Category: Sermons

Vicar’s Letter to the Parish for July 2024

July 2, 2024

The image that marked out the earliest Christians was Christ the Good Shepherd.  It’s this face that you see when you explore their earliest burial sites – such as the Catacombs of St Callistos on the Appia Antica, which I climbed down into in April with our son Nick.  Some might expect a Cross, to symbolise Christ’s achievement, or the Fish. But no.  The face of the Good Shepherd mattered more – as a sign of who Christ is, his resurrection, his ultimate victory over sin and death … More Vicar’s Letter to the Parish for July 2024

How to wait well

June 21, 2024

No one likes a wait do they, especially a long one! If your patience level is anything like mine then you’ll know what I mean! My brother was the worst, when we used to go on holiday, sometimes in the early hours and heading down to Cornwall, Devon, Wales, we’d get to the end of our road and the question would come from the back, ‘are we nearly there yet?’, then my dad would turn the air blue. At least we knew though, ok it might be 6 or 7 hours driving but we’d get there. However, what if you don’t know the end time and how do you wait well … More How to wait well

Starting small and getting very big

June 20, 2024

Jesus liked his metaphors didn’t he, we’ve have quite a few of them as we dig down into his teachings. You get the face-to-face ones like the camel and the eye of the needle, but even more so you hear some of Jesus parables. When he compares something to something else or a situation to the Kingdom of Heaven/Kingdom of God (depending which gospel you are reading at the time). We’ve just heard the parable of the Mustard seed which I’m sure is one you have heard before about the tiny mustard seed growing into a large tree … More Starting small and getting very big

Who is my family?

June 10, 2024

We never hear much about the family life of Jesus between his birth and his sudden arrival in the public arena at the age of about thirty.  And our images of his mother are always of the Virgin to whom Gabriel gives the promise – and who cradles baby Jesus in her arms after his birth.   There are no pictures of Mary as the young mother watching Jesus grow – the looks of anxiety on her face as he makes his first steps in the world – the tensions, joys and sorrows of family life as he grows – and as she herself also grows older … More Who is my family?

Trinity Sunday Reflection

May 28, 2024

Think, for a moment, when someone significant in your life was born – maybe your first child or your first brother or sister, your first grandchild or your first niece or nephew.
The day after my first child was born, I remember the moment I presented myself to the hospital maternity ward, and had to press the buzzer for the intercom to ask to be let in. 
For the first time in my life, I said, “I’m Nicholas’s father.”
And I knew from that moment on, into eternity, that was who I would now be … More Trinity Sunday Reflection

Pentecost at St George’s 2024

May 23, 2024

There was once a mirror-maker whose greatest desire was to create a mirror that would reflect his image perfectly. He experimented with different materials, tin, silver, mercury, crystal rock, and after weeks of hard work, he finally perfected the formula for a wonderfully accurate looking glass in which he could see a clear reflection of himself. One night an envious neighbour broke into the workshop, took his mirror and threw it on the floor … More Pentecost at St George’s 2024

Pentecost 2024

May 22, 2024

How do you get up in the morning? 
I used to get up at 4.30 on a Sunday morning to get into a local radio station for 5.30, ready to present a religious breakfast show that I was also responsible for producing.  I did this for eight years.  So it was important for me to have an early waking-up routine:  something I could rely upon when I was drowsy and bleary-eyed … More Pentecost 2024

The Holy Spirit

May 20, 2024

The person speaking is Peter and he is explaining to the Jews in Antioch why he has been in the house of a Roman centurion called Cornelius, a Gentile.  Peter is eager to explain how he himself was surprised to find himself asked to go to Cornelius in Caesarea and at the beginning of the chapter Peter explains a dream that he and Cornelius have.  If you are not familiar with it, I encourage you to read it … More The Holy Spirit