What is in Kelvin's Head?

  • Sermon – Hagar, Ambridge, Church Abuse, Eid Mubarak

    If I think back to my grandfather, now long passed away, I have a number of memories. One strikes me in particularly today.

    And it was a particular devotion. Almost a religious ritual.

    It could be performed at lunchtime or it could be performed in the early evening. But the important thing was that it had to happen every day.

    I believe my grandfather may well have had some connection with country living in his youth though he was a city dweller for all the life that I ever knew him to have. But his devotion to an everyday story of country folk was a thing of legend.

    For those who don’t know what I’m talking about, I refer to the longest running radio soap opera – the Archers, broadcast now on Radio 4.

    Actually, it may be the only radio soap opera for all I know – it does not seem to be a particularly crowded field.

    It was a part of my grandfather’s life. He listened with a passion.

    In the way of families, my own father inherited no love of the Archers and only has to hear the cheery, bouncing signature tune to prompt him to reach for the off switch.

    For myself, I have found a good old-fashioned Anglican via media (more…)

    ,

4 responses to “Sermon – 27 February 2005”

  1. Avatar
    Anonymous

    Re: Sermon – 27 February 2005

    It is people like you who we should be electing as Bishops!
    People of faith, who have a kind, decent and honest heart.
    People of courage, who are prepared to speak out and stand firm against prejudices of all kinds.
    St Saviour's congregation are fortunate to have you, and have grown in faith because of you.
    The Scottish Episcopal Church is extremely fortunate to have you.
    The Anglican communion must also recognise how fortunate they are to have good Christian people like you!

    Jesus turns no o­ne away – we have no right to either

    I hope that you will continue to help us grow, in the faith that we all proclaim to have.

    Reply
  2. Avatar
    Kelvin

    Re: Sermon – 27 February 2005
    Exactly!

    Reply
  3. Avatar
    Anonymous

    Re: Sermon – 27 February 2005
    Our friend Skintbuthappy has put my thoughts perfectly so I have nothing as beautifully put to add other than in reply to this comment

    Jesus turns nobody away, why should we?

    That, in my opinion is the whole point. This is what we read all through the New Testament, this is what all the parables underline. No-one is excluded and we mere mortals have no right to do otherwise or indeed to make judgement.

    Reply
  4. Ann Philp Avatar
    Ann Philp

    Recently I took a funeral at the local crem. It was of a cross gender woman much loved by all who knew her. The crem was full, many of them from the community of gay and cross gender folk locally. They had asked me to do it ( I had employed one of the mourners) The congregation–really hard up most of them,many had really limited education. I found myself wanting to weep…not for the dead. ..that was their job but because the church had lost them all. We don’t do God one of them had said. Why did they want me? I had been kind…
    They said, you know about God..you can talk to him. Yes I endured pop songs at odd places in the rite no hymns or psalms…but of course I prayed and of course I talked. There was only one message, God loves all of you…it is the only message…but where have we been? He eats with tax collectors and sinners, he mixed with all people showing equal love to all. What have we let happen?

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Previous Posts

  • Passion Sunday Sermon

    In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. I realised yesterday before I wrote this sermon that I have no idea what spikenard smells like. That it is basically an essential oil derived from the root of a plant related to Valerion which grows in the Himalayas…

  • Google Reader RIP

    In the midst of the hubbub over a certain election in the Vatican earlier this week, I noticed one or people tweeting “This would be a good time to bury bad news”. As it turned out, there was quite a significant piece of geek news that came out at that time which has got quite…

  • White Smoke

    Love and prayers to friends in the Roman Catholic church on the election of the new pope. It was lovely to see the people in Rome greet him. The airwaves are going to be full of speculation about what he will be like and full of things he has said in the past. The truth…

  • Generation Self

    There’s a fascinating piece in the Guardian this morning about Generation Self – that’s the name being given to those who are around the age of 20 at the moment. It seems to some pollsters that as they enquire about the values that people who are that age hold they are being surprised at how…