Sermons

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

A sermon offered by the Reverend Suzanne Grimmett | 25 December 2020 St Andrew’s Parish of Indooroopilly                                                                   ©Suzanne Grimmett “Christmas is,” said G.K Chesterton, “as if a man had found an inner room in the very heart of his own house, which he had never suspected, and seen a light from within. It is as if he found something at the back of his own heart that betrayed him into good.” There is a defiance about Christmas, that doesn’t say all things are as they should be in the world, but rather that things are not, but we will … Read more

A sermon offered by The Reverend Ann Edwards Christmas Eve 2020 Luke 2: 1-14 When English royal babies are born, an easel is placed outside the palace to announce the news. Buckingham Palace has locked, cast iron gates, it is guarded, and the reality is the royal child is likely not even inside. While clearly the royals are real people with real lives, the royalty we see is from a distance, their movements through the world protected and highly choreographed, with a barrier of physical space as well as status keeping the everyday person at a distance. If we do … Read more

Sunday 20 December 2020 St Andrews Anglican Church  Luke 1: 26-38: The Sublimation of God  © Richard Fay I expect if I was a first century reader of Luke’s Gospel, I may likely burst into laughter at the absurdity of what I was reading. The words “greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you” is as nonsensical in the context of the culture and the situation Mary finds her self in as Jesus saying blessed are the poor. It is difficult to imagine a less favoured person than an unmarried girl, let alone one who is about to be told … Read more

The Church of Saint Andrew, the Apostle | Indooroopilly A sermon offered by The Reverend Ann Edwards for the Third Sunday of Advent 12/13 December 2020 This parish looks to me to favour dogs, judging from our St Francis day adventures. Who are our dog people here? I own a cat, but I love dogs… they’re always excited to see you. They’re always waiting for you, even when you’re right there. You might be about to do something. They’re hoping you are, because for a dog, you are the best thing in their day. Imagine a border collie, head cocked … Read more

SERMON Sunday 6 December 2020 Righteousness and bliss shall kiss                                          ©Suzanne Grimmett “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” In characteristic Markan fashion, there is little preamble- John “appears in the wilderness”, the action begins.  The entry of John was a sign of the initiative of God in raising up a prophet in the tradition of so many prophets; one who raises the alert, sounds the alarm but also points the way out of our human mess. The prophets have always cried out, putting voice to our deepest cries that life is intolerable … Read more

Sunday 29 November 2020, Advent & Feast of St Andrew, Indooroopilly Sermon offered by Rev’d Dr Jo Inkpin It is one of those lovely quiz questions, isn’t it – what do Barbados, Romania, the Ukraine and Scotland have in common?  The answer is St Andrew of course, as their shared patron saint.  In this COVID-19 year, that is something for which it is particularly important to wonder and give thanks.  For in recent months we have, as a world together, been both divided by border closures, and united in suffering.  On this Advent Sunday therefore, it is good to be … Read more