Sermons for Ordinary Times
Luke 12:13-21 “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. . . . But God said to him, ‘You fool!’ ” The story which Jesus tells is usually called “The Parable of the Rich Fool.” But on the face of it, we might not call the farmer in Jesus’ story, a fool. He certainly has …
A Sermon for the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (31/07/22): The Foolishness of Greed Read More »
Colossians 2:6-15 The problem we have with the letters in the New Testament is that we have only one half of the correspondence. We have the replies, not the letters which prompt those replies. It is as if we are listening to someone talking on the telephone. We hear them speak, but not what the …
Luke 10:38-42 Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him [Jesus] and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself?” The evening has been a long one. And through it all Martha has not had a moment’s rest. Since before …
A Sermon for the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (17/07/22): The One Thing Needful Read More »
Amos 7:7-17 How does a Christian preach or even read the book of Amos? What message could Amos possibly have for us now? Amos is very nearly unrelentingly bleak. He delivers condemnation after condemnation. In his pronouncements no one is safe from the judgement of God. His words are almost all destruction by fire and …
A Sermon for the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (10/0722): Amos and Amaziah Read More »
Galatians 6:1-16 Not so long ago I had reason to say in a sermon: “If your preaching of grace isn’t causing offence, you’re not preaching it hard enough.” I stand by that declaration. And I think it is important enough to bear repeating. Christianity is a religion of grace. It is all about what God …
A Sermon for the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (03/07/22): God Is Not Mocked Read More »
Luke 9:51-62 As Jesus turns towards Jerusalem and begins to plough his furrow in that direction, he says to his would-be followers:No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God. One of the hardest things for Christians to grasp is what kind of leader it …
Luke 8:26-39 Possessions, indeed any sickness or any evil, affect not only an individual but whole communities. On the face of it the Gerasene demoniac is the victim of “Legion.” It is he who is tormented to the point of nakedness. It is he who has no home except among the dead. It is he …
Romans 5:1-5 Today is Trinity Sunday. This is the one Sunday in the year when we are invited to consider, directly, the doctrine of the Trinity. That is, the preacher is called to speak, and the congregation is invited to reflect on, the distinctively Christian doctrine of God. There is no doubt that it is …
Luke 9:28-36 Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish in Jerusalem. How did they know? As readers of Luke’s account of the transfiguration, one of the questions that must surely occur to is: how did …
A Sermon for the Last Sunday after Epiphany (27/02/22): How Did They Know? Read More »
Luke 6:27-38 There is a basic level of kindness which is probably common to all people. It is a sort of shared concern for our fellow human beings which might be present everywhere. It is that sense that if a person’s needs are great enough, for example if they were drowning, and that if the …
A Sermon for the Seventh Sunday after Epiphany (20/02/22): Love Your Enemies Read More »