Service Date: 26 October, 2008

Matthew 22:34-46
When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. ‘Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?' He said to him, ‘ "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: "You shall love your neighbour as yourself." On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.'
Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: ‘What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?' They said to him, ‘The son of David.' He said to them, ‘How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying,
"The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet' "?

Service Date: 19 October, 2008

Matthew 22:15-22
Peter: Um... Jesus?
Jesus: Yes, Peter?
Peter: That was wonderful, the way you saw off those Pharisees. Made them look the hypocrites they are! Pretending they're so holy, untouched by the pagan world, and all the time they've got the same ‘filthy' Roman money in their pockets as everyone else has!
Jesus: Um... Peter?
Peter: Yes, Jesus?
Jesus: Rather than getting your fun by slagging off the Pharisees, who do try hard to please God, even if they sometimes get the wrong end of the stick, what do you think?
Peter: [defensively] What do I think about what?
Jesus: Stop wriggling, Peter! What do you think about their question? Should we pay Roman taxes, or not?
Peter: I think... whatever it was you said.

Service Date: 12 October, 2008

Mark 10:13-16
I don't ever remember ever giving thanks for a new baby in a harvest thanksgiving service before - but doesn't it just make sense? For just under a month Pinky and Nobby, from Bulawayo in Zimbabwe, who are worshipping with us in St Andrew's, have been getting used to their wonderful new son, Tyris, and to their new status as parents. They approached me and asked whether we could give thanks to God for him - and I was delighted to agree. A fortnight seemed about the right length of time to arrange everything properly. And then it dawned on me that we were celebrating Harvest today and I thought: it's worth us looking into this a little further.

Service Date: 5 October, 2008

I wonder what sort of games you played when you were a child, or what sort of games you play now. Some people go for bridge, I know that; some for golf; some for snakes and ladders; some for chess, some for tennis. All very different sorts of games, but one thing they all have in common: they all have rules about how you play them. What's the rules for snakes and ladders?
• you take turns
• you find out with a dice how many squares you can go
• if you meet a ladder you go up
• if you meet a snake you go down
• whoever gets to the top of the board first has won.
I learned the rules for snakes and ladders quite young. Other games have more rules, and some of those I've not got the hang of yet - one of these days, if you're really brave, you can have a go at explaining the rules of bridge to me. But it doesn't matter how simple or difficult the rules are, they're still important. Why?
• because then it's fair to everyone

Service Date: 28 September, 2008

Matthew 21:23-32
When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, ‘By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?' Jesus said to them, ‘I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?' And they argued with one another, ‘If we say, "From heaven", he will say to us, "Why then did you not believe him?" But if we say, "Of human origin", we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.' So they answered Jesus, ‘We do not know.' And he said to them, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

Service Date: 7 September, 2008

We celebrated and gave thanks for the birth of Jelena Rose Armsworth.

Service Date: 3 August, 2008

Sarah (minister):Our first reading this morning is from the Gospel...

Ian (church secretary) comes up to the front in the middle of announcing the reading, as if to interrupt Sarah

Service Date: 20 July, 2008

Genesis 28:10-19a
Sheila: Let's stop for a breather. Even for us angels, it's hard work going up and down, up and down this ladder all the time.
Sarah: You think this is hard work? You should have had a posting looking after the people of Sheffield! Then you'd know what it means to go up and down hill all the time! But all right, let's stop for a moment. I want to see what's happening down there, anyway. Who's snoring so loudly, and why's he all on his own out here? Does he like hill walking, or what?
Sheila: That's Jacob, the little rotter. I can't see what the Most High sees in him at all. Let alone allowing him to see us at work. Do you know what he did?
Sarah: You know I'm not omniscient - I leave that to the boss. What did he do?
Sheila: Oh, he only swindled his brother of birthright and blessing.
Sarah: That's terrible. [pause] What does that mean?

Service Date: 30 June, 2008

The Moderator demonstrated how a paperclip could float, and showed this miracle to two boys in Junior Church. The people at the back of church couldn't see - would they believe the boys when one of them went to the back and explained what had happened? Maybe...

Service Date: 6 July, 2008

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30
I wonder what games you played when you were a child - not sports, but a different sort of game: let's pretend. It's the most creative of game I know - all you need is a bit of imagination, and you can be anyone, anything and anywhere you want to be. Maybe you were cops and robbers, or cowboys and Indians, or astronauts. When I went round to visit them recently, I found out that Robyn and Toby have wonderfully strong imaginations in the games they play - the monsters from Doctor Who make an appearance!