Sermons on Faith (Page 4)

We are mortal

Tonight we remember that we are mortal. That we are made of stardust and to dust we shall return, carbon to carbon. And why do we do this, year after year? As if our unexpected aches and pains were not enough to remind us that we are mortal!

Transcendence

It seems that our ancestors experienced moments of transcendence – of heaven breaking through – when the scriptures were read. What makes transcendence more likely? How can we prepare ourselves for God to reveal Godself in our lives?

God is well-pleased

Our ministry is to bring the qualities of the Spirit into every interaction, every relationship. God is well-pleased with us and that is why we choose to make this our life’s path.

The New Relationship

Luke 2:1-20 I wonder what the shepherds thought they would find when they went into Bethlehem? The angel said that a baby will be a sign but the shepherds didn’t say to each other, “Let’s go and see the baby” – they said “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” I wonder what they were expecting? I also wonder how they found the right place…

O Little Town of Bethlehem

Micah 5:2-5a Luke 1:39-55  When I was on sabbatical and visiting family I dipped briefly into the family tree. I was surprised to discover that my grandparents who lived in North London all their lives were married in Wales. And that two months later, my father was born. It seems that there were some relatives in Wales and when   my grandmother found that she was pregnant, she probably went, as Mary did, into the hill country away from the…

A Prophet In Their Own Home

Ezekiel 2:1-52 Corinthians 12:2-10Mark 6:1-13 “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.” That is a saying that resonates from my childhood – I can’t be sure but I think my mother quoted it when she was feeling under-appreciated. But I doubt that she actually saw herself as a prophet.  We tend to think of prophets as those who utter prophecy, and prophecy as saying what will happen in…

All will be forgiven.

Do you remember the movie Four Weddings and a Funeral?  In one of the weddings, comedian Rowan Atkinson plays a young priest who gets his words muddled and concludes a prayer with the words, “in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Goat”. Determined not to make the same mistake a second time, at the end of the wedding he blesses the congregation in the name of, “The Father the Son and the Holy Spigot.” Was…

Love Actually

John 15:9-17  Last night as I was thinking about this morning’s sermon I thought “I just seem to be preaching the same sermon over and over again.” And then I laughed because indeed this is the same sermon…  we heard in our gospel reading a continuation of Jesus’ last words to his disciples, which is often thought of as a sermon. So it’s not surprising that our reflection this week bears similarity to last week. Thursday of this week is…