September 2026

“We plough the fields and scatter the good seed on the land but it is fed and watered by God’s almighty hand.”

Most of us will have sung that lovely Harvest hymn for most of our lives. I can remember singing it in Primary School as we celebrated marrows and tins of beans. Being a ‘townie’ harvest was for me not much to do with fresh crops it was more to do with packets and tins. In fact my Primary School was in earshot of Huntley Bourne and Stevens the tin makers for Huntley and Palmers biscuits. It was an...

Matthew 20:1-16

“It’s not fair?”

Can’t you just hear that phrase in this Gospel passage ? Not all of the vineyard workers were happy. The late comers probably could not believe their luck, they were paid for a whole day’s labour and not just the actual hour or so, thy actually worked. I think I would have been more than chuffed to receive a full day’s pay after thinking I would not get anything at all. I would have been overwhelmed by my employers generosity.

Those who did work the full day, were grumpy that the Vineyard owner paid everyone...

I wonder whether you remember your school rules. I remember mine in some detail. They were numerous and strict. Don’t carry an umbrella unless you are a sixth former. Don’t loiter in the boot passage. Don’t talk after light’s out. Don’t smoke and, it being a Methodist school, no drinking alcohol. You get the picture – it was a list consisting mainly of “donts” and the “donts” vastly outnumbered the “dos”. The booklet containing the rules ended with these words

“These rules are not a substitute for common sense.”

We thought that the rules were very severe but then someone...