Author Archives: Avril Hannah-Jones
Sermon: “Hello, my name is Paul and I’m a sinner”
We are not Christians because our lives are perfect, and we are admirable people and examples to our neighbours. Frequently we are Christians exactly because our lives are a mess, and we know that we cannot fix ourselves. The good news is that we do not need to try to fix ourselves. Continue reading
Sermon: In which Avril temporarily agrees with Richard Dawkins
Let the horror that this story of the binding of Isaac provokes in us remind us that the sacrifice of children is never justified. Let our answer to every such ‘test’ be to protect the innocent, even when the powers that be tell us they must be sacrificed. That is the only responsible reading of this story, and the only way in which it can be foundational for our faith. Continue reading
Sermon: Behaving so the world will believe
It is terrifying to think that non-Christians judge the credibility of the faith we proclaim by our behaviour, but it happens. People judge the possible truth of Christianity by the lives of Christians. That is not currently going well for us. Continue reading
Sermon: Even if we can’t raise the dead
When we worry that our own mission is a failure, we must also remember the failures of these very first missionaries, those who walked with Jesus himself. Judas betrayed Jesus, the rest deserted him, and they later failed to convince most Jews that Christian Judaism was the best way to carry on the Jewish tradition after the destruction of the Temple. Continue reading
Sermon: Social and Physical Health
This is one reason that I think Reverend Brocklehurst in Jane Eyre is such a bad clergyperson. How could he possibly have read the gospels and concluded that caring for people’s bodies would starve their immortal souls? How could he ignore the many examples of Jesus feeding the hungry and healing physical illness by fabricating a Bible verse, ‘if ye suffer hunger or thirst for my sake, happy are ye’? God created us as embodied beings; of course God cares about our bodies! Continue reading
Sermon: Trinity Sunday
There is no room for self-sufficient rugged individualists in the church. We are creatures created in the image of the God who is community, and we are called to live as members of a community that includes everyone. That is how we will gather around the Lord’s Table later in this service. As I say every month, ‘Everyone who wishes to eat and drink at this table is welcome, because Christ turns no one away’. Continue reading
Sermon: No longer hiding
Since we are imperfect beings, and churches are imperfect institutions, this means that we will be accused of hypocrisy. How can our community service agencies ask the government to increase welfare benefits when churches receive tax exemptions? How can churches say we support constitutional recognition for First Nations when we played such a central part in colonisation, the destruction of Indigenous cultures, and housed the children stolen from their families? Continue reading
Sermon: We have not been left alone
The disciples show us how to wait, how to live in the time in-between; in community, with one another, constantly devoting ourselves to prayer. Called to glorify Jesus through our own lives we are to love one another as Jesus loved us, so that everyone will know that we are his disciples. We are to be one, as the Father and Son are one Continue reading
Sermon: With gentleness and reverence
I have also found it incredibly heartening to hear why these people believe that they have been called into ministry in the Uniting Church. Most often, they talk of the inclusivity of the Uniting Church, of our diversity, of the way in which we respect each other’s differences and do not demand that everyone follow our way of being Christian. We are an entire Church that shares our faith ‘with gentleness and reverence’; that seeks to find common ground between us and those who are not Christian. Continue reading
Sermon: In death and life
We do not need to wait until death to enter God’s dwelling-places, to join the community of love that is God. Jesus tells his disciples ‘I am in the Father and the Father is in me,’ and we are welcomed into their community of love and invited to dwell in God in both life and death. Continue reading
Rev Doc Geek 