Looking at today’s readings, I was wondering what I might preach about. As I was doing this, it came to me that the very idea of wondering, even the very word wonder might be worth exploring. When I was a small boy, I was, with my parents, on our way to Norfolk in my father’s […]
Sermons
Pentecost
‘Poor, little, talkative Christianity’ – that was E.M. Forster’s somewhat tart observation, and indeed it has to be acknowledged that ours is a religion which is very verbal, and very vocal, and which from the beginning has invested a great deal of energy in the whole business of communication. Today’s celebration and commemoration, ‘the last […]
Lord let me see your footmarks and in them plant my own
When I was an ordinand, a returning student of the College, I found myself at the end of one year at Mass in Lower Church presided over by the then Principal and at which all the others present were leavers preparing to be made deacons. There was a hitch. When it came to the Creed, […]
Sermon on Acts 17: 22-34
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts Be acceptable in your sight O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. The last time I stood here was also the first time I stood here: It was Palm Sunday Evensong and I preached on John 14: 15-21: If you love me […]
Easter IV 2017
The two portions of scripture appointed for today make a daunting prospect for any preacher for they both provide large scale generalised statements about the requirements for a Christian. Holding everything in common, and making sure that we go through the right door who is Jesus Christ, all well and good for generalised waffle, but […]
Low Sunday Sermon
EXODUS 14; 1-END; 15;20-21, PS 16 1 PETER 1; 3-9 JOHN 20; 19-end Preaching today, Low Sunday, is a bit of a challenge– it’s bound to be an anti-climax after the amazing Easter celebrations, and yet it’s the day when brethren of the Community of the Resurrection try to celebrate the Resurrection together.. […]
Sermon on John 14: 15-31
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts Be acceptable to you O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen So here we are, once more, at the beginning of Holy Week. Once again we have embarked on the journey of Jesus to Jerusalem and have listened to the […]
Raising of Lazarus
Raising of Lazarus “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that he was ill, he stayed two days longer…” This is not what we would expect. We would expect Jesus to drop everything and go, either to be with Lazarus when he died, or to heal him. Instead, Jesus […]
Healing of the man born blind
Lent 4 26 March 2017 Year A: Healing of the man born blind (John 9) In a few moments’ time we shall be on our feet declaring our belief that it was ‘for us and for our salvation’ that Jesus Christ ‘came down from heaven, was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary […]
The truth
Lent 3 (19 March 2017) John 4.5-42 Jesus said to the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well ‘Woman believe me the hour is coming when you will neither, on this mountain nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father but the hour is coming – and now is – when the true worshippers will worship the Father in […]