Audio of this Sermon available at the bottom of the page. “The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you." – Luke 8:38-39 In the modern Western world demons and demon possession is generally considered the stuff of fantasy or horror films – images like the young girl in Exorcist contorted and screaming in her bed – in ‘real life’ we would never give demons and demon … [Read more...]
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An Anthropologist on Revelation – What is your Revelation?
*Audio File Available Below* Sermon for the Seventh Sunday of Easter: June 2, 2019 Alice J Stewart Today’s reading from Revelation ends with the final words of Revelation. It ends with the final words of the entire Bible. These final words tell us who Jesus is, assure us that he’s coming, and tell us that we who desire God’s Kingdom through Christ will be showered with every blessing. Isn’t this the gospel message in a nutshell? Revelation is a long story, and a … [Read more...]
Holding on to Heaven – Sermon for Easter 4
“What is heaven like?” If you ever had children, or maybe you taught children in Sunday school, you have probably been confronted with this question: What is heaven? What does it look like? What will it smell or feel like? Who will be there? What will we do? It makes sense that children ask these questions, we say the word heaven a lot in church, we say it’s important, we might even talk about it as a goal but we don’t actually talk about it very much. If you were only to watch … [Read more...]
Rejected Stones – Sermon for the Second Sunday in Easter 2019
*Audio Available Below* “The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.” Psalm 118:22. Jesus was the stone that the builders rejected. Jesus became the cornerstone of what God built and is still building today. Jesus reminds us elsewhere that the disciple is not above the master. So, if Jesus was a stone the builders rejected, his followers most certainly are. Before we dig deeper, let’s review some basics. What is it that God is building? God is building … [Read more...]
Say my Name – Sermon for Easter 2019
What’s in a name? We all can likely remember times when our parents or our friends have called out our name with a deep sense of affection and love bottled up – perhaps after a long period of absence, or a parent calling a child over to offer a hug or a comforting shoulder to cry on. Our names are powerful. Just ask any child the power of a name, when their parent uses it to chastise them! When I was a child I would go around saying ‘I am not an Edddin! I am not an Eddin!’ because when I was … [Read more...]
He is Risen – Sermon for the Great Vigil of Easter 2019
*Audio available below* Christ is risen. Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia. We are not here to celebrate death. We are here to celebrate life. There are a lot of people out there who accuse Christianity of being an antiquated death-cult to a vengeful God. They only see the crucifixion and forget about the resurrection. They find it all too easy to believe that a man was murdered a long time ago. They find it really difficult to believe that a man who was also the Son of God was raised … [Read more...]
God’s Peace on God’s Friday – April 19th, 2019
Harvey, Sandy, Katrina, Hugo, Carla, Ivan, Camille, Patricia. These are some of the most notable hurricanes in recent memory. These powerful and destructive tropical storms can have winds over 250 km/h, heavy rains, crashing waves and storm surges. As the hurricane arrives, the rain starts, the wind blows steady and strong. As we pass farther in, the wind builds, the seas become more dangerous, the rain more lashing. Near the centre, in the Eye Wall, the winds reach their peak speed, … [Read more...]
Humble Service – Sermon for Maundy Thursday 2019
*Audio available at the bottom of the page* “Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” ~ John 13:1 Before becoming a father, it is unlikely that you would have ever got me excited at the prospect of feeding time or bath time for an infant. The idea of trying to force a young child to try food that they are not going to like, or to subject an infant to the potential for screaming and torture of a bath. Obviously some children love food and others love baths, … [Read more...]
The Funeral Party – Sermon for Palm Sunday 2019
*Audio available below* Have you ever received bad news in the midst of other people’s celebration and excitement? In those situations you try to go along with the occasion not trying to put a damper on things, you might even put on a brave face so no one knows the difference. I remember when I found out my mother was diagnosed with cancer two years ago, it rocked my world. It was the first time in my adult life that one of my immediate family members had been confronted with mortality … [Read more...]
Sermon for Lent 5 – April 7th 2019
Are you an “Early Adopter?” It’s a term that describes someone who is one of the first to buy and try some new piece of technology. Early Adopters are the first customers. They are always eager and willing to try new things, especially new gadgets. On a bell-curve of who buys a new tech gadget, first there are the Innovators, the people who create and market the items. Then come the Early Adopters, the first people in town to own one. If you have a “Smart speaker” like an Amazon Alexa … [Read more...]