The great church feast of The Most Holy Trinity that has been described as a “heavenly feast with a hellish twist.” That apt description is well illustrated by the following story: Once there was an elderly man, and one evening he was taking his usual walk. He was enjoying the crisp night air and the…
Readings: Isaiah 6.1–8; Psalm 29; Romans 8.12–17; John 3.1–17 In the dead of our nighttime we are often led to think deeply about our situation. Those moments when we get to see ourselves that much clearer than the glare of our daytime lives, the stars (bright lights) of our achievements allow. Suddenly, a few bright…
This Friday, 25 May marks the implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in European public life. This introduces a regime of privacy rights that affects digital discourse and communications. This regime undoubtedly covers our functions as a parish church. Our life and role as a parish church of the Church of England, inevitably…
When we choose to follow Christ as our Lord, He begins the process of making us more like Him each day. It is not a matter of pretending to be what we aren’t but of becoming more and more what we are in Christ. – David C. McCasland. • “If we only have the will…
Sermon at Evensong on Sunday 22.4.2018 at St Paul’s Cathedral. All the Israelites in our reading from the Hebrew Bible knew what each of them had for breakfast. Theirs was the ultimate one list, and very public, one item, menu. They were all obliged to gather manna from the desert floor around them publicly! There…
#LiveLent reflections: Day twenty-eight – I am the Good Shepherd Read – John 10.11-18 I am, Jesus says, for the fourth time. A good shepherd cares for his sheep because he has invested his life in them, unlike the one merely hired to look after them. He knows his sheep and they know him. His…
#LiveLent reflections: Day twenty-seven – Abundantly Read – John 10.10 At the centre of the Gospel of John is this verse that goes to the heart of the Good News of Jesus. Jesus is Good News for the world and for your friends because he came to enable all people to have life, not just…
#LiveLent reflections: Day twenty-six – I am the gate Read – John 10.1-9 I am, Jesus says, for the third time. A shepherd guards the entrance to the sheep fold. My body is the door. I am the gate. It’s an image of protection; there is safety to be found in Jesus. It’s an image…
#LiveLent reflections: Day Twenty-five – Sight Read – John 9.1-12 This week’s reflections have centred on aspects of being set free. Anger, fear and sin giving way to light, truth, love and forgiveness. For John, the great theme is sight. What makes us spiritually ‘blind’ and who enables us to see? What pushes us to live…
