(John 11. 1-45) 28 March 2020© Sarah Bachelard It comes as a bit of a shock to realise that the story of the raising of Lazarus occurs only in the gospel of John. As in fact, do all the stories we’ve heard over the past four weeks – Nicodemus visiting Jesus by night, the Samaritan … [Read more…]
(John 9.1-41) 22 March 2020 – © Neil Millar In these past weeks of Lent, we’ve been reading the discourses in John, and noting how in each discourse Jesus challenges people’s taken-for-granted assumptions about aspects of the spiritual life. In the conversation with Nicodemus (John 3), he challenges the assumption that salvation is a birthright … [Read more…]
(John 4.5-42) 15 March 2020 © Neil Millar ‘God, I thank you that I am neither a Gentile, a dog, or a woman.’ Apparently, that was a popular prayer at the time of Jesus. And when you think of this kind of sentiment in the background, the conversion we’ve just heard is striking. Last week, … [Read more…]
(John 3.1-17) 8 March 2020© Neil Millar ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life.’ Arguably the most famous verse in scripture. John 3.16. So well-known that we only have to quote the reference, and many know … [Read more…]
(Genesis 2.15-17, 3.1-7 & Matthew 4.11)1 March 2020 – © Sarah Bachelard No sooner are human beings brought to life, blessed and named as Man (Adam) and Woman, than they’re confronted by the lure of the serpent, a cunning deceiver who tempts them away from their rightful dependence on God. So says Genesis Chapter 3. … [Read more…]
(Matthew 5.21-37) – 16 February 2020© Neil Millar So, (after hearing that) hands up all the squeaky clean. Hand up if you’ve not transgressed in one of the areas Jesus speaks about here – never been angry, or lusted, never caused a crack in a relationship or gone back on your word? The first thing … [Read more…]
(Matthew 5.13-16) 9 February 2020 – © Neil Millar The words we’ve just heard follow on immediately from the beatitudes, which mark the beginning of the famous Sermon on the Mount. Jesus has been preaching about what it means to be truly blessed, truly human, truly happy – blessed are those radically available for God … [Read more…]
(Matthew 5.1-12)2 February 2020 – © Neil Millar We’ve just heard two of the best-known passages in scripture – the powerful words from the prophet Micah about what the Lord requires of his people, and the introduction to Jesus’ most-famous block of teaching, the Sermon on the Mount – a powerful statement on what it … [Read more…]
(Matthew 18.23-35)26 January 2020 – ©Neil Millar This morning we come to the fourth and final sermon in this introduction to Matthew’s gospel, in which we focus on the theme of judgment. So, let me start by coming clean and confessing that I cannot believe in a place called ‘hell’ to which God sends people … [Read more…]
(Matthew 5.17-20)19 January 2020 – Neil Millar Over these weeks in January, we’re doing an introduction to the gospel of Matthew – the gospel set for reading in this year’s lectionary. Last week, we looked at that lengthy and riveting genealogy with which Matthew begins his account of Jesus, and noted how from its beginning … [Read more…]