Sorrow and Joy
John 16:16-33 The disciples’ confusion at what Jesus is trying to tell them continues to deepen as we read through chapter 16 of John’s account. And no wonder, as Jesus seems to have fallen into speaking in riddles: A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you […]
In my love
John 15:12-25 Perhaps in the last couple of weeks you’ve noticed that I slipped quietly over some of the more difficult phrases that Jesus spoke. Last week, for instance, we heard him say “They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by […]
Not orphans
John 14:15-31 Unlike some other traditions within the Christian faith, we in the Uniting Church don’t tend to give a great deal of attention to the Holy Spirit. Other than at Pentecost (of course), and Trinity Sunday (if the preacher doesn’t avoid the subject of the Trinity entirely) the spirit very much takes a back […]
Imposter Syndrome
John 13:21-38 This year for Lent I’ve decided to move a little bit away from the lectionary readings, and instead to focus in on a single aspect of Jesus’ final week.
Transfigured
Mark 9:2-9 The transfiguration has always felt a little bit odd to me. It’s a story so richly packed with imagery and allusions – the archetypal mountaintop experience, the figures from the history of the people of Israel, the clothes dazzling white, the cloud, the voice – that even as we enter into the story […]
Moving On
1 Corinthians 9:16-23 | Mark 1:29-39 Last week, in the gospel reading that comes immediately before today’s, we heard that, having set a man free from whatever it was that bound him, Jesus’ fame began to spread. Jesus, we read today, followed the accepted pattern of life for an observant Jew of his day; he […]
A new preacher
Mark 1:21-28 A new preacher walked into town. Perhaps some people knew him from his childhood days in Nazareth, a little hamlet in the nearby mountains, but he’d been a wanderer of late, spending time further out in the wilderness.
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 […]