Matthew 2:13-25 Egyptian Holiday
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- Written by: George Hemmings
Egyptian Holiday audio (4MB) (NB the sermon audio currently includes Cantonese translation)
The bags are packed, the car is loaded, we’re almost ready to go. This afternoon our family is heading down to the beach for a week. If you take a look around the congregation this morning, you’ll see that lots of families are taking journeys at this time of year. Even Mary, Joseph and their newborn baby Jesus head off on a journey it today’s passage!
Now, I should make clear we’re not going to the beach for a holiday. We’re going down to join the Balnarring Beach Mission team as Camp parents. We’re going to support the young adults and the youth, and to make connections with the families that are there. Despite what you might think, it’s not a holiday but work. Though I can’t say the same for everyone else who’s not here today. And Mary and Joseph’s trip is nothing like a holiday!
Luke 2:8-20 Christmas 2014
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- Written by: Chris Appleby
Light in the Darkness audio (4MB)
“2The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined.” What do you think of when you hear those words? Do you think in metaphorical terms? The darkness is a spiritual thing, relieved only be the coming of the light of the truth of God? That’s the main point isn’t it? But then in the Christmas stories we find God providing a literal fulfilment of these prophecies as the events unwind. The shepherds are certainly living in literal darkness out on the hills at night. Suddenly they see a bright light shining all around them. So bright in fact that they’re terrified.
Micah 5:1-5 Christmas Peace - 2014
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- Written by: Ruth Newmarch
The Prince of Peace audio (4MB)
If you could have anything for Christmas, what would it be? It would be peace, right? Peace in the CBDs of the world's cities to have a coffee, peace in our homes - the beating-heart of our nation, peace in neighbourhoods instead of the consequences of ice addiction, peace in every school so innocent children can learn, peace to travel by air without fear, safety on public transport ('stand with me'), peace in our jobs from workplace bullying, peace about our health or our future - just peace...peace on earth.
As we look closely at Micah 5v1-5, we're going to find the way to this level of peace is not quite what we might think.
The way to peace on earth is found in at least three ways here in Micah: firstly – we're not to look for it – the state of peace, like in Buddhism, but for a person. Secondly, the way to peace is not by wresting power but receiving it. Thirdly, the way to peace is to understand its timeless quality.
Virtue 8 - The Virtuous Circle
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- Written by: Chris Appleby
The Virtuous Circle audio (6MB)
We began our study of the Good Life, of Virtue, some two months ago with the story of the rich young ruler. Here was a man who wanted to know that he’d have eternal life when he died. He wanted Jesus to tell him some good thing that he needed to do to be sure that he’d get there. But instead Jesus showed him that the solution wasn’t a set of rules but a lifestyle change. His life needed to be spent following Jesus because he was the source of life. We also looked at the way Sully Sullenberger managed to land that plane in the Hudson River because of his lifetime of practice, of a series of small decisions taken over and over again so that when the crisis arose the right actions were second nature.
So today we come to the end of our series with the question still in our minds: how will we live so virtue, goodness, godliness, is second nature to us?
Virtue 7 - The Royal Priesthood in Action
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- Written by: Ruth Newmarch
The Royal Priesthood in Action audio (6MB)
1 Peter 2:4-12
Keep your Bibles open at 1 Peter, as we'll be looking at the passage just read, but also some sections before and after.
Last week Chris helped us see that our identity as Christians is to be 1 body, with 3 core attributes: faith, hope and love, and 9 fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control....
This opens up endless possibilities when applied to our daily lives. The apostle Peter in ch 2v5, creatively describes us as 'living' stones or bricks, but don't think of typical bricks, we're more like clay or play dough, that's alive! Because we're being moulded daily by our decisions into one spiritual house. Our lives are our spiritual offerings, which God accepts, because of Jesus. So our lives have an inward aspect, what we do 'at home' with God: worshipping God within the 'walls' of the 'house'. But they also have an outward aspect, the 'street appeal', in that a building faces the world.
We're going to look at just one way we hone our inward, 'at home' virtue of worship. Then we'll look at four ways we may hone our outward virtues...our 'street appeal': by humility, chastity, patience, and giving an account of our faith.
Virtue 6 - 3 Virtues, 9 Fruit, 1 Body
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- Written by: Chris Appleby
3 Virtues, 9 Fruit, 1 Body audio (6MB)
Galatians 5:16-23
This is part of a series of sermons at St. Thomas' largely based upon Tom Wright's book 'Virtue Reborn.'
What would you say is the best known chapter in the Bible? My guess would be 1 Cor 13. It’s the chapter so often chosen by couples to have read at their wedding. But in fact it has nothing to do with weddings, apart from being about love, that is. Paul writes about love in the context of addressing the Corinthians’ desire to show just how spiritual they are. They think the way to show that you’re spiritual is to exercise some spiritual gift, especially the gift of tongues. Well, in ch. 12 Paul discusses the various gifts of the spirit, suggesting a hierarchy of gifts where tongues is way down the bottom. But then he goes on to suggest an even more excellent way to show how spiritual you are. That is, by demonstrating the Christian virtue of love, to which he adds faith and hope.
And from the description he gives it becomes clear that first of all this isn’t just a rule to obey or a principle for life but a virtue that will take a lot of work to develop. He lists a series of characteristics that go with or are absent from love. “4Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant 5or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. 7It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” You hear that sort of list and you think, “You’d have to be a saint to live up to that wouldn’t you?” Well, of course, that’s the point, isn’t it? This is a list for saints; that is, for those who have been set apart for God’s kingdom.
Luke 21:1-6 Kingdom Economics
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- Written by: Chris Appleby
The Widow’s Mite audio (6MB)
Luke 21:1-6
What do you place value in? What are the things that are most important for you? How do you show that you value certain things? That’s the question that we’re confronted with in today’s reading. It’s a fairly familiar passage for many of us but it isn’t just about how much we give. It’s about where our priorities lie. I’ve called this Kingdom Economics because Economics is the science of getting the greatest value from your resources.
This passage is part of a much longer set of incidents where Luke raises this question of values and priorities.
Let’s quickly look back at what’s come just before.
At the end of chapter 19 we find Jesus weeping over Jerusalem. He says: “42"If you … had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.” Then he goes on to foretell the destruction of Jerusalem: why? Because they’re blind to who it is who stands before them.
