Author Archives: tim

Being Great

Does anybody here like Talent Shows? I wonder which your favourite one is: Strictly Come Dancing? X-Factor? Great British Bake-Off? In the best traditions of the format, lets have a vote. Who votes for Strictly? X-factor? GBBO? What about the Olympics and Paralympics? Did anybody watch those this summer? Did anybody go to any events? […]

Greater Things

I wonder if you might take a journey with me in your imagination. Imagine that you are one of Jesus’ first followers. Maybe you’re Mary, always ready to sit at Jesus’ feet and listen. Maybe you’re Peter, a bit rough and ready, impulsive sometimes. Perhaps you’re more like Matthew, a civil servant, well educated and […]

Taking Sin Seriously

Did anybody see Casualty last night? I was struck with one of the story lines in particular. A middle aged white man and a young black man have a chance encounter in a pub. There is obviously some history between them. By a series of slightly contrived circumstances they both end up in the Emergency […]

Chosen – So what?

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but this truly is a summer of sport. Already completed are the European Football Championships, two triumphant cricket series, and Wimbledon. Going on at the moment are the Tour de France and, today, the London Open Tiddliwinks Tournament. And, still to come, of course, the Olympic games. For many […]

Sent, together, to stand firm

It’s lovely to be with you this morning. As some of you know, I am a Pioneer Minister in Priorslee. Usually when I visit places I ask people to talk to me what that’s all about over coffee afterwards, but this morning the Bible readings are so suited to talking about mission and Pioneer ministry […]

Turning and Pointing

There is a quotation ascribed to Churchill that goes, ” If you have an important point to make, don’t try to be subtle or clever. Use the pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time; a tremendous whack.” This is mirrored in a common […]

The Spiritual Battle

If I’ve understood the rota that I was sent, you are going to be having two sermons on this passage, the first concentrating on the spiritual battle that we are involved in, and the second, focussed on the armour that we wear in that battle. This is an interesting way of looking at this teaching, […]

Change it round a bit

What is the fascination with half time team talks? Whatever the match is, every single time we get to half time the first question that Adrian Chiles asks Roy Kean, is “what will the managers be saying in the dressing room?” Of course no one knows the answer, they’ve just got airtime to fill so […]

All together now…

I wonder if you would do something for me. Would you cross your arms. Now look at them carefully. Which one is on top? Which one as a hand tucked in? Now uncross your arms. Now cross them the other way. Put the other arm on top. Tuck in the other hand. How does that […]

Glorious: Diamonds and Gold

As I was reflecting on the readings for tonight the word that stuck out for me was, “glory”. It’s a word that we use every week in our worship, coming as it does in the first line of the Gloria, “Glory to God in the highest”. But it’s also a word that we come across […]