'Tis the prison to be merry.

Sermon preached at the Cathedral Church of St Augustine of Canterbury on the third Sunday of Advent

Why does God hide Himself?

Have you ever wondered that?

Everyone would be a Christian

if they could see Him.

Wouldn't they?

But we can't see Him

and so we are 

left wondering.

Why does He hide Himself

from us,

His church?

[PAUSE]

St John Baptist

sits in prison.

It's deep, dark and cold,

but he can still get messages

to and from his disciples.

But he is out of the loop.

He remembers that man,

a cousin of his, 

in fact.

He remembers

baptising Him.

He remembers

the water,

the Spirit,

the voice from above.

And then silence.

Silence as He decreases

so that the Christ increases.

Thrown into prison

for telling the king

that he cannot steal 

his brother's wife.

There are rumours.

Oh yes there are rumours,

but this Jesus

is not revealing Himself

in the way that Israel expects.

He is not revesling Himself

in the way 

that St John expects.

Can it really be Him,

the one that is to come?

Or is it someone else?

So St John sends disciples

to find out.

[PAUSE]

They return with the message:

the blind receive sight

the lame walk,

lepers are cleansed,

the deaf hear,

the dead are raised

and the poor have 

the gospel preached to them

and blessed are they

who are not offended in Jesus.

At this St John rests assured.

God has not hidden Himself.

St John rests assured,

but do you rest assured?

Does this answer 

the question for you?

Why does God hide Himself?

[PAUSE]

The answer is 

that He doesn't

though not many

will be convinced at that.

We don't see God the Father.

Why not?

This is a bit 

tricky to understand.

How does Bugs Bunny

know the width of the film

that he is recorded on?

How does Desperate Dan

know the colour of the paper

he is printed on?

How does the algae

that spends its life

on the pond surface

know how deep the water is?

We cannot see God

with our created eyes.

It's not possible.

To do so,

we need to step outside

existence itself

to see Him.

But God wants to be known.

So what does He do?

He becomes like us.

God reveals Himself

not in the way that we think.

Never in the way 

that we think.

Our preconceived ideas

about what constitutes

the Messiah

are always transformed

by how He has

always revealed Himself.

St John's preconceived ideas

are challenged

but presented

with what he knows

in his heart of hearts.

As soon as he hears,

he knows it to be true.

Jesus isn't hiding Himself.

He is making God visible.

Anyone who sees Our Lord

sees the Father and the Holy Ghost.

But why does He hide Himself now?

[PAUSE]

For us here, 

we know that He doesn't

hide Himself.

We shall see Him

not with these eyes

but with the eyes of faith

when we see Him 

in the Blessed Sacrament.

When the priest elevates the host,

we are staring

for a brief moment

at the Centre of the Universe

at Our Creator

and Redeemer.

A consecrated wafer

is God's promise

to one

who cannot have the eyes

to see Him

in His glory.

And,

when we are raised,

we will have eyes to see Him

as He is.

But what about the others?

Why is God hidden from them?

Well, all they have to do,

if they really, really  want to see 

that God is not hiding from them.

is look in the manger

on Christmas Day.

An Anglican Catholic legalises Advent

 

What is the relationship between the Law and Advent

Turning the last page

Sermon for the second Sunday in Advent

Why do we want 

to know the future?

To be fair,

some of us don't.

Some of us are terrified 

of the future.

It seems that we have

a love-hate relationship

with the things that are to cone.

For many, 

the future stands before them

like the black hooded figure

in A Christmas Carol

ready to point out their grave.

But, think now.

What do you see the future

looking like?

[PAUSE]

There are lots of 

doom mongers out there.

Some use horoscopes

or pendulums

or will even claim

to talk with spirits

about the future.

Some will use science

and scientific data

to predict what will happen.

Some will even use the Bible

or the apparitions of saints

to discern the future.

But why?

We already know

what's on the last page.

[PAUSE]

Turn to the last chapter

of the Book of Revelation

and you see exactly

what Our Lord is telling us.

There will be disruption:

disruption to countries

disruption to the Earth

disruption to the Heavens

disruption even in Heaven itself.

Things will be turned on their heads

and then Christ comes.

That scares us.

We don't like disruption.

We like things to follow a pattern,

even if we are a bit ofba daredevil.

We might love a bit

of drama and chaos

but ww still have

an expectation

that things behave consistently.

We might like the adrenaline rush

but the thought of the Moon

crashing into our planet

would still be a concern.

Even we Christians

who know what it says

on the last page

are frightened of the future.

Why?

[PAUSE]

There are two reasons

at least.

First,

there might be the possibility

that we're wrong

and that the last page of the Bible

won't happen.

This requires faith.

Based on what we know of gravity,

if we throw a ball.into the air

in normal circumstsnces

we have good reason

to believe that it will 

fall back down.

This is faith in the law of gravity.

Based on what we know of God

and how He loves us

and how He wants every human

alive yesterday, today and tomorrow

to be saved,

we can have faith that the last page is true.

Second,

we might be afraid of the future

because

even though God loves us

Christians have gone through

and still go through

the most awful tribulation

to get to the last page

and He doesn't take away

the possibility of

extreme suffering from us.

Yes, this is disturbing.

But this is still an issue of Faith.

Our Lord chooses the death on the cross.

He specifically chooses it.

Even if He has to be executed

He chooses crucifixion,

slow and agonising,

rather than something quick

He does not have to choose it

but He chooses extreme suffering

so that our extreme suffering.

would end in Heaven.

This is our faith.

[PAUSE]

While the future 

may look scary

the back page is still true.

Of course,

people will say

that Our Lord's generation

has come and gone

and He has not returned

We can see why.

Our children and our children's children

still need to know the love of God

even if they have not yet been born.

They are still the generation

of the Apostles.

We are still the generation

of the Apostles

because,

while people are still being baptised

they are still being regenerated

into the Family of the Church

and of the Body of Christ.

The Church has not passed away.

And that's because Our Lord's worda

will not pass away.

[PAUSE]

We do not need to see the future

because we already know what it is.

We still have the Holy Spirit.

The Church is still the Bride of Christ.

The Spirit and the Bride

say, "come!"

Even so, come Lord Jesus!

An Anglican Catholic falls into Advent

 

Why St Andrew opens the door to our failure and to our salvation.

Chucking out time in the temple.

Sermon for the first Sunday in Advent, preached at the Cathedral Church of St Augustine of Canterbury

As the Lord rides

into the temple of your heart,

what will he find there 

to cast out?

Well, there's a nasty question

to be asked on a Sunday morning!

You want nice easy questions

to start the day off

such as

"Isn't it a lovely day?"

or

"don't the flowers look nice?"

or even

"how are you?"

But no,

as soon as you get into Advent

the voice from the pulpit asks,

"As the Lord rides

into the temple of your heart,

what will he find there 

to cast out?"

[PAUSE]

The trouble is

this is what happens

when you open the door

to Our Lord and let Him in.

Look at the chaos He causes!

They let Him into Jerusalem

and He comes in

sitting on a donkey

to shouts of "Hosanna!",

the crowd cheering

and waving palm branches.

And straightaway,

He's off His donkey

and throwing the moneychangers

and the dove sellers

out of the temple!

It's mayhem.

It sounds like Jesus

is not someone

you invite round

to dinner.

[PAUSE]

But people do invite Jesus

round for dinner.

We see this again and again.

And every time we see it,

He's causing some mischief.

And this is the Jesus

that we want to invite 

into our lives!

So it looks like the question

is important:

as the Lord rides

into the temple of your heart,

what will he find there 

to cast out?

[PAUSE]

It may seem impolite

for a guest in your house

to come in and 

immediately start

to throw out your throws,

chuck out your chintz

and shove out your sofa,

but we must remember

that Our Lord has one thing in mind

- our salvation.

Advent marks His desire

to come here at all

and save us all from Satan's power

when we have gone astray.

It's urgent.

Really urgent!

He wants us to be saved

and can't bear the thought of us

being away from God,

and suffering because

we are away from Him.

So straightaway,

He gets to work.

In the same way,

when a parent barges into a room

to deal with a child that has

hurt herself,

forgetting politeness

and courtesy,

Our Lord has the same ferocity

against anything

that is hurting us.

It's that immediate.

It's that intense.

[PAUSE]

This is why we're here.

We actually want Jesus

to come to dinner,

to be part of our lives,

to be our king.

And while we fling wide the gates,

and shout, "Hosanna!"

the question becomes

all the more important:

as the Lord rides

into the temple of your heart,

what will he find there 

to cast out?

This is why Advent

is a penitential season.

It is a time to look

at our lives

and see what we need to throw out

so that it comes as no surprise 

when He comes in

and throws out

all our pride and vanity,

all our wrath and cruelty,

all our lust, greed and desire to control,

all our laziness and envy

even if they don't look so bad

or if everyone else does them.

We have to let Him in

and we have to let Him

throw things out.

We don't need them,

not if He's king of our hearts

[PAUSE]

While this may make us

uncomfortable,

this is such

a refreshing thing!

If we let Him throw things out,

He will make a place

in our hearts in which He can live.

The worst thing we can do

is to bring back in

that which He throws out.

Oh, He will keep throwing it out

but if we will keep bringing it back

then at some point

He will stop and wait

until we are ready to let it go

but if we keep bringing back

something that Our Lord 

throws out,

then maybe

we love it more than

we love Him.

Or maybe the habit to sin 

is so strong

that we realise how weak we are

and must ask Him

to strengthen us

to let Him throw out

what He must.

God wants us 

to have a clear space 

in our hearts for Him

- not for His ego,

but for our good

for what is better

than having hearts

full of goodness and joy

and love and peace?

[PAUSE]

Advent is a penitential season.

We must take it seriously.

But not joylessly.

Indeed, to assist Our Lord

in His preparation

of our heart

so that he can live in it

will help us better

enjoy the truth of Christmas

with all its colour and song.

As the Lord rides

into the temple of your heart,

what will he find there 

to cast out?

Will you be happy 

if He does?

An Anglican Catholic and the Co-Mediatrix

 

What do words mean?

Takeawsy pop-up toast?

Sermon for the Sunday next before Advent

What do you think it looked like?

Did our Lord reach 

into a basket and 

pull out more bread?

Did it just appear in His hand?

Or did it just pop up

from who knows where

like slices of toast

on the mountainside?

Does Our Lord

have a toaster 

about His person

powered by divine energy?

It must have been something.

Yet nobody notices how,

because,

as usual,

Jesus doesn't make

a show of it.

He just gives the bread

to His disciples

and they go around 

distributing it.

So we miss 

how this bread appears.

[PAUSE]

In some way

this bread has to come

from the bread that's there.

It's not likely

to be freshly baked bread

of the moment,

because the bread that He is given

has been there listening to

Him teaching

with the lad

who has carried it up the mountain

and has been listening to Him.

Wherever it comes from,

this is good bread.

Everyone eats their fill

and there are baskets left over.

But where did this bread come from?

[PAUSE]

Our Lord doesn't say.

But there are hints.

First, 

we remember that

He teaches us to pray

"give us this day 

our daily bread."

The Greek word

we translate as "daily"

is only found here

in all of the Bible.

When we usual see

the Greek for daily,

it usually refers directly

to the Greek for "day".

But, in His prayer,

Our Lord uses a strange word 

Epiousios

which defies a literal translation:

it's sort of like

"exist upon".

Many people 

see this as meaning

"give us this day the bread we need"

and so you can see

why we often translate this as

"daily bread" - the bread we need

today or tomorrow.

It's an appeal to God

to feed us.

And this is exactly what we

see happening here

as the multitude who need bread

are given bread.

Our Lord says

that Our Father in Heaven

knows we have need of these things

and will supply what we need

if we turn to Him.

But the bread that He gives

seems to come

from nowhere

- it just is

- it just exists upon Our Lord's word.

Exists upon

Epiousios

And that is what

Our Lord teaches us

in His prayer.

[PAUSE]

But there is something else.

For the Lord says

"For the bread of God is 

he which cometh down from heaven, 

and giveth life unto the world...

I am the bread of life: 

he that cometh to me 

shall never hunger; 

and he that believeth on me 

shall never thirst."

"cometh down"?

Epiousios!

It's the same idea.

In many ways,

Our Lord is giving to the multitude

a taste of Heaven.

The bread they receive

is of the bread given by a lad

and given to the multitude

we know not how.

It is not the Eucharist

for Our Lord does not say,

"this is my body".

But this miracle shows

what Christ will do

for the whole Church.

He gives us what we need.

Food for the body.

Food for the soul.

And we ask for it

every time,

we pray the Lord's prayer.

[PAUSE]

We take away 

from the mountainside

more than just bread.

We take Jesus with us.

We take a greater faith

strengthened

by God Himself.

We take away hope

knowing that

God will provide

in some way.

We take away love

which we are to distribute

to all we meet

who need it.

Who needs a toaster 

up a mountain?

The Truth about Remembrance

 Why human beings need to remember. 

Why Christians should never pick up spades

Sermon preached at the Cathedral Church of St Augustine on the twenty-second Sunday after Trinity

Oh no. 

Someone has dug a hole

in your beautiful lawn.

You've been growing this lawn

for ages,

mowing it carefully,

pulling out all the weeds,

putting down lawn feed,

telling the cat very firmly

that this is not a litter box,

and that you expect 

to be obeyed in this.

It was a beautiful lawn,

and now there is a hole

three feet in diameter

and two feet deep.

The cat denies all responsibility.

What do you do?

Fill it in?

With what?

[PAUSE]

You can't just magic up some earth 

from nowhere.

You can take earth from 

another part of the garden

but that would leave you

with less earth there.

This hole simply can't vanish.

It needs to be filled in with something.

That's the thing with holes

they only get smaller

the more you add something to them.

They get bigger 

the more you take from them.

You could find the person responsible

and demand they fill it in.

That's only fair.

They need to fill that hole in

because they made it.

But what if they can't?

[PAUSE]

Sin and evil work 

in exactly the same way.

Evil is like a hole.

Practically speaking, 

it is a hole in what is good.

Sin, too, is a hole

in our relationship

with God.

The work in the same way.

The only way 

you get rid of evil

is by adding good.

The only way

you get rid of sin

is by turning to God.

But that's easier said

than done.

Let's take an extreme case.

Tom murders Jerry.

It's an act

which we know to be evil.

It's murder, after all.

But what if Tom

sees what he has done,

and realises the evil

he has committed?

He repents,

in anguish,

sorrow,

and with bitter tears

comes to Terry and says,

"I am so sorry,

I have done evil,

I have murdered Jerry,

I will take the punishment,

but please forgive me!"

Terry now faces a choice:

he can forgive Tom

or he can not forgive Tom.

He doesn't have

an obligation

to forgive Tom.

Tom cannot expect

to be forgiven,

but he can hope.

Which is the best course

of action?

[PAUSE]

Well, 

you know the best course of action

because you've been listening

to Jesus.

Forgiveness

heals.

First,

forgiveness 

doesn't take anything away

from the other.person,

so it doesn't increase Evil.

Second,

forgiveness

does not make

the separation from God worse

so it doesn't increase Sin.

Forgiveness

is like one of those

yellow panels 

that workmen put over holes

to stop people falling in.

But notice,

forgiveness

doesn't actually fill in the hole.

Whether or not 

Terry forgives Tom,

Jerry is still dead,

but Terry's forgiveness

stops the hole from

getting bigger.

So how do we fill the hole in?

[PAUSE]

To fill in a hole in the garden,

you need earth.

To fill a hole in what is good,

you need goodness.

To fill a hole in our relationship

with God,

we need God.

The only way

that Jerry's murder

can be rectified

is by God.

We can't do this ourselves.

We can't make things right.

We can't save ourselves.

We need God.

Only God can fill the holes.

That's His justice.

The Church has the authority

to pronounce God's forgiveness

of the sins we confess

but we still have accept 

the consequences -

that is justice.

But God still seeks our love

and bids us return to Him

for repairs and renewal - 

that is mercy.

Nonetheless,

we must forgive

and dare to forgive

even the apparently unforgiveable

because that is

what sets us Christians

apart from the World.

Forgiveness

helps us become truly holy.

Christians must not 

make holes bigger

by digging in them.

Now, tell that to the cat.

An Anglican Catholic remembers

 How do we win a war?

Miracles unaccompanied

Sermon for the twenty-first Sunday after Trinity

Did Jesus have 

to perform miracles?

Wouldn't His words

be enough?

He is clearly 

a charismatic preacher.

We hang on His every word

as He preaches 

the Beatitudes to us

from the mountainside.

He is witty

and good with puns

as Peter the rock

will tell you.

Isn't it to our shame then

that we won't believe Him

until He performs miracles?

[PAUSE]

That really depends 

on what the miracles are for.

Clearly, we do need them

otherwise, 

Jesus would not perform them.

They are expressions of His

compassion

and love.

They seek to supply

what is lacking

and correct

what is amiss.

Empty bellies are filled.

Senses are restored.

Life is given.

Our Lord shows

good faith to us

by allowing us to 

sample a little of

what He promises.

Enough to back up

what He tells us.

But these miracles

come only second to what 

He is trying to tell us.

The only miracle

that need prove the Gospel 

is the Cross.

Our Lord accomplishes

the redemption of mankind

in that one act 

of Death and Resurrection 

which

to our eyes

can only be a miracle.

That is the only 

necessary muracle.

Even that

isn't performed in order 

to be a miracle:

it is only a miracle 

in what we see.

[PAUSE]

As much as we would love

to see miracles, 

Our Lord wants us 

to have faith in Him

and what He tells us.

True,

we believe because 

He has backed up His words

with signs and wonders

but we now know

we can believe Him.

But what of those

who still don't?

Don't they need signs and wonders?

[PAUSE]

These days,

if you perform a miracle 

someone would post a video

on Youtube to debunk it.

Signs and wonders 

have never been enough

to convince everyone.

To some,

a miracle would

back up Our Lord's words

only for a while.

It is only by 

living with Our Lord

and getting to know Him,

listening to what He is saying,

eating with Him

laughing with Him,

watching Him in action

that we believe Him.

But people don't want

to spend time

growing in Faith.

They want

crash, bang, wallop!

And 

Hey presto!

But that doesn't get us

to the real Jesus.

[PAUSE]

Admittedly, 

it would be nice 

for us to have a few miracles today

to show people that

we Christians are telling the truth.

A star shining on our Cathedral, 

a Eucharistic miracle,

an apparition of Our Lady

would certainly 

gladdens our hearts

in a world of unbelief

and bring people to the Church. 

But it is Christ we preach,

and we rejoice in just

being able to speak of

the love He has for us

and showing others 

the same compassion 

that He has shown us.

If He chooses to give

us a sign and wonder

to follow what we say and do

then that is something 

we can rejoice in

and marvel at.

But a new miracle is something 

we don't need to expect

for the Gospel we proclaim

to be true.

The miracle of the Cross

will always do.

Remembering the Anglican Catholic way

 

Why remembering is much more than a mental exercise.

Bless your heart

Sermon for the Sunday in the Octave of All Saints

Someone one sneezes.

What do you say?

Why?

[PAUSE]

When you say, "Bless you!"

you are essentially asking

for God to bless the person

and prevent them from

falling ill.

That seems straightforward. 

That's not the same word

that we hear Jesus say

in the Beatitudes.

When He says,

"Blessed are the pure in heart,"

that's not the same as

"The one who sneezed is blessed."

Can you hear the difference?

How is it different 

to be blessed when you sneeze

from being blessed for being 

pure in heart?

And what does all this 

to do with the Saints?

Always go to the Greek!

In the Greek, 

to bless someone

usually means

to speak well of,

to praise,

to wish good things.

But when Our Lord says,

"Blessed are the pure in heart..."

He's using the word meaning

"Happy!"

Actually,  if we're being very picky, 

Our Lord doesn't actually say

"Blessed are the pure in heart..."

He says,

"Happy the pure in heart...!"

Can you hear it? It's stronger.

To be pure in heart is to be happy.

To be a peacemaker is to be happy.

To hunger and thirst after righteousness 

is to be happy.

To be persecuted for righteousness' sake

is to be happy!

To be persecuted is to be happy?

What's gone wrong there?

[PAUSE]

Nothing's gone wrong.

Look at the saints.

Are they not happy?

You might say,

"well, they weren't happy

when they were being crucified

or chopped up

or burned."

The trouble is

that to say that 

misses the force

of what Our Lord

is telling us.

Among the saints

are many martyrs

who indeed suffer

horrible torments for Christ. 

But their suffering 

is confined to this Earthly realm.

Their full selves,

their happy selves

are in Eternity 

where in some sense,

they have always been.

Their happiness -

our happiness -

is God.

It's not that our suffering on Earth

doesn't matter to God. 

It's that He perfects our suffering 

and gives it purpose

to be close to Him.

His suffering is part of ours

and our suffering is part of His.

God stands waiting for us

at the end of our Earthly lives

in order to give us Eternal lives.

It is in our Eternal lives

that our Earthly lives

are not destroyed 

but are perfected.

Grace perfecting nature!

If we hunger and thirst after righteousness 

then that is our Eternal life

poking through 

into our Earthly life.

If we are persecuted for righteousness' sake 

that is our happiness 

soaking through into

the little life we know now.

The lives of the saints

are full of these acts

and its how we know them

to be saints.

We see the fruit of their labours

and by their fruits 

shall we know them.

We recognise the saints 

because through their

purity in heart 

we see God's light shining.

[PAUSE]

Some may ask us,

where are your saints today?

Whose lives shine forth light?

Elizabeth Barton

who challenges even kings

to seek righteousness?

Fr Alfred Patten, 

restorer of the shrine of Our Lady?

Bishop Albert Chambers

the one who defies

unjust rules

to ensure that the sacraments 

are preserved?

And then there's you?

Why not you?

Bless you.

Christianity and the Occult

 

Why Christians need to take the Occult seriously but not embrace it.

Checkmate?

Sermon for the feast of Christ the King preached at the Cathedral Church of St Augustine of Canterbury 

If He were a common criminal,

why would you give Him

even the time of day?

If He were a common criminal

you'd take one look

and hand Him over

to your Sadducee friends

and your old chum Caiaphas

with permission 

to crucify Him at their pleasure.

So why not?

Why talk with this man

at all?

Is it because possibly, 

just possibly,

He really is 

The King of the Jews?

[PAUSE]

If He isn't a king,

then it's not a problem

He can just go to that place...

Calvary...Golgotha...

whatever it's called.

If He is a king,

then we've got to be careful,

because he has followers

- a kingdom!

soldiers!

an army!

And peace in Jerusalem

is fragile at the best of times.

So we need to check Him out.

Is He a king?

His reply is strange.

What does He mean 

when He asks

whether we know this ourselves 

or whether someone told us?

Do we look Jewish?

Of course, someone told us!

This man in front of us

is here because

His own people,

His own priests,

have brought Him here.

Thinking about it,

that doesn't really

make Him a king does it?

If the people have given Him over.

If the chief priests have given Him over.

He can't be a king,

can He?

Unless there is some Civil War

brewing amongst the Jews.

And Civil War would

be a big deal.

We need to keep control

or Emperor Tiberius

will have our guts for garters

for losing Judaea.

This man has followers

and that's the problem -

He's causing trouble.

What has He done?

Yes, what has He done?

[PAUSE]

His kingdom is not of this world?

Well, that's true,

if His kingdom were of this world 

we'd already know about it

from the pitch battles

and struggles and blood.

He wouldn't be here

in front of us

all beaten up by the Jews.

Is He a king, then?

[PAUSE]

So we are right to call Him king!

But the way He understands 

Himself to be king

is not the way

that we understand 

being a King to mean.

He says that He is 

a witness to the Truth.

What is Truth?

The man's a philosopher!

And philosophers aren't a threat.

He hasn't done anything wrong.

And that's the truth.

They have brought Him here

because they envy Him.

He is getting more followers

than they are

but His armies

are not armies the Imperial Army

needs to worry about.

It's them kicking up the fuss,

not this man,

standing here,

bruised and bloody,

controlled and meek,

no angry words,

no screaming for mercy,

no ranting and raving.

He's in perfect control

of this whole situation.

It's as if He knew that 

this was coming

and He is ready 

to do battle with it.

Perhaps He is a king!

He has a kingdom 

in His followers.

He has a battle plan.

He has the bearing 

and dignity of a King

and has done nothing wrong.

How can we convict Him?

We will flog Him 

to show that we are boss

and we'll let Him go.

We can let Him go.

We rule Judaea.

Of course we can let Him go.

We can let Him go,

can't we?

Can't we just let Him go?

We can't, can we?

Anglican Catholicism and Political Christianity

 

Why Nationalism and anti-Nationalism can lead to an unhealthy Church.

The nature of Love

Sermon for the eighteenth Sunday after Trinity

Of the 613 commandments 

of the Jewish Law

you know the top two,

don't you?

Love the Lord thy God

with all thy heart and soul

and mind and strength.

Love thy neighbour 

as thou lovest yourself.

Right?

Yes?

No!

[PAUSE]

The first commandment is correct.

The second isn't,

but the difference is subtle.

It isn't,

"Love thy neighbour 

as thou lovest thyself"

it's 

"Love thy neighbour as thyself."

Same difference?

Just different phrasing?

It's so much deeper than that.

[PAUSE]

In this day and age,

we see ourselves 

as individuals 

each doing our own thing.

More and more people

are choosing to live alone

so that they can live

their life by their rules.

We see people challenging 

even the most obvious 

and basic facts about the world

so that they can live

how they want to live.

The temptation that we have

is that we are in control 

of our identity 

and no-one,

not even society,

biology,

logic

or even God

has a right to say who we are.

We define ourselves,

on our terms

based on what 

we feel ourselves to be.

We are always looking 

for what makes us distinct 

from other people

particularly those

with whom we disagree most.

In this vision,

the human race

becomes nothing 

but a collection of individuals 

with no connection to each other,

no relationship of any depth

beyond the emotional,

no responsibility to each other

than just following the law.

There is no love there

apart from the feeling

of warmth and niceness

about someone.

And when that feeling ebbs away

so does love.

[PAUSE]

Love thy neighbour as thyself.

The Lord is challenging us

to look for the connection 

that unites all humanity.

He invites,

not forces us

to see ourselves 

in other people 

that,

at the very depth of our being

we share something,

something fundamentally human.

The Lord invites us

to see that the good 

that we want for ourselves 

is the good that we want for others

because we share human nature 

and God loves human beings.

The depths of God's love for us

is cross-shaped

- we know that so well.

But in being made man,

Christ unites each of us

in His humanity

so that we can be united 

in His divinity.

If we are each united in Him

then we are each united 

with each other.

The happiness we wish for ourselves 

is the happiness that God wants for us,

and is the happiness that 

we must wish for our neighbour 

precisely because,

whether we like it or not,

we share our humanity with them.

To paraphrase Dorothy Day

our love for God 

is measured by the love

we have for the one we love least.

[PAUSE]

It also means that 

we are worthy of love,

just by existing.

No-one is unloved 

even if we feel it,

even if we sit in the darkness 

of the misery of our fallen lives.

We are loved 

and that love is always 

close to us in God.

Let us, then,

let that love be close to others

in our lives and relationships 

with them.

An Anglican Catholic Priest in the Terror Cellar

 

Why ghost stories are important,  even for Christians.

Equalising equality

Sermon preached at the Cathedral Church of St Augustine on the seventeenth Sunday after Trinity 

What does equality

mean for you?

We often hear 

quoted to us

St Paul's  words 

to the Galatians

that,

"There is neither 

Jew nor Greek, 

there is neither bond nor free, 

there is neither male nor female: 

for ye are all one in Christ Jesus."

So, we are all equal 

in the eyes of God,

is that right?

If that's true,

why are we all different?

We can understand 

that being a slave or a master

or being rich or poor,

or even Jew or Gentile

are products of human society.

But,

if we are all equal,

why did God Himself

create us

Male and Female?

Why are these 

not interchangeable,

especially when

having children is concerned?

[PAUSE]

Our Lord speaks

of how we should attend

a wedding banquet.

We are to go to the lowest room,

the lowest place,

so that we can be invited up,

and then find honour

in the eyes of the other guests,

whereas those

who take the best place

get told to move down.

There seems to be

a pecking order

at this banquet.

One room is higher

than another.

One person seems to be

regarded as more important 

than another.

Does this mean

that, at the Wedding Feast of the Lamb 

there will be higher and lower places?

Does this mean

that Our Lord

is saying that

human beings are not equal?

Of course,

the answer is yes!

[PAUSE]

Think about it.

In the Revelstion to St John

there are the four and twenty elders

who sit crowned on thrones

next to the Throne of God.

Do we really imagine

that in Heaven,

we shall sit next to St Peter

or St Paul,

or even at Our Lord's right hand?

Remember,

we're human beings

and human beings have bodies,

so we shall.be physically present.

We shall have a place in Heaven,

but will it be a place 

that's of honour?

Will it be a place

near to Our Lord's throne?

Or will it be nearer the door?

We know that it's common sense

that Our Lady will be closest to Our Lord.

She must have a place very near Him.

Our Lord Himself teaches

"Honour thy father and thy mother."

He must surely honour her

by giving her a place beside Him

in glory.

And He also says that 

"For whosoever 

shall do the will of my Father 

which is in heaven, 

the same is my brother, 

and sister, 

and mother."

[PAUSE]

Just like any wedding, 

the Heavenly Feast 

is ordered by relationship.

It is those whom 

the Bride and Groom love most

who sit nearest to them 

at the wedding. 

It is the same with God

that it is those who love Him most

will sit nearer to Him

in Heaven.

The more we love

the nearer to God we are 

because God is Love.

Those who care more about

their status,

their rights 

and entitlements,

their nation and culture

cannot have a higher place.

In God,

human beings are equal

in their salvation

in their opportunity 

to love each other.

We all have the same opportunity 

to sit at the Wedding Feast of the Lamb 

regardless of

our race, our status and our sex.

It is how we view that opportunity 

that matters.

We are not created 

to be identical

nor to be interchangeable,

but to have the same opportunity 

to know and love God

as the person He has created.

[PAUSE]

Political equality

is concerned 

about ensuring people

are the same under law.

This is where the language 

of rights,

benefits,

entitlements

and duties comes in.

These may have their beginning 

in justice and the desire for good,

but we see them become 

ends in themselves:

rights to be clung to,

benefits that are rightfully ours,

entitlements that we must fight for.

Political equality

quickly loses faith, 

because people trust their rights

rather than God;

it loses hope 

because when entitlements are not met,

life is somehow not worth living;

and it loses love

because we focus more 

on the right to be loved

rather than the duty to love.

The Pharisees 

with their sense of entitlement 

move further down 

from the place of honour

because the Heavenly seating plan

is based upon love of God 

and neighbour,

not social or political entitlement.

[PAUSE]

We should not care 

where we sit in Heaven,

for wherever we sit,

we shall know the love of God:

it will be the same feast

that we enjoy together.

He invites us all, 

equally, 

to join Him in the Feast,

and, wherever we sit,

we shall be in good company 

for it is a company based on love.

Responding to Joshua on Ready to Harvest

 

A few thoughts on this well-researched view from outside.

Rehabilitating the dead

Sermon for the sixteenth Sunday after Trinity

When was

the last time

you visited

a cemetery?

They're not as busy

as they used to be.

These days

more and more people

are choosing to be cremated

and have their ashes

scattered to the four winds

rather than be buried

in a cemetery.

As a result, 

fewer people 

enter cemeteries

to pay their respects.

If that continues, 

the cemetery will become

a place where 

the dead are forgotten. 

Doesn't that strike you as sad?

[PAUSE]

Maybe you don't think so?

Maybe, 

ending up forgotten 

is just part and parcel

of our daily lives.

After all, 

we don't spend our days

wishing 

our great-great-great-great-great grandparents

were still here.

That's because

they died a century or two

before we were born.

We can't be expected

to remember those 

who died 

before we were born.

So it seems

our ultimate destiny

in life is to be forgotten. 

[PAUSE]

The trouble is

that the widow of Nain

faces the same fate.

With her son dead

she, too, is as dead.

She has no income

no one to care for her

in her old age.

No daughter in law

no grandchildren.

In taking her son

out of the city 

to the cemetery, 

she may as we stay there

among the dead,

after all,

everyone else whom

she has loved

and who have loved her

are there.

Yes, she comes out

to bury her son

with many people of the city,

many people mourning 

with her,

standing with her,

and showing compassion 

for her. 

But,

they will have to go back

to their own lives

and loves,

and leave this widow.

whose heart is buried

in the cemetery, 

silent and forgotten. 

[PAUSE]

As we watch this poor woman 

and the people of the city

walk solemnly 

to the place of the Dead,

we see another crowd coming,

bustling with wonder

and curiosity

about a man

who nor only preaches

wonderful things

but can heal people

even from a distance.

Their conversation 

is nor about death

but a new lease of life

that has been given to them

by this new rabbi.

Life meets death.

Our Lord shows 

that he does not just heal

but he raises the dead

and makes it look easy.

In a moment 

the funeral ceases to exist.

The journey to the cemetery 

is abandoned. 

And the cemetery itself

forgotten once more.

The place for the Dead 

does not receive 

another set of visitors.

[PAUSE]

Our Lord shows us

that cemeteries

are places to be forgotten. 

Let's not get confused.

In Christ,

the cemetery is forgotten 

because

they are empty

when the dead are raised to life.

Cemeteries

are just temporary arrangements

because we look for

the Resurrection of the Dead.

And all will be raised.

No-one will be forgotten. 

For God knows us all.

He remembers

even those whose graves

are unmarked

snd forgotten. 

And He will raise them

because He loves them

just as He will raise us

because He loves us.

God is not a God of the dead

because the dead

cannot respond to Him.

A dead body loves God

about as much

as a stone does.

God is God of ths living

so that the living

respond to Hiim

Love requires a response.

And so God makes sure

that all who have lived

will still be able

to respond to the love He shows them.

And if that means raising the Dead,

well, that's not a problem.

[PAUSE]

Our destiny

is not the cemetery 

or crematorium. 

God makes sure of that

and as a sign of that destiny, 

He gives the Christian funeral,

where the crowds of disciples

meet the crowds of mourners

in compassion for the loss 

but also as bearers 

of the witness that Death is not the end.

O Death, where is thy sting?

O Grave, where is thy victory?

In Christ,

the vistory of the Grave

is to be forgotten. 

There won't be anyone left

In there to remember.

Angels in the Darkness

 

Why, on Michaelmas Day, we need to be reaching out to the saints and angels for defence against the darkness.

Anxiety anxieties

Sermon for the fifteenth Sunday after Trinity 

We human beings

are time-bound.

We are born,

we live and we die

and our lives are divided 

into past, present and future.

At every instant

we are aware of 

our circumstances now,

our histories then,

and our expectations to come.

Each comes with 

its own dreads.

We call the dread

of things happening around us

fear.

We call the dread 

of rembering the past

regret.

We call the dread

of things to come,

anxiety.

Each of these

stunts our lives

because dread

allows something 

to take control over us

and how we live.

Our Lord says very clearly

that we have a choice between 

two masters:

God and Mammon.

The one gives us life

and the freedom to live it.

The other controls our life

and takes living away from us.

It isn't that we serve Mammon

willingly,

though some do.

But rather that we allow 

material things 

to control us.

Dread is itself 

a sign that we trust more

in material things

than we do God.

[PAUSE]

Of the three dreads

anxiety is the worst

because it is so slippery.

Because we can't see the future 

we imagine what the future 

will be like

and our imagination 

can take many forms.

If our imagination

can take many forms 

then so can our anxiety.

This is why the Ghost 

of Christmas yet to come

is the most terrifying 

of the three spirits 

that visit Ebenezer Scrooge.

For Scrooge,

the terror of what might happen 

completes his redemption 

and helps him realise

that if he lives in love 

then love will live with him

in him and through him.

The genius of the Ghost 

of Christmas yet to come,

isn't that he instills anxiety

with some vague threat

but that he gives Scrooge

something clear to focus on

and avoid 

by changing his life.

[PAUSE]

Our Lord shows us the same thing.

He shows us lives

blighted by crippling anxiety

about what could happen 

in the future:

homelessness,

pain,

starvation,

loneliness,

misery,

pointlessness,

hatred,

exhaustion.

All these nebulous fears

about what could happen 

take control 

and stop us from living.

That's not what God wants.

[PAUSE]

Jesus is so clear.

Only God knows the future.

But God values you, yes you,

so much 

that He is willing to die

for your salvation,

eternal happiness

in a good eternal home,

eternally free from pain,

surrounded by those who

truly love you,

eternally refreshed,

eternally nourished and enriched,

and eternally fulfilled.

Even in this life

God knows what we need.

He even knows our anxieties 

and their cause

and their effect

and He wants you

to give Him control,

not to enslave you

but to fulfill you.

He isn't going to guarantee 

a future without hardship 

but He does guarantee 

that whatever hardship we face

will not define us,

will not control us,

will not last forever.

But we have to trust Him 

on that 

because our little lifespan

cannot cope 

with the presence of Eternity 

just as a balloon 

cannot cope with being

filled with the entirety of the sea.

[PAUSE]

The Cross is the proof 

of Jesus' words that 

we are each one

not only lovable 

but actually loved.

We cannot let our expectations 

of the future rule us,

nor can we allow the fear

of disappointment 

cause us to turn way from God.

Through prayer,

and living the Christian life,

we come to learn

to recognise the voice of God

so that,

when things get too dark for us to see

we can hear Him call

and guide us through

into His marvellous light.

The future might be a frightening place,

with anxieties and dreads,

but Eternity with God

is longer lasting

and more certain,

and this wonderful state

promised for us,

causes Dread to dread

and gives Anxiety anxieties.

Why do Anglican Catholics get so hung up on Liturgy?

 

The Liturgy is just a means to an end, isn't it?

The hunger of an apostle

Sermon for the Feast of St Matthew

When and where

do we first meet 

St Matthew?

We might think

that we see him first,

sitting at his table of custom.

But, in a strange sort of way

we first meet St Matthew 

at Christmas 

when we begin his Gospel.

"But all the Gospels

are anonymous!"

Well, that's what 

those who somehow

want to depersonalise 

the Gospels say.

They say that

to undermine 

the reliability of their message.

They want to make them

anonymous 

so to take away 

their authenticity

and their authority

in our Church.

The problem is

that St Matthew's gospel

is credited with being

St Matthew's Gospel

from the earliest times.

And St Matthew

is the first voice we hear

of the New Testament 

sounding out

the news of the Incarnation,

connecting Our Lord

with Abraham and David.

We don't see St Matthew first,

we hear him.

St Matthew's first words to us

are of Our Lord's place

in History,

in a family

and in a royal dynasty.

That's where we first meet him.

Only later

does he tell his backstory.

[PAUSE]

We first see St Matthew 

sitting at the seat of custom

as a tax-collector. 

Even if he were an honest tax-collector 

and not extorting extra money 

from his own people,

he is still a collaborator

betraying his people,

his family,

his heritage in the Jewish race

by working with 

the oppressors, 

the enslavers of Israel,

the new Egyptians,

the Romans. 

That's why many tax-collectors

charge more

and cream off the profits

just to make the job worthwhile 

in the face of such hatred.

Is it worth it?

[PAUSE]

Well, clearly not.

Just like the fishermen,

all Jesus has to say is

"follow Me!" 

and St Matthew is up

and after Him

seemingly immediately.

Like the fishermen,

St Peter, St James, St John,

St Matthew sees something in Jesus

that he hungers for,

something that will 

take him away from

this wretched job

that he was enticed to do

and which has brought

such hatred upon him.

He follows and,

with other tax-collectors and sinners,

he sits down to eat

with the One

Who preaches love 

and not hate,

Who seeks to reconcile 

and not ostracise,

Who seeks to feed and nourish

rather than throw money

and hope that will 

solve all the problems. 

[PAUSE]

St Matthew's discontent

with his life is clear 

and he embraces life with Christ 

and death for Christ

rather than betray 

his own humanity 

and his own heritage

by continuing in sin.

In choosing to become 

a tax-collector, 

St Matthew loses

his place in society,

his heritage,

his history and 

the connection with God

upon which 

the Old Covenant was built.

In seeing Christ

he realises how hungry he is

how empty,

how separated,

how lonely he is.

And then,

eating a meal with Jesus,

he finds himself

becoming whole again

part of a new society

part of a new heritage

part of a new history

- new but old.

For nothing is really changed

it is renewed,

restored,

mended,

healed.

It is the sick that need the physician

for there is nothing to heal

in the healthy.

St Matthew's Jewish heritage

is completed in

the Jewish heritage of Jesus

and extended

into the heritage 

of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church

- the Church in which

he becomes an apostle 

- the Church which is built 

upon his Gospel

and testimony of his redemption 

and salvation

in the Divine Humanity of Christ.

[PAUSE]

St Matthew hungers

and thirsts for righteousness 

rather than accept

a life of discontent

and contempt.

And he urges us

not to live lives

of dreary, hopeless nothingness 

but receive the fulness

of our belonging to Christ

and our salvation 

in which we are growing

day by day.

Whatever we hunger for

in this life

we might never receive. 

If we hunger for the true Christ

to whom St Matthew points,

then we shall receive Him

in abundance eternally.

Anglican Catholic, quiet and proud?

 

Why soap box evangelism is not the Anglican Catholic way.

A Glorious Crossing

Sermon for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

St Paul tells us

that we should 

glory only in the cross of Christ.

If you remember, 

the word Glory 

- chabod in Hebrew -

has a sense of weight

behind it.

Glory makes an impact.

Glory is something 

you can't fail to notice.

Glory weighs a ton!

It is the glory of the cross

that prevents 

Emperor Heraclius

from entering Jerusalem 

with it in triumph

after defeating 

the Persian aggressor

King Chosroes.

It weighs too much

for his worldly riches

to bear

and he must cast them aside

so that he can pick up the Cross

and carry it into Jerusalem. 

Heraclius' glory in his triumph

has itself been beaten 

by the glory of rough wood

upon which Our Lord

bled to death.

[PAUSE]

Often  we forget the fact

that the Cross is 

supposed to be

the image of a shameful death.

We Christians have done 

a good job of turning 

the meaning of the cross around.

Every Easter, though,

we ought always 

to remind ourselves that, 

although the Cross is glorious 

it is still the way 

Our Lord was killed.

The Cross does not allow

for its glory to be something 

flippant.

It's not a decoration

for a party,

painted in bright colours

and festooned with streamers.

Its glory is grave,

heavy,

a memory of both

agony and rejoicing

neither one without the other.

In the Cross,

we see human life mirrored:

the pain of living in

a world corrupted by sin

and inhumanity,

and the joy 

of Resurrection 

and the bliss of

the World to Come.

This is what glory looks like.

It is substantial,

something that is 

too heavy to bear,

but also something you

can cling onto

and know that you

won't be swept away

by the winds and the floods

of life.

Even if the Cross

exposes our sin and shame,

we cling onto it

because through it

we are forgiven.

[PAUSE]

If we are to bear our own cross

then we must venerate that, too.

What does that mean?

What is this cross we bear?

What is this thing

that Our Lord mentions

when He tells us that,

to follow Him,

we must deny ourselves,

take up our cross

and follow Him.

He is referring 

to His death and resurrection.

The same is true 

for us,

for we must suffer

for our faith in Him.

For most of us,

this suffering comes

from trying to renounce

Sin, the World and the Devil

and turn to Christ.

Turning to Christ 

MUST matter to us.

It's not something we do

with a nod of the head

and a signature 

on a bit of paper.

We have to recognise

the impact of Christ

on our lives

and seek actively

to repent,

to amend

and to progress in the Faith.

How do we know that

we are progressing?

We sin less!

If we sin less,

then we are coming closer

to God

by definition. 

But if we are to take up our cross

then we are to venerate it

and allow its glory

to change our lives

away from sin

and towards virtue.

If our faith doesn't have

a real impact on our lives,

then there is no glory.

If, however, we embrace 

the cross as where our God was crucified

then we shall embrace His glory

in Heaven. 

Anglican Catholic Purity? Anglican Catholic Clarity?

 

Which takes precedence, the Affirmation of St Louis or the Anglican Formularies?

Missing the great blancmange trick

Sermon preached at the Cathedral Church of St Augustine of Canterbury on the twelfth Sunday after Trinity

Tubbo the clown,

that great children's entertainer, 

is performing his usual

magic tricks 

at Janie's birthday party.

In the middle of his act

he takes Janie

and three of her friends

into a corner

away from the rest of

the audience.

With a cry of

"abracadoodles!"

there is a squeal of delight

from the girls.

A puppy!

A puppy has appeared

from nowhere

it seems.

Girls and puppy

race back to the audience

all eyes focused 

on the confused

but happy little dog.

All eyes on dog.

Not on Tubbo

who wants to continue his act.

He stands there

trying to grab the audience's attention.

He wants

to show them 

his greatest trick 

of turning Janie's dad

into a six foot blancmange. 

What's gone wrong?

[PAUSE]

"Don't tell anyone 

about what you have seen!"

Does Our Lord

really expect that to happen?

Why do this incredible trick

of healing a deaf and mute man

and then tell people

not to tell others?

Just look at what is happening!

All eyes are on

the man who has been healed.

There's a kerfuffle. 

People running about

"He hath done all things well;

He maketh both the deaf to hear

and the dumb to speak."

What is Our Lord thinking?

Surely God

in His infinite wisdom 

knows this will happen. 

So why allow it?

[PAUSE]

It's a fact

that you can't get a dog

to go in the direction 

that you point to.

They don't look 

at where you're pointing

they look at your finger.

They look at 

what is doing the pointing.

It's the same thing here.

The girls are more interested 

in the puppy

than they are in Tubbo.

Tubbo has certainly 

succeeded in entertaining 

his audience,

but not by his performance,

rather by the effects of his performance. 

As a result,

the audience

miss out on seeing

a thirty-five year old

chartered accountant 

from Market Harborough 

being covered

in two gallons of pink dessert.

[PAUSE]

In seeing the formerly 

deaf and dumb man

healed

in a literal act of creation,

the multitude 

turns a miracle

into a magic trick.

They focus on the healing.

They don't focus

on the One Who heals.

They miss out 

on what Jesus is pointing to.

The miracle is only a sign,

an indication 

that God is with us

that He cares for us,

that He wants us to be saved

from our sins

and be reconciled to Him.

The miracle is there

for one man's physical good 

and everyone's spiritual good.

[PAUSE]

After Mass,

we have our healing service.

Perhaps we shall see

a physical healing

as a testament of God's presence. 

Whether or not we do

experience an immediate 

and full physical healing,

our focus must be on Christ

because in Him

we shall all be healed,

saved, blessed 

and know the power of his love.

Yes, we pray

for all our ailments to be taken away.

Yes we pray 

for an end of our pain

and infirmity.

Let's keep that up!

But if our ailments 

are taken away,

if our pain and our infirmity

are healed

that's not our focus.

Our healing can become

the distraction from Christ.

This is why many people 

give up on Him

when they do continue in pain 

despite praying that He take it away.

Yes, there are those in constant pain,

- constant agony -

who can only think of that pain.

We can help them

by praying not only 

that the pain be taken away

but also that they may find a way

of being able to focus on Christ 

despite that pain

and find blessing and comfort

in doing so.

[PAUSE]

The crowds that tell everyone

about Jesus 

being a miracle worker

now focus the minds of others

on the miracles 

not on the message.

But some are faithful

and listen.

This is how we know 

that Our Lord tells the witnesses

to the healing 

not to tell anyone else. 

If no-one was faithful,

we would only know

The Amazing Jesus Barjoseph 

in the same way as we would know

Tubbo the Incomparable

or the magnificent 

Honi the Circle-drawer!

Who?

Precisely!

If we are faithful 

then we know Our Lord

to be more than a miracle worker,

more than a teacher,

more than a healer

but our lover,

our hope,

our king,

our God

and our destination in life.

And that's worth more 

than blancmange.