Talks, Sermons and Reflections

Fashion show Congratulations to organisers. Bury St Edmunds answer to London 's fashion week - thank you to the firms who have provided the clothes - and the models, look stunning. One word of warning: Dave Barry said, 'The leading cause of death among fashion models is falling through street grates'. When I said that to Alison, she answered, ''Some hope!" So what has a vicar got to say at a fashion show - especially a vicar who is so well known for his fashion-consciousness. At least his wife makes up for him.  However I am being educated: I know now about colours - Autumn, Winter, Spring and Summer - and styles and I know now not to wear socks with sandals. Although - in my more rebellious moments - I still do have some sympathy for Bruce Oldfield who said, 'I'm not that interested in fashion. When someone says that lime-green is the new black for this season, you just want to tell them to get a life'.    The vicar wishes to say two thin...

MATTHEW 16:21-28 This weekend we celebrate St Peter’s 150 th anniversary. Congratulations. It also happens to be Alison’ and my 17 th wedding anniversary today. I do like the story of Pastor Jones who had heard that Ralph was celebrating his 50 th wedding anniversary, and so he decided to take advantage of using Ralph as a sermon illustration. He asked Ralph to come on stage and share some insight into how he managed to live with the same woman all those years. Ralph turned to the congregation and said, "Well, I treated her with respect and spent money on her—but mostly I took her traveling on special occasions." The pastor asked, "Trips to where?" "For our 25th anniversary," Ralph answered, "I took her to Beijing , China ." The congregation nodded and murmured in appreciation. When things quieted down, the pastor said: "What a terrific example you are to husbands, Ralph. So, tell us where you're going now for your 50th ...

Matthew 16:21-end It’s a well known passage, and there is so much here. But this morning I would like us to look at a single verse in our passage. Jesus said, 'Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me'. It is one of those verses that we think we ought to understand, but when we look at it more closely we realise that there is far more to it than we first thought. So there are three things that we need to do: 1. To deny ourselves I guess that this is the first step of commitment. If we commit ourselves to something then it means giving up other things. The athlete training to win the gold will deny themselves the beer and the kebabs and the nights out with the lads, in order to keep fit and to get up in the morning to go for the two hour session in the gym. The soldier preparing to go to war will deny him or her self comfort and ease in order to train so that they stay alive. The young lawyer in the city will deny themselves any ...

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 This is a challenging parable. It is not challenging in the sense that it is hard to understand. It is actually very clear, and Jesus tells us what it means. It is challenging in what it teaches us. The good seed stands not for the Word of God, but for the 'children of the kingdom'. The bad seed stands for the 'children of the evil one'. It is, in this world, very hard to tell them apart. The commentators talk about a weed called darnel, which is virtually indistinguishable from wheat, until the ears form. It was actually a crime under Roman law to sow darnel among wheat as an act of revenge. So these two: the children of the kingdom and the children of the evil one live together in God's world; they grow together in God's world; and it is only at the end of time that they will be separated. There are a number of very clear - and quite difficult - principles in this story. 1. We are not all children of God. Of course, ...

Matthew 6:5-8 It is very easy to turn prayer into yet another of those things that we do in order to make ourselves feel either good or at least not bad, or to make others feel good about us, or to impress God. It is easy for prayer to become one of the most self-centred things that we do, and also one of the greatest burdens that we impose onto ourselves. I hope that in these few short minutes as we look again at Jesus' teaching on prayer in Matthew 6:5-8, we will glimpse just how gloriously liberating prayer can be. It can set us free from self and free from the need to 'perform' in prayer. Prayer is not always a blessing. In the story that Jesus told about the Pharisee and the tax collector, the Pharisee went to the right place. He addressed the right God: he addressed God, the God of Abraham. He said, 'God I thank you that I am not like other people. I thank you that I tithe, that I keep the law, that I am very devout, and that I am not lik...

Colossians 3:12-17 Congratulations. A great passage to choose, because it begins with God's 'yes' to his people: "Holy, dearly beloved, chosen". God has given us so much: he has given us this life and love and each other. And even though we have walked out on him and badly messed things up, he has not walked out on us. He has given us Jesus Christ his Son, forgiveness, new life, hope of heaven. He has given us 'All things'. And this 'yes' of God to his people is the starting point of all healthy relationships 1. It sets us free to love Paul writes, "Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience" Because God has said 'yes' to us, we can say 'yes' to each other. We don't need to prove ourselves. I remember hearing a couple interviewed who had reached their 80th wedding anniversary. It was a record. He was asked the secret of the success of their marriage. He replied, "Two word...