Simon Says ...

Today is the feast of the Epiphany, the showing-forth of Christ to the world.  Here are five insights from the Gospel for today ( Matthew 2.1-12 ) on how we might encounter the God who shows himself to us. 1. Observe.  Just as the Magi saw the star which was a sign to them of the birth of a king, so if we attend to the people, places and stuff of life around us we may find signs of God. 2. Unexpected.  The Magi go to Jerusalem, only to find that they are in the wrong place.  God is found in unexpected and out of the way places, in stables rather than palaces. 3. The Bible.  When the scribes need to answer Herod's question, they turn to the Bible.  We too can find God shown-forth to us in Scripture.  We should read it, little and often, and we will find it shows us God. 4. Silence.  It is in the restfulness of dreams that God tells the Magi to return home a different way.  So too in silence and space can God reveal himself to us to...

A Sermon for Evensong Baruch 4.36-5.9 ; John 2.1-11 A policeman stops a car which is driving erratically. When he approaches the driver, he sees that he's a priest. 'Excuse me Father', says the policeman, 'but have you been drinking?'. 'No', says the priest, 'I only drink water'. The policeman spots an empty wine bottle on the passenger seat and says to the priest 'So why do you have that?'. 'Well I never', replies the priest, 'he's done it again!'.             One the third day, Jesus is at a wedding with his disciples.  It’s not his wedding.  He doesn’t seem to be at the centre of things.  I picture him on the fringes of the party, quietly enjoying himself with his friends and family.  And then the wine runs out – disaster.  So quietly, in a way that only the servants and those sitting with him know about, Jesus turns one hundred and twenty gallons of water into one hundr...