Index of talks (topic)




Christmas
Carol service
Dec-05

Christmas 2006
Dec-06

A Christmas message
Dec-07

Christmas 2008
Dec-08

The unlikely hero: a baby
Dec-09

The icon of the Nativity explained
Dec-09

The gap between heaven and earth
Dec-09

The greatest Gift
Dec-10

A Christmas message (the light shines in the darkness)
Dec-11

Jesus birthday party: a crib service
Dec-11

A Christmas message: the surrender of worship
Dec-12

Christmas is all about penguins (crib service talk)
Dec-12

The three (alternative) Christmas gifts
Dec-12

A Christmas talk: how God gets involved
Dec-12

An order of service for an Advent carol service
Dec-13

A Christ-mess: a talk for a carol service
Dec-13

The big mess. A carol service talk
Dec-14

The emptying of God (a talk for Christmas day)
Dec-14

The silence of Christmas. A carol service talk
Dec-15

The light of your life (Christmas eve midnight)
Dec-15



Prayer
A series on the Lord's prayer (Retreat 2008)
Jan-08

A reflection for Lent
Feb-12

Praying with the Desert Fathers and Mothers
Mar-15

Surviving the pit. Finding help in the Psalms of Lament
May-15



Icons
Impact of Eastern Orthodoxy on Western Christianity
Jan-10

A study of 2 icons: baptism and the harrowing of hell
Apr-10

Icons: their origins, meaning and use
Jan-12

Understanding the icon for Palm Sunday
Mar-13

The icon of the harrowing of hell and 1 Peter 3:18-22
Mar-13



Theology
Seminar on the resurrection  (Christian Arts Society)
Jul-09

The Christian hope and the resurrection of the body
Apr-10

Understanding the Trinity: A story (John 16.12-15)
May-10

On infant baptism (Benjamin Adrian Marple)
May-11

What is predestination?
Nov-12

Language and theology
Jan-13

What do we believe about the Trinity
Jul-15

Baptism and the ring: a parable
Aug-15



Human sexuality
God, men and sex
Mar-09

Redefining marriage
Feb-13

On being a father
Sep-13

On sexuality and sex
Oct-13



Evangelistic
Jesus Christ: the most cursed man in history
Mar-14

The dream designer - at a fashion show
2008



Talks for occasions
On the occasion of the Queen's 80th birthday
Jun-06

Battle of Britain service
2007

Memories (at handover of Suffolk Regimental chapel)
Sep-09

Remembrance Day 2010 (on love)
Nov-10

Battle of Britain service
Sep-11

A talk at a hospice memorial service
Dec-11

Remembrance Sunday 2012: every person matters
Nov-12

Bury St Edmunds town pastors: on their 5th anniversary
May-13

A talk for a Hospice Light up a Life service
Dec-13

The glorious dead (Remembrance day 2015)
Nov-14

A talk for a Hospice Light up a Life service
Dec-14

On the centenary of the WI
Sep-15



Wedding
A wedding sermon (Psalm 127,128)
Jul-06

A wedding talk
2007

A wedding address (Col 3.12-17)
Jul-08

The wedding of Phil Taylor and Maaike (Psalm 84)
Jun-11

A wedding talk (for Steve and Emma)
Mar-13

A wedding talk (Adam and Charlotte) (Song of songs 8.6-7)
Apr-13



Church life
A vision for St Peter's
Oct-06

Parish AGM 2008
April-08 

Parish AGM 2009
Apr-09

A vision for St Peter's Church
Nov-11

Setting priorities for the Church
Mar-12

Why should we sing in church?
Jul-13



Miscellaneous
The resurrection cross
Apr-12

A selected diary of a sabbatical (1)
May-12

A selected diary of a sabbatical (2)
Jul-12

Montgomery Heights Christian Care Centre
Aug-12

Snow in the Bible
Jan-13

Immigration and Christianity in the UK.
May-14

God and technology
Jun-14

Childrens questions about God
Dec-14



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

On infant baptism

Children are a gift from God. And as always with God’s gifts to us, they are completely and totally undeserved. And you have been given the astonishing gift of Benjamin, and the immense privilege and joy of loving him for God, and of bringing him up for God.
And of course our greatest desire for our children is to see them grow, be happy, be secure, flourish and to be fulfilled, to bring blessing to others, to be part of the family of God and to love God.
And in baptism you are placing Benjamin full square in the family of God.
I know that those of us here differ in our views about infant baptism. The belief and the practice of the Church of England is in line with that of the historic church, but also – at the time of the Reformation – of Calvin and the other so-called ‘magisterial reformers’ (which is also the stance taken in the Westminster confession). They affirmed, on the basis of their covenantal theology (which sees baptism as a new covenant version of circumcision), of Mark 10:1…
Read more

An all age talk for Easter Sunday

Image
Matthew 28:1-10
[Ask children to give out stones to everybody in the congregation, and then use them to act out the first point of the talk]
Today I'm going to ask us to look at our stones and use them to remember two particular stones.

1. The stone at the tomb
We read of two women today: Mary Magdalene and another Mary, the mother of James and Joseph (we don't know who she is) 
They come to 'look at the tomb'. They wanted to see the place where Jesus was buried.  People do that. It helps them think of the person who has died. 
Let's imagine this is the tomb.  Can I have a few people to be the stone. [stand them in front of the 'tomb' - and tell them to look rock-like, big and mean - nothing is going to get past them].
We put stones in front of tombs to keep the living from the dead, and the dead from the living. 
On this particular occasion they didn't just put a stone between the body of Jesus and us - they also put a human guard. (some soldiers)
It didn't d…
Read more

Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.

These are the last words spoken by Jesus on the cross (Luke 23:46). They are the last words spoken by Jesus in his earthly life.

If we put the different gospels together, then Jesus first speaks those words of utter abandonment, as he goes into the darkness, and takes the sin of the world onto his shoulders: 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me'.
Later John records how Jesus, just before he dies, says, 'It is finished'.
Luke doesn't record those words, but he does say that after the three hours of darkness, the curtain in the temple is torn in two.
Something has happened. The curtain which separated the Holy of Holies - that most astonishingly holy place where God said he would be - from the rest of the temple was ripped apart. God has come out. The death of Jesus on the cross has broken down all barriers. The way to heaven is now open.

And so the very final words of Jesus, spoken as he dies, are the words of one who, having been cut off from God his Father, is onc…
Read more