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Tag Archives: Sermon on the Mount
Sermon: It is not going to make us any friends
We are called to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth not in our own power, but in relationship with the God who feeds the birds of the air, clothes the lilies of the field, and loves his enemies all the way to the cross. At a time when the ostensibly Christian Secretary of War of the United States of America has quoted Psalm 144, “Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle,” in a Pentagon Press Conference it is more important than ever to say that the Sermon on the Mount is no utopian hope or airy-fairy dream. It is the way all Christians are called to live, to the best of our ability. Continue reading
Sermon: Pearls before swine?
Brendan Byrne puts it this way, ‘only a person who has come to genuine self-knowledge and appreciation of his or her own weakness is qualified to set about fraternal correction’. We must remember that with the judgement we make we will be judged, and the measure we give will be the measure we get, so our judgements must be truthful, loving, and without self-righteousness. Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged Bible, Christianity, faith, god, Jesus, judgement, judgment, kingdom of heaven, Leviticus 19:9-18, Matthew 7:1-12, pearls before swine, prayer, Sermon on the Mount, Year of Matthew
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Sermon: Birds of the air and lilies of the field
I believe that God sends us angels, messengers of love, if our eyes are open to them. I have heard from members of this congregation of the times when they have needed to be reminded of the power of love that is at the core of the universe, reminded that the world is full of well-meaning people who are willing to help others, and the love and care they have needed have materialised. One of my greatest joys as a minister is when someone tells me that I have been that angel for them, when God has used me in all my frailty and faultiness to reveal love. I am sure that if you think about it, there have been times when you received the word or the sign or the care that you desperately needed at that moment. I am also sure that there have been times when God has used you to give that word or that sign or that care to someone else. We are not alone in this universe. Our lives are entwined with one another, and it is God who weaves us together. Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged hunger, Julian of Norwich, Leviticus 26:3-13, love, Matthew 6:16-34, providence, Sermon on the Mount, Year of Matthew
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Sermon: Being perfect?
We know a campaign has truly succeeded when those who had nothing to do with it, and even those who condemned it, pretend that they were on the right side all along. The campaign against apartheid in South Africa is a perfect example. Few people nowadays will boast that they opposed boycotts of all-white sporting teams, but, at the time, most people condemned those annoying, unwashed professional protesters interfering with the God-given right of Australians to watch a good game of rugby. Continue reading
Posted in Political Activism, Sermons
Tagged civil disobedience, Deuteronomy 24:1-4, Erica Chenoweth, Leviticus 19:17-18 24:17-21, Maria J. Stephens, Matthew 5:27-48, non-violent resistance, Pace e Bene, protests, Sermon on the Mount, The Brick Bible, Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict, Year of Matthew
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Sermon: The sweetness of the law, the saltiness of the prophets
The first antithesis deals with the most basic commandment of the law, the one with which no one, whether Jewish, Christian, of another faith or none, could argue – you shall not murder. Easy. I do not imagine that many preachers spend much time convincing congregation members that committing murder is a bad thing to do, although if any of you are thinking of doing it, please let me know. Continue reading
Sermon: Welcome, James!
We are currently living in what can only be described as ‘interesting times’ and so what I want to talk about tonight is the role that we all have as Christians to be light and salt in a world that seems increasingly dangerous. Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged Alex Pretti, Bondi Terrorism, Donald J. Trump, Induction, Invasion Day, Isaiah 58:1-12, James Douglas, Mark Carney, Matthew 5:13-20, Rebecca Solnit, Renee Good, Sermon on the Mount, Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, Whitehorse Uniting, William Temple, Yarra Yarra Presbytery
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Sermon: Living out the Sermon on the Mount
The UN Charter says that its aim is to ‘reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small’. But as historian Tom Holland points out: ‘That human beings have rights; that they are born equal; that they are owed sustenance, and shelter and refuge from persecution: these were never self-evident truths.’ They are Christian truths. They are the truths we see in the Sermon on the Mount. Continue reading
Posted in Political Activism, Sermons
Tagged Allan Behm, beatitudes, Deuteronomy 28:1-14, Gaza, Holy Family Church Gaza, International humanitarian law, international law, Justice, Mark Carney, Matthew 5:1-16, Pope Francis, Renee Good, Sermon on the Mount, Tom Holland, UN Charter, United Nations, World Economic Forum, Year of Matthew
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Sermon: Calling and character
It is as citizens of the kingdom that Jesus’ disciples will be enabled to live in the way that he will outline in the great block of teaching that we call the Sermon on the Mount, to which we will listen over the next eight weeks. Continue reading
Christmas Day: Making room for Jesus
Reflection for North Balwyn Uniting Church Christmas Day 2025 Luke 2:1-20 A few weeks ago, I was at a service of Lessons and Carols where I heard a new Christmas Song. This does not often happen to me, at least … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged Bible, Christmas Day, colonisation, Crusaders, Desmond Tutu, Eileen Berry, faith, forgiveness, god, Jesus, love, Luke 2:1-20, Molly James, Sermon on the Mount, Sermon on the Plain, The Crusades
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What does a good life look like? Reflection on James 3:1-12
We can do nothing about the misuse of Christianity in the USA. But here in our small corner of the world, in our small church, we can seek to live lives drawing on the wisdom from above that is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. Continue reading
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