Last Sunday of Epiphany / Transfiguration February 14, 2021 II Kings 2:1-12 II Corinthians 4:3-6 Mark 9:2-9 The curious thing about the commemoration of the Transfiguration of Jesus on Mount Tabor is that it is the only feast that is observed twice in the liturgical calendar. Since at least the 800’s, the feast of the…
Epiphany V February 7, 2021 Isaiah 40:21-31 1 Corinthians 9:16-23 Mark 1:29-39 Just before I moved to the United States, I worked for a Bishop of London who was very kind, but noted for plain speaking. He came from the English county of Yorkshire – a part of the country where people have a reputation…
Candlemas January 31, 2021 Malachi 3:1-4 Hebrews 2:14-18 Luke 2:22-40 I have some poignant memories today. This time last year, we held the last parish reception before the pandemic, and as you probably saw in the opening video, we all had a wonderful time tossing the crêpes after our service. I’ve missed your beloved faces…
Epiphany II January 17, 2021 I Samuel 3:1-20 I Corinthians 6:12-20 John 1:43-51 It’s a fact that most of the world’s population – certainly the majority of those living in Europe, Africa and Asia – don’t know how many generations their families have lived in one particular area. In England and France – the two…
Epiphany I Baptism of Our Lord January 10, 2021 Genesis 1:1-5 Acts 19:1-7 Mark 1:4-11 As a parish priest, you rarely get to see what happens in other churches on a Sunday morning. I sometimes think that it would be interesting to see what happens in other parishes: to hear someone else preach or worship…
Advent III December 13, 2020 Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-12 I Thessalonians 5:16-24 John 1:6-8, 19-28 Several years ago, the Kirkwood family in Texas prepared a cake in the shape of John the Baptist’s severed head in preparation for something called the Texas Bible Bowl. I think the bowl is a reference to something other than cooking,…
Advent II December 6, 2020 Isaiah 40:1-11, II Peter 3:8-18, Mark 1:1-8 Sheep farming is a lot harder than people imagine. You can pretty much leave goats to themselves. They are very hardy, they can eat almost anything and they don’t take as much personal attention as sheep. In Israel and Judah, goats were raised…
Advent I November 29, 2020 Isaiah 64:1-9 I Corinthians 1:3-9 Mark 13:24-37 What is the difference between the Christian life of prayer and the Christian life of watchfulness? It’s a particularly interesting question to ask ourselves in the Advent season. The twentieth century German theologian Jürgen Moltmann once wrote: “To pray is good, but to…
Thanksgiving celebration November 22, 2020 When you read the Bible, it is very hard to avoid the fact that it was written for a society that was far closer to the earth and its seasons than we are. The Old Testament is full of references to harvests and vines, to sheep and to cattle. The…
Pentecost XXIV November 15th, 2020 Judges 4:1-7 1 Thessalonians 5:1:11 Matthew 22:14-30 In last week’s reading from Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus compared Christians to a group of teenage girls who had been asked to be bridesmaids, and then compared God to a groom who couldn’t even turn up on time to his own wedding. This week,…