Sermons And Gubbins

This sermon was preached at our Evensong service on the first Sunday of Lent 2018 (Sunday 18th February). The Old Testament reading was taken from the book of Genesis, chapters 2:15-17 and 3:1-7 . Today is the first Sunday in Lent; the start of our solemn journey with Christ towards his cross. During these forty days, we might choose to fast, or devote more time to prayer and Bible study. Perhaps you might have started a book of Lenten devotions? We probably should also be using this period of time to look at our lives, calling to mind the exhortation of Wednesday just gone – “ Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return. Turn away from sin, and be faithful to Christ. ” It’s appropriate, then, that, as we contemplate our failings, and turn away from sin, we at this point turn the pages of our Bible to contemplate the first sin. It’s appropriate that here, at the  start  of Lent, we have heard a story from the start of  time .  It’s ...

This sermon was preached at our Sunday morning service on 3rd September 2017. The two New Testament readings were Romans 12:9-21 and Matthew 16:21-28 . They say you should always start a sermon with a joke. Ok then… What do you get if you cross a sheep and a kangaroo? Altogether now: A woolly jumper! Ba-doom tish. It’s an oldie, but, as they say, it’s a goodie! It’s actually one of the earliest jokes I can ever remember being told. I remember laughing at the joke as a small child, but not really understanding it; laughing because it was the conventional thing to do after you hear a joke – and also because it’s just fun to laugh – but all the while, I was thinking “ you get woolly jumpers from sheep – why on earth do you need a kangaroo in the joke too? ”. Perhaps I was also laughing at the ridiculousness of that thought. In fact – I’ll be completely honest – I was an adult before I heard the joke again and really thought about it; about the dual meaning of...