Each Sunday five separate sermons are delivered at Westminster Abbey or St Margaret's. The Abbey's clergy and guest preachers address current theological issues, religion and world events, and the interpretation of biblical texts.
2011
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6 January 2011 Sermon given on the Feast of the Epiphany: Thursday 6 January 2011
The Very Reverend Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster
Today’s feast offers us an opportunity to renew our commitment to receive afresh the grace and power of God through his Word and in his Sacraments so that we can more effectively share his love with others.
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9 January 2011 Sermon given at Sung Eucharist on The Baptism of Christ: Sunday 9 January 2011
The Reverend Dr Nicholas Sagovsky, Sub-Dean and Canon Theologian
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16 January 2011 Sermon given at Sung Eucharist on Sunday 16 January 2011
The Very Reverend Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster
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23 January 2011 Sermon given at Sung Eucharist on Sunday 23 January 2011
The Reverend Robert Reiss, Canon Treasurer and Almoner
Unity and diversity in following Christ.
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2 February 2011 Sermon given at Sung Eucharist on Candlemas: Tuesday 2 February 2011
The Very Reverend Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster
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6 February 2011 Sermon given at Matins on Sunday 6 February 2011
The Reverend Robert Reiss, Canon in Residence
Some reflections on the Israeli Palestinian conflict in the light of a recent visit.
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6 February 2011 Sermon given at Sung Eucharist on Sunday 6 February 2011
The Reverend Dr James Hawkey, Minor Canon
This sermon explores what it might mean for Christians to be truly light for the world, a city set on a hill which cannot be hidden.
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7 February 2011 Sermon given at Evensong on the 850th anniversary of the Canonisation of St Edward the Confessor
The Reverend Canon Michael Brockie, Provost of the Chapter of Westminster Cathedral
As well as having the honour to represent Archbishop Vincent Nichols here this evening and to bring his fraternal good wishes to all here present, I also bring greetings from the Chapter of Westminster Cathedral, to the Dean and Members of the Collegiate Body of Westminster Abbey as we gather to commemorate the 850th anniversary of the canonisation of Edward, King of England, saint and confessor.
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13 February 2011 Sermon given at Matins on Sunday 13 February 2011
The Reverend Robert Reiss, Canon in Residence
Integrity is a virtue highly praised, but what does it really mean?
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15 February 2011 Address given at a Service of Thanksgiving for the late Dame Joan Sutherland
Sir John Tooley, General Director, Royal Opera House (1970-88)
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20 February 2011 Sermon given at Matins on Sunday 20 February
The Reverend Robert Reiss, Canon in Residence
How does the Church arrives at a view on ethical issues in the public sphere?
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27 February 2011 Sermon given at Matins on Sunday 27 February
The Reverend Robert Reiss, Canon in Residence
Some thoughts on forgiveness as a public virtue.
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27 February 2011 Sermon given at Sung Eucharist on Sunday 27 February 2011
The Venerable Dr Jane Hedges, Canon Steward and Archdeacon of Westminster
This sermon looks at the words of Jesus in St Matthew 6: 25 - end, where he tells his listeners not to worry about the future. It explores the themes of trusting in God while taking responsibility for our own lives in a world where there is a mixture of good & evil.
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2 March 2011 An Address given at A Service of blessing for the Benedictine Torch
The Right Reverend Stephen Platten, Bishop of Wakefield and Chairman of Governors, The Anglican Centre in Rome
A City Set on a Hill
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2 March 2011 An Address given at A Service of blessing for the Benedictine Torch
The Right Reverend Pietro Vittorelli OSB, Archabbot of Montecassino
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6 March 2011 Sermon given at Matins on Sunday 6 March 2011
The Reverend Andrew Tremlett, Rector of St Margaret's and Canon of Westminster
Refuge and Sanctuary
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9 March 2011 Sermon given at the Sung Eucharist on Ash Wednesday 2011
The Very Reverend Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster
A blessed Lent, a time of fasting and abstinence, enables discipline of mind and body and allows the soul to soar and sing in harmony with the song of heaven.
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13 March 2011 Sermon given at Matins on Sunday 13 March 2011
The Reverend Andrew Tremlett, Canon in Residence
During the season of Lent, I am commending for devotional reading, three spiritual writers from the end of the fourteenth century: Mother Julian of Norwich, Thomas à Kempis, and the author of The Cloud of Unknowing.
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20 March 2011 Sermon given at Matins on Sunday 20 March 2011
The Reverend Andrew Tremlett, Canon in Residence
Thomas à Kempis
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25 March 2011 Sermon given at the Sung Eucharist for the Annunciation of Our Lord
The Very Reverend Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster
Fresh light on the Gospel birth narratives which include the event we celebrate today
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26 March 2011 Address given at Evensong celebrating the Centenary of The Ringing World
The Very Reverend Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster
Congratulations on the centenary of The Ringing World and thanks for the contribution it makes to sustaining and encouraging the wonderful precious craft of change-ringing.
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27 March 2011 Address given at the Christchurch Earthquake Memorial Service
The Very Reverend Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster
‘Neither death nor life will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’
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27 March 2011 Address given at the Christchurch Earthquake Memorial Service
His Excellency Derek Leask, High Commissioner for New Zealand
A message from the Right Honourable John Key, Prime Minister of New Zealand, for all those attending this Memorial Service at Westminster Abbey.
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27 March 2011 Sermon given at Evensong on 27 March 2011
The Reverend Andrew Tremlett, Canon in Residence
‘Are words enough to talk about God?’
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10 April 2011 Sermon given at Matins on Sunday 10 April
The Reverend Robert Reiss, Sub-Dean and Canon Treasurer and Almoner
The cross as a route to reconciliation.
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21 April 2011 Sermon given at Sung Eucharist on Maundy Thursday 2011
The Very Reverend Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster
The Last Supper.
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22 April 2011 Address given during Devotions at the Cross, Good Friday 2011
The Reverend Robert Reiss, Sub-Dean and Canon Treasurer and Almoner
First of two reflections of the meaning of the cross: the cross as a sign of God's forgiveness for us.
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22 April 2011 Address given during Devotions at the Cross, Good Friday 2011
The Reverend Robert Reiss, Sub-Dean and Canon Treasurer and Almoner
The second of two reflections of the meaning of the cross: the cross as a victory.
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22 April 2011 Sermon given in The Chapel Royal, St James's Palace, Good Friday 2011
The Very Reverend Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster
We can smile too – in a glorious exchange of self-giving love, as we offer our lives to Jesus for love of him and receive ourselves afresh, re-made in the image of the one we love.
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24 April 2011 Sermon given at Sung Eucharist on Easter Day 2011
The Very Reverend Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster
‘Rise heart; thy Lord is risen.’
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25 April 2011 Sermon given at a Service of Commemoration and Thanksgiving to mark ANZAC Day
The Very Reverend Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster
Yesterday, after six weeks of solemn penance during the Lenten fast, Westminster Abbey rang again with the sound of the Easter song Alleluia as we celebrated the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. On Good Friday, we remembered the death of Jesus on the Cross, the ultimate sacrifice of self-giving love. Yesterday, Easter Day, we celebrated the new life of the risen Jesus Christ, the vindication of that sacrifice, the guarantee that the triumph of generous service and self-giving love is the secret at the heart of the world, the touchstone for all that is true and good.
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29 April 2011 Address given at The Marriage of HRH Prince William of Wales with Miss Catherine Middleton
The Right Reverend and Right Honourable Dr Richard Chartres KCVO, Bishop of London
“Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.” So said St Catherine of Siena whose festival day this is. Marriage is intended to be a way in which man and woman help each other to become what God meant each one to be, their deepest and their truest selves.
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1 May 2011 Sermon given at Matins on Sunday 1 May
The Venerable Dr Jane Hedges, Canon in Residence
During May at her sermons at Matins, Canon Hedges is preaching on five of the seven sacraments. This sermon introduces the sacraments in general and then focuses on marriage, looking at why the Church regards marriage as important and asking, what are the gifts God pours out through this sacrament and what is our response to these gifts?
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1 May 2011 Sermon given at Sung Eucharist on Sunday 1 May 2011
The Reverend Robert Reiss, Sub-Dean and Canon Treasurer and Almoner
An examination of what the resurrection might mean for living today.
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1 May 2011 Sermon given at Evensong on Sunday 1 May 2011
The Reverend Dr Peter Doll, Canon Librarian, Norwich Cathedral
It is commitment and faithfulness that will bring us all through the lions’ den, through the tomb, to new life in the power of Christ’s Resurrection.
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7 May 2011 Address given at The Installation of The Reverend Professor Vernon White as Canon of Westminster
The Very Reverend Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster
'Pray, and then, like the twitch of a curtain in what you thought was an empty house, the hidden hand of God will quietly move something into place.'
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8 May 2011 Sermon given at Matins on Sunday 8 May 2011
The Venerable Dr Jane Hedges, Canon in Residence
In this second sermon in a series on the sacraments, Canon Hedges looks at the subject of Confession, examining Anglican practice and concluding that this sacrament has the power to release people from their burdens and to transform lives at an individual level and in wider society.
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15 May 2011 Sermon given at Matins on Sunday 15 May
The Venerable Dr Jane Hedges, Canon in Residence
In the third in this series of sermons on the sacraments Canon Hedges looks at the subject of Anointing the sick; describing how the sacrament is administered and looking at the question of whether God does really heal us.
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15 May 2011 Sermon given at Sunday Eucharist on Sunday 15 May 2011
The Very Reverend Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster
Our Lord is able through his ministers to exercise his own eternal ministry as the Good Shepherd, who knows his flock, lays down his life for the flock, and wants to unite the flock bringing all the sheep together.
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22 May 2011 Sermon given at Matins on Sunday 22 May
The Venerable Dr Jane Hedges, Canon in Residence
In the 4th sermon in the series on the sacraments, Canon Hedges describes what happens at a confirmation and discusses the relations of this sacrament to those of Baptism & the receiving of Holy Communion. She concludes by looking at the question of why this sacrament is administered by a Bishop and what it means to belong to the universal church.
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25 May 2011 Address given at the Thanksgiving Service for The Right Honourable Lord Bingham of Cornhill KG
The Right Honourable The Lord Mackay of Clashfern KT, Lord Chancellor 1987–97
On behalf of all the rest of us here today I wish to express to Elizabeth and all the family our deep sympathy in their sad loss and may the future hold for each of them all that Tom would have wished for them.
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29 May 2011 Sermon given at Matins on Sunday 29 May
The Venerable Dr Jane Hedges, Canon in Residence
In this final sermon in the series on the sacraments, Canon Hedges looks at Ordination asking three questions: First, why do we ordain at all? Second, does this sacrament make ordained people special and perhaps different from other Christians? And third, does every Christian have a vocation?
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29 May 2011 Sermon given at Sung Eucharist on Sunday 29 May
The Reverend Professor Vernon White, Canon Theologian
The ascension of Jesus was a kind of bereavement for his early disciples. They would have to do without the certainty of his visible presence with them. But this is to prepare them to find Him elsewhere, throughout the whole of life. We too can experience a similar kind of religious bereavement when immediate religious securities are removed. If so, this too can be journey to a fuller faith for us too.
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2 June 2011 Sermon given at Sung Eucharist on Ascension Day 2011
The Very Reverend Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster
It is the love of God revealed in our Lord’s life, death and resurrection that is able to transport us to heaven, God’s love alone, his self-giving love.
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5 June 2011 Sermon given at Matins on Sunday 5 June
The Reverend Professor Vernon White, Canon in Residence
'Heaven and earth will pass away'. This world will certainly end, though we do not know when, as faith and science both proclaim. But there are always possibilities of a new heaven and a new earth. This belief is invigorating for this life, as well as the next.
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12 June 2011 Sermon given at Matins on Pentecost 2011
The Reverend Professor Vernon White, Canon in Residence
'The ancient story of Babel tells an important story for any society ambitious for power and security. Uniformity of language or law may not be enough to hold it together, especially if it's imposed. Pentecost offers another story: with the Spriit of Christ, a common life can be lived with our differences, not by excluding them.
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12 June 2011 Sermon given at Solemn Eucharist on Pentecost Day, Sunday 12 June 2011, at Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, New York
The Very Reverend Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster
It’s refreshing to worship on this great day of days, the feast of Pentecost, the feast of the Holy Spirit, the birthday of the Church, in a place which uses the traditional liturgy.
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12 June 2011 Sermon given at Evensong on Pentecost 2011
The Reverend Professor Vernon White, Canon in Residence
Christian faith offers the reassurance of a complete story of the world in which we can know the end from the beginning. But Pentecost also offers a sharp reminder that the Holy Spirit sometimes disrupts these general reassurances with a challenge to hear God's summons specifically for us here and now.
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19 June 2011 Sermon given at Matins on Trinity Sunday 2011
The Reverend Professor Vernon White, Canon in Residence
Imagining the One God as a 3-fold dynamic relationship of love 'within Himself' is a distinctive heart of Christian belief. It arises from the encounter with Jesus Christ in the power of the Spirit. It can also lead us to a distinctive ethic.
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23 June 2011 Sermon given at Sung Eucharist on Corpus Christi 2011
The Very Reverend Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster
Today we celebrate the gift of God to the Church of the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. Here God feeds us with the bread and wine which are the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ and doing so incorporates us into the Church, which is the Body of Christ.
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26 June 2011 Sermon given at Matins on Sunday 26 June
The Reverend Professor Vernon White, Canon in Residence
God's providence in history and our own lives is not the same as straightforward progress. It may be a long and winding route. But is real nonetheless.
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29 June 2011 Sermon given at Sung Eucharist at Petertide 2011
The Very Reverend Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster
Knowing St Peter, living with him as our patron and guide, we can be confident in the hope that he will recognise us when he greets us at the gates of pearl. And we shall hear the words of our Saviour, ‘Come, ye blessed of my Father.’
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10 July 2011 Sermon given at Matins on 10 July 2011
The Reverend Andrew Tremlett, Canon in Residence
The Christian Church must take its place in a multi-faith society, where even ‘believers’ are not necessarily ‘belongers’. This sermon charts some of the changes in the public perception of religion, and asks whether adherence to a Faith is seen as a ‘problem’ rather than a ‘solution’.
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17 July 2011 Sermon given at Matins on Sunday 17 July 2011
The Reverend Andrew Tremlett, Canon in Residence
The second sermon in the series ‘Religion in a world of Faiths’ asks Christians and Jews should relate to one another, mapping out the initiatives within both religions. Separate faiths with their own living traditions, yet joined in a common inheritance.
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17 July 2011 Sermon given at Sung Eucharist on Sunday 17 July 2011
The Reverend Robert Reiss, Sub-Dean and Canon Treasurer and Almoner
Some thoughts on St Paul’s phrase ‘the whole creation groans together'
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24 July 2011 Sermon given at Matins on Sunday 24 July 2011
The Reverend Andrew Tremlett, Canon in Residence
The third sermon in the series ‘Religion in a world of Faiths’ examines two aspects of Christianity’s relationship with Islam. Delivered in the shadow of the Islamphobic massacre in Norway, it begins with a countervailing example to the stereotypical caricature of Islam in the media. The attempt by Muslim scholars to create common ground with Christianity is then examined.
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31 July 2011 Sermon given at Matins on Sunday 31 July 2011
The Reverend Andrew Tremlett, Canon in Residence
In this last sermon in the series ‘Religion in a world of Faiths’, I look at two example for a model of how the Church could engage with other Faiths and with secular society. The first is a revered priest and doctor in India; the second drawn from Benedictine spirituality. I conclude by commending ‘Hospitality and Embassy’.
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7 August 2011 Sermon given at Matins on Sunday 7 August
The Reverend Robert Reiss, Canon in Residence
An examination of the phenomenon of Christian Atheism.
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14 August 2011 Sermon given at Matins on Sunday 14 August 2011
The Reverend Robert Reiss, Canon in Residence
Some reflections on the riots and their consequences.
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21 August 2011 Sermon given at Matins on Sunday 21 August 2011
The Reverend Robert Reiss, Canon in Residence
Some reflections on 'The Great Partnership' by Jonathan Sacks, the Chief Rabbi.
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28 August 2011 Sermon given at Matins on Sunday 28 August 2011
The Reverend Robert Reiss, Canon in Residence
Some further reflections on the Chief Rabbi's book 'The Great Partnership'
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4 September 2011 Sermon given at Matins on Sunday 4 September 2011
The Venerable Dr Jane Hedges, Canon in Residence
First of three sermons exploring the mission statement of the Dean and Chapter of Westminster focussing on our worship of God, our relationship with the Sovereign, and our welcome of pilgrims.
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4 September 2011 Sermon given at Sung Eucharist on Sunday 4 September 2011
The Reverend Dr James Hawkey, Minor Canon and Sacrist
Archbishop Tutu reminds us, 'There can be no future without forgiveness.' Forgiveness is about getting real; about responsibility; about facing up; about waking up; the love which binds us to Christ.
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11 September 2011 Sermon given at Matins on Sunday 11 September 2011
The Venerable Dr Jane Hedges, Canon in Residence
Second of three sermons exploring the mission statement of the Dean and Chapter of Westminster focussing on our worship of God, our relationship with the Sovereign, and our welcome of pilgrims.
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11 September 2011 Sermon given at Sung Eucharist on Sunday 11 September 2011
The Reverend Andrew Tremlett, Canon of Westminster and Rector of St Margaret's
On the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States, this sermon reflects on the events of the past ten years and asks what the Christian notion of forgiveness and reconciliation has to tell us.
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18 September 2011 Address given at the Service of Thanksgiving and Rededication on Battle of Britain Sunday
The Venerable Raymond Pentland QHC RAF, Chaplain-in-Chief
It is a typical September day, sunny but breezy. Sitting by their tents the aircrew listen to music, read newspapers, dream of pleasant things, play cards; but always they wait and they wonder. This is Afghanistan, and men and women like these make the world a better place.
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21 September 2011 Sermon given at the Eucharist with the Ordination and Consecration of The Right Reverend Christopher Lowson
The Venerable Dr Jane Hedges, Canon in Residence
On this day when we celebrate the call of St Matthew and hear again those words of Jesus, 'Follow me'.
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25 September 2011 Sermon given at Matins on Sunday 25 September 2011
The Venerable Dr Jane Hedges, Canon in Residence
Last of three sermons exploring the mission statement of the Dean and Chapter of Westminster focussing on our worship of God, our relationship with the Sovereign, and our welcome of pilgrims.
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25 September 2011 Sermon given at Sung Eucharist on Sunday 25 September 2011
The Reverend Professor Vernon White, Canon Theologian
Philippians 2:1-13: Here is a mandate for a moral, spiritual, social and even political revolution. It is a radical reversal of values based on even more radical theological revolution: a change in the way we imagine the very being and character of God.
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29 September 2011 Sermon given at Sung Eucharist on Michaelmas 2011
The Very Reverend Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster
The angels bring heaven to earth and earth to heaven. They connect us on earth to the joy and glory of heaven. They give us an encouraging moment when we can see the reality at the heart of things.
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2 October 2011 Sermon given at Matins on Sunday 2 October 2011
The Reverend Professor Vernon White, Canon in Residence
Has religion all been 'invented', humanly constructed, just a projection into the heavens of our deepest longings and fears? A reflection on the distinction between real revelation and merely human constructions in our religious belief - the first in a series of October sermons on some of the challenges to religious belief.
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2 October 2011 Sermon given at Sung Eucharist on 2 October 2011
The Reverend Robert Reiss, Sub-Dean and Canon Treasurer and Almoner
A reflection on Jewish and Christian relations in the light of the Sunday readings.
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2 October 2011 Address given at Evening Service of 2 October 2011
The Reverend Professor Andrew Linzey, Director, Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics
Christian charity, if it was to be real, had to extend beyond human beings. Some of us are still striving after that vision and still living that hope.
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3 October 2011 Address given at the Judges Service Monday 3 October
The Most Reverend Vincent Nichols, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster
August was a difficult month: difficult for families, difficult - very difficult - for police forces, ruinous for some shop-keepers and businesses, deeply distressing for many local communities, and demanding - exceptionally so - for many court rooms and their services.
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9 October 2011 Sermon given at Matins on Sunday 9 October
The Reverend Professor Vernon White, Canon in Residence
How is it possible to believe that God is personally concerned with us as individuals in such a vast and transient universe? A reflection on the nature of human significance in the mysteries of natural history and God's eternity - the second in a series of October sermons on some of the challenges to religious belief.
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13 October 2011 Sermon given at Sung Eucharist for the Translation of St Edward the Confessor 2011
The Very Reverend Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster
Our task on the feast of St Edward, in honour of our founder and benefactor, is to re-imagine, to conceive afresh in our minds, the influence and reach of our Christian faith within this nation and the nations of our world and to act and react accordingly.
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15 October 2011 Sermon given at Sung Eucharist for the National Pilgrimage to the Shrine of St Edward the Confessor 2011
The Right Reverend Michael Langrish, Bishop of Exeter
We are called to be pilgrims, Peregrini, who travel and linger with Christ, in a way that enables us to go on learning, and to go on growing to more fully reflect the life of Christ in us as we continue to journey through all the vicissitudes of this world.
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16 October 2011 Sermon given at Matins on the Dedication of Westminster Abbey 2011
The Reverend Professor Vernon White, Canon in Residence
The fact of our mortality can be a searching problem for faith. Although death can be welcomed, we also protest deeply against the prospect of extinction. How does Christian faith recognize this, and how does it offer hope? - the third in a series of October sermons on some of the challenges to religious belief.
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16 October 2011 Sermon given at Sung Eucharist on the Dedication of Westminster Abbey 2011
The Very Reverend Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster
As we celebrate the dedication of this church, we whose lives are associated with this holy place - and all who join us in worship today - should dedicate ourselves anew to being the place of God’s glory on earth.
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21 October 2011 Sermon given at a Service for Queen Anne’s School, Caversham
The Very Reverend Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster
I wonder whether you have ever really thought about Ruth. She is an amazing character, a strong and determined woman, clear and faithful. And she has a whole book of the Old Testament to herself. We heard the beginning of the story earlier in the service. It starts a little like a soap opera story, but there’s much more to it; some elements of Romeo and Juliet.
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23 October 2011 Sermon given at Matins on Sunday 23 October 2011
The Reverend Professor Vernon White, Canon in Residence
Why would a good creator God allow or even cause such a difficult world as this? A world which, alongside its wonders, also hurls multiple injustices and sufferings at people indiscriminately, regardless of their faith or virtue? The problem of evil and suffering is the fourth, and perhaps hardest, challenge to religious belief being considered in this series of October sermons.
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30 October 2011 Sermon given at Matins on Sunday 30 October 2011
The Reverend Professor Vernon White, Canon in Residence
Prayer, the very pulse and life-blood of faith, can also become the slow death of faith when a deafening silence is all we seem to hear back. And when faith attempts to explain this silence it can sound unconvincing. So is there any way in which we can imagine how God might truly be responding to our prayers? The last in a series of sermons in October about facing honestly the difficulties of religious belief.
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30 October 2011 Sermon given at Sung Eucharist on Sunday 30 October 2011
The Reverend Dr James Hawkey, Minor Canon and Sacrist
Discipleship: a condition of complete simplicity; a free gift, costing not less than everything. Disorientating, isn’t it?
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1 November 2011 Sermon given at Sung Eucharist for All Saints' Day 2011
The Very Reverend Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster
The way of the saints is a way we can tread as well as the saints. Our weak wilfulness is no barrier to God, whose love is made perfect in weakness.
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2 November 2011 Sermon given at Sung Eucharist for All Souls' Day 2011
The Very Reverend Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster
In our minds and hearts, this afternoon, as we come to receive the bread and wine, which are the Body and Blood of Christ, the fruits of Christ’s sacrifice, we bring as it were to stand beside us the souls of all those we love and see no longer.
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6 November 2011 Sermon given at Matins on Sunday 6 November 2011
The Reverend Andrew Tremlett, Canon in Residence
In the month of the national service of thanksgiving for the 400th Anniversary of the King James Bible, this sermon series looks at some of its precursors. This address considers the technological, social and linguistic changes in the centuries before the KJB.
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16 November 2011 Sermon given at a service of celebration to mark the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible
The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, Primate of All England and Metropolitan
What is a good translation? Not one that just allows me to say, when I pick it up, ‘Now I understand’. Of course, if I’m faced with a text in a strange language, I need to be able simply to read it; but a good translation will be an invitation to read again, and to probe, and reflect, and imagine with the text. Rather than letting me say, ‘Now I understand’, it prompts the response, ‘Now the work begins.’
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20 November 2011 Sermon given at Matins on the feast of Christ the King 2011
The Reverend Andrew Tremlett, Canon in Residence
On 16th November HM The Queen attended a national service of thanksgiving for the King James’ Bible at Westminster Abbey. In this second sermon looking at its precursors, we look at how the Reformation took hold in England and the influence of Erasmus and Luther on the translation of the Bible into English.
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21 November 2011 Address given at a Service of Thanksgiving to Mark the 410th Anniversary of the Granting of the Emanuel School Charter
The Very Reverend Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster
Emanuel. God with us. That is the eternal truth Emanuel School was founded to proclaim. That is what we celebrate today.
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24 November 2011 Sermon given at a service to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of the Reverend Nathaniel Woodard
The Very Reverend Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster
Come with me if you will on a little journey. We shall travel back in time – not two hundred years to the birth of Nathaniel Woodard, but 44 years in my own experience.
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27 November 2011 Sermon given at Matins on Sunday 27 November 2011
The Reverend Andrew Tremlett, Canon in Residence
In this third and final sermon in the series looking at the precursors to the King James Bible, whose 400th anniversary is celebrated this year, we conclude with the story of William Tyndale – his translation of the New Testament and how he lost his life in the process.
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4 December 2011 Sermon given at Matins on Sunday 4th December 2011
The Reverend Robert Reiss, Canon in Residence
The first in a series of three addresses on the Christmas stories, this one looking at St Luke's purposes.
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11 December 2011 Sermon given at Matins on Sunday 11th December 2011
The Reverend Robert Reiss, Canon in Residence
An examination of St Matthew's nativity narratives.
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11 December 2011 Sermon given at Sung Eucharist on Sunday 11th December 2011
The Reverend Professor Vernon White, Canon Theologian
Faith and hope can be elusive in a world bombarded by bad news stories and conflicting pressures. But the desert experience of past prophets was often a place where God was found and hope renewed. How can we reach a similar place now?
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18 December 2011 Sermon given at Matins on Sunday 18 December 2011
The Reverend Robert Reiss, Canon in Residence
An examination of the mixture of historical fact and legend in the Nativity stories.
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24 December 2011 Sermon given at the First Eucharist of Christmas 2011
The Very Reverend Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace!’ Luke 2: 13-14
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25 December 2011 Sermon given at Sung Eucharist on Christmas Day 2011
The Very Reverend Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster
God’s love triumphs as we open our hearts and our minds and our wills to him this morning. I pray that, above all the gifts you will receive today, you will receive this Christmas morning God’s mighty gift and share God’s gift with those you love.