Sermon for the Fourth Sunday in Advent Readings: Isaiah 7:10–16, Romans 1:1–7 & Matthew 1:18–25 The early Christians believed that today’s reading from the prophet Isaiah was actually a prophecy about the birth of Jesus, and we can understand why when we read verse fourteen that says, ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel’,…

Sermon for the Third Sunday in Advent Readings: Isaiah 35:1–10, James 5:7–10 & Matthew 11:2–11 Several years I watched a documentary 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…

Sermon for the Second Sunday in Advent 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? If John the Baptist were answering that question, he would say that we should repent; that is,…

Sermon for the Fourth Sunday in Advent Readings: Micah 5:2–5a; Hebrews 10:5–10 & Luke 1:39–45 The prophet Micah was a contemporary of the prophet Isaiah, and he prophesied during the late 8th century BC. He prophesied at a time when the kingdom of Judah, and its capital Jerusalem, lived under the shadow of the Assyrian Empire, which had already conquered the northern…

Readings: 2 Sam. 7:1–11, 16, Rom. 16:25–27 & Lk. 1:26-38 These past weeks of Advent have been a period of preparation for us. A time for us to reflect on our faith, and our own personal relationship with God, as we check our spiritual preparedness to both celebrate the anniversary of the birth of Jesus, and to await his ‘second coming’.  Each…

Readings: Is. 61:1–4, 8–11, Ps. 126, 1 Th. 5:12–28 & Jn. 1:6–8, 19–28 Who am I? Have you ever asked yourself that question? Perhaps the greatest struggle we face in our lives is the struggle with the sense of our own identity. I was reminded recently of something written by Thomas Merton, which was titled ‘Love is our Measure’. Merton wrote: “The…

Sermon for the First Sunday of Advent Readings: Is. 64:1–9, 1 Cor. 1:1–9 & Mk. 13:24–37 This morning, I would like you to cast your mind back to the story of the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. What followed the Exodus, was the revelation of God to Moses and the people of Israel, at Mount Sinai, when (to quote Ex 19:18)…

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…