Blessed are the pure in heart

What does being pure in heart mean? What does that look like? And how will we see God if we are pure in heart? My sermon on Jesus’ promise from the Sermon on the Mount.

Blessed are those who mourn

Jesus promises “blessed are those who mourn” but what does that mean? This talk looks at this beatitude.

Palm Sunday 2017

Palm Sunday asks us ‘What are you expecting? Why?’ It challenges our thinking, and highlights the mismatch between what we expect and how God is acting.

Lent

What have you given up for Lent? It’s a fairly standard question, but how helpful is it? What should Lent really be about? How can we best use the season to help us spiritually?

Protected by God?

During his inaugural address President Trump stated that “we are protected by God”. But, is that true? What does it mean?

Carols by Candlelight 2016

Carols by Candlelight is a much-loved part of Christmas, and is a great opportunity to help people reflect on how the story of God fits into the story of their lives. This year I tried to do this by reflecting on what sort of year had people had, and on what sort of year the…

Waiting

How do you feel about waiting? What’s the purpose of waiting? How can we wait better? My sermon on prayerful waiting inspired by the Thy Kingdom Come nine days of prayer, preached at Derby Cathedral in Sunday’s Choral Evensong.

Rabin: 20 years after

Twenty years ago today, the then-prime minister of Israel, Yitzhak Rabin, was assassinated by an extremist who thought that he was betraying Israel by seeking peace with the Palestinians. Rabin had just taken part in a peace rally calling for an end to violence when he was shot.

Inspiring Psalm 104

Psalm 104 has been described as “Genesis 1 set to music”. That’s clearly the main inspiration for the psalm, and one which most readers will quickly realise. But, it’s not the only source of inspiration. It’s less well known that the psalm is also inspired by the Egyptian Hymn to the Sun.

Christian Aid Week 15

Jesus encourages his disciples to “bear much fruit”. The challenge is how we can and should do this! That’s particularly the case during Christian Aid week, when we can be challenged again to work for God’s kingdom to come.

Weeping over War

How can and should we mark the beginning of the First World War? What should we say? This is my first of two attempts, as we mark the hundredth anniversary. This sermon is from the ecumenical service last night, at which the Royal British Legion and ATC Squadron were also present. We lit candles, listened…

Palm Sunday 14

Palm Sunday is a time of celebration and reflection. A time to look forwards and look back and perhaps to reflect on what our reactions to Jesus are.

Following God

How do we follow God? During the 14th century, Dante Alighieri wrote The Divine Comedy as one way of exploring that. It’s a fascinating imaginative journey through the afterlife, following Dante as he descends to hell, then goes through purgatory and up into heaven.

Gratitude

Being thankful isn’t always easy, but is an important part of our discipleship. Festivals like harvest are good reminders of the importance of gratitude.

Story of Faith

What’s your story of faith? What have been the ups and downs on your journey so far? How does that help spur you on and sustain you during the hard times? Those are the questions that Hebrews chapter 11 raises, continuing on from looking at Abraham’s journey of faith last week.