In this powerful Second Sunday of Advent reflection, Fr Sam asks a deeply searching question: Why does the Church exist? As St John the Baptist Church prepares to welcome hundreds of people through its doors for the Barnet Christmas Fair, this sermon reframes community activity not as tradition or visibility but as mission.

Drawing on the fierce preaching of John the Baptist and the theology of St Paul in Romans, Sam challenges the danger of religious complacency. Just as the crowds at the Jordan assumed their birthright as children of Abraham made them secure, we too can fall into the trap of believing that history, culture, or status make us the Church. But John’s warning is clear: belonging to God is not about heritage it is about faith and relationship.

Through the story of Abraham, Sam t ...