Andrew's Sermons

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, our Lord, our God and redeemer. Amen. If you’re anything like me, you’ll be wondering when it’s going to be Christmas, after all, we’ve heard almost nothing about it this year and I really don’t want to miss it… However, despite all the carols we’ve heard and mince pies we’ve consumed, it’s not quite Christmas yet, it is still just about Advent, the very last day, of waiting, of preparing, of reflecting, of fasting perhaps, Advent is a little like Lent, when we take time out, although perhaps that part doesn’t work quite as well as it does before Easter… The sense of expectation is at its highest pinnacle on Christmas Eve. But what are you expecting? What do our children expect and hope for?   This sense of expectation is greatest for children, for them it’s a time of excitement and joy

First of all, a reflection on this sermon It was a tangent I struggled to recover from, it led me on a winding road, I was writing that actions are louder than words, that names hurt more than sticks and stones, it got personal, memories of a life forty years ago where my name became a taunt and time, ever my greatest enemy, conspired with memories in that cul-de-sac where I had no words left to say when I needed them. Instead, I took another road, to someone else’s words (this sermon is an edited version of one I found on the internet), they reflected back to me all that I had read but hadn’t been able to express. With shame, I took them, making them my own, adding, changing, removing until I had words I could say, which I knew in my heart to be true. These words bid us pray for our leaders, especially when they struggle to do what is right. Oh the irony and shame, to say that and know these words were not mine, and yet I spoke them, I preached and in that moment, they w