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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
So, here we are on the last Sunday of the Christian year. In the BCP tradition it is “Stir up” Sunday, a nickname that came from the first line of the BCP collect for this Sunday, “Stir up, O Lord, the wills of your faithful people, “ a prayer that we will pray later, after […]
When Mark suggested that I might like to come and preach here at All Saints, I was very pleased to accept the invitation. When he told me that the subject was “What would Jesus say to the sick” I was even more pleased and also a little daunted. I was pleased because this is a […]