“Delayed gratification.” It is a concept that has recently been highlighted in childhood education and parenting field. It is said that for a child to know how to wait patiently for his or her needs is a crucial key to developing into a successful adult. The reason why this is important in children’s education can […]
Sermon Topic: Christian Life
Towards an economy of grace
We hear some uncomfortable words in today’s Gospel reading: Jesus says to his disciples, “You cannot serve God and Mammon”. What does this Greek word ‘Mammon’ mean? Some modern translations of the bible translate it as ‘wealth’ and even ‘money’ as if it were a commodity like a portfolio of investments. The parable of the […]
“We saw his glory”
I love Dedication Festivals. I love them because I believe that they speak passionately and unashamedly about the Christian Journey and the imperative nature of our Christian calling. They are about Church buildings and what goes on inside them, and I love Church buildings and what goes on in them, so now you know why […]
In the Midst of the Mess
I’d much rather be preaching about the woods today. About the way in which God consoles us with the beauty of the trees – the trees which will soon enough all across the city and the state of New York begin to become that fiery bouquet of reds and yellows and oranges that ushers in […]
A Lonely Place
It’s officially been 2020 for 15 years now. Or it feels that way anyway. And friends, I don’t know about you but I’m not doing so well in this pandemic. I can pretend, I can put on a good face. But I’m not at one hundred percent. The isolation from friends and family, the distance […]
Treasure that is new and old.
Q: What have the Sovereign’s scepter with the cross and a torn bright red polyester bag have in common? A: They both contain treasures. The Sovereign’s Scepter with the cross – part of the British Crown Jewels – contains the Cullinan 1 Diamond. The Cullinan Diamond was cut from the largest diamond ever mined in […]
Gardening Without Weeding
What does it take for the works God to take root and grow? Is it seeing God appear right in front of you? Is it hearing the very words of God from on high? Is it getting knocked off your horse and blinded by shock and pain? This question occupied Jesus’ teaching in a lot […]
“King of the Shanty Town”
The international charity, Habitat for Humanity, estimates one in four of the world’s population currently live in a slum or informal settlement [1] All cities in the world attract numbers of homeless, the poor, and refugees; next to these cities, you will find shanty towns where the poor and the refugee create communities that are […]
The Fourth Sunday After Pentecost
How well I remember my first visit to Jerusalem in 1986 with an ecumenical group of Australian clergy led by a Reform rabbi. It was before the first Intifada but as always there were tensions abroad in that spiritually intense and holiest of cities. On our first day we were looking down on the old […]
Living Water for Spiritual Thirst
Years ago I had the extraordinary experience of spending some days in the Sinai Desert in Egypt with a group from St George’s College, Jerusalem reflecting on the Exodus experience of the Children of Israel. We were in four-wheel drive vehicles rather than on foot. Can you imagine driving madcap (the drivers seemed out to […]
