This reflection was for a service with a special member of our congregation, Miles Dillon, who is now in the final stages of brain cancer. The service wasn't for Miles, but with Miles. It was a huge effort for him to attend. I invited him to select the gospel reading for that Sunday, and as… Continue reading The accountant’s parable

This sermon is a reflection on the lectionary texts for Trinity Sunday, you can read them here. Last week was Pentecost Sunday, and this week is Trinity Sunday, so as I spent time with the readings I’ve been reflecting on relationships. Because each of the readings is saying something about relationships even though it may… Continue reading Relationships and positive conflict

The text for this sermon is the Acts passage from the lectionary readings for the sixth Sunday of Easter. You can read the full selection here. After the first dozen or so chapters of the book of Acts, where Peter is the main focus of the stories, Luke turns his attention from Peter to Paul.… Continue reading A messy spirituality

The text for this sermon is the story of Jesus and the woman at the well. You can read it here. There’s a theme in the gospel stories which gets picked up by the early church, and especially Paul, and it sits at the centre of Christian community. It’s the theme of a counter-cultural alternative.… Continue reading Counter cultural conversation

The following sermon refers to the gospel reading from this week's lectionary texts, which you can find here. The gospel reading today gives us a much more familiar version of Jesus calling Simon, Andrew, James and John to follow him than we heard last week from John’s account. In Matthew’s version they drop their nets,… Continue reading Calling in crisis

This sermon was preached from the lectionary texts for Sunday 15th January: Isaiah 49:1-7; 1 Corinthians1:1-9; John 1:29-42. You can find those here. It’s not often I find it hard to pick one of the readings to focus on, but this week, I found myself wanting to say something about all three of them. I… Continue reading Calling, Identity and Mission

https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=59064 The lectionary texts for this week are here. I'm reflecting on the gospel reading. The last two weeks we have heard again stories which we have heard before. The good Samaritan, Mary and Martha and this week we hear Luke’s particular version of another very familiar piece of scripture - the Lord’s prayer. When… Continue reading Teach us to pray

The lectionary readings for this week are here, and I'm reflecting on the gospel reading. This story of the two sisters follows on from last week’s story of the good Samaritan. Last week, the Samaritan is the one who does what God does. In the unlikely enemy, the divine is manifested through caring and compassionate… Continue reading Martha’s paradox

Harvest in Provence, Vincent van Goch https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=55315 The lectionary texts for this week are here. I'm reflecting on the gospel reading, and I used the Message translation to reflect on the passage from Galatians. Last week we heard a chunk of the letter to the Galatians and a snippet from Luke’s account telling about what… Continue reading Live free, live courageously, live creatively

Slaves waiting for sale Painted from an 1853 sketch -- Eyre Crowe https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=55468 The lectionary texts for this week can be found here. I am preaching from the Galatians reading and the gospel. A couple of weeks ago, the parish council and I spent a day at the Peacemakers retreat centre near Helensville. St Peter’s… Continue reading Free to be clear and kind