Sermons And Gubbins

This sermon was preached at our Sunday morning service on 10th May 2026, the week of the local elections in the UK. The Gospel was John 14:15-21 .   My sermon this morning is not a complicated one. It holds no deep esoteric theology. There is no secret knowledge that I will impart.   Instead, I’m going to look at just a few words from our Gospel reading today. All very simple words. Well, most of them anyway.   “If you love me, you will keep my commandments”. These nine words from Jesus at the beginning of our Gospel reading are straight-forward. All but one of them have four letters or less. They’re all easily understood with little context. All but one, maybe.   If you love me, you will keep my commandments.   Those people who don’t know Jesus – who, in not knowing him, don’t yet love him – won’t know what commandments he is talking about here. But for those of us who do, connections will be being made in our heads as we think about this phra...

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...