Sermons written for a variety of occasions, mostly following the Revised Common Lectionary
Romans 12:1-2 [This sermon was preached by me at my farewell service on leaving the Middlesbrough and Eston Methodist Circuit, at Normanby Methodist Church on 31 July 2022] I think these two verses from Paul’s letter to the Romans might be my favourite verses of scripture. Though if you were to ask me on another …
Luke 12:13-21 “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. . . . But God said to him, ‘You fool!’ ” The story which Jesus tells is usually called “The Parable of the Rich Fool.” But on the face of it, we might not call the farmer in Jesus’ story, a fool. He certainly has …
A Sermon for the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (31/07/22): The Foolishness of Greed Read More »
Colossians 2:6-15 The problem we have with the letters in the New Testament is that we have only one half of the correspondence. We have the replies, not the letters which prompt those replies. It is as if we are listening to someone talking on the telephone. We hear them speak, but not what the …
Luke 10:38-42 Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him [Jesus] and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself?” The evening has been a long one. And through it all Martha has not had a moment’s rest. Since before …
A Sermon for the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (17/07/22): The One Thing Needful Read More »
Amos 7:7-17 How does a Christian preach or even read the book of Amos? What message could Amos possibly have for us now? Amos is very nearly unrelentingly bleak. He delivers condemnation after condemnation. In his pronouncements no one is safe from the judgement of God. His words are almost all destruction by fire and …
A Sermon for the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (10/0722): Amos and Amaziah Read More »
Galatians 6:1-16 Not so long ago I had reason to say in a sermon: “If your preaching of grace isn’t causing offence, you’re not preaching it hard enough.” I stand by that declaration. And I think it is important enough to bear repeating. Christianity is a religion of grace. It is all about what God …
A Sermon for the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (03/07/22): God Is Not Mocked Read More »
Luke 9:51-62 As Jesus turns towards Jerusalem and begins to plough his furrow in that direction, he says to his would-be followers:No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God. One of the hardest things for Christians to grasp is what kind of leader it …
Luke 8:26-39 Possessions, indeed any sickness or any evil, affect not only an individual but whole communities. On the face of it the Gerasene demoniac is the victim of “Legion.” It is he who is tormented to the point of nakedness. It is he who has no home except among the dead. It is he …
Romans 5:1-5 Today is Trinity Sunday. This is the one Sunday in the year when we are invited to consider, directly, the doctrine of the Trinity. That is, the preacher is called to speak, and the congregation is invited to reflect on, the distinctively Christian doctrine of God. There is no doubt that it is …
Acts 2:1-21 / Romans 8:14-17 When we cry, “Abba, Father!” it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God. What does the Spirit do? This seems to be the most appropriate question to ask on the one Sunday in the year when all our attention is focussed on …
A Sermon for the Day of Pentecost (05/06/22): When We Cry “Abba, Father!” Read More »