Principles for making an offering to God
- Details
- Written by: John Altmann
audio (5MB)
1 Chronicles 29
Garrison Keilor, who used to have a radio program about life in small town America called Lake Woebegon days, wrote this lovely short story called, The Collection.
...................
Next week at church we are having a special offering towards our building fund. So do be careful if you start writing out a cheque during the sermon!
There are lots of things that God cares about. The church building fund is just one of many things God is passionate about us supporting. You have to balance up what you give to people who are suffering and need help in Australia, what you give to people in poverty and lacking in opportunity overseas, what you give towards the outreach of our church to people around here, and what you give towards supporting God’s missionary work all over the world. God calls us to be generous towards all the things he is passionate about. So there are lots of offerings to God that we make.
What we are asking you to give though is not a user pays fee. Its not like we’ve calculated what it costs to run the buildings which is about $220/day then divided that amongst 160 members of St. Thomas’ and said we’ll send you a bill for $1.37/day which is $41.10/month or $495/year but we’ll give you a 10% discount if you pay up front in advance ! No, what we are asking you to do is to make an offering to God.
Generosity
- Details
- Written by: John Altmann
audio (5MB)
2 Cor 9:6-15
Yesterday on the front of the business section of The Age was this article: “Ramsay billions willed to charity”
Paul Ramsay who founded a private hospital company died last Thursday of a heart attack at 78. And his entire fortune of $3.4 billion is to be transferred to a charitable foundation that he set up.
Are we as generous as that?
Are we rich in giving to others ?
Are we surrounded by people from our own culture who are joyful in giving money and time to other people?
Are you part of a generous family?
Finally after you soak up all these influences around us, are you generous as an individual?
Or do we tend to hoard things up for ourselves and our own security and status?
I ask this question because the NT commands us to be generous.
Series: Theme: The Joy of Giving
- Details
- Written by: Chris Appleby
The Joy of Giving
|
Generosity |
1 Timothy 6:17-19 |
|
Principles for making an offering to God |
1 Cor 16:1-4 |
|
The Joy of Giving |
2 Chron 31:2-10 |
John 21:1-25
- Details
- Written by: Ruth Newmarch
Last Things audio (5MB)
John 21:1-25
You know how in some movies, the music tells you the end has come, but sometimes the ending has been so dramatic, that you are still taking it in...the implications and emotions are swirling around the audience. Then credits start to roll, but the director has added in some extra footage, and the familiar characters appear again. And you see them relating in new ways. And then the camera pans out and the figures begin to get smaller, as the landscape opens out, creating some distance...but this extra footage has given some clarity, some perspective and the audience can begin to settle.
Ch 21 is an epilogue, to tie off important loose ends, but it is surprisingly pastoral. It helps settle us in at least three ways: first, it gives us extra assurance for when we are unsettled in our faith, second, it tells us that we need leaders, even if they are not perfect, and third, it tells us to follow the path God has set for us and not be too nosey about other people.
John 20:1-31 Christ is Risen!
- Details
- Written by: George Hemmings
Christ is Risen! audio (5MB)
John 20:1-31
Before I begin this morning, there’s a little tradition that goes with Easter Sunday called the Easter Acclamation, or the Paschal greeting. Basically one person says ‘Christ is Risen,’ and then the response is, ‘He is Risen indeed!’ Given some of us might be a bit tired, especially if you were at the dinner on Thursday night, and back on Friday morning, or if you’ve spent the weekend indulging in Easter eggs, I thought we’d make today a bit interactive. So throughout the sermon, at various points I’m going to say ‘Christ is Risen’ and when I do I want you to interrupt with the response, ‘He is risen indeed!’
Good Friday 2014
- Details
- Written by: Chris Appleby
A Good Friday Set of meditations written by Chris Appleby, Ruth Newmarch and George Hemmings for St Thomas' Burwood, April 2014 with sonnets by Malcolm Guite.
John 18:19-24; 28-38 - CA
- Sonnet 1
John 18:19-24 “19Then the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. 20Jesus answered, "I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. 21Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said to them; they know what I said." 22When he had said this, one of the police standing nearby struck Jesus on the face, saying, "Is that how you answer the high priest?" 23Jesus answered, "If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong. But if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?" 24Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.”
John 18:28-38 “28Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate's headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover. 29So Pilate went out to them and said, "What accusation do you bring against this man?" 30They answered, "If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you." 31Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law." The Jews replied, "We are not permitted to put anyone to death." 32(This was to fulfill what Jesus had said when he indicated the kind of death he was to die.) 33Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" 34Jesus answered, "Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?" 35Pilate replied, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?" 36Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here." 37Pilate asked him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice." 38Pilate asked him, "What is truth?" After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, "I find no case against him.”
The moment of judgement has arrived. Jesus is brought to Annas, then Caiaphas then to Pilate. John leaves out the brief excursion to Herod’s palace. Each of these men has the opportunity to examine Jesus and make a judgement about who he is. But none of them is able or willing to make a definitive statement. They ask lots of questions, to which Jesus gives very guarded answers but no firm judgement is made. Even when Pilate asks the Jewish leaders what the charges are they fail to say what he’s done wrong.
John 17:1-26
- Details
- Written by: Chris Appleby
The Prayer of Jesus audio (5MB)
The moment of Jesus arrest, trial and execution is fast approaching. Jesus has finished his teaching of the disciples. The hour has come. His work on earth is complete. So complete in fact that he can say with confidence at the end of ch16: "33Take courage; I have conquered the world!" And then he turns to prayer.
Notice that John chooses to bring us a report of this prayer, given in the upper room before they go to Gethsemane, rather than the prayer of anguish in the garden that we find in the other gospels. Why does he do that? Well, it may be that this prayer acts in some way as a summary of all that's gone before in this gospel. Here we find Jesus' obedience to the Father; the glorification of his father through his death and resurrection; the revelation of God in Jesus Christ; the choosing of the disciples out of the world; their unity modelled on the unity of the Father and the Son; and the promise that their final destiny is to share in the glory of the Father and the Son in eternity. It's as though this is the final crescendo, the final movement in a gospel that shows us Christ dwelling among us as one of us but returning to God and taking us with him, a crescendo that climaxes in chs 18-20 with the passion and triumph of Jesus the Messiah.
