Category: Sermon

Church, Sermon

A Difficult Road – Luke 9.51-end

markcireland

Sermon preached at St. John's Whittle-le-Woods and Clayton Brook Community Church This week we have all been shocked once more by images of mayhem from London, with an attempt to blow up a crowded commuter tube train, filled with people who have no other way to get into work in the capital, and leaving 29… Continue reading A Difficult Road – Luke 9.51-end

Discipleship, Evangelism, Mission, Sermon

Failure or Faithfulness? A reflection on the life of Allen Gardiner

markcireland

A meditation given in Blackburn Cathedral Colossians 1.1-8; Luke 4.38-end Today the Church remembers Allen Gardiner, founder of the South American Missionary Society, who died around this date in 1851. In Colossians 1 Paul is writing to a young church he hadn’t founded – it had been founded by Epaphras, mentioned in v7, who had… Continue reading Failure or Faithfulness? A reflection on the life of Allen Gardiner

Church, Sermon, Spirituality

Coping with Depression – reflections with a friend on the story of Elijah

markcireland

I have been learning quite a bit about living with depression over the last month from a close family friend, Aneurin Howorth, who has been staying with us. Aneurin (or Nye for short) has been doing a wonderful job as a volunteer assistant helping me with my work for the last four weeks. Nye’s dad… Continue reading Coping with Depression – reflections with a friend on the story of Elijah

Sermon, Spirituality

If you want to walk on water… Accrington St. John and Huncoat

markcireland

This week Gill and I went to see the film ‘Dunkirk’. It is a moving story about ordinary people in ordinary little boats doing something extraordinary – something so extraordinary that the rescue of a third of a million soldiers under bombardment on the beach, surrounded by advancing German armies, became known as ‘the miracle… Continue reading If you want to walk on water… Accrington St. John and Huncoat