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Tag Archives: Poverty
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
Posted in Sermons
Tagged 1 Timothy 6:6-19, FoodBank, giving, JobSeeker, Luke 16:19-31, Médecins Sans Frontières, parables, Poverty, Sermon, Uniting, wealth, Year of Luke
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Sermon: Being rich toward God
We do not need to fear the future, even though we know it will not look like the past, because the God who cared for us in the past will accompany us into that future. We can be rich towards God, because God is always rich towards us. Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged John Wesley, Luke 12:13-21, Poverty, rich and poor, wealth, Wesley's sermons, Year of Luke
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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
Posted in Sermons
Tagged Apostle Paul, giving, Mark 12:38-44, Poverty, rich and poor, sacrifice, widow's mite, widows, Year of Mark
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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: A terrifyingly simple parable
It also takes the church out of the safe realm of biblical interpretation and theology into the scary realm of economics and politics. We could quite easily be told that questions of taxation and social security are none of our business. But we are in the Year of Luke and Luke, as I’ve already said, had no qualms about bringing socioeconomics into religion. Maybe we can too. Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged 1 Timothy 6:6-19, Luke 16:1-13, parables, Poverty, wealth, Wesley Uniting Church, Year of Luke
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Sermon: Faith that is alive
The gospels are rife with examples of Jesus’ care for the poor and for those whom society considered outsiders. Because we have this example of Christ’s to follow, Christians are different from other people in our attitude to money. Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged abundance, James 2:1-10 14-17, Letter of James, Poverty, rich and poor, Ross Gittins, scarcity
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Sermon: Food
Sermon for Williamstown Uniting Church 1st of October, 2017 Talking about the Eucharist Today I’m not going to preach on the Bible readings; I’ve decided instead to colour outside the lines. Today I want to talk about food. Later in … Continue reading
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Tagged communion, community, eucharist, Food, Poverty, sacrament, sharing, the Lord's Supper
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Sermon: We are not the messiah (but we can change the world)
Luckily for all of us who are baptised into this awesome responsibility, we are not the Messiah. We are called to follow Christ; we don’t have to individually be Christ. Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a, Freedom, Justice, Luke 4:14-21, Poverty, Sermon, Year of Luke
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Sermon: Love in truth and action, not word or speech
Sermon for Williamstown 26th of April 2015 John 10:11-18; 1 John 3:16-24 Earlier this week, on the ABC program Q&A, Australia’s Trade Minister, Andrew Robb, argued that Muslim clerics weren’t doing enough to prevent the radicalisation of Muslim youth. He … Continue reading
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Tagged 1 John 3:16-24, Apostle John, Good Shepherd Sunday, John 10:11-18, Justice, Poverty, Year of Mark
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