Talks, Sermons and Reflections

Matthew 3:13-17 listen to ‘Why should I be baptised?’ on Audioboo We read today of Jesus’ baptism Baptism as a ritual washing had been practised by Jewish communities for many years before John the Baptist came on the scene. But John takes it to a new dimension. He is saying that if you are baptised, you are not just washing away the rubbish from the past, but you are identifying yourself with God, his kingdom and his ways. When he calls people to repent he is asking us to do more than just be sorry or turn from the bad stuff. He is calling us to change our whole way of thinking: so that God and the desire for his kingdom becomes the key driver in our life. It is about choosing in our minds to move God from the edge to the centre. It is about saying that whereas before I was nominally a fan of God (he got a ‘like’ on my Facebook page), now I identify myself with him (I become a page on his page) And John urges people to do that through water baptism. So ...

Matthew 2:13-23 listen to ‘The dark side of Christmas’ on Audioboo Today we look at the dark side of Christmas. The period of Christmas can be very painful. There is more domestic  violence   and more family break ups  at Christmas than at any other time of year. It is  that period  when people can most feel their isolation and lonliness. And of course , if there are people  we have loved  who are no longer with us , it can hurt like hell. We tend to focus on the joy: the birth of the baby, the angels, the shepherds and the wise men. But that first Christmas also brought immense pain. And today we read about   the slaughter of the innocents. Alison was about to show  her class of 6 year olds  the film  ‘ The Nativity ’ . She thought she was on fairly safe ground. But she  had to turn it off very quickly, b ecause  it   begins  at the end of the story,  with  the...

Christmas is about tradition. It is predictable and safe. There is all the stuff: Christmas trees, decorations, school nativity plays and carol services – concerts – celebrations (I get quite confused these days when welcoming people, so I say ‘welcome to the school Christmas celebration concert service’), Christmas cards: yes, with the newsletters! You read about their children: big Jimmy has become an international Rugby player; little Jemima has got into Oxford (at the age of 13). And then you look at your own children … and love them. It is about wrapping paper and presents, Downton Abbey and Dr Who, Father Christmas and Christmas stockings, John Lewis adverts (‘if I see it again I will go on a bear hunt’). And it is about traditional food: turkey, mince pies and sprouts!! Woe betides anybody who suggests that anything should change. My sister in law has proposed that we don't have turkey on Christmas Day. By the response she has got anybody would think that ...

Matthew 3:1-12 listen to ‘What is repentance?’ on Audioboo I’d like us to look this morning at one of those religious words: repentance  John the Baptist came to prepare the way for the Messiah: his message is very simple: 'Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near'. (Matthew 3:1-12) [As an aside, it is significant that John was in the wilderness. We look for God in the powerful places of this world, in the magnificent buildings, in the big events. But actually the place where most of us meet with God is when we put those things aside and come to him in brokenness and with nothing. Many of the early Christians, when the empire officially became Christian, chose to leave the centres of power and went into the desert. And the people of God speak with far more authority and effectiveness when we speak from the wilderness, from the edge, rather than from the centre.] a. So what is repentance? Repentance is not just about saying sorry for the bad stuff tha...

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...