Jesus said, “Whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones - will be rewarded". Who are 'the little ones' in our community, society, our world? And how do we bring refreshment to them? A talk for the Third  Sunday after Trinity, 28 June 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 28 June 2020, The Third Sunday after Trinity. Featuring prayers from The Trussell Trust, and two songs of Sydney Carter, 'Creator of the Living' performed by Franciscus Henri and  'I Come Like a Beggar' performed by Sydney Carter, Peter Knight & Vince Cross. Including my talk for the day, It’s time to get the water on, also available here as a stand-alone podcast.

Amongst the many contradictions of life in lockdown there's the current paradox of the people's game restarting without any people watching. "I’m not looking forward to football again / Not missing the beautiful game / My team are unbeaten since I don’t know when / I’m glad to be free of the strain," writes footy poet Paul Cookson. This joyous release from the pressures of 'normal' life has been called 'lockdown relief', and it's one of the paradoxes explored today alongside the ultimate paradox in Jesus's teaching, 'those who lose their life for my sake will find it'. A talk for the Second Sunday after Trinity, 21 June 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 21 June 2020, The Second Sunday after Trinity. Featuring 'Jesu, lover of my soul' performed by Maddy Prior and the Carnival Band and  'Christ, be our light' by Bernadette Farrell.

"When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." Crowds - we miss them (those we enjoy like the sports or the concert-hall crowds); or we fear or condemn them (usually those who aren't 'our' crowd). Jesus had compassion on them - what might that mean for us today? Whilst across the world crowds gather to protest fair treatment for black people, and women, or on pro-democracy rallies, a talk for the First Sunday after Trinity  14 June 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 14 June 2020, The First Sunday after Trinity. Featuring 'Come to Jesus' performed by Mahalia Jackson,  'I know the Lord will make a way' by Clarence Fountain and the Blind Boys of Alabama, and brief extracts from 'People Get Ready' by The Impressions: all from the 2011 compilation Soul Church - 100 Sweet Soul Gospel Songs.

We are living through anxious and lonely days: we may find some comfort and inspiration in the prayers of the ancient Celts of these islands, invoking God's protection whilst keenly aware of being in the company of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and all the saints; learning to be humble partners in the life of the earth. A talk for Trinity Sunday 7 June 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 7 June 2020, Trinity Sunday. Featuring 'I owe my Lord a morning song' (John L. Bell) performed by The Cathedral Singers of Chicago, and 'Christ Be With Me (Prayer of St Patrick)', by Stuart Townend.

There is a Spirit spreading through the nation, bringing joy and inspiration to those who feel its power. This Spirit unites people; it is a Spirit of vision and dreams, for those it affects imagine audacious new possibilities for the world. In this talk for Pentecost Sunday 31 May 2020 I make connections between the spirit(s) of our times and the coming of God's Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and explore the spiritual disciplines which will help us sustain it. Find the text to this and all my talks at bit.ly/johndavies-talks.