Tag Archives: welcome
Epiphany: Inclusion versus Exclusion
There are two ways in which humans have responded to the certainty that they are the people of God. The first is to see this as justification for rejecting or oppressing all those not considered to be God’s people, claiming that this is God’s will. In one of Balaam’s prophecies he says, ‘God, who brings [Israel] out of Egypt, is like the horns of a wild ox for him; he shall devour the nations that are his foes and break their bones. He shall strike with his arrows.’ (Numbers 24:8) We know the damage done throughout history, the destruction still happening today, because people believe that their foes are God’s foes and that God fights in their wars. Continue reading
Sermon: Two brothers
We often fail to live as the people God creates us to be, and then we repent that, but that doesn’t mean that we need to try to earn our Father’s forgiveness. As this parable shows us, all we need to do is come to ourselves in whichever far country we have exiled ourselves, and return home. The Father will come running to welcome us. Continue reading
Sermon: Who is welcome? The doubters; the faithful; the rule-breakers
Ultimately we can have faith that one day, like the man born blind, Jesus will find us and that, with our blindness cured, we will be able to see him face to face. Continue reading
Sermon: Who is welcome? Sinners.
We can come to God with all our messiness and sickness and failure, and know that we are welcome. God’s door is open to us, and all we need to do is walk through it. Our sins are forgiven. Continue reading
Sermon: We are the sheep that God loves passionately, crazily, extravagantly; we are the uniquely valuable coin, whose recovery causes such celebration.
Sermon for Williamstown 15th of September, 2010 Luke 15:1-10 In today’s two parables we find ourselves in the heart of Luke’s Gospel. Christianity would not be the faith we know if it wasn’t for these two stories and the … Continue reading
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