You need to grow up, Paul tells the Ephesian believers. Now, they were grown up - fully-formed adults who’d taken the familiar paths through family life, work life, community life, including that big decision to deviate from the practice of the religion of their birth, to follow Christ. But nevertheless, to this audience of responsible adults, Paul said, you need to grow up. You need to come ‘to maturity [in the faith], to the measure of the full stature of Christ’.

Now if I said to you, ’you need to grow up’ - how would you take it? For you are grown up. Let me approach the question in another way: by asking you, when did you become an adult?

A talk for the Ninth Sunday after Trinity, 1 August 2021.

Find the text to this and all my talks at bit.ly/johndavies-talks.

From Revd John Davies, vicar of Clapham with Keasden and Austwick with Eldroth in the Diocese of Leeds. Prayers and reflections from the Churches Weekly Newsletter in a time of the coronavirus: 1 August 2021, The Ninth Sunday after Trinity.

Featuring 'For the beauty of the earth' (F.S. Pierpoint) performed by the Joslin Grove Choral Society from 100 Best Loved Hymns, 2004 and 'How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds (John Newton, 1779) performed by The Coventry Singers from The Hymn Writers: Newton & Cowper, 2013.

Including my reflection for the day 'When did you become an adult? Growing up into maturity', also available with all my talks at bit.ly/johndavies-talks.

Our hunger for others to feed us, physically and emotionally, is insatiable. We have received so much - that we want to have more … and more … and more…

The superabundance of Jesus in a finite world where our cravings will never stop famishing us. 

A talk for the Eighth Sunday after Trinity, 25 July 2021.

Find the text to this and all my talks at bit.ly/johndavies-talks.

From Revd John Davies, vicar of Clapham with Keasden and Austwick with Eldroth in the Diocese of Leeds. Prayers and reflections from the Churches Weekly Newsletter in a time of the coronavirus: 25 July 2021, The Eighth Sunday after Trinity.

Featuring 'Praise, my soul, the King of heaven' (Henry Francis Lyte, 1834), performed by Choir of King's College, Cambridge, Richard Farnes & Sir Stephen Cleobury from Abide With Me - 50 Favourite Hymns, 1996; 'Let us talents and tongues employ' (Words: Fred Kaan, 1975. Music: Doreen Potter, 1975), performed by The Choir of Trinity College, University of Melbourne, Michael Leighton Jones & John O’Donnell, from Fifty Best-Loved Hymns, 2012; 'I am the Bread of Life' Written and performed by John Michael Talbot from Our Blessing Cup: songs for liturgical celebrations, 1996; Guide me, O Thou great redeemer (William Williams Pantycelyn, 1745), performed by Robert Quinney, James O'Donnell, Doctor Andrew Grant, The Choir of Her Majesty's Chapel Royal, St. James Palace & The Choir Of Westminster Abbey from The Royal Wedding – The Official Album, 2011.

Including my reflection for the day 'Poor old Mo Farah - elevation and relegation in a world of famished cravings', also available with all my talks at bit.ly/johndavies-talks.

From Revd John Davies, vicar of Clapham with Keasden and Austwick with Eldroth in the Diocese of Leeds. Prayers and reflections from the Churches Weekly Newsletter in a time of the coronavirus: 18 July 2021, The Seventh Sunday after Trinity.

Featuring 'The King of Love my Shepherd is' (H.W. Baker), performed by Utah State University Chorale, Cory Evans, Ellie Evans, Amelia Merkley & Jeremy Adriano. iTunes single, 2019; 'My Shepherd will supply my need' (Psalm 23, paraphrased by Isaac Watts, 1835), performed by Allyse Smith from Come Thou Fount, 2008; 'Gather us in (Live)', written and performed by Marty Haugen, 1982 GIA Publications. From Anthology I: 1980-1984 – The Best of Marty Haugen, 1985; 'Father, hear the prayer we offer' (Love M. Whitcomb Willis, 1864), performed by The Jubilee Choir from You’ll never Walk Alone, 2003.

Including my reflection for the day 'How we long to be gathered in safety', also available with all my talks at bit.ly/johndavies-talks.

At a time of year when our local shepherds gather in the sheep for shearing, this theme of gathering together again after a long time apart is very current, as tomorrow in England sees the lifting of legal restrictions on our meeting and travelling. This will be both a relief and a cause of anxiety: what politicians are calling ‘Freedom Day’ feels less liberating than it might, as we’re asked to enter it with caution, and with particular care for others, especially those who are most vulnerable to Covid-19. How we long to be gathered together again with friends, family and neighbours who we may have kept in touch with over the past 16 months but who we’ve not been able - or felt able - to see. But we long to be gathered in safety.

A talk for the Seventh Sunday after Trinity, 18 July 2021.

Find the text to this and all my talks at bit.ly/johndavies-talks.

From Revd John Davies, vicar of Clapham with Keasden and Austwick with Eldroth in the Diocese of Leeds. Prayers and reflections from the Churches Weekly Newsletter in a time of the coronavirus: 11 July 2021, The Sixth Sunday after Trinity.

Featuring 'Lord of the Dance' (Sydney Carter, 1963) performed by Shusha, Maddy Prior, Melanie Harrold, John Kirkpatrick, Robert Johnson, Sydney Carter from Lovely In The Dances: Songs Of Sydney Carter, 1981; 'You have called us by our name' (Bernadette Farrell) from the collection Journeysongs Third Edition: Volume 16, 2012; and Love divine, all loves excelling' (Charles Wesley, 1747), performed by the Wallingford Parish Church Choir, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Adam Langston & Dr Sue Ledger, from The Hymns Album, 2011.

Including my reflection for the day 'Redeeming Salome: let the little daughter dance', also available with all my talks at bit.ly/johndavies-talks.

Salome: in popular imagination she is the quintessential femme fatale; or what one 19th century writer called ‘the symbolic incarnation of undying Lust, the Goddess of immortal Hysteria, the accursed Beauty exalted above all other beauties ... the monstrous Beast, indifferent, irresponsible, insensible, poisoning.’ But there is no Salome in Mark's gospel passage about Herod's birthday party - just 'a little daughter', a pre-teen dancing for play and fun and then being taken advantage of by a conniving mother and uncle. Why is our society's instinct always to create creatures like Salome out of childlike girls? And can we clean up our minds, and make space to let the little daughters dance?

A talk for the Sixth Sunday after Trinity, 11 July 2021. 

Find the text to this and all my talks at bit.ly/johndavies-talks.

I first encountered it in 1980 when news of John Lennon's murder was met by some in his home town with the uncharitable judgement, 'He's never done anything for this city...' Anthropologists talk about the complex relationship which we groups of people, whether villages or cities, crowds or churches, have with those people we uphold as our ‘models’ - how at one and the same time we attack and cherish them, hate and love them, diminish and exalt them. 

This is the state of the hometown crowd in Nazareth with respect to Jesus. The proverb that a prophet is honoured everywhere except in his own home sums up the scandal. Envious of this person, we are at the same time attracted and repulsed by them. The crowd wants to be like the ‘other’ and to destroy him, because he is so pleasing.’

Teasing out this universal human trait, with reflections on the receptions of born-again Bob Dylan, the late Diana, Princess of Wales, the 'Accidental Footballer' Pat Nevin, and Frank Skinner, recent author of A Comedian's Prayer Book.

A talk for The Fifth Sunday after Trinity , 4 July 2021.

Find the text to this and all my talks at bit.ly/johndavies-talks.

From Revd John Davies, vicar of Clapham with Keasden and Austwick with Eldroth in the Diocese of Leeds. Prayers and reflections from the Churches Weekly Newsletter in a time of the coronavirus: 4 July 2021, The Fifth Sunday after Trinity.

Featuring 'Praise, my soul, the King of heaven' Words: Henry Francis Lyte (1834), music: John Goss (1869), Performed by the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, Richard Farnes & Sir Stephen Cleobury from Abide With Me - 50 Favourite Hymns, 1996; 'I believe in you' Bob Dylan © 1979 Special Rider Music. Performed by Alison Krauss on BBC Four Transatlantic Sessions, 24 March 2012. Sourced from YouTube: https://youtu.be/b5dpkBV2ifs; 'I, the Lord of sea and sky (Here I am, Lord)' Daniel L. Schutte, 1979, Performed by John Michael Talbot from Table of Plenty, 1997.

Including my reflection for the day 'Prophets without honour at home: destroying those we love, loving those we destroy', also available with all my talks at bit.ly/johndavies-talks.