Sermons

“Son of David, have mercy on me” Today’s story of the healing of Bartimaeus must be one of our favourite gospel stories. It’s a beautifully told tale full of pathos, excitement and movement. Many artists have produced beautiful paintings of this story. It’s wonderful to pray through as an ignatian meditation; you can’t help but […]

“Then who can be saved?” ************************ We are not at a time of great confidence. Even when numbers may be ticking up, people believe their lives are getting worse. Certainly the news seems to be getting worse. And this is true in the Church as well, even though there is an unreported uptick in numbers […]

It’s difficult to imagine salt that hasn’t got any saltness. It would be only appearances, with no taste behind the appearance. Christ is trying to focus our minds on essentials. This passage links up with the parable of the Sower, where some seed fell on rocky ground … it did not have much depth of […]

(Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23) ‘Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?’ Given the events of the early 2020s, many of us may have some sympathy with these words of the Pharisees and scribes. After all, it isn’t a bad idea to wash your hands […]

“He who eats this bread will live forever” In about 30 minutes time we will all receive bread and wine, the Body and Blood of Christ. Why do we do it? Partly because Jesus said we should. “Do this as oft as ye shall drink it.” We do it because we know it is Jesus […]

 The highlight of the holiday was my brother George’s 70th Birthday celebration. Many of you know George as the Auctioneer. He and his family are regular visitors to Mirfield. The meal was held at Stormont the home of the N.I. Assembly. There were 21 of us – all known to each other, all related either […]

I am the Bread of Life. John 6: 25-35 Bread. Our brother George once went to a conference on Bread and came back with three volumes of papers! There is so much that can be said about bread and so many different ways of making it. Bread means many different things, on different levels, so […]

Meeting the world with silence I’ve called this talk “Meeting the world with silence”, and in it I want to speak about what is sometimes referred to as “contemplative” prayer or simply contemplative “practice” and to say a bit about the great gift I think it is to us today. Part of the reason I […]

2024-07-07 (2 Cor. 12:2-10; Mark 6:1-13)           The passage we have had today from Paul is what I think of as being stereotypically Pauline – he manages to be both moving, while at the same time slightly irritating. He says that he isn’t boasting, yet we all know perfectly well that this person in Christ […]

“Thus far you shall come and no further, and here shall your proud waves be stopped.” *********************************************** I had the pleasure a couple of weeks ago of visiting Crackington Haven on the North Cornish coast and walking on the sands. It was a bright day and a peaceful scene. At least, it was until I […]