Here’s Sunday’s sermon. Quite a tricky gospel reading all about casting out a demon.

I do like being in a congregation where you can speak from the pulpit about exorcising the demons of the Bible and commanding them to be quiet, as Jesus did with demons. In some places, if you preached a sermon like this one, the Jenny Geddes’s of this world would be sharpening up their stools.

I did enjoy preaching this one. I did keep them hanging on to the end for a laugh, but it was worth waiting for.

Fifteen or so years ago, I was in training to become a priest. Now, there was much that was poor about my training and much that I disliked. It was one of the least creative times in my life and quite certainly, I think, the most unhappy period of time I’ve ever known.

However, sometimes I have to remind myself that there were some good things that happened to me during that time. There were new experiences that I had. There were new things that I learned. The fact that it was largely despite rather than because of those attempting to form me as a priest is something that I’ll probably never let go of. However, even then, some things that they asked me to do were good. [Read more…]