Voice Recognition

Diocesan Weekly Sermon Jean (not her real name) was in a coma in the intensive care unit when I went to visit her. I spent some time talking to her and praying for her. There was no response. I went back each week for a couple of weeks with no change. The following week, however,…

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Feasting on the Word

Diocesan Weekly Sermon Acts 2.14a, 22-32 As child and a young teenager, I loved reading books. I regularly cycled a couple of miles into town to get books from the local library and I devoured them. Then came the formal study of English literature for GSCE and my love of reading was crushed. I confess…

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Sermon – Last Sunday after Trinity

Today’s Gospel reading is a bit of a minefield – you have to be careful where you put your feet. It’s very easy to end up saying something as self congratulatory as ‘Heavenly Father, I thank you that I’m not like that Pharisee, thinking I’m better than everyone else’ thereby becoming exactly like the Pharisee…

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Sermon – St Matthew the Apostle

St Matthew, also known as Levi, was one of the 12, and by tradition, the author of Matthew’s Gospel. He isn’t mentioned much in the Gospels: he’s listed as one of the 12. In Acts he is listed as a witness of Jesus’ Ascension into heaven, and in Luke’s Gospel there’s an oblique reference to…

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Sermon – Pentecost

I suppose the Holy Spirit is the least understood person of  the Trinity, and the most misused. Long ago I attended the World Council of Churches 7th Assembly in Canberra, Australia. Christians of almost all denominations and from almost everywhere in the world gathered for 2 weeks to talk about the Holy Spirit. I can…

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Sermon – Easter 3

We have just heard another, very familiar resurrection account from John’s Gospel. John tells us this was the third time that Jesus appeared to his disciples. It was actually the fourth time: John omits Jesus’ very first encounter with Mary Magdalene on that first Easter morning. It would be good to think that we’ve made…

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