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Sermon: The faith and generosity of Hannah
Both Hannah’s and Mary’s songs are deeply political songs about the way God wants the world to be; a world in which the hungry are ‘filled with good things’ (Luke 1:53), in fact the ‘hungry are fat with spoil’ (1 Samuel 2:5); a world in which God lifts the needy from the ash heap to sit with princes (1 Samuel 2:8) while the proud are brought down from their thrones. (Luke 1:52) Both Hannah and Mary sing of a world overturned. Continue reading
Posted in Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged 1 Samuel 1:4-20, 1 Samuel 2:1-10, Advent, courage, generosity, Hannah, King David, Magnificat, Mary
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Sermon: On not blaming the poor for their poverty
The end of the Book of Job does not simply return Job to the situation he was in at the beginning. He has been transformed by his experiences, and so have his friends, and so, hopefully, have we. Continue reading
Sermon: Not just those like us
this encounter between Jesus and a Gentile woman can remind us of the words attributed to John Wesley: ‘Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.’ Continue reading
Posted in Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged Afghanistan, asylum seekers, Hieu Van Le, James 2:1-10 14-17, Mark 7:24-37, refugees, women in the bible
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Not really a sermon about Michal
The pious answer is that it is not about who David is, but about who the Lord is. The Lord remains faithful to David regardless of David’s wrongdoing. That answer makes sense if we are reading the books of Samuel through the eyes of David, but not if we try to read them through the eyes of Michal or Bathsheba. So, I do not have an answer. I just do not want Michal to be forgotten. As the lectionary leads us through the deeds of the great King David, remember his wives. Continue reading
Sermon: A story without an ending
I suspect that the reason the resurrection was announced first to women was because too often women have not been believed when they speak, women’s testimony has not been taken seriously. The God who created both male and female in God’s own image might be making a point. Continue reading
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Tagged covid19, Easter Sunday, Fear, Gospel according to Mark, Mark 16:1-8, resurrection, women
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Sermon: The powerlessness and ugliness of God in Jesus
If we ignore the crucifixion’s horror we lose that solidarity between God and suffering humanity. If we make Jesus too attractive and powerful, we might think that ugly, suffering human beings are not part of the world that God so loves. Continue reading
Posted in Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged crucifixion, death, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, John 3:14-21, Jurgen Moltmann, Lent, Lent 4, Numbers 21:4-9, resurrection, The Crucified God, ugliness
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Sermon: Totally depraved; dearly loved.
Reflection for North Balwyn Uniting ChurchSecond Sunday of Lent, 28th of February 2021 Mark 8:31-38 There is a joke I have started using on social media when discussing distressing news of human beings doing wrong. People ask how something so … Continue reading
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There are no more chances
Originally posted on Ketan Joshi:
In March 2019, an Australian white supremacist walked into a mosque, armed with a shotgun, and killed 51 people, including a two year old boy. The man who enacted those killings wanted to wipe out…
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The pandemic is making Australian media racism even more dangerous
Originally posted on Ketan Joshi:
Racism manifests in Australia’s media outlets in very specific ways. These are not immediately obvious to many, which means you have to carefully and patiently spell out exactly how and why waves of xenophobia rise…
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Reflection: ‘Is anything too wonderful for the Lord?’
Australia is a country that has not yet come to terms with its racist past, or indeed its racist present. Will it ever be able to? ‘Is anything too wonderful for the Lord?’ Continue reading
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