The word ‘glory’ is a very powerful word and yet, in English, does little to convey the depth and complexity of God’s glory for, in the Bible, there are several words in Hebrew and Greek and, indeed, in Aramaic also, that this one English word describes. In Hebrew it derives from the word for ‘heavy’ […]
Sermon Topic: Incarnation
We may speak much, and yet come short: wherefore in sum, he is all.
There have been numerous attempts to find ways of teaching about the doctrine of the Holy Trinity; the shamrock or three-leaved clover, being the favored symbol in many an Irish pulpit. I have heard the chemical formula for water, H2O, a molecule with three atoms also used. There was a priest back in Yorkshire who […]
Led by the Spirit
Collect for the First Sunday in Lent
Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted of Satan; Make speed to help thy servants who are assaulted by manifold temptations; and, as thou knowest their several infirmities, let each one find thee mighty to save; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee […]
Message in a Bottle
Walking through the crowds on Fifth Avenue is becoming worthy of being an Olympic Sport. Not because there are thousands of people doing their Christmas shopping, I mean the thousands (and I mean thousands) that seem to have developed an innate radar because they can seemingly walk down the street and cross the road whilst […]
Truly Amazing!
Why was everyone amazed at what they heard from the Shepherds? Was it because it all sounded too implausible? Or was it because they were just that – shepherds: uneducated and out of place in the hustle and bustle of Bethlehem? After all, it was almost impossible to be a good orthodox Jew and to […]
The Tenderness of Jesus
Let’s be honest: feet are tender. They endure a lot of abuse down there, shoe-horned into footwear, holding us up through the day, ignored, taken for granted, yet capable of much weariness. Feet are tender, and it is tender of Jesus to care for them. In the arid climate of his time, where sandals were […]
Father Austin's Last Sermon
In the Name of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. Amen. If I may, I would begin this my final sermon with a point of humility. May I say to each of you that I am truly sorry for my sins, and if I have sinned against you in some […]
There is light despite all of the darkness.
Just before Christmas I was reading a joint Christmas message from the Archbishops of Armagh in Northern Ireland – Richard Clarke and Eamon Martin – one Roman Catholic and one Anglican. Both, by historical coincidence, have the same title ‘Archbishop of Armagh’ and both are the senior primates of the whole of Ireland. During ‘the […]
Faith our outward sense befriending, makes the inward vision clear.
Last week I spent several days at Nashotah House Theological Seminary. At the graduation mass, suddenly, next to me, a colleague’s iPhone started ringing – that particular ringtone that apple invented for Face Time – his wife wanted to talk to him. As I listened to the ringing while he was desperately trying to find […]
There's no place like home.
Last Thursday we had a reception at the Rectory for new pledgers and members of the EMC committee and Vestry. As people left a number thanked us for opening our home to them; I smiled and said “Thank you, but it’s really the parish’s – in a way it’s not our home but yours.” Later […]
