Holy Week preaching
In 2025, I am the Holy Week preacher at Christ Church Cathedral, which is likely to include
Evensong sermons from Palm Sunday to Good Friday
Sermon at the Eucharist on Maundy Thursday
Sermon at the Good Friday liturgy
In 2022, I was the preacher for St Giles and St Margaret’s in Oxford, preaching 10 sermons. The series title was Surely, he has borne our griefs: the pattern of salvation.
The sermons included a mix of scripted addresses and homilies without notes (Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday). Some video links below.
Palm Sunday: ‘He comes in the name of the Lord’
Monday: ‘To heal all wounds’ (on universal reconciliation)
Tuesday: ‘Through tears and scorn’ (on Christ’s sorrow)
Wednesday: ‘Handed over’ (the themes of betrayal, wrath, and death)
Maundy Thursday: ‘In humility’
Good Friday: on our deliverance from sickness, subjection, and sin:
Easter Vigil: ‘Alive among the dead’
In 2019, I preached a series at St Bene’t’s, Cambridge: The mystery of religion. I had in mind what seemed to be a renewed interest in Christianity among various public figures (not least, the ‘alt-right’ or far right), but how many of them seemed to ignore the specifically religious aspects of the faith, focusing instead on some fairly general ethical themes. I was also particularly concerned with the nature of Christ’s abandonment and his emotional suffering. As the Letter to the Hebrews says, he offered ‘loud cries and tears’ and he ‘was heard because of his reverence’. I was also interested in how musical metaphors might provide a sense of Christ’s consistent offering of his life.
Maundy Thursday: ‘Through the night, a song’
Good Friday
I: ‘The mystery of our religion: The paradox of faith and the scandal of Christ’
II: ‘Christ emptied himself’: The unique sacrifice, God in Christ degraded
III: ‘With cries and tears’: The offering of Christ’s whole life and emotions
IV: ‘To save sinners’: Stumbling over God’s gifts
Easter Sunday: ‘Back to the Garden’