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- Sermon: The futility of war and the peace of Christ
- Sermon: The God of Israel? The God of the USA? The Father of Jesus Christ is the God of the whole world and all creation.
- Sermon: Jesus’ advantage over Genghis Khan
- Sermon: Was Jesus a violent or a peaceful protester?
- Sermon: It is not going to make us any friends
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Author Archives: Avril Hannah-Jones
Reflection for North Balwyn Uniting Church Advent One, 3rd of December 2023 Isaiah 64:1-9 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 Mark 13:24-37 Happy New Year! Today, the first Sunday of Advent, the church is beginning both a new church year and a time … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged 1 Corinthians 1:3-9, Advent 1, apocalypse, Apocalyptic, Hope, Isaiah 64:1-9, Mark 13:24-37, suffering, Year of Mark
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Sermon: Being Sheep, not Goats
Our charitable giving increases at Christmas because we know that the best way to welcome the new-born baby who is our Saviour is by caring for him in the poor. We may need to wait until the end of time to see the Son of Man come in his glory. But we see Jesus every single day in the faces of those in need. Continue reading
Sermon: It’s not the Rapture
I have wondered whether it makes sense to preach hope and a God of love in such a world. But then I remember that the world has always been like this, and that the church not merely can but must preach hope and a God of love through every crisis. Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, death, Hope, life after death, life before death, Living a good life, Matthew 25:1-13, rapture, UNHCR, Year of Matthew
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Sermon: We will not use the Bible to justify genocide
Reflection for North Balwyn Uniting Church 5th of November 2023 Joshua 3:7-17 Matthew 23:1-12 Members of this congregation have occasionally asked me why I always preach on a Bible reading from the Revised Common Lectionary. One answer is that by … Continue reading
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Tagged anti-Semitism, Antisemitism, Gaza, Israel, Joshua 3:7-17, Matthew 23:1-12, Palestine, Pharisees, scribes
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Sermon: There is always enough
Pharoah’s world was one of scarcity, in which the people of Israel had to work without ceasing and make bricks without straw. The Lord’s world is one of abundance, in which everyone has enough, and rest is an essential part of life. Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged Book of Exodus, Exodus, Exodus 16:2-15, generosity, giving, manna, Matthew 20:1-16, Moses, Year of Matthew
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Sermon: No peace without forgiveness
But, as always when I preach about forgiveness, I want to warn about forgiveness that is offered too easily. We know only too well that throughout history the church has demanded that victims forgive their abusers, even if those abusers continue to abuse. Continue reading
Sermon: Our God doesn’t murder children!
Christians believe that in Jesus the God who is on the side of the poor and oppressed became one of the poor and oppressed, and was executed by an occupying power in solidarity with all those tortured and killed by military dictatorships. The God who freed the slaves and led them from Egypt is the God who raised Jesus from the dead in the world’s most pointed act of civil disobedience. Continue reading
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Tagged belief, doubt, Exodus, Exodus 12:1-14, faith, liberation, Moses, slavery
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Sermon: In which Avril confesses her besetting sin
today we hear the Apostle Paul telling the Christians in Rome not to be haughty and not to claim to be wiser than they are – and ouch! If there is any sin of which I am consistently guilty it is being haughty about my intellect and my education. I do not know whether I claim to be wiser than I am, but I frequently claim to be wiser than most of the Australian population. On this count, Paul has got me bang to rights. Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged Apostle Paul, Letter to the Romans, love, Romans 12:9-21, sin, vocation
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Sermon: Righteous Outlaws
Together, the Hebrew midwives, Pharaoh’s daughter, the daughter of Levi who is Moses’ mother, and the girl who is the baby’s sister and his mother’s daughter, have disobeyed Pharaoh and saved Moses from death. Because of their actions, Moses will grow up to become the liberator of his people and their great lawgiver. If the Pharaoh had really wanted to destroy the Hebrews he should not have overlooked the women, because it is their acts of civil disobedience that change history. Continue reading
Sermon: Joseph’s Princess Dress
We know that God always makes use of the last and least for God’s purposes. That the nation of Israel came from the younger brother, Jacob, rather than elder brother Esau, is one example of that. What the story of Joseph tells us is that these ‘last and least’ have included someone whose gender could be described, in twenty-first century terms, as non-binary, maybe someone like the drag queens who mobs are now protesting against here in Melbourne. Among its other messages Joseph’s story reminds us that is room for everyone, of every gender, and in every style of dress, in the community that Archbishop Desmond Tutu described as ‘the rainbow people of God’. Continue reading
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