• Congratulations

    Craig and Calum

    Congratulations to Craig and Calum, two members of St Mary’s congregation whose Nuptial Mass I conducted yesterday afternoon.

    Very often, the struggle towards equality seems to some people to take on the air of a pitched battle with people shouting their positions over the heads of others. The truth is, it really is an unbottling exercise – opening up a situation to let God’s Spirit make merry with those around.

    Yesterday’s celebrations were like that. People from Anglican, Roman Catholic and Conservative Evangelical (and no doubt other) backgrounds gathered around a fine young couple because they love them and together we saw them make promises to one another that have at their essence all that is holy and all that it is true.

    It was a genuinely joyful day and a wonderful privilege to share it with them.

5 responses to “Sermon – 16 February 2014”

  1. Jimmy Avatar

    “The pack mentality of Episcopal collegiality”
    Practice this line a little-did you?

    1. Kelvin Avatar

      Trots off the tongue.

  2. Fr. Ron Smith Avatar

    Thank you, Father. I enjoy your prompts to the Church at large – to come out of its chrysalis and bring the Good News of Christ to a needy world. I’ve taken the liberty of putting this article on my own web-site – kiwianglo – I hope you don’t mind. My response to the Sunday Gospel was much like your own. Agape, Fr.Ron

  3. Lawrence Rosenfeld Avatar
    Lawrence Rosenfeld

    I convene the Committee of Lay Persons who support our parish’s Seminarians. We are, in part, tasked with giving feedback when s/he preaches.

    We “did” Matt 5:21-37 at Bible Study Wednesday evening under the leadership of our bright, energetic, capable and well-prepared exchange seminarian from Ripon College, Cuddesdon, and then she preached on Sunday. So by the time Fr. Kelvin’s sermon reached my in-tray, I had had the better part of a week to wrestle with this difficult passage – and the advantage of much discussion about it.

    My personal feeling is that I want to come away from Mass or Bible study with a renewed and possibly enhanced sense of how my faith informs my everyday life and my relationships with others. Turns out that over the past month our little neighborhood has been the scene of a certain amount of conflict. The irony is that the prime source of the conflict has to do with some of our neighbors trying to “build community,” in ways that have actually driven a wedge between them and others.

    Thinking about the Gospel reading (and the lectionary bit from I Corinthians) in the context of my life away from Church has been incredibly profound. Thank you so much for your sermon which added dimension to my ruminations and allowed me to keep the inner dialogue ongoing and fresh.

  4. Fr Steve Avatar
    Fr Steve

    As a preacher I was pleased to “hear your voice”
    The content was of course ‘spot on’
    Very much appreciate your public ministry (mine is drawing to a close) and wish you well with the Rectorial Election.

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