HRH The Duke of Edinburgh

Bishop Steven gave the following sermon at the Civic Service with Prayers for HRH the Duke of Edinburgh on Friday 16th April 2021 Some verses from our psalm: For he maketh the storm to cease : so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad, because they are at rest : and so […]

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God’s own people

“For he is our God” What does it mean to declare in the midst of worship that “he is our God and we are his people”? Those who prayed the psalms in the Temple and in their private prayers in ancient Israel and those who pray the…

The special relationship

“For he is our God, we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand” (Psalm 95.7) Psalm 95 has been building to this point and we could and should linger here.  Through the Psalm we call ourselves and one another and the whole…

To worship is to be changed

“….let us bow down….let us kneel….”  Psalm 95.6 John’s gospel tells the story of a conversation between John the Baptist and his disciples.  The crowds are discovering Jesus.  Everyone is going to him.  They think that John…

Caring for creation – safeguarding the earth

“the dry land which his hand have formed” We’re about to move on from the beautiful section on the Psalm about taking joy in God because of the glories of creation. We’re called to sing for joy to the Lord because of the depths of…

Deeper into God

O come let us worship….. Psalm 95.6 We like to think our lives are stable and steady (and sometimes there are).  But there are also ups and downs, twists and turns, good days and bad.  We live in a changing and often difficult world. …

Order and Chaos

“The sea is his and he made it, and the dry land which his hands have formed” There are some times and moments in life when everything feels to be falling apart. Our carefully ordered and constructed world seems to be giving way.  Chaos…

Highs and Lows

“In his hands are the depths of the earth and the heights of the mountains are his also” Sometimes we praise God by appreciating who he is. We might sing “Immortal, invisible, God only wise”.  Sometimes we praise God by singing out…

The Lord is King!

“…the great king above all gods” There are some points of connection between the Lord’s Prayer and Psalm 95. The first is the great stress on today in verse 7, connected with the theme of listening to the word of God.  I’m reminded…

The LORD is the great God

“For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods” (Psalm 95.3 NIV) In the first word of verse 3 we change gear.  So far the psalm has been inviting and encouraging us to praise God.  It’s a common form in the psalms. …