By who’s authority? God’s authority! Matthew describes a moment of confrontation between Jesus and the religious leaders, in which two questions are raised – where Jesus’ authority originates, and who is finding their way into God’s Kingdom. The water image becomes a captivating one for this week’s worship – because like water that flows into...
MESSAGE 24 September – Seventeenth Sunday after PENTECOST – Year A THEME: God’s generosity That’s no way to run a vineyard Jesus! No one is going to show up tomorrow morning at 9am if you keep doing this. The full day workers their complaint isn’t – you are cheap? It isn’t we want more....
How have we been Church in the last week? Where have we proclaimed the love, hope, forgiveness and mercy of Jesus? Who are we wearing? To know Christ and make him known. What does living together look like? We are encouraged from this week’s Gospel in Knowing and living out the power of forgiveness. “Everyone...
How have we been Church in the last week? Where is the Church? Where we gather Monday through to Sunday. In Matthew we are moving into what does living together look like – looking at forgiveness and steps to reconciliation. The previous verses is about our care and concern for the vulnerable. What does it...
MESSAGE 3rd September – 14th Sunday after PENTECOST – Year A THEME: Discipleship, Change, Hope, Trust and Faith Change is constant – we are called to be transformed in Christ by the renewing of our minds. A poem shared by Bishop Jeremy at our Clergy Conference: I can hear change humming. In its loudest, proudest...
THEME: Identity and Purpose The theme of the readings this week is God’s salvation – God’s protection, rescue and faithfulness to God’s promises. The life of faith is lived in community, where many gifts support the body of Christ. In the Exodus account, women work together to oppose injustice and protect life. The midwives disobey...
THEME: Trust and Prayer In today’s Gospel, we see Jesus entering non-Jewish territory, something he very seldom does. We find him in the district of Tyre and Sidon, two coastal cities on the Mediterranean coast (now in present-day Lebanon). Unlike some of the Jewish towns that are linked with Jesus and the Gospel which have...
THEME: Anglicare Sunday In the Gospel: No matter how strong the storm, how threatening the waves, Jesus calls us to trust in his love and mercy. Rejoice in his goodness; rely on his power in all things. Last Sunday we heard in the feeding of the 5000 to rely on God to meet all our...
THEME: What are we hungry for? Feasting and covenants. These two ideas are always linked in Scripture, and they signify God’s commitment to us and God’s invitation for us to be included in God’s family. While this is certainly Good News for us, it is also a huge challenge when we face the truth that...
If we were tempted to think that being part of God’s reign required nothing of us, we will be deeply challenged by this week’s readings because the idea of “obedience” flows through all of them. Jacob’s love for Rachel is a wonderful metaphor for how obedience works. He was willing to work long years in...
