Advent Bible readings on Advent

This is a set of Bible readings for Advent. Advent is latin for 'coming' - it is traditionally a time of year for focusing our thoughts on Jesus' future coming to earth, when he will return to raise the dead, to give eternal life to all who belong to him, to judge all that is …

Why we can’t stay silent (2): Singing. A Sermon

https://youtu.be/SffZzDPgtQA This is a sermon preached on Sunday 22nd November at 6pm at Trinity Church York. It is the fourth in a series entitled ‘Why we can’t not worship’. You can find the first here, the second here and the third here. Everywhere you find Christians, you will find them singing. In some ways it’s …

Why we can’t stay silent (1): Prayer. A sermon

https://youtu.be/cTxZHwcleio This is a sermon preached on Sunday 15th November at 6pm at Trinity Church York. It is the third in a series entitled ‘Why we can’t not worship’. You can find the first here and the second here. It was a national disaster of an unprecedented scale. A locust swarm had stripped the fields …

Why we can’t stay at home: a sermon

https://youtu.be/nCtPyBrUUFA This is a sermon preached on Sunday 8th November at 6pm at Trinity Church York. It is the second in a series entitled 'Why we can't not worship'. You can find the first here. Here is the gospel in one word: ‘Come’. Jesus’ message to all of humanity is, to ‘come’. Come to him. …

Why we can’t stay apart: A sermon

This is a sermon preached on 1st November 2020, the first of a four-part series on 'why we can't not worship'. This sermon was written before, but preached after, the new lockdown had been announced on 31st October. An edited version of the sermon text is below. https://youtu.be/SURTmnAhHhg “And I tell you, you are Peter, …

Churching again: Why it was great to meet on Sunday

Two days ago we met in person for Sunday services for the first time since the Covid lockdown began. There were lots of ways it was not ideal: large gaps between families, no singing and some rather odd features of the Lord’s Supper were all unwelcome features of the day! And yet it was something …

Cancelling life for fear of death (4): Worship, the purpose of life

This is the fourth and final post in a series on the crippling fear of death exposed by Covid-19, and how it has led to the cancelling of some key ways Christianity offers hope and life in the face of death. You can read the earlier posts here, here and here.   But you have …

Cancelling Life for Fear of Death (3): Baptism and the Defeat of Death

This is the third in a series of posts on the crippling fear of death exposed by Covid-19, and how it has led to the cancelling of some key ways Christianity offers hope and life in the face of death. You can read the first and second posts here and here.   ‘… our Saviour …

Cancelling life for fear of death (2): Marriages

"Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. (Ephesians 5:31-32) Yesterday I wrote about how the Covid-19 lockdown has exposed an intense fear of death …

Cancelling life for fear of death (Part 1)

This is the first in a series looking at how the Covid-19 lockdown has exposed a crippling fear of death in British society. Christianity is all about the defeat of death and the giving and celebrating of life - though ironically the principal ways in which this is celebrated in the church have been cancelled …