| This page contains the most recent sermons. Not all sermons preached at St John's are published. For recent sermons look on this page: for older sermons, click on the Archive links below: SERMON ARCHIVE 1 - April 2001 to September 2001 SERMON ARCHIVE 2 - October 2001 to April 2002 SERMON ARCHIVE 3 - May 2002 to May 2003 All Sermons are published by permission of the Author. © The Author retains full Copyright. |
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| Crucifix above the Pulpit |
"The New Eve"
". . . That clearly makes her, as St Augustine said, the “apostle to the apostles” . . ."
". . . HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR OLD CHURCH? . . ."
Full sermon "Risen, Ascended, Glorified"
"“...Jack Wishnograd was reading the obituaries in the morning paper when, to his astonishment, he read his own name.. . ."
"The word is “Docetism”."
"“Docetism” describes the view that the humanity and sufferings of the earthly Christ were apparent rather than real. . ."
"People of Hope"
"We come together on this day in the long shadow of disaster,
touched in varying degrees by the devastation wrought by bushfire across the State of Victoria. . ."
"Memories Around Belonging"
"The history of St John’s reveals something built into the foundations of your life- your identity as an Anglican community . . ."
"The Silent Service"
"Recently, and to my intense suprise, I found portion of a finger in my brief-case!. . ."
"Sir, we wish to see Jesus"
"So on St Andrew’s Day we come together in thanksgiving for our ministries, yours and mine, conscious that the Lord is here . . ."
"FEASTING - THE GREAT BANQUET"
"Church of England parsons are great trenchermen.
In English literature there are several famous diaries kept by country vicars which record
in great detail, day by day, the huge meals over which they presided in their vicarages.
. . ."
"Dover Beach"
". . . There is much to be anxious about at the moment in the world and in the church.
. . ."
"Theodicy"
". . . How can we go on believing in a God of love in the face of manifold evil, undeserved suffering,
typhoons and earthquakes, cancers and accidents, incestuous monsters and child abusers?.
. . ."
"STOP WORRYING"
". . . What is a “scandalous theology of ministry”, however, is a theology that bars people from ministry
because of their gender, or colour or race. Substitute the word “black” for “woman”, and you see what I mean.
. . ."
"THE FUTURE OF MAINLINE CHURCHES "
". . .Optimism and pessimism point to opinions based on inner psychological dispositions and are really beside the point.
. . ."
"The Call to Discipleship"
". . .No one of us is exempted from the call to discipleship, and the responsibility of those who are called to be apostles, the sent-out-ones of Christ.
. . ."
"Lenten Reflection on Apology"
". . .As our Government prepares to issue the apology, that so many people, white and black,
have longed to hear, we need to consider what this might mean for us as both a community of Christians, and also as individuals. . ."
"JOHN THE BAPTIST AND THE COMING OF JESUS"
". . . "Think on these things as you get ready for Christ to Advent in you?. . ."
"The Agenda of God"
". . . "It is vital for our spiritual health, and for the cause of peace in our world, that we take up,
over and over again, the Agenda of God, and do so in a way that is both faithful to the Scriptures,
and which is also close to our hearts.. . ."
"Science and Religion"
". . . "I should say that I am not here at this Eucharist to give a lecture but to preach the gospel.. . ."
"The Kingdom of God!"
". . . "We live in a world that is both rich with images, and also corrupted by them. . ."
"Enlighten with celestial fire"
". . . "What about those nine fruits of the Spirit in your life?. . ."
"CHRIST’S COMPASSIONATE FRIENDS"
". . .We would be hard-hearted indeed if our hearts did not bleed this morning for Lebanon and the whole Middle East. . ."
On Wisdom
". . . your patron is irrevocably linked with the Gospel that
bears his name, a work of poetic and structural genius and, more importantly,
the most Catholic of all the Gospel records. . . ."
Thy Kingdom Come
". . . Dominion and reign speak more to the heart, perhaps to the inner motivations and hidden actions of the righteous than about the panoply of state. . . . ."
The women of Jesus.
". . . That redeeming, hope-filled, breath-of-a-name, energises and certifies a great wonder which sits at the heart of our faith as Christians. . . ."
Ascending the cross and feeling the pain of the victim.
". . . This Celebration of Good Friday re-presents the truth of that reflection, resolved in the action of Jesus. . . ."
The Christ-child of Bethlehem
". . . A Jesus confined in this way could only be, at best, of limited value in the breadth of my life concerns. . . ."
"Finding by Losing"
". . . This side of Jesus never appears in the Hillsong versions of Christianity, and neither does it emerge frequently on the business papers of Anglican synods.. . ."
"Mary Magdalene - Saint or highly immoral woman"
". . . St Augustine identified her as 'the apostle to the apostles'. . . ."
"Don't Panic! Don't Panic!"
". . . "After all it took nineteen hundred years for slavery to be abolished and two thousand years for the equality of women in ministry to be recognised.. . ."
"Mary Magdalene - Saint or highly immoral woman"
". . . St Augustine identified her as 'the apostle to the apostles'. . . ."
"The Good Samaritan."
". . . ‘I have been ordained for 36 years and have probably preached 36 sermons on the parable of the Good Samaritan. . . ."
"That they may all be one."
". . . ‘Reconciled trust’, now there’s a challenge. . . ."
What would you die for?
". . . A question often found in the trivial exchange of mundane delights, but not on this day! . . ."
The Cross As Contradiction?
". . . To reflect the glory of the sun; to make the soiled, clean; to whiten the sepulchre; to identify the "King of the Jews", words slashed on a board. The letters of contradiction. . . ."
The true "Good news" of Christmas.
". . . The events of this year, as in so many other years throughout human history, make the words we sing in carols, and hear in the Christmas story, sound rather like some kind of sick joke, don't they? . . ."
Seeking after God
". . . There is nothing holy or good about violence and suffering, neither in Job's loathsome sores nor an exploding nightclub, nor a cross.. . ."
Our image of Christ
". . . God's love, as embodied and displayed in Jesus, is utterly inclusive. . ."
What does the story of this Saint Bartholomew say to us?
". . . And that's why the church has always commemorated the apostles, saints and martyrs - because as we reflect honestly and fully on them, on what they did and said, we see that, in spite of their failings and weaknesses, in spite of their very real humanity, they are great heroes of our faith because of what the God who chose them accomplished through them.. . ."
Reaching out and taking risks
". . . What is the perception of the residents of the City of Boroondara of the Anglican Church as an organisation? . . ."
Understanding dissent.
". . . You see, when we know the context in which it was written, we can begin to understand what this very difficult and complex text is saying.. . ."
"Do you love me?"
". . . Two thousand years of church history demonstrate just how difficult it is for those who profess to love Jesus to love one another! . . ."