Talks, Sermons and Reflections

Luke 6.20-31 Fred and his brother Jimmy were thugs. They ran the local crime syndicate. They dealt in drugs and prostitutes. They intimidated residents, threatened businesses, trafficked, blackmailed and bribed, and they ran protection rackets. They were responsible for several murders, but nobody had ever been able or courageous enough to pin it on them. Fred died and Jimmy went to the vicar. I want you to say that my brother was a saint. No way, said the vicar. Jimmy said, 'If you say my brother was a saint, I'll give £1m to the church". No way, said the vicar. "Well then", said Jimmy, "Let me put it another way. If you don't say that my brother was a saint, we'll return and burn your church down". The day of the funeral arrived. The vicar stood up: "Fred was an evil crook. He was a thug and a wife beater. He dealt in drugs and prostitutes. He was known as a murderer. He blackmailed, trafficked and bribed and he ran protection rackets. Bu...

2 Corinthians 9.6-15 Earlier this year we began a series of three talks on giving. We had had two, and it was in fact Glen who was going to give this third talk. Sadly that was interrupted by a certain event. Well, I planned to give the third talk today. And then further events happened a couple of weeks ago, and I wondered if I should change the readings and theme. Afterall, how can we talk about generosity at a time like this? Some people have very little We need to focus on ourselves We need to survive We need to make sure that we have enough for ourselves and our immediate family But you know that it does not work like that, and often it is when things are most difficult that people can become most generous. Paul writing to the early followers of Jesus in the ancient city of Corinth, tells them of the giving of the Macedonians: “for during a severe ordeal of affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.” (2 Cor...

Luke 17.11-19 I am aware that different cultures have different values, but I suspect that for most people from most cultures, ‘Sorry, Please, Thank you’ are among the first words that we were taught Listen to the audio of this sermon They are some of the most important words: I remember one man in my first parish, and in the four years I was there, I don’t think I ever heard him say thank you to anybody. It wound me up! They are important words, but they are also difficult words to say. I’m not talking about saying thank you just from habit (although it is a good habit to get into) but really saying thank you can be one of the most difficult things we do. Because when we say thank you, we are acknowledging our debt to the other person. We are recognising that we did not deserve to receive whatever we received, and that they gave it to us as an act of kindness or mercy. In our reading from Luke 17 we have a story where Jesus does an amazing thing. He heals 10 people of leprosy And yet ...

Luke 16.17-31 Last week we looked at the very difficult passage from the beginning of Luke 16. It was difficult because it is hard to understand   This week it is also a difficult passage from Luke 16 – not because it is difficult to understand, but because it is extremely challenging. And it is a bit scary.   It is a story about wealth, about hell and heaven and it is a story about how we can begin to change.   It is a story about wealth. Jesus has been speaking in the previous verses about how you cannot serve two masters. You will be split in two. Story of the Admiral getting into a launch. He had one foot on the launch, one foot on the jetty, when a sudden wave pushed the boat away from the jetty. Something had to give, and he ended up in the water. Jesus says 'You cannot serve two masters, you cannot serve both God and wealth'. And then we are told, ‘The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all this, and they ridiculed him’.   And so ...

For many of us these last few days have been a bit unreal and quite difficult. Listen to this sermon here It is easy to feel a bit lost We have lost our Queen, who – for those for whom she has been Queen - is the only monarch who we have known. She has given us a sense of stability in a constantly changing world, and of course a remarkable example of faith in God in both the and difficult times. We are usually allowed to play out our own dramas and crises within the privacy of our own families. She was never given the luxury of doing that. And she has been an example of self sacrificial love and service, of dedication, commitment and duty. She has hardly put a foot wrong. At the age of 90 she was still working a 40 hour week. And she has done it for 70 years. The fact that she was appointing a new Prime Minister last Tuesday is quite remarkable. Some of you here, I know, have met her, have been introduced to her – when she came here to St Andrew’s. That is one up on me. Alison and myse...

Luke 14.25-33 This is a difficult passage. A large crowd of people are starting to travel with Jesus. But there is a big difference between travelling with Jesus and being a disciple of Jesus Listen to the audio of this sermon And Jesus says that to be his disciple, we need to have made the decision to give up everything for him - Our families, our possessions, even our very lives Jesus is pretty clear: ‘Whoever does not hate .. even life itself cannot be my disciple’ (v26) ‘Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple’ (v27) ‘None of you can become my disciples if you do not give up all your possessions’ (v33) It is not just here. In Luke 12 Jesus speaks about how he will bring division to families: father against son, mother against daughter. In Luke 18 a rich young ruler comes to Jesus and asks him what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus tells him, ‘Sell all your possessions and give to the poor and come and follow me’. And we are told that t...