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What the World Still Needs

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This sermon was preached on our Sunday morning service on 14th June 2026. The Gospel was Matthew 9:35-10:8 .     Did you ever – at Sunday school maybe – have to learn the names of the twelve disciples? I think, for me, it was one of the things we had to do when I was a member of the Boys’ Brigade in Scotland. To be honest, even now, I’m not sure I could do it from memory…   Let’s start with the easy ones: Simon (also called Peter), James, John, Judas Iscariot, Doubting Thomas – ok, that’s five. Seven more then – feel free to shout out! ·          Matthew the tax collector – sometimes called Levi ·          Philip ·          Andrew! (Simon’s brother) ·          Another James (son of Alphaeus, rather than Zebedee) ·          Another Simon as well – Simon the Zea...
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If You Love Me

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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...
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Peace in the Turmoil

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This sermon was given at our Sunday morning service on 12th April 2026, the second Sunday of Easter. The Gospel was John 20:19-31 .     Let me start by wishing you all a happy Easter! And yes, it is still Easter, though, of course, we are now on the second Sunday of Easter, rather than Easter Sunday itself.   It is, though, my first opportunity to wish you all a happy Easter, as last week – as some of you may know – I was on retreat at the Community of the Resurrection in Mirfield, where I experienced a very different Holy Week than any I have experienced before. It was very special, but I did miss you all, and the Holy Week and Easter we share at St Michael’s. I’m very glad to be back and able to preach for you here today.   A photo I took of Mirfield House of the Resurrection on the morning of Palm Sunday. Our gospel this morning is a very famous passage, and one I’ve preached on a number of times before. That’s one of the things about being a Reader; you...
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