by David Perril Isaiah 6, 1-8; Romans 8, 12-17; John 3, 1-17 http://linksplus.net/oakhamteam.org.uk/docs/pewsheet/2021/202105/20210530/sermon_20210530.mp4 If you expected todays readings to give a clear understanding of the doctrine of the Trinity, then I guess you will have already realised that they don’t. The Trinity – Father, Son, & Holy Spirit has been the source of much confusion,…
by Canon Vyv Wainwright I want to take you back over to Dublin in the year 1895 so that you can meet someone called Albert Mooney. Albert and his darling wife Catherine are strolling back from mass in the late morning sunshine. Albert is reflecting upon the sermon by Father O Conner which was so…
by David Pattinson “Keeping in Touch” In lockdown 1, Margaret received a Mother’s Day card and written on the front was “I’m not just a card, I’m a hug with a fold in it.” A postal hug. Little did we know that it would be over a year before we could have a real hug.…
Reflection by Michael Ellard John 15: 9-17 http://linksplus.net/oakhamteam.org.uk/docs/pewsheet/2021/202105/20210509/sermon_20210509.mp4 As the pandemic has swept over the world, we might have wondered how we are able to bear the fruit Jesus is talking about in our Gospel reading today, whilst we have remained either separated or isolated from family, friends, and those around us in recent months. No one has escaped this situation…
By David Perril John 15 : 1-8 http://linksplus.net/oakhamteam.org.uk/docs/pewsheet/2021/202105/20210502/sermon_20210502.mp4 By the time we get to chapter 15 of John’s gospel Jesus has already used the expression “I Am” several times. “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12); “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35); “I am the Way” (John 14:6); and “I am…
by David Pattinson Reflection Easter 4 John 10:11-18 “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” Anthony de Mello was an Indian Jesuit priest, a well known spiritual teacher and writer. His work blended Eastern and Western spirituality, and included much storytelling. In his book “The Song of…
by Alan Rudge “Jesus Christ is risen today! Alleluia!” What a joyful hymn of praise this is, what a song of celebration! How our spirits are lifted as we remember that Jesus did rise from the dead on that first Easter morning. What joy should be in our hearts today as we celebrate the new…
http://linksplus.net/oakhamteam.org.uk/docs/pewsheet/2021/202103/20210328/sermon_20210328.mp4 by David Perril To say that we welcome spring each year is to understate the case. We absolutely yearn for it! We long to see the crocus & daffodils coming into flower don’t we? But I guess many of us will also have had our share of false springs over the years. After a…
Selective Memory. Jeremiah 31:34 “for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.” http://linksplus.net/oakhamteam.org.uk/docs/pewsheet/2021/202103/20210321/sermon_20210321.mp4 I wonder if you have ever found yourself reliving an event over, and over again in your mind. Perhaps it’s an event where you have been hurt, or worse, where you have hurt somebody. You relive the memory…
by Canon Vyv Wainwright Jess is looking forward to being a Mum. Over the last few weeks, she has been given maternity leave and has been able to progress through her GCSE ‘Being a Mum’ modules. She has found the course to be useful and interesting covering topics such as Giving Birth, Giving Birth in…
by Michael Ellard – John 2.3 – 23 http://linksplus.net/oakhamteam.org.uk/docs/pewsheet/2021/202103/20210307/sermon_20210307.mp4 Imagine the scene, people standing in groups talking together in the shade of the colonnades, whilst others are buying and selling all sorts of things. There are birds in cages, people haggling over prices, and the whole place is a buzz of activity. It might be a scene from any vibrant market place…
by David Pattinson Mark 1:13 “He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.” Our natural desire for being able to see ahead, to plot and plan our lives has never been more evident than now. Daily we yearn for a…
by David Perril The transfiguration appears twice in our lectionary, today as we consider the divinity of Jesus, and later in the year, on August 6th, when we consider his glory. Today, the Sunday next before Lent, in our reading from Mark’s gospel we have a vivid description of the transfiguration of Jesus before Peter,…
Reflection by Revd Chris Rattenberry When we reach the Presentation of Christ in the Temple in a sense we come to the end of the Christmas season. What do I mean by that? Remember that Jesus was born in Israel, to Mary a Jewish mother and into a Jewish family. Who knew the Old Testament…
Reflection by Revd Simon Aley If you who are married, or if you have been to a wedding, how long did it last, including the reception, a few hours? I went to one with Carys years ago, not our own I hasten to add, that lasted from the afternoon before the wedding day through to…
Reflection – David Pattinson http://linksplus.net/oakhamteam.org.uk/docs/pewsheet/2021/202101/20210117/sermon_20210117.mp4 The Second Sunday of Epiphany – Well-Being Sunday. John 1.43-end Today has been designated Well-being Sunday- a day for looking at how we might enhance our well-being, something very much in focus as we struggle to live with the pandemic. It’s an appropriate time of the year. The nights are…
by Alan Rudge What’s in a name and why are names so important? What do names mean to us and what did they mean in the past? Parents-to-be sometimes spend a lot of time researching the meaning of names. If they were sports fanatics they might name a boy after a famous sportsman or in the case of one Liverpool supporter the…
http://linksplus.net/oakhamteam.org.uk/docs/pewsheet/2020/202012/20201227/sermon_20201227.mp4 by David Pattinson Galatians 4.4-7. God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying “Abba!, Father!” I wonder what images have tugged at your heart strings over the last few months? Has it been the daughter desperate to hug her mother in a nursing home, but only able to do so through glass – centimetres away. Or parents…
Reflection by Vyv Wainwright I have just recently done the funeral of a lady who blew my cassock away. Once I heard her life story, I was struggling to find a suitable word to describe her. And then it came to me. Awesome! What an awesome lady. Putting it simply this lady did amazing things but did them against a challenging background…
By David Perril Today’s gospel reading from the first chapter of John suggests two ways of approaching life and God’s presence in the world. One way is demonstrated by John the Baptist. The other way is demonstrated by the priests and Levites. In Matthews Gospel there is a parable about separating sheep from goats, and…
by David Pattinson The introduction in Common Worship describes Advent as “a season of expectation and preparation”. John proclaims to the expectant crowds “The one who is more powerful than I is coming”. In the words of the well known advent hymn:- On Jordan’s bank the Baptist cry announces that The Lord is nigh Awake and Hearken…. The rhyme Margaret’s mother quoted…
By David Perril http://linksplus.net/oakhamteam.org.uk/docs/pewsheet/2020/202011/20201129/sermon_20201129.mp4 “But in those days….” So begins our entry into the Season of Advent from the Gospel of Mark this morning, as once again we begin a new year in the life & liturgy of the church. It sounds rather ominous doesn’t it? and so it is. Advent is a season of expectation & preparation as we prepare to…
Reflection by Revd Simon Aley Loving the King of Love Just sometimes don’t you want to hug the compilers of the Lectionary (although we cannot because of COVID!) for combining 3 Scriptural passages together so well? These three readings are an example of that. I suggest we start in the middle with Ephesians – the promise of the glory that is to…
2nd Sunday before Advent Matthew 25:14-30 vs 25 “I was afraid” Reflecting on this well known parable of the talents, we might find ourselves with more questions than answers.Is this really what “it”, the kingdom of heaven, is like? Is Jesus really advocating an economy where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer? (vs 29) Is the kingdom something we…
by Michael Ellard Today we come together in remembrance of those who have died in two world wars, those who have died since, and those who die today through current conflict between nations. For some this time will still be personal, it will be hard, hurting, and lonely. Yet for others it will be place…
by Michael Ellard Today we celebrate the life of St. Luke, Gospel writer and Evangelist, a person who wanted to share with others the importance of knowing Jesus in their lives. But when we mention the word ‘Evangelist’ most of us will probably think of the stranger who rings the front door bell at the…
Reflection by David Pattinson Harvest – Deuteronomy 8:7-18. Luke 12 :16-30 One of the joys of being in a walking group – I used to walk the Welsh hills every week – is that you have the time to engage in conversation that can have depth and meaning. I remember one such conversation which…
Matthew 21.33-46 Jesus and the disciples had spent the night in Bethany, and they had returned to Jerusalem and entered into the temple. The Chief Priests had just about recovered from the shock of Jesus cleansing the temple by casting out the merchants and money-changers, and they were now challenging his authority to do everything that he was doing – all the…
By Michael Ellard ‘By what authority are you doing these things?’ the crowds in the temple courtyard hear as the chief priests and elders of the city confront Jesus. It’s hardly surprising, for he has all but taken over the very centre of religious power for the region, driving out the money lenders and stall holders where they are now all standing,…
Reflection by Vyv Wainwright – Reader Once upon a time Mr Very Angry arrived in a car park in a small historic market town somewhere in the centre of England. He loved to drive around in his very angry red fast car and would rev his engine hard to scare the dear ladies of the parish. He parked his car where he…
Sermon by Revd Steve Benoy It’s very good to be able to join you in worship today, whether here in the building or online. As you’ve heard, my name is Steve Benoy and I lead the team in the diocese which helps people explore if God is calling them to some kind of ministry within the church, whether lay or ordained. As…
Reflection by David Perril Reflection Trinity 13 Matthew 18:15-20 The gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John – indeed the whole of the New Testament emphasises not only our identity IN Christ, but also the identity OF Christ, and the more we reflect on his identity the more we should be able to appreciate Jesus, the more receptive we should be to…
by Michael Ellard Over the past few weeks, the theme of our readings from Matthew’s Gospel has been on ‘discipleship’, with its exploration of its development in ourselves, our strengths, our weaknesses, and what it means to be that disciple in Christ in our daily life. Today, Jesus lays the consequences of such discipleship firmly before us as he says, ‘If anyone…
Reflection by David Pattinson Reflection Trinity 11 Matthew 16:13-20 “But who do you say that I am?” Who am I? One of life’s simple questions, but with a complexity of answers. And without doubt it’s been a question many have been asking themselves as the c19 pandemic has unfolded; as the landscape of work and play has been transformed in an instant.…
Tenth Sunday after Trinity 16 August 2020 The prophet Isaiah glimpsed one united humanity, gather together in God’s temple: ‘And foreigners who join themselves to the Lord…these I will bring to my holy mountain…for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.’ (Isaiah 56:6-7) God’s plan is to bring the world together in one family, gathering a divided…
Two thoughts struck me as I reflected on this passage. Firstly, it is not an easy passage to preach on. Because it is so well known, it is difficult for the preacher to find anything new to say. And secondly, this is certainly not an event which would be allowed under current restrictions – well above the maximum number – and food…
“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Potent words, used during the ashing ritual in a few minutes. Words that toll like a bell. I wonder how they resonate in your imagination? I will explore today a few of the resonances. But before I do, let me repeat that what I hope to explore is how the theme…
“I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” Most of us would naturally take that phrase “to the ends of the earth” as meaning all human societies, everywhere. But I want to explore with you the idea that God’s salvation is not only for people – but actually extends…
Preached at Langham, 12th Jan 2020. We are considering together, this Epiphany, what is God’s call on us – what is God’s heart for us as people, as a congregation, for our village and our world? And today, we reflect on the Baptism of Christ, which very much contributes to our reflection. I want to suggest two things: that this event, Jesus’…
John the Baptist’s words in our Gospel reading (Matthew 3:1-12) spoke to my current mood. I am full of dismay at the general election, as so many of us. Horrified to be faced with a PM who says racist things – challenged by a Leader of the Opposition who fails to tackle racism. A PM who is a known, inveterate and unrepentant…
A president who refuses to supply weapons to an ally, which is fighting to repel invaders from its territory, unless that ally helps him blacken the reputation of a political opponent. A prime minister who asks for the people’s trust, and they respond by laughing at him. A prince who stays mates with a billionaire, even after that person has served prison…
“Whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures, we might have hope.” Do we need the Bible? That we need to take the Bible seriously is not self-evident in today’s world. People nowadays tend to assume that we will find answers in what is new – the shiny…
Isaiah 58:9b-end Luke 13:10-17 The common theme in today’s readings is the Sabbath. The background is of course the fourth of the Ten Commandments. This is actually a double commandment, to work, and to refrain from working: “Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy. For six days you shall labour and do all your work. But the seventh day is a…
Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16 Luke 12:32-40 What is “faith”? Well, it is partly about what we hold to be true. The definition in Hebrews 11:1 is famous: “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things unseen.” Which may well be a description of what faith feels like when you are living it. But it is not so helpful in…
Talk on Poetry as part of All Saints’ Every Day Faith Series 7.8.19 7.30 Intro How do we live our ‘Everyday Faith’? Let’s be honest! It’s not easy. I’m going to suggest to you that we live out our Everyday Faith by ‘giving our attention’ so that we can grow up both into our faith and also into our full stature as…
Prayer (I) BY GEORGE HERBERT Prayer: the church’s banquet, angel’s age, God’s breath in man returning to his birth, The soul in paraphrase, heart in pilgrimage, The Christian plummet sounding heav’n and earth, Engine against th’ Almighty, sinner’s tow’r, Reversèd thunder, Christ-side-piercing spear, The six-days world transposing in an hour, A kind of tune, which all things hear and fear; Softness, and…
1st Sunday after Trinity (23.6.19): Housing the Homeless (Project Sukkot) Isaiah 65:1-9 Galatians 3:23-29 Luke 8: 26-39 Our gospel reading today tugs at the imagination. It is hard not to wonder about this poor man – interestingly, we know the name of his torment, but not his own name – cast out from society, living alone among the tombs. Whether we interpret…
Luke 24:1-12 Today, on Easter Day, thousands of people around the world are being baptised at this very moment. Last night on Easter Eve, thousands more were confirmed. This morning tens of thousands of people will be sharing in communion for the first time. Today around one third of world’s population will break bread as one global family. The day of Jesus’…
Acts 9:1-6 Revelation 5:11-14 John 21:1-9 In today’s gospel, as last week and the week before, we hear of a resurrection appearance. How strange and evocative they are, these eye-witness accounts of an encounter with a deep mystery. They seem to me to capture extraordinarily well what it feels like to be in relationship with God – the atmosphere, if you like,…
Isaiah 55:1-9 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 Luke 13:1-19 I’ve always been fascinated by politics and current affairs, so it’s a rare day when I don’t listen to the news. But this week, something unusual has happened: I’ve found myself switching off, because I couldn’t bear to listen. You might think I refer to Brexit – and I am as disappointed as most of…
Two deeply troubling events are on everybody’s minds. People are looking for answers, explanations, comfort, hope. But when Jesus gives his verdict, it’s not the response they expect. Everyone is talking about Pilate’s brutal treatment of some Galileans and the collapse of a tower in Jerusalem. You may think that Jesus deals with these two deeply troubling events in an unkind and…
One of the most popular hobbies at the moment is researching your family tree. Massive amounts of information are now available online as well as in church and civic archives. And a popular TV programme has fuelled this national obsession. For a special birthday present you might pay for someone to have their DNA tested and a map of their ancestry produced.…
Everyday Faith: Money Introduction Welcome. In a sense, the whole of the spiritual life is about learning to let God love us. I do not mean, as a mind-game, but in practical reality. We are so attached to looking after ourselves, keeping ourselves safe, fencing out the dangers of the world. But Jesus calls us to take down our defences – so…
Teaching Eucharist: 10 February 2019 (4th before Lent), All Saints’ Oakham Parish Communion Isaiah 6: 1-8 1 Corinthians 15: 1-11 Luke 5: 1-11 Introduce 1st hymn, procession, then first talk • Introduce self. Welcome to all, especially newcomers. Hope you will stay for coffee. • Something different today. Todays’ teaching is focused on the Eucharist itself. And, for once in a year…