(Isaiah 5:1-7; Luke 12:49-56) (Pentecost 10)18 August, 2019 – © Bill Bush May the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength, and my Redeemer. If there are two Bible readings that challenge me, one is the Luke passage we heard today: “households will … [Read more…]
(Luke 12.13-21) Pentecost 84 August 2019 – © Neil Millar In services over the past few weeks we’ve been reflecting on the petition: ‘Give us this day our daily bread’ and this morning we’ve heard a parable about a man with an abundance of bread and the dilemma of what to do with it. As … [Read more…]
(Luke 11.1-13) Pentecost 7 28 July 2019 – © Neil Millar ‘Give us this day our daily bread’. We pray to God using these words every Sunday in our service, and over the past month I’ve been reflecting on the theme Bread for the Journey. I suggested that this request at the heart of the … [Read more…]
(Luke 10.38-42) Pentecost 6© Neil Millar – 21 July 2019 ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.’ Okay, a show of hands … Who identifies with Mary in this story? What … [Read more…]
(Luke 10.25-37) (Pentecost 5) 14 July 2019 – © Neil Millar Last week, I started a little sermon series titled Bread for the Journey. The aim being to highlight four virtues that nurture growth in the spiritual life, that support our development as disciples of Christ. Last week, I spoke about the need for humility, … [Read more…]
(2 Kings 5.1-27) (Pentecost 4)7 July 2019 © Neil Millar This morning I want to begin a little mid-winter series; to explore a theme I hope might encourage us through the cold weeks of July. I’m calling it ‘Bread for the Journey’. ‘Give us this day our daily bread’, we pray in the Lord’s prayer … [Read more…]
(Luke 9.51-62, Galatians 5.1, 13-25) Pentecost 3 30 June 2019 – © Neil Millar ‘For freedom Christ has set us free’, Paul writes (in his letter to the Galatians 5.1), and a little later, ‘you were called to freedom brothers and sisters… Paul writes with clarity and authority, but how do his convictions square with … [Read more…]
(1 Kings 19.1-17) Pentecost 223 June 2019 – © Neil Millar Two mountains dominate the landscape of the prophet Elijah’s story. The first, Mount Carmel, is where famously he does battle with the prophets of Baal. The second, Mount Horeb, is where fearfully he flees to escape the wrath of Queen Jezebel. In the course … [Read more…]
(Romans 5.1-5 & John 16.12-15) Trinity Sunday16 June 2019 – © Neil Millar According to the great 18th century philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724 -1804), ‘the doctrine of the Trinity provides nothing, absolutely nothing, of practical value, even if one claims to understand it; still less when one is convinced that it far surpasses our understanding…As … [Read more…]
(Acts 2.1-21) (Pentecost/Whitsunday)9 June 2019 – © Neil Millar Come Holy Spirit… Veni Sancte Spiritus… Ven Espíritu Santo… Viens Saint-Esprit… Komm heiliger Geist… All over the world, in thousands of different languages, Christians are reciting these words in worship today. Which raises the question of what it is we’re asking when we say these words? … [Read more…]