In Search of the Mystery of God

Not the wilderness only, but the heart also, can be a dark, lonely, and deserted place, not least when seen under the glare of a ruthlessly honest conscience. And yet there is no other way to come to God. We follow the tax collector into the desert, and discover the extraordinary judgement of God, not just on ourselves, but on all creation. Reading: An extract from "Now, This Bell Tolling Soft...

A rabbi wanders in no-man's-land between two countries where the outcasts dwell. He sends them to the Temple to praise God. But one of them returns before reaching his destination. Or does he? The sermon for Trinity 17. Readings: 2 Timothy 2:8-15; Luke 17:11-19 Poem: RS Thomas 'The Prayer'

The means, or the end? The journey, or the destination? "Lord, we do not even know where you are going. How can we know the way?" But actually all we have is this mysteriously small moment we call 'now' in which to live. All else lies untouchably in the future or in the past. What we do with each step we take in the garden of time determines where we are going, and how we get there...

We have an innate sense of fairness. Society is built on the principle of justice. And yet justice has no power to give life - only to take it. And where do we stand before a just God? The Lord's Prayer has the key. The Bewcastle Benefice sermon for the 6th Sunday after Trinity, Year C. Poem: 'St David' by D Gwenallt Jones Readings: Hosea 1:2-10 Colossians 2:6-15 Luke 11:1-13

What does Jesus mean, 'let the dead bury the dead'? What is freedom? What is this 'Spirit' that is so often portrayed as a wild bird over the waters, or in the mountains? What does it mean to see the world aright and be alive to God? Some of the questions posed by the readings for Trinity 2. Poem: The Raven, by Norman Nicholson. Old Testament: 2 Kings 2: 1-2, 6-14. New Testament: G...

A bleak island battered by the wild North Sea. A ferry ride. Spume against rock. A journey of disappointment through the darkness in search of a hinted promise. But what lay at the end of the road was not what was expected. Christmas Night sermon, 2021.