Episode

When I sat down to write this sermon – about a man who is thought sinful because he is blind, and Jesus who is called a sinner because he breaks rules to heal people and the Pharisees who believe they have 20/20 vision, metaphorically speaking, thus revealing their blindness and Read more…

There is an old Hasidic story about a rabbi who calls his students together and asks them, “How do we determine the moment when night ends and day begins?” “Is it,” one student suggests, “when, from some way away, you can tell a sheep from a dog?” “No,” says the Read more…

Just to keep you on your toes this morning I am going to start by talking about elephants! Perhaps because I showed you this elephant last week – an elephant which, turned upside down, becomes a swan – like the beatitudes, which turn our thinking about who God’s favoured ones Read more…

Our gospel reading today is the beatitudes; those well known, but still incredibly challenging sayings of Jesus found in Matthew 5:1-12, the Sermon on the Mount, and Luke 6:20-23, the Sermon on Plain. Sermons that turn our world on its head! In case you have ever wondered, they are called Read more…

Message          Listening to the voices of the past Remember the days of old;    consider the years long past;ask your father, and he will inform you,    your elders, and they will tell you. Throughout the Bible, the people of God are reminded to remember. To remember and heed the wisdom, to listen to Read more…

Rules restrict, but grace is good to go, or Preaching the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation 15/1/2023 Canberra Baptist Church Text: Psalm 40:1-10 (primary); John 1:29-37 Sometimes you can back yourself into a corner. I have literally done that when I was treating a stone floor with Read more…

8 Jan – Another Christmas Today’s message is a kind of sequel to my 2018 Christmas Day sermon. Apart from Gary Hilton, none of you will remember that, but you might remember me referring to American writer, Truman Capote’s short story – one of the great Christmas short stories – Read more…

Epiphany – Matthew 2:1-12 Apologies to my husband who is reading this but – why are the wise men are considered wise? They are the only men – ever recorded – who have stopped and asked for directions! They are called ‘magi’ in Matthew. A word from which we get Read more…

Luke 2:1-20 – Christmas Pageant I am starting with some congregational participation this morning! Could I ask – if you have ever been in a Christmas pageant or play – can you stand up? (This probably includes everyone who was at church two weeks ago!) Ok! You can sit down Read more…

Play Service Advent 4 – The Magnificat as Literature 1 Sam 2:1-8; Luke 1:46b-55 Some of you will know that I belong to a book club – I joined a group that Tracey had started nearly 20 years ago. At the time they were reading The Red Tent, a wonderful Read more…