Years ago I flew over the Sahara desert on my way to Cameroon. I gazed down on it from the window of the aeroplane for hours and hours – thousands and thousands of miles of barrenness and emptiness. Occasionally I caught sight of traces of green – places where there was enough moisture for some…Continue reading A Sermon for the Second Sunday of Advent

We will us this on the fourth Sunday of Advent as Christmas begins to tint the edges of Advent We believe in God, who, in Jesus, came to share our lives: He came as a newborn child,  far from home,  cradled in poverty. We believe in the child of Mary, who came in weakness so…Continue reading Liturgy with Few Words

We will use this confession on the last Sunday of Advent. God whose coming we await, You come in stillness: we miss you in our busyness You come in simplicity: we miss you in the rush and bustle. You come in silence: we miss you amidst the noise. Forgive us, we pray: help us to…Continue reading Liturgy with Few Words

Looking for bits and pieces of liturgy as I prepare my weekly Sunday Service Sheet, I am struck by how wordy liturgy has become. I prefer liturgy to be concise, but, in any case, breivity is essential here for a few reasons: First, I now produce a weekly sheet which contains the whole of the…Continue reading Liturgy with Few Words

O God,  worshipped from of old, this candle we light is for faithful Sarah and Abraham. We continue the journey they began: their faith brought forth our own, Give us faith and hope in this season of waiting. O God, proclaimed from of old this candle we light is for the prophets  who fortold your…Continue reading Prayers at the Lighting of the Advent Candle

Christ our true and humble King, we pray for the kingdoms, republics and dictatorships of the world: where there is violence, injustice, poverty and exclusion, may your peaceable and just Kingdom come. We pray for monarchs, politicians and heads of state, that they will follow you in the ways of service and love. We pray…Continue reading Intercessions for the Feast of Christ the King

Today we celebrate the feast of Christ the King. Elsewhere this is known as the Reign of Christ: this is thought to sound less grandiose and imperious than Christ the King. I don’t have a problem with Christ the King, because there is no association in my mind between Jesus the King and any kind…Continue reading Sermon for the Feast of Christ the King

God of time and eternity, you hold our future in your hands: help us to trust you in all we do and in all that we experience and to work for the justice and peace which are the hallmarks of your Kingdom.  We give thanks for those whose knowledge and expertise rings alarm bells and…Continue reading Interecessions for the Second Sunday before Advent

The anture of apocalyptic writing ‘The end of the world is nigh’: you can almost see the man with the sandwich boards, walking silently up and down, maybe in the bus station or in the marketplace. The idea behind such predictions is an old one and we have two examples of it in our readings…Continue reading Sermon for the Second Sunday before Advent.

The Church of England House of Bishops has recently indicated that there will be no change in the Church of England’s position that we must share the ‘common cup’, share the chalice, even if this means that most congregations will be receiving Communion in one kind only for the foreseeable future. I’m in two minds…Continue reading Just a question.