Curate Conundrums

Before I looked at the readings for this week, I prayed, please God, please just let it be something easy. Something like, they shall know you are my disciples by your love, or treat others as you would like to be treated. Or even something uncontroversial. Jesus spoke to his disciples saying “kittens are quite nice.” But no. We’ve got two quite difficult passages from scripture this week. I’ve also got to say if I’m being honest with you folks, I really struggled to get my head around the Gospel passage this week, I don’t know about you, but the idea that Jesus tells us to hate other people just boggles my mind! It seems totally out of character with the Jesus I know and love. What the actual heck is going on here? Jesus’ point is a simple one. Discipleship costs, and we should be aware of that. Discipleship which lacks commitment is useless. If you’re an athlete and you don’t train, and eat nothing but cheeseburgers, you won’t win the race. If you’re a chorister or a sing...

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...

I’m what’s known sometimes as a ‘stressy bessy.’ When I have a big job to do, or large event to organise, I tend to feel overwhelmed and I get a bit tetchy and stressed. I don’t flap too much, other than inwardly, and my sentences become shorter and more abrupt as I’m juggling things in my head. Yes, no, go away. I had to organise a worship band recently, As we only had the day of the concert to rehearse together, and as the rehearsal time went on, I got more and more nervous. Was it going to be alright? Were we going to play well enough? What happens if? This event was rapidly heading towards us, and Stressy Bessy reared its ugly head. I’ve been told since, by my lovely bandmates that I was actually bearable, just a bit stressed, and I wonder now who ministered to who? I was supposed to be the one leading the rehearsal, making them feel calm and confident, reassuring them. Unlike Jesus it was my bandmates who were constantly reassuring me that it was going to be al...

What can I say about the cross that hasn’t already been said? There is no other event in human history that has been scrutinised more than this one. It’s the moment when everything changed, a universe shattering moment. But what can we compare that moment to? I’m sure many of us for years to come will say, remember when Notre Damme burned down, where were you when it happened? For those who worship there, it must’ve been like the world was turned upside down. Where were you on 9/11? If your memory stretches back that far? That was a moment that shook the world, that changed the world forever, in the wake of its horror the world changed. We stood still, our mouths agape, unable to comprehend the tragedy of what was unfolding in front of us. Our universe was turned upside down. Nothing would be the same again. Nearly twenty years on, we’re still feeling the affects of that event in our society today. Imagine then, how the disciples must’ve felt. Their lives for th...

It’s beginning to look a lot like Lent, everywhere you go. The weather is looking blue, there’s so much repenting to do, and thinking about our own mortality too. Sang no one ever. There aren’t that many secular songs about Lent are there? It just hasn’t got the appeal of Christmas has it? There’s no Lent tree, no Lenten presents or sparkle. It doesn’t have the joy of the Easter Season, with its feast, and the amazing transformative power of the resurrection. Lent’s a bit like the awkward uncle of the Christian year, sitting in the corner, growling and glaring at the rest of the family. Or at least that might be how some of us view lent. But I’d like to change the perception you might have of what Lent is about.   Lent, a season of repentance, when we journey towards the incredibly dramatic events of Holy Week, towards the cross and the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. A period perhaps of abstinence, of thought, of seriousness. I think Lent is a very hea...

Aha! I thought to myself, pulling into Asda carpark, there’s a space here, but what’s that, the person in the other bay hasn’t parked properly. You know the type of thing, when they’re not in the lines. We all come across it, and it’s one of my pet peeves. Right then! I thought, I’m going to teach them a thing or two, I’m going to park in the bay next to them to teach them a lesson. Or so I thought. Arrogantly, I know best. And lo, as I did pull into that space something went terribly wrong, I scratched that car, and mine in the process. Afterwards it was like an opera singer singing MISTAKE! Behind me, and a few choice words shall we say were uttered from my mouth. They weren’t darn it, or blast I can assure you. There are times in life when we respond in the wrong way, and we can feel bad about ourselves, but the question I want to ask you today is who does Jesus call? And How do we respond to that? I believe that Jesus calls the flawed and we need to respond to G...