Exodus 24:9-18 2 Peter 1:16-21 Psalm 99 Matthew 17:1-9 I expect some of you are wondering why you’re here! The Westminster Shorter Catechism is one of the historical statements of our faith. I’m sure you all know it well, but just to remind you, it begins by saying that, “man’s chief end is to glorify…
Genesis 1:1-2:3 Romans 8:18-25 Matthew 6:25-34 A man was very surprised when a good-looking young lady greeted him, as he couldn’t remember ever having seen her before. She realized that she’d made a mistake, and apologized, saying, “I ‘m so sorry. When I first saw you I thought you were the father of two of…
Matthew 5:13-20 Now, I know what you’re thinking. Being salt of the earth – and being light to the world. Aren’t they, very much, opposites? Salt – a mineral so useful that people could be paid in it. When pure it’s shiny, white, bright. When bought by somebody who thinks it’s more “organic”, “natural” to…
Luke 4:16-24 Psalm 119:129-131 Romans 10:14-15 From Yes Minister: Jim Hacker: The department prepared this. “No loss of amenity” it says. Sir Humphrey Appleby: No, Minister, not no loss of amenity; no *significant* loss of amenity. Jim Hacker: Well, same thing. Sir Humphrey Appleby: On the contrary, there is all the difference in the world. Almost…
Luke 2.22-40 On 12 February 1809 a baby boy was born in a one-room log cabin with a dirt floor on a farm in Kentucky. He grew up to be a man of rugged determination. And although he had less than a year of formal education, he succeeded in becoming a lawyer. However he really wanted to make…
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…