Talks, Sermons and Reflections

A talk for a LIGHT UP A LIFE Hospice service listen to ‘Light up a life’ on audioBoom We talk of someone as being the light of my life. It means that they are everything to us. They are the one who gives our life meaning; they are the one who is there when it gets dark and difficult; they are the one who shows up the colours and make it all so bright. With them we can be completely honest and ourselves. We can weep with them and we can laugh with them. They make us who we are. They bring out the best in us.  And when that light is taken, our lives become very dark and very empty. WH Auden wrote,  The stars are not wanted now: put out every one; Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun; Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood. For nothing now can ever come to any good. I am very conscious that for many of you the light of your life has been extinguished. You've been in very dark places, and some of you may still be in those dark pl...

Isaiah 25:6-9 This is a very special time of year But for those who have lost ones that they love, it can be an extremely cruel and painful time of year.  It once was sweet, but it has now become bitter.  We miss them more than ever; we feel our loneliness most acutely; the world carries on as if nothing has changed, and yet everything has changed; and Christmas time which was once so full is empty.  So it is important to have this service at this time of year. We are coming together because they do matter, to remember them, to say thank you for them. And it is good to hold these services in Advent. Advent is a time of waiting. During Advent we remember how the Jewish people waited for God to send a king and a ruler. The promise was first given to a man called Abraham 6000 years ago. It was the promise that one day one of his descendants would establish God's reign of justice and peace; that he would bring God and human beings together, so tha...

Jesus raises Lazarus. Ravenna John 11:17-37 listen to ‘Jesus wept: town memorial service’ on Audioboo It is good, although it is also painful, to come to remember, to give thanks, but also to be here with many other people who are grieving Grief can be a lonely experience. Our society does not do death well. People are good for a few weeks, but then they forget and for them life goes on as usual. But we cannot forget, we will not forget and life, if you can call it that, will never be the same again. So it is good to know that we are not on our own. The verses above tell of the death of a dear friend of Jesus. His name was Lazarus. And the passage tells us that when he turns up and sees the grief of Martha and Mary (the dead man's sisters), 'Jesus wept' . Those two words combine to make the shortest verse in the bible; they have also become swear words - but they also tell us something about the heart of God for people who grieve. Jesus does not weep for Lazarus When ...

1 Corinthians 13:8-13 (on the occasion of a parish memorial service) Services like this are important but also painful: They are painful because the very act of remembering brings back the fact that some of those we love are no longer with us; But it is also very good to have the opportunity to name those who we love but who have died - because the world seems to forget very quickly, and moves on, and we want to shout out that we haven't been able to move on - and that they still really really matter. At two recent funerals, people have asked for 1 Corinthians 13 to be read It is quite an astonishing passage. It speaks of: a) the priority of Love: that love is more precious than brilliant oratory, than all knowledge, than the most exceptional power, or will-power. b) it describes the things that accompany Love: 'Love is patient and kind etc. c) it talks - and this is what I would like to focus on - about the victory of Love . Paul writes, 'Love never fails'. He descri...