Isaiah 49:1-7 You are my servant . . . .and:I will give you as a light to the nations that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.One of the first questions that might ask of this, or for that matter many passages of scripture is: Who are these words addressed to? Who …
A Sermon for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (22/01/23): You are my Servant Read More »
John 1:29-42 How is Jesus recognised as the one sent by God? How do you know? How do we establish that it is indeed Jesus, who is the one who comes to establish God’s kingdom? The one who calls together a people in his name, who reconciles that people and through them the whole of …
Jeremiah 31:31-34 Few things which Methodists do are unique. Methodism as a rule tries to be nothing more than expression of mainstream Christianity, with an emphasis on active discipleship. One of the few things which Methodists do which we and others regard as distinctive is the Covenant Service. This is an annual service held, usually …
A Sermon for a Covenant Service (08/01/23): Covenant, Form and Content Read More »
Matthew 2:13-23 The story of the massacre of the innocents punctures the sentimentality of Christmas. There is a possibility that our celebration of Christmas becomes like the pictures on the lids of tins of biscuits or on Christmas cards. We turn it into a warm glowing image of bovine contentment and family bliss. It is …
A Sermon for the Second Sunday of Christmas (01/01/23):Herod and Joseph Read More »
Luke 2:1-20 On the first Christmas night, the events take place in two different locations. God enters the world as a helpless baby in one place. And God’s glory becomes visible somewhere else. Despite the way in which we arrange the figurines in our crib scenes, or picture this night in our mind’s eye, the …
A Sermon for Christmas Day (25/12/22): A Birth in One Place, Angels in Another Read More »
Matthew 1:(1-17)18-25 He [Joseph] did as the angel of the Lord commanded him. He took her [Mary] as his wife but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son. And he named him Jesus. In Matthew’s Gospel the birth of Jesus is reported by Jesus almost as an aside. It isn’t …
Matthew 11:2-11 One of the things many, most, perhaps everyone looks forward to at Christmas are the presents. We do try to tell ourselves not to be so shallow or materialistic. We say the joy of Christmas isn’t dependent on what we get But even if we have grown out of that, we can still …
A Sermon for the Third Sunday of Advent (11/12/22):The Gift You Didn’t Know You Wanted Read More »
Matthew 3:1-12 A Necessary PreparationOne thing which all of the gospel writers are agreed on is that Jesus’ ministry is preceded by that of John the Baptist. Whilst only Matthew and Luke find it necessary to tell us about the birth and childhood of Jesus, all four of them are clear that Jesus’ ministry follows …
Matthew 24:36-44 Advent is the season of looking forward and getting ready. Both in a small and brief sense, but also in the largest and most long-lasting sense. Mostly we think of Advent as the about four weeks before Christmas. That time of year when we allow ourselves to look forward to the celebration. It …
A Sermon for the First Sunday of Advent (27/11/22): Advent, back to front and inside out Read More »
Luke 23:33-43 As Jesus hangs dying on the cross, three groups speak. They speak with increasing intimacy, each from a perspective closer to Jesus than the last. Their words reveal, implicitly, what is taking place here. The first group to speak are the leaders the members of the priestly class, senior scribes, and prominent members …