Summaries of Weekly Sermons
At St Peters we will be sharing some of the weekly sermons delivered by Anne and our guest clergy.
Please feel free to download the full sermon by using the links after each summary.
JAMES – FAITH & WORKS - 2nd October 2016
There is perhaps no more practical book in the Bible than the Letter of James. It struggled to get included in the Bible when the books of the Bible were being agreed at the end of the 4th century, and Martin Luther was never keen on it, because, he thought, it didn’t speak enough about Jesus.
But we can be happy that the Letter of James did come to be regarded as scripture, because it grounds the faith into our everyday life. Did not Jesus himself say, ‘Not everyone who calls me Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven but they who do the will of my Father’.
James reminds us that our faith, if it is to be real and authentic, has to result in action. As James says in our epistle today, “faith without works is dead.” What good are words of comfort if they are not backed up by deeds of compassion?
MOTHER TERESA - 11th September 2016 – Lost Coin
Last Sunday, in a ceremony attended by about half a million people, Mother Teresa was made a saint of the Roman Catholic Church.
Not surprisingly, once anyone is in the media spotlight, there has been a lot of debate and discussion not only about whether she should have been fast-tracked up the ladder of sanctity, but also about the quality of her work. It seems a bit daft, to me at least, that critics should be complaining over the cleanliness of her homes when, in fact, she was trying to minister to, and alleviate the suffering of those who are considered the lowest of the low in the poorest areas of Calcutta.
After all, she was called “The saint of the gutters”, a place that is not known for sweet smells and health safety policies, and she was trying to help and bring comfort to the people no one else was caring about.
To read the full sermon please download
Mother Teresa (PDF Version)
PRAYER - 24th July 2016
Some time ago in a church magazine a cartoon appeared of a little boy kneeling down by his bed to say his prayers. Underneath was this caption, “Dear God, same again as last night!”
We can smile. Yet most of us know how hard it is at times to pray, to find time for prayer, and how easy it is for our prayers to become routine and repetitive – of the ‘same again’ variety!
The Bishop of Chelmsford, Stephen Cottrell - who was a speaker at the recent clergy conference which all the Liverpool clergy were invited to attend by Bishop Paul - admitted, “There always seems to be a good reason to put off praying, or when I do set time aside, my mind wanders, or I gallop through words that should be taken slowly.”
So it’s no wonder that the disciples asked Jesus in today’s Gospel “Lord, teach us to pray.”
To read the full sermon please download
Prayer (PDF Version)
CONSECRATION SUNDAY 2016
When my brother was clearing out the attic of a house he lived in, he found an old Irish Times newspaper of 1916, and it made fascinating reading.
For example, on the front page was a big advertisement for a ‘Maxwell Wonder Car’ which you could have for £235! It had 19 improvements on the old model, including detachable wheel rims and lino covered floor boards.
Another selling point was that tyres were now expected to last at least 5000 miles!
There is an ad for Gallagher’s cigarettes which are guaranteed to “make a strong fence against all worries” You could buy 10 for 4 old pence.
The Post Office were looking for staff. Female telephonists were starting at 12 shillings a week rising up to one pound, 6 shillings. But once they got married they would have to resign. Tell that to the new Prime Minister!
To read the full sermon please download Consecration Sunday Sermon (PDF Version)
THE GOOD SAMARITAN – 10th July 2016
Our Gospel today – the Parable of the Good Samaritan- was a deeply controversial and challenging piece of teaching to those who gathered around Jesus as he taught in Galilee.
And that same parable – and the question which prompted it, ‘Who is my neighbour?’ – is as deeply controversial and challenging today for the citizens of Europe, and perhaps more particularly in Brexit Britain.
Immigration, perhaps more than anything, dominated the whole Referendum debate about whether to leave or remain in Europe, and it continues to be an emotive and divisive issue for politicians and people alike.
St Thomas' Day - 3rd July 2016
One of the most entertaining and enduring characters of British sitcom must be Victor Meldrew in ‘One Foot in the Grave’. Entertaining, yet exasperating in his pessimism, complaining endlessly as he encounters misfortune after misfortune with that wonderful identifying phrase ‘I don’t believe it!’
Today is St. Thomas’ Day and there is not a little of Victor Meldrew in Thomas, and it’s only in the fourth Gospel that he really comes to life.
Patronal Festival - ST PETER June 2016
Somebody coming back from a trip to America recently recounted the difficulty they had – ordering a sandwich at lunch time!
It was in a sandwich bar where they were made fresh according to order. A sandwich cheese, ham and mayonnaise was ordered. The first question back was ‘What kind of bread?’ ‘Er White’ was the answer. And then came a rigmarole ‘ We have rye-wheat, wholegrain, pumpernickel, herb/tomato &basil, and so it went on. The choices were more than the visitor could cope with!
When Jesus came to Caesarea Philippi with his disciples, his simple question ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ was answered with multiple responses – ‘Some say Elijah, others Jeremiah, others some of the prophets.’ Their replies are circumspect, cautious, 3rd hand, giving nothing away about their own opinions and beliefs.
St Barnabas 12th June 2016
Yesterday was St. Barnabas’ Day. He doesn’t feature very highly in most peoples’ lists of saints and may be considered a little obscure, but really he is one of those “attainable” saints whose example is within all our reaches and has much to teach us about daily living.
In the Acts of the Apostles, Barnabas is described as “a good man, full of the Holy Spirit”.
To read the full sermon please download the PDF version.
Sermon for 5th June 2016 (Second Sunday after Trinity)
I stand to be corrected, by one or more of the retired revs present, but I think that the raising to life of the son of the widow of Nain is the only instance of Jesus carrying out a miracle without first having been asked or approached for help.
He happened on this occasion to come upon a funeral procession, that of a young man who was the only son of his widowed mother. In the Jewish culture of the time, a widow had no inheritance rights, so to lose a beloved child who was also the family breadwinner would reduce her to relying on charity.
Whether Jesus was aware of the circumstances, or guessed, or was told, we do not know from Luke’s record; all we are told is that “when the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her.”
To read the full sermon please download the PDF version.
CHARLES & JOHN WESLEY MAY 2016
Commemorations and celebrations are very much a part of life. Throughout the year we have family birthdays and anniversaries, and there are national events which are remembered and celebrated. In a few weeks’ time the whole country will be celebrating the Queen’s 90th birthday with street parties, and we will be having our own party for the Queen after church on Sunday 12th June. It’s still a matter of regret that she wasn’t able to attend The Queen’s Birthday Bash held in her honour last month. What a night she missed!!!!
The Church too has its roll-call of saints and the special days on which we commemorate them. Two weeks after the Queen’s official birthday will be St. Peter’s Day and our own Patronal Festival.
Last Tuesday was a special day of celebration and commemoration for our friends in the Methodist Church. For them the 24th May is called Aldersgate Day because in 1738, within a few days of each other, both Charles and John Wesley underwent a conversion experience during meetings of the “Holy Club” which met in Aldersgate Street in London.
To read the full sermon please download the PDF version.
