Trinity High Wycombe and Cores End United Reformed Churches - Sermons 1 year ago. #AllAreWelcome

Reading: 2 Corinthians 5. 14 – 20   Short Address: ‘The message of reconciliation’   It's as if God were making his appeal through us  It's as if God were extending the olive branch to each of us and our broken world  Forgiving the past and inviting us to be whole again  For Paul the Jew who had experienced the love of Christ, that love had sent him out to meet people who...

Introduction of the theme of peace – the olive branch The focus of our prayers today are the Holy Land for peace between Israeli and Palestinian alike  Something we know is incredibly difficult and has been since the birth of the state of Israel  We are torn between all of the injustices of the past and pray for a reconciliation and and end to conflict  We came back from holiday and...

Reading Mark 5. 21 – 43  Introduction to the talk - Culture and Crowd  I originally watched a Euro football match between Hungary and Portugal and it felt very strange seeing a full stadium  Long lens photos in the news that make beaches look crowded during the pandemic  Crowds are part of our culture, Donald Trump and the inauguration crowds and those at his rallies  It w...

Peace-less fear in the previous example  Fear and peace can be seen as opposites so fearless peace could be considered tautologous  Another example remembering my first driving test  Both brothers had already passed and I was terrified of failing, being convinced after the emergency stop that I had failed but after this, I relaxed and with no fear left, relaxed and passed.  I t...

I'm pleased that with my increasing age, I'm no longer the youngest in the congregation  I want to give an example of absolute fear on the water.    Being in Wales on holiday at one of the best wind-surfing sites in Dale in Pembrokeshire for intermediate surfers  Beaufort scale - wind surf boards can get to 3-4 times the wind speed  Wind speed was gusting to 25 mph  ...

Reading: Mark 10.13 – 16 Jesus and the children   2nd Reflection: ‘Ready to receive?’   Have you got the time  The disciples assume Jesus doesn't have the time for the children and their mothers  Surely Jesus has more important things to do?  The children is precisely what the Kingdom of God is about  We can't earn the blessing, we have to accept it as a gift  Th...

Reading: Ecclesiastes 3. 1 – 8 A time for everything  What time is it for you at this moment in your lives?  Just as we emerge from lockdown again with cautious hugs we need to decide when it is right to open up again  Remembering gardening, planting and nurturing, pruning and digging up.  Times when we encourage growth and times when we battle slugs  What time is it for y...

Introductory prayer  What is a truly blessed life?  Paul's life was in many ways, a hard one  He faced hard opposition and persecution  He was often attacked and imprisoned as he tried to share his good news about Jesus  Even within the churches he formed, there were those who criticised and opposed him  Often not seen as a "proper" apostle - seen as an interloper dra...

Opening Prayers and Lord’s Prayer   Introduction: ‘Giving and receiving’   Say it with flowers, say you care.  This week we are being encouraged to count the varieties of flowers.  Photos sent into photos@trinity (and news of ‘Count on nature’ week)  All of nature has its part to play including nettles and thistles   Reading: Acts 20. 17- 38

Reading: John 3. 1 – 8   Prayer followed by a short address : Today we celebrate the wonder of God  A God bigger than our minds can imagine or grasp yet he is closer than our heartbeat and the breath from our lips  As Christians we name God as Trinity - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - not some mathematical puzzle that will get us into trouble thinking through how 3 can be 1 and 1 can...

Prayers and Lord's prayer Introduction:  When did you last use the word awesome ? That's what we are reflecting on today  Think about this God who is so much bigger than we can grasp or imagine  Other words: - Wondrous - where does that take us in our minds? Amazing - when did we last use the word amazing?   Has life become dull and constricted?   Do we need to let go and...

Short Address It's a long time since I've been into London  For lots of us, trips into London haven't happened in the past year  Sights of London we haven't seen - Battersea Power Station Listed and empty for a long time now coming to life as shops and accommodation, the great powerhouse being transformed into something new  Power from the ground in the past, now a revolution to tra...

Opening Prayers and Lord’s Prayer Introducing reading: The Holy Spirit comes with POWER   Reading: Acts 2:1-21 NIVUK -  The Disciples receive the Spirit's power  Pause for reflection: FILLED  Reading continued - The crowd’s reaction  Pause for reflection: WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?  Reading continued - Peter speaks to the crowd  Pause for reflection: THIS IS FOR EVERYO...

Short Address – Praying the kingdom  We gather in our place of worship and homes just as the disciples did to pray together and praise the Lord.    A disparate group of people, just Jews at the start then a growing group of Jews and Gentiles  Thinking of Jerusalem today, the suffering of the people in Israel and Palestine   Reading: John 17.15 – 19 (the Message)  Pray...

Opening Prayers   Introduction: ‘Unconfined, set free’  Last Thursday was Ascension day where we celebrate Jesus as Lord, risen and ascended, free from the bounds of flesh and blood  What does "confined" mean to you?  A lot of us have felt confined over the past year, imprisoned even?  What does "unconfined" mean to you, where do you experience feeling unconfined?   R...

Address / videos: The great principles come from centuries ago but are just as relevant today.  There is life beyond this life but our lives now still matter  What kind of life do we want for ourselves, neighbours, community and the world? Video : WORK AMONG REFUGEES IN EUROPE 75 YEARS AGO  Speaking of those very first days of Christian Aid’s work in Europe Theodor Davidovic, Refuge...

Opening Prayers 1 Introduction: Kenya and the effect of climate change on that nation.  Onesmus and his nephew, Michael Jr (planting a tree sapling and watering it every day)  Reading Micah 6:1-9   Prayers Reading: John 15:9-17 NIVUK

Introduction: ‘Here’s a bonus!’ Have you been shopping this week?  Have you found a bargain?  A BOGOF?  Bonus extras in films Marvel films with extras after the credits  The first post-credit scene seems to have come in the 1963 film From Russia with Love - "...James Bond will return in....Goldfinger"  We will look in a brilliant bonus section in John's gospel  The go...

Reading: John 21. 15 – 25 NIVUK Reflection 2: forgiveness, faith, and following  If we think about Simon Peter, there was work to be done in his heart and Jesus took him aside for that repair work.   He asks "do you love me more than these?" prodding three times It all comes back to "follow me" and "care for people".   The same for us in all the changes over the past year. Prayers f...

Reading: John 10.11-18 NIVUK  How many devotees of Countryfile are in the audience?  Last Sunday there was an item about a remarkable shepherdess  The image of the shepherd knowing their sheep and the sheep knowing their shepherd  We don't know what the commitment of the shepherd is and how much tougher it was in the days of Jesus  The good shepherd who knows his people &n...

Opening Prayers  Lord’s Prayer   Introduction: ‘Soul restoring’  "What restores your souls?"  In this last year, the rhythms of nature has been very restoring  People coming together for worship or projects like the Cores End Meadow  We now have planning permission to put in a gateway to allow people to visit the meadow    Reading: Psalm 23 New King Jam...

Prayer of approach  Short Address  - What an extraordinary turnaround in the story.   Two disciples have travelled home with Jesus but have not recognised him.   Taking heart from the discussion, they feel bereft to find he will be going on without them and encourage him to stay with them.   They invite him in and he agrees to stay - no regulations or rule of six at that t...

Opening Prayer  Introduction: ‘stay with us’  Have you had a special good week - a trip to the hairdressers, a meal in a pub garden  We have been able to do some more things than a week before  I was complimented on my puffin socks when I was in the pub garden  We all want more conversation at the moment  We can't gather socially in church but we can outside in small...

Reading: Luke 24.13-27 NIVUK  Responsive Prayer from the Iona Community  Address.   - Two disciples walking home, heavy laden, hearts and heads full of what they have seen.   How Jesus does walk alongside us in our journey, often unrecognised but always there   Walking with people during the pandemic, sharing companionship   The death of Prince Philip, his remark...

Introduction: A long journey (Prayer stations) -  "Have you come far to church today?"  Maybe just moved from the lounge to the study to look at the screen?  Wonderful to see those of you in person  We are all on a journey  Pilgrimage and prayer stations as a tradition within the church  Where are the points in your journey where you stop and stare  We have all h...