Sunday's coming!

We have a baptism at one of the churches on Sunday - so this very short sermon is an attempt to reach a lot of people who maybe haven't been in church for a while. I'm trying to preach them Good News! Mark 1: 9-15 You might wonder what the baptism of Jesus has in common with Lily’s baptism today. First of all, the differences might strike you: • Jesus’ baptism was nearly 2000 years ago. • He was a grown adult and chose to be baptised himself, he wasn’t taken by his parents. • The baptism happens outside, in a river, not in a church at all. But the amazing thing that happens at Jesus’ baptism is that people hear the voice of God say to Jesus "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” This is the point at which Jesus starts living the life that God has planned – telling people what we call ‘the Good News’ – telling people that God loves them, that God’s love and care is always with them, and that they can live lives where they have a relationship...

Last week I had 3 funerals and everything else got a bit 'squished' as a result: just realised that I never got round to posting this - oops! Mark 9: 2-9 The story of the transfiguration is one of the strangest of the episodes of Jesus’ ministry – so strange that some writers have suggested that it didn’t happen during Jesus earthly life at all, but is a resurrection appearance which has got misplaced in the gospel. But if this is a resurrection story, it’s a very odd one – nowhere else do Moses & Elijah appear with the resurrected Jesus, or does anyone offer to build a shelter for Jesus, and in no other resurrection story is Jesus silent. I think we learn most from the story when we take it that Mark has put it in the right place in the narrative of the life of Jesus: and in fact we learn most when we stop looking at what Jesus is doing, and pay more attention to the disciples: James, John & Peter. Everything that happens in this story is directed at the 3 dis...

Readings: 2 Kings 5: 1-14 Mark 1: 40-45 Imagine the story of the healing of Naaman the Syrian was a play – which part would you most like to be cast in? Naaman is on stage a lot of course – it’s his story in many ways so he has top billing. He is a very successful army commander but suffers from leprosy and needs healing. But although Naaman is the focus of the story I think he’s too prone to making mistakes to really be the hero. Instead, you might like to look at the important parts played in the story by the 3 servants: Naaman's wife's servant is the one who tells Naaman to go to Elisha for healing in the first place - she has faith in her God. I think she’s quite a heroine in the story, actually. If she was resentful towards her owner (and remember she’s been captured in battle, so didn’t exactly choose to be serving Naaman’s wife) the story might never have got started. But when she sees Naaman’s suffering she has faith that God, through Elisha, can and will he...

Whether this sermon gets preached depends on the weather - more snow here than we're used to - I feel that church members may prefer to stay at home! (Isaiah 40: 21-31, Mark 1 : 29-39) Brrr! Those who know me well know I am no lover of Winter: I was really rather relieved to see the back of January and as far as I’m concerned the best thing about February is that it’s shorter, if only by 2 days this year. I am obviously not alone in finding this time of year difficult, though, at least three different dates in January were declared to be the ‘most depressing day of the year’ – thanks to a combination of short days, cold weather, and the after-effects of Christmas. So I’m glad that we’ve heard Isaiah’s vision of a wider perspective, to lift our eyes and spirits to something higher. I love the Isaiah reading for its grandeur of vision about the greatness of God. “It is God who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out ...

Readings for this week: Isaiah 40: 21-31 Mark 1 : 29-39 I love the Isaiah readings for its grandeur of vision about the greatness of God - but then the sense it gives that this great God cares for us and will use his greatness to lift us up when we most need it. Then Mark's gospel shows Jesus doing just that - no grandeur now, but the healing and caring is held in one human being. I used the gospel reading during the week to help a meeting to reflect on its work - it seemed people could sympathise with Jesus' very Busy Day - and its meant to be Sabbath, too! Yet in all the demands, Jesus is clear 'this is what I came out to do - to proclaim the good news of the kingdom and to cast out demons' - which I take to mean clearing the ground, freeing people of what 'possesses' them, so that the can receive the good news of God's love. Priorities, perspective... all these things are washing about in my head. And then I spotted on Facebook someone reading an ...