Sermons And Gubbins

T his poem was composed for the second meeting of our poetry group. We were set the theme of 'Manchester: the place we call home'. I decided to find the most common languages spoken in our city; it is, after all, an adopted home to people from all around the world. Apologies to anyone who speaks these languages... I've made my best attempt (using Google Translate) to ensure the phrases are correct! I hope you enjoy reading it (my attempt at a phonetic translation is below the poem, including the languages for each line) Manchester یہ   شہر   ہمارا   گھر   ہے۔ هذه   المدينة   هي   بيتنا ਇਹ   ਸ਼ਹਿਰ   ਸਾਡਾ   ਘਰ   ਹੈ Magaaladani waa gurigeena 这座城市是我们的家 આ   શહેર   આપણું   ઘર   છે এই   শহর   আমাদের   বাড়ি Ev bajar mala me ye این   شهر   خانه   ماست Esta ciudad es nuestro hogar Αυτή η πόλη είναι το σπίτι μας Acest oraș este casa noastră Це місто наш дім To miasto jest naszym domem Cette vi...

This sermon was given at our Sunday morning service on Sunday 19th March, when we celebrated Mothering Sunday. The Old Testament reading was  Exodus 2:1-10  and the Gospel was  John 19:25-27 . Did you know that today is not, in fact, Mother’s Day? That sounds like the start of a sermon from someone who forgot to buy a card for their mum today, doesn’t it? Thankfully, I remembered, and my kids remembered, so I don’t need to try to cover up anyone’s forgetfulness with a technicality – I’m really not sure it would go down well at all, and I would not recommend trying it! But, it is true though. Today is Mothering Sunday – not Mother’s Day – and from the perspective of the Church, there is a difference. Mother’s Day started in the US in the early 1900s, and it was originally a day for mothers to stand together and ask that their sons and husbands would no longer be killed in war. The day took off in popularity, transforming into a day to celebrate and be thankful for moth...

This sermon was preached on Sunday 2nd August. The Old Testament reading was  Exodus 16:2-15 Our prime minister, David Cameron, caused something of a stir this week, when he referred to the number of migrants attempting to make the journey from Calais to the UK as a ‘swarm’. This use of language, comparing this group of people to insects – whether meant that way or not – was de-humanising and antagonistic. It was also sad. Perhaps, in his role as prime minister of the UK, he can little afford to show empathy here – his focus in his job, after all, is the country he governs. The same is not true for the rest of us, however. We are called to be empathetic, to put ourselves in the place of the outsider. As Christians especially, we are called to remember that we ourselves are migrants. The New Testament reminds us several times that we are in the world, but not of the world (John 15:18-19, John 17:16) – that we are strangers and exiles upon earth (Hebrews 11:...