Merry Christmas! This is the sermon I delivered at Midnight Communion at Putney Methodist Church. The texts were Isaiah 9:2-7 and Luke 2:1-14. One of the pleasures of Advent for me every year is to tell the stories of the season to children in schools and in our churches. To talk about our advent traditions, our … Continue reading “How silently, how silently”

Amid the excitement of advent and the busy activity of nativity plays and carol concerts, it is good sometimes to reflect more deeply on what our Biblical texts actually tell us about the birth of Jesus. To think about how the two different evangelists who chose to write about Christ’s nativity presented their material. What … Continue reading Looking backwards and forwards in Luke

This is a personal review of a recent resource produced by the Bible Society called 'The Bible Course'. I hope it's helpful to others either considering running it, or those looking for new teaching material for their churches.  The problem One of the greatest challenges I face as a preacher and small group leader is … Continue reading The Bible Course: a review

This is the sermon I preached today at Putney Methodist Church. It is Advent Sunday today, traditionally the start of the Christian liturgical year. The set readings were Jeremiah 33:14-16 and Luke 21:25-36. “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars.” (Luke 21:25) Our readings this morning are a vivid reminder that … Continue reading Our everyday (Advent) God