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Showing posts from 2015

Advent 3 - John the Baptist's Advent vision

I am preaching at Tavistock URC, where we are also marking the retirement of their minister, Roger Cornish. Readings:  Zephaniah 3:14-20 Philippians 4:4-7 Luke 3:7-18 The prophet Zephaniah declares “Sing aloud, you daughters of Jerusalem! Shout & exult!” Saint Paul says “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say, rejoice!” John the Baptist shouts “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”. It sounds at first hearing as if John the Baptist wins the prize for ‘least Christmassy message of joy’ this morning. But I want to suggest that it is John who has the message we need to hear. I can’t be the only one who cringes at the relentless advertising showing us the perfect family Christmas, with permanently twinkling lights and roaring log fires and endless good cheer. I cringe because I don’t want to ignore all the realities of this world and shut myself away from the truth by creating an alternative world of Ch

Healing of blind Bartimaeus

Mark 10: 46-52 Perhaps we hear this story from Mark’s gospel as yet another healing story: miraculous and wonderful for the man who regains his sight, but just another example of Jesus helping and healing someone who needed it. But the story contains a most intriguing question: ‘What do you want me to do for you?’. Jesus asks this question of blind Bartimaeus – a man who cannot work because he cannot see, and so who has to beg for a living. A man so low-down the social pecking order that when he first calls out to Jesus people around tell him to shut up, they don’t want him bothering Jesus, the great teacher & healer. What does blind Bartimaeus want? He wants to see, he wants his life back, he wants the gracious power of Jesus to change him. He wants to be healed.. and he is. And at one level that’s all we need from this story – a story of Good News for Bartimaeus. But this story can tell us so much more, if we’ll let it. It’s position he

Belonging together in one church

Closing worship for synod Oct 2015 2 Corinthians 5: 16-20 (REB) Some of you will know that I had a sabbatical this summer, looking into Ecumenism. I was inspired by a quote from the French writer,  Antoine de Saint Exupéry: “If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach people to yearn for the vastness and immensity of the ocean.” I wanted to find some sort of vision for ecumenism – when it can be such hard work, why is it still important for Christians to seek unity? I had some great experiences of worship in other traditions – including preaching at one of the ordination services at Methodist Conference, and worshipping in the small Parish Church in Wales – Aberdaron – where the poet RS Thomas was once vicar. I also did some reading and thinking and attempted to capture in words and images what it means for Christians to be united. But it was only the week before last, at t

Is it lawful…?

Genesis 2: 18-24, Mark 10: 2-16 Some reporters came to Jeremy Corbyn and said “Where does the Labour party now stand on Trident nuclear missiles?” and Jeremy sighed and thought “I wish they hadn’t asked me that question – there really isn’t a good answer that’s going to satisfy everyone” but he turned to them and said  “You’ll have to wait until we have a chance to discuss it fully”. Perhaps you think that Jesus should have given an answer something like that to the Pharisees who ask “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”. Jesus needs to think about the sanctity of marriage, the legality of divorce, the reality of human fraility and the feelings of the people who might hear what he says. And those issues remain for anyone reading or preaching about the gospel passage we heard. I don’t know where you all stand : your personal experience, your family situation, your hurts and your hopes. So it was very tempting to avoid the question altogether,