Sermons And Gubbins

This poem was written for our monthly pub poetry night. The theme was 'age'.  Happy Birthday to You Age is just a number. Today is just a day. Life is simply protein strains, chemicals and DNA. A bucket is a bucket. A list is just some things. 'Happy Birthday' is just a song  that everybody sings. Loved ones are just people. A cake is just some food. The party lasts forever. And everything's All Good. Our lives are soon forgotten. The impression that we leave  is swift blown out like candles  People don't forever grieve. Heaven and earth will fly away, and all these things will pass. One day I'll believe all that I say;  until then, to you, I'll raise my glass.

This poem was written for our monthly church poetry group. The theme was 'Regret'. I hope you enjoy reading it! Things I have Regretted  The promises I've broken; The promises that were wrong; The times I should have spoken; The times I should have held my tongue. The follies of my youth; The reserve that comes with time; The times when I have told the truth  when a lie would have been more kind.  Foolish ways I spent my money; Trying too hard to be cool; The jokes I thought were funny  when really they were cruel. The times I should have had more grace; Times I should have taken stands; The times I tried hard to save face  when I should have held up my hands. The times I should have gone to bed; The times I should have not; The times the things that were in my head  were better I forgot. The window glass; the help not lent; That extra glass of wine; The words I said and that I meant; Believing I had time. The late night kiss that never was; The flight I ne...

This sermon was preached at our Sunday morning service on 25th April. The Gospel was John 14:23-29. I hope you enjoy reading it!   Those of you who have been paying particular attention might have noticed that our Gospel readings for the last three weeks have all been centred around the events of the Last Supper. That seems a bit odd really, given we’re now six weeks post Easter. Didn’t we leave all this behind during Easter Week? Those of you who have been paying attention too, might find an element of repetition in what I say with Fi’s and Huw’s sermons from the last two weeks as well. But, sometimes, the best way to help someone understand something is through repetition. There’s a phrase often used in training and learning – tell ‘em, tell ‘em and tell ‘em again.   So, this morning, we’re getting told again!   But first, the context. As I said, we’re at the Last Supper, and Jesus has just told his disciples that he’s going away. He’s preparing them for...

  This talk was written for our Maundy Thursday service on 28th March 2024. I hope you enjoy reading it. I always used to think today was called Maunday Thursday. I was never particularly sure what that meant – what a Maun Day was. I was fairly content with that; after all, the Church often has obscure names for feast days, high days, and holy days, and ember days. Why not a Maun day? Let’s face it – at this time of year, there’s enough confusion about how on earth anyone could name the events that we remember and commemorate tomorrow ‘Good’ to fill all your time during Lent and Easter to not even think about the name that we give to today. But today is not – as I’m sure you all know – Maunday Thursday. It is Maundy Thursday. And that – believe it or not – actually makes all the difference. The word ‘maundy’ comes from (as many things in the Church do) Latin. It’s from the word mandatum , meaning commandment . And that’s what today is all about – the new commandment. “ I give you ...