Readings: Deuteronomy 34:1–12, 1 Thessalonians 2:1–13 & Matthew 22:34–46 In last week’s sermon I talked about the notion of life being a journey rather than a destination, and I finished the sermon by saying that life as a Christian is a journey to become more Christ like. And that by living our lives according to the example of Jesus himself, we embark…
Readings: Exodus 33:12–23, 1 Thessalonians 1:1–10 & Matthew 22:15–33 American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson is credited with the saying, “Life is a journey, not a destination.” Like most sayings, its precise meaning is probably open to interpretation. My own interpretation of that saying is that life is not a series of milestones to be checked off as we pass through each one,…
11.10.20. 19th Sunday after Pentecost Exodus 32:1-14 Psalm 106:1-6, 20-24 Philippians 4 Matthew 22:1-14 In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew, Jesus tells the parable of The Wedding Banquet. A King sends out invitations to lots of important people to come to his Son’s wedding. He wants them to put on their finest…
Sermon for the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost Readings: Exodus 20:1–4, 7–9, 12–20, Philippians 3 & Matthew 21:33–46 For those of you watching the service who may not know, I have 3 adult children – a daughter and twin sons – from my first marriage. Earlier this week I was telling my new wife a story about when my twins were young boys,…
Readings: Exodus 17:1-7. Philippians 2. Matthew 21:23-32 I think it is safe to say that we live in very challenging times and throughout the Covid-19 pandemic of the last few months we have seen the Federal and all the State governments exercise their authority by implementing rules that they say are there to protect us all and are for…
Exod. 16:2-15, Ps 105:1-6, 37-45, Phil. Ch 1. Matthew 20:1-16 Grumbling and complaining. It’s a very human thing to do when things do not seem to be working the way we think they ought. Children complain when they are hungry, or on a long car journey calling out, ‘are we there yet?’ Adults are not immune to complaining or…
Our first reading this morning, from the Book of Exodus, describes the crossing of the Red Sea; the event where the Israelites fleeing from Egypt are rescued from the Egyptian army by an act of God. How much truth do you think there is in this story? Most people in the twenty-first century, particularly those who are not from a faith background,…
Readings: Exodus 12:1–4, Romans 13: 1–10 & Matthew 18:10–20 One of the biggest bugbears throughout my life has been people who don’t obey stop signs when driving. Still to this day, I get frustrated and annoyed when I see someone slow down as they come to an intersection marked by a stop sign, but then accelerate again and go through the intersection…
Readings: Exodus 3:1–15, Romans 12:9–21 & Matthew 16:21–28 For those of us who take an active interest in the AFL, we are probably all very familiar with the saying, “A week is a long time in footy!” Well, after reading our gospel passage for today, I think we could also say that ‘a week is a long time in the Gospels!’. It…