Simon Says ...

A sermon for the Feast of the Stigmata of St Francis. 1Corinthians 2.1-5 ; Luke 9.18-27 I’ve been asked if in my reflections tonight I can reflect a little upon the Stigmata of Francis.   The strange gift given him when, about two years before his death praying and mediating on Mount Alverno, Francis had a vision of a six-winged seraph in the form of a crucified man with the face of Jesus.   As the vision ended, Francis himself had received wounds on his hands and his feet and in his side – the wounds of the crucified Jesus, nailed to the cross and pierced in his side by a lance.   It is, if you like, a very particular and graphic way of fulfilling our Gospel reading: ‘if anyone would come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me’ (Luke 9.23).             Francis was a man who tried to pattern his life on Jesus, who tried to deny himself, take up his cross each...

The BBC were at the Cathedral yesterday, recording our Choral Evensong . I wrote some new prayers for the occasion, which I share here: In the evening of the day, we come to you, O God, bringing those we have met, for your blessing, our hurts for your healing, our sins for your forgiveness, our labours as our offering and our lives as our worship; we come to you through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who became like us, that we might become like him. Amen. Lord Jesus, you call us into your church; help us to leave behind the things we cling to, coax us with the treasure of heaven, and in the age to come, when the first will be last and the last will be first, allow us simply to be found within your Kingdom, and to feast at your table, where there is abundant life for all your world, for with you all things are possible, and in your name we pray. Amen. God of all hope, may the light of your justice search out the darkness of our world; may the power of your love banish al...

A sermon for Trinity 14. Isaiah 35.4-7a; Mark 7. 24-37 "Looking up to heaven, Jesus sighed and said to the deaf man "Ephphatha", that is 'Be opened'." I got the call one day.  'There's someone at the Parish Office who would like to speak to a priest.'  Making a mental note to find out who had broken the rules and sent someone across from church to the office, I duly arrived and sat down with a young man.  "D'you know how to deal with a vortex?"  he began, straight to the point.  Well, the truth was I didn't.  "Sorry, what do you mean by that?"  "You know, a vortex!" he said, this time with extra emphasis.  "It's, like, how the demons get across the dimensions".  It transpired that the vortex was in his flat.  "How about I come and visit you and we can pray together there and take things from there?"  Well, that wasn't good enough.  The guy left and I never saw him again.  Di...

Dear Maria, Nadezhda and Ekaterina, You made an appearance in another Cathedral yesterday – Derby Cathedral in England where I serve as Canon Chancellor.   Our Gospel reading for the day told a story of Jesus confronting those who wanted to keep good order and good religious behaviour at the price of excluding many, especially the poorest and the vulnerable.   In my sermon , I urged the congregation to write you a letter of support, and I think the least I should do is follow my own injunction. Jesus himself led a protest against the misuse of the Temple in his day.   He turned over the tables of the money changers and prevented people coming in at all.   Like your protest it was symbolic, like your protest it led to his arrest.   It may be cold comfort at this time, but you stand in an exalted line! The Church in Russia has a wonderful history.   It is said that the Tzar who brought the Orthodox version of Christianity to Russia did so...

A Sermon for Trinity 13 Deuteronomy 4.1-2,6-9; Mark 7.1-8,14-15,21-23 The Talmud , the great Jewish commentary on the Scriptures, tells us that “the good are tempted by the good”.   And our readings this morning present us with good things, and so they present us with temptations.   Deuteronomy gives us the joy of being the chosen nation of God: “What other great nation has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is whenever we call to him? And what other great nation has statutes and ordinances as just this entire law that I am setting before you today?”   And in our Gospel reading we see the Pharisees’ devotion to their religion and its traditions.   And it is important of a whole range of reasons, vitally important that we see these things – national identity and religious devotion – as good things.   It is good to take pride and joy in your country.   It is good to be devoted to your religion.   And it is because these are good things...