Author Archives: Parish Church of St Mark, Chadderton

In recent sermons, I’ve spoken on a number of occasions about the problems that can be caused in the Church, and in parish congregations and for parish churches, when people have unrealistic expectations of others in the Church and the congregation. I’ve spoken about the Donatist Controversy which raged in the Church in the 4thContinue reading “Sermon for the 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Trinity 7) 23rd July 2023”

Whenever I baptise someone into the Christian faith, I always make a point of clearing up what seems to me to be a great misunderstanding about baptism. Most people seem to think that being baptised makes someone a Christian and that is simply not true. I’m sure that, in part, comes from the fact thatContinue reading “Sermon for the 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Trinity 6) 16th July 2023”

One of the most well-known and popular pieces of music ever written, is Handel’s Messiah. And perhaps one of the most beautiful pieces in Messiah is the aria, He shall feed his flock. The words of the alto part of the aria are taken from the prophet Isaiah and the words of the soprano part,Continue reading “Sermon for the 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Trinity 5) 9th July 2023”