Sermons from 2022 (Page 2)
Dishonest Sacrifice
I can’t get my ego totally out of the way. I want St Ben’s to be big and successful. But God’s way is different and God measures success in different ways. What is important is that we persevere and we discern what God is doing among us, and then get on board.
The Feast of St Francis
Luke 12:22-32 Good morning, St Bens. It is so nice to be back with you today. Reverend Caro has chosen 3 wonderful readings for today as we celebrate the feast of St Francis. Last time we were here it was the feast of St Benedict’s and now St Francis – what a lovely opportunity to be with this community that clearly seeks to live inspired by both of these saints. I have to say something about this first reading from…
The Rich Man and Lazarus
The parable of the rich man and Lazarus. It’s easy to poke a finger at the rich guy and say he should have helped the poor man sleeping in front of his gates, but aren’t we a bit like him?
Dishonest Wealth
Amos 8:4-7Luke 16:1-13 How many of you found this morning’s gospel confusing? You’re in good company – so do most New Testament scholars. I was trying to tell Jill about it and my first attempt was something like, “There was a manager or steward who was embezzling and when his employer asked for an audit he embezzled some more and his employer congratulated him.” It makes little sense as part of Jesus’ teachings. At the 8am service, Ed Valentine remarked…
WE ARE THE 99
Homer Simpson says “Beer, the cause and solution to all our problems.” I’d like to modify that to say humankind may be the cause of many of our problems, and we are also the solution.
Heartbreak
Deuteronomy 30:15-20 Psalm 1 Isaac the Syrian Luke 14:25-33 Welcome to the first Sunday in the Season of Creation which we celebrate during September. This is a bitter-sweet time because we get to thank and praise God for the never-ending wonders of God’s creation at the same time that we grieve humanity’s failure to adequately care for it. It is the same drama of God’s faithfulness, our failure and the call to repentance and newness of life that we see…
Whose Sacrifice?
Hebrews talks about “our sacrifice of praise” – how do we understand sacrifice today? Since God is love, why does God require sacrifice, if they do?
Set Free the Sabbath
We all have moments in life that shift our perspective. How might finding a new perspective on the Sabbath shift yours?
Now Ignite Us With Your fire
It’s easy, living as we do in a beautiful and moderately prosperous place, to get lulled into an ‘easy peace’. Jesus challenges us, in the words of Bonhoeffer, to exchange ‘cheap grace’ for ‘costly grace’ – to understand the challenge of the peace of God.
Walking in Faith
Faith is a slippery concept – what does it actually mean to have faith? To believe several impossible things, to give intellectual assent to the existence of God, or something else entirely?