Mark 4:26-34 presents us with a parable by Jesus about the Kingdom of God at a relatively early stage in His ministry. In this parable, we meet a landowner who has taken control of His father’s ageing land since his death 12 years ago. His land is large but experiencing a year on year decline….
“The last will be first and the first will be last”
The setting is clear; in the book of Matthew 20:1-16 the disciples are competing for a place in the Kingdom of God. They are making an indirect request to sit on the throne next to Jesus when He rules supreme as the new King of Israel, as a reward for their sacrifice – Jesus responds…
Personal Theological Reflection on suffering and lament
Hymn 634 from STF By John Samuel Bewley Monsell (1811-1875) 1 Fight the good fight with all thy might! Christ is thy strength, and Christ thy right; Lay hold on life, and it shall be Thy joy and crown eternally. 2 Run the straight race through God’s good grace, Lift up thine eyes,…
A change has got to come – My sermon at Clapton Methodist Church on the 28th January 2018
I think is right to say that we’re facing testing times now more than ever. Many migrants are facing an uncertain future as talks continue in the Brexit negotiations. There’s a significant growth in church attendance across other denominations such as the Pentecostal. Some of our members are moving to other denominations. Our Methodist churches…
From Rejection to Acceptance – My sermon at Dalston Methodist Church on the 20th August 2017
What does faith mean to us? Let’s turn our attention to the book of Matthew 15: 10-20, 21-28, which we heard read earlier. In this reading Matthew presents an encounter between Jesus and his disciples and the mother who would not give up. A mother who turned rejection to acceptance. The Narrative In this morning’s…
Amen! For the glory of God – My sermon at Hackney Methodist Church on the 29th April 2018
Bible readings: 2 Corinthians 1: 18-22 Isaiah 43: 18-25 In our first reading from 2 Corinthians 1:18-22 Paul is dealing with some unpleasant reports from Corinth over a failed promise to visit them. The Narrative In response, this morning we’re presented with Paul’s letter to explain the change in his ministry – the source…
Blessed is the day for Jesus is Immanuel
Bible readings: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 and Matthew 5:1-12 We sometimes use the words blessed and blessing intentionally and unintentionally as an expression to terminate a conversation that is going too long. But what does ‘blessed’ really mean? The Greek word translated “Blessed” (makarios) carries the sense of God’s favour towards the action and way of life. It means…
The Sabbath was made for people
Bible readings: Luke 13:10-17 and Isaiah 58:9-14 What does the Sabbath mean to us? The word Sabbath simply means “rest” and is rooted in what God did after creating the world in six days. “Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished…
Prayer of the day (Thanksgiving and Confession)
King of Kings, we thank you for your steadfast love endures forever. In our ups and down your love never fades; Its strength keeps us going, Stretching out across history, When we face testing times in our lives, Beyond time and space, Times when everything seems dark and broken, When society has rejected us, looked…
The New Birth: my sermon for today’s (27th May 2018) service at Green Lanes Methodist Church
Bible readings: Romans 8:12-17 and John 3:1-17 In our gospel reading from John 3:1-17 John is writing to present a late night conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus about what is required in order to be saved. Backdrop Prior to this conversation, Jesus refused to commit Himself to some people at a Passover during a feast after…
Fight the good Fight, finish the race, keep the Faith! 