In a rather startling turn, right before Jesus’ enters his period of suffering, the Lenten readings move us to a place of joy and celebration. Isaiah promises the exiles a new salvation of God; the psalm celebrates this salvation as it is realised; Paul celebrates the righteousness he has found in Christ, which far surpasses...
The parable of the Prodigal Son is so well known that we may easily skim over the surface of it thinking we already know everything it has to tell us. However, the central teaching – of forgiveness and reconciliation – is never easy to learn. We need to review what repentance and restored relationships mean...
MESSAGE: Third Sunday in Lent – 20 March 2022 THEMES: Repentance and return to the Lord to live As a kid I remember repentance as a scary/judgmental/angry thing that was preached from the pulpit and I wanted to hide. The scriptures today remind us of God’s faithfulness, mercy and grace that is always offered to...
MESSAGE: Second Sunday of Lent – 13 March 2022 INTERGENERATIONAL SERVICE MESSAGE: Today we’re going to learn some important lessons from Psalm 27. Psalms were songs that the Israelites used to sing to God a long time ago. Some of the songs were about happy times and some were about hard times. Psalm 27 was...
THEMES: God’s provision and protection on the Journey Today’s scriptures focus on God’s provision and God’s protection. As Christians begin Lent, Luke 4:1-13 reminds us of the premise and power of following the Spirit in the wilderness for a forty-day journey. It is the Spirit that leads us. As we enter the season of Lent,...
MESSAGE: Last Sunday After Epiphany – Transfiguration – 27 February 2022 THEMES: Mountaintop experiences “Mountaintop experiences”—it’s the phrase we use to describe those ultimate highs in life. In today’s passages, Moses encounters God on Mount Sinai and the disciples view Jesus’ transfiguration on a mountaintop. Both experiences offer glimpses of the awesome power and mystery...
MESSAGE: Seventh Sunday After Epiphany – C – 20 February 2022 THEMES: Resurrection Living While it may not seem like it, the theme running through the Lectionary this week could be viewed as ‘resurrection living.’ The Corinthians reading actually speaks of resurrection, while the others speak of living in ways that bring life both to...
The central theme of all of the readings this week is the contrast between those who follow God’s ways and those who don’t. How we choose to live has consequences. We have been given, in the Scriptures and in Christ’s example, a picture of the kind of life that brings about greater wholeness and joy...
After last week, in which the wonderful “yes” of God was explored alongside the challenging “no”, the Lectionary now challenges us to decide what to do with God’s invitational and confrontational grace. In all of this week’s readings there are two strong themes that emerge. The first is that God calls women and men to...
The two major themes in this week’s reading stand out in clear relief: Firstly, God’s grace is not always a comfortable and gentle thing to experience. Integral to God’s grace is the work of justice which distresses the comfortable and self-assured (the “no”) even as it comforts the distressed (the “yes”). Jeremiah is told that...
