• Sermon - Year A

    21st Sunday in Ordinary time

    Ben Macdui and Braeriach are the second and third-highest peaks in the UK, respectively. The distance between those two summits is just over a couple of miles as the crow flies. So, it is very tempting to any ambitious hillwalker to bag both in one go. What are two miles for a hardy tourist? When outdoors, I use a handheld…

  • Sermon - Year A

    19th Sunday in Ordinary time

    The story in today’s gospel sounds like a work of fiction; and if it is taken as a literal description of an actual event, then it is pure fantasy. I’m certain the story was indeed based on a genuine event, a real situation, that grew arms and legs over time and had ornamental and mythical bits added to it. When…

  • Sermon - Year A

    16th Sunday in Ordinary time

    How familiar are you with farming? That was my opening line last Sunday, and I have to repeat it again today because the parable we’ve just heard requires quite detailed agricultural knowledge, as well as geographical and historical. I’m not going to pretend I have such knowledge off the top of my head, so let me share with you what…

  • Sermon - Year A

    15th Sunday in Ordinary time

    How familiar are you with farming? I don’t want to sound like a grumpy old man (though I am one and even have the T-shirt), but it seems that with each new generation we gradually lose the connection between the food on our tables and plants growing and animals living in the fields. Once I took a couple of my…