Tag Archives: giving
Sermon: When Jesus is being all too clear
It is absolutely important for us, as Christians, to donate to the work of Uniting, and FoodBank Victoria, and other emergency relief agencies. But in the twenty-first century it is no longer enough to expect the rich man to share what drops from his table with the beggar at his gate. We also need to use our intellect and our connections and our articulate voices to ask why there is any poverty at all in wealthy Australia, even if that takes us into the realm of ‘politics’. Continue reading
Sermon: Be afraid, very afraid – or reassured and encouraged
The prophets told the people of Israel again and again that in order to be the people of God it was not enough for them simply to worship God, no matter how carefully they followed the requirements for such worship given in the books of the Law. To truly belong to God, the people of God needed to live out their calling in justice, and in caring for those most in need. Continue reading
Reflection: The Offering
What I explained over the course of that year is that as a worship leader I stand up every single Sunday and tell a congregation something along the lines of, “Everything that we have is a gift from God, given to us to share”. If I mean that about my money, and my time, and my talents, then I could also mean this about a spare kidney, if I had one. Continue reading
Sermon for the Epiphany
When I look at the refugee crisis in the world, I wonder whether it happened to remind us that anyone can become a refugee, that God himself became an asylum seeker in Jesus. Continue reading
Sermon: Is the poor widow a good example or an awful warning?
If we read the story this way, then Jesus’ attitude to the widow’s gift is disapproval rather than admiration. The story is not about the difference between arrogant scribes and poor widows, or about the relative value of the gifts of the rich and the poor. Instead, it is an example of the ways that the official religion of the time was oppressing the poorest members of society. Continue reading
For the newsletter: Let your light shine
Have you heard of ‘virtue signalling? The British journalist and author James Bartholomew claims to have coined it in The Spectator in 2015 after realising that Victorians gave much more to charity than contemporary British people do. He says that … Continue reading
The Joy of Giving at Christmas (and I’m serious about that title)
I may pretend I’m a ‘Bah! Humbug!’ Scrooge, but, really, I’m the Scrooge who wakes up on Christmas morning and goes on a massive shopping spree. Continue reading
Reflection: Practicing Sabbath
Sermon for Williamstown Uniting Church Giving our time and talents Achenkirche, Austria. A place where I found it easy to worship and rest. Leviticus 23:1-3 Acts 3:1-10 Luke 6:43-45 This is the second week in our month-long reflection on the … Continue reading
Reflection: In which Avril has an epiphany and decides to tithe
Not so much a sermon as a meandering reflection on Christian attitudes to money, with possibly some over-sharing on my part. 2 Corinthians 8:1-15; Luke 12:13-21 Earlier this week I had an epiphany; a sudden realisation about the way in … Continue reading
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