Sermon: Are we trees planted by water or shrubs in the desert? Both!

Posted on February 16, 2025 by Avril Hannah-Jones

Reflection for North Balwyn Uniting Church
16th of February 2025

Jeremiah 17:5-10
Luke 6:17-26

Jesus liked to teach through parables. The Gospel according to Luke contains some parables that are recorded nowhere else, parables without which the entire world would be different: the parable of the Prodigal Son; the parable of the Good Samaritan; the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. In the teaching we hear today, though, Jesus is not speaking in parables. He is, if anything, only too clear. We middle-class Australians living in the green and leafy eastern suburbs of Melbourne are, in world terms and in terms of human history, profoundly rich. We enjoy a level of luxury that for most of human history only royalty could aspire to. And in the Sermon on the Plain Jesus says bluntly, ‘Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation’. Why could he not have told a parable about a nasty rich man dressed in purple and fine linen and living in luxury who refuses to give the leftovers from his table to the beggar covered with sores crouching at his gate? (Luke 16:19-31) Then we could console ourselves with the thought of our charitable giving – we do not leave Lazarus languishing. But Jesus is not speaking in parables today. Continue reading →

Posted in Sermons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sermon: Jesus, Jeremiah, and answering God’s call

Posted on February 2, 2025 by Avril Hannah-Jones

Reflection for North Balwyn Uniting Church
2nd of February, 2025

Jeremiah 1:4-10
Luke 4:21-30

Out of the sheer goodness of my heart, I allowed Alastair Pritchard to take the service last week when the lectionary readings included one of my favourite Bible passages: Jesus’ Nazareth manifesto. Last week we saw Jesus go to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom, and read from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’ Jesus then tells the people ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’ That is where last week’s reading from the gospel according to Luke ended and where today’s reading begins, with the very Lukan announcement that the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled today. Continue reading →

Posted in Sermons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Apostles’ Creed

Posted on January 12, 2025 by Avril Hannah-Jones

Reflection for North Balwyn Uniting Church
Baptism of Jesus, 12th of January, 2025

The Apostles’ Creed

In the Ordination Charge that ministers receive one of the things the Uniting Church tells us is: ‘You will receive the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds as safeguarding and witnessing to the faith of the one holy catholic and apostolic Church, and use them in worship and instruction.’ I have been here for over four years and have hitherto failed to use the Apostles’ Creed in worship and instruction. Today, as we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus, we will reaffirm our own baptism, including saying the Apostles’ Creed together. So let me use today’s Reflection for ‘instruction’. Continue reading →

Posted in Reflection | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Epiphany: Inclusion versus Exclusion

Posted on January 5, 2025 by Avril Hannah-Jones

Reflection for North Balwyn Uniting Church
Epiphany 2025

Ephesians 3:1-12
Matthew 2:1-12

I want to begin today’s Reflection by talking about a character who does not appear in any of the lectionary readings for the Feast of the Epiphany. Indeed, he does not appear in any lectionary reading at all. But you may know of him, or at least of his donkey. The seer Balaam encounters the Israelites on their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. According to the Book of Numbers, the Israelites had already defeated two kings: Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan. Now Balak, king of Moab, sends messengers to Balaam, son of Beor, asking Balaam to come and curse Israel. But in a dream, the Lord tells Balaam, ‘You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.’ (Numbers 22:7-14)

King Balak again sends messengers, ‘more numerous and more distinguished,’ to plead with Balaam, and again Balaam refuses, but then ‘that night God came to Balaam and said to him, “If the men have come to summon you, get up and go with them; but do only what I tell you to do.” (Numbers 22:20) Given this, it is profoundly unfair of God to then get angry with Balaam when Balaam goes with the officials of Moab but, fair or not, God’s anger is kindled and an angel of the Lord stands in Balaam’s way. Balaam’s donkey sees the angel and refuses to pass it, so Balaam hits the donkey three times, until ‘the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?”’ Balaam’s response is, bizarrely, not to be astounded that his donkey is speaking, but to roar ‘Because you have made a fool of me! I wish I had a sword in my hand! I would kill you right now!’ The Lord then opens Balaam’s eyes, he sees the angel and bows down. The angel of the Lord tells Balaam, ‘Go with the men; but speak only what I tell you to speak.’ (Numbers 22:22-35) Continue reading →

Posted in Sermons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Christmas Reflections: Remembering Bethlehem, Seeking Peace

Posted on December 25, 2024 by Avril Hannah-Jones

Reflection for North Balwyn Uniting Church
Christmas Day 2024

Titus 2:11-14
Luke 2:8-20

I am a ‘religious’ watcher of the Doctor Who Christmas Specials. For many other Australians Boxing Day is about cricket but for me, on those years when the television gods bless us with these specials, Boxing Day is all about the Doctor. The 2007 Christmas Special, which starred our very own Kylie Minogue, gave me one of my favourite descriptions of Christmas. The alien Mr Copper explains to his group of time-travelling alien tourists:

I shall be taking you to Old London Town in the country UK, ruled over by Good King Wenceslas. Now human beings worship the great god Santa, a creature with fearsome claws, and his wife Mary. And every Christmas Eve the people of UK go to war with the country of Turkey. They then eat the Turkey people for Christmas dinner, like savages.

When the Doctor asks Mr Copper whence he got his information the alien proudly says, ‘I have a first-class degree in Earthanomics’. Continue reading →

Posted in Sermons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Magnificat and Micah: Love Through Justice

Posted on December 22, 2024 by Avril Hannah-Jones

Reflection for North Balwyn Uniting Church
The Fourth Sunday of Advent, 22nd of December 2024.

Micah 5:2-5a
Luke 1:39-55

Every year on the fourth Sunday of Advent we hear the Magnificat, Mary’s revolutionary song modelled on the song sung by Hannah, the mother of Samuel. I adore the Magnificat, but you have heard me speak about it numerous times already, and I also spoke about it at last Saturday’s Carols in the Park. So this year, on this Advent Sunday of Love, I want to focus instead on Micah, someone who does not seem to be all that loving. Continue reading →

Posted in Sermons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Gift of Peace: God’s Love for All

Posted on December 8, 2024 by Avril Hannah-Jones

Reflection for North Balwyn Uniting Church
The Second Sunday of Advent, 8th of December 2024

Luke 1:68-79
Philippians 1:3-11
Luke 3:1-6

I have been reading the Bible for over forty years and it has only just occurred to me that the opening chapters of the Gospel according to Luke are a musical. Such momentous things happen in these chapters that at three different times characters burst into song, as though they are Maria von Trapp or Jean Valjean. After meeting with her relative Elizabeth, Mary sings the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55), and after seeing the baby Jesus in the Temple the righteous and devout Simeon sings the canticle known to Christians as the ‘Nunc dimittis’. (Luke 2:29-32) Today the lectionary gives us the middle of these three canticles, the song sung by Zechariah at the circumcision and naming of his son John. Zechariah had been forced to remain silent for nine months after his disbelief when the angel Gabriel told him that he and his wife would have a son despite ‘getting on in years’. (Luke 1:5-20) His muteness ends after he and Elizabeth name their newborn son ‘John’ or ‘God is gracious’. Now Zechariah breaks into song. Continue reading →

Posted in Sermons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Sermon: Stand up and raise your heads, justice and righteousness will come.

Posted on December 1, 2024 by Avril Hannah-Jones

Reflection for North Balwyn Uniting Church
The First Sunday of Advent, 1st of December, 2024

Jeremiah 33:14-16
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
Luke 21:25-36

The church’s time is different from the world’s time. A couple of Sundays ago I talked about the difference between chronos time and kairos time: chronos being time that can be measured in hours and days and years; kairos being the unmeasurable right time, the perfect moment. To remind us that church time is different, today is the beginning of the church year. In the world around us, the year is ending; we have entered its last month. For Christians, a new year is beginning. The world around us is preparing for Christmas, whether that Christmas is a purely secular event of family and feasting or includes the remembrance of the birth of Jesus millennia ago. But we are starting Advent and looking forward to the Parousia, the Second Coming, the fulfilment of the messianic age that comes in kairos time. Continue reading →

Posted in Sermons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Opposing Christian Nationalism: Embracing Jesus’ Reign

Posted on November 24, 2024 by Avril Hannah-Jones

Reflection for North Balwyn Uniting Church
24th of November, 2024

Revelation 1:4b-8
John 18:33-37

‘My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.’ Whenever we celebrate the Feast of the Reign of Christ, the last Sunday in the church year, I remind us of what a new festival this is, introduced by the Roman Catholic Church in 1925 as fascism and communism began to dominate Europe. Protestant churches then adopted it, realising that in the nineteen twenties and thirties a statement of Christians’ loyalty to Christ over all earthly rulers had become both necessary and radical.

I have mentioned Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his 1933 radio broadcast after Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany on ‘The leader (Fuhrer) and the individual.’ Bonhoeffer argued that no mere human could have ultimate authority over other humans. Ultimate authority lies with God, and ‘[t]he fearful danger of the present time is that above the cry for authority, be it of the Leader or of an office, we forget that man stands alone before the ultimate authority and that anyone who lays violent hands on man here is infringing eternal laws and taking upon himself superhuman authority which will eventually crush him’.[1] This was so incendiary at the time that the broadcast was cut. Continue reading →

Posted in Political Activism, Reflection | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Endings and Beginnings: Embracing Kairos in Troubling Times

Posted on November 17, 2024 by Avril Hannah-Jones

Reflection for North Balwyn Uniting Church
17th of November 2024

1 Samuel 1:4-20
1 Samuel 2:1-10
Mark 13:1-8

At both the beginning and the end of the church year we are reminded that all things come to an end. We began the year of the Gospel according to Mark with the Markan or ‘Little’ Apocalypse, distinguished from the big apocalypse that is the Book of Revelation. When we listened to it last December I quoted a commentator who said that this thirteenth chapter of the gospel according to Mark ‘is largely ignored by pragmatists, activists, believers in progress, and all who dismiss preoccupation with the end of the world as a juvenile state of human development or an aberration of unbalanced minds’. Yet on this second last Sunday of the church year we listen to it again, once more being reminded of the dangers of the world and warned of the vulnerability and briefness of life. Continue reading →

Posted in Sermons | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments