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Tag Archives: Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Sermon: The Return of the King
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. When people united their loyalty to ‘God, King, and country,’ as they did right up to the First World War, there was little suggestion that their loyalty to God might contradict their loyalty to an earthly ruler. But after that war fascism and communism began to dominate Europe, and so the Roman Catholic Church introduced the Reign of Christ as a feast to be celebrated in 1925. Continue reading
Sermon: Counting our blessings
I do encourage you to follow Bonhoeffer’s example in lockdown and be grateful for the little things, including being allowed outside and able to observe the coming of Spring. I am, as your minister, encouraging you to count your blessings. Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged Agnes Newton Keith, covid19, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, imprisonment, lockdown, Song of Songs 2:8-13, Spring
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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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Reflection: When the things of God and the Emperor conflict
As Christians, we too need to refuse to give our obedience and loyalty to ‘the emperor’ if the emperor is defacing the image of God by mistreating human beings. In such cases it is only by resisting the emperor that we can give to God the things that are God’s. Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged civil disobedience, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, John Calvin, law, Martin Luther, Matthew 22:15-22, Reformation, Year of Matthew
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Reflection: Comfort during Covid19
Contrary to the theology of the wackier fringe churches we do not believe that our faith will keep us safe from the Covid19 dangers faced by others, any more than their faith in God protected Jesus or Paul from execution by the Romans. Continue reading
Sermon: Following in the footsteps of the Apostle Peter and Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Sermon for Camberwell Uniting Church 26th of January, 2020 Matthew 4:12-24 Isaiah 9:1-4 These weeks that we have between Christmas and Lent are dedicated to the nature of vocation or call. We’ve seen Jesus’ call to begin his public ministry … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged Apostle Peter, baptism, call, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Isaiah 9:1-4, Matthew 4:12-24, vocation, Year of Matthew
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Sermon: The foolishness of the wise
The magi may be ‘wise men from the East’ but apparently they lack all common sense. Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged asylum seekers, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Epiphany, Flight into Egypt, magi, Massacre of the Innocents, Matthew 2:1-12, refugees
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Sermon: A psalm of hate
Another gift of the Psalter is the permission it gives us to share everything with God, even those emotions of which we are ashamed. The psalms show us that there is nothing that human beings can think, feel, say, or do, that we need to hide from God. Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged anger, biblical interpretation, C. S. Lewis, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Hate, Psalm 137, reading the Bible, revenge, The Psalter
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Reflection: Carrying the Cross
What we are seeing with the federal Religious Discrimination Bill is a last, desperate, attempt by Australian churches to hold on to the privilege and possessions that Australian Christians used to be able to take for granted: respect from the community, and a place at the tables of politicians. Continue reading
Posted in Reflection, Sermons
Tagged Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Lenny Duncan, Luke 14:25-33, William H. Lamar IV
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Sermon: A higher loyalty
Our electoral system is something to be celebrated. Despite this, we as Christians have an even higher loyalty than our loyalty to our democracy. Continue reading
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