Sermons

Bishop of Guildford's Easter Day Sermon 2015: "The first day of the week"

It was early on the first day of the week, writes St. John, that Mary Magdalene set off to pay her last respects at the tomb of Jesus, only to find that the stone at the entrance to the tomb had been rolled away. Mary was one of a small group of women who had followed Jesus around Galilee, along w… Read more

Sermon by Andrew Watson on Sunday 5th April 2015

Easter Day Mattins 2015

The text of this sermon is not available at this time. Read more

Sermon by Dianna Gwilliams on Sunday 5th April 2015

Easter Day Evensong 2015

Edmund Spenser, the Elizabethan poet, wrote a poem which both catches the mood and unfolds the meaning of Easter in a particularly striking manner: Most glorious Lord of life, that on this day, Didst make thy triumph over death and sin: And having harrow’d hell, didst bring away Captivit… Read more

Sermon by Nicholas Thistlethwaite on Sunday 5th April 2015

Bishop of Guildford's Easter Eve Baptism and Confirmation Sermon 2015: "Till death us unite"

Monday, May 25th 1992: I’ll never forget that date: because that was the morning when I was woken up in the early hours by the cries of a lady dying in the nursing home next door. As I got up to dress, my wife stirred, and then started making strange noises of her own. She was heavily pregna… Read more

Sermon by Andrew Watson on Saturday 4th April 2015

Good Friday The Three Hours Address Two

GOOD FRIDAY 2015 The Cross: Glory, grace & truth in the Letter to the Colossians & Gospel of St John ADDRESS TWO The Cross is the foundation of the Christian life in baptism, eucharist, worship and all that flows from it, for example, in pursuit of the Common Good, service of neighbour… Read more

Sermon by on Friday 3rd April 2015

Good Friday The Three Hours - Address One

GOOD FRIDAY 2015 The Cross: Glory, grace & truth in the Letter to the Colossians & Gospel of St John OPENING PRAYER O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, set your passion, cross and death between your judgement and our souls, now and in the hour of our death. Grant mercy and… Read more

Sermon by on Friday 3rd April 2015

Good Friday The Three Hours - Address Three

GOOD FRIDAY 2015 The Cross: Glory, grace & truth in the Letter to the Colossians & Gospel of St John ADDRESS THREE The cross is an icon of human suffering and divine solidarity with it. The human suffering of the cross is hard to relate to the notion that the cross is the source of salv… Read more

Sermon by on Friday 3rd April 2015

Good Friday The Three Hours - Homily

HOMILY AT THE GOOD FRIDAY LITURGY Hebrews 10.16-25; John 18.1-19.42 God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The proclamation of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ which we have just heard drives to the heart of the mystery of the Christian faith: glory, gra… Read more

Sermon by on Friday 3rd April 2015

Bishop of Guildford Maundy Thursday Sermon: "Playing the Right Game"

I thought I’d won, but in fact I’d lost. The truth is that I was simply playing the wrong game. The context was One World Week, back in the early 1980s, when I was working as a caretaker and youth worker in a church in Islington. A local activist had invited a dozen of us to supper, a… Read more

Sermon by Andrew Watson on Thursday 2nd April 2015

Maundy Thursday Eucharist - Bishop Ian

Not so much a sermon, more a meditation on the nature of the Eucharist. I came across a definition the other day of what it means to be a Christian.  It was this: Christians are people related to God in the Christ who is their new and Spirit-filled life, their forgiveness and health, the one… Read more

Sermon by Ian Brackley on Thursday 2nd April 2015