Sermons And Gubbins

T his sermon was first preached at our Sunday morning service in 23rd February 2025. The gospel was Luke 8:22-25. I hope you enjoy reading it! I love a nap. I don’t just love it – I’m pretty good at having a nap too. Honestly. if napping ever becomes an Olympic sport, I’ve a really good chance at representing the country. Let me tell you some of the places I’ve had a nap: On a cold, hard bench outside Sydney airport in Australia. Not so much a nap that one as an attempt at a night’s sleep – I had an early flight the next morning and didn’t think it was worth booking a hotel, as I could get a few hours in at the airport. No-one told me the airport closed overnight until security came along and kicked me out! Not my most comfortable night’s sleep, but I still managed to get an hour or so in. In the middle of a packed, very noisy pub during the 2007 England-France Rugby world cup final, head down on the table, snoring away. I’d honestly not even had that much to drink! On the Berlin unde...

This sermon was preached at our Sunday morning service on 26th January 2025, the first Sunday following the inaugration of Trump as the 47th president of the United States of America. The gospel was Luke 4:14-21 . Do you have a technique for getting through a sermon? My kids have a snack. It started, when Isaac was a lot smaller, as a way to ensure he was quiet and didn’t fidget. A decent-sized apple could keep him going through the affirmation of faith and the intercessions too.   I’m sure you’ve seen videos of Trump’s inauguration service on the news or social media. I bet that presidential party would have given anything for a way to get through Bishop Budde’s sermon. Trump really looked like he could have used the distraction of a snack – something like a whole bucket of chicken into which he could bury his head. When we take Isaac and Miriam out to the pub, we let them have their tablets and headphones to watch cartoons or films for when they’ve finished their tea. I b...

This sermon was given at our Advent Four service on Sunday 22nd December. The gospel was Luke 1:39-55 . I hope you enjoy reading it!   Advent is a strange period in the Church’s year, if you think about it. We always say that it is about waiting. We’re waiting for Christmas Day, for Christ to be born. But, of course, we know that Christ was already born. He was born over two thousand years ago. So, what are we waiting for?   What is Christmas Day, when it comes?   Are we just celebrating another birthday, maybe? Congratulations, Jesus! You don’t look a day over nine hundred! I think, though, that we really should get a bigger cake next year, what with all these candles. Oh, and a fire extinguisher might be handy too…   I don’t know about you. It feels more than that to me?   I think, each year that we go through Advent, we’re actually, genuinely waiting again – each year – for Christ to be born. Not waiting for another birthday, or remembe...