Category Archives: sermon preparation

Your faith has saved you

Posted on October 11, 2013 by Rosalind C Hughes

There are those who believe that a world in which miracles happen is one in which we could not live without the unpredictability driving us insane. Others feel that a world without miracles is one in which we would not … Continue reading →

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Year C Proper 22: opening thoughts

Posted on October 4, 2013 by Rosalind C Hughes

Whether the Psalm is spoken or sung or whispered behind closed doors, there is no softening that last line, with its vicious dreams of vengeance. We might be tempted to ask what it’s doing in our Bible, or at least … Continue reading →

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Year C Proper 20: Thick as thieves

Posted on September 21, 2013 by Rosalind C Hughes

An extract from tomorrow’s sermon: A man was incarcerated in a high security prison on the Isle of Wight, off the southern coast of England. Whilst there, he had fallen under the wings of one of the most notorious criminal … Continue reading →

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Lost in the department store

Posted on September 13, 2013 by Rosalind C Hughes

Frantic, fleeting moments in the old department store, for each passing second a hundred possibilities; few of them good. Disembodied voices broadcast fear across the floors: “Have you seen this child? Wearing a blue coat with a hood.” Elevators, escalators, … Continue reading →

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Psalm 14 (53)

Posted on September 11, 2013 by Rosalind C Hughes

Psalm 53 is included in today’s Daily Office readings. It is almost exactly the same as Psalm 14, which is included in this Sunday’s Revised Common Lectionary, except for the penultimate verse(s). The text of Psalm 14 is included below, … Continue reading →

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Tomorrow’s gospel

Posted on September 7, 2013 by Rosalind C Hughes

“No one starts a war, Jesus says, without first calculating the chances of winning. Otherwise, they may get drawn into open-ended, unending conflict, with no clear way out, sending life chasing after death as though they hate the lives of … Continue reading →

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Tomorrow’s sermon: extract

Posted on August 24, 2013 by Rosalind C Hughes

“In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus goes into a synagogue, to take part in the prayer of his community. He is faithful in his observance, and he is obedient to his tradition. He sees a woman in need of healing, and … Continue reading →

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Tomorrow’s sermon: Fire

Posted on August 17, 2013 by Rosalind C Hughes
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Martha, Mary and the midwife’s advice

Posted on July 21, 2013 by Rosalind C Hughes

Here’s how I’d like the story to go: Martha: lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” Jesus: “lads, Simon, Andrew, James, Whatsyername, you … Continue reading →

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Biblical widows and Granny Lyle

Posted on June 7, 2013 by Rosalind C Hughes

Granny Lyle was widowed in 1957. For as long as I knew her, she lived alone in a house not her own; she had never lived in her own home, going from her parents into service with the local doctor … Continue reading →

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