The Kingdom of Heaven is not Fair!Matthew 20:1-16 The kingdom of heaven is not fair! “These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.” The complaint of the labourers who have worked all day is that it is […]
Forgive without limit as you have been forgiven Matthew 18:21-35 Then Peter came to him and said, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? . . .” Peter is actually asking for some clarification. He wants to more clearly understand the boundaries of the practical instructions which
After five months of being unable to meet in church, this is the first sermon which I have published on this blog that will actually be preached live with a congregation. Where Two or Three are Gathered Matthew 18:15-20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am among them. Powerfully over
Must Matthew 16:21-28 From that time on Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and the scribes and be killed and on the third day be raised When reading the Bible, and especially when thinking about preaching
A Sermon for the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost (30/08/20): Must Read More »
Peter’s Confession Matthew 16:13-20 Jesus has a question and he takes his disciples out of earshot of the crowd, to Caesarea Philippi, to ask it. He says: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” That’s an easy one! Voices speak up from various places within the group of disciples “Some say John
A Sermon for the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost (23/08/20): Peter’s Confession Read More »
Actually, I have broken with the lectionary readings this week. In other Christian traditions the 15th of August is a major festival, the Assumption of Mary. Whilst the whole panoply of Marian devotion and doctrine lies outside our spirituality and theology, it is possible to recognise that we do not pay Mary the attention she
Jesus and Peter Walk on Water Matthew 14:22-33 Immediately he made the disciples get in the boat and go on ahead to the other side. . . He went up the mountain by himself to pray. Very often in the Bible locations are symbolic. There is a kind of spiritual geography in the Bible. So
A Sermon for the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost (09/08/20): Jesus and Peter Walk on Water Read More »
Jacob Wrestling Genesis 32:22-31 Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. Jacob is on his way home with two wives, two concubines, ten sons and a daughter. Coming home with more livestock than he could count. He is far better off now than when he left. And all of it,
A Sermon for the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost (02/08/2020): Jacob Wrestling Read More »
God’s Promises Are Fulfilled Despite What We Do Genesis 29:15-30 Jacob has been confronting the question that all of us from time to time must face. What does the future hold? Where is his life going? Jacob at one level knows better than most some of the answer to that question. He is the recipient,
Wheat and Weeds Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 What is the kingdom of heaven like? What does God’s reign look like? Perhaps this is the most important theme which Jesus’ teaching addresses. From the outset Jesus announces that the kingdom has come very near, and is indeed present in his person, but that merely begs the question,
A Sermon for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost (19/07/20): Wheat and Weeds Read More »