Curate Conundrums

Have you ever been up a mountain? I once climbed Snowdon with my Dad when I was a teenager. No, we didn’t take the train. We walked up it, well, we did take the train back down. When we got to the top it was a bit of a disappointment as it was a cloudy day and we couldn’t see anything, there was no view, our vision was blocked, blinded by the water vapour around us, a great grey mist. Mountains are a place of encounter with God. It fits in with our almost primeval idea that God is up there, in the sky, and we’re down here. Churches are often built at the top of hills. One reason is practical, that everyone else can see it. Another is it’s higher, closer to God. Now of course we know as Christians that God isn’t up there. God is all around us, and Christ is all, and in all. Modern science has shown us that heaven isn’t above the clouds. Oh and by the way, the earth is round, regardless of what some people think. Yet still I find myself looking upwards when I want to speak ...

This sermon is based on the above bible readings and the book 'Elmer' by David McKee  Elmer is an unusual elephant, he’s not elephant coloured, in fact he stands out from the crowd, and although he’s much loved by his herd, he still feels bad about being different. I just want to blend in he thought, I want to be normal like the rest. But Without him, and his sense of humour and his colour, life is very dull for the elephants. Life is dull without variety, and the story of Elmer is one I really identify with. Elmer is who he is, the fact that he’s patchwork coloured is not what makes the herd love him, but it’s his personality, who he is that makes him loved. Even when trying to fit in, he can’t help but be himself. I’m gay, for many years I hid this from myself, and from all the people around me. It made me violently unhappy, I couldn’t see that I was loved exactly for who I am, that being a bit patchwork, a bit different was okay. From what I saw in societ...

God Feeds All, People Are Not Expendable The comedian Jimmy Carr was talking about the feeding of the five thousand on QI, he said ‘the feeding of the five thousand? ‘There’s five thousand people, and they went, there’s some bread and fish, I reckon that was about four and a half thousand people saying, what we got? Bread and fish? Nah I’m alright thanks.’ David Mitchell then responded “Out of five thousand people only two of them thought to bring any food… The other side of it is there are 4,998 idiots… And Jesus doesn’t make them learn a lesson from that!” I think they’re missing the point slightly. This isn’t about teaching anyone a lesson, this isn’t about God begrudgingly doing something. God is generous, and in unexpected places, with unexpected people.   What do you think about this story, do you reckon it happened? It was clearly a story that was really precious to the early church. This miracle is the only one in all four gospels, so I think it probably did...