Sermons on Faith (Page 18)
Entirely Fire
After the last few weeks when we have heard parables of violence and exclusion, it’s something of a relief to get to the two great commandments, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ And ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ For most of us this is the center of Jesus’ teaching. But I wonder whether that is right. Jesus himself says, “On these two commandments…
Forests
Today we start our annual celebration of Creation. From today through the first Sunday in October we will be focusing on God’s work and God’s presence in the created world. If I were to ask you what is the biggest living creature, some of you would say the blue whale, and some would debate what actually we mean by living. But I doubt that many of us would immediately say Pando. Pando is a forest, but all of its 47,000…
Living Sacrifice
When Paul wrote to the churches he had founded, he typically spent part of the letter talking about theology and then turned to its practical application. In this morning’s reading from Romans we heard the beginning of his practical section. “I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed…
Joseph and That Sinking Feeling
“Joseph and That Sinking Feeling” – from Genesis 37.12-28, – Rev. Mike Eggleston My car’s music system mostly plays Broadway musicals when I’m driving. When it’s short trips in the electric car, I usually hear short clips from the musical “Hamilton.” But for longer drives in my wife’s car, the music I’ve sung along to for the last two months has been “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” I hope some of you are familiar with Joseph. It was…
Love in the Kindom
There is a similar focus in the Old Testament when God persistently calls those who are younger or in some way less important to lead the people. Israel itself was a small nation in comparison with its neighbors. St Benedict’s is a small church. The reign of God is here. The reign of God is very small; it is the mustard seed as well as the zillions of mustard plants that grow from that seed. It is also hidden. We…
Surely the Lord is in this Place
A sermon by Rob and Donna Ross Jacob’s Story This Sunday and next, Jesus tells parables about seeds – seeds that land on barren pathways; seeds thrown among rocks and brambles; seeds crowded out by weeds. Some seeds fall into good soil, becoming great trees that support the growing kingdom of God. This Sunday and next, the lessons begin with Jacob’s story – which I think we can hear as one of the “good seeds”. Jacob’s story has it…
Abundance in a world of scarcity
The parable of the sower is so familiar to us and yet also so problematic. Not only does Matthew tell us what the parable means, thus leaving little to our imaginations but he divides us, the ground upon which the seed lands, into the good, the bad and the ugly. Today I am continuing the sermon series on Slow Church. To be a Slow Church is to be a local manifestation of Christ, alert both to the diversity of gifts…
Time to Update!
Genesis 22:1-14 Psalm 13 Romans 6:12-23 Matthew 10:40-42 Why did God tell Abraham to sacrifice Isaac? The traditional way to read this story that God wanted to test Abraham’s faith, to see if he was really willing to sacrifice his son to God… Does that sound like the God that Jesus talked about? Does that sound like the God who is love? Not so much. Many contemporary scholars read it rather differently. They see this story as a pivotal point…
Losing in Christ
Genesis 21:8-21 Romans 6:1b-11 Matthew 10:24-39 I am very grateful to have colleagues with whom to share the sometimes daunting privilege of preaching. When I looked at this morning’s readings, I wished that one of them had offered to preach today! These are tough readings. Our Old Testament readings this summer follow the saga of Abraham and Sarah, the great ancestors of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Today we heard the disturbing story of Hagar and Ishmael. Although God had promised…
Work and Sabbath (Slow Church)
Today we come to the next sermon in our series based on Slow Church – cultivating community in the patient way of Jesus. A slow church is not one which is very slow to do anything or where the services are extremely long because they are so slow paced. No, slow church is a way of doing church that is locally sustained, sustainable and sustaining. It is a church which develops its own unique way of doing things and its…