Sermons

1 Samuel 1.4-20 The Song of Hannah Hebrews 10.11-25 Mark 13:1-11 Sunday 17 November    ©Suzanne Grimmett ‘Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!’ We might imagine the disciples stepping out from the shadows of such a glorious building, the centre of sacred worship and identity, and feeling that there, at least, is a foundation for their lives. There is God’s glory within stone and brick, an invitation into God’s presence and the cultic practices that bring together the people of God. The restoration of that temple must have seemed a worthy goal- one that would have carried incredible … Read more

Feast of All Saints Wisdom 3.1-9 Psalm 24 Revelation 21.1-6a John 11.32-44 Sunday 3rd November 2024   ©Suzanne Grimmett In this story of the raising of Lazarus, found only in John’s Gospel, we witness the humanity of Christ, overcome with grief, and a God who refuses to let death have the last word. It reveals the bigger story of the God who pursues us even to the grave, drawing us always from death and decay to life, love and community. So as we gather to mark this Feast of All Saints, what we are doing is celebrating those who embody the … Read more

The Rev’d Canon Selina McMahon It’s wonderful to be able to be with you today. As Rev’d Sue said, I’m Selina McMahon, although I have an unusual middle name: Missouri – named in honour of my great aunt Missouri. To this day no-one knows why, in a family where girls were called Ada, or Elizabeth, or Alice, we have a Missouri – but there it is. Sharing your name with someone famous can sometimes be tricky and can lead to confusion. This was probably also true for the two apostles we celebrate today, Simon and Jude, both of whom are … Read more

Pentecost 21 – 2024 Mark 10:17-31 © Marian Free In the name of God who cares for the greatest and the least, and who preferences the poor over the rich. Amen. How much money is too much money? This is a question that greatly troubled someone I once knew. He (I’ll call him Jack) had married into a family that was very comfortable and he had worked in a profession that ensured a good income.  Jack wasn’t Steve Jobs rich, but he was well-off. For reasons that he didn’t ever share, today’s gospel passage caused him particular concern. On more … Read more

Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost Job 1.1, 2.1-10 Psalm 26 Hebrews 1.1-4, 2.5-12 Mark 10.2-16                                                 ©Suzanne Grimmett Anyone who has raised children may have suffered through the toddler time where suddenly everything seems up for debate. “Why?” asks the three year old…whether that be when asked to brush teeth or put on a jacket or simply as they observe you going about your normal tasks but want to know the reasons for everything. One of the reasons for this is a whole-hearted desire to learn; to know about this wonderful world they are encountering, even when they do not have … Read more

 Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost Proverbs 31:10-31 Psalm1 James 3:1-12 Mark 9:30-37 Sunday 22 September 2024                               ©Lauren Martin The reading from Proverbs 31 begins with the question, who can find a capable wife? With the description of what is a capable wife following this question in Proverbs. It’s no wonder she is not easy to find! Ralph Milton wrote, who would want to be married to such a whirling dervish? She sounds exhausting to be around and somehow able to successfully live without taking any time to care for herself, including time for sleep. At first glance this passage … Read more

Address by Leanne Wood Anglicare Manager for Research, Evaluation and Advocacy Thank you for the invitation to join you today, on Anglicare Sunday. I’ve worked for Anglicare for over a decade, and without a doubt, these have been the most challenging – and satisfying – and – years of my career. They’ve been challenging because day in and day out I’m confronted with the evidence and, via our service delivery staff, the lived reality of much of what is wrong with the world: homelessness, domestic and family violence, poverty. Many of the people Anglicare works with have few channels to … Read more

Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost James 1.17-27 Mark 7.1-8, 14-23 1 September 2024                                        ©Suzanne Grimmett The great theologian Paul Tillich described “self-integration” as one of the most basic functions of our life. He is responding to the texts we have in our scriptures and the many words on the lips of Jesus which address hypocrisy. Of all the many different forms hypocrisy can take, I believe religious hypocrisy to be the worst because it has the power to hide what is most profane in the guise of what is most sacred. It takes what is most true and good and … Read more

14th Sunday after PentecostEphesians 6.10-20 John 6.56-69 Sunday 25 August 2024                                  ©Suzanne Grimmett “Pray that I may declare it boldly” says the evangelist in the closing words of this letter to the Ephesians, “as I must speak.” What do you feel so strongly about that you would feel compelled to speak? What are the things that you believe to be so centrally true and vital that they shape the greatest decisions of your life…and would, if you were ever put in such an extreme situation, give you the courage to be imprisoned for, perhaps even die for? It is … Read more

John 6: 51-58 Sunday 18th of August 2024                                        ©Suzanne Grimmett Gandhi once said, “There are so many hungry people in the world that God could only come into the world in the form of food.” In these weeks we have heard over and again from the Gospel of John that Jesus is the bread of life. While we naturally associate the symbols of bread and wine with Eucharist, we need to remember also that the 6th chapter of John’s Gospel begins with the feeding of the five thousand. All of these words about Jesus as bread follow an experience … Read more

Marian Free In the name of God, whose ways are not our ways and whose thoughts are not our thoughts. Amen. I don’t know about you but every now and then I find that I am a little disappointed in God, or at least in the simplistic idea of a ‘fix-it’ God that has somehow remains in my brain – despite all attempts to remove that image.  I am guilty, for example, of wondering why, if we had to have COVID, God didn’t allow some truly awful people to die from it? And there are times, I confess, when I … Read more

                                                ©Suzanne Grimmett Is transformation of the human heart possible? With the rise of fake news, disinformation and the division between people increased through the silos of social media, we might wonder if there is any possibility of people listening to one another again. The reading from the letter to the Ephesians describes the way for us to grow together in Christ as to ‘speak the truth in love’. This could well prompt us to ask in this age, “What is truth?” and at this time we may also wonder, “And where is love in its speaking?” We also know … Read more