Category: Sermon

I will draw all the water from the sea and empty it into this hole quicker than you will succeed in containing the vast mystery of God in the mere words of a book.

‘Ebenezer’ might be a word that sounds old and dated to our ears but this Pentecost Sunday, the birthday of the Church and this church, may the Spirit descend on us again and let today be a fresh Ebenezer—may this be a place of praise for what God has done both in this building and in each of our lives. But also a mark of trust for what’s to come.

Unless our Christianity makes us kind, it’s not real.  Unless our change of heart is guaranteed by our change of deeds, it’s superficial & false. Let’s pray that our actions speak louder than our words.

Com is with, fort is strength. Comforter, one who brings strength. Someone who would make them strong would come to them.

How will we be the ongoing visible presence of God, here, in this time and in this place? How do wE become both guest and host?

The menorah is lit night after night as a reminder of the miracle of the oil that lasted longer than it should have. In Baptism, we light a candle, too, saying, “Shine as a light in the world…”

Back on the beach, there’s unfinished business to attend to – the restoration of Peter. ‘Do you love me?’ Jesus asks Peter. He asks again and again until Peter is fed up.

Nowhere else in Scripture is that affirmation, those words of witness, made. And they were drawn from the mouth of the much maligned, Thomas. Courageous Thomas, questioning Thomas. But doubting? I doubt it.

What kind of donkey do you prefer? A limo-style donkey or a get-away donkey? Do we lean towards confrontation or modesty?

You and I need to trust that God knows what’s best for us. That God’s playing a long game for our benefit. We can be flawed and imperfect too but God’s still there for us.

Who are you and what kind of person are you? And do you ever take the time to think about it?

So, God makes a human from red clay. Like Michaelangelo with his red wax model – I wonder if God’s fingerprints were left somewhere on Adam too.

Are you a tree by a stream of living water? We may grow at different rates and in myriad of ways. We each bear distinctive leaves, flowers and fruit.

Despite ourselves, we may just hear ourselves say: ‘Send me’. And then we may just hear a voice in reply saying: ‘What took you so long? I’ve been waiting for you. Now go.’

I wonder how Simeon felt when he woke up the day after meeting Jesus and seeing the truth of what his future would hold. I wonder if he woke up thinking, “today might be the day!” before he remembered that yesterday had been the day and that he would have to find something else to do today.