Pilgrim

Well I wonder how expensive your Christmas has been?   It’s been almost impossible to not be affected by the huge retail event that is Christmas here in the West.   A few weeks ago my wife and I were talking about being involved with events or ideas and the need for people to “buy in” to the event. It got me thinking about the term “buy in”.   This term itself concerns an acceptance of cost. That cost may be in financial terms, in time or in energy.   So I would like to you to think about how much you really buy in to this event we call Christmas. What does it mean to you and how much are you willing to pay?   For most people, Christmas starts well before Advent; probably around the beginning of November once the Retail sector has stopped flogging monster costumes and huge black spiders for Halloween.   Media outlets bombard us with pictures of Christmas, there are 24 hour Christmas Movie Channels, the advent of the long awaited John Lewis TV advert, and this year

This sermon was delivered at Welling Methodist Church on 15 Sept 2019 where I was invited to preach as my second cousin is a steward there: I have recently joined the facebook page promoting Welling and t seems there is quite a sense of community here. It is nice to see the positive posts amid all the news relating to much darker themes.   An American President overseeing the removal of children from their parents – openly encouraging racial hatred and claiming to be like the King of Israel. A Brazilian Premier playing power games whilst the Amazon burns.   A Prime Minister at war with parliament, backing the voices of separation Against that background, the lectionary provides us today with readings from the book of Jeremiah and the Gospel of Luke – the Gospel writer who espouses the cause of the outcast. Jeremiah is essentially a book of poetry written for the Jews who were in exile.   The language is almost apocalyptic in nature. We have a dialogue

Readings on which message below is based:   Proverbs 8:1-4   New International Version - UK (NIVUK) Wisdom’s call 8   Does not wisdom call out?      Does not understanding raise her voice? 2  At the highest point along the way,      where the paths meet, she takes her stand; 3  beside the gate leading into the city,      at the entrance, she cries aloud: 4  ‘To you, O people, I call out;      I raise my voice to all humanity. Proverbs 8:22-31   New International Version - UK (NIVUK) 22  ‘The  Lord  brought me forth as the first of his works, [ a ][ b ]      before his deeds of old; 23  I was formed long ages ago,      at the very beginning, when the world came to be. 24  When there were no watery depths, I was given birth,      when there were no springs overflowing with water; 25  before the mountains were settled in place,      before the hills, I was given birth, 26  before he made the world or its fields      or any of the dust of the eart