Read Sermons

Sermon preached at the Diocesan Choirs Festival (11 May 2013) by the Right Reverend Michael Colclough, Canon Pastor
The Right Reverend Michael Colclough looks at the gift of singing and how 'God made all of you and that he gave you all a voice'.

Sermon preached on the Seventh Sunday of Easter, the Sunday after Ascension (12 May 2013) by the Very Reverend David Ison, dean
The Very Reverend David Ison, Dean of St Paul's, looks at the Ascension and the promise of 'hope beyond death'.

Address to conclude the Mind of the Maker series (12 May 2013) given by the Reverend Canon Michael Hampel, Precentor
The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel gives the address at the end of the Mind of the Maker series, at which four famous faces spoke about their faith.

Address given at the funeral of Baroness Thatcher (17 April 2013) by the Bishop of London
The Address given by The Right Reverend and Right Honourable Richard Chartres, KCVO, Bishop of London at the funeral of Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven LG, OM, FRS

Sermon preached on the Third Sunday of Easter (14 April 2013) by The Reverend Canon Mark Oakley, Chancellor
Ahead of the funeral service of Baroness Thatcher, The Reverend Canon Mark Oakley looks at the 'gospel truth' of a Christian funeral.

Sermon preached on Palm Sunday (24 March 2013) by the Reverend Canon Michael Hampel, Precentor
The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel looks at our relationship with God and how we should stand with the poor and oppressed this Holy Week.

Sermon preached on the Fourth Sunday of Lent (10 March 2013) by the Reverend Canon Vernon White, Canon Theologian, Westminster Abbey
The Reverend Canon Vernon White looks at the 'truth of our lives' and argues that it cannot be found in just one moment.

Sermon preached on the Third Sunday of Lent (3 March 2013) by the Very Reverend Michael Tavinor, Dean of Hereford
The Very Reverend Michael Tavinor looks at the importance of presence and says that one of the marks of being a Christian is that we should be present.

Sermon (ii) preached on the Second Sunday of Lent (24 February 2013) by the Reverend Canon Michael Hampel, Precentor
  The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel looks at our relationship with God as well as the Church's mission and evangelism

Sermon preached on the Second Sunday of Lent (24 February 2013) by the Reverend Canon Michael Hampel, Precentor
The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel looks at what makes a Christian a Christian, and discovers that discipleship is more than a 'hobby or a sideline'.

Sermon preached on the First Sunday of Lent (17 February 2013) by the Reverend Canon Michael Hampel, Precentor
The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel looks at religious tradition ans asks if it creates a kind of 'spiritual quarantine'.

Sermon preached on the First Sunday of Lent (17 February 2013) by the Reverend Dr Christopher Burden, Canon Theologion, St Edmundsbury Cathedral
The Reverend Dr Christopher Burden talks about fasting, feasting and letting go.

Sermon preached on Ash Wednesday (13 February 2013) by the Reverend Canon Michael Hampel, Precentor
The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel looks at the rise of evil through 'good men doing nothing' and asks, on Ash Wednesday, what is it we can take-up rather than give-up.

Sermon preached on the Fourth Sunday of Epiphany by the Reverend William Van Der Hart, Vicar St Peter's Church West Harrow
The Reverend William Van Der Hart looks at God coming out of the desert.

Sermon preached on the Third Sunday of Epiphany (20 January 2013) by the Very Reverend Dr David Ison, Dean
The very Reverend Dr David Ison looks at a special week in the Church and asks if we're doing our bit for Christian unity.

Sermon preached on the Second Sunday of Epiphany (13 January 2013) by the Very Reverend Dr David Ison, Dean
The Very Reverend Dr David Ison looks at the Baptism of Christ and asks 'is your heart in it?'

Sermon preached on the Second Sunday of Epiphany (13 January 2013) by The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel
The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel looks at the Baptism of Christ, the feast day celebrated on this Sunday.

Sermon preached on The Epiphany (6 January 2013) by the Very Reverend Dr David Ison, Dean
The Very Reverend Dr David Ison looks at the Feast of Epiphany, and asks if Christmas was 'a good time' or 'deeply joyful'.

Sermon preached at the Christmas Carol Services (23&24 December 2012) by the Reverend Canon Mark Oakley
The Reverend Canon Mark Oakley, Treasurer, looks at the most important aspects of Christmas - love, relationship, connection, trust, wisdom - and asks us to be loyal to the future.

Sermon preached on the Third Sunday of Advent (16 December 2012) by The Very Reverend Dr David Ison, Dean
The Very Reverend David Ison asks: 'What are you afraid of?'

Sermon preached on the third Sunday of Advent (16 December 2012) by The Reverend Richard Carter, Curate of St Martin-in-the-Fields
The Reverend Richard Carter looks further into his church's 2012 Advent theme - Coming, Ready or Not.

Sermon preached on the first Sunday of Advent (2 December 2012) by The Reverend Anna Macham, Succentor of Southwark Cathedral
The Reverend Anna Macham, looks at the coming of Christ in Advent and how it affirms our value and restores our dignity.

Sermon preached on the first Sunday of Advent (2 December 2012) by The Reverend Canon Mark Oakley
The Reverend Canon Mark Oakley, Treasurer, looks at the current state of the Church of England and asks, where is the Church that is loyal to the future?

Sermon preached on the Feast of Christ the King (25 November 2012) by The Reverend Canon michael Hampel
The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel looks at inclusivity, referring to the vote on women bishops and Jesus' representation in Holman Hunt's 'The Light of the World'.

Sermon preached on the Feast of Christ the King (25 November 2012) by The Very Reverend Dr David Ison, Dean
The Very Reverend Dr David Ison looks at the history and meaning of The Feast of Christ the King.

Sermon preached on the second Sunday before Advent (18 November 2012) by The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel
The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel looks at the strength of our hope, referring to the current situation in the Middle East.

Sermon preached on the third Sunday before Advent, Remembrance Sunday (11 November 2012) by The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel
The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel looks at the human quest for life by focusing on the often ignored statue to the Kinder Transport at Liverpool Street Station.

Sermon preached on the fourth Sunday before Advent (4 November 2012) by The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel
'Shemas and shibboleths'. The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel, Precentor, looks at the 'extraordinary' behaviour of religious people and Jesus' response to the hierarchy of the Commandments.

Sermon preached on the twentieth Sunday after Trinity (21 October 2012) by The Very Reverend Dr David Ison, Dean
The Very Reverend Dr David Ison looks at the meaning of the Sabbath, Pharisees and how complex issues can’t be resolved by simply quoting individual texts.

Sermon preached on the nineteenth Sunday after Trinity (14 October 2012) by The Right Reverend Michael Colclough, Canon Pastor
The Right Reverend Michael Colclough looks at Jesus' meeting with a stranger asking how he could inherit eternal life, and how Jesus wanted to love the man into the Kingdon of Heaven, but in the end the important thing was what the man wanted.

Sermon preached on the seventeenth Sunday after Trinity (30 September 2012) by The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel
The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel looks at the idea we all go to heaven or hell, and asks, 'is it that simple?'.

Sermon preached for the Installation of Reverend Jonathan Coore as Succentor (19 September 2012) by The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel
The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel looks at risk taking under the dome of St Paul's Cathedral and how there is no desire to bury our heads in the sand.

Sermon preached on the fifteenth Sunday after Trinity (16 September 2012) by The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel
The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel looks at the natural human instinct to take sides, but that 'sitting on the fence' allows people of faith to focus entirely on God.

Sermon preached on the twelfth Sunday after Trinity (26 August 2012) by The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel
The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel looks at the 'humility of the race', on the day that St Paul's hosted a service for the opening of the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

Sermon preached on the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity (26 August 2012) by Professor Peter McCullough, Lay Canon
Professor Peter McCullough looks at both the simplicity and complexity of sharing, as well as what we mean by 'communication'.

Sermon (i) preached on the ninth Sunday after Trinity (5 August 2012) by The Very Reverend Dr David Ison, Dean
The Dean of St Paul's looks at passion and sex in the Bible, particularly in the Song of Songs.

Sermon (ii) preached on the ninth Sunday after Trinity (5 August 2012) by The Very Reverend Dr David Ison, Dean
The Dean of St Paul's looks at the Olympic crowds and says that in his day, Jesus was the crowd-puller - the 'attraction that people wanted to see'.

Sermon preached on the eighth Sunday after Trinity (29 July 2012) by The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel
The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel looks at Miracle and Parable - and asks, are they two sides of the same coin?

Sermon preached on the eighth Sunday after Trinity (29 July 2012) by The Very Reverend Dr David Ison, Dean
The Dean of St Paul's looks at the power of crowds, focusing on the summer riots of 2011 and the uplifting nature of the Olympic Torch.

Sermon preached on the Feast Day of Mary Magdalene (22 July 2012) by The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel
The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel looks at the life of Mary Magdalene – the First Apostle

Sermon preached on the sixth Sunday after Trinity (15 July 2012) by The Reverend Andrew Hammond
'Daring to be Christian'. The Revd Andrew Hammond preaches his last sermon as Succentor of St Paul's before moving to his new ministry as Vicar of St Mary, Willesden.

Sermon preached on the sixth Sunday after Trinity (15 July 2012) by The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel
‘God be with you till we meet again.’

Sermon preached on the fifth Sunday after Trinity (8 July 2012) by The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel
The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel looks at strength in numbers.

Sermon preached at the Friends of St Paul's Cathedral's 60th anniversary Evensong (4 July 2012) by the Very Revd Dr David Ison
Congratulations to the Friends of St Paul's in this its 60th anniversary year: a truly Elizabethan organisation.

Sermon preached on the fourth Sunday after Trinity (1 July 2012) by The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel
The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel looks at mixing religion and politics, and asks whether there is 'too much democracy'.

Sermon preached by The Most Revd Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, at the service of rededication to the Church Urban Fund (18 June 2012)
This may possibly be the shortest text for a sermon that you will hear for some time. It is the word ‘see’ - the first word of our first lesson.

Sermon preached by The Very Revd Dr David Ison on the occasion of his installation as Dean of St Paul's Cathedral
What is this event about? It's important for this cathedral and for its ongoing story: another chapter unfolds. But this is a very minor footnote in the unfolding of the kingdom of God: the important thing isn't what we do this evening, but what will we do as a result of it, together.

Sermon preached on the fifth Sunday of Easter (6 May 2012) by The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel
The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel looks at God’s love and mercy through imagination and poetry.

Sermon preached on 2 May 2012 by The Right Reverend and Right Honourable Dr Richard Chartres
St Paul's Cathedral –350th anniversary of the 1662 edition of the Book of Common Prayer.

Sermon preached on the fourth Sunday of Easter (29 April 2012) by The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel
The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel looks at the 'conversation' we have with God using the three best known sets of text in the Church of England

Sermon preached on the First Sunday after Easter (15 April) by Prof Peter McCullough, Lay Canon
Professor Peter McCullough, Lay Canon, looks at 'Low Sunday', and why we should 'savour' the Easter peace in the weeks following all the drama of Holy Week.

Sermon preached on Easter Day (8 April 2012) by The Reverend Canon Mark Oakley
The Reverend Canon Mark Oakley looks at the modern gods of Gloss, Obese, Instantaneous and Punch, and how Christians should speak out for their faith and their belief in the true God.

Sermon preached on the fourth Sunday of Lent (18 March 2012) by The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel
The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel, Precentor, looks at the mystery surrounding Jesus' preaching in the temple at a young age

Sermon preached on the third Sunday of Lent (11 March 2012) by The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel
The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel looks at King Zedekiah's 'strategy and realism' and St Paul's 'opportunism and joy' and whether tragedy and comedy together make up the reality of the world.

Sermon preached on the third Sunday of Lent (11 March 2012) by The Reverend Dominic Barrington, Rector, St Peter and St Paul, Kettering
The Reverend Dominic Barrington looks at Christian mission and Christian ministry, believing: 'I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.'

Sermon preached on the third Sunday of Lent (11 March 2012) by The Reverend Andrew Hammond
The Reverend Andrew Hammond, Succentor, looks at a 'rampaging' Jesus and how his instruction to ‘destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up' was far from literal.

Sermon preached on the second Sunday of Lent (4 March 2012) by The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel
The Reverend Canon Michael Hampel discovers the strength of prophecy when combined with humility and how those of us who have faith in Christ Jesus should all ultimately be prophets.

Meditations preached on Ash Wednesday (22 February 2012) by Reverend Sarah Eynstone, Chaplain
On Ash Wednesday, Rev Sarah Eynstone held a series of four liturgies and meditations. In these, she contemplated how poverty, chastity and obedience can give us the freedom to grow into the full stature of our humanity through following in the way of Christ.

Archived Sermons