From the Pilgrim Path

A sermon delivered for Pentecost 2022 at St Mary's Diss.The readings were: Acts 2:1-21, John 14: 8-27.

This sermon was preached at St Mary's, Diss for the Third Sunday of Easter on the 1st of May 2022. The readings were: John 21:1-19, Acts 9.1-20Revelation 5.11-end.During this I accidentally quoted Karl Barth, who wrote: "In the Church of Jesus Christ there can and should be no non-theologians”

A chance to return to Necton All Saints where I preached on Luke 8:22-25, the Calming of the Storm. This was preached on the 20th February 2022.

My first sermon of 2022 from St Mary's Diss. The reading was Luke 4: 14-21.

Our final sermon in this Advent Series for 2021, reflecting on the last great evil which is death.Our Readings are Deuteronomy 30:11-end and John 11.

The third in our Advent series reflecting on the world through the thematic lens provided by the four horsemen of the Apocalypse. Today's focus is that of Famine. The readings are taken from Genesis 41 and Matthew 6.

This sermon was preached at St Mary's Diss on the Second Sunday of Advent 2021. The readings were Psalm 18 and Matthew 5, and continues our theme of using the horses of the apocalpyse to explore the world around us.

Sermon for Advent Sunday beginning our Advent Series where we reflect on what it means to "Wait in the World" by using the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse as a thematic filter for our reflections on the world around us.

This sermon was preached at St Mary's Diss for the festival of Christ the King. The readings were: John 18:33-37, Daniel 7:9-14 Revelation 1:4b-8 21st November 2021

This sermon was delivered at St Mary's Diss for Remembrance Sunday 2021.

This sermon is a reading of the sermon that was preached at our Commemoration Service at St Mary's for All Souls Day 2021. The reading was Psalm 121.

This sermon was preached at St Mary's Diss on All Saints Day, the 31st of October 2021. The Gospel passage was the story of Lazarus, from John 11:32-44.

This sermon was preached at St Mary's Diss on the 10th October 2021. The Passageswere: Henrwws 4:12-end, Mark 10:17-31.

A harvest sermon from St MAry's Winfarthing on the 12th of September 2021.

On the 5th of September 2021 I was invited to join the Hempnell Benefice at St Mary's, Woodton by Reverend L. Billett in order that I might share my story of how I came to be a priest in the Church of England. Here you'll hear my story, both elements of struggle and of growth.This episode discusses self-harm. If you are struggling with self-harm or suicidal thoughts please do check out the following links to charities and organisations which may be able to support you, and I'd encourage you to contact your local church to ask them for prayer and support as well. LinksMind - Getting HelpSamaritans.orgsane.org.ukselfinjurysupport.org.uk (Focuses on Women and girls)NHS Resources

How do we respond to God when we are feeling weak: physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually? 2 Corinthians 12:2-10, Mark 6:1-13 4th July 2021

This sermon was preached at St Mary's Diss on the 27th of June 2021. The readings were 2 Corinthians 8:7-end, Mark 5:21-end.

This sermon was preached both at Tivetshall and Gissing on the Third Sunday of Trinity 2021. The Readings were: 2 Corinthians 6:1-13, Mark 4:35-41.

Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:6-17 St Mary's Diss, 13th June 2021This sermon is based on my Pilgrimage walk from Diss to Norwich, a 28 mile journey stopping off at 19 Churches along the way. If you have a new podcast app from NewPodcastApps.com you'll be able to see some pictures from the walk during the episode.

This sermon was preached at St Nicholas' North Lopham on the 6th of June 2021. The reading was 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1.Fr Giles' full reflection can be viewed on YouTube at this linkTranscript of his remarks: FATHER GILES, BENEDICTINE MONK: I think that freedom everywhere, anywhere, is love. Letting yourself be loved, which is always risky. And loving, which is maybe even riskier. I've been an monk here at Pluscarden for 47 years. Prayer I suppose is the greatest freedom of all, because it's a relationship, it's a gift of God, it's very mysterious I think. It's a gift and you just accept what comes. Silence is an enabling thing. It frees you for listening, for availability, for avoiding imposing yourself. How often in speech are we trying to do someone down or demonstrate our superiority or all of that. So, silence frees you from those things. Most monks do all sorts of things. So you take your turn washing up, peeling the spuds, cooking the lunch, driving the car. Many little jobs. Just like a family. Habere est Haberi, which means, "What you possess, possesses you." The less you've got, the more freedom you have. And that’s a freedom which is quite hard to acquire in some ways because letting go of things is detachment. It's difficult but it's essential for freedom because as our lives go on, you have to let go of things. Maybe your memory, maybe your sight, maybe your hearing, maybe mobility. You've got to let them go. Because one day, you have to let go of your life the ultimate impoverishment. But that’s the only way to get to the freedom of eternal life. It will be tough at times, everybody's life is tough at times. But as they say, the retirement benefits are out of this world.

This sermon was delivered for Pentecost at St Mary's Diss on the 23rd of May 2021.Acts 2.1-21, Romans 8.22-27, John 15.26-27;16.4b-15

This sermon was preached at North Lopham for the Third Sunday of Easter, and coincidentally took place the day after the funeral for HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.The readings were Acts 3:12-19 and Luke 24:36b-48.

Easter 2021 - my sermon, and a couple of extras. The Gospel reading was Mark 16:1-8

A combination of the Watch Gospels read at Maundy Thursday and a short reflection on the kingly idenity of Christ for Good Friday.

First Sunday of Lent 2021 - Livestreamed from St Mary's Diss. Prayers in the BibleJesus Prays for himself, the Disciples, and the ChurchJohn 17 - NRSVPaul prays for the ChurchEphesians 3:14-21 - NRSVPsalm 27The Gospel Reading for the first Sunday of Lent 20219 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11 And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’12 And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, 15 and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’Mark 1: 9-15 - NSRVAudiobiblesThere are many recordings availible on YouTube or online if you’re prepared to look.Here’s some links to the Gospels on YouTube.Matthew’s GospelMark’s GospelLuke’s GospelJohn’s GospelIf you would like a good Audiobible App, Samuel often uses one called Dwell. It enables you to naviagte by chapter more easily and offers a range of voices and background music (or none, if you wish). It also has a Lent Themed reading/lsitening plan availible. It does require a paid subscription though. Find out more here.

This bonus episode is from Canldemas 2021. Rather than offering a sermon my Rector, Canon Tony Billett, and I had a conversation on the story of Candlemas.

On the 6th of January 2021 the nation entered into a third national lockdown. This sermon address the sense of weariness which was being felt by many. It was preached on the 24th of January 2021 at St Mary's Diss - though only myself and my wife were present for the recording. The Readings were Revelation 19:6-10 and John 2:1-11 - the wedding at Cana.

Christmas 2020 was a peculiar one. Following the November Lockdowns the country was liviung under a system of different tiers ranging 1-4, with 1 being essentially free and 4 being essentially locked down. On the 23rd of December it was announced that on Boxing Day the majority of the country would enter tier 4. This naturally disrupted many people's Christmas plans and turned what would ordinarily be a celebration into something of a strange experience. Indeed, our own plans were scuppered and radically changed.-Unfortunately the sound on this recording is somewhat more echoey. I apologise.

The second lockdown ended on the 2nd of December. This sermon was on the 6th of December at St Mary's, Diss. It was the second sunday of Advent and the readings were: Mark 1:1-8 and 2 Peter 3:8-15a.

This sermon was preached at St Mary's Diss on the 15th of November 2020, during the second lockdown. The Gospel Passage was the parable of the Talents from Matthew 25:14-30.

This sermon was delivered at St Nicholas', North Lopham on the 1st of November 2020. The day before had been the announcement of the second lockdown of 2020, which was to last four weeks from the 4th of November. It was a surreal experience to gather in worship knowing that we would not be physically reunited for at least a month. The readings are read in the course of this episode.

This sermon was preached on the feast of St Luke the Evangelist at St Mary’s, Diss – October 18th 2020.The readings were: Acts 16.6-12a, 2 Timothy 4.5-17 Luke 10:1-9

This sermon was preached at the Eucharitst in St Nicholas’, North Lopham for Harvest on the 4th of October 2020.

This sermon was preached on the 16th Sunday of Trinity at St Mary’s, Diss – September 27th 2020.The readings were: Hebrews 1, Psalm 136, Luke 12:16-30 .-To my American friends, yes that's how you spell favourite. ;-)

Recording taken from the first livestreamed in person service following the lockdowns of Spring 2020. Sadly soundquality is not as good as usual.This includes readings as well as the sermon.

This is a reading of the sermon which I preached at our first in person service following the first lockdowns of 2020, from St Marry's Diss on the 1st of October 2020.

This sermon is the last of our timecapsule of online only reflections offered from home during the Lockdowns. The text was Matthew 13:26-30,36-43, the parable of the Wheat and the Weeds.

A reflection not just on the doctrine of the Trinity, but on our lives with God.--The Prayer from the Valley of Vision: Three in One, One in Three, God of my Salvation,Heavenly Father, blessed Son, eternal Spirit, I adore thee as one Being, one Essence, One God in three distinct Persons, for bringing sinners to thy knowledge and to thy kingdom.O Father, thou hast loved me and sent Jesus to redeem me;O Jesus, thou has loved me and assumed my nature, shed thine own blood to wash away my sins, wrought righteousness to cover my unworthiness;O Holy Spirit, thou hast loved me and entered my heart, implanted there eternal life, revealed to me the glories of Jesus.Three Persons and one God, I bless and praise thee, for love so unmerited, so unspeakable, so wondrous, so mighty to save the lost and raise them to glory.O Father, I thank thee that in fullness of grace thou has given me Jesus, to be his sheep, jewel, portion;O Jesus, I thank thee that in fullness of grace thou hast accepted, espoused, bound me;O Holy Spirit, I thank thee that in fullness of grace thou hast exhibited Jesus as my salvation, implanted faith within me, subdued my stubborn heart, made me one with him forever.O Father, thou art enthroned to hear my prayers,O Jesus, thy hand is outstretched to take my petitions,O Holy Spirit, thou art willing to help my infirmities, to show me my need, to supply words, to pray within me, to strengthen me that I faint not in supplication.O Triune God, who commandeth the universe,thou hast commanded me to ask for those things that concern thy kingdom and my soul.Let me live and pray as one baptised into the threefold Name. Amen.

My sixth Lockdown reflection. The Gospel Passage Was John 20:19-end.

A bonus episode, rather than a sermon this episode is based on a reflection which I wrote on Easter Afternoon in 2020 following my first Easter Eucharist as an ordained priest. At that time the UK was under lockdown, and clergy had been told not to enter their Churches even for private prayer. However it's precisely in times such as that when prayer and worship most needs offering, on behalf of the congregation, the parish, and indeed the nation and the world. This episode both records what happened, and the signficance it held for me personally.If you use a Podcasting 2.0 App you'll be able to see various photos from the day within your App as the episode plays.

The last of my contributions during the Holy Week of the first Lockdown in 2020, for Maundy Thursday

Reflection for Holy Wednesday in the first Lockdown of 2020.

We continue our reflections for Holy Week in the first Lockdown of 2020.

This is the audio of a video reflection recorded for Holy Monday in the first lockdown of 2020.

In March of 2020 the Covid Lockdowns began. This impacted the life of the United Kingdom, and the Church of England was no exception.My last sermon was preached on the 15th of March.On Monday the 16th of March the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, informed the Nation “now is the time for everyone to stop non-essential contact and travel”.The following day, the 17th of March, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York sent a letter to all the Clergy of the Church of England: we are now asking the Church of England in all its parishes, chaplaincies and ministries to serve all people in a new way. Public worship will have to stop for a season. Our usual pattern of Sunday services and other mid-week gatherings must be put on hold.That letter concluding by saying: This is a defining moment for the Church of England. Are we truly a church for all, or just the church for ourselves?I’ve come to agree that it was a defining moment for the Church, and sadly I think that by closing our doors we focused too much on not being a ‘risk’ to those who were seeking, indeed who needed, spiritual support and hope in a time of national fear and distress.On the 23rd of March Lockdowns were formally announced, and legally came into force on the 26th. These were initially to last three weeks, and be reviewed on the 16th of April. Easter was on the 12th of April; thus we were to be unable to meet, even cautiously, for Holy Week or Easter.At that point our Churches were not remotely equipped for a primarily digital economy. One of my first tasks was to work with the Church Warden to overhaul our outdated website so that we could effectively share the latest news regarding services and how to access pastoral support. Once the website was in place I then began looking at content we could provide people with and set up the Diss Team Ministry YouTube Channel on the 31st of March.On the 1st of April I recorded and uploaded a demonstration video complete with animated logo and website intro, as well as examples of video editing which may seem obvious now but were new to the Ministry Team then. The Ministry Team were delighted and we resolved to have a daily reflection video from Palm Sunday through to Easter Day. The only catch being that Palm Sunday was the 4th of April and the others would need longer to learn how to film and edit something. As such I did the reflections for Palm Sunday through Maundy Thursday. Our Team Vicar John did one for Good Friday, and our Rector Tony did one for Easter Day. Thereafter the Ministry Team took it in turns to produce a video each Sunday throughout the ever expanding lockdowns until our first service back in Church on the 1st of August. Please do forgive the more lengthy introduction however I’ve decided that I will include my video reflections from this time in this Podcast as although in an entirely different context these are still sermons from the pilgrim path, and I offer them here both as an encouragement to you but also as something of a time capsule to document the efforts we made to offer ministry in an unprecedented time. Whilst I might wish things had gone differently, I can say confidently that within the limitations we found ourselves we tried our best. And so this is the reflection which was offered for Palm Sunday in the Lockdowns of 2020.-Please forgive the sound quality of my webcam.

I did not know it at the time, but this would end up being the last sermon which I would preach before the Archbishops of York and Canterbury, following the Government’s advice concerning the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and social distancing measures, would suspend all public worship in the Church of England. This was preached at Eucharistic Services in both St Andrew’s South Lopham and then St Remigius’ Roydon on the 3rd Sunday of Lent – March 15th 2020.

This Sermon was delivered at St John the Baptist, Bressingham and St Remigius, Roydon at their Eucharists on the 2nd Sunday of Lent, 8th March 2020. Reading: John 3:1-17

This Sermon was delivered at St John the Baptist, Bressingham and St Remigius, Roydon at their Eucharists on the 3rd Sunday before Lent, 9th February 2020. Reading: Matthew 5:13-20.--An exerprt from the song discussed and reviewed within this sermon is played at the end for illustrative purposes under fair use. I make no claims for this material and all rights reside with their respective holders.Song: Light of the WorldAlbum: As the World BleedsBand: TheocracyWriter: Stephen Schwartz Year: 2011Liscenses: FUGA (on behalf of Ulterium Records); UNIAO BRASILEIRA DE EDITORAS DE MUSICA - UBEM, LatinAutorPerf, Polaris Hub AB, LatinAutor - Warner Chappell, Warner Chappell, ASCAP, MINT_BMG, Adrev Publishing, and 4 music rights societies

This Sermon was delivered at St Mary’s Diss at the Midnight Eucharist for Christmas 2019. Readings: Luke 1:26-2:20.

This Sermon was delivered at St Mary’s Diss at the Eucharist on the 4th Sunday of Advent, 22nd December 2019. This is the fourth and final part of the advent sermon series. Readings: Isaiah 7:10-16, Romans 1:1-7, Matthew 1:18-end.