The Holy Trinity
I wonder if one of the reasons why people reject the Trinity as the truth about God is because they sense that if God is Trinitarian then he is harder to ‘take or leave’. The concept of the Trinity is of course hard enough…
Tag: Pentecost
The Festival of Pentecost
Ok, this is somewhat cheeky …but there is so much one could say about Pentecost and about the Holy Spirit … so here are some of the things I didn’t fit into my sermon … linking what the Catechisms say … I believe that…
The Twenty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost
I had a round of meetings this week – the ELCE Pastors’ Conference, the clergy meeting be-tween the ELCE and the ‘other’ British Lutherans – the Lutheran Church in Great Britain, and the ELCE’s Executive Council. One item was mentioned, discussed and promoted at…
The Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost
Marriage is a hot topic today. It’s not going away. And yes, I mean both marriage and the controversy. The question to be asked – the starting point – is: what is marriage? The answers depend on who you’ve asked! The answers vary today…
Observing All Saints Day
In writing the sermon I thought of the idea that we are not isolated, independent. (No man is an island …) So I went hunting and found this meditation by John Donne who wrote it when ill. Perchance he for whom this bell tolls…
The Festival of The Reformation
The topic of promises and oaths has been part of my world over the last few months. Invariably it has been to do with organisations such as the Sea Cadets, Guides, or Scouts which have oaths or promises in which God is mentioned and…
The Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost
As you know, I’ve been doing lots of miles lately on the road. So I thought it interesting that recently it was in Mildenhall and then Beck Row (on the same trip) that I saw two near car accidents. In both cases the ‘offending’…
The Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost
You are not unfamiliar with uniforms. They are very much part of most of our lives one way or the other. To wear them, you have to be authorised to do so. They have both functional, infor-mational, and ceremonial qualities. Just looking at a…
The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
I am home from the 59th annual synodical convention of the ELCE (held the past two days in Sunderland). It was two days of meetings, worship, and wonderful hospitality from all the St Timothians; there were times of laughter and consensus, debate and confusion;…
St Michael and All Angels
I believed him. I had no reason not to but it didn’t square with any experience I ever had then or now. I rarely remember the story, even less think about it and I’m not sure I should write about it. I was living…