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Sentence

Because Jesus himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested. Hebrews 2:18

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

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Collect  

Almighty God, who wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully restored, the dignity of human nature:
in your mercy, bring us to share the divine life of Jesus Christ, who came to share our human life, and who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

                                                                                                                                                      

Readings

This Week:

• Isaiah 63:7-9
• Psalm 148
• Hebrews 2:10-18
• Matthew 2:13-23

• Next Week:

• Jeremiah 31:7-14
• Psalm 147:12-20
• Ephesians 1:3-14
• John 1:1-18

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A Thought to Ponder

First Sunday after Christmas
The angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream: “Rise, take the child and his mother; flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you.”
Matthew’s Gospel continues his story of Jesus’ early years, focusing on the evangelist’s principal theme: that Jesus is the Messiah promised by God long ago. Matthew portrays the Holy Family as outcasts, refugees in their own country. Bound together by love and trust in God and in one another, they embark on the dangerous journey to Egypt to flee the insane rage of Herod. Jesus relives the Exodus experience of Israel: he will come out of Egypt, the land of slavery, to establish a new covenant of liberation for the new Israel.
Today’s Feast of the Holy Family calls us to re-discover and celebrate our own families as harbours of forgiveness and understanding and safe places of unconditional love, welcome and acceptance.
The Holy Family is a model for our families as we confront the many tensions and crises that threaten the stability, peace and unity that are the joys of being a family.
Matthew’s Gospel of Mary and Joseph’s escape to Egypt has been lived by countless families in every place and time. Today’s Feast of the Holy Family confronts us with the struggle of many families to escape the brutality and cruelty of the Herod’s of our time, seeking a new life in whatever Egypt they can find – and God’s call to us, as their brothers and sisters, to make a place for them where they will find safety, justice and dignity as God’s own.
Matthew’s Gospel of the Holy Family’s fleeing the murderous wrath of Herod portends what is to come: the Christmas crib is overshadowed by the cross of Holy Week, this holy birth is the beginning of our rebirth in the resurrection.

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Sermon – not available this week

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Sentence

A virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel: God with us. Matthew 1:23

                                                                                                                             

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Collect  

Gracious God, you chose the virgin Mary, by your grace, to be the mother of our Lord and Saviour:
so fill us with your grace, that with her we may rejoice in your salvation, and in all things embrace your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

                                                                                                                                                      

Readings

This Week:

• Isaiah 7:10-16
• Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19
• Romans 1:1-7
• Matthew 1:18-25

• Next Week:

• Isaiah 63:7-9
• Psalm 148
• Hebrews 2:10-18
• Matthew 2:13-23

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A Thought to Ponder

Advent 4-
“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.”
The last week of Advent shifts our focus from the promise of the Messiah to the fulfillment of that promise in the events surrounding Jesus’ birth.

Today’s Gospel is Matthew’s version of Jesus’ birth at Bethlehem. This is not Luke’s familiar story of a child born in a Bethlehem stable, but that of a young unmarried woman suddenly finding herself pregnant and her very hurt and confused husband wondering what to do. In Gospel times, marriage was agreed upon by the groom and the bride’s parents almost immediately after the age of puberty; but the girl continued to live with her parents after the wedding until the husband was able to support her in his home or that of his parents. During that interim period, marital intercourse was not permissible. Yet Mary is found to be with child.
Joseph, an observant but compassionate Jew, does not wish to subject Mary to the full fury of Jewish law, so he plans to divorce her “quietly.” But in images reminiscent of the First Testament “annunciations” of Isaac and Samuel, an angel appears to Joseph in a dream and reveals that this child is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. Because of his complete faith and trust in God’s promise, Joseph acknowledges the child and names him Jesus (“Saviour”) and becomes, in the eyes of the Law, the legal father of Jesus. Thus, Jesus, through Joseph, is born a descendent of David. Matthew’s point in his infancy narrative is that Jesus is the Emmanuel promised of old – Isaiah’s prophecy has finally been fulfilled in Jesus: the virgin has given birth to a son, one who is a descendent of David’s house (through Joseph). Jesus is truly Emmanuel – “God is with us.”
In Christ, the Spirit of God who inspired the prophets to preach, who enabled the nation of Israel to enter into the covenant with Yahweh, intervenes and sanctifies all of human history.
The “mystery” of the Incarnation is not that God could become one of us – the inexplicable part is how and why God could love humankind enough to humble himself to take on the human condition and walk with us, talk with us, die for us.

We have reason to rejoice and to hope, for in our midst dawns Emmanuel – “God with us.”

Joseph, the “just” and “upright” man, is a model of compassion, forgiveness and faith for all of us who are mums and dads, children, brothers and sisters. God’s coming depends on “Josephs” – men and women of humility, selflessness and openness of heart and spirit – to welcome him and embrace his presence in our midst.

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Sermon

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Sentence

Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are of a fearful heart, ‘Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God.’ Isaiah 35:3-4

                                                                                                                             

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Collect  

Sustain us, O God, with the power of your love on our journey to meet the One who is coming:
strengthen our weak hands, make firm our feeble knees, and open blind eyes to the dawning of your kingdom, so that our hearts may rejoice as we behold the majesty of our God. We ask this through your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

                                                                                                                                                      

Readings

This Week:

• Isaiah 35:1-10
• The Song of Mary
• James 5:7-10
• Matthew 11:2-11

• Next Week:

• Isaiah 7:10-16
• Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19
• Romans 1:1-7
• Matthew 1:18-25

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A Thought to Ponder

Advent 3-
“Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.”
The picture of John the Baptiser in today’s Gospel is quite different from last Sunday’s thundering, charismatic figure preaching to the crowds along the Jordan. John has been imprisoned by Herod for publicly denouncing the king’s incestuous marriage to Herodias. Left to waste away in prison, John knew that his end was near. John had staked his life on proclaiming the coming of the Messiah, and his witness will soon cost him his life. Like any human being, John had to wonder if he had been deluding himself. John and the people of Judaism had been expecting a much different kind of Messiah than the gentle, humble Worker of wonders from Nazareth. And so, John sends friends to ask Jesus if he is, in fact, the long-awaited Messiah.
Jesus sends the messengers back to John to report all they have seen Jesus do, fulfilling the prophecies of Isaiah and the prophets of old. While praising John for his faithful witness to the Messiah, Jesus tells his followers that great things will come to all who become prophets of the reign of God.
Advent/Christmas is the season of hope: The birth of Christ restores our dreams for “blossoming deserts” (Reading 1) and new harvests, for renewed relationships with God and with one another.
The Christ of Christmas comes to heal the divisions among families and friends, to re-create our world in the mercy and justice of the Messiah, to renew our lives in the joy and hope of the God of unimaginably endless love.
John’s question, Are you the Messiah? confronts us with the apparent silence of God in our secular, amoral society. We must come to recognize the Messiah in the humble, merciful, liberating person of Jesus, the healer and reconciler. The question Jesus pose – What did you go out to the desert to see? – challenges us to take on the hard and never-ending Advent work of conversion and re-creation, of rediscovering what we want are lives to be for and about.
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Sermon

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Sentence

The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news. Mark 1:15

                                                                                                                             

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Collect  

God of all peoples, whose servant John came baptising and calling for repentance:
help us to hear his voice of judgement, that we may also rejoice in his word of promise, and be found pure and blameless in that glorious Day when Christ comes to rule the earth as Prince of Peace; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

                                                                                                                                                      

Readings

This Week:

• Isaiah 11:1-10
• Psalm 72:1-7, 18-21
• Romans 15:4-13
• Matthew 3:1-12

• Next Week:

• Isaiah 35:1-10
• The Song of Mary
• James 5:7-10
• Matthew 11:2-11

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A Thought to Ponder

Advent 2- Matthew 3:1-12

John the Baptist appeared, preaching the desert: “I am baptising you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
In today’s Gospel, John the Baptiser makes his appearance this Advent season, preaching a baptism of repentance and conversion of life.

Matthew’s details about John’s appearance are intended to recall the austere dress of the great prophet Elijah (2 Kings 1: 8). The Jews believed that Elijah would return from heaven to announce the long awaited restoration of Israel as God’s kingdom. For Matthew, this expectation is fulfilled in John the Baptiser. Through the figure of the Baptiser, the evangelist makes the “Old” Testament touch the “New.”
Matthew reports that John strikes a responsive chord in the people who have come from throughout the region to hear him at the Jordan River. He has strong words for the Pharisees and Sadducees who step up for his baptism but have no intention of embracing the spirit of conversion and renewal to make their own lives ready for the Messiah who comes.
In proclaiming the Messiah’s “baptism in the Holy Spirit and fire,” John employs the image of a “winnowing-fan.” A “winnowing-fan” was a flat, wooden, shovel-like tool, used to toss grain into the air. The heavier grain fell to the ground and chaff was blown away. In the same way, John says, the Messiah will come to gather the “remnant” of Israel and destroy the Godless.
In our own baptisms, we take on the role of prophet of Christ: to “proclaim” in our ministries, in our compassion and our kindness, in our commitment to what is right that Jesus the Messiah has come.
John’s message calls us to “live” our baptisms every day of our lives, growing in the “knowledge of the Lord” (Isaiah 11: 9) and living as “wheat” rather than lifeless straw (Matthew 3: 12).

Advent is the season for realising Isaiah’s vision of the “peaceable” kingdom: for seeking common ground, for recognising the humanity we all share and building upon our common interests, values and dreams.
© Connections/MediaWorks. All rights reserved

Sermon

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Sentence

Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths. Isaiah 2:3a

                                                                                                                             

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Collect  

Faithful God, whose promises stand unshaken through all generations: renew us in hope, that we may be awake and alert watching for the glorious return of Jesus Christ, our Judge and Saviour, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

                                                                                                                                                      

Readings

This Week:

• Isaiah 2:1-5
• Psalm 122
• Romans 13:9-14
• Matthew 24:36-44

• Next Week:

• Isaiah 11:1-10
• Psalm 72:1-7, 18-21
• Romans 15:4-13
• Matthew 3:1-12

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A Thought to Ponder

Advent 1 – Luke 21:25-38

What is Advent?
Advent is the season of the year leading up to Christmas. The word advent itself means “arrival” or “an appearing or coming into place.” Christians often speak of Christ’s “first advent” and “second advent”; that is, His first and second comings to earth. His first advent would be the Incarnation—Christmastime.

The Advent season lasts for four Sundays. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, or the nearest Sunday to November 30. Advent ends on Christmas Eve and thus is not considered part of the Christmas season. The Advent celebration is both a commemoration of Christ’s first coming and an anticipation of His second coming. As Israel longed for their Messiah to come, so Christians long for their Saviour to come again.

Advent is seen as a time to prepare one’s heart for Christmas and for the eventual return of Christ (and the judgment He will bring to the world).

Churches that observe Advent usually decorate their sanctuaries in the liturgical colour of Advent, royal blue or purple. Some churches change the colour to rose on the third Sunday of Advent to signify a greater emphasis on the joy of the season.

One of the most common Advent traditions involves the use of evergreen wreaths, branches, and trees. On the first Sunday of Advent, churches and homes are decorated with green to symbolise the eternal life that Jesus brings. An Advent wreath—an evergreen circle with four coloured candles surrounding a white one in the middle—is placed in a prominent spot. The candles are then lit one at a time, on successive Sundays. The first candle is the candle of “hope” or “expectation.” The three remaining candles “peace, joy, love”. On Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, the centre white candle is lit; this is the “Christ Candle,” a reminder that Jesus, the Light of the Word, has come.

Advent calendars, used to count down the days till Christmas, are popular in many homes. An Advent calendar contains a number of covered “windows” that are opened, one a day, until Christmas Day. Each open window reveals a picture related to the season or a poem or a Bible verse or a treat of some kind. Many parents find an Advent calendar is a good way to teach their children the true meaning of Christmas—although there are secular versions of the calendars, too.

Should Christians observe Advent?
There is certainly nothing wrong with commemorating Jesus’ birth and anticipating His return—such commemoration and anticipation should be an everyday part of our lives.

Are Christians required to observe Advent?
No.

Does observing Advent make one a better Christian or more acceptable to God?
No.

Can celebrating Advent be a good reminder of what the season is truly all about?
Yes, and therein lies its greatest value.

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Sermon

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