‘Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world but in order that the world might be saved through him’ The strap line of the Blood Donor Service is ‘save a life’. It is brilliant: what could be better than to endure just a few moments of discomfort in order to […]
Sermons
Transfiguration
Transfiguration 26 February 2017 I want to begin with something most of you will not have heard before. It is from “ Alice through the Looking Glass”. The White Queen and Alice are having a conversation. The White Queen says to Alice : “Let’s consider your age to begin with. How old are you?”. “I’m seven […]
Has Christ been divided?
Has Christ been divided? 22 January, 2017 Here from the novel Shirley is Charlotte Bronte’s portrait of the curate Mr Macarthey: “I am happy to inform you” she writes “with truth, that this gentleman … proved himself … decent, decorous and conscientious … . He laboured faithfully in the parish: the schools, both Sunday and […]
Launch of St Hild College
Launch of St Hild College 14 January 2017, Dewsbury Minster Sermon preached at the service to launch St Hild College, formed by the merger of the former Yorkshire Ministry Course and St Barnabas Theological Centre, continuing to operate from its site within the grounds of CR at Mirfield. I am old enough to remember the Beatles. […]
The Baptism of Christ
The Baptism of Christ 8 January 2017 Today we keep the feast of the Baptism of Jesus. Because of the quirks of the church’s calendar, in which some festivals are coupled with a specific date like Christmas, others are based on specific Sundays, like this one, so that while we kept the great feast of […]
Naming of Jesus
Naming of Jesus 1 January 2017 Numbers 6.22-27; Gal 4.4-7; Luke 2.15-21 Driving around the country to Ministry Division meetings is not inherently pleasurable but it sometimes brings unexpected benefits, usually courtesy of Radio 4. So it was that on one occasion recently I heard the following tale. In a clearing in the Australian bush […]
Jesus came to…
Jesus came to… 18 December 2016 – Advent 4 What can anyone say in this run up to the pre-Christian midwinter festival, when Christmas music has been played in bus stations for a month already, coloured lights glimmering from windows, cards arriving; even presents? Who are music, the lights, the presents, for? Are they really […]
Straightness
Straightness 4 December 2016 – ADVENT 2: Year A Poets, story-tellers and other observers and commentators on the human condition have occasionally pointed out the curious fact that in order to arrive at an intended destination the traveller sometimes has to go by a roundabout and circuitous route. Alice at the beginning of her adventures […]
Christ the King
CHRIST THE KING 20 November 2016 I understand that the Queen usually has only one glass of wine at lunch. One day she asked for a second glass. Her famous Mother responded:- “Do you think that wise, darling – you have to reign all afternoon!” Speaking of “reigning” today we celebrate the Feast of Christ […]
Lift up Jesus
Second Sunday before Advent 2016 Perhaps the use of the word “Apocalyptic” is so overworked nowadays that we just close our eyes and our ears, which is a sad thing to do, for in Scripture the apocalyptic is a serious Jewish tradition and it is more than merely looking at tea leaves and proclaiming the […]