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Revd Annette's Posts, Ipswich (2026)

02/05/2022

Sermon 3rd April
Jesus has claimed to be God. He is producing signs that demonstrate his power even over death, and he is making quite an impact, so the religious leaders are rightly unsettled. On several occasions, they have tried to arrest him but with no success.
Just before this passage Jesus’ friend Lazarus became ill. His friends and family asked Jesus to come and heal him. But Jesus had delayed his visit. When he finally arrived at their home, Lazarus had been dead for at least four days. But Jesus raised him from the dead.
Word of this miracle spread, and the religious leaders heard of it. They became afraid. They worry that people will follow Jesus and that this will result in a revolt against Rome. So, Caiaphas, the High Priest, reasons that it is better that Jesus dies so that the whole nation might not be destroyed. From this point in John’s Gospel, the religious leaders seek, to have Jesus arrested and killed.
Jesus returns to Lazarus’ house six days before the Passover festival. Because Bethany is just two miles from Jerusalem it is an ideal place for Jesus and his disciples to stay during Passover. It was also not uncommon for families to invite a teacher to stay with them during these festivals in exchange for teaching and instruction.
Jesus and his disciples arrive and are greeted with a banquet. Mary and Martha are Lazarus’ sisters. Martha is busy serving the guests. Mary has different plans. While Jesus and his disciples are reclining at the table, Mary approaches Jesus and anoints his feet with costly perfume.
Mary's anointing of Jesus is very unusual in several ways.
1. She uses a pound in weight of costly perfume “pure nard” generally believed to be spikenard, a fragrant oil derived from the roots of a plant found in the mountains of northern India. It probably represents a significant part of Mary’s inheritance.
2. Mary anoints Jesus’ feet. Anointing a guest on the head was normal but, not on the feet. Washing of the feet was also normal but by the lowest servant in the house.
The washing of feet was certainly something nobody would have expected from Mary. And she takes what would be reserved for the head and pours it over Jesus’ feet.
3. Mary wipes Jesus’ feet with her hair. It was considered a sign of loose morals for a woman to let her hair down in the company of men who were not her husband. Even more shocking Mary uses her undone hair to touch a man who was not her husband.
Through her actions, Mary communicates her humble submission, devotion, and affection for Jesus.
As the fragrant perfume fills the entire house and everyone stares in wonder, amazement, and even indignation, Judas speaks, “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?”
Three hundred denarii amounted to an entire year’s wages, a significant amount of money. The average wage in the UK today is £24,600. Imagine what good for the poor could be done with that amount of money. We know that Judas will eventually betray Jesus. We are also told that he stole from the common purse. Judas is not really concerned with the poor. And although the money would have been useful for helping the poor, it becomes insignificant because Jesus has already demonstrated he can feed five thousand people without spending anything.
Jesus takes Mary’s gift as an act of preparing him for what will soon happen, his arrest and crucifixion. Jesus tells Judas that it was appropriate to use the perfume in this way instead of selling it and giving the money to the poor. The poor, Jesus says, you will always have with you but he, on the other hand, will only be with them for a week longer.
When we gather as a Church, we do not just gather to do works of service and mercy. We gather to worship. To give thanks to saying sorry and to intercede for others. We spend considerable time and money preserving our Churches so that we might have a place as beautiful to gather to worship. Poverty is all around us. But if we give of ourselves to each other, mirroring the generous way that Christ gives himself for us, God will care for us all and there will be fewer poor.
God wants us to offer ourselves, our greatest treasures, to him. We have gained so much from Christ’s death so let's be prepared to give what we have back to him in return.
So some suggestions for the week ahead…
Do something extravagantly loving for someone this week with the aim of pleasing God, not yourself or the other person.
Come to worship with a readiness to give God the best you have to offer, not out of duty or of habit, and worship with reckless abandon! Graham Aylward who lives in Thailand tells us that in their Christian Church services the frequent question that is thrown out by the leader is ‘Can you feel the Holy Spirit’.
How often do we talk with that kind of enthusiasm?

02/05/2022

Happy Easter……
One of our beloved Joan’s favourite hymns was based on the words of Psalm 118. I want to start the sermon today by delivering the words of that hymn…as a message to us from her.

This is the day, this is the day
that the Lord has made,
that the Lord has made.
we will rejoice,
we will rejoice and be glad in it,
and be glad in it.
This is the day that the Lord has made.
we will rejoice and be glad in it.
This is the day,
this is the day that the Lord has made.

I wonder what would happen if we awoke every day full of gratitude that we were alive, eager to embrace the new and glorious things that God would do in the unrepeatable day ahead of us. If we acknowledged that we are all gifted with power from Holy Spirit, and have God-given talents that we can use to bring healing and beauty to the world.
Shouldn’t that level of affirmation help us to get through the trials of this world and lift us when we feel despair?
The Resurrection may seem like a “fairy story” to sceptics, but to those who have experienced restoration, this “story” witnesses life bursting forth in the face of death. This is nothing short of miraculous even to those who no longer believe in miracles! Or, who see them in purely rationalistic, mythical terms.
I can remember watching the film, ‘A beautiful Mind’ based on the true-life story of John Nash a mathematical genius. Nash made an astonishing discovery early in his career and stood on the brink of international acclaim. But the handsome and arrogant Nash soon found himself on a painful and harrowing journey of self-discovery through Schizophrenia. After many years of struggle, he eventually triumphed over his tragedy, and finally - late in life - received the Nobel Prize. The film poignantly portrayed the "resurrection" of John Nash's humanity from being lost in the land of schizophrenia until eventually there was recognition of his essence - of his gifts and his life was reborn. We may recognise resurrection moments within our own lives.
Today’s Gospel reading from Luke tells us how the women who had journeyed with Jesus come to his tomb. Although their world had collapsed, they come to give their beloved friend and teacher one last act of love, to anoint and embalm his lifeless body. Feeling powerless they look toward a future without him.
To their astonishment, the stone has been rolled away and the tomb is empty. Two angelic messengers remind them of Jesus’ prophetic words challenging them to live boldly, letting go of death, and claiming resurrection life. Stunned, they do not know what to do. They share their experience with the disciples who think it is just an idle tail but Peter rushes to see for himself. Resurrection needs to sink in before they can believe it.
Today, let us allow that resurrection power to flow through us to all creation trusting that God will revive us all, trusting that we are to be agents of resurrection, bringing forth life in death-full situations in our time. We can all “practice resurrection,” and speak for life in contrast to the high-control culture of death that confronts us.
Many of us are engaging the world with new hope, setting aside our masks, and re-engaging with friends and activities that bring beauty and joy. Worship is starting to feel more familiar, and we are even getting to share a taste of the wine. Although we are not yet ready to contemplate sharing the common cup. Yet, on the other side of the world war rages in Ukraine as vulnerable citizens flee air raids and untrained ordinary folk are conscripted to fight. Families desperately seek temporary places to call home, talking over zoom to strangers who are happy to become their hosts. Families and communities are being torn apart.
It may be that the most optimistic among us have grown weary of trying to look “on the bright side.” Lent is all about radical honesty, which leads us not to determinism or pessimism or strident optimism, but to actual hope, actual good news.
Much that unfolds around us is out of our control, even as we experience new possibilities through the reclaimed agency in some areas of life. To minister honestly, we need to acknowledge that doubt and faith can exist simultaneously as we live in a world marked by both the suffering of the crucifixion and the joy and hope of the resurrection.
We do not seek to forget or somehow move past or “get over” the pain of loss and suffering that we experience in the world. But the promise of the gospel is that we are not forever stuck in that place. Jesus Christ promises to liberate creation from that which binds and harms, to save us—even at times from ourselves. This is the greatest treasure we can offer as a church to people who have experienced crises and trauma.
God who has been with his people throughout history draws especially near and continues to be with us. That Resurrection life is erupting even in the midst of death.
In the face of war in Ukraine and the humanitarian refugee crisis resurrection hope, and joy is with us. through people willing to cover the cost of plane tickets to bring strangers into safety, ordinary people willing to share their homes, churches providing English lessons and help with completing complicated immigration forms, collecting money and gifts. In the images of strollers parked at the train station ready as a means of welcome, care, and love for Ukrainian refugees with young children. These are all signs of resurrection life.
The event of Easter, resurrection is still unfolding, offering healing and life even and especially in places marked by death. "In the midst of an empty tomb that looked nothing like what they were expecting, came a message to the lost and the losers—a challenge to spread the good news to all God's people. You do not have to empty the tomb yourself. You just have to point out to others that it's been done."
The invitation of Easter is before us, so I ask you, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” “This world, this community this place could be beautiful? You could help to make this such a beautiful world.
This is the day that the Lord has made so let us rejoice and be glad in it. Amen
Lord, we thank You for this day, the day which You have made. Like the Psalmist, we look to You to “bring us the word of Your unfailing love, for we have put our trust in You.” We expect good and not harm from Your unfailing love, so we struggle when the circumstances of our lives would appear otherwise. As we mature in our faith help us to weigh the experiences of our life here on earth with the eternal outcome of all the blessings You have waiting for us in heaven. Amen.

15/03/2022

Jesus is displaying amazing courage in the Gospel passage before us this week.

A dictionary definition of courage is the mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty. We have probably all displayed some form of courage throughout our lives. But some people demonstrate extraordinary bravery for example Desmond Doss whose faith gave him a non-combatant stance on war but who rescued 75 men, one at a time, while under fire, Irena Sendler who saved 2500 children from the N***s, The Elderly Fukushima Volunteers: Willing to expose themselves to high radiation to save younger men, and currently we are witnessing such amazing courage of the Ukrainians

Courage is ultimately a display of character. It is an accumulation of traits and beliefs, training, and patterns of behaviour that have been developed and exercised over many years. It emerges from learning to face fears and shoulder burdens. It is forged when you accept challenges and responsibilities that you could and would ideally want to avoid. There are many Ukrainians who despite anticipating daunting and very frightening challenges are not turning away from it. They are meeting it head-on some refusing the opportunity to flee, others returning to Ukraine from places of safety.

The Pharisees come and warn Jesus that Herod is out for his blood. We don’t know why the Pharisees warn Jesus to run and save his life, but we do know that Jesus refuses to flee. Instead, he resolutely makes his way to Jerusalem where he will meet his death. This commitment to embrace his dark and difficult destiny for the sake of humanity takes immense courage. I keep toying with what I would do if faced with the decisions in front of the Ukrainians. I don’t think I am brave, but you never really know what you can do for love until you are tested. Jesus knows the danger he faces in Jerusalem. He takes that path to save us to show us just how much God loves us.

Vulnerability plays a crucial role in this kind of courage because anticipating challenges and suffering and not looking away automatically makes you vulnerable. It opens you to feeling pain. We often erect walls and distance to protect ourselves from uncomfortable feelings. We too often view displays of emotion and vulnerability as weakness. Politicians take steps to avoid being transparent and increasingly seem to be rewarded for lying, haranguing, and bullying instead. And we may only be prepared to be open with those we love. We do not associate vulnerability with courage.

In this passage, Jesus demonstrates vulnerability is essential to courage and central to the Christian life. Living a Christian life invites us to discover the strength of being open and affected by the needs of those around us.

In the passage Jesus chooses the image of a hen gathering her brood of chicks to her for protection and safety, to illustrate his love and concern for God’s people. It is an image of vulnerability. When you become a parent, you become exposed. One theologian described it as being ‘held hostage to fate and captive to destiny’. There is no way you can protect your children from all the threats this life presents. In fact, it would be a disaster if you did. This means that parents automatically become open to experiencing suffering through watching their children being hurt. In the extreme, the words spoken to Mary by Simeon prophesises her pain ahead as the mother of Jesus.
“And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
There is a popular phrase…A parent is usually only as happy as her or his least happy child.

And in a similar vein, I tell wedding couples that love is about trusting each other so much that you are prepared to open yourself up to the other and make yourself vulnerable. That however provides the other person with the ability to hurt you deeply so they must take responsibility for each other seriously.

Jesus’ image of the mother hen helps us recognise how our vulnerability, and our love, can bring forth our courage and our strength. People do extraordinary things for the people they love sometimes things that they would not do for themselves. I imagine that many of those people standing firm in Ukraine are fighting not for themselves but out of love. They are thinking about the future freedom of their family. It is that love for their family or for others that is making them personally vulnerable but also enabling them to be stoic and courageous.

Jesus continues to Jerusalem. He does not go to prove himself as a fearless hero, nor to make a sacrifice for sin to a judgmental God, not even to combat death and the devil. Rather, I believe that Jesus marches to Jerusalem to the cross out of profound love for people, like a mother’s fierce love that will stop at nothing to protect her children.

Being prepared to be vulnerable opens us to experiencing feelings we might want to avoid, it also enables us to be more authentically human, more caring, more compassionate, and more courageous. Christian courage is believing that as God’s children we are enough and that those around us are also God’s beloved children and therefore deserve our love, empathy, and respect.

I wonder what our community would be like if we all decided to be open about our weaknesses knowing that God is with us and that he had given us sufficient resources – including each other to overcome trials! God meets us in those places and experiences where we feel at our weakest. Through God’s grace, we can discover who we have been called to be and connect more deeply with those around us. Remember as you open yourselves up to being authentic you become more vulnerable, and it is courageous.

Jesus, we look to you as a model of humility and love. Give us the courage to be vulnerable. In whatever situations we find ourselves may we humble ourselves so that only you receive the glory. Amen.

06/03/2022

Today's gospel lesson is very familiar about Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness. Jesus called by the Spirit in baptism, is tempted away from God in the wilderness, and chooses to remain faithful to his mission and ministry. Without the call and the struggle of temptation, Jesus' human journey would have been incomplete. Jesus had to wrestle with the same fear and insecurity that we do. His trust in God can be our inspiration.
We will all walk through a significant wilderness at one time or another, a challenging prognosis, the death of a loved one, the break-up of a relationship, and maybe ……even unpredicted war. We are not left alone to face the sorrows, pains, and dangerous lures of the world, nor will we ever be. That is what the story of the wilderness is all about.
The people in Ukraine are facing a horrendous wilderness experience. One day quietly living typical lives, taking their children to school, chatting over coffee and cakes, shopping for groceries, heading off to work. Most had the things they were supposed to have, living the kind of life people work hard to build. Lives that were good. Now they fear for their own or loved one’s lives, their peaceful hearts broken. Their future looks uncertain, their present is terrifying and their past a precious memory. We watch with heavy hearts feeling helpless.
The Bishop’s Lent appeal this year is for Ukraine. They are calling on all the parishes and congregations of the Diocese to raise funds through collections, individual gifts, events, and activities, to respond to the terrible situation the people of Ukraine are facing, both in the country and as refugees.
The diocese is in partnership with World Vision who will receive our donations and handle the gift aid. You just need to follow the instructions on this World Vision webpage to make your donation. Every pound goes directly to those in need. World Vision is also part of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), whose appeal is supported by the UK Government.
Prayer is a powerful tool too that we often underestimate. Just because things are ‘going that way' doesn’t mean they have to keep going that way. Prayer can be an act of spiritual defiance against downward momentum and evil. It can unite us. We may say, “we are inadequate to defeat this evil.” But Christ responds, “Will not what I have done inspire you to do your best?”
We can kneel, bury our faces in our hands and pray. There was a very moving photograph of a group of Ukrainians kneeling and praying in an empty street. I’ve prayed so many times this week. We may struggle with the question that if God loves people so much, why he doesn’t just save these innocent people. That very question congers up debates of free will and predestination. God can’t just save them like that, people are free to make their own choice–which is what makes it love. At the same time God listens to our prayers, and he works in our lives, putting the right people around us and letting the right words break through. But it does not stop us from wondering about the nature of God and the confusion of it all.
We may know someone now who is facing the worst experiences of their lives, questioning everything including their faith. Anyone who is tested in this way suddenly faces the question of whether their faith is deeper than obligation—whether they have been going to church and being kind and good because they were supposed to be, but without any real, deep faith that anchors them. Some after tragedy reject God and spend years questioning, angry with God for not saving them from fear, pain, and loss remaining confused, hurt, and angry. Their hearts unable to find the peace they crave.
I hope that one day people who reject God will recognise that their anger and hurt towards God is because humans think they know how life is supposed to work. We expect life to be fair. We believe that if we live a good life and work hard, we are entitled/deserve to have only good things to happen to us. But that is trying to bargain with God, rather than trusting God. We always have a choice to ignore God's presence in our lives to let anger and frustration at unfairness control us, or we can simply accept that God is here, has always been here, and God's presence is what can empower us through troubles. If not, we can find ourselves in a terrible raw and exposed wilderness.
If we allow our natural insecurity to lead us to mistrust God, we become open to all the deception and temptations, believing God is nothing more than a figment of our cultural imagination so we had better take things into our own hands.
Choosing to trust God is never easy and is never made in a simple moment. The Ukrainians know that many of them will die and yet they are holding on to their faith, prepared to sacrifice their lives for a better future, for freedom, for the hope of real peace, for those they will leave behind. God bless them.
Today is the first Sunday of Lent, as we make a journey toward the cross and the joy of Easter. But before we get to the empty tomb, we should pay attention to what God is already doing in our lives and in the world around us. He is there in many ways, the unity of the people of Ukraine standing together, from patiently queuing to escape, sharing their food and not stockpiling, learning how to administer first aid, being determined to defend their country even if it means sacrificing their lives. We see doctors and nurses remaining in danger in order to continue to administer medical care. We see it in Poland providing such support for those who arrive after fleeing their homes and I hope in the way we respond to that Lent appeal.
People are gathering all over the world to pray for peace and for strength to face down Russian aggression. Please join them and the people of Ukraine and remain spiritually defiant. We do not know what will happen, but we do know that God is among us.
Life will not always be easy or just. Life may not be how we dreamed. But make a choice to trust God, believe we have a purpose in this world, and are never alone.
When we make the choice to trust God our lives can be lived with the confidence that God is always with us ….. even to the end. We are not alone now, nor will we ever be. God's love, God's presence, and God's faith in us is real. The journey is just beginning, and I, am thankful that we never walk alone.
Amen.

27/02/2022

Revd. Annette sermon on 27/02/2022
(based on Exodus 34:29-end)

Exodus 34 tells us the story of when Moses met God on Mt. Sinai and returned to the Israelites after 40 days and nights on the mountain visibly transformed. In ancient times, God was forming relationships with people and changing their lives. In modern times, our relationship with God is still transformative and awe-inspiring.
I want to share my personal story of transformation with you today.
I am back in my 30s. I am smart but casually dressed. I always wear make-up. I am a successful and popular sixth-form teacher, but for some reason, I do not feel comfortable within myself. I find criticism difficult to handle, I don’t fit the social profile of the village where I live, and I am easily bruised by gossip.
I worry about my children's education, the competitive school gate conversations, my family’s happiness, and juggling work and family commitments. I enjoy my work, but it is difficult to contain as there is always more that could be done to help students to learn. I worry about my children as they enter their teenage years being drawn toward drugs, alcohol, and early sexual relationships. But we are financially stable and have a nice house.
I want to be a good teacher and mum.
God is a vague presence in the background even though I go to Church to support my daughter who sings in the choir. The liturgy seems a bit archaic, and I am not comfortable with the peace involving people hugging and kissing everyone. Over coffee people huddle in tight circles which are difficult to pe*****te.
But I have been living my life behind a mask. I wear it almost everywhere I go. To do my shopping, at work with the other teachers in the staff room, with my students, to see basically any other human being. I wear it to protect myself. To keep me safe. And it does. Kind of. I wear it so nothing can hurt me. So, I can step out of my home and know I am hidden. So, there is a barrier between me and the outside world. And it works. Until it doesn’t. Until I start to feel suffocated. Until I realize no one has seen me in so long, not truly. My mask has been on for most of my life. And no one can see it. Or if they do, they never tell me.
And it takes different forms. A painted-on smile. A glass before I go out to a party to give me courage. Humour. Sarcasm. Deliberately showing up late to a social event so I can walk in unnoticed. I wear suits and shoes to work but crave a pair of fashionable DMs and leggings. The words, “I’m fine.” Feigned confidence. I doubt my skills. And despite my students doing very well in the examinations, I wonder how I am teaching in a competitive grammar school.
The masks help me to feel OK and I have worn so many different ones over the years.
And then one day against my inner desire to stay unnoticed I join a church Alpha. I still keep my mask on…a mask I think no one can see.
I listen to the group leader every week sharing gospel passages and explaining Jesus and God’s vision for the world. I am filled with emotion, my notepad covered with excited scribbles as I engage with the material. I look forward to the weekly meeting and the discussions that follow.
But I still fight to keep that barrier up.
Then at one of the meetings the leader does something very different. He says we are going to pray for the Holy Spirit to fill us. I suddenly feel very uncomfortable. I go through the motions of praying but feel rather embarrassed as we positioned our chairs in a circle facing each other. I think it is all rather ridiculous and pretentious. And then it happens. I suddenly feel very cold and start shivering. Someone places their arm around me and asks if they can pray for me. I panic. Can they see through me? Can they see that I am not, okay? That I don’t have it all together? And then suddenly, I don’t care. As that person prays, I feel my mask fall to the ground. I suddenly can’t remember why I’d hold onto them so tightly in the first place. For the first time, I feel a love that is not dependent on anything I do, who I am, or who I pretend to be.
It washes over me and covers me completely. And tears of shame and of fear turn into tears of relief. The mask is gone, and I am breathing fresh air for the first time in a long time.
Jesus did that. His love did that.
I don’t have to hide from God. I don’t have to protect myself or put on a facade.
I have been going through the motions of attending church prior to the Alpha course. Now when I attend church feels very different. Critical voices don’t hurt in the same way. I can ask questions and challenge things. I feel myself shedding the layers I’ve been suffocating underneath for most of my life. It is it painful. Like ripping off a Band-Aid but doing it so slowly that you feel each movement burn and tear at your skin. There are a couple of times when I try to run, avoid any conflict, and not return but something always pulls me back.
Because with each mask I remove—each protective mechanism—I must face the reason I’ve put it on in the first place. And then I must resist the urge to put it back on.
I look back now and realise that was the start of my transformation. The start of allowing God to start to work within me.
Maybe some of you are hiding behind a mask. Holding people at arm’s length because you want to protect yourself. Perhaps you have been rejected in the past. Maybe you are so frightened of losing something that go through life never opening yourself up to really enjoying and appreciating something or someone. Maybe you feel like you must be the strong one, and being strong means being “fine” even when you’re not.
But even if you have not breathed in fresh air for a while you still can. It’s still there. And if you feel like you can’t do it alone, that’s okay because you don’t need to. You were never supposed to. You were created by God. It is impossible to hide from God. He knows you. He sees through it all and sees the reasons why you hide. He sees your shame and your pain and still loves you. He died for me, he died for you, he died for everyone. He will forgive you. He will carry you and protect you and heal you and rescue you. Repeatedly.
Let go of the facades. Of the shields. The barriers. You are free. God has set you free. And be transformed. You have the choice as we enter Lent this week either continue to grow, improve, and mature; or to stop, try to maintain, and begin to deteriorate. I pray that we will be intentionally opened to God’s renewing and transforming insight, so we can understand better and continue to improve!
May our faces glow and the light of God shine brightly in and through us.

Revd Annette's Posts

02/05/2022

02/05/2022

15/03/2022

06/03/2022

27/02/2022

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