Isaiah 9:1-14 Matthew 4:12-22 Don’t be afraid to change your mind. Often the message of preachers is that we need to be firm in our faith, strong in our belief, and sure of where we stand what we believe. Popular culture, also, is against changing your mind. You may think today’s newspapers are bad, but…
Galatians 2:1-14 I heard a story of three ministers who went on a fishing trip together. They rowed out to the middle of the lake, and the United Reformed Church Minister realised he’d forgotten his fishing line, hopped out of the boat and walked across the water to get it, and back again. Then the…
Who wants to a pull a cracker with the Minister? Christmas has so many traditions, some more related to the Christmas story than others. The Christmas cracker is a great British institution, whether they’re Lidl’s extra cheap ones, or Evitavonni’s ones more expensive than Harrods. We all know that you get three things in a…
John 1:1-14 Have you got all your Christmas shopping done? I discovered this year that the good news for really lazy husbands, who can’t even be bothered to wrap a present, is an online ‘gift service’ which has perfected an authentic Neanderthal wrapping service. For an extra £3.95 you can select a wrapping option called…
Isaiah 7:10-16 Psalm 80:1-8, 18-20 Romans 1:1-7 Matthew 1:18-end One hundred and seventy years ago Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol was published: a story of a visionary dream leading to a change of heart. The tale features Ebenezer Scrooge, who seven years after the death of his business partner Joseph Marley, has become cruel and…
Micah 5:2a-5a Luke 1:26-38 It’s not always for good reasons that a town or a city gets a reputation for being known. Despite the fact there are many other reasons for thinking about Lockerbie – it’s hard not to remember the Pan-Am air crash. When the name Dunblane is mentioned, people don’t think of the…
Proverbs 25:6-7 Luke 14:1, 7-14 If you’ve ever had to do a seating plan for a wedding, you’ll know what a nightmare it is. Auntie Mabel won’t speak to Cousin Fred, so they can’t be on the same table. Old Keith will be seriously miffed if he’s too near the back. Ronnie and Mildred will…
Luke 12:54-56 Well, it’s a Bank Holiday weekend, so by rights it really ought to be raining. I like summer – it’s my favourite day of the year. A day without sunshine is like … night Well, in England the national topic of conversation is the weather, and many of us watch or listen to…
John 21:1-14 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 Noah started building several arks for various parts of animal kingdom. One was a split level job for all the fish – a multi-storey carp ark So, today’s gospel story is all about fish – many different kinds of fish – and a barbecue on the beach. What an exciting…
Exodus 17:1-7 Matthew 14:22-27 The Israelites had no shade, no shelter and no water. They were exhausted and desperate. All reasonable hope of survival must have gone. Then, at God’s command, Moses struck the rock … whoosh! Life and hope and joy bubbled up effortlessly with the water, and it changed everything. What a vivid…