In all circumstances not for all circumstances

[Let us] be glad in him with psalms Psalm 95.2 The first four verbs in Psalm 95 all summon us to joy:  let us sing….let us heartily rejoice….let us come with thanksgiving….let us be glad in him with psalms. But what if we don’t…

The power of thanksgiving

Let us come into his presences with thanksgiving(Psalm 95.2) In her Christmas Day message this year the Queen spoke of the vital importance of reflection in human life.  Standing back and thinking about what has been and what is to come…

The Rock of our Salvation

“let us shout aloud to the Rock of our Salvation”[1] Here’s a mystery.  Psalm 95 means a great deal to Christians because, to the eyes of faith, there is a reference to Jesus in the first verse. When Christians worship the LORD,…

A daily turning

Come let us sing for joy to the LORD[1] Some years ago, I sat quietly in a very old and beautiful church in Barnby Dun, near Doncaster before a service.  Like many old church buildings, it had a deep atmosphere of prayer.  This was one…

A threefold invitation

Welcome to 2014.  This year we mark the centenary of the Diocese of Sheffield.  I’m asking the diocese to focus in this first part of the year on a single text: Psalm 95. I’m planning to post a short reflection Psalm 95 on the blog…

Today if you hear his voice (Psalm 95)

The Diocese of Sheffield celebrates its centenary in 2014.  This is my Presidential Address to the Diocesan Synod today which gives, I hope, a perspective on those celebrations, where we are and where we are going through the lens of Psalm…

Reconciliaton: a sermon at Ecclesall

On Wednesday this week, it was my privilege to institute the Revd. Gary Wilton as Vicar of All Saints, Ecclesall, to the south west of Sheffield.  Like all institutions it was a big occasion for the parish and for Gary who comes to this new…

A Visit to Barbados: the Provincial Congress of the Church in the West Indies

Ann and I returned yesterday from a very enjoyable two week trip to Barbados. I was invited some months ago to speak at the Congress for the Anglican Province of the West Indies and a separate pre-Congress day conference and we were able to…

Give us this day….an antidote to greed?

This is my presidential address from the Sheffield Diocesan Synod held today in Handsworth on the edge of Sheffield.   Give us this day our daily bread Presidential Address to the Sheffield Diocesan Synod 13th July, 2013. A few weeks…