Easter VI / Baptism of ValérianMay 10, 2026Acts 17:22-31 I Peter 3:13-22 John 14:15-21 I always look forward to celebrating a baptism; being a small part of the excitement and the hopes of the arrival of a new child in the world is such a privilege, and on everyone’s behalf, I want to…
Easter IIIApril 19, 2026Acts 2:14a 36 – 41 I Peter 1:17-23 Luke 24:13-35 When I was about six or seven years old, my parents used to send me to Sunday School. I’ll be honest. I wasn’t there for the theology. I was there for the competitive world of the Sunday School Sticker…
Easter Sunday 2026Acts 10:34-43 Colossians 3:1-4 John 20:1-18 When I first arrived in New York City, one of the things I found most awkward was how to speak to relative strangers — in shops, in restaurants, or just passing someone on the street. In the United States, if an exchange was possible, people were immediately,…
Lent VMarch 22, 2026Ezekiel 37:1-14 Romans 8:6-11 John 11:1-45 The French actress Simone Signoret famously titled her autobiography ‘Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be’. It’s a witty title, but it has a deeper and more melancholy meaning. Nostalgia is a complicated feeling. It has its positive sides: it can strengthen a community’s…
Last Sunday of Epiphany The TransfigurationFebruary 15, 2026Exodus 24:12-18 II Peter 1:16-21 Matthew 17:1-9 If we were to read the story of the Transfiguration for the first time without knowing anything else about Jesus’ teaching, his healing ministry or his death and resurrection, we would probably find it rather strange or exotic. Perhaps we would…
CandlemasFebruary 1, 2026Malachi 3:1-4 Hebrews 2:1,4-18 Luke 2:22-40 Major feasts of the Church calendar have a more ancient history than we often realize. They are rooted in pre-Christian holy days that were governed by the sun’s seasonal movement through the sky. The solar year was ritually marked by eight key moments: the two…
EPIPHANY IIJanuary 18, 2026Isaiah 19:1-7 I Corinthians 1:1-9 John 1:29-42 John the Baptist is one of the most distinctive and colorful characters in the New Testament. In his appearance and his message, he stands out like a bright and striking signpost pointing towards the coming of Christ. We heard about his clothing of camel’s…
The First Sunday after Christmas DayDecember 28, 2025Isaiah 61:10 – 62:3 Galatians 3:23-25, 4:4-7 John 1:l-18 Every culture in the world loves a good story. Many of us were brought up with them in the form of children’s books of fairy tales, or through Disney films. We probably remember the first time we could pick…
Christmas EveDecember 24, 2025 The ancient world’s epics start with a dramatic appeal to a transcendent authority – as if the story to be told is too huge to be told by a human voice alone. Homer’s Iliad begins with the words: ‘Sing, goddess, the rage of Achilles’. Virgil’s Aeneid begins with the words: ‘I…
Advent IIDecember 7, 2025Isaiah 11 :1-11 Romans 15 :4-13 Matthew 3 :1-12 Joris mentioned last week that one of the major themes of Advent is watchfulness – a sort of heightened awareness of the circumstances and events that are around us, with the expectation that if we look carefully, we will see signs both of God…