Sermons written for a variety of occasions, mostly following the Revised Common Lectionary
(Genesis 12:1-9) Romans 4:13-25 Abraham is the Bible’s, and especially Paul’s, definitive person of faith. Time and again Abraham believes what God tells him, and time and again his life is reshaped as a consequence. Abraham, who at that point in his life was still called Abram, was told to move from Ur to Haran. …
A Sermon for the Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (11/06/23): The Faith of Abraham Read More »
Matthew 28:16-20 Just as he is about leave them as he ascends into heaven, Jesus leaves his followers with what has become known as the great commission:Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.This is a problematic day that …
Acts 2:1-21 Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit, seven weeks after Jesus’ resurrection and ten days after his ascension into heaven, Pentecost raises a number of questions raises a number of questions for the Church. None of these questions are as straight forward as they might at first appear, and not all or any …
A Sermon for Pentecost (28/05/23): Pentecost; The Work of the Spirit Read More »
Acts 1:6-14 At this point Jesus has spent almost six weeks with his disciples since his resurrection. In that time, not only has he given them convincing proof that he is alive, he has also continued his teaching with them. It is clear now that that time is drawing to a close and the disciples …
1 Peter 3:13-22 Sometimes, perhaps often, we lose something of the Bible in translation.Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good?That translation of Peter’s words rather hides an allusion that he is making when he urges us to be “eager.” I hunted through lots of translation and only one, …
A Sermon for the Sixth Sermon of Easter (14/05/23):Zealots for Doing Good Read More »
Acts 2:42-47 (1 Peter 2:19-25) They say that religion and politics shouldn’t mix. Which is probably true in some sense. We don’t ever have to look far to find some toxic combination of political power and religious fervour to see that such a combination is a bad thing. But on the other hand the resurrection …
A Sermon for the Fourth Sunday of Easter (30/04/23):Religion and Politics Read More »
Luke 24:13-35 Everyday life goes on. It is the nature of our lives, of our experience of reality. Things tend to continue as the always have. There are moments that stand out from that norm. There can be highs, like the birth of children, some great or unexpected success, or some amazing transformation in circumstances. …
A Sermon for the Third Sunday of Easter (23/04/23): Meeting the Risen Christ Read More »
1 Peter 1:3-9 He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. It probably goes without saying, that being a Christian now is a very different experience from being a Christian when Peter first wrote his letter. And not simply because of the massive historical, …
A Sermon for the Second Sunday of Easter (16/04/23): Hope and Rebirth Read More »
Matthew 28:1-10 The Easter narrative fails to supply the thing we most eagerly anticipate. There is no description of the very thing which make Easter what it is. We do no see, there is no account of the resurrection.As the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to …
A Sermon for Easter Day (09/04/23): The Empty Tomb Is Not The Resurrection Read More »
Matthew 27:11-26 [The lectionary gives two options for reading on the Sixth Sunday in Lent / Palm Sunday. We can read about Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem from Matthew 21:1-11. You can a sermon on that reading here. Or we can read the Passion Narrative from Matthew 26:14-27:66. This sermon reflects on part of that …
A Sermon for the Sixth Sunday in Lent (02/04/23): Jesus Handed Over and Abandoned Read More »