Talks, Sermons and Reflections

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Glory to You, our God, glory to You. O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, Who are in all places and fill all things,  the Treasury of Blessing and Giver of Life, come and dwell in us and cleanse us from every stain, and save, O Gracious One, our souls. Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy upon us. [3 times] Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit; Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen. All-holy Trinity, have mercy upon us. Lord, be merciful to our sins. Master, forgive our transgressions. Holy One, visit us and heal our infirmities, for Your name's sake. Lord, have mercy, Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy. Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit; Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread and...

Luke 3:1-6 The audio of this talk can be found here Our reading from the gospel today is a bit of a fraud! Half of it is a reading from the Old Testament. Luke quotes from Isaiah 40 verses 4-6. “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ”  Luke is saying that these words, spoken by Isaiah 600 or so years earlier, are fulfilled when John the Baptist turns up in the wilderness ‘proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins’. John – who we know as John the Baptist is the voice There are three things that I would like to draw from this passage this morning. 1. God is coming ‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness “prepare the way for the Lord”.’ Christmas is coming. But something, someone so m...