Sermons
Archives for December 2021
Date Based Archive: December 2024
Year B – First Sunday After Christmas – What’s in a name?
31 December 2023
As we journey through life we gain many possessions. As children it might be things we collect – things like coins, stamps or certain toys that are collectable. As we… Read more
Christmas Day Sermon – The first Christmas
25 December 2023
The story of the very first Christmas is very different to today’s Christmas celebrations. To me it seems so much more enjoyable as we listen to that first Christmas. Yes… Read more
Christmas Eve Sermon – Keeping our Christmas joy
24 December 2023
No doubt as you’ve been going about your shopping or other activities you’ve been hearing Christmas Carols being played. There are some of the traditional ones like Away in a… Read more
Year B – 3rd Sunday in Advent
17 December 2023
Every Sunday, and perhaps in your daily prayers, we pray in the Lord’s Prayer – your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. What is God’s will?… Read more
Year B – Second Sunday In Advent – Patience And Humility In Suffering
10 December 2023
Today we are introduced, as we always are on the 2nd Sunday of Advent, to John the Baptist. John is an interesting character. Jesus says he is the fulfilment of… Read more
Year B – First Sunday In Advent – Be alert but not afraid
3 December 2023
As we look at the world around us it’s easy to feel that Jesus could return any day now if not today. In scripture Jesus prophesied about the signs we… Read more
Year A – Christmas Day – No room at the inn – plenty of room in God’s heart
25 December 2022
Christmas is an occasion that brings families together. And maybe you’ve been the host trying to fit everyone in to save the expense of a motel. I know we’ve had… Read more
Year A – Christmas Eve – The same story – the same God
24 December 2022
Has Covid, the lockdowns, curfews, restrictions, changed your life? Has it changed the way you socialize? The way you worship? The way you work? The way you shop? Sometimes changes… Read more
Year A – Fourth Sunday Of Advent – We are all needed by God
18 December 2022
I’m the sort of person who believes if you want a job done well you do it yourself. I’ve never been that good at delegating. And I know a lot of… Read more
Year A – Third Sunday Of Advent – Do we look for another?
11 December 2022
You can almost feel it – you can almost taste it – you can almost touch it. Christmas is in 2 weeks. Whether the excitement is because you can’t wait… Read more
Year A – Second Sunday Of Advent – Be prepared
4 December 2022
There is a lot of evidence that Christmas is upon us. Shops are starting to put up decorations. Christmas catalogues and specials are hitting our mailboxes. Christmas breakups seem to… Read more
Christmas Day 2021 – More than just a memory
25 December 2021
I heard a comment recently that BC and AD were going to be redefined from “before Christ” and “Anne Domini” (the year of our Lord) to Before Covid and After… Read more
Christmas Eve 2021 – God’s suffering love
24 December 2021
On that very first Christmas Eve as Mary began her labour pains and was preparing to give birth she discovered that her child was going to be very different. It… Read more
Year C – Fourth Sunday Of Advent – An unconventional God
19 December 2021
Today’s Gospel is a little different to others in that it features two women dialoguing with each other and we know both of their names – Mary and Elizabeth. Usually men are… Read more
Year C – Third Sunday Of Advent – Joy to the world
12 December 2021
The Third Sunday of Advent is known as “rejoice” Sunday. We know that Advent is a season of waiting and today we are called to be joyful as we await… Read more
Year C – Second Sunday Of Advent – Making a straight path for Jesus.
5 December 2021
The 2nd Sunday of Advent always introduces us to John the Baptist. John is described as a relative of Jesus through his mother Mary and her relative Elizabeth although we’re… Read more
Year B – Christmas Day
24 December 2020
There have been many emotions throughout this Covid year – anger, uncertainty, confusion – but high up there, perhaps at the top, was and still is – fear. Fear of… Read more
Year B- Christmas Eve
24 December 2020
There are 2 major celebrations in the Church – Christmas and Easter. Last Easter none of us would have thought that we could not have had an Easter Service –… Read more
Year B – 4th Sunday in Advent – God knows better
17 December 2020
Even though much of the bible is what we call Patriarchal – that is heavily written from a male perspective where many women remain unnamed – Jairus’s daughter – Jephtha’s… Read more
Year B – Advent 3 – Reflecting the true light
10 December 2020
I was interested in reading last week that China landed a rocket on the moon and obtained some samples from the moon’s surface. I am always fascinated by moon travel… Read more
Year B -2nd Sunday in Advent – Same story – different challenges
6 December 2020
One of the challenges during Advent and Christmas is hearing the familiar story we all know. Not that there’s anything wrong with the story but sometimes we sort of switch… Read more
Year A – 1st Sunday after Christmas – God’s gift of love (don’t waste it)
29 December 2019
The gifts have been received and opened; The recycling bin is filled with gift wrapping that once made an ordinary gift seem extra special. Our family and friends have come… Read more
Christmas Day Sermon 2019 – Truth is God’s true power.
24 December 2019
The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. What I found is special about Christmas is that everything… Read more
Christmas Eve 2019– Christmas removing fear
24 December 2019
Even though I have heard the Christmas story many many times, as I’m sure you have – I do wonder what it would be like to have heard it for… Read more
Year A – Advent 4 – What on earth were you thinking God?
22 December 2019
Do you ever question God and what he’s doing in your life? What are you doing God? Sometimes it’s really hard to understand why God does things the way he… Read more
Year A – Advent 3 – Jesus is the one we are waiting for
15 December 2019
In the lead up to an election we hear lots of promises about what this leader will do for us if we elect them. And more often than not when… Read more
Year A- Advent 2 – Wilderness spirituality
8 December 2019
John the Baptist is always an interesting character. It’s easy to focus just on the message that he came to proclaim – Repent. But there’s more to John the Baptist… Read more
Year A – 1st Sunday in Advent – It’s getting close now.
1 December 2019
Having turned 60 a few weeks ago I got asked quite regularly – “how do you feel”? Do you feel older? And I reply by saying – truth be told,… Read more
Year C – First Sunday in Advent – True Hope
2 December 2018
Hope is a funny word. It’s one of those words that depending on the context it could mean the opposite of what was intended. Like the VCE student who “hopes”… Read more
Waiting for our Saviour
31 December 2017
The year ended in similar way to how it began. In January a driver used his car to drive through the streets of Melbourne killing 6 and injuring many more…. Read more
Looking again to the manger
25 December 2017
I wonder what would have happened if Jesus were born in today’s world. In all our busyness would we have responded like the Shepherds and said: Let us go now… Read more
Our gift wrapped Saviour
24 December 2017
Christmas is a very exciting time for adults and children – for everyone. It’s a highlight of the year and part of the excitement is the giving and receiving of… Read more
Expect the unexpected.
20 December 2017
“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to… Read more
Peeling back the layers of Christmas
17 December 2017
I was getting my car serviced during the week and I overheard a couple of the staff chatting at the coffee machine. One said to the other – “so, are… Read more
Winners and Losers
10 December 2017
We live in a society that seems to be more and more categorised into winners and losers. The recent postal survey on Same Sex Marriage is a classic example. It… Read more
Waiting and watching.
3 December 2017
We look again to God with anxious eyes this Advent. With all the difficulties in the world sometimes we can feel so inadequate in trying to make the world a… Read more
True God and True Human
18 December 2016
On the surface it seems that Joseph has 2 choices. He can abide by the Law of Moses and hand over Mary to be judged with the likely result being… Read more
Should we expect another?
11 December 2016
Have you ever bought something you’ve seen advertised and then been disappointed once you’ve gotten it home? Over the years I’ve fallen for a few items on TV shopping. As… Read more
The God of all hope
4 December 2016
Of all the qualities that Paul could have assigned to God it’s interesting that he refers to God as a God of hope. We live in a world where hope… Read more