But wait there's More (the amazing gospel deal!) Easter 7 C
Release Date: 05/25/2022
The greatest is love! 1Cor 13 Epiphany + 4C
10 Minute Message
Readings 1 Cor 12:31b-14:1a and Luke 4:21–30 The Greatest is Love Misconceptions and Paul’s Teaching The people of the church in the City of Corinth were convinced that being a good Christian and a good Christian leader was about spiritual gifts, clever ideas, eloquent language, or preaching. Some believed that Christians with greater gifts, impressive preaching, or even wealth should have more influence. Last week (and throughout the book of Corinthians), we hear Paul say, "No." Being a Christian is about...
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Law - Better than Chocloate Epiphany + 3 C
10 Minute Message
Nehemiah 8:1-10, Psalm 19, Luke 4:14-21 The Law That Refreshes the Soul How can the psalm writer describe the law as “refreshing the soul,” “giving joy to the heart,” “more precious than gold,” and “sweeter than honey”? For many, this is puzzling, especially when faced with laws like those in Leviticus about mildew in houses, requiring priests to inspect walls and prescribe scraping and replacement of plaster. These instructions may offer sound hygiene advice, but do they inspire joy or seem sweeter than honeycomb? This sentiment reflects how we often view laws—as dry,...
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Australia Day A personal statement
10 Minute Message
Nehemiah 8:1–3, 5–6, 8–10 Australia Day: A Personal Reflection “... “This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law.” (Nehemiah 8:9, NRSVue) When I read those words from Nehemiah it caused me to have a good hard think about Australia Day. Of course Australia Day is not a celebration of the rededication of the Temple after the return from exile but... Australia Day is a time to reflect on what it means to call this nation home. I take pride in our history of democratic innovation. We became a...
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Hymn for Baptism of the Lord (Jesus)
10 Minute Message
Some years ago I wrote a baptism hymn to the tune O Waly Waly which would be appropriate for this Sunday or for most Baptism Sundays. Image: I, Davezelenka, , via It's based on the Baptism of Jesus Passages eg Luke 3:15-22, on Romans 6:2-11, on Calvin's notion for regeneration or recapitulation as a central way to understand trhe atonement and on Jesus' discussion with James and John in Mark 10:35-38 “James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What is it you...
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Dignity - I will change their shame to praise
10 Minute Message
Key texts ; Luke 3:7–18 One of the key things about God coming to be one of us at Christmas, and the promise of his return to be with us again in the future is that in choosing our life, our death and in giving us new life and a future, God gives you and me and every human being dignity. God’s presence amongst us in Christ on the first Christmas and now through the Holy Spirit and his promised return enables us to overcome fear. We have a hope for the future and a promise of peace and wholeness or Shalom. We know that we are in God’s hands and in Jesus we have the final victory and we...
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Live in Hope & Confidence
10 Minute Message
Sermon Live in Hope & Confidence [Title Slide] [1. A Vision of Hope] Christianity is a very uncommercial faith. We seem to do things a bit upside down. For Christians, Christmas does not begin until Christmas Eve, or Christmas Day. For the shops Christmas seems to begin in October. The church has begun the season of Advent. In our Bible readings we will be looking at the coming of Christ. Partly this is about Christmas Day, but mostly it's about when Jesus returns. It's about the future when God will make all things right. When the broken will be healed and the injustices...
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Prayer What is it good for
10 Minute Message
Sermon - Prayer - What is it good for? If God is God, then what is the use of prayer? God must know what we need before we even need it. Telling God about things is surely useless. I can imagine God looking down on me and saying. “There he is, “personsplaining” to me again. I already know all this, better than he does. In fact I know everything!” Surely God does not need our prayer, to be made aware of things or in order to do something. It is not as though our prayer will make God more powerful. I believe that in the story of Job and our Gospel reading and also the Hebrews reading we...
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Trinity: What's it all about? Trinity Year B 2024
10 Minute Message
Focus Readings Sermon text: In the whole of the Bible God is revealed as redeemer or saviour. Salvation from slavery, exile, enemies, sin. But there is a contrast In the Old Testament although God is spoken of as merciful and being characterised by steadfast love, essentially the picture of God in the Old Testament is as Law Giver and promise maker. God is One, indivisible, Holy, and unapproachable. There are images of God for instance in Hosea & Ezekiel as a loving parent but these are the exception rather than the rule. To see God is to die. For God is so holy & so powerful...
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The Trust Fall Lent 2 B 2024
10 Minute Message
Focus Readings Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 Romans 4:13-25 Mark 8:31-38 Trust Fall Have you ever done a trust fall. I can remember right back to my days at youth group and Year 12 when I lived on the South Side of Brisbane. We were introduced to “new games”. They included things like parachutes and earth balls, but they also included trust activities involving blindfolds and placing yourself in the hands of of others. The iconic activity of this sort was the trust fall. A person would stand on a table with their eyes closed and then fall backwards onto a group of colleagues standing in a line....
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By the Mercies of God - A message on Romans 12:1-8
10 Minute Message
Key text: In many of Paul’s letters he begins after a general greetingby dealing with the issues that are causing problems in a church. He then goes on to deal with how we live out our faith in our daily life or ethics. Paul is talking about how we lives which witness or reflect God’s love and how we can serve others. This is exactly what he does in Romans. After his greeting he introduces himself to the church in Rome. Often Paul writes to one of the churches he founded to tell them how to deal with some of the problems or division in them. He didn’t start the church at...
info_outlineWell I want to argue that the Gospel (The Christian story about how we can be forgiven, healed and reconciled to God, to each other and to the whole of creation) is the first Demtel add. It’s an amazing deal and there’s always more.
Much of John’s Gospel is written just like a Demtel or home shopping ad. Something about God is revealed. It is repeated, a little more is revealed, and then a little more again and so on until the full picture is revealed.
So viewers on behalf of the God Network I’d like to offer you the Amazing Gospel Deal.
Firstly you get “The Gospel” - This is an extremely close relationship with God where you get to share in the inner relationship of the Trinity - the relationship between the Father Jesus & the Holy Spirit. Any friend of Jesus is part of this relationship and that’s not all you also get millions of bonus Brothers and sisters as part of that relationship too.
Jesus prays in verse 21 of John 17 that all of us, all who trust in him “may be one”. “As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us” He repeats this idea in verse 24 where he says “24 Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am...” Jesus requests that we are drawn into the very presence - house - of God.
But that’s not all... Not only... do you get the Gospel an amazing healing, life giving relationship with God the Father, Son & and and millions of bonus brothers and sisters through time and space. In this fantastic Gospel package you also get get to share glory or honour of God.
As Jesus says in verse 22-23 “22 The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one,”
How do we share in that Glory. In John’s Gospel - it’s the Cross. The sign that God had truly come amongst us as a human being/ one of us. It’s also the Christmas Message. The way that we see and share in the glory of God is in God becoming one of us, sharing God’s life with us. God is born as we are born as a human being of a human mum and just as all of us suffer to some degree or other, and just as all of us die God also dies. We share in this with Jesus and Jesus share this with us. EVEN better, we alsp share in Jesus’ new life, his victory, being raised to new life and returning to God the Father.
But wait not only does this Gospel package give us an amazing healing and renewing relationship, millions of bonus sisters and brothers and the glory and honour of God, but right now it affects our lives because it pours God’s love into our very being. Jesus shares the Fathers love with us. As Jesus says in verse 26 26 I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.
2. But Wait there’s more: Not only do you Get this Gospel package giving you an amazing healing and renewing relationship, millions of bonus sisters and brothers and the glory and honour of God, which has its effect right now, but as part of the overall package you Get the amazing privilege of sharing in the Mission of Jesus to the world.
Jesus asks the Father to share his relationship with you als with those “Who will believ in [him] through [your] word.” (Verse 20)
Each of you who have this relationship with Jesus also have a call to ministry, a call to serve God as Jesus did. Jesus’ is saying that others will believe through your word, your service witness and worship. If you share in this relationship with Jesus you share in his mission and God will use even your fumbling and imperfect efforts to bring others into that relationship. For me as someone who especially as a bullied teenager believed I was worthless this is amazingly freeing God can use even me. God can use Peter and disciples who often do not understand, who run away when Jesus is arrested and even deny they know him.
Jesus says that this is a core reason for God the Father sharing his relationship with Jesus and the Spirit with us “so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (IE Jesus) (Verse 21) If I take some of the repettition out of verses 22-23 it makes it clearer: “22 The glory that you have given me I have given them........so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”
Each of us has particular callings. We may be called to serve the church as a volunteer, or in full time ministry. We may be called to serve our family, to be the best mums and dads raising our children in love and faith. We may be called to serve the community through work or organisations or simply supporting our neighbours. We may be called to professions or crafts or artistic expression or trades, to serve others through the work of our minds and hands. Whatever our callings we share the common calling of sharing the glory, the honour, the love of God with others in all that we do and are so that the world may be one, joind together in this healing, renewing relationship of love.
So what do you get in this Amazing Gospel package? - you get to shar in the amazing healing and renewing relationship of the Trinity. Not only that you get millions of bonus sisters and brothers and the glory and honour of God, which has its effect right now. But wait there’s more, as part of the overall package you Get the amazing privilege of sharing in the Mission of Jesus to the world.
How much would you expect to pay? One million dollars? Your soul and the souls of your Children? One thousand Easy payments of $19.95? No! If you call righ now, it will cost you nothing! That’s right this once in Eternity offer is obsoletely free! It costs absolutely nothing... and absolutely everything, but that is another sermon.