I've been thinking how gently Genesis lands and how life-giving these scriptures are, reflecting on the twisted arms of Jacob the Twister - reminding me that these are the scriptures of people used to coming second or last, oft despised, oft homeless. davidherbert.me/2026/02/04/t...

The Genesis of Gentleness and the Gentleness of Genesis Read gently my friend. Facebook friend, Josh Askwith, has just heard the book of Genesis read straight through. What struck him was not the violence, nor the intrigue, nor the strangeness. It was something else. He posted this: “I was struck…

The Cost of a Strong Church “The exclusion of the weak and insignificant,the seemingly useless people, from a Christian communitymay actually mean the exclusion of Christ.”Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together Bonhoeffer wrote these words during the Nazi era, at a time when entire groups of people…

The Cost of a Strong Church “The exclusion of the weak and insignificant,the seemingly useless people, from a Christian communitymay actually mean the exclusion of Christ.”Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together Bonhoeffer wrote these words during the Nazi era, at a time when entire groups of people…

Train the Eye, Follow the Finger, See the Lamb In a world shaped by global empires, Isaiah and John the Baptist train our eyes to see differently - to notice where God's light truly shines for all nations. This sermon for the Second Sunday of Epiphany (Year A) reflects on Isaiah 49:1-7 and John…

Going Home After Christmas – another way Here is a sermon for Epiphany, about getting home after Christmas — about what it means to return to ordinary life once the magic of Christmas has done its work.(Readings: Isaiah 60:1–6; Matthew 2:1–12) This morning I want to take up the star of wonderand…

God on the night shift We’ve stayed up!We’ve stayed awaketo make this night,this night above all nights, holy. And we’ve sung praise to this holy night.Perhaps for the first time tonight in this churchhave we sung congregationally the lovely carol, Cantique de Noel. Noel is a word from…

This Is How It Began – in the middle of winter Preached on the Fourth Sunday of Advent, this sermon sits with Matthew’s telling of Jesus’ birth at midwinter — when the light is weakest and hope can feel thin. It explores how God chooses to begin again not in tidiness or certainty, but in the mess,…

Seeing "God in the social outcast, life on the margins reimagined as the centre of gravity" - the invitation of #Christmas JustineToh www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Hope Before Dawn: An Advent Imagination Live for that day when God’s peace is all in all.Love for that day when God’s light leaves no shadows. These are the darkest days of our lives.December draws a long shadow,and we find ourselves longing for light. These days seem to go on without end. These…

#VirginMedia have given me a recovery code which expires in 2075. So, if you want to bring me back to life, that's the use-by date.

Luke’s Last Surprise: One Condemned Man Joining Another as the First in Paradise This Sunday marks the end of the Christian year.Next Sunday we hop on the next liturgical cycle of readings - it will be Year A.Each year focuses on a particular gospel. Next year it will be Matthew’s. This year it…

Hope Has Hooves: Keeping Faith When the World Feels Mean This sermon was preached for the Second Sunday before Advent — sometimes called Kingdom Sunday, and this year also marked as Safeguarding Sunday.It begins with the prophet Malachi’s vision of a day when “the sun of righteousness will rise…

The stolen blessing: giving the word back to the poor In today’s world, “feeling blessed” too often means “doing well.” But when Jesus speaks of blessing, he gives the word to the poor, the hungry, the grieving, and the excluded. This sermon asks what happens when blessing is stolen by privilege —…

Today For one day only - my poem Today Here is a play on words,a fundamental question. Is the I a number that marks a beginning,or, is that I me with rather less feeling,as in number with a silent b?Is this a play on words,or, a play on numbers with words,a play for today, November 1st?

This is where mercy takes her stand: far off, in the distance Readings: Luke 18:9–14; Ecclesiasticus 35:12–17 The clocks have changed. The weather’s changed.And we stand now on the bridge between seasons. Today is the last Sunday after Trinity.Next Sunday is the first in the new Kingdom season…

It couldn't have been planned but the scriptures this morning at Napton were read by someone with a limp (like Jacob) and a widow who fights for justice (like the widow confronting the unjust judge). I'm glad I called this LampLight #preachingtoday davidherbert.me/2025/10/19/l...

LimpLight This one's for all who wrestle in the dark and rise, blessed but limping, inspired by reading Genesis 32:22-31 and Luke 18:1-8 - the Revised Common Lectionary readings for October 19th 2025. How shall we describe the state of Israel today? The state of Israel today begins with both our…

Border Crossing: the dangerous way of grace Our politics, like our hearts, are haunted by borders and fear. But Luke’s gospel shows Jesus walking the edge — not to keep people out, but to draw them in. Preached in a week when fragile talk of a ceasefire in Gaza flickers across the news, this…

Excellent film. Just back from seeing it. What a story.

Wisdom from Pádraig Ó Tuama for #WorldMentalHealthDay

What happens when we stop calling the river it? When the earth becomes our mother, and the trees our kin? A Harvest reflection on creation as family — From the Riverbank davidherbert.me/2025/10/05/f...

From the Riverbank – Sister Itchen and the River of LifeA sermon for Harvest Festival at St Lawrence's Napton, inspired by St Francis's Canticle of the Creatures, the Warwickshire River Itchen, artist Stephen Broadbent's River of Life sculpture in Warrington, the writing of Robert Macfarlane and…

All are welcome here 🤍 Credit: The Book Wrangler

Are the rich fit for the kingdom of God? Here’s the test. A sermon for September 28th 2025 - the 15th Sunday after Trinity (Proper 21C) All three readings, (Amos 6:1a, 4-7, 1 Timothy 6:6-19, Luke 16: 19-end) address the issue of wealth. (There is far more in the Bible about wealth and riches than…

Safeguarding is the Mission of God I had thought that this Sunday was Safeguarding Sunday. It’s not.That’s November 16th.But shouldn’t every Sunday be Safeguarding Sunday?When we look at our readings for the day, (Amos 8:4-7 & Luke 16:1-13), they are all about safeguarding,and they expose our…

Here, where the lost are found A reflection for a small church on Luke 15:1-10 and 1 Timothy 1:12-17 Why are we here?We are here to hear Jesus. Our gospel reading introduces us to a gathering to hear Jesus:“The tax collectors and sinners were all gathering round to hear him.”That is the gathering…

Match of the Day a poem marking the 80th anniversary of the ending of World War 2 Match of the Day camerasfocus their lenses onyoung boys and their disappointmentsin the closing minutesin the dashing of hope.The fingers on their handsgo to the boneof the sockets of eyesto prevent their…

The Flag of St George & the Cross of Christ “Britain's better than this.” That was the headline on the front page of The Mirror last week, after Nigel Farage promised mass deportations in the name of “protecting British citizens.” When the flag of St George is waved as a weapon of fear, Christians…

The Healing of the Bent Woman (Luke 13:10–17) This Sunday’s gospel introduces us to a woman bent low for eighteen years (Luke 13:10-17), unseen by her neighbours but seen by Jesus. Her story is a story about visibility — about who gets noticed, who is ignored, and how Christ restores dignity to…

A motley crew of cheerleaders Sometimes one sermon leads to another. The focus here is Hebrews 11:29-12:2, very much picking up from last week's sermon commending those who never give up and never settle for the way things are, always hoping for justice and love. Here we join the author of Hebrews…

What Have We Settled For? The scriptures we read this Sunday are not the comfortable writings of a comfortable people. They are the testimony of the beaten, the displaced, the silenced, and the overlooked. Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham — each bears the marks of suffering and hope. They lived by faith…

When prayer gets risky: what Abraham and Jesus teach us There are lessons to be learned about how to pray in both readings appointed for the 6th Sunday after Trinity (Proper 12C). This sermon explores what it means to pray like Abraham and Jesus. The readings are Genesis 18:20-32 and Luke 11:1-13.…

Stressed? Just one thing’s needed This sermon explores why Luke tell us the story of Martha and Mary. Why did he think it was important for his readers? I always begin my sermon these days by saying how I love preaching that brings scripture back to life, and that I assume those who are listening…

The Samaritan, the wounded, and the question that won’t go away What if being a neighbour means crossing every line we’ve drawn between “us” and “them”?

Crossing the Lines of Division Every generation lives with conflict. Sometimes it shocks us; other times, it simply exhausts us. We ask, again and again, “Why can’t people just get on?” But our scriptures don’t hide the truth: division runs deep — in history, in systems, in souls. This sermon…

A Call to Worship and Defiance A sermon for Trinity Sunday. I love preaching that brings Scripture to life and that brings Scripture back to life, and I hope you do too. I begin this way as a reminder that when we open scripture together we are not just reading words from the past; we are bringing…

The miracle of hearing at Pentecost This is a sermon prepared for a small congregation in a small Warwickshire village. The reading for the day is Acts 2:1-21. We’ve been watching the ITV drama Code of Silence. It is a vivid demonstration  that all of us hear differently.Rose Ayling-Ellis plays…

I've been seeing purple this week and have followed Lydia's thread to reflect on what happens when love comes home and turns our homes inside out - as happened at Lydia's house.

This reflection is a reminder of how far reaching Jesus's calling is, begging the question of how we hear Jesus' voice in our noisy world.

Nostalgia never wins the day: there’s fights to fight and victories still to win A reflection for VE Day for the 3rd Sunday of Easter. Readings for the day: Acts 9:1-6, Psalm 30 and John 21:1-19 I love preaching that brings Scripture to life—and that brings Scripture back to life, and I hope you…

Seeing the wounds Jesus shows us A sermon for the 2nd Sunday of Easter - Year C for two small churches. The gospel for the day is John 20:19-end. The Incredulity of St Thomas by Caravaggio - or should it be called Jesus showing Thomas his wounds? I love preaching that brings Scripture to life—and…

Using AI in sermon preparation This is for preachers. For the last few weeks I have been experimenting with my sermon preparation by using the artificial intelligence of ChatGPT.com. I am impressed with the help it has given me and am posting this as an encouragement to not shy away from AI in…

Do you turn to Christ while it is still dark? a sermon for Easter Day, picking up on the turn made by Mary Magdalen. The readings for the day are Acts 10:34-43 and John 20:1-18 I love preaching that brings scripture to life. I love preaching that brings scripture back to life - back to the life,…

I've been in the thick of things the last few weeks. This sermon was prepared in the thick of things and was a chance for me to reflect on the welcome we give to Jesus's humble entry into the thick of things.

White Lotus – a parable of vanity and futility I enjoyed catching up with the last episode of White Lotus - the last episode of the 3rd series. There was much to admire. Also, there was much for the devil to admire from his hideaway above the White Lotus resort in Thailand—a place he’d convinced…

Mercy’s embrace a sermon for the 4th Sunday in Lent (C) reflecting on the readings for the day, 2 Corinthians 5:16-end and Luke 15:1-3, 11b-end - the parable of the Prodigal Son (and Merciful Father) Today’s Gospel presents a well-known story about a father and his two sons. (It is ironic that on…

The fig tree and the landlord A reflection for the 3rd Sunday in Lent (Year C) focusing on the parable of the fig tree. The readings for the day are Isaiah 55:1-9 and Luke 13:1-9 The gospel writers give us two parables of Jesus featuring fig trees. He may have used more. The two we’ve got teach…

BBC News - 300-year-old Polish beech voted Tree of the Year www.bbc.com/news/article...

Citizens of heaven behind enemy lines A reflection for the 2nd Sunday of Lent on the readings, Psalm 27, Philippians 3:17-4:1 and Luke 13:31-end If we were to get a tattoo, and if we were to choose from the texts of today’s readings, I wonder what you would choose? These are some of the words that…