Curate Conundrums

  Sometimes we’re lucky that the first aren’t last, and the last aren’t first. For example, with the vaccinations. I’m pretty pleased that it’s not the young and the fit who are being vaccinated first, but the vulnerable. This makes sense. We’ve got three Bible readings today that in some ways don’t make sense. Saul, the Pharisee being transformed into a Christian. God calling Jeremiah a young boy to serve Him as a prophet. And Jesus, saying the first will be last, and the last will be first. Three readings, three topsy turvy things. But what’ve they got to do with us? Three words, as we all love a good triplet: Called Known Loved. I’ll come back to this. I remember when I was a teenager in the line for school lunch. I was what used to be called a gannet. I still am really. Back in the days before Jamie Oliver stuck is awe in, ruined everything, and made it all ‘healthy’, we used to have chips on a Friday. It was my favourite day of the week. Not only did I get two days off, but I ...

  When did you decide to become a Christian? Have you decided to become one? Or has it always been a part of your life? I was baptised when I was a baby, like many people. I was brought up in the Church of England. I spent some time away from Church when I was a teenager and I was confirmed when I was twenty. For me that was a big moment, I decided that I would try to follow Jesus for the rest of my life. I had made my decision about what I believe. I was a Christian. You may have noticed, but Christians awh man do they love to disagree and get in fights about stuff. From who is saved, to what colour should the candles on an Advent wreath should be. We are a divided bunch as a faith. There are literally thousands of denominations of Christianity, and that’s not an exaggeration. We disagree with   each other on stuff, but there’s one thing we all agree on, Baptism. In order to fully be a Christian you need to be baptised. All of the mainstream denominations agree that...

Hark the glad sound! The Saviour comes, The Saviour promised long; Let every heart prepare a throne, And every voice a song. Happy Christmas! So now what? We’re now headed into what I call ‘the slump time’. That weird period between Christmas and New Year, when many people are off work, we’re all full of rich food, or a bit hungover, and nobody has any idea what day of the week it is. Although to be honest, for some people, perhaps we should call 2020 the year of the slump. Though of course our hardworking Key Workers have been doing anything but slumping. This year has been very tough emotionally, physically and financially for many. For Christians the joy of Christmas continues as we celebrate Christmas Season, which carries on until at least the 3 rd of January when we celebrate the feast of ‘The Epiphany’, otherwise known as when the Wise Men visited Jesus. Or for some Christmas continues until the 10 th of January when the baptism of Christ is celebrated. For us this should b...

  Why are we here? Today in this church? We’re here because we believe in hope. Throughout human history there have been times that are dark. Jesus was born into dirt and mud. Into the poor, into the lives of ordinary people, just like us. In fact just like those who now rely on foodbanks. The poor. The unwashed, the unloved. Jesus was born into a people that were oppressed and downtrodden by an Imperial Superpower. Into a world where very few had much, if anything, and lived hand to mouth. But Jesus’ people, they hoped. They awaited their messiah. They longed for Him to come, and to save them. God promised She would. God chose ordinary people, Mary and Joseph, the Shepherds, to be part of the story. The light is born into the world of darkness. And the darkness did not overcome it. Through war, famine and plague, the Gospel has always endured. In times of plenty, and times of little, the hope that the Christ child brings has always been there. The light of it cannot be e...

  Now don’t tell anyone, because I have a reputation to keep. But I love Christmas. This is my third Christmas as an ordained person. Before I was ordained I worried that I would be unable to celebrate Christmas. I would end up being bitter, and busy. The way I celebrate Christmas is different. Christmas time is certainly much less relaxing than it was. I don’t get time off like many others; I do have to go to lots of things I don’t want to go to, like church. The core of Christmas hasn’t changed for me. That sense of love. The incarnation of Jesus still happens, and I still get to eat Christmas Dinner! Back of the net! But now I have an excellent excuse to have it cooked for me. Oh, I’m working, I couldn’t possibly come to you. So in some ways Christmas is better. I’ve discovered Christmas in a very different way, and deepened my knowledge and sense of what it means. That’s been a gift and a surprise. This time of year is all about gifts and surprises . It’s certainly been...

  Stay alert, control the virus, protect the NHS. I don’t know about you but I’ve never felt more anxious in my life. At the moment we’re encouraged to be vigilant, to be alert, otherwise we might spread Corona Virus. Wash your hands, make space, and for the love of God don’t you DARE touch your face. I think all of us are under pressure to be vigilant right now. For the sake of our own safety, and the safety of others around us. We don’t know what’s going to happen in the future. So perhaps this passage is very right for us to think about right now. Jesus is telling us be alert. To be prepared. Because the end is going to come, we can’t predict when, but it will. And Why, why do we need to keep vigilant? Back in the old days Advent wasn’t just about preparing for the coming of Jesus at Christmas, it is also about four things. Heaven, hell, judgement and death. Not very Christmassy eh? But Advent was never supposed to be Christmassy. It’s a purple season, like Lent. A t...

What does love look like? It’s a question poets, philosophers and theologians have asked down the ages. Since humans have been capable of it I’m sure they’ve thought about it. What does love look like? There are so many examples in our culture, countless songs ask this question. What does it mean to love? What does it feel like when love isn’t returned? What does it feel like to be in love? The Bible is no exception. As the most human book ever written, there’s plenty in its pages about what love means, and our Gospel reading today is one of the most famous examples, of what Jesus describes the meaning of love as. Love means laying down your life. Love means being good to one another. Love means bonds of friendship. Love means living well, within God’s love, law and purposes. Love means laying down your life. For some like those who died in WW1 and WW2, that meant literally. They died to protect those that were most dear to them. This is love. Others, perhaps for us, we lay...