May I speak in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Surely Cinderella wore not only golden slippers when she went to the ball, but perfume too. Most people love fragrance. It is a wonderful way of giving ourselves a treat. It refreshes and energizes us, or it makes us feel sensual.

Perfume certainly changes the way we feel about ourselves. So we wear it when we go out to meet someone special and want to be attractive. Sometimes it becomes part of a ritual, say, when we leave work and move into a different environment like going to a party directly afterwards.

Even the names of perfumes such as 4711, Shalimar, Dunhill for Men, Blue Grass or Beyond Paradise make our imagination work overtime.

The novelist Ernest Hemingway reckoned that his greatest story consisted in its entirety of just 6 words: “For Sale. Baby shoes. Never worn.“

Thus he unknowingly issued a challenge that continues to inspire many generations later.  A 2012 author won with the oblique: No taxidermist loved his daughter more

Then there’s the intriguing: See that shadow? It’s not yours.

Or how about the social commentary: The modern fairytale: frog; snog; sprog

Alexander McCall Smith contributed: Humorous book. Critic died laughing. Sued.

I rather like the potential behind this: Megan’s baby. John’s surname. Jim’s eyes.

I am grateful to all of you for making me go to Rome to prepare for this sermon. I had to go twice and each time I happened to be presented to the Pope. How interesting that I remembered him but that he did not appear to recognise me! This was quite incidental to my having to be in Rome to visit the church of San Luigi dei francesi close to the Piazza Navona. The church houses several Caravaggio paintings.

Caravaggio could well be the kind of resident artist well-suited to St Matthew’s. He travelled widely, like Father Philip. He mixed with a very wide group of friends, just like the congregation of St Matthew’s does. I shall stop there, I think, while the going is good.   I am particularly fond of the Caravaggio painting The Call of Matthew which was my roman homework. Accompanied by Peter, Jesus bursts into the dark room of the counting house bearing a miraculous light about him and points to the seated Matthew as the sign of his call. Matthew points to himself as if to say, ‘Do you mean me?’ Matthew’s companions either do not notice Jesus’s appearing or are ambivalent to him. Matthew, the unlikely one, is chosen; and there is no time to tarry. Jesus is already poised to turn and return to the wider world. He wants Matthew to follow him out into the world right away.

Today, since it’s only my second sermon, I thought I would speak to you about something uplifting, easy to talk about, and something that anyone can connect with. So I thought today I would talk about everything that is wrong with the Anglican Communion. 

‘Men of Galilee, why are you standing around looking at the sky?’
Acts 1. 6-14

Laudabo Nomen Domini

It had certainly been a strange couple of months…actually, it had been a strange couple of years, but it had been just a few weeks since Jesus’ arrest, crucifixion, and burial, followed by the disciples’ flight to their upper room hideout and then the women’s unbelievable message:  ‘He is alive.   He is risen.   We have seen him.’  And soon the men saw him too…