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Who's a stranger? (Acts 11.1-18, John 13.31-35)

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  When we think about our lives as Christians, I wonder what you think the most important thing is? Is it saying your prayers? Is it reading the Bible or is it doing exactly what the Vicar wants you to? All of those things are of course important, but the question is, what is it that sets us apart as Christians? What is the maker’s mark in our lives? Today we’ve got two Bible readings all about discipleship, and what it means for us to be Christians. There’s a division within the church in Peter’s time. I know it’s hard to believe but the church was divided over what men should and shouldn’t do with their willies… Couldn’t imagine such arguments happening now could you. But behind this division was a bigger problem, something that the church was wrestling with. What does it mean to be a Christian? Who’s in and who’s out? What kind of purity laws should we be keeping. It’s obvious to those of the circumcision party, though I doubt they’d win many local election seats… Th...
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Holy Hands are Healing

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  What I’d like you to do is, if you’re able take a moment to look at your hands. Observe them. If you’re not able to see your hands perhaps touch one to another and feel them. What do they feel like? Our hands are the way we interact with the world. Through them we feel what’s going on, and our sense of touch is often the first to appear and the last to leave us as we die. They say should hold the hand of a dying person because they will know you are there. Hands are meant for touching, for grasping for caring. If you’ve ever put your finger in the palm of a newborn baby they will cling on to it, as if they are clinging on to you for dear life. It’s called the Palmar Grasp Reflex. Like many of the involuntary movements babies are born with, the grasp reflex probably developed to help her in some way — for example, to grab a nearby object or prepare to feed herself.  The palmar reflex is similar to another type of movement called the plantar reflex (or Babinski reflex), ...
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On Families, P.I.P and Nurturing Purposes (Genesis 15.1-12, Luke 13.31-34)

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  Families are funny things aren’t they? There are some families that are very close, and others that are not. There are some people who we would call chosen family aren’t there. Friends who aren’t blood relations but we would consider like family. My Uncle Jim and Auntie Jane are my Godparents, but they’re not related to me. But, I called them Auntie and Uncle growing up. I’ve got friends who I’m much closer to than my own family, mostly because of geography. Lots of my family live very far away, and to be honest I haven’t seen that much of them. I think families are good, but I wonder what automatically comes into our minds when we think about family? What’s fundamental to a good family relationship? I think it’s nurture. Nurturing one another, our partners, our cousins, our brothers and sisters, even sometimes our own parents. Encouragement is the foundation of family life. Sometimes though, I struggle with the word ‘family.’ As a Gay man and as a single person I often wat...
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That's Not Fair! (Matthew 20.1-16, Parable of the Workers)

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  Let’s talk about fairness. What does fairness mean? What does it look like? When I was growing up we had enough, but not a lot, or at least not a lot by the standards of other people, and perhaps quite a lot by other people’s standards. We didn’t starve, but our house was small. Although we did own our house, which made us better off than many. However, I remember going one winter without heating and hot water because we couldn’t afford to get the boiler fixed. Life is unfair and one of the things we try to do as humans is something called ‘causality’, where we try to seek meaning in everything that happens to us. ‘It all happens for a reason’. I’m not sure I believe in that, I think there are some things that just happen, because that’s the nature of life. Someone stubbing their toe, or winning the lottery, I don’t think God, or some kind of force guides that. Some things are just part of existence and creation. Other things are not just facts of life, they are created and m...
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Timeless Transfiguration (Psalm 2, Matthew 17)

  Have you ever heard of the concept of flow? Flow is a state of being when you’re so engrossed in something you loose track of time. I know, that’s how you all feel when listening to my sermons… It’s sometimes described as ‘in the zone’, a state of relaxed concentration of focus. A strange paradox between something that feels like time is standing still, and also it’s over in a minute. Effortless but also a sense of extreme challenge, effortless but intense. Flow is something that I feel sometimes when I’m playing the piano at home, especially when it’s going well. I sometimes, on a good day, feel it when I’m sermon writing or presiding at a service. Focussed, concentrating and in the moment. And other times I’m thinking about lunch… Some people when they get into a state of flow forget to drink, eat, and focus for very long periods of time without stopping. Ever been in that situation where you start work on something, it’s about two in the afternoon, then suddenly it’s dar...
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Be Prepared! Or Expectant? (Matthew 24.36- Isaiah 2.1-5)

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  How are your preparations for Christmas going? Perhaps some of you are inwardly or outwardly rolling your eyes at the mention of it, but are you prepared? Have you got the Christmas tree? Have you ordered the figgy pudding? If you’re getting presents have you got them yet? In life we prepare for things all the time, meetings, seeing people, travelling places, what we’re going to eat, when are we going to do the laundry, or the gardening if we have one. We’re very fortunate to have Rob here at St Augustine’s who does so much planning for us, he gets the fruit, makes the coffee and even mows our lawns. We’re very fortunate to have our musicians, who think about what we’re going to sing, practice and enhance our worship. We’re very fortunate to have Carrie and Judy, who help in the setting up of this service, and we’re very fortunate to have all the rest of you here, who most likely planned to be here and are all wonderful! But here’s another question, are you prepared for the...
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I'm Loving Angels Instead (Revelation 12.7-12, John 1.47-51)

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  In the words of the great twentieth century mystic and spiritual writer, St Robbie Williams; I sit and wait, does an angel, contemplate my fate? And do they know the places where we go, when we’re grey and old? Yes that’s right today’s sermon is on my specialist subject, cheesy pop music from the nineties. No today we’re going to have a chat about angels, as we’re celebrating Michaelmas, or as the CofE calls it Michael and All Angels. Why are we talking about angels? Why do they matter, what’s important about them, I hear you cry, well buckle up, because hopefully we’re going to explore some of that over the next few minutes. The word angel appears in the Bible over ninety times. Can anyone tell me some times when angels appear in the Bible? ·          Appeared to Gideon ·          Visited Abraham   ·          Took Elijah up to heaven · ...
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