

Nazareth Re-make - RIC Sunday
A sermon on Luke 4:21-30 [for an audio recording of this sermon, click here. Photo by Carlos de Toro @carlosdetoro on Unsplash.] Some of you know that I am a big fan of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and indeed of the whole Tolkien universe. My Dad read the books to my sisters and I when we were little girls and I have wanted to be an elf who hangs out with hobbits ever since. I recently discovered a Facebook group for fans of Middle Earth, and have been enjoying the posts, e


Mission Impossible?
A sermon on Luke 4:14-21 [for an audio recording of this sermon, click here. Photo by Bernard Hermant on Unsplash] It is always a little bit intimidating to preach a sermon on one of Jesus’s sermons. As the reading from Nehemiah makes plain, the purpose of words of interpretation after the reading of scripture is to “give the sense, so that the people understand the reading.” But, by offering such an interpretation, am I saying that Jesus wasn’t clear enough? He needs my help


Perspectives on a Miracle
A sermon on John 2:1-11 (for an audio recording of this sermon, click here. Photo by Tom Crew on Unsplash.) Father of the Bride It was a catastrophe! I know that might sound a bit… dramatic. It’s not like someone was dying. No one was going to have a heart attack because we ran out of wine. My daughter and her beloved were still married. Life in our village would not be forever marred if the festivities ended a bit ahead of schedule. But still… it mattered. It mattered to our

Baptism of Christ - What Do You Expect?
A sermon on Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 and Isaiah 43:1-7 (for an audio recording of this sermon, click here.) In the past couple of weeks, how many of you have seen those images of rows of apparently random letters, that you are supposed to let your eyes just scan over. The idea is that – of the words hidden in among the random letters – the words which are meant for you will pop-up, offering you a glimpse into your coming year. They are always fairly popular at the beginning of any


Word of Grace and Truth
A sermon on John 1:1-18 [for an audio recording of this sermon, click here. Photo by Glen Carrie on Unsplash.] There is something about the closing of one year and the beginning of another that calls many people to identify a single, focusing word as a summary, or mantra for the year. Of course, we have such a practice here at Abiding Peace with our Epiphany star words. We draw a star from the basket, trusting that – just as God has worked in partnership with humanity throug