Forgiveness

What does forgiveness look like? What does it mean for us? What challenges does Jesus leave with us?

Reading Mark’s Gospel

As well as preaching through Mark’s Gospel, we are also encouraging people to read through the whole of the Gospel. To help people do this we produced a handout with some information and challenges.

Sermon series on Mark

Between Epiphany and Easter we are reading through the Gospel of Mark. This allows us to spend some time exploring what the Gospel actually says, rather than what we might think!

Easter 2017

Mark’s Gospel ends: “They said nothing to anyone because they were afraid”. But why? What is the Good News about that? My sermon for Easter Day explored what that means for us.

Jesus’ Parables

One of the major way that Jesus taught was through parables. But how do we use those stories? How do we learn from them and allow them to shape us?

The Syro-Phoenician woman

A woman from Syria needs help. How do those capable of giving that help respond? Do they feel her pain, or dismiss her because she is ‘different’ in some way? This was what happened 2,000 years ago, and what is happening today…

Good Friday prayer stations

How do you best help people reflect on the importance and meaning of Good Friday? One traditional way of doing this has been by using the ‘Seven Last Words’, the seven things that the gospels report the Jesus said when he was on the cross. Between them, they sum what the good news of Easter…

Confidence

What do we have confidence in? The lectionary readings seemed to me to be exploring that question this week. I was preaching in another church in the deanery, as part of a ‘pulpit swap’ which is always a bit of a challenge; not least because in some ways it’s harder to preach if you don’t…

Seeing through the storm

We face many storms as individuals and as churches, and this is a well-known passage from the Gospels. But, do we really think about what this passage has to say to us? That was the challenge I wrestled with, while I also wanted to set out something of the developing vision for Emmanuel parish church…

Fear and trembling?

My all-age talk for Easter morning! Based on Mark’s wonderful and challenging ending to his gospel. I’m in the camp that thinks that this was the original ending, that there wasn’t an extra bit, but that this was a good way of challenging his readers and hearers. The other (lectionary) reading is vaguely referred to,…