Category: Sermons
Good Friday Reflections – 6 Sermon at the Good Friday Liturgy
Here’s the sermon given by Mother Anne-Marie at our Good Friday Liturgy. This service followed on at 2pm from the series of sermons, hymns and reflections that began at 12 noon. It includes the reading of the whole of the Passion from Saint John’s Gospel.
In the talks that preceded this liturgy, we have, with the help of Paula Gooder’s book “Journey to the Empty Tomb”, looked at some of the biblical passages about the last week of Jesus’ life and some of the characters that emerge from the text. We saw how some of those closest to Jesus failed him – notably Judas and Peter; and how some people, totally unknown, emerged to help him or affirm who he was – Simon of Cyrene and the Centurion. Continue reading
Good Friday Reflections – 5 The Empty Tomb
Talk by Mother Anne-Marie
The Empty Tomb
If you have been here since 12 noon, you will know that in the four previous talks, as well as looking at some interesting points in the gospel texts, we have focused on certain disciples or sympathizers of Jesus. We have looked at the Palm Sunday crowd, at Judas Iscariot, at Peter, at Simon of Cyrene and the Centurion. So far we have been very male orientated, even though the Palm Sunday crowd would have had women in it. Continue reading
Good Friday Reflections – 4 The Crucifixion
Talk by Mother Anne-Marie
The Crucifixion
In this talk I am going to introduce immediately the two disciples (and they are disciples with a question mark) to whom I want to draw our attention. They are both mentioned in the reading we have just heard – Simon of Cyrene and the Centurion.
Simon of Cyrene is an intriguing and somewhat mysterious figure. He appears from nowhere – seemingly commandeered into service – and then he disappears again from the story. Continue reading
Good Friday Reflections – 3 Gethsemane and the Trials
Talk by Mother Anne-Marie
Gethsemane and the trials
In our mind’s eye Gethsemane is a garden, but neither Mark nor Matthew who give us the name Gethsemane mention a garden. John says Jesus went to a garden but does not say it is Gethsemane. In the tradition we have combined the two and it has become the Garden of Gethsemane. Continue reading
Good Friday Reflections – 2 The Last Supper
Talk by Mother Anne-Marie
The Last Supper
Our image of the Last Supper is highly influenced by the pictures we have seen – Leonardo Da Vinci’s painting is probably the most notable influence. In our mind’s eye, the twelve disciples are sitting in a long line on one side of the table with Jesus in the middle. It is what happens in TV drama. If you are watching one of the soaps, the family sit around the table with a gap on one side so that the camera can move in and everyone can be seen in one shot. Continue reading
Good Friday Reflections – 1 Towards Jerusalem
On Good Friday we have a series of talks followed by the Good Friday Liturgy. This year Mother Anne-Marie gave the talks and they were based on Paula Gooder’s book Journey to the Empty Tomb. Each talk was preceded by a modern hymn and then a Scripture reading.
Talk by Mother Anne-Marie
Introduction and Towards Jerusalem
“Journey to the Empty Tomb”, the book that is the inspiration for these Good Friday talks, is a book that looks at the biblical accounts of the last week of Jesus’s life. It is scholarly, in that it looks at the Gospel texts and examines them closely, especially their similarities and differences. But it is also a book that draws us into prayerful reflection, so it is designed to be both informative and devotional. The expectation is that it will be read during Lent or in Holy Week.
Paula Gooder, the author, is a freelance lecturer and writer in Biblical Studies. A fuller biography is on the back of the sheet. I have heard Paula speak on several occasions. Continue reading
Palm Sunday – and what I said
It was, of course, Palm Sunday this week. Here’s what I said.
Matthew 21.1-11 (Palm Gospel) and Matthew 27.11-54 (Passion Gospel)
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way.
Charles Dickens could have been writing about Palm Sunday. Continue reading
Mothering Sunday Talk
On Mothering Sunday we get, as you’d expect, lots of visitors and especially families. Our uniformed groups also come as it is a parade service. I was taking the service at our neighbouring church so the priest I live with was left in charge. She gave an interactive talk with a quiz so a change from the usual kind of sermon – here’s what she did. The gospel reading was Luke 2.33-35
Introduction
Did any mothers here this morning get breakfast in bed? Did any children take their mum breakfast in bed?
General chat with congregation about things do on Mothering Sunday.
Quiz
To get us into thinking a bit more about Mothering Sunday I want us to start with a quiz so I can find how much you know about this day. We will do this one side of the church against another. I’ll ask one side of the church and if they don’t know then we will pass it to the other side. Simple scoring – one point for each right answer.
Q1 Is Mothering Sunday on the same date each year? Continue reading
Sermon for the 3rd Sunday of Lent
Saint Photini, the Samaritan woman at the well
You may have noticed that I didn’t post a sermon last week. That’s because I didn’t preach. However, the priest I live with did and she has now sent me her sermon so that I can post it for you.
Perhaps you were surprised this morning when you heard the gospel reading – surprised at its length. Apart from Holy Week when we read the passion gospels, it is the longest gospel you will get in the year. Well you may have been surprised at its length, but were you surprised at its content? This is a gospel story full of surprises. Perhaps for us as 21st Century Christians we miss some of those surprises. Continue reading
Funeral sermon for Breck Bednar
Yesterday we held the funeral service in Saint John’s for Breck Bednar. Breck and his family are a part of our church community, and yesterday would have been his 15th birthday. He tragically lost his life violently on 17th February. There were 600 people in church for the service and a number of people have asked for copies of the sermon, so I have decided to post it here in the hope that people will find it helpful. Continue reading
View from the Valley 