On the upside at least the stand-in actually showed up yesterday. On the downside we had a sermon of utter tripe. The best bit? "Today is the Sunday before Lent for which there isn't a name" - prompted the loud exclamation from several of the choir Quinquagesima.
Amusingly enough, our priest opened his sermon by mentioning that it was Quinquagesima, and that if you thought that it was odd that "50 days before Easter" appears 3 days before "40 days before Easter" in the church calendar - well, that's what happens when theologians do math.
But the sermon was really about listening to God, and about listening to other people. At the Transfiguration, God's voice says "this is my Son. Listen to him." Not "look at him" or "worship him" or "build him a house" - "listen to him". And how people are often bad at listening, which is a problem, because understanding someone has to start with listening to what they are saying.
Amusingly enough, our priest opened his sermon by mentioning that it was Quinquagesima, and that if you thought that it was odd that "50 days before Easter" appears 3 days before "40 days before Easter" in the church calendar - well, that's what happens when theologians do math.
Western church calculations do not include Sundays as part of the 40 days of Lent. Add in those six Sundays and the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday and you find that the Sunday before Lent is the 50th day before Easter (counting inclusively).
Amusingly enough, our priest opened his sermon by mentioning that it was Quinquagesima, and that if you thought that it was odd that "50 days before Easter" appears 3 days before "40 days before Easter" in the church calendar - well, that's what happens when theologians do math.
Amusingly enough, our priest opened his sermon by mentioning that it was Quinquagesima, and that if you thought that it was odd that "50 days before Easter" appears 3 days before "40 days before Easter" in the church calendar - well, that's what happens when theologians do math.
That and the little falling out over the Computus.
Matthew 7-12
Prayer is a journey and at the end we meet a person.
It's about being transformed into what God wants us to be.
Our God is good and generous and greater than us.
Today's reading was "the great commission" in Matthew. This served as an introduction to this year's Lent course at Our Place which will be the topic for Sunday services and home group meetings. Under the strapline of Pray, Bless, Invite it will look at how we can make a difference in our community, both individually and as a church.
Genesis 3 and Mark 1
Temptation is usually based in doubt - 'Did God really say...?' and 'If you really are... (or believe...) then...' We need to use Lent to build our confidence in who God truly is, and who we are in Him so we are less susceptible to temptations to doubt who He is or what He has done/can do for us, and can respond from a place of faith and hope rather than fear.
Our talk today (we don't do “sermons”) was entitled “what is church for?” and was based on Matthew 22: 34-40 and Matthew 28: 16-20.
It expanded on these five points:
* Worship
* Ministry (= service, but not only by the ordained)
* Outreach
* Fellowship
* Discipleship
We are having a sermon series on life topics, voted on by the congregation. Last week it was on mental health (the top voted subject) and it was the best sermon on the subject I have ever heard, and I am a rather sharp audience on this topic, by someone who actually knew what it was like to have a mental illness. I thanked him afterwards.
This evening we are doing death and bereavement, another of my favourite subjects.
Mark 8 - Counting the cost; it's relatively easy to recognise Jesus as Messiah, but are we willing to pay the price of following him, even if it means taking up our 'cross'.
Communion - what is it? Six aspects: its roots in Passover; the death of Jesus; the new covenant; the encounter with the Risen Lord; the heavenly banquet; the church's meal.
I also went to an evening contemporary worship meeting at a neighbouring church today. The message there was based on Acts 2 - what makes a healthy church? Expectant worship; comprehensive pastoral care; dynamic outreach.
Today's talk on "the priorities of Jesus" was based on Mark 1: 35-45. In true Anglican fashion, our rector preached around three points
* Pray like Jesus
* Learn from Jesus
* Be cleansed by Jesus
Ours was based on Jesus' clearing the Temple of moneychangers, and started with the question - Is there such a thing as righteous anger? But it went on to be develop a quite prophetic note, talking about whether our church institutions are actually fit for purpose, reflecting our God given mission to bring people closer to God, or whether they are more about our own agenda of preserving our traditions and purposes. The minister went on to say that we need to be sensitive that God may be doing 'a new thing' in this day and age - that there is a thirst for spiritual reality, and for Jesus out there, but it can't be contained within the same old structures and ways of doing things. People are finding their own ways of reaching out to God, and the church needs to recognise that and work with it, rather than insisting everyone has to come to us and do things our way (buy temple coinage!) to get access to God.
Ours was based on Jesus' clearing the Temple of moneychangers, and started with the question - Is there such a thing as righteous anger?
Ours too and was based on the quote from St Augustine -
"Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are."
Exodus 12, 1 Cor 5: 7-8
Christ is our Passover lamb. Like the lamb He has freed us, redeemed us, given us a new name and a new life. We should repent of our sin and celebrate new life in Him.
The reading of Psalm 139 led to a talk on "no-one knows me better".
God knows us (v 1- 6)
God surrounds us (v 7 - 12)
God made us (v 13 - 18)
God tests us (V 19 - 24)
Fasting being a non-negotiable - as in "When you pray, when you fast." And it has to relate to food and drink - none of this "fasting TV/Internet/social media" stuff.
Long, long lead-in about how talk of "Mothering" can make some feel unloved, worthless and excluded - then 5 minutes about mothers and all they do for us - beyond crass.
Luke 22, firstly on how Jesus was handed over by: Satan, Jesus’ enemies, Jesus’ friends, God and Himself. Then on how the bread and wine isn’t just a remembrance but a sacrament in which we participate together in remembering his sacrifice, looking forward to his return, and are blessed by Him.
Laetare Sunday midway through Lent, a Sunday for rejoicing and hopefulness. Because this is the time of year when many converts are entering the Catholic church, especially from refugees and asylum-seeking communities, the need to be more welcoming and flexible to those newcomers among us.
A few weeks ago I attended Mass in the House of Abrahamic Faiths in Abu Dhabi - a complex which attempts to link together the various faiths which look back to Abraham.
It contains as well as the explanatory part a Jewish synagogue,a Catholic church and an Islamic mosque,all of which people can visit and ,if they wish, take part in worship..
By chance that day,Second Sunday of Lent, the O.T.Reading was the passage which tells of Abraham's readiness,because he believed the message to have come from God, to sacrifice his firstborn son. It is a rather gruesome story,but it is the foundation myth of Judaism,Christianity and Islam. The story would have been read on that day in every Roman Catholic church in the world, and many others also, but it was particularly moving to hear it in this place.
Today I followed the service in the Berliner Dom, Berlin's Lutheran cathedral.
The Old Testament reading for today was the story of Abraham and Isaac and the Sacrifice as was also the sermon.
The preacher reminded us that this was an ancient story which he said involved us,rather than God. He recalled the journey of Abraham and Isaac (with two servants) and how Abraham would know what was coming and whether he would be able to sacrifice his first born son,whilst Isaac would have been unaware what was planned.
The preacher compared this to situations like politicians who believe that they know what is coming,but who will not tell the people everything.He also mentioned important generals in the army who send out soldiers to fight but don't place too much emphasis on the possibility of death. He mentioned also doctors and what they tell their patients as well as parents and what they tell their children. Often out of love the truth can be suppressed,just as Abraham at the last few moments before the Sacrifice told Isaac that they would go and adore and then come back,whilst he knew that he had to be prepared to offer Isaac as a burnt offering.
Finally he related it to the sacrifice of Jesus who willingly offered himself for us.
I am sure that many of us will know also that this foundation myth in Islamic scripture places Ishmael,the real first born of Abraham, as the proposed sacrifice and the story is ultimately linked with the Kabbah in Mecca. It was only after I visited the House of Abrahamic Faiths that I realised that the three worship sites,the synagogue, the church and the mosque are built as copies of the Kabbah.
Prayer. It's easy to feel we're not doing it right. We are individuals and we all do it a bit differently and there are times and seasons for different ways.
Our readings about James' & John's request to sit either side of Jesus in glory (Mark 10: 35-45) and The Passover (Exodus 12: 1-14) led to a talk on "God is for us". In true Anglican style we had a 3-point sermon:
* Jesus is our servant
* Jesus is our sacrifice
* Jesus is our substitute. (The exact phrase penalty substitutionary atonement wasn't used, but this is where our minister was coming from)
Our readings about James' & John's request to sit either side of Jesus in glory (Mark 10: 35-45) and The Passover (Exodus 12: 1-14) led to a talk on "God is for us". In true Anglican style we had a 3-point sermon:
* Jesus is our servant
* Jesus is our sacrifice
* Jesus is our substitute. (The exact phrase penalty substitutionary atonement wasn't used, but this is where our minister was coming from)
Penal substitutionary atonement - nothing to do with football or rugby!
How God writes his laws on our heart, rather than imposing a complex code of requirements for us to gauge our behaviour against. As we behold Jesus, we become sensitive to his promptings and eager to please him.
I was preaching today, so I think the sermon was about John 12:24: "Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." and how the metaphor may be extended to aspects of our own lives and the life of the church. What other people thought it was about is anyone's guess.
Parade Service based on Mark 10:32-34. No sermon as such, but a theme of being on the road and aiming for goals and destinations. Jesus knew where he was going and what awaited him, yet he walked unflinchingly towards Jerusalem.
I was preaching today, so I think the sermon was about John 12:24: "Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." and how the metaphor may be extended to aspects of our own lives and the life of the church. What other people thought it was about is anyone's guess.
As a preacher, I always find it fascinating to see how the comments after my sermon reflect or, frequently, don't reflect what I thought I was preaching. Eventually (like 15 years into ministry) I realized that what they hear is about their dialogue with God, not with me.
I'm glad there isn't a 'like' button, actually, as it makes us put our appreciation into words. I very much like that thought about the dialogue being with God, @questioning .
Reassuring, too, as it means there's less pressure on me to make sense when I'm preaching, and more justification for my mind seizing on one small part of what I'm hearing, running off on a tangent and missing the next chunk!
Comments
But the sermon was really about listening to God, and about listening to other people. At the Transfiguration, God's voice says "this is my Son. Listen to him." Not "look at him" or "worship him" or "build him a house" - "listen to him". And how people are often bad at listening, which is a problem, because understanding someone has to start with listening to what they are saying.
Western church calculations do not include Sundays as part of the 40 days of Lent. Add in those six Sundays and the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday and you find that the Sunday before Lent is the 50th day before Easter (counting inclusively).
That and the little falling out over the Computus.
Prayer is a journey and at the end we meet a person.
It's about being transformed into what God wants us to be.
Our God is good and generous and greater than us.
Temptation is usually based in doubt - 'Did God really say...?' and 'If you really are... (or believe...) then...' We need to use Lent to build our confidence in who God truly is, and who we are in Him so we are less susceptible to temptations to doubt who He is or what He has done/can do for us, and can respond from a place of faith and hope rather than fear.
Jesus is the Gate to heaven.
Don't rely on religious observance to get you in to heaven
But if you don't obey God's will you will go to Hell
It expanded on these five points:
* Worship
* Ministry (= service, but not only by the ordained)
* Outreach
* Fellowship
* Discipleship
This evening we are doing death and bereavement, another of my favourite subjects.
* Pray like Jesus
* Learn from Jesus
* Be cleansed by Jesus
We are saved by grace, but we are saved for works
Ours too and was based on the quote from St Augustine -
"Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are."
Christ is our Passover lamb. Like the lamb He has freed us, redeemed us, given us a new name and a new life. We should repent of our sin and celebrate new life in Him.
God knows us (v 1- 6)
God surrounds us (v 7 - 12)
God made us (v 13 - 18)
God tests us (V 19 - 24)
It contains as well as the explanatory part a Jewish synagogue,a Catholic church and an Islamic mosque,all of which people can visit and ,if they wish, take part in worship..
By chance that day,Second Sunday of Lent, the O.T.Reading was the passage which tells of Abraham's readiness,because he believed the message to have come from God, to sacrifice his firstborn son. It is a rather gruesome story,but it is the foundation myth of Judaism,Christianity and Islam. The story would have been read on that day in every Roman Catholic church in the world, and many others also, but it was particularly moving to hear it in this place.
Today I followed the service in the Berliner Dom, Berlin's Lutheran cathedral.
The Old Testament reading for today was the story of Abraham and Isaac and the Sacrifice as was also the sermon.
The preacher reminded us that this was an ancient story which he said involved us,rather than God. He recalled the journey of Abraham and Isaac (with two servants) and how Abraham would know what was coming and whether he would be able to sacrifice his first born son,whilst Isaac would have been unaware what was planned.
The preacher compared this to situations like politicians who believe that they know what is coming,but who will not tell the people everything.He also mentioned important generals in the army who send out soldiers to fight but don't place too much emphasis on the possibility of death. He mentioned also doctors and what they tell their patients as well as parents and what they tell their children. Often out of love the truth can be suppressed,just as Abraham at the last few moments before the Sacrifice told Isaac that they would go and adore and then come back,whilst he knew that he had to be prepared to offer Isaac as a burnt offering.
Finally he related it to the sacrifice of Jesus who willingly offered himself for us.
I am sure that many of us will know also that this foundation myth in Islamic scripture places Ishmael,the real first born of Abraham, as the proposed sacrifice and the story is ultimately linked with the Kabbah in Mecca. It was only after I visited the House of Abrahamic Faiths that I realised that the three worship sites,the synagogue, the church and the mosque are built as copies of the Kabbah.
* Jesus is our servant
* Jesus is our sacrifice
* Jesus is our substitute. (The exact phrase penalty substitutionary atonement wasn't used, but this is where our minister was coming from)
Penal substitutionary atonement - nothing to do with football or rugby!
Jesus is both our scapegoat, and the other goat, and the bull. Getting forgiven is a serious business not to be taken lightly.
As a preacher, I always find it fascinating to see how the comments after my sermon reflect or, frequently, don't reflect what I thought I was preaching. Eventually (like 15 years into ministry) I realized that what they hear is about their dialogue with God, not with me.