scene of birth of christ

Christmas: The Importance of Stories

December 18, 2022Posted inSermons
I am sure that many of us will have Christmas traditions at home or with our families. A key one for me has been watching a particular film at Christmas, every Christmas, something I have done for as long as I can remember. I have never seen it earlier or later in the year. It has always had to be watched at Christmas. This year, I broke this tradition – by seeing it early! I am, of course, talking about the best Christmas film in existence – and now I’ve uttered those words, I know that this is bound to go down as a controversial sermon. Any guesses as to what the best Christmas film ever is?

Queerness, Shepherds and the Holy Family

December 30, 2020Posted inSermons
Liturgically it is not too late for another Christmas address. We are, technically on day 5 of what is a 12-day long festival of Christmastide! The life of Jesus queered social boundaries from the start. Who outside the Holy Family should hear of his birth first but shepherds. Shepherds were, according to the religious orthodoxy of the day, seen as ritually and physically unclean. They were at the mercy of the constant demands of their flocks and had no time for the meticulous program of ceremonial hygiene that would have been demanded of the average person.

First Sunday After Christmas

December 27, 2020Posted inSermons
So in this past week we arrived out of the season of Advent into Christmas. Many of us completed our Advent calendars, listened to carols from King’s College, Cambridge, and left appropriate festive fair by the fireplace for Santa and his reindeer on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day you might have been lucky enough to have your family with you for a great dinner, you might have called friends and family members from afar, or maybe you felt slightly green around the gills after over indulging in the chocolate from your selection box.

Advent: Looking Forward from a Time of Pandemic

December 13, 2020Posted inSermons
When I preach during Advent, I have been known to have a bit of a moan at people who to skip observing the quiet solemnity of Advent and instead, choose to plunge headfirst into the manic merriness of Christmas earlier than they liturgically should. This is not going to be one of those occasions.