Monday, December 25, 2017

The Power of the Christmas Story

The Christmas story is chocked-full of powerful images - each on of which has the power to amaze and transform us.  Here's the sermon I preached at this year's Midnight Mass, in an attempt to unpack some of the depths of the story.  To read it, please click here.

Saturday, December 23, 2017

Will the real St Nicholas please stand up?!

Today, I gave a talk about St Nicholas to our chapel-congregation at Langstone.  (The chapel is dedicated to St Nicholas, patron saint of children and sailors.)  If you would like to learn a bit more about St Nicholas, please click here.

Sunday, December 17, 2017

The Violence of Christmas

Tonight, I gave a 'meditation' on violence at our Community Carol service.  Have you ever pondered just how much human violence is woven into the Christmas story - and what God's response to human violence is?  To read tonight's meditation, please click here.

Sunday, December 10, 2017

Baptist or Baptiser

There's a new trend in biblical translation - to rename 'John the Baptist' as 'John the Baptiser'.  What's this about?  Who was John - and why didn't he become one of Jesus' disciples?  Fascinating questions, I think - and the themes of today's sermon, which can be found by clicking HERE.

Sunday, December 03, 2017

Advent: Are we there yet?

What's the Second Coming all about?  Why does Jesus say that 'this generation will not pass away' until he has returned in glory and power in the clouds?  Ever thought of the church as a 'Love Factory'?  To muse on these and other issues, please click here to read today's sermon.

Sunday, October 22, 2017

Render unto Caesar

"Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's - and to God that which is God's" - or so the King James translation of the Bible more or less reports Jesus' words in today's gospel.  It this a cry for the separation of church and state?  I argue in today's sermon that it is anything but.  To read the sermon, please click here.

Sunday, September 17, 2017

Servants of the Servants of God

To read today's sermon, on the occasion of the first Eucharist David & Vickie Morgan as deacons, please click here

Sunday, September 10, 2017

Sunday, August 06, 2017

From the Mountain-top

Here is today's sermon on the story of the 'Transfiguration'.  Please click here to read it.

Monday, July 31, 2017

The Healing of Charlie Gard

Here is a link to yesterday's sermon on the topic of healing.  We are about to re-introduce regular opportunities for healing prayer at our Sunday services (first and third Sundays).  In the light of the tragic story of baby Charlie Gard, I didn't see how one could just ignore such awfulness, while talking about God's healing.  To read the sermon, please click here.  

Sunday, July 02, 2017

Tuesday, April 04, 2017

Mothering Sunday 2017

Here, rather belatedly, is a link to the sermon I preached on Mothering Sunday:  click here

Sunday, February 26, 2017

From the Mountain-top

Here is today's sermon:  please click here .  (It is a repeat of the same sermon I gave last year - somewhat enlivened in the preaching itself by off the cuff stories of my daughter's recent wedding).

Too lazy to write a fresh sermon?  Well, I remember the story of a preacher who preached the same sermon for one month in a row...week by week.  When a congregation member finally had the courage to ask him what he was doing, the preacher replied "I'll keep on preaching the same sermon until the congregation starts to act as though they have heard it!".

In our days of 24 hour news and continuous novelty,  many preachers spend hours every week trying to come up with a new angle on an essential truth that they have already expounded...forgetting that oftentimes, the key to effective learning is repetition.  

Monday, February 13, 2017

Adultery, sin, grace and mercy

Here's yesterday's sermon, tackling the long list of 'righteous' deeds (or sins to watch out for) given by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.  How many of us can possibly live up to this list?!  Please click here for my thoughts on that topic.

Sunday, January 08, 2017

Epiphany 2017 - The 'Bottom-Up' God revealed

Today, I had the great pleasure of visiting the parish which I served as Curate, from 2005 to 2008 - 'Warblington-with-Emsworth' - (which happens to also be our neighbouring parish to Havant).  It was lovely to see old friends and to minister to them in what is a difficult time for the whole parish at present.  To read my sermon for this Epiphany Sunday, preached this morning, please click here.

Sunday, January 01, 2017

At the Name of Jesus (New Year 2017)

Here's a link to Sunday's New Year sermon - focusing on the meaning of the Name of Jesus, but also thinking about the importance of other words, like 'church' and 'parish', as we head off into 2017.  To ready the sermon, please click here.