October 2025 – Reflections from the Rectory Dear friends, Autumn is a time of change; a season ending and a season beginning. While I mourn the loss of warm summer evenings and family gathered around the BBQ, I am trying to embrace the warmth of snuggly jumpers, chilly and colourful walks and open fires! We …
Category archives: Sermons
Sermon 2025-09-14
14th September 2025 – Evensong I have to begin with a confession which is that this Sunday will be the first time I have ever celebrated Holy Cross Day either as an ordained priest or as simply a lay member of the congregation As a consequence I have, thanks to Google, learned a lot more …
Sermon 2025-09-07
7th September 2025 Philemon 1-21, Radical Kindness It used to be that people actually wrote letters. I know it sounds arcane, but they would actually use a pen, write on something called paper, and in their own handwriting pen a message to a friend or loved one, then post it. It is so rare these days to get a …
Reflection 2025-09-01
September 2025 – Reflections from the Rectory Dear friends, I write this as I am about to travel down to a Franciscan Friary at Hilfield in Dorset for a retreat for a couple of days with the Community of Hopeweavers. My intention is to go on retreat once a year to spend time with God …
Sermon 2025-08-17
17th August 2025 Trinity. St. James’ Church Abinger (Benefice Service) Hebrews 11: 29 – 12: 2 Heroes of faith – cloud of witnesses – fix our eyes on JesusLuke 12: 49-56 Not peace but division, interpreting the times Prayer Lord Jesus, thank you for all that you endured for us. Open our eyes now and …
Sermon 2025-07-20
20th July 2025 – St James the Apostle For us, celebrating the feast day of St. James is an occasion for a party, a festive celebration, a good time. But the fact that our Church is named after St. James, that St. James the Apostle is our patron saint, probably doesn’t mean a great deal …
Sermon 2025-07-13
13th jULY 2025 eVENSONG Genesis 32:9-30 and Mark 7:1-23. I love escaping into the pages of a good book, it is something I have enjoyed since I was a young child. Sometimes we can be tempted to skip ahead to find out what happens next. I remember being told by my mother how much it …
Sermon 20205-07-06
6th July 2025 2 Kings 5: 1-14, Luke 10: 1-11, 16-20 Today we have had as our first reading one of my favourite stories from the Old Testament because in part it has so many insights into human behaviour and ultimately about trust in God. Naaman, undoubtedly an important man, commander of the king of …
Sermon 2025-06-08
8th June 2025 – Evensong 1 Corinthians 2:6-16, The Wisdom of God Today the church celebrates Pentecost or Whitsunday; the birth of the church when the Holy Spirit was let loose among us mere mortals. As a point of interest the term Whitsunday is derived from the middle English Whitsonday, literally meaning White Sunday; probably from …
Sermon 2025-06-01
1st June 2025 – 7th Sunday of Easter Across our readings this morning and our focus on the Ascension we have a common theme; one of love and unity. Indeed a recurring theme and message through the whole of the biblical story! But nowhere is it put so poetically and repetitively than in John’s Gospel. …
