Readings: Is. 9:2–7, Tit. 2:11–14 & Lk. 2:1–20 At its best, Christmas is a wonderful occasion for family and friends to spend time together enjoying each other’s company, sharing meals, and exchanging gifts. At its worst, its probably the single biggest opportunity in the year for our “consumerist culture” to gorge itself on excess. Sometimes in the church we lament the fact…
Readings: Isaiah 63:7–9, Hebrews 2:10–18 & Matthew 2:13–23 I want to talk to you this morning about three topics that are raised in today’s readings: journey, suffering and redemption. On Christmas Eve and Morning, we heard the story of the birth of Jesus from Luke’s Gospel. In that story we heard of a journey that Joseph took, with a heavily pregnant Mary,…
Readings: Isaiah 49:1–7, 1 Corinthians 1:1–9 & John 1:29–42 Today’s first reading, from the Book of Isaiah, is the second of what are known as the four ‘Servant Songs’ in Isaiah. The ‘Servant Songs’ are often thought by Christians to be prophecies about Jesus. This is especially true of the last of the four, which can be found from verse thirteen of…
Readings: Isaiah 35:1–10, James 5:7–10 & Matthew 11:2–11 I watched a documentary earlier this year on the mass migration of wildebeest (some 1.7 million of them) that occurs each year around the same time in the Serengeti region of Africa. The migration is heavily influenced by the wet season and the availability of water, and as I watched the documentary I was…
Readings: Isaiah 11:1–10, Romans 15:4–13 & Matthew 3:1–12 “Prepare ye the way of the Lord”, say the lyrics of the self-titled song from the musical Godspell. But what does it mean to prepare the way of the Lord? John the Baptist tells us that we should repent; that we should confess our sins and ask for God’s forgiveness. ‘Repentance’ and ‘sin’ are…
Readings: Isaiah 2:1–5, Romans 13:9–14 & Matthew 24:36–44 I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been a very spontaneous person. I need to plan what I’m doing, so I’m not very good when it comes to surprise visits or last minute invitations. Hence when I read the verse in Matthew’s Gospel, where Jesus said, “Keep awake therefore, for you do not…
Readings: Deut. 30:11–14, Rom. 10:8–18 & Mt. 4:18–22 Today, we celebrate the Feast Day of St Andrew, the patron saint of our parish here in Aberfeldie. Andrew is often referred to as the “first called”, meaning that he was the first person called by Jesus, to be a disciple of his. That doesn’t seem to be the case though, when we read…
Readings: Isaiah 65:17–25, 2 Thessalonians 3:6–13 & Luke 21:5–19 In the opening verses of today’s gospel passage, Jesus predicts the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, which of course came true in the year 70, when it was totally destroyed by the Romans after they had put down a rebellion by the Jewish people. This prophecy of Jesus prompted the disciples to…
Readings: Haggai 1:15b–2:9, 2 Thessalonians 2:1–5, 13–17 & Luke 20: 27–40 Let me start this morning by sharing a short story with you about a couple named Carol and Jack. Carol awoke one night to find that her husband (Jack) wasn’t in bed. She put on her dressing gown and went downstairs to look for him. She found him sitting at the…
Readings: Habakkuk 1:1–4, 2:1–4, 2 Thessalonians 1:1–4, 11–12 & Luke 19: 1–10 In our first reading this morning, from the Book of the prophet Habakkuk, the prophet is frustrated by the social injustice he is forced to continually witness, and he is even more frustrated by God’s failure to answer his prayer. The protest to God of unanswered prayer is a common…