Thursday, 25 February 2021

Sound Recordings

The latest Mp3 recordings – Listen online, or Download . . .


Rev Sandy Boyce Timing:  13:13 Size:  4.6 MB Uploaded:  21-Feb
SUN 21-FEB-2021 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 17 times ] Download   [ 10 times ]
Lent 1 – Lent is a time of fasting, when you give up, for example, chocolate or TV. In the last year we have had to give up a lot, because of all the slowdown, postponement, deprivation, limitation and loss. We've given up so much ever since Lent last year. Doesn't it make giving up for Lent this year seem a bit redundant? So this year, instead of giving up something else for Lent, perhaps we could instead take up something that's life-giving, or gently take down something that detracts from all that's joy. Jesus was led by the Spirit into the silence of the desert for 40 days, away from the challenges of noise, demands and distractions. In silence we might get to know ourselves better, to see how we really are and not how we imagine ourselves to be, and give us an idea of the real changes we need to make. During his time in the desert, Jesus was served by angels; who have been the angels caring for you during the Covid desert experience? Commit to calling to mind what you're grateful for every day. Even with the pressures of Covid, God is offering love and compassion each day. May we have the courage to to open ourselves to rejoicing in the giftedness of this marvellous and precious life with which we are blessed.
Mark 1: 9-15

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  24:46 Size:  8.5 MB Uploaded:  21-Feb
SUN 21-FEB-2021 - 9.30 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 11 times ] Download   [ 35 times ]
Lent 1 – “Again and again God meets us“ – Lent is customarily connected with fasting and giving up of all manner of pleasurable activities for forty days, as a self-inflicted punishment or penance to make up for the indulgences of the rest of the year. But Lent is not primarily about giving things up to please God. Lent is a season for taking stock and making space for things that are creative and enriching, for others as well as for ourselves. Jesus emerged from forty days of isolation, temptation and testing in the wilderness, to boldly proclaim the inbreaking of the new reality, that our identity is first and foremost the object of God's desire. Lent is a time for testing our decisions about how we will order our lives – not for power and influence, but in service and suffering for others. We find ourselves tested and tempted by many distractions that try to tell us who we are and what we should be doing to our own advantage; and God approaches us again and again to affirm us as his beloved, equip us, and send us out into the world to do God's will.
Genesis 9: 8-17; Mark 1: 9-15

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  18:00 Size:  6.2 MB Uploaded:  15-Feb
SUN 14-FEB-2021 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 19 times ] Download   [ 70 times ]
Transfiguration of Jesus – While Jesus, God's beloved son, was on a mountaintop revealing his majesty, down in the valley someone else's beloved son was in the agony of demon-possession. The victim was surrounded by an ever-growing crowd which included some of Jesus' disciples. The disciples had tried to cure the boy but had failed, in spite of doing what Jesus had taught them to do. When Jesus returned from the mountain, the father begged Jesus to cure his son; and when the father showed faith, the boy was cured with a word. It is a common human experience: that while we are feeling comfortable with God's presence, someone nearby is crying his or her eyes out because of God's absence – it's unbearable. In a prosperous country like Australia, could the privileged be dwelling in comfort on so many mountaintops, while others down in the valleys are suffering from hunger, violence, war and abuse? Here is a challenge. Can "glory" speak to "agony", and "agony" to "glory", denying neither and embracing both? During Lent, whatever it is that you hear, the invitation of the risen Christ is to listen to joy or agony, and to listen carefully.
Mark 9: 2-9, 14-29

Rev Sandy Boyce Timing:  15:06 Size:  5.2 MB Uploaded:  14-Feb
SUN 14-FEB-2021 - 9.30 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 12 times ] Download   [ 33 times ]
Transfiguration of Jesus – In the very familiar passage about the Transfiguration, Jesus was up on the mountain with three of his disciples when his clothes became dazzling white, the disciples saw him talking with Moses and Elijah, and the disembodied voice of God declared him to be God's beloved son and someone to be listened to. In the history of the Jewish people, Moses was the chosen one of God to whom had been revealed the laws and commandments for governing people in their everyday lives; and Elijah was an outstanding prophet, larger than life with his achievements. Jewish religion and culture were shaped and governed by the laws of Moses; and the powerful were often following the written laws to the letter, with no regard for the poor and disadvantaged. But that was not God's intention. Jesus made it clear that God was on the side of the poor and needy, and that faith and faithfulness are demonstrated in our relationships to the least and the last. In his letters, Paul made it clear that if a Christian convert wasn't Jewish, that person should not be required to obey irrelevant Jewish religious laws. Jesus called for a transformation of the heart, so there can be an outpouring of the fruits of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, and so forth.
Mark 9: 2-9

Rev Sandy Boyce Timing:  13:00 Size:  4.5 MB Uploaded:  8-Feb
SUN 07-FEB-2021 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 26 times ] Download   [ 62 times ]
Epiphany 5 – In the gospel passage, an elderly woman was bed-bound with a fever when Jesus and his new disciples visited her. The woman was the mother-in-law of Peter, one of the disciples; and her illness would have been a very serious matter, in the absence of anything like antibiotics and vaccines. Like most women in that society, her ministry consisted of service through housework, and she would have felt shamed by her inability to care for her guests. Jesus touched the woman, the fever left her, and she was liberated to serve them. In today's environment, a gendered response would say, "What? Liberated back to the kitchen?" But preparing and serving food for a family was, and is, as important and honourable a service as any other. The English word "deacon" is derived from the Greek "diakonos", meaning "servant"; and the work done by a deacon or servant is "diakonia", a biblical Greek word variously translated as "service", "serving", "providing for" or "attending to". That woman, Peter's mother-in-law, was not named; but could she have become one of the disciples of Jesus, one of the women who served and cared for Jesus and the disciples on their journeys? We know that the Spirit worked through the serving of those women.
Mark 1: 29-39

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  16:28 Size:  5.7 MB Uploaded:  7-Feb
SUN 07-FEB-2021 - 9.30 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 30 times ] Download   [ 831 times ]
Epiphany 5 – "Covenant Sunday 2021" – The gospel passage gives some insights into what can be involved when we commit to being followers of Jesus. According to Mark, early in Jesus' ministry there were a few eventful days during which he persuaded four fishermen to make the astonishingly irresponsible decision to leave their occupations and families and follow him to goodness knows where. After some incident-packed days Jesus and his new disciples visited the home of two of them, the brothers Peter and Andrew, where they found Peter's mother-in-law in bed, seriously ill with a fever. She would have been upset with the illness, and at being prevented from serving her guests. And she would almost certainly have been upset at the idea of her two boys walking out on her to be with this strange man Jesus. Sensing her unhappiness, Jesus went over to her and helped her up; the fever was cured, and she was free to serve them. That evening, after healing a lot of visitors, Jesus was left exhausted. He needed a time of quietness and reflection, the same as we do when we're overcome with responsibilities and anxieties; so the next morning he got up very early to find a secluded spot where he could pray to the God whom he called Father. When the disciples tracked him down Jesus was refreshed and connected, ready for the next town. We, too, need a time to pause and reconnect; a time to be mindful of the call that is on our life, and on the resources that God provides.
Mark 1: 29-39

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  14:43 Size:  5.1 MB Uploaded:  1-Feb
SUN 31-JAN-2021 - 11.00 AM Semon  .mp3  Listen  [ 44 times ] Download   [ 137 times ]
Epiphany 4 – The first public appearance of Jesus in Mark's gospel tells of Jesus' visit to the synagogue in Capernaum, where he spoke about the nature of the loving, caring God whom he claimed as Father. When one of the men present was apparently suffering from demon possession, Jesus reinforced his lesson about God's love by liberating the man from his affliction. Demons can refer to any condition that controls our life and inhibits freedom, and Jesus was prepared to face anything that diminished the lives of those he loved. We are invited to consider the demons that hold us captive; and may we live expecting to experience for ourselves the loving, life-changing actions of Jesus.
Mark 1: 21-28

Rev Sandy Boyce Timing:  11:21 Size:  3.9 MB Uploaded:  31-Jan
SUN 31-JAN-2021 - 9.30 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 38 times ] Download   [ 98 times ]
Epiphany 4 – In Mark's account, Jesus was in a synagogue one Sabbath, doing some serious teaching, when a man with what was described as an "unclean spirit" shouted out that he knew exactly who Jesus was and what he represented, and he wanted Jesus to go away. To everyone's amazement, Jesus healed the man of his "demon possession" with just a few words. Today we would recognise the man's unclean spirit as a symptom of a mental or psychosomatic illness, an affliction that will often exclude us from community. Such illnesses are part of a continuum of inner struggles that we all face in the darker parts of our life journey; and Jesus paid attention to people at risk of exclusion. As a community of Christ, let us seek to understand those living with mental health challenges, and seek to ensure that ignorance and stigmatised responses have no place in our community. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of hope – a safe space and a spiritual home, for all who seek the hope, love and peace of Jesus Christ.
Mark 1: 21-28

Rev Sandy Boyce Timing:  16:52 Size:  5.8 MB Uploaded:  24-Jan
SUN 24-JAN-2021 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 52 times ] Download   [ 295 times ]
Epiphany 3 – The story of Jonah is surprisingly relevant for today. God called Jonah to travel to the city of Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire, situated on the banks of the River Tigris and next to Mosul in modern-day Iraq. For the Jewish people it was the heartland of enemy territory. Jonah didn't want to go, and he did his best to get as far away from Nineveh as he could by going in the opposite direction; but, so the story goes, he was thrown overboard during a storm, a large fish swallowed him, and three days later he was safely vomited up onto an Assyrian beach. He made his way to Nineveh; he delivered the message that Nineveh would be overthrown in another 40 days; and surprisingly, they listened and the calamity was averted. But it didn't take the Assyrian Empire long to return to its old ways, and Jonah was very angry with God, to think that God could change his mind because of a temporary show of cheap repentance. God's love is for all, even for enemies like the Assyrian Empire – when there is repentance. God never gives up hope on anyone, even the least likely.
Jonah 3: 1-10

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  16:14 Size:  5.6 MB Uploaded:  24-Jan
SUN 24-JAN-2021 - 9.30 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 52 times ] Download   [ 108 times ]
Epiphany 3 – Epiphany is a season for listening to God's calling voice, and deciding on how to respond to the voice of God. The gospel story tells of four fishermen, two pairs of brothers, who were called to leave their families and skilled occupations to follow Jesus. Jesus wanted to teach them new skills relating not to fish but to humankind; skills such as grace, generosity, forgiveness, reconciliation, and equality between all people. In the sermon Greg refers to a reproduction of a painting by the Danish artist Michael Peter Ancher (1849-1927), showing four hardy, weather-beaten fishermen standing behind a beached boat, their faces full of wonder as they watch something happening in front of them. Was it meant to represent the four fishermen in the Gospel account, watching Jesus coming along to see them? When Jesus spoke with people about the different way of life, he often used words like, "If you hang on to your life, you'll lose it; but if you let go of your life, you'll save it." The disciples couldn't have found it easy, because the gospel accounts tell of their constant bewilderment at what Jesus was teaching them. Was this the sort of thing they'd signed up for? May we be able to recognise God's calling voice and respond to it, revisiting the sense of God's call in our life and the life of our congregation.
Jonah 3: 1-5, 10; Mark 1: 14-20

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  24:41 Size:  8.5 MB Uploaded:  17-Jan
SUN 17-JAN-2021 - 11 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 58 times ] Download   [ 144 times ]
Epiphany 2 – On this particular Sunday there was a special observance by the Uniting Church in Australia, to recognise the dispossession and marginalisation of Aboriginal people. The colonisation of Australia got off to a very bad start some 233 years ago, and we have a long way to go before we overcome that bad beginning. Can anything come out of the darkness and brokenness we see everywhere today? However inconvenient and embarrassing it might be, the historical impact of the wrongs inflicted on the Aborigines must be seen and acknowledged. As Christians, we believe in the presence of a God who never stops speaking to us; who wants to reveal himself in love, healing, mercy and hope; and whose capacity to resurrect and restore is limitless. In the Old Testament reading, God opened the eyes of the boy Samuel to see and deal with the systemic corruption taking place in the Temple, when his guardian, the elderly priest Eli, couldn't or wouldn't do anything about it. In the New Testament reading, when Philip invited Nathaniel to go and see Jesus, Jesus immediately recognised Nathaniel as a straight and honest man. God knows each of us intimately. Can we ask God for new and refreshed insight into our indigenous brothers and sisters, instead of accepting their situation as an intractible mess? Perhaps we can't solve the big issues, but we could, perhaps, lend a hand to those who are seeking to do so.
1 Samuel 3: 1-10; John 1: 43-51

Rev Sandy Boyce Timing:  15:22 Size:  5.3 MB Uploaded:  10-Jan
SUN 10-JAN-2021 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 73 times ] Download   [ 255 times ]
Baptism of Jesus – Epiphany, twelve days after Christmas, is the traditional time for taking down Christmas trees and dismantling nativity scenes; and it is supposed to be a time of light, illumination and revelation, a time to see more clearly. But this year, Epiphany began in quite a different and shocking way. We had good reason to contemplate the actions of an anxious leader with a manic claim to power – meaning, of course, King Herod. He had no hesitation using his absolute authority to maintain power. And this year we have seen how religious language and symbols can be so easily co-opted as a weapon of earthly political power. We are tired – tired of the pandemic; of political lies that deliver partial truths; of movements promoting nationalism; of isolation, exclusion, inequity, fear, and prejudice; of the overwhelming reality of global climate change. We need a prophetic vision. The magi had a hope that sustained them for a long journey. The scriptures tell of a new world beginning with the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We need to be deeply alert to the life and work of Jesus as told in the scriptures. For a start: know and seek truth; serve the needy and the poor; and love our neighbours.
Genesis 1: 1-5; Mark 1: 4-11

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  20:33 Size:  7.1 MB Uploaded:  10-Jan
SUN 10-JAN-2021 - 9.30 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 67 times ] Download   [ 332 times ]
Baptism of Jesus – The gospel passage is about a real person, a carpenter called Jesus of Nazareth from the backblocks of Galilee. He had a cousin, John, who was preaching baptism for the forgiveness of sins; and Jesus persuaded John to baptise him as well. When Jesus was emerging from the river Jordan, he heard a divine voice telling him, "You are my son, the beloved. With you I am well pleased.", and he saw the Spirit, like a dove, coming down. It was an experience that utterly captivated him and set him on his journey for the rest of his life. This was the language of Epiphany – lightening, appearing and revealing. God invites us to experience his majesty in ordinary things like water, doves, voices and the sky. We are probably all waiting to hear, from the centre of the universe, the affirmation that "You are my beloved daughter / son. You delight me." There are parents who carry tattoos of their children's names, inked into their skins. In the book of Isaiah (Isaiah 49:16) it is written that God has inscribed, tattooed, the name of every one of us on the palm of his hand. God knows us by name; we belong to God; we are in God; and we are loved by God. It is a gift to every one of God's children.
Genesis 1: 1-5; Mark 1: 4-11

Rev Vikki Waller Timing:  14:41 Size:  5.1 MB Uploaded:  3-Jan
SUN 03-JAN-2021 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 65 times ] Download   [ 175 times ]
Epiphany – The year 2020 was going to be a year of new opportunities; but when we reached March and April we drowned in Covid news, with infection rates, lockdowns, riots, unemployment and even toilet paper shortages. We've lived through it, and we pray that 2021 will not only be back to normal, but better than normal. The first Epiphany saw the Magi arriving in Bethlehem and declaring the universality of Christ's kingdom. It was not just another birth in a minor nation, but an event of cosmic importance – a revelation, an epiphany. And how does that message sit with our present era? Australia is a multi-religious country, and we are used to Hindu temples, mosques of Islam, Scientology consulting rooms, and Buddhist temples. There is considerable pressure for Christianity to drop its claims about Jesus Christ as Saviour of the world. We need less religious intolerance, and less patronising arrogance. They are not a part of the gospel of Christ. Listen to other religions, seek the good in them and not the nastiness. Talk with the good people and look for the highest, not the lowest. Perhaps God has particular messages for us from other religions, especially in the great faiths that have withstood the tests of ages. But we must be true to our own faith. We have been filled with Christ's Holy Spirit. This is the time that the Lord has appointed us to be salt and light; this is the time the Lord has made way for us to live the abundant life.
Matthew 2: 1-12

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  23:48 Size:  8.2 MB Uploaded:  3-Jan
SUN 03-JAN-2021 - 9.30 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 61 times ] Download   [ 216 times ]
Epiphany – Traditionally observed twelve days after Christmas, the feast of the Epiphany celebrates the coming of light into the ordinariness of human events. The certain wise men in the story, traditionally three of them, who were following their dreams of finding a new-born king, would have been unclean pagans in Jewish eyes; but in spite of that, it was God who led them on their long, slow journey from the east. What they found was a baby boy, born in curious circumstances and put to bed in a feed box. God's love traverses cultural and geographical barriers to become good news for all people. When Jesus was born into the world, Palestine was occupied by a brutal foreign power, and the majority of the population were poor and hungry. Last year, in 2020, we celebrated Epiphany with large areas of Australia in flames; since March 2020 the world has been struggling with a highly contagious pandemic; and we are experiencing unprecedented weather events. The list goes on. Where is God's light in the darkness? Our mission is to hold up the Christ-child in the eyes of the world, in a ceaseless celebration of the feast of the Epiphany. There is a lot of darkness in the world, examples being superstition, fear, pride in half-truths, entrenched evil in the systems that seek to rule the world, and apathy. Greg concludes his sermon with a reading of "Blessing of the Magi" by the artist and author Jan Richardson. May God give us courage, a sense of anticipation, and a sense of joy, that we're travelling together as we walk into this season of Epiphany.
Isaiah 60: 1-6; Matthew 2: 1-12

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  13:10 Size:  4.6 MB Uploaded:  28-Dec
SUN 27-DEC-2020 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 82 times ] Download   [ 245 times ]
Christmas 1 – There is a dissonance between the Christmas rhetoric of joy and peace, and the reality of broken promises, broken relationships and the pressure to compete for attention, quite forgetting the magnificence of the Christmas proclamation. The birth of Jesus didn't just happen once upon a time in a faraway place; it is an invitation to all people, valid at all times and in all places, for each and any of us to be adopted into God's family as a child and heir of God, and to participate in the family life of God. God is not a harsh and stern judge, he is a compassionate parent. In our world of sound bites and spin doctors it can be very difficult to discern what is real and what is true, and the idea of God interacting with mankind can seem like a delusional phantasy. In the scripture passage, Luke recalls how Simeon held the baby Jesus and praised him as the light of the gentiles, destined to reveal good news to the whole world. The world was to experience community, collaboration and compassion, as opposed to consumption, competition and individualism. By God's grace and God's unrelenting compassion, may the new year 2021 bring us both the courage and the humility that we need to accept, each day, the privilege and reponsibility of being members of God's family.
Luke 2: 22-40

Rev Sandy Boyce Timing:  11:27 Size:  4.0 MB Uploaded:  27-Dec
FRI 25-DEC-2020 - 9.30 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 73 times ] Download   [ 181 times ]
Christmas Day – In Luke's account, Caesar Augustus had ordered an empire-wide census in which every inhabitant of the Roman Empire would be counted in his home town; and although Joseph and his fiancée Mary were residents of the village of Nazareth in Galilee, for census purposes their home town was Bethlehem, more than 100 km away, because of its connection with Joseph's direct ancestor King David. For Mary and Joseph, the journey to Bethlehem was going to be very disruptive. Mary was close to giving birth; she was going to be deprived of the village women to help with the birthing process; and there would be nobody she knew to support her – they were facing uncertainty, disappointment and fear. The coming of Christ into the world was not like a romantic picture on a Hallmark Christmas card. Think back to the experiences of year 2020 and the effects on your life of the Covid pandemic. For us, Christmas is normally comfortable and predictable; but this year there have been many disappointments. People have stayed at a distance from each other for safety, there have been empty churches, and we have resorted to worship services, sometimes hastily improvised, that we've streamed over the internet. What new insights might you have, in view of this biblical narrative? But for all that, in the turmoil of 2020 there has been a new connection to community and to each other, a responding to the needs of others with kindness, generosity and compassion – a glimmer of the Light that has come into the world. Joy to the world, God is breaking into our lives afresh.
Luke 2: 1-20

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  10:58 Size:  3.8 MB Uploaded:  28-Dec
THU 24-DEC-2020 - 11.00 PM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 75 times ] Download   [ 150 times ]
Christmas Eve – The introduction of John's gospel has a wonderful message that leaves us on the edge of mystery with much to be grasped. We are told that Life and Light have come among us to shine in the darkness of our human experience, of our global history, and of our lives; and the darkness has not overcome the light. Rather than a glaring searchlight, it is a gentle life-giving light, revealing the parts of darkness that taint and destroy our human life. This testimony from long ago has often been echoed in music and words. In this messy world of ours, the heart-beat of God has become human flesh and human life, full of grace and truth. The sacredness of human life, the holiness of our existence and the worth of our experience are affirmed, amongst us and within us – not of ideal life, but of life as it is. The sermon concludes with a beautiful poem inspired by the mystery of God. May this be a Christmas when we are touched, hopefully in most surprising ways, with something of the grandeur, the mystery and the grace of God.
John 1: 1-14

Rev Sandy Boyce Timing:  9:02 Size:  3.1 MB Uploaded:  26-Dec
THU 24-DEC-2020 - 9.00 PM Reflection  .mp3  Listen  [ 74 times ] Download   [ 134 times ]
Christmas Eve 'Candlelight Service' – In our dreams we can imagine a better world that offers peace in the midst of brokenness, joy that carries us through our days, and love that withstands fears. While dreaming may not be mindless, it can seem fragile and naive, something to be dismissed as fanciful when we're dispirited. In the Nativity we see something of God's dream for the human family, with God showing us an alternate reality in which he comes close to us and brings heaven down to earth to occupy human hearts. It involves a theology in which God is near to each of us down here on earth, approachable in person, not high up above us in an institutional hierarchy. Jesus dwelt in the grittiness of life, quite unlike the romanticised illustrations we see on Christmas cards. Somewhere deep in our hearts there is a dream of a better world. May we realise that dream, and join in with the work that God is doing in the world.

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  18:43 Size:  6.5 MB Uploaded:  20-Dec
SUN 20-DEC-2020 - 11 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 88 times ] Download   [ 240 times ]
Advent 4 – Luke's account of the birth of Christ is not to be read as a literal description. A casual reader might dismiss it as a piece of naive, superstitious mythology; but the message, which is at the core of our Christian faith, is that God has come to us and for us. We are not abandoned or alone. Where the reading says that Mary was "greatly troubled", a better translation would say that she was confused and deeply disturbed at what the angel told her, and with good reason. God's favour was going to turn Mary into an unmarried mother, subject to scandal, ostracism and death by stoning – to be favoured by God can be no benign thing. Her consent, "May it be to me as you have said", was a very cautious, ambivalent "Yes". And when the angel departed from her, it is suggested that her mountain-top experience had faded away and her experience with God had evaporated. Meister Eckhart, a mediaeval theologian, taught that God chose humanity, not the town of Bethlehem, to give birth to life. What is it that we know about Jesus that we long to be present in our lives and in the lives of the communities that sustain us?
Luke 1: 26-38

Rev Sandy Boyce Timing:  14:35 Size:  5.0 MB Uploaded:  20-Dec
SUN 20-DEC-2020 - 9.30 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 74 times ] Download   [ 266 times ]
Advent 4 – "Those who dream ... are not alone" – Over this Christmas period, the City of London is in lockdown because of a particularly nasty variant of the COVID virus – and it's the time of year when you look forward to the comfort and encouragement that comes from sharing with family and friends. Being confined to home results in loneliness, loss of support and disorientation. When the going gets tough we need to lean on each other for mutual support, and we become fully ourselves by sharing ourselves with others. In the gospel account, Mary knew from the ancient scriptures that the Messiah would be coming, although nobody could say exactly when or how. She was alone when she learned that she herself had been chosen by God to give birth to the long-awaited Messiah; but who could she talk to? The angel had told her that her relative Elizabeth was pregnant; and with great determination, Mary set out on a 100 km walk from Nazareth to the hill country of Judea, to be with Elizabeth. The two women were overjoyed to see each other; Mary's song, the Magnificat, came tumbling out; and Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months until the birth of Elizabeth's baby, John the Baptiser. The two women cherished each other's company; they shared a sacred space; and they offered blessings to each other. It was a safe place for Mary, where she was loved and accepted. What qualities do you value in a trusted friend? Do you have special friends whom you support? Do you have special friends who support you?
Luke 1: 26-45 ('The Message' version)

Rev Sandy Boyce Timing:  14:56 Size:  5.2 MB Uploaded:  14-Dec
SUN 13-DEC-2020 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 80 times ] Download   [ 235 times ]
Advent 3 – When John the Baptist turned up out of the wilderness with his particular message, people were wondering whether they were witnessing the return of the prophet Elijah, as predicted some 400 years previously in the last few verses of the Old Testament (Malachi 4:5). Over the intervening 400 years there had been a succession of invasions, with only 100 years of continuous peace and prosperity; the nation was currently under Roman domination; and the regular appearances of false messiahs kept ending in disaster. John assured his questioners that he was not another messiah; he was very reticent; he pointed away from his own ministry because he knew that Jesus' ministry was more important. John was not himself the light that shines in the darkness, but he had came to testify to Jesus as the Light of the World. Do we act as mirrors of Christ, to reflect Christ's light into the dark recesses of the world?
Isaiah 61: 1-4, 8-11; John 1: 6-8, 19-28

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  25:29 Size:  8.8 MB Uploaded:  13-Dec
SUN 13-DEC-2020 - 9.30 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 93 times ] Download   [ 504 times ]
Advent 3 – "Those who dream ... sow joy" – The Magnificat, also known as the Canticle of Mary, has occupied a central part in Christian worship since the earliest times. Luke's gospel tells us that Mary and her older relative Elizabeth both found themselves pregnant in miraculous circumstances; and during a visit to her older relative to share their life-transforming experiences, Mary burst into a song expressing her joy at the tremendous blessing that God was bestowing on her as a young woman in dubious circumstances, and on generations to come. But what she was singing was more that a reassurance of God's grace – it was a declaration of war and insurrection against the systems that keep people in places of isolation, poverty or hunger. The Magnificat has been viewed as dangerous by people in power. Some countries – such as India, Guatemala, and Argentina – have outright banned the Magnificat from being recited in liturgy, or used or referred to in public. The joy referred to in the Magnificat is much more than frivolous or shallow happiness. As followers of Jesus, we are called to plant seeds of joy in unlikely places, as though in dark rich soil, and to tend and nurture the joy as it grows. What are the small actions that help us to cultivate joy?
Isaiah 61: 1-4, 8-11; Luke 1: 46-55

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Advent 2 – Every movement that seeks to bring about change has had its forerunners, often unseen figures and unseen heroes who have tackled the groundwork for the changes to come. Barack Obama, the first African American president, stood on the shoulders of others, including Senator John Lewis, a champion for peace, justice and equality, and Martin Luther King Jr., who was committed to the non-violence he had learned from Mahatma Ghandi. This sermon offers a number of examples of people who have been forerunners to things that became much bigger as a result of their initiatives and efforts. John the Baptist was the forerunner for Jesus, in anticipation of the One who would bring salvation. Every movement needs people functioning as the advance team, preparing the way for something beyond the present state of affairs – how might we better see these people, support them, and appreciate them? At the conclusion of the sermon, you will be invited to spend some time reflecting on the people who have been forerunners in your life, and reflecting on your own dreams and visions that you may have had but have never fulfilled.
(The same sermon was also preached at the 9.30 am service.)
Isaiah 40: 1-11; Mark 1: 1-8

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Advent 1 – According to Mark's gospel, Jesus spent some time up on the Mount of Olives during the week leading to his arrest, telling his disciples about the terrible events that would take place in the last days ahead of his return in glory. It would be a time of darkness – no sun, no moon, no stars. In the liturgical calendar we have come to the season of Advent, a time traditionally set aside for confession and repentance. Confession is an honest admission of what we really are and where we are on life's journey; and repentance is looking around for a more helpful path than the one we have been following. When we welcome the 'here' of our human existence, including our suffering and struggles, we are most likely to experience the nearness and presence of God. We need to look around and say "hello" to what we actually are, not to what we would prefer to be. "Woke" is a recently invented word, an adjective to describe awareness of the important, active issues of life; and the opposite of woke is denial. We need to guard against numbness, denial and despair, and recognise the fear of admitting to fear. Don't stand guard over topics you don't want mentioned. Things worth waiting for often happen in the dark; and we are called to keep awake, always aware of the dawning of a new day.
Note: Dr Elsdon used the same sermon topic for the 9.30 AM church service.
Mark 13: 24-37

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Reign of Christ – In his Hallelujah Chorus from "The Messiah", Handel tries to describe the reign of Christ with words such as "Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!"; "The kingdom of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ"; "He shall reign for forever and ever"; and "King of Kings, and Lord of Lords". The reign of Christ the King is unlike any other reign or dominion, because it is not maintained by unbridled power and control, but by compassion, justice, forgiveness and reconciliation. It is not held together by pomp and ceremony, but by hospitality and generosity. The Lord of all asks us to respond to the desperately needy, be they hungry, sick, imprisoned or lonely, to identify with them and accompany them. Remember also the dispossessed and forgotten, victims of violence, and people held in detention centres. These are more than statistics, they are people of Jesus. The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats is not necesarily about the end of time, but about the presence of God in our history. In the grounds of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, Republic of Ireland, there is a sculpture of a vagrant lying under a blanket with his feet uncovered. The feet have wounds from which large nails have been extracted. It is an image of Christ among us.
Matthew 25: 31-46

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Reign of Christ – The Parable of the Sheep and Goats tells us that in the last times when Jesus returns, we are going to be divided into two groups the way a shepherd would have separated sheep from goats. The righteous among us, the "sheep", will be assembled on the right; and the unrighteous, the "goats", will be assembled on the left. At the original telling of the parable there wouldn't have been much to choose between the appearance of sheep and goats mixed together in a flock – they all had the same sort of wooly coats, and they were all about the same size and shape. But although they looked the same, their true natures were revealed by their actions. Sheep would respond to their shepherd by willingly following him as their leader; while goats would have their own ideas and would give the shepherd or goatherd a hard time as he tried to keep up with them across the countryside. The parable tells us that we are going to be classified as righteous "sheep" or unrighteous "goats" according to the love we have shown to others in need. What matters is not what we profess to believe, but what we do for others. Jesus has assured us that whatever we do for someone in need, we are doing it for Jesus himself. Jesus comes to us incognito; and extending hospitality generously and broadly allows us to experience Jesus.
Matthew 25: 31-46

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Pentecost 24 – In his first letter to the Christians in Thessaloniki, Paul used some military imagery as a protection for a spiritual battle, telling the church to "put on the armour of faith and love", and to "wear the helmet with the confidence of salvation". It is a spiritual kind of armour that prepares and protects for a different kind of battle – to help people live as followers of Jesus, to resist pressure exerted to make you conform to the wants of the powerful, and to stand against abuse. November 11th has recently passed; it is the date observed as Remembrance Day (Veterans Day in much of the US), and it is also the feast day for St Martin of Tours, patron saint of soldiers, beggars and weavers. St Martin left his post in the Roman army some time before 361 AD to become a "soldier of Christ" as a monk and later a bishop. One notable incident saw him approaching the gates of Amiens on horseback, in bitterly cold weather, when he saw a shivering, half naked man begging for help; whereupon Martin drew his sword and cut his military cloak in two. The poor man was covered with half the cloak. There is a lot to be said about his remarkable life. He wore the armour of faith and love, and the helmet of salvation. His life was lived with humility and caring compassion, and with strength and detemination. As we anticipate the Advent season, may the life of St Martin offer some signposts along the way.
1 Thessalonians 5: 1-13

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Pentecost 24 – Enough is Enough – In the Parable of the Talents from Matthew's gospel, the "talents" referred to were high-valued units of currency, equivalent to thousands of dollars, in this context a measure not of God-given ability but of material wealth. In the story, three slaves were entrusted with large sums of money, and they were expected to use the money as venture capital during the master's absence. On the master's return, the two slaves entrusted with larger sums both reported a 100% profit on their investments, and were promoted on the spot; while the slave who had been entrusted with the smallest sum of money, and had refused to have anything to do with the master's business affairs, was sacked on the spot. When we are told of the master admitting to being harsh and dishonest, it is a clear indication that he was not meant to represent God, the God of mercy and compassion promoted by Jesus and the prophets. In the context of that period, we have a picture of a wealthy, privileged landowner exploiting the poor through exorbitant interest rates and unaffordable rents, driving the poor and landless even further into destitution. In Matthew's gospel, this parable is one of a block of parables placed just ahead of the arrest, trial and execution of Jesus. The slave thrown into outer darkness was not worthless; he was a heroic whistle-blower who refused to condone the way the poor were being exploited by the wealthy, and he had said that "Enough is enough." It can be concluded that the slave thrown into the outer darkness represented Jesus, who was himself facing the outer darkness of death by crucifixion.
Matthew 25: 14-30

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Pentecost 23 – Parables must not be taken literally, because they have many layers of meaning. In this parable, ten young women were standing by at a bride's home, waiting for the bridegroom to arrive so they could escort the bride and groom back to the groom's parents' home for the wedding and celebrations. But the groom was very late in arriving, and the women couldn't stay awake. When he at last arrived and the women were woken up from their sleep, five of them discovered that their lanterns had run out of oil; and as for the five who'd had the foresight to take along some spare oil, they refused to share it. This seems wrong, and it's more than disruptive and disturbing: it's contrary to what we know of Jesus and the reign of God. Jesus teaches us to share what we have with those who need it. This parable finishes with a warning, "Keep awake, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour." Where do we observe God's presence and notice God's arrival? God is found in unexpected places and unexpected circumstances; when something beyond us touches us, could it be evidence of God among us? Listen to the messages within us: "God is not elsewhere."
Matthew 25: 1-13

Phil Hofmann Timing:  24:29 Size:  8.4 MB Uploaded:  8-Nov
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Pentecost 23 – Alert to the moment – During his three year stay in Israel/Palestine, Phil was lucky enough to be in the village formerly known as Cana of Galilee when he witnessed an elaborate and joyous street procession, in which a bridegroom and his attendant were making their circuitous way on horseback to the bride's home, from where the bride would be taken to the groom's home to be married during a wedding feast that had already been going strong for several days. This Middle Eastern wedding custom is virtually unchanged since the time of Jesus. In Matthew's account of the parable of the five wise and five foolish bridesmaids, that particular groom must have chosen a very long and circuitous route to his bride's home, because the bridesmaids had all fallen asleep by the time he arrived towards midnight. When they were woken up, five of the bridesmaids found they had run out of lamp oil while the other five had planned ahead and had some oil in reserve; and the bridesmaids who had been wise enough to plan ahead refused to help their unfortunately foolish companions. Like most parables, this one has many possible meanings, and it's open-ended. Is it a lesson about the return of the Messiah and the Great Wedding Feast in the last days? Is it an exhortation to maintain acts of faith, with oil representing good deeds? Is it a warning to stay awake and not miss out on life's opportunities? The season of Advent is approaching with its challenges, and we must not miss the key moments when they come. At the school where our preacher Phil is the chaplain, one of the students has prepared a meditation based on her experience as a victim of cystic fibrosis, and for her, breathing is the single most important thing you can do. In ancient Hebrew, the sound of breathing is the unpronouceable name of God. Breath is Spirit. Breath is the beginning and the ending.
Matthew 25: 1-13

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Pentecost 22 – Beatitudes are to be found in many parts of the Hebrew scriptures as well as in the New Testament teachings attributed to Jesus. Beatitudes were a common way of declaring the value of practices and attitudes considered to be of importance, and they offered hearty congratulations to anyone who followed them and lived by them. For example "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" can be interpreted as, "Congratulations for not desiring to control and manipulate others for your own benefit." The Beatitudes are not to be taken as soothing messages for sentimental greeting cards; they are meant to startle us into taking up a challenge to alter the way we live. They are declarations of God's intention for humanity, with images of life as it could be. But unfortunately, many Christians ignore the Beatitudes and follow a religion of legalism and stern judgementalism – which is not in accord with the words recorded by the prophet Micah, some 800 years before the Common Era: "And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly before your God." (Micah 6:8)
Matthew 5: 1-12

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Pentecost 22 – When Paul was run out of Thessaloniki, fake news had been circulating in the city and beyond to diminish his reputation, his message and his influence; so he sent a letter back to the fledgling church to assure them that his conduct had in fact been pure, upright and blameless, with very high ethical and moral standards. They knew it was true, because they had known him personally. The adjective 'post-truth' was the Oxford Dictionaries' Word of the Year for 2016, and it remains one of the defining words of our time. We are living in a 'post-truth' society in which objective facts have less influence than emotional appeal. Fake news is not fake just because it misrepresents reality, but also because it violates neighbourliness by wilfully aiming to set neighbour against neighbour. The work of the church is to tell the truth about neighbour and our neighbour-loving God, and to give value to the neighbour in restoration, emancipation and reconciliation. Flannery O'Connor, an American novelist, has a lovely way of expressing the church's call: You shall know the truth – and the truth will make you odd. The church is now summoned to embrace its oddness in the world by its truth-telling and truth-doing, and by being in the public domain to say, "I beg to differ."
1 Thessalonians 2: 9-13

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Pentecost 21 – When Paul preached Christianity in Thessaloniki, he was in trouble with the Roman authorities for promoting an unauthorised religion whose deity was alleged to be superior to Caesar, and the Jewish leaders were so angry with him and and his message that they attacked him personally. He was arrested, flogged, imprisoned, and run out of town. In the first letter that he later wrote to the fledgling church in Thessaloniki, Paul rejected the story that he was a professional religious entertainer travelling from city to city to extract money from the converts who believed him. No, he was convinced that in spite of the opposition and persecution, his message was changing lives. A liar continues to lie, but an honest person stands out as authentic and worthy of God – and Paul had passed the test. He had given himself selflessly to serve the Thessalonian church, and lives were changed. In Western countries there is a breakdown of public trust, with widespread reporting of corruption, self-interest, scandals and outright lies. What we need is a world that's forthright and honest, with trustworthy discourse that bears the weight of truth. God grant us the courage to live lives of compassion, kindness, conviction and integrity, and demand the kind of leadership that enables society to flourish.
1 Thessalonians 2: 1-8

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Pentecost 21 – The essence of the Jewish faith that has been handed down to us, is for us to love God with heart and soul, and to love neighbours as we love ourselves. Although love involves feelings and emotions, that is only a part of it – love is about our choices and actions, the way we make decisions to do what is right, the way we conduct relationships and participate in community. Jesus did not tell us to believe the right things and follow particular religious rules – he simply told us to love. But how? Loving is not easy, it's complex and challenging, and it requires courage and deep humility. It means acknowleging another's human dignity, and trying not to make another's lot worse. The sermon has an account of how a person of small stature acted with courage and love in the way she rebuked an impressively large man for his offensive racial remark, and then wished a blessing on his children. We have been conditioned to see others as different from us, and loving is difficult when we have been taught to protect ourselves by keeping others in their place. Jesus has declared the sanctity of all of life. We are God's family, and the essence of the faith handed down to us is to love God with all we've got, and to love our neighbours, the other members of God's family, the way we love ourselves.
1 Thessalonians 2: 1-8; Matthew 22: 34-40

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Pentecost 20 – A party of anti-Roman Pharisees and pro-Roman Herodiams decided to work together in their efforts to get rid of Jesus by discrediting him in the eyes of a crowd of onlookers. So they concocted a trick question – was it legal to pay taxes to the Roman emperor, or not? It was a question with many layers of meaning, both political and religious, and any Yes or No answer was going to make him appear to be aligned with one party or the other. But he wriggled out of giving a yes/no answer when he asked to see a Roman coin. Roman taxes had to be paid with Roman coins, stamped with the emperor's image and title. Because in Roman eyes the emperor had been declared to be one of the gods, a financial transaction using Roman coinage was also seen as a religious activity. In his reply, Jesus was telling his questioners to give to Caesar, the emperor, that which was in the image of Caesar, and to God that which was in the image of God. We are the ones who have been created in the image of God, even if some of us are a bit tarnished and distorted. We are the image bearers of our creator, and what we render to Caesar should always take second place to what we render to God.
Matthew 22: 15-22

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Pentecost 20 – While Paul was on his first missionary journey he stayed for a while in the Greek city of Thessaloniki, 300 km north of Athens, and while there he visited a Jewish synagogue three times to tell his countrymen about the good news of Jesus Christ. He was not well received by the Jewish leaders, who were so enraged by him and his message that they ran him out of town and followed him south as far as Athens and Corinth. Paul was left afaid and discouraged – until news came that his preaching to the Thessalonians had borne fruit, that new believers had formed a church, and that the young Thessalonian church was going strong. It was exciting news, and Paul dashed off a letter to them. They had been impressed by the integrity of Paul and his colleagues; they were confident they were being told the truth, and that is was God who was being promoted, not a private agenda. They were showing the nature of true faith – hard work, patience and service. The portion of Paul's letter on which this sermon is based has become very precious for one of Sandy's friends, a German woman who has been working with refugees in this same city of Thessaloniki. Let us continue to be the kind of commumity that is known for its service, labour, love, perserverance, and steadfasness of hope in Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 1: 1-10

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Pentecost 18 – In our Western culture, a person's status and worthiness can often depend on achievements such as academic success, a good annual income, and the ability to accumulate stuff, in the hope that they will bring a sense of satisfaction and well-being. In first-century Philippi life was understood quite differently, and a person's worthiness and status could largely depend on the 'badge of office' for position in a hierarchy. In the letter to the Philippians, Paul related how he had formerly acquired some impressive 'badges of office' as a scholar and lawyer in the Jewish hierarchy, and had been spending time 'ticking the boxes' on lists of religious laws and punishments. But since his encounter with Jesus his understanding of God was very different. Sticking to the letter of the religious law leads to community suspicion, despair, hatred, retribution and envy; but Paul was saying that he had found the secret for forgiveness and reconciliation - it is not found by earning enough good behaviour badges, it comes to us as a gift. On account of Christ's faithfulness with us, we are not going to be assessed and judged on the basis of our status badges. In what do we place our confidence, our sense of identity and our well being? It is in the faithfulness of Christ. (In Chapter 3 Verse 9, the phrase habitually translated as "faith in Christ" is more accurately translated as "the faithfulness of Christ".) Christ is faithful with us, and we are not ranked in order of worthiness - regardless of our flaws, God holds us equally in Jesus.
Philippians 3: 4b-14

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Pentecost 19 – The Parable of the Wedding Feast in Matthew's gospel is violent reading. It tells of a tyrannical, narcissistic king who sent out invitations for a lavish feast celebrating his son's wedding. When the invitations were ignored and some of the couriers were murdered, the king ordered his army to destroy the city where the murderers lived. Then he decreed that everybody was going to attend the feast, and that everyone was going to be dressed uniformly in wedding robes that he himself was going to supply. When the guests had gathered, one of them was seen without a wedding gown; and when he was challenged and remained silent, the errant guest was bound head and foot and tossed out into the dark. In the sermon we are asked not to equate the king in the parable with God. The God of Jesus is not a God of violence, coercion and punishment, he is a God of love, forgiveness and acceptance. This parable in Matthew's gospel is placed during the week before Christ's betrayal and crucifixion; and when the parable's non-conforming wedding guest is thrown out into the darkness, it could be seen as a preview of the way Jesus was going to stand silently in front of Pillate, before his descent into the darkness of death. To what and to whom do we show allegiance? To what and to whom do we need to show dissent? May these questions prompt us to enliven spiritual conversations and orient our lives in the reign of God.
Matthew 22: 1-14

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Pentecost 17 – Thanks to the Internet, we now have a greater capacity than ever before to communicate with each other. However, Internet communication can be manipulated to determine what we may and may not see and hear, and the algorithms are designed to reinforce a particular one-sided, adverserial view of the world. A result is a reduction in the ability of people with different points of view to hear each other with respect and understanding, and it can lead to conflict. A few thousand years ago, Paul was a prisoner in chains when he wrote a letter to the small church in Philippi, and in the letter he directly addressed a conflict between two of the women in the church. He urged them to be of the same mind, meaning that he wanted them to engage together with courageous, humbling service, which is what it means to be of the same mind as Christ. When we communicate with each other, we must give serious consideration to the way our speech and actions impact on the life of others.
Philippians 2: 1-13

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Pentecost 16 – Seasons of Creation, Week 3: Earth – In the 'Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard', Jesus was telling an unlikely story about a wealthy landowner who paid a full day's wages to every one of the labourers he had hired to do some work in his vineyard, whether they had been hired early in the morning for a whole day's work, or later in the day for a few hour's work, or had been engaged so late in the day that they were on site for only an hour. When the wages were being handed out, the latecomers were put at the head of the queue to make sure they were paid first, and despite the grumbling, the ones who had being working in the sun for the whole day were refused a bonus. It just didn't seem fair. What is it that leads us so naturally to jealousy and resentment? In the rural Palestine of that era, day labourers would have had a precarious existence, constantly threatened by unemployment and destitution; and the vineyards of our world will only thrive when everyone has a place of dignity and a purpose. In the kingdom of God, reward is not based on what is deserved, but purely on God's love and generosity. Do you feel angry because God is generous in places where you wouldn't expect it? The sermon concludes with thoughts about the wonderful world that God has given us, and the pressing need for us to look after it much more effectively.
NOTE: A large part of this sermon was also used for the 11 o'clock church service.
Matthew 20: 1-16

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Pentecost 15 – The sermon begins by expressing some curiosity about the story of the Red Sea parting to reveal a dry path for the Israelites to walk to freedom, and then closing over to drown the pursuing Egyptians. The violence against the Egyptians was God's alone. What does it mean, for God to harden his heart against the Pharaoh and the charioteers? Where does it fit into our concept of God as love? The account of the crossing of the Red Sea is commonly read as an allegory for baptism, with an expectation that the newly baptised will put to death all manner of vices – vices which parallel the way that the Pharaohs treated the Israelites, and which also parallel the vices of some of our contemporary politicians. But the Christian life should lead us to be better than that. What is needed is kindness, 'the ultimate soft skill in a hard world', sparked from empathy and compassion, The reality is that the world is hard, and kindness is not easy. Galatians 5:22 reminds us that the fruit of God's spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. May those gifts be reflected in our lives, both personal and communal.
Exodus 14: 19-31

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Pentecost 15 – Season of Creation, Week 2: Wind and Air – The prophet Elijah had to flee for his life because of his forthright criticism of the way the people of Israel were worshipping a Canaanite weather god called Baal, and disregarding the God of their ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God told Elijah to make his way to Horeb, a mountain in the middle of a wilderness, and wait for him there; and when he arrived at the mountain, Elijah was tired, depressed, despondent, overwhelmed, alone, uncertain, and discouraged. It's a list that well might describe how many of us are feeling today, in a world of pandemic, scarcity, fear, greed, violence, economic meltdown, climate crisis, and democratic institutions in jeopardy. During his prophetic ministry, Elijah and his audience had experienced some dramatic manifestations of the power and presence of God; but this time, up on the mountain, God did not make himself known in hurricane, earthquake or lightning. When it was all over and there was peace and silence, God made himself known to Elijah as a small voice. God is in the quiet, gentle influences that are ever around us; yet, during this COVID-19 time of trial, the gift of time and silence has for many people been overwhelmed by fear, anxiety and loneliness. It could be the grace of the moment many have felt in the depth of despair when, suddenly, anguish ceases and a perfect stillness means the crisis is over.
1 Kings 19: 9-13

Rev Vikki Waller Timing:  14:44 Size:  5.1 MB Uploaded:  6-Sep
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Pentecost 14 – The gospel passage is the classic text for church discipline. If someone in the church offends you, try to sort it out in private; if that doesn't work, try again with a few witnesses present; if there's still no resolution, get the whole congregation involved; and as a last resort, treat the offender the same as you'd treat a social outcast. The Jesus way of treating a social outcast is not to throw him out and ignore him, but to welcome and befriend him and go partying with him. It has little in common with judicial punishment and the law, which use force in an effort to make the miscreant see reason. In his letter to the Romans, Paul puts law in its place: if we love one another, we are already fulfilling the law. The good news is that God is not interested in punishment. But loving the 'wrong' sort of people, the Jesus way, can be regarded as an undermining of the authority of law, and it can get you into trouble. That was certainly the case for Jesus. He was accused of disregarding the Law and stirring up trouble in the lower classes with his subversive teaching; he was found guilty as charged and put to death by crucifixion; and such was God's approval of what Jesus had achieved, that he was raised from death on the third day.
Romans 13: 8-14; Matthew 18: 15-20

Rev Sandy Boyce Timing:  25:45 Size:  8.9 MB Uploaded:  31-Aug
SUN 30-AUG-2020 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 240 times ] Download   [ 789 times ]
Pentecost 13 – Moses was about 80 years old and still tending sheep when he had his encounter with God in the burning bush, with God asking Moses to go back to Egypt, from where he had fled 50 years previously, to confront the cruel, despotic Pharaoh with a demand that the Israelite people be set free from oppression and slavery. This year, on August 28, the world remembered the anniversary of the 'March on Washington' of 1963, when Martin Luther King Jr gave his 'I Have a Dream' speech at the Lincoln Memorial. It was then one hundred years since Abraham Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation, yet descendants of former Negro slaves were still languishing in a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. It's not much better today. In the Philippines there are systemic killings, outside the law but condoned by Government, of human rights defenders and activists. Many more examples of systemic injustice could be cited from around the world. Over and over again, the biblical God of Moses is revealed to be on the side of the oppressed, not of the powerful. May we all - young and not so young - find our part to play in God's reign of justice and liberation.
Exodus 3: 1-15; Matthew 16: 21-28

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  26:18 Size:  9.1 MB Uploaded:  30-Aug
SUN 30-AUG-2020 - 9.30 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 241 times ] Download   [ 729 times ]
Pentecost 13 – In the ancient story of Israel's origins and identity, Moses was looking after his father-in-law's sheep when he came across a bush that was apparently ablaze without actually burning, and when God spoke to Moses from the bush, God would not reveal his name or identity apart from saying that he was "I am who I am, and I will be who I will be", and also that he was the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. How do we describe the indescribable which is God? Humans ever since have been asking God, "Who are you?", seeking to name and label him; but God cannot be classified and quantified, although the prophets and poets have given us many depictions of him as fundamentally merciful, just, compassionate and forgiving. In the gospel passage we see Peter telling Jesus not to be so stupid as to put himself into mortal danger by going on to Jerusalem, and Jesus rebuking Peter in no uncertain terms by calling him a "Satan", that is, a deceiver and a stumbling block. There are dangers in trying to control God with our own limited understanding. God can reveal himself in surprising ways and places.
Exodus 3: 1-15; Matthew 16: 21-28

Rev Vikki Waller Timing:  18:07 Size:  6.3 MB Uploaded:  23-Aug
SUN 23-AUG-2020 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 244 times ] Download   [ 660 times ]
Pentecost 12 – The apostle Paul urged his readers in Rome to offer their bodies as a "living sacrifice" acceptable to God – but what sort of sacrifice was it supposed to be? There are several different kinds of sacrifice, and Vikki in her sermon speaks of just three of them. First there is penal sacrifice, which deals with sin when a penalty must be paid; the assumption being that God is like the angry pagan gods which demand a penalty in spilt blood. But God wants mercy, not that sort of sacrifice. Secondly there is purging sacrifice, which often involves vilification, shaming and banishment of those with whom we disagree. It doesn't actually work, and Jesus urges us instead to love our enemies and do good for them. And thirdly, there is self sacrifice – sacrifice of personal preferences for the common good. That is the way of Jesus. Paul asks us not to be conformed to this world, but to follow the ways of Jesus and be transformed.
Romans 12: 1-8

Christopher Bridge Timing:  11:23 Size:  3.9 MB Uploaded:  16-Aug
SUN 16-AUG-2020 - 11.00 AM Witness  .mp3  Listen  [ 249 times ] Download   [ 546 times ]
Pentecost 11 – In the Uniting Church and in many other Christian churches, confirmation is a rite administered to baptized persons, especially at the age of discretion, to admit them to full membership; and today saw the confirmation of Christopher Bridge, who has been on the books as our assistant organist since 1994. When asked to give his witness or testimony at this service, he spoke of his love for music, claiming that for him, "Home is where you play the organ" (laughs from audience). After outlining his musical activities of a more administrative nature, such as dealing with visiting organists and arranging concerts, trips and tours, he spoke of the significance of sacred music. Great music comes from the extraordinary gifts of creative geniuses, from all ages, as they grapple with great mysteries of the universe in a musical language that's far more expressive than any language of words.

Bronwen Blight Timing:  6:34 Size:  2.3 MB Uploaded:  16-Aug
SUN 16-AUG-2020 - 9.30 AM Witness  .mp3  Listen  [ 254 times ] Download   [ 643 times ]
Pentecost 11 – During the church service our speaker, Bronwen Blight, made a personal reaffirmation of the baptism she had received as a child, and you will hear Bronwen's testimony to her faith journey. The journey started well when she was born into a family of strong, faithful, active Christians, but it faltered when the confirmation lessons they were taught in her church school were painting such a stifling, negative picture of Christ's work of reconciliation that she chose not to be confirmed. She left the church, and found instead a closeness to God in music and in nature. She was attracted to Buddhism, where she felt welcomed, and in Buddhist practices she found quietness and serenity. The Buddhist compassion and gratitude were so like the Christianity she had abandoned years before. A few years ago, now retired, she was looking around for a Christian community when friends guided her to Pilgrim Church in Adelaide, and she was welcomed as never before. She loves the prayer, the wisdom in the teaching, the weekend retreats, the study and reading groups, and the commitment to serving the community. It's a place where you are challenged and encouraged to follow Jesus.

Bronte Wilson Timing:  15:36 Size:  5.4 MB Uploaded:  9-Aug
SUN 09-AUG-2020 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 267 times ] Download   [ 796 times ]
Pentecost 10 – While the disciples were battling with strong winds and dangerous conditions out on the lake, Jesus set out from the shore and walked on water, on the choppy surface of the lake, to reach the boat on foot. When Peter asked Jesus to give him, too, the ability to walk on water, Jesus invited him to step out of the boat and join him. But when he did step out, Peter could manage only a few steps on the water before taking fright and starting to sink, whereupon Jesus reached out, caught him, and helped him back into the boat. This sermon looks at the idea of "stepping out of the boat" for the times in which we live. For the last few months, and nobody knows for how much longer, we are living in a strange, unpredictable environment brought on by a global pandemic, and the future is unknown. In response to Jesus' call to action in the world, we need new and innovative ways to connect with community and neighbours, to bring about God's vision of love, justice and reconciliation. There are going to be radical changes in the way the world is organised, and we are going to have to move out of our comfort zones and take risks – and we can be assured that when Jesus encourages us to "get out of the boat" and step into uncomfortable places, he will also be there to reach out his hand and pull us back in when needed.
Note - The same sermon was delivered at the 9.30 AM service.
Matthew 14: 22-33

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  17:17 Size:  6.0 MB Uploaded:  3-Aug
SUN 02-AUG-2020 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 276 times ] Download   [ 959 times ]
Pentecost 9 – While Jesus was ministering to crowds of people in the town, some disciples of his cousin John the baptiser had to pass on the news that John had been murdered during the birthday party of the local Roman ruler, Herod Antipas. On receiving the news Jesus left the town and went by boat to a deserted place, quite alone. But crowds of people followed him around the lake on foot, and when Jesus saw them he had pity on them and set about curing their sick. There was a catering problem at the end of the day: Jesus did not want the crowds to walk back home on empty stomachs, but when he told his disciples to feed the people themselves they could find nothing more than a few scraps of bread and a few fish. Jesus told them, "Bring them to me." With actions that have become familiar to Christians ever since, Jesus took the scraps of bread, he blessed them with prayer, he broke them into pieces, and he gave the broken pieces of bread to the disciples. The disciples distributed the bread to a crowd of well over five thousand hungry people, and every person in that crowd was able to enjoy a satisfying meal. The connection between this story and that of the Last Supper is plain. For the very first Christians, the story's significance was profound. To gain much more insight than you'll ever get from this outline, please listen to Greg!
Matthew 14: 13-21

Peter Russell Timing:  18:23 Size:  6.3 MB Uploaded:  2-Aug
SUN 02-AUG-2020 - 9.30 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 261 times ] Download   [ 5942 times ]
Pentecost 9 – Following Jesus – In the gospel passage, Matthew tells us how Jesus provided a satisfying evening meal, indeed a banquet, for five thousand hungry men and goodness knows how many hungry women and children, when he drew on a food supply of just five bread rolls and two fish. He broke the bread with prayer and asked for it to be shared. One of the more rational explanations for the miracle suggests that Jesus had persuaded the people to be kind to each other and share the food they had taken along for themselves. But that is not the main or only lesson. There had earlier been another banquet of a very different kind, a birthday party for the notoriously corrupt Herod, to which only the political and religious elite were invited, and it became a banquet of death when the head of John the Baptiser was ceremoniously delivered on a food platter. The hospitality of Jesus, on the other hand, brings life and food to everyone without distinction. And don't be surprised if you find yourself in trouble with the powerful and influential when you walk the same way as Jesus.
Matthew 14:13-21

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  22:14 Size:  7.7 MB Uploaded:  27-Jul
SUN 26-JUL-2020 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 277 times ] Download   [ 882 times ]
Pentecost 8 – In the selected portion of his letter to Christians in Rome, Paul shows how determined he is to acknowledge that nothing, not even death, can separate us from God's love. You can be confident that you are known through and through by the Creator Spirit of God himself, and that the Spirit will intercede on your behalf when you simply can't know how to pray or what to pray for. You are assured that you can ask God whatever you want, and it will be done – but what you want reveals what you are. There is a need for discernment, honesty with one's inner self, because prayers are so often for the fulfilment of a selfish whim or personal advantage. Discernment is a willingness to open up and reveal whims, wishes and desires to the scrutiny of God's wisdom. The Quaker tradition has a way of dealing with the problem: if you are facing a difficult decision and don't know what to do or how to act, you can ask a group of trusted friends to form a "Clearance Committee", and at an agreed time and place your friends can ask you honest, open-ended questions and quietly wait for your honest, carefully considered responses. What we need is God's kingdom, his reign and his presence.
Romans 8: 26-39

Rev Sandy Boyce Timing:  13:36 Size:  4.7 MB Uploaded:  26-Jul
SUN 26-JUL-2020 - 9.30 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 292 times ] Download   [ 1641 times ]
Pentecost 8 – Jacob was a trickster; and now he was a victim himself, tricked into marrying not Rachel, the girl he loved, but her older sister Leah. The sisters had been swapped during the wedding celebrations. Jacob had spent seven years working for his future father-in-law Laban, to win the hand of Rachel; and now he found himself obliged to work another seven years if he were to actually marry her. He agreed, and they were married a week later. As a result of it all, Leah was doomed to a loveless marriage shared with another woman, and Rachel was robbed of her wedding day after waiting seven years. Jacob's ménage included two 'maids' or concubines; and between them, the four women were the mothers of Jacob's twelve sons and one daughter. The sons became the patriarchs of the twelve tribes of Israel. It's a rather seedy story based on cultural conditions of the time, and it's the stuff of novels and reality TV. We all have memories that make us feel ashamed, and nothing silences us more than shame. In these times of physical distancing to protect our physical well-being, how are we getting on with our emotional and spiritual well-being? In what ways can we function as a place of safety, mutual care and compassion, where judgement and criticism give way to a pandemic of kindness that brings hope and breaks despair?
Genesis 29: 15-28

Rev Vikki Waller Timing:  19:48 Size:  6.8 MB Uploaded:  19-Jul
SUN 19-JUL-2020 - 11 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 327 times ] Download   [ 719 times ]
Pentecost 7 – Jacob was a despicable cheat who had alienated himself from family and friends with his deceitfulness and lack of justice, and he was fleeing from victims demanding retaliation and judgement. He was also fleeing from God. He would have been in a very dark place, physical, emotional and spiritual. One night, sleeping rough with a stone for a pillow, he had a vivid dream of a ladder between earth and heaven with angels ascending and descending; and God stood next to him in the dream to tell him that he would inherit the promise first made to his grandfather Abraham. God loved even a despicable cheat like Jacob, and gave him a new start. The parable in the gospel passage asks for weeds not to be uprooted from among good plants in case the good ones get damaged; and who can tell the difference between good growth and bad growth? Don't go around self-righteously calling out "Clean up the church! Get rid of the heretics and sinners!" Our lives will have rocky times, but God has not deserted us. He is here in this place, in our shame and grief, in every place and situation. He was with Jacob. He is with us.
Genesis 28: 10-19a; Matthew 13: 36-43

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  17:46 Size:  6.1 MB Uploaded:  12-Jul
SUN 12-JUL-2020 - 11 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 309 times ] Download   [ 1452 times ]
Pentecost 6 – In the Parable of the Sower we have a tongue-in-cheek account of a wasteful farmer preparing for his next crop by wandering across the landscape and tossing his seed around without caring where it lands. If some of the seed happens to land in good soil, that patch of dirt will produce a good crop, and if the seed lands anywhere else it will be wasted for various reasons. The sermon offers three ways of interpreting the parable. The first interpretation is taken from the gospel passage, where the author sees the parable as an encouragement to his readers to be more like the good soil. In the second interpretation, the generosity of God is seen in the way he scatters the good news of Jesus to all, without considering whether he will get a good return. And in the third interpretation, a parallel is seen between the way thorns in the parable were choking the life out of seedlings, and the way many groups of people are being choked off by being excluded from the means for human flourishing. The Greek word translated as "choke" can also mean "strangle", "throttle" or "suffocate", which brings to mind George Floyd's murder and the formation of the Black Lives Matter movement. In the light of this parable, how do we picture the nature and character of God?
Matthew 13: 1-9, 19-23

Rev Dr Sean Gilbert and Rev Dr Tim Hein Timing:  15:26 Size:  5.3 MB Uploaded:  13-Jul
SUN 12-JUL-2020 - 9.30 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 278 times ] Download   [ 622 times ]
Pentecost 6 – Despite resuming church services, we aren't going back to 'normal' anytime soon. What seeds have been sown in this time of quarantine and lockdown? What is God up to here, and what are the holy possibilities, adaptations and challenges we could embrace together? When the questions were tackled by Rev Dr Sean Gilbert and Rev Dr Tim Hein, two faculty members from the Uniting College for Leadership and Theology, their thoughtful responses were filmed and transformed into a video clip that we were able to use in place of a live sermon. The present sound-only recording is a copy of the video sound track. In general terms, the first half of their 'sermon' deals with spiritual practices that have proved helpful in times of separation and loneliness; and the second half has some thoughts about the worldwide effects of previous emergencies like pandemics and world wars, and the changes we could find ourselves facing once the present emergency has been resolved.

Rev Sandy Boyce Timing:  13:26 Size:  4.6 MB Uploaded:  5-Jul
SUN 05-JUL-2020 - 11 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 289 times ] Download   [ 4041 times ]
Pentecost 5 – When John the Baptiser and Jesus the Nazarene were both preaching repentance and the coming of God's kingdom, they had their distinctive styles. With his uncompromising message about giving up pleasures and taking on uncomfortable responsibilities, John was branded as a religious fanatic; while Jesus was described as a glutton and a drunkard because he mixed socially with people of doubtful character. When the authorities were determined not to get involved but to watch from afar, Jesus likened them to a lot of street urchins sitting around and refusing to join in other peoples' games. Criticising or denigrating those not on your own side shows a lack of wisdom – this was not a simple all or nothing narrative. To reach the truth with wisdom, we need to respectfully listen to each other and enter into each other's worlds. Wisdom is justified by her deeds.
Matthew 11: 16-19, 25-30

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  21:30 Size:  7.4 MB Uploaded:  5-Jul
SUN 05-JUL-2020 - 9.30 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 316 times ] Download   [ 6548 times ]
Pentecost 5 – While Greg was enjoying some fishing along the Huon River in Southern Tasmania, he couldn't help but notice that something was moving through the bush nearby and keeping up with him; and the something turned out to be an emaciated cow, struggling along with a tangle of barbed wire around her legs, unable to care for herself. She was too terrified to be approached and helped. What do we carry around that entangles us and stops us from living the full life that God intends for us? Jesus was greatly moved by the sight of people wandering like sheep without a shepherd, or a cow entangled in barbed wire. He has told us that his burden is light and his yoke easy; he has said, "Come to me, all of you with heavy, unnecessary burdens, and we'll work together. What we'll do together is easy. Learn from me how God sees life." Most religious burdens result from a distorted understanding of God's requirements, and the way they are misused for purposes of manipulation and control; and the result is fear, embarrassment, guilt, shame, and feelings of inadequacy and unworthiness. God is not like that; God's law is meant to protect us and set us free.
Matthew 11: 16-19, 25-30

StJohn