Sermons

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   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 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… 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 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 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 […]

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 […]

6 November, 2016 – Third Sunday before Advent – Year C More than once in my years here we have had a local person from Mirfield start to work here and being rather nervous about it. Then as he or she gradually got used to the people and the entertaining goings-on here, that person came […]

30 October, 2016 – Fourth Sunday before Advent – Year C ‘Today salvation has come to this house’ Does Zacchaeus repent? That’s a funny question. It’s one we might not think to ask. The story of Jesus and the chief tax-collector seems to turn on Zacchaeus’ change of heart. That’s how we expect the story […]

Sermon 23 October 2016 The Pharisee and the Tax Collector I don’t like this parable. It makes me feel uncomfortable. For a start I know I am the Pharisee. I look around and thank God I am not as other men are. I am very glad God called me unto the Community of the Resurrection […]