In Sermons: showing 46-60 of 170

The Valley Of The Shadow Of Death

Contributed by David Smith on Apr 25, 2008

Welcome to the fourth Sunday in Easter, a Sunday often referred to as ‘Shepherding Sunday’, as it’s the one on which we read again everyone’s favourite psalm - the 23rd psalm, that begins, “The Lord is My Shepherd; I shall not want”

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with ...read more

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

Jesus Meets Ronald Mcdonald (A Sermon On Luke 24)

Contributed by David Smith on Apr 25, 2008

The passsage is Luke 24:13-35 - the story of the diciples who meet Jesus on the road to Emmaus. The occassion was the 4th Sunday in Easter. The connection with Ronald McDonald was an article that had recently been published by a Diocesan heavyweight, enti

I’ve made it a rule over the years never to discuss church politics stuff in a sermon. Indeed, I try to avoid bringing up issues that are specifically churchy altogether, in a sermon especially - partly because I don’t think it’s appropriate to try to polarise people over issues that are ...read more

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

He Is Not Here! (So Where Is He?) (A Sermon On Matthew 28:1-10)

Contributed by David Smith on Apr 25, 2008

Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sa

If you’ve ever been to our Anglican seminary - Moore College in Newtown - you may have also visited its unusual chapel, known as the Cash Chapel (named after the guy who donated it, rather than how it was paid for). Now, when people set up a church building, they tend to design it with the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:1-10

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

Theology And Praxis (A Sermon On John 9 By Father Dave)

Contributed by David Smith on Mar 13, 2008

As [Jesus] passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered....

The church is in a bad state. I don’t mean our little parish church in particular (which is frankly doing rather well) but the church as a whole - in Sydney and even worldwide. And I don’t think it’s because we don’t have the answers. I am an Evangelical. I believe that Jesus is the answer - I ...read more

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

My Sins Have Caught Up With Me!

Contributed by David Smith on Feb 29, 2008

I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.

I’m doing something a bit radical today and preaching on today’s Psalm! Some of you might not have even realised that we had a Psalm of the Day. And in truth, in the seventeen years I’ve been at this parish, I think that this is only the second time I’ve preached on the Psalm! But we who follow ...read more

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

Faithful Servants (A Sermon On Luke 12:35-40)

Contributed by David Smith on Feb 26, 2008

Following Jesus: It’s long hours, hard work, costly, and a little bit crazy, but would we ever consider changing positions and serving someone else? Not a chance! ...

I thought that I finally had a totally positive sermon for you today! I’ve been under rather trenchant criticism of late for repeatedly giving sermons focused on the theme of judgement and on the hard path of discipleship, and I admit that I have been looking for that text, "Come to me, all ye who ...read more

Scripture: Luke 12:35-40

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

Hating Your Family For Jesus' Sake!?

Contributed by David Smith on Feb 26, 2008

How can we hate our parents, partners and children? It has to be the most offensive exhortation Jesus ever gave - telling us that we have to hate the ones we love th most...

As soon as I noticed that our Gospel reading today was the one that begins by telling us that we’ve got to ’hate our mothers and fathers’, I decided then and there to give my sermon today on Paul’s Letter to Philemon! No, as much as I’d like to do that, I feel I have to stick with "hate your ...read more

Scripture: Luke 14:25-33

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

Why Bad Things Happen To Good People

Contributed by David Smith on Feb 26, 2008

It’s the age-old theological question - why do bad things happen to good people? Jesus, as ever, doesn’t give us the response we expect. ...

They say that philosophy deals with two sorts of questions: * Questions to which everybody knows the answer (eg. Do I really exist?). * Questions to which nobody knows the answer (eg. Why do I exist?). Religious teachers tend to deal the same sorts of questions, perhaps particularly questions ...read more

Scripture: Luke 13:1-19

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

The Parable Of The Sly Bastard

Contributed by David Smith on Feb 26, 2008

if you want to know how to handle money, take your lead from this sleaze-bag criminal accountant in Luke 16, for he was smart enough to know the most valuable thing that you...

One of the lads at Fight Club on Tuesday night approached me with a question: "You know that parable Jesus tells about the merchant who found the pearl of great price?”, he asked. “Yeah”, I said. “Well, I want to know who is the merchant in the story supposed to be?” This is not the standard sort ...read more

Scripture: Luke 16:1-9

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

The Deserving Poor?!

Contributed by David Smith on Feb 26, 2008

So was the ’Lazarus’ we read of in Luke chapter 16 really a good man, and was his rich neighbour really a greedy, money-grabbing, tight-fisted, slave-driver? Don’t know, not...

I had a guy at my door on Friday night who asked rather aggressively, “where do I go to get a meal around here?” I said back to him, equally aggressively, “where do you normally go for a meal?” He said, “I want a meal.” I said, “mate, it’s outside hours, I don’t know you, and I’m not giving you any ...read more

Scripture: Luke 16:19-31

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

The Final Stoush! (A Sermon On Luke 21:5-19)

Contributed by David Smith on Feb 20, 2008

We take on the forces of darkness in whatever area of the battlefield God has placed us, and maybe wexre confronting legal corruption, or maybe it is a political problem, or...

Ange and I have had a lousy week. I know that’s not a great way to begin a sermon, and I’m not only saying this as an excuse for saying, ‘sorry, but you’re getting a lousy sermon’, but the truth is that we have had a lousy week. It began really with Marrickville Council rejecting our application ...read more

Scripture: Luke 21:5-19

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

A Tale Of Ten Lepers (A Sermon On Luke 17:11-19)

Contributed by David Smith on Feb 20, 2008

We want to get on with life, and we should move forward with joy, but we must remember too to look back in thankfulness! Moving forward in faith while looking back in gratit...

I remember hearing of a rural vicar in England whose bicycle went missing. The man relied exclusively on his bicycle to get around his little parish, and he knew things like bicycles didn’t just disappear into thin air, so he put two and two together and figured out that someone in the parish - ...read more

Scripture: Luke 17:11-19

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

The Splendor And The Suffering! (Matthew 17:1-9)

Contributed by David Smith on Feb 20, 2008

There is much about God and about Jesus Himself that I do not understand, but perhaps that’s because there’s a lot I’m not expected to understand and don’t need to understan...

Welcome once again to Transfiguration Sunday. We remember the transfiguration every year at about this time, though frankly it snuck up on me this year, otherwise I probably would have flicked this week’s sermon over to one of my esteemed colleagues. Indeed, up till yesterday I thought we were ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 17:1-9

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

Jesus Was Tempted!

Contributed by David Smith on Feb 20, 2008

For Jesus, as for us, overcoming temptation was not a one-off fight. The temptation experience that we read of today was, if I might extend the boxing analogy, more like one...

It’s the first Sunday in Lent and we’re back in the wilderness with Jesus.Every year we make this journey - 40 days and 40 nights it lasts! - and every year it continues to be a painful trek (as I think it‘s expected to be). And I’m conscious of the fact that a lot of ink (real and virtual) has ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 4:1-11

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

Have Faith In What You See And Hear (A Sermon On Matthew 11:2-6)

Contributed by David Smith on Feb 20, 2008

Now when John in prison heard about the activities of Christ, he sent a message by his disciples and asked him, "Are you the Coming One, or should we wait for someone else?" Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and observe: the blind see,

We’re in Matthew Chapter 11 this morning - a scene taken from the final days of the life of John the Baptist, and a bizarre scene it is! John has been sent to prison, though he probably did not realise at this stage that he was not going to be released - indeed, that he was about to be put to ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 11:2-6

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican