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Judgement: text of a sermon preached in St. Olave’s Church, Exeter on the Second Sunday of Advent, 2019.

Advent 2A: OT Isaiah 11.1-10; Ps. 72.1-7, 18, 19; NT Romans 15.4-13; Gospel Matt. 3.1-12 I still remember the morning of my ordination to the diaconate. Thirty of us had been in silent retreat over the weekend. Now we were released from silence. The bishop had...

11 December, 2019

The Pharisee and the Publican. Notes for a sermon preached at St Olave’s Church, Exeter, on the Last Sunday after Trinity

For the Psalm: 84.1-7; the Gospel: Luke 18.9-14 The parable of the Pharisee and the Publican! It’s a simple tale, isn’t it? I’ve heard of a priest one Sunday who had to preach on it. He was in good form and told the story well, with just such touches...

28 October, 2019

The Slandered Steward. A sermon for St Olave’s, Exeter, on the 14th Sunday after Trinity

For the gospel: Luke 16:1-13 (often known as "the Parable of the Unjust Steward".) How strange the story that Our Lord tells us in our gospel this morning! Consider what happens! We have a steward (or “manager” as some of the recent translations have it) who is accused...

18 September, 2019

A Dreadful Tale: Text of a Sermon preached at St Stephen’s, Exeter on the Fifth Sunday of Easter, 2019

Gen 22.1-24; John 13.31-37 . Our first reading this morning—about Abraham and his son Isaac—is surely one of the most dreadful stories ever told. I grant that as a family group Israel’s patriarchs and matriarchs do in any case seem to have been dysfunctional with a...

27 May, 2019

Thoughts on the Unspeakable. Text of a sermon written for St Olave’s Church Exeter, for the 3rd Sunday of Lent

For the Psalm 63:1-9; for the Gospel, Luke 13.1-9 On television this week I watched an interview with a man who was at the mosque in Christchurch when the shootings happened. He spoke about it hesitatingly for a few minutes and finally stopped, saying in effect, “I...

23 March, 2019

Thoughts on a Perfect World. Text of a Sermon preached at St Olave’s, Exeter, on the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany 2019

The Proper: for the OT Genesis 2:5-9,15-25 I’d like to spend a few minutes reflecting with you this morning on the passage from the Old Testament that we heard a few minutes ago. [caption id="attachment_1252" align="alignright" width="300"] St Olave's Church, Exeter[/caption] It’s part of a collection of stories...

17 March, 2019

The Presentation of Christ in the Temple. Text of a sermon preached in St Stephen’s, Exeter for Candlemas 2019

Proper: Mal 3.1-5; Ps 24; Luke 2:22-40 Good morning. [caption id="attachment_1228" align="alignleft" width="299"] St Stephen's, Exeter[/caption] I’m sure I’ve preached here in St Stephen’s at least once before today. But it was a very long time ago--perhaps thirty years!--and I confess I have absolutely no idea what the...

04 February, 2019

Good Shepherds, Bad Shepherds and Dividing Walls

Proper 11 Year B. For the OT, Jeremiah 23:1-6; for the Psalm, Ps. 23; for the NT, Ephesians 2:11-22; for the Gospel, Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 [caption id="attachment_282" align="alignright" width="291"] The destruction of Jerusalem[/caption] For our first reading this morning we have a little group of oracles from...

22 July, 2018

God’s Plumb Line: text of a sermon preached by Sister Hannah C.S.M. in All Saints’ Church, Franklin, North Carolina on Sunday 15th July

Proper 10B. For the Old Testament: Amos 7:7-15 [caption id="attachment_1147" align="alignleft" width="273"] "Behold, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people" (Amos 7:8b)[/caption] Growing up in North Carolina, I’ve been accustomed to such phrases as “being plumb tired” or “plumb crazy” (in case...

19 July, 2018

Proverbs and the Playfulness of God

The Book of Proverbs is surely the most down-to-earth book in the Bible. It’s full of what one might call glorified common sense on just the kinds of subject that over two thousand years later people still want their children to get right, even if...

28 May, 2018