REV STEPHEN GAMBLE

Psalm 139; 1- 16 You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. 4 Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. 5 You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. 7 Where can I go from your Spirit?

When I arrived in these Parishes one of the first people to say 'hello' was John Comber; it was just after we had moved in. John was passing the Rectory to go and practise the organ in St Peter's. We introduced ourselves to each other, and then John declared that we would be 'very happy' in these parishes, he was sure of it. To be honest, I was less sure. The previous three years had been a frightening descent into ill health, and a slow recovery back to being fit for work, a

Acts 2: 32 - 39 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. 33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand 35 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’ 36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you cr

Deuteronomy chapter 14: 4-18 These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, 5 the deer, the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope and the mountain sheep. 6 You may eat any animal that has a divided hoof and that chews the cud. 7 However, of those that chew the cud or that have a divided hoof you may not eat the camel, the hare or the hyrax. Although they chew the cud, they do not have a divided hoof; they are ceremonially unclean for yo

Service intro notes Both our bible readings speak of God's mastery of the elements, especially of the sea. Nave - Latin navis (“ship”) Rib-vaulted ceiling was frequently compared to the inverted hull of a ship The Church is the ark or ship that carries the faithful through the world’s storms toward the safe harbour of heaven. 1 Peter 3:20–21 – church as an ark sailing on the waters of baptism. Peter's Barque Psalm 77: 13 - 19 13 Your ways, God, are holy. What god is as great

Is Love a Noun or a Verb? Love can be both. As a noun 'love' names a thing, such as an emotion, or an attitude, or a relationship. As a verb 'love' describes an action, that is, something you do, such as an act of the will, or of selfless generosity, or of commitment. Have you heard the popular wisdom “Love is a verb, not just a noun?” This expresses the truth that genuine love should be more than just a feeling; it must result in action. Equally, without the inner reality of

On 25 March, Dame Sarah Mullally was enthroned as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury in a service at Canterbury Cathedral. Most of the media coverage concentrated on the fact she was the first female Archbishop, however I was amused to see veteran broadcaster Anne Diamond on GB News (don't judge me) take a different angle, when in an off-the-cuff moment she candidly confessed the forth-coming enthronement of the new Archbishop, “does not excite me.” Her co-host, Stephen Dixon

Pam Ayres published a little poem on social media recently, here it is... An algorithm’s watching me, I am not certain why, It sends advertisements for things I do not want to buy, It makes me feel uneasy, that upon me it has preyed, And if I could locate it, I would whack it with a spade. I have long enjoyed Pam Ayres, she is funny and gentle and, unlike some modern poets, she makes intelligent observations in easily intelligible ways. The notion we are being monitored onlin

James 1: 12 - 18 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. 13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it i

In the spring of 1865, in the little Yorkshire village of Horbury Bridge, the Rev’d Sabine Baring-Gould thought the children of his Sunday school should have something cheerful to sing as they marched to the nearby church of St Peter’s for the Whitsuntide festival. Thinking of the journey of the Christian life, he wrote a simple marching hymn, “Onward, Christian Soldiers.” I spoke about “Onward, Christian Soldiers” in my Remembrance Sunday homily, as it is a hymn that can div

Hebrews 10: 19 - 25 19Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20by...

Psalm 65 1Praise awaits b you, our God, in Zion; to you our vows will be fulfilled. 2You who answer prayer, to you all people will come....

Are you familiar with the game, Jenga? Players take turns removing one block at a time from a tower constructed of fifty four wooden...

Isaiah 55 6Seek the Lord while he may be found,call upon him while he is near;7let the wicked forsake their way,and the unrighteous their...

I quite enjoy grave stones, and memorials on church walls. The inscription tells you something of the person memorialised, and the manner...

I have recently been reading 'The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living, and Holy Dying', by Rev'd Jeremy Taylor (1613–1667). Rev'd Taylor...

Psalm 103 1 Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. 2 Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all...

A key job of a Parish Priest is to pray for the people of the parishes, either in public services, or when in prayer alone. People often...

Verses from Psalm 104 The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent 3 and lays the beams of...

“For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though...