Reformation Sunday 29th Oct 2017 Sermon given at St. Andrew’s URC Ealing by Revd Susan McCoan Bible Reading: Romans 3:19-28 Uncovering truth For our first reflection, I’d like us to think back the Middle Ages, to what life was like in Western Europe. The vast majority of people at the time were Christian, and for […]
Harvest & Constance Coltman
Sermon 17th Sept – Harvest and Constance Coltman anniversary, Revd. Sue Mccoan Deuteronomy 26:1-11 Matthew 18:21-35 Today is a double celebration: our harvest festival, and also the 100th anniversary of the ordination of Constance Coltman, the first woman to be ordained in a mainstream denomination in Britain. She was ordained into the Congregational Church, which […]
Taking up our cross
Sermon given at St. Andrew’s URC Ealing by Revd Sue McCoan 3 Sep 2017 Romans 12:9-21 Matthew 16:21-28 It’s over 20 years ago that Jamie and I went to Australia. We spent a week with my brother, in Perth, and then went off to do the tourist things, including two days at Uluru, then mostly […]
A gospel of hope
One of my abiding memories of my time at Westminster College was an Old Testament lecturer who came into class one day and, instead of talking to us, broke into song. He sang all the verses of ‘Flower of Scotland’. He’s not Scottish, and it wasn’t Burns Night or anything. But when he’d finished, he […]
Testing and trusting
Sermon given at St. Andrew’s Ealing 2nd July by Revd Sue McCoan Genesis 22:1-14 The story of Abraham and Isaac makes for uneasy reading. What kind of father would put his son through an ordeal like that? What kind of God would ask him to do it? The clue is in the opening line of […]
The eyes of faith
Sermon given by Revd Sue McCoan 21st May 2017, at St. Andrew’s Ealing Psalm 115; John 14:15-21 If you’ve ever spent any time with small children, or of you were ever a small child yourself, you will very likely at some time in your life have played the game of Peep-bo, or peekaboo. I think […]
The Bad Shepherds
Sermon given at St. Andrew’s Ealing Sun 7th May by Revd Sue McCoan Ezekiel 34: 7-15 My brother-in-law is a farmer, mixed arable and beef cattle now, but at one time he also kept sheep. One day when we were visiting, he asked Jamie and me to help him move the sheep from the barn […]
Show us what you’re made of
Sermon given at St. Andrew’s URC, Ealing, Sunday 5th March 2017 by Revd Sue McCoan Matt 4:1-11 The Gospel passage is headed ‘the Temptation of Jesus’. ‘Temptation’ has become a rather trivial word – and ‘tempting’ is generally seen as something actually quite good, in a naughty-but-nice sort of way. Can I tempt you to […]
God’s gift
Reflection given at St. Andrew’s Ealing 5th Feb , Revd Sue McCoan Matthew 5. 13-20 You are the gift of salt and light. Do you remember those packets of crisps you use to get, years ago, with the little blue twist of salt in the packet? You had to undo it and sprinkle it on. […]
Come and see!
Sermon given by Rev. Sue McCoan St. Andrew’s 15th January 2017 John 1:29-42 Suppose, for a moment, a friend of yours has a bit of a mid-life crisis, and comes round one day and says he has bought a classic car. He goes on to tell you t’s a 1960s Triumph Herald, two-door, four-seater, colour […]