Responsive Prayer: We cannot comprehend
Responsive Prayer: We cannot comprehend
by Andrew Pratt
Responsive Prayer: We cannot comprehend based on Psalm 147 We cannot comprehend the height and depth, the brightness and beauty of the stars above our heads, so in awe we praise you O God. You rebuild broken cities and gather together the outcasts, bringing peace we dare not imag…
Times and Seasons - So easy now to judge – original sin?
Times and Seasons - So easy now to judge – original sin?
by Andrew Pratt
So easy now to judge – original sin? So easy now to judge: that one was right, another wrong. But we were never there in the narrow trench or corridor of power. We never heard the thunder’s fire, nor found ourselves strung up upon the wire. We never had to make that bleak decisio…
The Accused
The Accused
by Andrew Pratt
Meditation/monologue/drama: The Accused Fourth Sunday after Pentecost Romans 8: 1-11 'The accused'! It felt strange standing there and hearing those words. They were talking about me. Fair enough I suppose, but we never like to hear the truth about ourselves do we? 'The accused'!…
There we were, off up a mountain again
There we were, off up a mountain again
by Andrew Pratt
Dramatic monologue: There we were, off up a mountain again Ascension Acts 1: 1-11 There we were, off up a mountain again. My legs were aching. Not as young as I used to be. Near the summit, thank goodness, but I expect he could hear me moaning. He turned and faced us. Was it imag…
Three disciples saw God's glory
Three disciples saw God's glory
by Andrew Pratt
Hymn: Three disciples saw God’s glory Last Sunday before Lent year A Matthew 17: 1 – 9 Three disciples saw God’s glory, sunlight pouring from Christ’s face, shielding eyes are almost blinded, shaken by God’s present grace. Was it just imagination, was that Moses there as well? Th…
Time gentlemen please
Time gentlemen please
by Andrew Pratt
Dialogue/drama for two voices: Time gentlemen please Time gentlemen please. I remember the words. Mis-spent youth. The bar cleared. No hassle, just lads wobbling out onto a dark street and making for home. Empty your glasses. Drinking up time. That was allowed. Felt bad if you ha…
Transfiguration
Transfiguration
by Andrew Pratt
Meditation: Transfiguration Last Sunday before Lent year A Matthew 17: 1 – 9 Respite, that’s what I need, respite. Do you ever have one of those periods when you just need lifting out of yourself? And then it comes, like a gift from God. You get an unexpected ‘phone call, a lette…
When the glory of the presence
When the glory of the presence
by Andrew Pratt
Poem: When the glory of the presence Proper 24 year A Exodus 33: 12 – 23 When the glory of the presence of the ground of all our being leaves transcendent worth and wonder, enters in the realm of seeing, are we blinded by the dazzle? Is this presence binding? Freeing? How do we d…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Conflict between the Teacher and Israel
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Conflict between the Teacher and Israel
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
Conflict between the Teacher and Israel Matthew 8—23 The intrusion of substantial non-narrative material in these sermons inhibits the movement of the plot. This mixture of Jesus’ ministry and his teaching produces a more measured air; instead of the breathless dash of Mark’s bou…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - The new teaching
Four Gospels, One Jesus - The new teaching
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
The new teaching The Discourses, Matthew 5—7, 10, 13, 18, 23—25 While Mark has very little actual teaching, Matthew builds the character of Jesus as the Teacher of Israel, and structures the gospel around his five great blocks of teaching – the discourses punctuating the narrativ…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Another Moses?
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Another Moses?
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
Another Moses? Beginning ministry, Matthew 3—8.1 In the picture of Matthew in the Lindisfarne Gospels, there is another bearded figure peering out from behind the curtain, holding a book. Some scholars and art historians suggest this might be Moses, with the Law. Certainly, Old T…
The Things He Carried - 2. A Crown of Thorns
The Things He Carried - 2. A Crown of Thorns
by SPCK - Stephen Cottrell
THE THINGS HE CARRIED 2. A Crown of Thorns He carried a crown of thorns. The soldiers’ logic had a brutal simplicity. A cruel, schoolboy logic. He said he was a king, so dress him up as one. A purple robe. Some twisted thorn. A makeshift crown. Briers and acacia. The barbed wire …
The Things He Carried - 4. His Followers' Disappointments
The Things He Carried - 4. His Followers' Disappointments
by SPCK - Stephen Cottrell
THE THINGS HE CARRIED 4. His Followers’ Disappointments He carried his followers’ disappointments. You see, they thought he was going to be a different sort of king. Heaven knows, he had tried. He had tried to etch eternity into the stubborn humanity of those who followed him, bu…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - The ox in the Temple and the stall
Four Gospels, One Jesus - The ox in the Temple and the stall
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
The ox in the Temple and the stall Infancy and beginnings, Luke 1—4.13 Since the ox was the universal beast of burden, it is not surprising that Luke stresses the universal importance of Jesus. We have seen that the opening words of any ancient text were crucial. If Mark is not c…
The Things He Carried - 3. A Seamles Robe
The Things He Carried - 3. A Seamles Robe
by SPCK - Stephen Cottrell
THE THINGS HE CARRIED 3. A Seamless Robe He carried a seamless robe. It was a thing of delicate beauty and of great craftsmanship, robust and at the same time light, woven in one piece from top to bottom; like the robe a high priest would wear as he went about his duties. Like ev…
journeying with mark yr B - Introduction: Getting to know the Gospel of Mark
journeying with mark yr B - Introduction: Getting to know the Gospel of Mark
by SPCK - Woodward, Gooder and Pryce
Introduction: Getting to know the Gospel of Mark Exploring the text Mark’s Gospel is probably the best known of all the Gospels. There is something about its lively, punchy style that draws us right into the story it is telling. Mark’s Gospel, more than any other, encourages us t…
The Things He Said - The Things He Said - Discussion Questions