There are two facts, two doctrines if you like, on which Christianity, as a philosophy, a religion, a world-view, depends and takes all its meaning. The second is the birth of Christ, the Incarnation, But we can’t start talking about Christmas yet. The first and most definitive fact is the Creation, or more precisely, creatio ex nihilo, creation from nothing. This separates Christians from two sets of other belief. On the one hand are the pantheists and pagans. The moder

1Tim 1:12-17, Luke 15:1-10 I believe in the forgiveness of sins. I like to think of myself as a modern man. And us modern men have learned that listening is important – and so to curtail our problem-solving-instinct and our helpful… suggestions. So when Rhiannon texted me from an online meeting in the top of the house: “Desperate for a massive glass of squash.” I immediately knew how a modern man responds. I texted back: “Do you want me to listen, or to fix it.” [I had a

My preteen years were in the 1970s. At school, we read Ladybird books about Peter and Jane’s domestic adventures. A packet of crisps cost 5p, my mum collected Green Shield stamps, and our black-and-white TV flickered through Doctor Who and Tales of the Unexpected while my sister and I hid behind the sofa. I still have a fear of electric pylons thanks to those haunting public information films, especially the one where a boy is electrocuted trying to retrieve a frisbee from

Trinity 6 Proper 12 27th July 2025 Writing a sermon is never just about finding the right words. For me, it always starts in prayer, and...

Petertide is a season that carries deep personal meaning for me. Traditionally, it's the time when many in the Church of England having...

It all began with Peter Pan I was 5, in the Scala theatre near Tottenham Court Road I was captivated I was lost My love of the theatre...

And such a sweetness and power rolled about them and over them and entered into them that they felt they had never really been happy or...

What must it have been like for the disciples to see their beloved leader, their Messiah, to vanish into a cloud. Just when they had got...

Waiting to be hung on a wall in my flat is this little picture of a church. I don’t know who gave it to my parents, but I know why. It is...

’A cold coming we had of it, Just the worst time of the year For a journey, and such a long journey: The ways deep and the weather sharp,...

Seven years ago I took a training course in the army that happily offered five weeks off from admin and emails and a good deal of fresh...

The story we tell this evening, is, in its way, a story of grief. It’s a story of love and letting go. It’s a story that begins with the...

Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbouni!’ which means Teacher. In the name of the Father and of...

want to begin this morning by sharing a little personal reflection. I live in Manor Fields, at the top of Putney Hill. It's a lovely...

As I sat at my desk on Friday morning, writing this sermon, I found myself feeling really tired. My desk, once neat and organized, was...

The Grace of Anna and the Faith of Simeon Anna means ‘grace,’ and Simeon means ‘to hear’ or ‘to listen.’ These two figures from the...

12th January 2025 Water—simple, transparent, abundant—is one of God’s most extraordinary gifts to humanity. It sustains us, refreshes...

Epiphany January 5 2025 ’A cold coming we had of it, Just the worst time of the year For a journey, and such a long journey: The ways...

“I can't seem to stop singing wherever I am” Not the words of St Cecilia, although they might have been, nor are these words from our...

I have always loved autumn..it is my favourite time of year “Seasons of mist and mellow fruitfulness” I’m with Keats rather than RS...