Sunday's coming!

Mark 10: 46-52 I find the story of Jesus and blind Bartimaeus an amazing one. It’s amazing that when everyone else in the crowd is telling the blind beggar to shut up, Jesus notices him calling out & stands still. Even though Jesus & his followers were just on their way out of the town of Jericho, Jesus stops & says ‘call him here’. It’s amazing that Jesus can and does heal Bartimaeus – Jesus somehow makes him to see again, and then instead of sitting and begging, Bartimaeus can decide to follow Jesus. But I think the most amazing bit of the story is when Jesus asks Bartimaeus, a blind man who cannot work and who just manages to scratch a living, the question ‘what do you want me to do for you?’. It might seem obvious what Bartmaeus is asking for – but Jesus takes time not only to listen to his call and to heal him, but he takes time to find out what Bartimaeus wants. And Jesus asks us that today. ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ Our answer t...

A sermon for One World Week: Hebrews 5: 1-10; Mark 10: 35-45 Thanks to the BBC show about famous people’s family trees, it’s maybe not so bad as it used to be for someone to say ‘who do you think you are?’. But it’s all in the tone: ‘who do you think you are?’ can be a warning that you’re thinking too highly of yourself, that you’re putting on airs and graces. Like James & John in today’s gospel reading. They want to be great: they want places of honour in this kingdom Jesus keeps talking about. “ Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” But what does this glory look like? What does Jesus think greatness looks like?   IF James & John think they want to be Jesus’ right and left-hand men, perhaps they should have listened more carefully to Jesus talking about who he is. Jesus warns the 2 brothers that he cannot grant them the positions of honour they long for – though he can promise them they will share in what will ...

A cure for the post-harvest blues? There is something about harvest-time that always leaves me a little bit unsettled. I don’t think it’s just the thought that with harvest safely behind us and the autumn colours really starting to take off we can settle down for the coming winter. I’m left with what I can only describe as the post-harvest blues. It’s good that once again we have remembered to give thanks for the fruit, the flowers, all our food. And although the harvest has not been a bumper one, and we know that world food prices are up, even so we can give thanks that we have enough.. and more. But somewhere I am left with a feeling that thanking God for the harvest is alright as far as it goes. I think I’m always left wondering quite where the Good News is in the harvest message of simple thanks to God who made all that we have. So I was glad of today’s readings which have encouraged us to think about the beauty and wonder of creation, but also to think about th...