Colourful Dreamer

This sermon can be heard here Gate Pa – Lent 3; Year C Readings: Psalm :                                                 Psalm: 63:1-8  First Reading:                         Isaiah 55:1-9   Second Reading:                    1 Corinthians 10:1-13                   Gospel :                                    Luke 13:1-9     What I want to say: To invite people to reflect on this parish and their hopes for this parish and then reflect on some of the questions I keep asking in light of that and the gospel reading for the day: ·         Whose are we (who is God)? ·         Who are we ·         What is ours to do? We are not called to survive or to be successful. We are called to be faithful to who we are in. Ours is to be significant in these communities. What I want to happen: People to take these reflections into the meeting and the year ahead. The Sermon      1.       Introduction: This week is our AGM. So to give us a little bit of contex

It is AGM time once again. AGMs can feel like a bit of a bore. A must do that we have to get through. But in theory at least they provide us an opportunity to reflect on and give thanks for the past year. For what we have done and more importantly what God has done in and through us. AGMs also give us an opportunity to look ahead a little and wonder what might be ours to do in the year ahead. It is important in all this to not get side-tracked by things that often side-tracks groups like churches. In these hard times too often we end up talking about how to survive, and if we are really feeling optimistic, how to be successful.   Today’s gospel reading, Luke 13:1-9 has as one of its themes that life is a gift and we are to live that gift to the fullest. For who knows when it will end. So rather than worrying about surviving, maybe we should be faithful to who we are called to be. And rather than be successful, whatever that means, maybe we should be a significant presence in thi

This sermon can be heard here Gate Pa – Lent 2; 2016 Readings: Psalm                          Psalm: 27        First Reading:             Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18  Second Reading:        Phil 3:17-4:1                      Gospel:                        Luke 13:31-35 What I want to say: What pattern do we apply to scripture? What is it all about? What does all this God stuff offer us? Demand of us? God tells Abraham that he and Sarah will be blessed to be a blessing (Gen 12). That is the pattern to read scripture and understand our lives of faith by. What I want to happen: People to use lent to reflect on how blessed to be a blessing helps them understand our lives of faith and what that might be inviting them into. The Sermon      1.       Introduction: Few weeks ago talked about the patterns that Brian McLaren says we all use to understand the world, life, our lives in God, they were – rivalry -           compliance -           meaningless