Sermons And Gubbins

This sermon was preached at our Sunday morning service on 26th July 2026. The gospel was Matthew 13:31-33,44-52   Do you ever sometimes get that ‘aha!’ moment? When someone’s been trying to explain something to you for ages, and then it finally twigs? I remember back in school being taught quadratic equations in maths. Lesson after lesson, the teacher taught us what we needed to do, and – whilst I was in class – I vaguely understood. As soon as I left the room though, it was like I tucked my understanding back under the desk alongside my chair. I distinctly remember (long after the rest of the class) the feeling when I finally understood what it was that I needed to do to solve these monstrosities; that sudden click when it all became clear. Of course, I can’t remember any of it now…   At the end of our gospel reading this morning, Jesus asks his disciples a question: Have they understood what Heaven is like? We’ve had three Sundays’ worth of gospel passages from Matthew...

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...

  This sermon was given at our Sunday morning service on 15th February 2026. The readings were Exodus 24:12-18 and Matthew 17:1-9 . I hope you enjoy reading it!   I’ve been thinking a lot – for various reasons recently – about Change. I swear I saw some of you almost shudder there. I think, deep down, none of us really like change. The American journalist, Sydney J Harris, once wrote: “ our dilemma is that we hate change and love it at the same time. What we really want is for things to remain the same but get better ”. I can very much relate to that, can you? Wouldn’t it be excellent if things were different? Not the things I like, though…   The master of self-change and reinvention, David Bowie This morning’s readings are all about change. They’re probably the readings about change in the New Testament. This morning, we heard the story of the Transfiguration . And the story of the Transfiguration is a pivotal point in God’s story of how the world changes. ...