In Sermons: showing 31-45 of 170

Jesus Is Exhausted Series

Contributed by David Smith on Aug 7, 2009

Jesus said to them, "Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat! (Mark 6:31)

We’re in Mark chapter 6 this morning, dealing with a long and rather spectacular reading, where we see Jesus heal the sick, feed 5,000 hungry people with only a few loaves and fish, walk on the water, and preach to the lost - all in a day’s work, or so it seems! I’ve had days like that (indeed, ...read more

Scripture: Mark 6:30-56

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

The Murder Of John The Baptist Series

Contributed by David Smith on Aug 7, 2009

When his daughter Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, "Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it." And he solemnly swore to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdo

We had a baptism this morning, and I think if you’d searched through the Bible for the most inappropriate Gospel story to feature today, you couldn’t have done better (or rather worse) that the one we had this morning - the story of the death of John the Baptist! When you’re working with the ...read more

Scripture: Mark 6:14-29

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

The Downward Mobility Of Jesus Series

Contributed by David Smith on Jul 6, 2009

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Although He was rich, for your sakes he became poor, so that you, through his poverty, might become rich. “

I thought it was about time I began a sermon with a joke, and today’s passage did make me think of that story about the world’s leaders at prayer, asking God when their countries would repay their national debts. As the story goes, President Obama prays to God, asking when the US economy will ...read more

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

Storms & Questions Series

Contributed by David Smith on Jul 6, 2009

That day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let’s cross to the other side." So they left the crowd and took him along in the boat just as he was. Other boats were with him. A violent windstorm came up, and the waves began breaking into the boat, so

I’m conscious this morning that we’ve had another baptism, which is wonderful, but I do get the feeling sometimes that when parents bring a child to baptism they are sort of quietly hoping that the experience might have a soothing effect on the child. After all, isn’t that part of what good ...read more

Scripture: Mark 4:35-41

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

Call No Man Father! Series

Contributed by David Smith on Jun 19, 2009

You must not be called ’Teacher,’ because you are all equal and have only one Teacher. And you must not call anyone here on earth ’Father,’ because you have only the one Father in heaven. Nor should you be called ’Leader,’ because your one and only leader

“Call no man ‘Father’” says Jesus. That’s part of our reading today from Matthew 23. Jesus says, “call no man ‘Father’”. What’s that doing here? And I don’t just mean what’s it doing here as this week’s reading. I mean, what’s it doing in the Bible? Since the (not so recent) publication of “The ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 23:8-11

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

The Parable Of The Two Sons Series

Contributed by David Smith on Jun 18, 2009

Jesus said "What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ’Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ’I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered

My friend Kon used to say ’the more I see of kids today, the more I think about getting a dog’. Then he had a son. He doesn’t say that quite as much any more. His other great saying was ’I love children, but I can never finish a whole one’. He doesn’t say that much any more either. He might think ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 21:28-31

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

Jesus Teaches Us To Dance Series

Contributed by David Smith on Jun 18, 2009

Jesus and his disciples, including James and John, left the synagogue and went straight to the home of Simon and Andrew. Simon’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a fever, and as soon as Jesus arrived, he was told about her. He went to her, took her by t

We are in the latter part of the first chapter of the Gospel according to St Mark this week, and it’s a scene that I think would make very acceptable day-time television. It is very ’G’ rated. This is not typical of the Gospel stories, despite what you might have heard. Mark’s Gospel in particular ...read more

Scripture: Mark 1:29-31

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

Jesus Is Angry Series

Contributed by David Smith on Jun 18, 2009

The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the shee

We’re in John chapter 2 today, following the Lentern pattern of jumping around into different sections of the Gospels and landing upon passages that are appropriately sombre and challenging. And we’ve landed on a dousie this week - a passage that contains not one but two rather unique and entirely ...read more

Scripture: John 2:13-25

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

Choosing The Path Of Most Resistance Series

Contributed by David Smith on Jun 18, 2009

When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never bee

I’m sure we all know the joke about how many social workers it takes to change a light bulb. It only takes one, of course, but the light bulb has got to want to change. I think it was social workers that were the target of that joke, but it could equally well have been psychotherapists, ...read more

Scripture: Mark 11:1-11

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

Jesus Shares His Scars Series

Contributed by David Smith on Jun 18, 2009

Thomas, one of the twelve, who was called the Twin, wasn’t with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples kept telling him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he told them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands, put my finger into them, and put my hand i

We’re in John chapter 20 this morning - the familiar story of ‘doubting Thomas’ - and, as I’ve noted many times before, this is one of those few passages in the Bible that the church in her wisdom suggests that we should read every year at this time (rather than every three years, which is the ...read more

Scripture: John 20:24-29

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

There's Room For Everybody!

Contributed by David Smith on Jun 18, 2009

"When the day of Pentecost came, all of them were together in one place. Suddenly, a sound like the roaring of a mighty windstorm came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated, and

Wind and Fire - the two elements of Pentecost - and a dynamic duo they are! In my naivety I had thought until recently that these two elements were natural opposites that cancelled each other out, such as when you blow on a birthday candle and the wind puts the fire out. And then we all ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:1-11

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

The Law Of Love Series

Contributed by David Smith on Nov 18, 2008

But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord you

We’re in Matthew 22, and Jesus is brawling! To be exact, we’re in the last round of a three-round brawl, where over the chapter in Matthew’s Gospel we’ve seen Jesus do battle with a group known as ‘the Herodians’, followed by a round with the Sadducees, followed by this week’s third and deciding ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 22:34-40

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

To Err Is Human. To Forgive Is Crazy! Series

Contributed by David Smith on Nov 18, 2008

Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven. (Matthew 18:21-22)

Jesus said, “the Kingdom of Heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants.” And he found a guy who owed him 50 billion dollars! Now that’s a round figure of course. I may be a few dollars out. The original text says the man owed him ten thousand talents, which is ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 18:21-35

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

All You Need Is Love Series

Contributed by David Smith on Nov 18, 2008

"Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, ’You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet’; and any other commandment, are summed

I’ve decided to speak this morning on one of the most unnerving and threatening pieces of Scripture I’ve ever come across - threatening and unnerving at least for professional clerics like myself (people who get paid to teach the Bible). The passage is from Paul’s letter to the church at Rome, ...read more

Scripture: Romans 13:8-10

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

That They May Be One (A Sermon On John Chapter 17)

Contributed by David Smith on Jun 3, 2008

Jesus said, "I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by your name, the name that you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one." (John 17:11)

“Kiss me Hardy” “Et Tu, Brute” “Strike the tents!” What do these statements have in common? They were each the last words of famous men (Lord Nelson, Julius Caesar and Robert E. Lee, respectively). Let me add one from a famous woman: "Hold the cross high so I may see it through the flames!" ...read more

Scripture: John 17:1-26, John 17:11-17

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican