From Revd John Davies, priest in charge 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: Sunday 13 September 2020, The Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity.

Featuring 'Spirit of the Living God' (Daniel Iveson) performed by The Arundel & Brighton Diocesan & Anne Ward from the album 'Turn to Me / Kindle a Flame', and 'Lord of all Hopefulness' (Jan Struther) performed by The Guildford Cathedral Choir from the album '100 Hits Christmas Carols & Hymns'.

Including my talk for the day, 'Reprieved debtor, ruthless creditor: a tale of forgiveness in finance', also available here as a stand-alone podcast.

The key element in Jesus’ attitude towards wrongdoers is this formula: first of all you are unconditionally forgiven, so that then, you may be moved to repent.

A talk for the Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity, 6 September 2020. 

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

From Revd John Davies, priest in charge 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: Sunday 6 September 2020, The Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity.

Featuring 'Spirit of God, unseen as the wind' (A.D. Miller, Richard M.S. Irwin & Traditional) performed by A.D. Miller, Commotio Chamber Choir & Griselda Sherlaw-Johnson from The Oxford Book of Easy Flexible Anthems, and 'Take My Life and Let It Be' (Henri A. Cesar Malan) performed by Baggaley Clifton Blythe & Adrian Plass from Shipwrecks and Islands.

Including my talk for the day, Naive or emancipating? Jesus’ formula of 'forgiveness first', also available here as a stand-alone podcast.

From Revd John Davies, priest in charge 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: Sunday 30 August 2020, The Twelfth Sunday after Trinity, and a special Service of Thanksgiving for the NHS and Carers. 

Featuring 'In the morning, I will sing', written and performed by Marty Haugen from 'All Are Welcome', 'When I Needed a Neighbour (Instrumental Version)' (Sydney Carter) performed by John Keys from 'Junior Worship, Vol. 1 (Piano Accompaniments)', and 'Christ Be With Me (Prayer of St Patrick)' performed by Stuart Townend from 'Courage'.

“Look to the rock from which you were hewn, the quarry from which you were dug.” - reflections on those places, people, pieces of music or artworks which give us our solid ground; and the rock of faith. A talk for the Eleventh Sunday after Trinity, 23 August 2020. Find the text to this and all my talks at bit.ly/johndavies-talks.

From Revd John Davies, priest in charge 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: Sunday 23 August 2020, The Eleventh Sunday after Trinity. Featuring 'These hills where the hawk flies lonely' (Colin Gibson) performed by the Festival Choir, Wellington, and 'God is love, let heav'n adore him' (Timothy Rees) performed by Music Sacra, from  the collection 'Christian Hymns, Volume 3'. Including my talk for the day, “Look to the rock from which you were hewn”, also available here as a stand-alone podcast.

You know, we live in an age of intemperate speech. I won’t list any examples, because you know: from presidents to people in the post office queue, folk can be very rude. Maybe someone’s been rude to you and it still rankles; or maybe you’ve said something hurtful which you now regret. So you’d expect me to preach a sermon saying, let’s show we follow Jesus by not talking intemperately, let’s share the love of God by not being rude to others. But hold on - what’s happening here? - in today’s gospel reading Jesus is very rude to people. The Pharisees - who took offence; and a Canaanite woman - who took all Jesus' rudeness on the chin, persevered, and was praised for her great faith. When Jesus 'pushes it' with us, how do we react?

A talk for the Tenth Sunday after Trinity, 16 August 2020. Find the text to this and all my talks at bit.ly/johndavies-talks.

From Revd John Davies, priest in charge 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: Sunday 16 August 2020, The Tenth Sunday after Trinity. Featuring 'Springs of Water, Bless the Lord' and 'The Hand of God Shall Hold You' both written and performed by Marty Haugen, from  the collection 'All are Welcome'. Including my talk for the day, 'Jesus is offensive - are you ready for a rude awakening?’, also available here as a stand-alone podcast.

For so long we have been taught that Christianity is a journey towards an angry God who will judge us for our wrongdoings - that life is a pilgrimage of fear. But what we have here, in the gospel, is a different story altogether. Rather than us walking in trepidation towards that terrifying God, what we find is our Jesus walking towards us - who are terrified - to greet us with words of comfort and peace. ‘Do not be afraid’ is Jesus’ signature message. ‘Do not be afraid’ is the first thing he wants us to hear every morning; ‘Do not be afraid’ is what he whispers to us through every change and chance of life; ‘Do not be afraid’ is what he tells us in the eye of every storm. 

A talk for the Ninth Sunday after Trinity, 9 August 2020. Find the text to this and all my talks at bit.ly/johndavies-talks.

From Revd John Davies, priest in charge 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: Sunday 9 August 2020, The Ninth Sunday after Trinity. Featuring 'I heard the voice of Jesus say' (Horatius Bonar) and 'Do not be afraid' (Gerard Markland) both performed by Kathryn Crosweller from the collection 'How Deep the Father's Love for Us'. Including my talk for the day, Jesus’ signature phrase for every anxious time: ‘Do not be afraid’, also available here as a stand-alone podcast.