Sermons And Gubbins

This sermon was first given on our Zoom service on Sunday 14th February 2021, the last Sunday before Lent. The Gospel was  Mark 9:2-9 . Today is, of course, Valentine’s Day. But, for my sermon this morning, I’d like to start off by talking about another February tradition; one less well-known in the UK, but widely celebrated in America and Canada.  The celebration of Groundhog Day takes place at the beginning of February – on the second of the month. If you’re unaware of the festival, the idea is that, should a groundhog see its shadow when it emerges from its burrow on this day, it will retreat back to its den and winter will persist. If, however, the day is cloudy, and the groundhog does not see its shadow, spring will arrive early. The day became the setting for a cult 90s comedy, starring Bill Murray, also called Groundhog Day – and it’s this film that has really brought the phrase into common parlance. The concept of the film is a man having to repeat the same day, over...

This sermon was first preached at our Sunday morning service on 23rd September 2018. The Gospel that morning was Mark 9:30-37 , and the Old Testament reading was from Proverbs - 31:10-31 . So… I thought this morning, I’d look at our reading from Proverbs , and preach about how to be a great wife. But, then I remembered that I quite like living in my house, and so I decided that it would probably be a good idea to pass on the exciting opportunity to preach on such a reading as that. I hope you’ll agree with me that that was a good decision. And even if you don’t, well… you’re not the one who has to live with the consequences. But actually, we all want to be great, don’t we? A great wife, a great husband, a great parent? A great friend, a great employee or employer? A great sportsperson, or cook, or artist or writer? We want to be great at what we do, and for people to acknowledge that. We don’t all want to be great at everything (well, some of us do), but… for what’s ...