What is love?

“Love one another” says Jesus. But what is love? How can we love one another? This was my sermon on the different types of love and how that makes a difference to us.

Belief

Do we put together our own belief systems? What does this say to those of us who, as Christians, are part of what gets called ‘organised religion’?

St Stephen

St Stephen’s day is the day after Christmas, so he doesn’t often get much attention! This was my sermon last year from the first Sunday after Christmas, where we focused on the first Christian martyr. Cheery stuff – but there is a reason why we have one after the other!

Translating Acts 16:34

How should Acts 16:34 be translated? Translations differ rather widely! Why does it matter? How it is translated feeds in to the theology of baptism.

Baptism

Baptism is how we are welcomed into God’s world-wide family. It’s an important step on our journey of faith. But, how to help people grasp something of that at a baptism service is something of a challenge! This is my latest attempt.

Pentecost

Pentecost is one of the major festivals in the church’s year. Unfortunately, it’s often the least celebrated of the festivals, so this is my exploration of Pentecost and the Holy Spirit, and the difference that he can make to us.

Transforming love

Jesus shows his love for Peter by challenging him as well as forgiving him. What does that look like for us? And, as we prepare for a General Election, what does that tell us about our actions and how to use our vote?

Salvation

Sermons for baptism services are a challenge; trying to explain something about baptism, be welcoming and challenging, and say something for people who have been committed Christians for many years isn’t always the easiest balancing act! (For me anyway; I’m sure that there are people who do it much better!).

Eternity

What does it actually mean to live in the light of eternity? What does it mean for us to work in the light of eternity? Why is it important?

Legacy

What will you leave behind when you go? In the week of Margaret Thatcher’s death and the fierce debate over her legacy this seemed a good question to ask of us as well.

Christ is Risen!

Christ is Risen! That’s a much bigger statement than we always recognise, not least as it sums up the whole of Christianity. It’s also a difficult one to think about, particularly in an all-age talk…

Ascension

We don’t spend enough time thinking about what the ascension means, or how that impacts on our theology. So, slightly belatedly, my sermon from Ascension Day. This was greatly helped by Bishop Tom Wright’s ascension sermon.

Baptism of the Ethiopian

How do you explain the importance of baptism? Let alone all the symbolism that is involved in the service? (At least in the C of E service; no bad thing!). This was my attempt for an all-age service using the baptism of the Ethiopian as its starting point.