Sunday's coming!

The first half of the sermon is in the previous post - here's the second half! (but if you want to play a little game you could read the second half first & see if it makes more sense that way round!) (continued notes..) I really like this story – not just for what it tells us about Thomas, but for what it tells us about the other disciples. For me, this story pokes holes in the idea that the early church had it all right and we get it all wrong. On Easter Sunday, all the disciples except Thomas & Judas are locked in the room ‘for fear of the Jews’. According to John’s gospel, they have heard from Simon & John about the empty tomb and then they have heard from Mary Magdalene, who has seen & even spoken with the risen Jesus. Still, they’re unsure, still, they are afraid. These stories may have poked some holes in their darkness, but they’re still not completely sure they can live in the light of the resurrection. Then Jesus appears and they rejoice. Jesus s...

It's a funny old week - with Holidays Monday & Friday. Here are my thoughts so far about John 20: 19-31 1 Peter 1: 3-9 I am grateful to a fellow blogger for bringing my attention to this story here “There is a widely told story about Robert Louis Stevenson, the author of Treasure Island, who suffered ill health as a child. One night the nurse found him up, out of bed, with his nosed pressed against the window. ‘Come here, child,’ she said to him, ‘you’ll catch your death of cold.’ But he wouldn’t budge. Instead he sat, mesmerized, watching a lamplighter slowly working his way through the black night, lighting each gas street light along his route. Pointing to him, Robert said, ‘See, look there; there’s a man poking holes in the darkness.’” And so my theme for this week has to be ‘poking holes in the darkness’. Just 2 days after all the joy of Easter Sunday, on Tuesday, I had to lead a funeral for a 41 year old dance teacher. The church was full, the congregation w...

After a wonderful Maundy Thursday - exploring the resonances between Passover & the Last Supper & Communion; and then a very simple but moving Good Friday, I'm finally ready to post Easter Sunday's sermon. the readings are: Colossians 3: 1-4 Matthew 28: 1-10 & a good chunk of Henry Scott Holland! Easter Sunday Death is nothing at all… So begins the very popular poem, often requested by grieving relatives, written by Henry Scott-Holland, canon of St Paul’s Cathedral from 1884. I struggle with the words ‘death is nothing at all’ – even while I warm to the idea that our loved ones are not as utterly lost in death as we might fear they are. Death is nothing at all – but if that was really true, we wouldn’t want to hear those soothing words at all, would we? We know that death is terrible, unknowable, frightening. So what is Scott-Holland doing telling us that death is nothing at all? Well, for a start those words are taken out of context. The words come fro...

I love the tradition of telling jokes on easter Sunday - to show that we laugh at death. So here's an Easter giggle for you: "Less ambitious hymns" I vow to thee, my county Thin be the Glory Most of my hope on God is founded (and I wish it would make me stronger, I really do) What a Facebook friend we have in Jesus Our God is an Okay God Lord, you have my left ventricle Hail thee, regular day O Little Town of Basildon Go tell it on the mole hill Blessed Insurance Send me general directions, O Great Redeemer We Three Kings, Disoriented Are Come, now is the time to workshop Crown him with half a crown How satisfactory Thou Art They’ll Know We Are Christians By the Fish on Our Cars Be Thou My Vision Express I Lib-Dem-Vow to thee, my country I suspect that my Redeemer lives Actually, a rather noisy night. Have you never given birth in a stable? Jesus Christ! Mundane Things of Thee are Spoken The Nuneaton Carol I have decided to f...

Readings: Philippians 2: 5-11 Matthew 21: 1-11 I haven't even proof-read this - but it all adds to the entertainment factor! Very rough first draft: Palm Sunday What does power look like? This is fascinating time in the world’s history to ask that question on Palm Sunday. We have seen amazing scenes from the Middle East & North Africa over the last 3 months or so. People kept subdued for many years by the evil and oppression of tyrants, suddenly starting to believe in “people power”, and calling for change and the bringing in of a democracy. In Egypt, the people packed into Tahrir square and would not leave until there was change.. and eventually Mubarak resigned; in Libya rebels continue to fight for control of towns and call for Colonel Gaddafi to relinquish power; in Tunisia President Ben Ali fled the country 2 months ago but now protestors are saying there has been no real change; President Assad of Syria has formed a new government following the resignation of ...

Reflection on Ezekiel 37: 1-14 Even beautifully read like that, this is one of the weirdest stories in the Bible, I think. But I think it’s got a lot to offer us, today. We have been thinking about the wonder of God’s creation, about our place in caring for it, and we have confessed the need to mend the damage which humankind has caused to the world. And maybe it’s because Easter is late this year & so it feels such a long time since the last holiday or maybe it’s because the news of unrest and tsunami and shootings seems relentless or maybe it’s because Lent forces us to face up to our mortality and fear .. but I can really relate to those dry bones – scattered, useless, dessicated. Ezekiel is shown them because the Lord wants his people to know that even though they feel scattered and worthless now, they will be brought back to their land and their God will not abandon them. God breathes new life into the bones, just as he will breathe new life into the people of Isra...

It's felt like hard work this week, putting these final thoughts together - but here they are at last: 1 Samuel 16:1-13 , John 9:1-41 Seeing is a complex business. I’ve worn glasses since I was 7 and remember being very puzzled by our lovely family optician, Mr Low, saying to my mum “she’s very short-sighted, but she uses her eyes well”. Seeing is not just dependent on how well our eyes function, but also involves what we make of the images our eyes detect. So I wonder what we each see in today’s Bible readings. There's so much in there about seeing & not seeing & how we can 'see' what God sees. The reading from the book of Samuel tells us the story of David being 'selected' by God, through Samuel’s anointing. Looking at the seven sons of Jesse, Samuel is sure that one of these fine specimens is the chosen king to replace Saul. But the Lord tells Samuel – ‘the Lord does not see as mortals see: they look on the outward appearance, but the Lor...