the heart of an individual: a person who is in dire need
of help from God is calling out for him to help. |
Psalm 130 |
|
1st Feb |
Candlemas:
I was reliably informed by the kids of some close American friends
when I stayed with them this time last year (they’re now back home
in Colorado) that January 22nd is the most depressing day
of the year. Now that we’re into February (just), it’s thankfully
past, but when you think about the current pressure many have
already have found December with the same potential for stress. |
Luke 2:22-40 |
|
18th
Jan '09 |
Jesus, Philip and Nathaniel:
Jesus said some pretty strange and thought-provoking things didn’t
he – and I wonder if you noticed this one at the end of our gospel
reading? He seems to be referring to the Genesis story in the Old
Testament when Jacob was running away penniless from his brother
Esau whom he’d tricked out of his birthright and his father’s
blessing. Jacob had a dream where he saw a ladder reaching up from
the ground to heaven – and God’s angels were going up and down on
it. And the Lord was beside Jacob and promised him that he would
bring him back to his homeland in peace and prosperity. |
Luke 1:43-51 |
|
4th Jan
'09 |
Epiphany:
A very happy
new year to you all. Although the Christmas decorations (for most
people anyway) have now been put away, we continue celebrating the
joy of Jesus’ birth in the season of Epiphany. You might remember
the letter I picked up a letter from last year’s Times at Epiphany: |
- |
|
June 2007 |
The Lord's Prayer - Series 1
:Today
begins a short series on what we know as the Lord’s prayer – but
should probably more accurately be referred to as “the disciples’
prayer’. I wonder whether you’ve ever asked the question ‘Why am I
here?’ You might well be asking yourself that right now – like why
on earth did I have to get up so early? – but that’s not what I’m
talking about; What am I here in this world for? What’s the purpose
of my life? |
Matthew 6:10 |
|
June 2007 |
The Lord's Prayer - Series 2
: We’ve
come to the second of our series on the Lord’s prayer – and there’s
a shift in focus – from the emphasis on you and yours (your name,
your kingdom) to ‘us’ and ‘our’. Remember when one of the teachers
of the Law asked Jesus ‘of all the commandments, which is the most
important? What did Jesus reply? –“love the Lord your God with
everything you possess – and – (equally important) ...love your
neighbour as yourself”. It’s a subdivision that reflects the 10
commandments – if you look at them there are 5 to do with our
relationship with God; and 5 that cover our relationships with
others. |
Matthew 6:11 |
|
June 2007 |
The Lord's Prayer - Series 3
:
In
some ways this is the most difficult clause of the Lord’s prayer. It
covers two issues that are interlinked: God’s forgiveness of us and
our forgiveness of other people. You’re probably already thinking –
as I was when I was preparing this – that the subject of forgiveness
isn’t one that lends itself to cool, detached, theoretical
discussion – just the very mention gets the adrenalin going. Almost
anybody who has risked publicly about the necessity of forgiving
those who might have hurt us will have had some sort of experience
like someone coming up to them at the end of a meeting with a pale,
angry face, blurting out “It’s all very well for you to talk about
forgiveness, but let me tell you what happened to me...” |
Matthew 6:11 |
