Sermons
Sermon: Second Sunday before Lent, 16 February 2020, St Mary Magdalene, morning
Reading Matthew 6.25-34Preacher Revd Alan Sykes Pretty obviously the subject of today’s gospel reading is worry. Jesus mentions the word ‘worry’ six times in 10 verses. And be warned: I’m going to be using the word ’worry’ far more than … Continue reading
Sermon: Candlemas, 2 February 2020, St Matthias
Celebrating old age Over the last year it has been my absolute pleasure and privilege to minister to some very special, and very old, people. Each week I lead a very simple act of worship at Greville House residential care … Continue reading
Sermon: Second Sunday of Epiphany, 19 January 2020, St John the Divine
Readings: Isaiah 49.1-7; 1 Corinthians 1.1-9; John 1.29-42Preacher: Revd Neil Summers In John’s Gospel, seeing and beholding are central and recurring themes. In today’s passage, we have two examples. First, John the Baptist sees Jesus coming towards him and says, … Continue reading
Sermon: Baptism of Christ, 12 January 2020, St Mary Magdalene, morning
Readings Acts 10.34-43; Matthew 3.13-17Preacher Revd Alan Sykes Last week we went to stay with my brother. He lives miles from anywhere in the depths of the Herefordshire countryside. That’s the way he likes it. We always go there – … Continue reading
Sermon: Christmas Day, 25 December 2019, St John the Divine
It seems that today the Queen will tell us all that 2019 has been, quote, ‘quite bumpy’. An interesting choice of words, typically diplomatic and understated, but leading to much speculation as to what she might really have in mind. … Continue reading
Sermon: Second Sunday before Advent, 17 November 2019, St Mary Magdalene, morning
Readings 2 Thessalonians 3.6-13 & Luke 21.5-19Preacher Revd Alan Sykes Pondering that passage from Paul’s 2nd Letter to the Thessalonians – our first reading – I was reminded of the Canadian clinical psychologist Dr Jordan Peterson. In the last few … Continue reading
Talk: War and Peace in the Holy Land, Sunday 29 September 2019
A very brief overview of the Arab Israeli conflict Talk by: Major General Sir Michael Carleton-Smith, CBE, DL I think an anonymous quote explains a lot of the attitude of the Israeli Hawks. ‘If the Arabs put their weapons down, … Continue reading
Sermon: Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity, 15 September 2019, St Mary Magdalene, morning
Reading Luke 15.1-10 Preacher Revd Alan Sykes Everyone loves a party – or so they say. But, as with anything involving human beings, things are rarely that simple. Parties can be difficult if you’re on the shy side of the … Continue reading
Sermon: 80 years since the outbreak of WW2, 1 September 2019, St Mary Magdalene, morning
Preacher Sir Michael Carleton-Smith In November last year we remembered the one hundredth anniversary of the end of the First World War, the war to end all wars. But eighty years ago today on Sunday 1st September 1939 the Germans … Continue reading
Sermon: Tenth Sunday after Trinity, 25 August 2019, St Mary Magdalene, evening
Reading 2 Corinthians 9Preacher Revd Alan Sykes To get full value from this evening’s reading we need to bear in mind one of the major aspects of early Church history, namely that there was major dissension in the Church between … Continue reading