Sunday's coming!

 Exodus 3: 1-15; Luke13: 1-9 It has been worrying to hear reports of the ill-health of Pope Francis over the last   5 or 6 weeks – it seems that his long struggle with lung conditions is getting the better of him. Even so, we are told that he continues to read and write when he is able – there is, of course, a long history of Popes working right up until their death. I found a reference this week to a sermon that Pope John Paul 2 nd had written just before his death – in fact he died the evening before he was due to preach it – so I suppose these are the nearest we have to his ‘last thoughts’. It was a sermon about the grace of God and included the lovely phrase “how much the world needs to understand and accept divine mercy”.   Twenty years on, it is definitely something which the world still needs to hear, and it could almost be a summary of the two readings we have heard: “how much the world needs to understand and accept divine mercy”. ...

  Psalm 118 19-29,    Luke 13: 31-35   About 600 years before the time of Jesus, the Greek story-teller Aesop, told this story:   There was once a cockerel, settling himself down to sleep, safe in the branches of a tree. Just as he was starting to nod off, a fox came along and looked up into the tree, at the cockerel, far too high up to be caught for dinner. “Have you heard the wonderful news?” said the fox “Peace has been declared across the animal kingdom. We are no longer enemies, but friends. Come and down to me and let’s celebrate our new friendship.”. But the cockerel appeared to be looking intently into the forest beyond the fox. “What are you looking at?” asked the fox. “I see some dogs coming this way. They must have heard the good news of peace in the animal kingdom. We can all celebrate together!”. The fox immediately started to run away “I have just remembered somewhere I need to be… goodbye”, The cockerel chuckled, settled his ...

Exodus 34: 29-32       Luke 9: 28-43a   The story of the transfiguration, of Jesus going up the mountain and revealing his glory, is a strange story and I’d forgive you for wondering why we bother with it.   One reason for looking at it is that it is in 3 of the 4 gospels – so it’s hard to dismiss as just ‘odd’. Another reason is that some people see it as a kind of ‘preview’ for the resurrection – Jesus giving Peter, James & John some fore-warning of what they were going to see after the suffering of Christ which he has warned them is about to come. A third reason might be that this is giving us a glimpse of who Jesus really is, before the stories of suffering, trial and crucifixion which could make it hard to hold onto Jesus’ identity as the Son of God.   This week I came across a reason to read the story of the transfiguration that was new to me, and I thought I’d share it with you. The commentary I read su...

Genesis 45:3-11, 15           Luke 6:27-38 A sermon in two parts: Introduction to first reading   We all know the story of Joseph, thanks to Tim Rice & Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s “Joseph and his amazing technicolour dreamcoat”. But today we hear a part of the story which rather gets glossed over in the rush to a happy ending in the musical. Joseph, the Pharoah’s second-in-command, is directing the storage of food during the famine in Egypt. His father Jacob, unaware that Joseph is even alive, has sent his other sons to Egypt for food, as the famine is also affecting them, in Canaan. Joseph finally decides that it’s time to reveal his identity to his brothers.   Genesis 45:3-11, 15   Talk 1 We have heard what must have been a very tense moment for the brothers, as they realise that the very brother they tried to kill, and then sold into slavery, Joseph, is standing in front of them. He is now a high-ranking Egypt...

  Luke 6: 17-26  & Psalm 1 When did a sermon last take you by surprise? For most of us – when we’re sitting in the pews, anyway – it’s time to settle down, pop in a mint imperial, and wait to hear some interesting things about God, or the Bible, or the life of Jesus. I wonder whether the crowd who first heard what we heard Jesus say today had similar expectations to us? Perhaps they expected something like Psalm 1: happy are those who have kept away from the wicked, from sinners, or the scornful. There is a translation of this called “the Message” which re-imagines the Psalm like this:   How well God must like you—      you don’t walk in the ruts of those blind-as-bats,      you don’t stand with the good-for-nothings,      you don’t take your seat among the know-it-alls. Instead you thrill to   God ’s Word,      you chew on Scripture day and night. You’re a...

  Isaiah 6: 1-13, Luke 5: 1-11 Introduction to readings Our first reading about the ‘call of Isaiah’ – though we’re going to read on today to hear the message Isaiah is sent to tell the people. Isaiah lived in a chaotic period of Israel's history during the 8th century BCE. At this time, the nation was divided into two kingdoms: the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Both kingdoms faced pressures from the nations surrounding them. The Northern Kingdom had already fallen to the Assyrian Empire, and both Israel and Judah had turned away from God in the interests of political survival. To a world which was in a mess; in a world which we might feel is in a mess today, let’s hear the words God speaks through Isaiah.   Sermon Traditionally we might all have seen both our Bible readings today as passages about call, especially call to ministry: but given the mess the world is in, I want to look at them again today, thinking about...