Talents and Value
Luke 19:1-10 | Matthew 25:14-30 This week we have returned to two stories today that I suspect we’ve all heard many times – the story of Zacchaeus, and the parable of the talents. In Luke’s gospel they are placed immediately after one another, but this being the year of Matthew we’ve heard his version of […]
For all the saints
Ephesians 1:11-16 | Romans 14:7-9 When you read the New Testament, especially the letters, there are places where it’s clear that the early Church was expecting Jesus to return – and that they were expecting it to happen soon. And part of that expectation was that on his return he would usher in the new […]
Pressing On
Philippians 3:4b-14 Two weeks ago we look at Philippians 2 in which we read the great hymn or poem of Jesus’ self-emptying: “…though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself…”
Connections
Romans 12:4-8 Today we are celebrating connections – the ways in which we, as the Body of Christ in this part, connect with each other, care for each other, do life together as God’s people.
Reflecting on the Voice
Romans 12:9-20 | Luke 4:16-21 When I came to think about this service, reflecting on the Voice referrendum, I realised that the choice of Bible passage wasn’t going to be obvious. The Bible obviously has little to say, directly, about the wording of the Australian constitution, but that’s not really the problem: the real problem […]
To live is Christ
Philippians 1:21-30 Over the next few weeks we’re going to be looking at the letter to the Philippians, under the theme of “Growing towards the light”. That series is going to be mixed up a bit by some special services – reflecting on the Voice referendum and the issues of faith that raises, a special […]
Forgiveness
Matthew 18:21-35 It seems such a simple question. And, for that matter, a simple enough answer. The disciples have heard Jesus speak of forgiveness. And perhaps they’ve understood how their own deep need to be forgiven – by others, by themselves, and by God – finds an echo in the call to forgive one another. […]
On this rock
Matthew 16:13-20 It’s a deeply held truth in the Goringe household – and I know that we are not alone in this – that when a man becomes a father, he loses all ability to judge the quality of a joke. In my case, many of those jokes involve a play on words; I can’t […]
Even the dogs
Matthew 15:21-28 Of all the events in Jesus’ ministry, it might be that this is the encounter that leaves us most confused. He meets a gentile, a Canaanite woman, in desperate need of help for her afflicted daughter, and his response is first to ignore her – explicitly because of her race – and then, […]
Get out of the boat
Matthew 14:22-33 If you were here in the morning last week you’d have heard me read the story “Webster the Preacher Duck” to the kids. For those who didn’t – in the story Webster preaches an inspiring sermon to his duck congregation on God’s gift of wings, and their calling to flight. The congregation respond […]
Jonah
Jonah 3:10-4:11 | Matthew 20:1-16 I have this sort of love-hate relationship with the Jonah story. The problem with Jonah is that the moment you say the name, everyone with any sort of Sunday School background immediately pictures a whale. It’s like some sort of pavlovian response: Jonah – Whale. And probably not just the […]
A cup of water
Matthew 10:40-42 Today we come to the end of our “in a nutshell” series, digging into some of the memorable, pithy phrases with which Jesus’ words were liberally sprinkled. As I’ve been preparing these sermons, I’ve been reflecting a bit on the role that these phrases play in Jesus’ teaching. When I think about the […]
Many Sparrows
Matthew 10:24-31 Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. Why sparrows?