This sermon is based on the RCL Gospel text for this week. In the Gospels of Matthew and Luke the story of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness is told in great detail – each temptation elaborated upon. But this year the Gospel upon which we focus is Mark, and Mark’s account of Jesus’ 40 wilderness…
Ash Wednesday 2018 Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return. Turn away from sin and be faithful to Christ. These are the ancient words of Ash Wednesday, uttered today by Priests around the world on this, the first day of Lent. Today we face our mortality. The second chapter of Genesis…
This sermon begind with a reading of Ursula Fanthorpe’s poem BC:AD which can be found here On the surface, this poem has nothing much to do with Candlemas – the presentation of Christ in the Temple. It’s a Christmas poem – one of a series written by Ursula Fanthorpe each year at Christmas – to…
Today’s Gospel is all about authority. Twice, people were amazed by Jesus’ authority – once in the Synagogue and again after Jesus heals someone of an unclean spirit. Before thinking about authority, let’s just think about what this ‘unclean spirit’ might mean. We will probably never really understand what this was all about, but the…
Advent 3 2017 It always seems odd to be remembering John the Baptist on the 3rd Sunday of Advent when pink candle is lit. Today is Gaudete Sunday – the Sunday of Joy. It is the Advent equivalent of Mothering Sunday – a day of refreshment when the feeling of penitential preparation can be relaxed…
Some time ago I, along with all my fellow clergy, was required to go on a ‘Bishop’s teaching Day. I confess I always dread these occasions – they’re busy and noisy and everyone talks at once. The worst bit comes when the speaker invites questions from the floor, after which those who stand to speak…
Proper 20 24.09.17. I seem to be starting all my sermons these days with the words ‘this Gospel passage is very difficult to understand’. Today’s gospel passage is definitely not easy – it’s hard to make sense of it. Our understanding of economic justice is that if you work longer hours you get more pay…
We anglicans are, on the whole, a well mannered lot. We know when to say ‘please’ and thank you’ and, mostly, we’re polite to people. For people of my generation and older, there has always been a particular expectation that women are well behaved – an ill-mannered woman is a particular disgrace. Men and boys…
St. Oswald Oswald, son of the Northumbrian King Ethelfrith, fled to Scotland in 616 when Edwin seized his father’s kingdom. Oswald travelled to Iona and became a Christian there. When Edwin died in 633, Oswald and his family returned to Northumbria. Determined to regain his kingdom, Oswald assembled an army at Heavenfield near Hexham,…
As usual on Good Friday I’ve brought you some pictures to look at. I think I do this because Good Friday is really beyond words. When I was choosing hymns for today I noticed that many of them are really sentimental and somehow many of them make it ‘all about us’ or ‘all about me’…