For all the marvels of modern technology, something in our modern lifestyle distances us from one another. There is a crisis of loneliness in the Western world — and it's nothing new. Two thousand years ago, Zacchaeus was the richest man in Jericho and the most isolated.In this sermon from Luke 19:1–10, Revd. Mark Fletcher explores how Jesus saw past the wealth and the reputation to the lost soul hiding behind it all. When Jesus invited himself to dinner with the town's most hated man, he demonstrated something radical: grace precedes repentance. Acceptance comes first, and that is what brings the change.We all have our gilded prisons — the things we think will make us happy but end up leaving us alone. We all hide behind masks. And we all have categories of people we think are beyond the reach of the gospel. But as Mother Teresa said, "Loneliness is the most terrible poverty."The good news? No matter how lost you are, Jesus will come searching for you. Are you ready to come down from your tree?Full transcript and video: https://stpeters.ch/sermons/crisis-of-loneliness/
We're excited to announce a valuable new resource for your spiritual journey - our Biblical Reflections section is now live on the St. Peter's website.Our new Biblical Reflections page offers focused commentaries drawn directly from our Sunday messages.Each reflection features: A specific Scripture passage Clear, accessible commentary from the sermon A direct link to the full original message Whether you prefer to browse by recent sermons using the dropdown menu, explore reflections from a particular book of the Bible, or simply scroll through all available entries, this new resource makes it easy to deepen your understanding of God's Word at your own pace.Perfect for personal devotions, small group discussions, or simply refreshing your memory of Sunday's message, these bite-sized reflections capture the essence of our sermons in an easily digestible format.View Biblical Reflections
Filter by: Speaker - find all talks by a particular preacher Bible Book - explore sermons from Genesis to Revelation Topic - discover messages on faith, hope, prayer and more Series - catch up on themed teaching Date - browse chronologically Each sermon includes video and full transcript.Visit: stpeters/sermons
I'm married to Angela, and we have two almost grown up daughters. We've spent 20 years in parishes in central London, and have served some very diverse and international congregations. My current appointment is as team vicar in Barnsbury, with responsibility for Church on the Corner, a missional church plant within the parish that reaches young adults, and for the last two and a half years I have overseen the whole Parish through both lockdown and a long interregnum. I have also had experience of seasonal ministry in Zermatt and Kandersteg. Beyond the parish I hold a number of Diocesan responsibilities in the areas of church planting, training and developing vocations, I was Chaplain to the Stepney Intern scheme, I am an Assistant Director of Ordinands and also Surrogate for Islington.We have had a sense for some time of God calling us on to new things and have been genuinely open to whatever and wherever that might be. Our prayer has been to "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding, and he will make straight your paths" and despite times of real unknowing, God has been faithful to that promise. And we are delighted that we have been called to a part of the world that we love dearly and two churches that are so outward looking and full of life and love.
