Sermons

First Sunday of Lent 21 February 2021 Genesis 9.8-17 Mark 1.9-15 Transforming regret                                            ©Suzanne Grimmett Yesterday we gathered to tell stories. Not just any stories but our very own stories; the stories of this parish and how our lives and the life of this community are woven together. In his introduction, Peter Catt who facilitated the discussion, shared the idea that instead of being called Homo Sapiens (wise humans), we should be called Homo Narrans (story-telling human). This captures the idea that above logic or reasoning or invention, it is our capacity to narrate the stories of our existence … Read more

  ©Suzanne Grimmett              ASH WEDNESDAY Joel 2.1-2, 12-17 Psalm 51.1-17 2 Corinthians 5.20b-6.10 Matthew 6.1-6, 16-21 17 February 2021                                                                                                       “Sin is behovely, but all shall be well and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well.” So said Julian of Norwich in 1343 Or we hear from Martin Luther in 1521; “Be a sinner and sin boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly” Such sentiments about sin are different to the usual associations. Sin is not a word we use very commonly and “Sinner” is a desperately uncomfortable way of describing ourselves. It … Read more

2 Kings 2:1-12, Psalm 50: 1-6; 2 Corinthians 4:3-12, Mark 9:2-9   ©Archdeacon Emeritus Valerie Hoare And Jesus was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them.  Mark 9: 2-3. Light, dazzling, bright – not a light from some outside source but the divine light of God’s very presence, the essence of Jesus’ true nature shining through and there on the mountain Peter, James and John saw his glory. Jesus was transfigured, not transformed as when we see change from one form of being to another like a tadpole into a … Read more

St Andrew’s Anglican Church | IndooroopillyThe The Fifth Sunday after EpiphanyA sermon offered by The Reverend Ann Edwards7 February 2021 Isaiah 40.21-311 Corinthians 9.16-23Mark 1.29-39  If someone approached you on a street corner, and asked you to share the Gospel, what would you feel? And what would say? It’s really difficult out of context and when you’re on the spot. Literally, Gospel means the Good News, or Good Message. But what is that message? And who is it good for?  Imagine what someone on the street might say if you asked them what the Gospel is? Some people would have no idea. Some might … Read more

St Andrew’s Anglican Church Indooroopilly ‘Listening to the many voices of God’: A Sermon offered by Lauren Martin Presentation of Christ at the Temple (January 30 and 31) Hebrews 2.14-18 Psalm  Malachi 3.1-4 Luke 2.22-40 What do the unnamed little boy who is the lead character in Roald Dahl’s Witches and Frodo in Lord of the Rings have in common – other than they are books? Or what does the answer 42 in Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and some political debates have in common? More importantly, how could these things possibly relate to our readings today as we … Read more

St Andrew’s Anglican Church | Indooroopilly‘OK BOOMER’: A sermon offered by The Reverend Ann EdwardsThird Sunday after Epiphany (January 23 and 24) Jonah 3:1-5, 10Psalm 62:5-121 Corinthians 7:29-31Mark 1:14-20 Today’s gospel tells the story of four young people that follow Jesus. What comes to mind when you think about young people today? There is a pop cultural fascination with the differences between generations. As though there is something mystically different about your humanity if you’re born in a certain decade. In reality, generations are defined by the shared experiences of people living at a particular time. We were once centred … Read more

SERMON  St Andrew’s Parish of Indooroopilly  1 Samuel 3.1-10  Psalm 139.1-5, 12-18  1 Corinthians 6.12-20  John 1.43-51  Sunday 17 January  Dreaming our own dreams ©Suzanne Grimmett “He had all the wrong dreams, all, all wrong. He never knew who he was.”  These tragic words are delivered by Biff Loman in the Arthur Miller play, “The  Death of a Salesman.” He is speaking about his father, Willy, who for his whole  life had been deluded by the American Dream of quick success and easy money  in a land of financial possibility, where he would be loved and respected by all  for … Read more

SERMON Sunday 10 January 2021 The Baptism of our Lord Genesis 1.1-5 Psalm 29 Acts 19.1-7 Mark 1.4-11 The joy of being a nobody from nowheresville                                            ©Suzanne Grimmett “The birthday of the god was for the world the beginning of the joyful messages which have gone forth because of him” Sounds like something we could have preached at Christmas time from the pulpit, doesn’t it?  Except that it is from an ancient Roman inscription referring to the birthday of Caesar. The word ‘gospel’ (the Greek word euangelion), though thoroughly associated with Christianity for us, was common parlance for the … Read more

SERMON Sunday 3 January, The Epiphany of our Lord Isaiah 60.1-6 Psalm 72.1-7, 10-14 Ephesians 3.1-12 Matthew 2.1-12 Falling in love with solid ground                                                ©Suzanne Grimmett The turning of a new year can see us looking back to reflect on the one that has past and looking forward to the year that lies before us. Yet this Feast Day of Epiphany reminds us that an encounter with God can only ever happen in the present. If we spend too much time looking back or looking forward, we can miss the harvest of the now- the learnings, the wisdom, the beauty, … Read more

SERMON Recovering our imagination                                                    ©Suzanne Grimmett New Year’s Eve Isaiah 11:1-3, 6-9 2 Corinthians 5:16-21   What if hope is not an idea or a feeling but a practice? If hope was active engagement rather than a thought, the most obvious ground for it to be nourished would be in courage. While fear isolates, courage engages us with one another, empowers us personally and gives us the willingness to draw closer to one another, risking again the possibility of love and solidarity. Richard Fay in a recent sermon here said, “Empowerment is the starting point of all that God does … Read more