Wednesday, 20 November 2019

Sound Recordings

The latest Mp3 recordings – Listen online, or Download . . .


Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  27:02 Size:  9.3 MB Uploaded:  18-Nov
SUN 17-NOV_2019 - 10.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 2 times ] Download   [ 21 times ]
Pentecost 23 – Combined Worship Service – This sermon deals with shame, an intensely personal experience of believing oneself to be flawed. Shame and guilt are not the same thing: with guilt you say "I made a mistake"; with shame you say "I am a mistake." Greg refers to the work of Brené Brown, a research psychologist from the University of Houston, and her advice for connecting with our authentic selves and overcoming shame. The gospel account of the woman caught out in adultery shows how Jesus dealt with her shame; and in the letter to the Romans, Paul assures us that there is no shame in being caught up with Jesus. If God has said "Yes" to us, who can be against us?
Romans 8: 1-4, 31-35, 37-39; John 8: 1-11

Rev Vikki Waller Timing:  20:17 Size:  7.0 MB Uploaded:  10-Nov
SUN 10-NOV-2019 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 18 times ] Download   [ 29 times ]
Pentecost 22 – In the Adelaide region, several churches are at present celebrating significant anniversaries as they look back with pride to the glory days of the past. But during the sixth century BC, the Jewish people were looking back to their former magnificent temple with regret; it had been destroyed a generation or more ago, and the thought of its inadequate replacement was quite discouraging. But the prophet Haggai had a message for them; God was telling them, "Take courage; I'm with you; don't be afraid." And centuries later, when the Thessalonian Christians were fearful for their future, they were encouraged to stick to just the basics of what they had been taught. God's purposes are bigger than ours;
Haggai 1: 15b - 2: 9; 2 Thessalonians 2: 1-5, 13-17

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  26:21 Size:  9.1 MB Uploaded:  10-Nov
SUN 10-NOV-2019 - 9.30 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 17 times ] Download   [ 38 times ]
Pentecost 22 – Choose to Hope! – Is there life beyond death, or will it be an entry into nothingness? At the time of Jesus, the Sadducees were a religious party who rejected the idea of resurrection. When some of them confronted Jesus with a silly question about marriage and resurrection, he told them, without making a definitive statement, that the resurrection life will not be the same as our present life. To have faith in the resurrection is to believe that God will redeem the life and work of Jesus from the death sentence imposed on him by history. We are not required to understand this intellectually; but we do need to know that we are living in the presence of a resurrection God. God affirmed the life of Jesus, because it was a life worth continuing.
Luke 20: 27-38

Rev Sandy Boyce Timing:  16:07 Size:  5.6 MB Uploaded:  3-Nov
SUN 03-NOV-2019 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 25 times ] Download   [ 26 times ]
Pentecost 21 – There has been public outrage in Australia over revelations from the recent 'Banking Royal Commission', with its details of greed, fraud, deceptive financial advice, money laundering, and worse. The gospel passage for the day tells of another person, Zacchaeus, who was considered to be a swindler and a crook because of his line of business with money; he was a tax collector for the Roman occupying authority. When he and Jesus met in Jericho, Jesus arranged to have a meal with this so-called 'sinner'. Zacchaeus was not the crook he was believed to be; he was already a very generous supporter of the poor, and he was trying to be scrupulously fair and honest with anyone he had wronged. This is more than a story of repentance; it shows Jesus at work, bridging the gap between God and people, and between people and people.
Luke 19: 1-10

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  18:13 Size:  6.3 MB Uploaded:  27-Oct
SUN 27-OCT-2017 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 37 times ] Download   [ 128 times ]
Pentecost 20 – When we think of the pharisee and the tax collector in the parable, do we see ourselves as the pharisee, a respectable citizen who can proudly tell God and the world that he always does the right thing, or are we like that miserable tax collector, too ashamed to raise his head? Or a bit of each? We all too often define ourselves against the faults of others, with little appreciation for the others. Don't demonise others when you know so little about who they really are; it will lead to a failure to see yourself as you really are. Let us accept one another for our common humanity, as God accepts us.
Luke 18: 9-14

Some returned Taize pilgrims Timing:  13:23 Size:  4.6 MB Uploaded:  27-Oct
SUN 27-OCT-2019 - 9.30 AM Reflections  .mp3  Listen  [ 30 times ] Download   [ 116 times ]
Pentecost 20 – During a Taizé-style church service, three young adults recently returned from a Taizé pilgrimage reflect on what they experienced during their time as pilgrims. They tell of hospitality, gentleness, humility, acceptance, and sharing, in a community of diverse cultures, languages and traditions. There was worship in simple repetitive song, and there was quiet contemplation. It was truly an example of living a Christian life. The recording includes some very short extracts of Taizé music.

Rev Sandy Boyce Timing:  18:55 Size:  6.5 MB Uploaded:  20-Oct
SUN 20-OCT-2019 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 38 times ] Download   [ 117 times ]
Pentecost 19 – In the scriptures it is written that righteousness in the eyes of God comes from staying in a covenant relationship with God, a covenant that involves loving God and neighbour. It means working for the good and wellbeing of the community, especially for the most vulnerable and weak. We need to be kind, to do good, to be generous and compassionate. It matters more to be demonstrating faith working through love, than to be able to provide the correct answers to questions about belief. If we love one another, God lives in us – we are God's body in the world, we are the body of Christ. Perhaps, one day, you could be the only Jesus that someone will ever see.
Jeremiah 31: 27-34; Luke 18: 1-8

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  23:15 Size:  8.0 MB Uploaded:  20-Oct
SUN 20-OCT-2019 - 9.30 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 43 times ] Download   [ 146 times ]
Pentecost 19 – The 'Parable of the Persistent Widow' is commonly interpreted in terms of the necessity for persevering in prayer. But if that uncaring judge in the parable is supposed to represent God, it is hardly the same God as revealed in other parables of Jesus. An alternative interpretation is offered – that the widow in the parable is in fact God, and the unrighteous judge is one of the rich and powerful who don't care about the injustices suffered by those beneath them. In this interpretation of the parable, God is pleading with the rich and powerful, that they might respond to the cries of the diadvantaged and helpless.
Jeremiah 31: 27-34; Luke 18: 1-6

Rev Sandy Boyce Timing:  20:20 Size:  7.0 MB Uploaded:  13-Oct
SUN 13-OCT-2019 - 9.30AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 44 times ] Download   [ 50 times ]
Pentecost 18 – Anti-poverty Week – The reading from the Hebrew scriptures is a message to the exiled people in Babylon, urging them to get over their grief at being out of their comfort zones, and to reach out and be a blessing to their neighbours. Life was far from what they would have preferred, but God would comfort and assure them that God was with them. This recording includes the sound tracks from three video clips dealing with the levels of hardship and poverty that the Australian government inflicts on job seekers, as a result of the quite inadequate Newstart allowance and the rules under which it can be granted and withheld.
Jeremiah 29: 1, 4-7 (expanded)

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  21:18 Size:  7.3 MB Uploaded:  6-Oct
SUN 06-OCT-2019 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 151 times ] Download   [ 218 times ]
Pentecost 17 – When we ask God for more faith to help us meet challenges, what are we asking for? Are we asking for the supernatural ability to move mountains? Are we asking for the ability to believe what we can't believe? Are we asking for an antidote to anxiety, to make us happier, stronger and braver? Faith is more than an ability to believe certain things about God. Faith means leaning hard into God's abundance, day by day; but it does not automatically banish struggles with unbelief, distrust and anxiety. In the gospel narratives, the people whom Jesus commended for their faith were those who sought him out with a sense of trust in him and his Father..
Luke 17: 5-10

Rev Dean Eland Timing:  25:02 Size:  8.6 MB Uploaded:  29-Sep
SUN 29-SEP-2019 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 61 times ] Download   [ 333 times ]
Pentecost 16 – In the scripture readings set for the day, the prophet Amos sends a dire warning to certain of the super-rich who indulge themselves to excess while showing no responsibility towards others; Paul writes passionately to Timothy on the subject of caring for others; and in the parable of Lazarus, Jesus sends another dire warning of the consequences of leading a self-indulgent, uncaring lifestyle in the face of extreme poverty and distress. By cleaning up our own lives, we can make life easier for others. Be rich in good works, and be ready to share. In Australia there are more than 70 organisations dedicated to the alleviation of distress and poverty around the world – in spite of the Australian government's foreign aid budget shrinking year by year.
Amos 6: 1a, 4-7; 1 Timothy 6: 6-19; Luke 16: 19-31

Rev Liellie NcLaughlin Timing:  20:05 Size:  6.9 MB Uploaded:  29-Sep
SUN 29-SEP-2019 - 9.30 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 47 times ] Download   [ 175 times ]
Pentecost 16 – Social Justice Sunday – During this worship service, the Rev Liellie McLauglin, a Minster of the Word in the Unitng Church, was inducted into a leadership role in the "Community Connections" (CC) initiative. In her address, Liellie gave us an overview of the aims of the initiative, which, broadly, are to build reciprocal and interactive relationshipa and deepen awareness between communities in all walks of life, from all backgrounds, and for all religions or no religion. CC can provide links to all manner of service providers. Regular activities include a monthly Job's cafe for people struggling to find employment; a twice-monthly Random Acts of Welcome lunch in the city, multi-cultural and faith-friendly; discussions of Interfaith Matters; and much more.
1 Timothy 2: 1-8

Rev Ian Giles Timing:  20:21 Size:  7.0 MB Uploaded:  23-Sep
SUN 22-SEP-2019 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 53 times ] Download   [ 357 times ]
Pentecost 22 – Great wealth has a subtle power to tempt us into corrupt and disastrous behaviours, if we use it just for ourselves. In the gospels, Jesus oftem points an accusing finger at the self-satisfied wealthy who keep the written law to the letter but show no compassion for others. There can be a great disparity between the conditions of the wealthy and the poor, and the gospel calls on us to be responsive to the needs of others, acting with intention, passion, energy, focus, conviction, compassion, sensitivity, and love. The opposite of wealth should not be poverty, but dignity; and the opposite of poverty should not be wealth, but dignity. When you see great need, don't just pray for the victims with your thoughts and wishes, but pray for them also with your bodies, voices and votes.
Luke 16: 1-13

Rev Dr Vicky Balabanski Timing:  19:42 Size:  6.8 MB Uploaded:  23-Sep
SUN 22-SEP-2019 - 9.30 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 79 times ] Download   [ 159 times ]
Pentecost 22 – Season of Creation: Week 4 – Jesus told a parable in which a wealthy landowner accused his estate manager of embezzlement, and gave the man just a few more hours before he'd be sacked. In the short time remaining the manager decided to improve his future prospects by fiddling the books one more time, and he reduced the amounts that debtors were owing to his employer. He got away with it; indeed, his employer commended him for his action. What was going on? In the historical context of the time, Jesus was not endorsing dishonesty and embezzelment, rather, he was giving a glimpse of the kingdom of God. In that society, wealth was nearly always acquired by forcing "little" people further into poverty, and by reducing the debts the manager had cemented future relationships for himself, for his employer, and for the debtors. The kingdom of God is about relationships, and you cannot serve both God and wealth.,
Luke 16: 1-13

Rev Vikki Waller Timing:  21:15 Size:  7.3 MB Uploaded:  15-Sep
SUN 15-SEP-2019 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 67 times ] Download   [ 191 times ]
Pentecost 14 – Losses can be trivial; and losses can also be significant and heart-rending – there is so much heartbreak around the world because of natural and man-made disasters and the way people treat each other. Jeremiah tells of a period in the history of Israel when there was no compassion and little accountability in a so-called religious society; the Psalm points out how we suffer unforeseen consequences when we ignore God; and the gospel passage assures us that even when we do go astray, God is eagerly waiting for the chance to pull us out of our selfishness and self-destructiveness. The image of a good shepherd expresses tender care; and God has unmeasureable joy when he recovers a person who has been lost. There is no limit to God's grace.
Jeremiah 4: 11-12, 22-28; Psalm 14: 1-11; Luke 15: 1-10

Rev Sandy Boyce Timing:  9:05 Size:  3.2 MB Uploaded:  15-Sep
SUN 15-SEP-2019 - 9.30 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 70 times ] Download   [ 128 times ]
Pentecost 14 – Season of Creation, Week 3 – The prophet Jeremiah was warning the people of Israel of the approach of a severe drought that would turn their country into a lifeless barren desert, the antithesis of the world that God had created in the beginning. Today we have another prophet in the tradition of Jeremiah – Greta Thunberg, a 16 year old Swedish student who has been addressing gatherings of the world's leaders on the subject of man-made climate change and its disastrous consequences. There is a glimmer of hope, that the world's political and business leaders might find a fresh way that seeks outcomes for the common good of humanity, the care of creation, and the glory of God.
Jeremiah 4: 11-12, 22-28 (Luke 15: 1-10)

Rev Sandy Boyce Timing:  16:26 Size:  5.7 MB Uploaded:  8-Sep
SUN 08-SEP-2019 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 83 times ] Download   [ 301 times ]
Pentecost 13 – During the first few centuries of the Common Era, followers of the Jesus way were noted for lifestyles that put the needs of others over personal needs, and they used their rights and freedoms for the common good. But ever since the Enlightenment of the 18th century, a sense of community has been replaced by individualism, the current emphasis being on achieving self expression and personal fulfillment. What can you do in your daily life, to let people know that you are a follower of Jesus? It won't happen just from practising a faith that is personal, individual, and private. The Jesus way is more than a corporate expression of personal piety; it is going out into community to foster relationshps and grow and nourish one another as God intends.
Luke 14: 25-33

Raelene Telfer Timing:  11:26 Size:  4.0 MB Uploaded:  8-Sep
SUN 08-SEP-2019 - 9.30 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 82 times ] Download   [ 205 times ]
Pentecst 13 – Season of Creation: Weaving Community – Choosing and following God's life is difficult and costly; it does not guarantee health, wealth and happiness, but the gifts of God's life are the wisdom, resources and capacity that lead into a fulness of life. In the world today, the cost of doing right is so high – how do we do it, in the face of markets driven by shareholder expectations for profit, fickle voters, special interest pressure groups, and increasingly polarised political systems? It is suggested that it comes down to small details in the lives of Christians and faith communities – to risk being counter-cultural for the sake of the world, but not at the risk of losing autheticity, freedom and power.
Luke 14: 25-33

Rev Liellie McLaughlin Timing:  20:41 Size:  7.1 MB Uploaded:  2-Sep
SUN 01-SEP-2019 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 78 times ] Download   [ 234 times ]
Pentecost 12 – This church service coincided with the first day of Spring, and our preacher likened a blessing to a beautiful flower coming out of a bud that had been forming down in the soil. A blessing is an act of reverence, freely given from one to another. When Jesus arrived at a Pharisee's house for a formal Sabbath meal, he was carefully watched to see how he would react to the presence of a man with a severe medical condition. (It is related in verses 2 to 6, but skipped in the prescribed lectionary reading.) The Pharisees were a group of cold-hearted watchers; they lacked love and their compassion had grown cold. Blessing is something that comes from within, like a flower emerging from a bud. We need to be taught again of the loveliness within us, to be told of it by word and touch, and to share it. It comes from Jesus, and it passes through us to others.
Luke 14: 1, (2-6), 7-14

Rev Sandy Boyce Timing:  8:36 Size:  3.0 MB Uploaded:  26-Aug
SUN 25-AUG-2019 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 98 times ] Download   [ 243 times ]
Pentecost 11 – In the Law of Moses there is a rule about resting and not working on the Sabbath. When Jesus healed a crippled woman on a Sabbath, he was told he was breaking the Law because healing was 'work'. There is a tendency for rules to be kept just to say that they have been kept; but God's compassion cannot be constrained by rules and boundaries. With a gentle touch from Jesus, the woman who had been bent double for eighteen years was healed and restored to community – on a Sabbath, as valid a day for healing as any other. Justice, mercy, kindness, healing and compassion are not bound by rules and calendars.
Luke 13: 10-17

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  29:28 Size:  10.2 MB Uploaded:  25-Aug
SUN 25-AUG-2019 - 9.30 AM Sermon and talks  .mp3  Listen  [ 100 times ] Download   [ 184 times ]
Pentecost 11 – Migrant and Refugee Sunday – The recording starts with short accounts from two persons who arrived in Australia as refugees, and they tell how they came to recognise the love of God through their experiences and the ways they were welcomed. The sermon that follows is based on the account in Luke's gospel of Jesus healing a crippled woman during a sabbath worship service, which infuriated the worship leader and left the congregation overjoyed – how do we leave room for the healing presence of the risen Jesus to show up and surprise us, despite our ingrained attitudes and practices? After the sermon their is a third refugee account, from a migration agent who tells of her struggle with Australian Immigration bureaucracy over the fate of a very sick, unaccompanied teenage boy from Afghanistan. She took the boy into her own home to save him from being deported, and he is now a permanent resident and a successful businessman.
Luke 13: 10-17

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  22:02 Size:  7.6 MB Uploaded:  18-Aug
SUN 18-AUG-2019 - 11.00 AM Service  .mp3  Listen  [ 105 times ] Download   [ 277 times ]
Pentecost 10 – The day's gospel reading is troublesome, with Jesus saying that he had come to bring division and not peace – not his usual message. The Kingdom of God is not all soft and convenient, and here we are told the hard and costly part. The Kingdom will not be welcomed by all, and there will be division and alienation, Among believers, Christians from different traditions can find it hard to be polite and respectful over a lot of issues, including sexuality;. We need to live together, not in spite of our diversity but because of it. The Christian life has joy, beauty, healing and grace; but it is also arduous and risky, and it is not a guarantee of prosperity and safety. Yet you can be joyful and full of God in all of life's troubles. Look to Jesus, the one who embodies all that God desires for us.
Hebrews 11: 29 - 12: 2; Luke 12: 49-56

Rev Vikki Waller Timing:  15:55 Size:  5.5 MB Uploaded:  18-Aug
SUN 18-AUG-2019 - 9.30 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 95 times ] Download   [ 234 times ]
Pentecost 10 – “The way to peace” – The Jesus way of peace is seriously committed to love and compassion, with no place for retaliation and retribution. But Jesus warns that there is a price to Christian discipleship, because of its radically different standards from those of the 'world'. Those who work together with Jesus can find themselves confronted by divided families, hostility, ridicule and abuse. The text from Hebrews likens the struggle to a marathon race – after all the discomfort, pain and derision, you cross the finishing line to the applause of such a crowd of spectators, that it's all worthwhile. – Peace!
Luke 12: 49-56; Hebrews 12: 1-2

Rev Sandy Boyce Timing:  17:33 Size:  6.1 MB Uploaded:  12-Aug
SUN 11-AUG-2019 - 11 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 105 times ] Download   [ 580 times ]
Pentecost 9 – In our churches there can be a mismatch between what we claim we stand for and what outsiders actually see, and a church held together mainly by ritual and tradition could be failing to demonstrate the way of Jesus. It is a way that involves a selfless and generous caring for others. In the passage from Luke's gospel, Jesus urges us not to rely on excessive possessions and wealth, things that can't bring much happiness, but to sell off the excess, give the proceeds to the poor, and thereby gain the joy of an everlasting 'treasure in heaven'. Let us be more than a mutual interest group held together by religious ritual, let us be followers of the Jesus way, sharing our various gifts with the world, and sharing them with love. It won't be easy, but we'll be in it together.
Isaiah 1: 1, 10-20; Luke 12: 32-40

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  18:07 Size:  6.3 MB Uploaded:  4-Aug
SUN 04-AUG-2019 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 102 times ] Download   [ 496 times ]
Pentecost 8 – In this parable told by Jesus, a farmer had accumulated so much wealth during a particularly good season that he decided to upsize his storage facilities, go into retirement, and enjoy luxurious living for the rest of his life. But he hadn't planned for his mortality, and God told the silly fellow that he would be meeting his Maker that very night. He had lived only for himself, with no thought of gratitude or sharing with others. No amount of wealth or possesions can lead us to God and a life that is rich and meaningful. Which do we love the more – our possessions, or God and our neighbour?
Luke 12: 13-21

Rev Sandy Boyce Timing:  18:48 Size:  6.5 MB Uploaded:  28-Jul
SUN 28-JUL-2019 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 102 times ] Download   [ 863 times ]
Pentecost 7 – Luke's version of the Lord's Prayer addresses God as an intimate and tender "Daddy" type of father, and the prayer has just three requests: (1) give us our bread for the day – which today can be expanded to include the simple necessities to sustain life for all people and all living things; (2) forgive us our debts as we forgive the debts of others – unjust debt burdens often resulted in destitution; and (3) save us from the time of trial – that is, from situations such as violence and murder. In this sermon, the Lord's Prayer is discussed in its historical context, and also in a modern context with reference to the global consequences of human damage to the environment. There is an emphasis on social justice and environmental issues.
Luke 11: 1-13

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  25:40 Size:  8.8 MB Uploaded:  28-Jul
SUN 28-JUL-2019 - 9.30 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 117 times ] Download   [ 285 times ]
Pentecost 7 – "Lord, teach us to pray" – The Lord's Prayer is a prayer for a community to pray together, for and on behalf of the world, in a privileged intimacy with God. Prayer can require a lot of practice and discipline. What are we actually doing when we pray? Are we telling God about things that might have slipped his notice? Are we nagging him to do something for us? What to ask for can be a moral dilemma. Prayer is the invitation to consciously and deliberately place our messy and turbulent, God-infused world in the caring hands of a God who is love. May God lead us to those quiet sacred places.
Luke 11: 1-13

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  18:47 Size:  6.5 MB Uploaded:  21-Jul
SUN 21-JUL-2019 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 109 times ] Download   [ 316 times ]
Pentecost 6 – When Jesus and the disciples were made welcome at the home of two sisters, one of the sisters, Mary, sat listening to Jesus and enjoying his company, while the other sister, Martha, was annoyed at being left with all the cooking and cleaning and serving – the culturally appropriate tasks for a woman caring for guests. When she asked Jesus to intervene on her behalf, he told her that she was tearing herself apart with worry, and that Mary's choice of listening to what he had to say was far more fruitful in the circumstances.. Hearing and doing go together, and we must learn to balance activism with devotion. Learn when to be still, to hear the words and music of the grace that makes us whole.
Luke 10: 38-42

Rev Dr Phil Carr Timing:  23:18 Size:  8.0 MB Uploaded:  14-Jul
SUN 14-JUL-2019 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 135 times ] Download   [ 475 times ]
Pentecost 5 – "Please don't explain, just show me" – The parable of the Good Samaritan shows us what is meant by eternal life – the parable is not just a story of neighbourliness. Eternal life is exemplified in the way the Samaritan behaved, and it is something that's with us here and now. Eternal life is more than a vision of everlasting choirs in a heavenly future. When a scribe had asked Jesus how to inherit eternal life. Jesus told the parable and advised the scribe to "Go and do likewise." Eternal life is likely to be spread around and inherited more by example and imitation, than by words and preaching. In our churches, do we have too many arguing "scribes" and not enough caring welfare workers?
Luke 10: 25-37

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  21:52 Size:  7.5 MB Uploaded:  8-Jul
SUN 07-JUL-2019 - 11 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 119 times ] Download   [ 362 times ]
Pentecost 4 – Naaman the Syrian general had a dreadful skin disease, and on the advice of a small Jewish slave girl he went to the neighbouring kingdom of israel to track down the prophet Elisha, and ask the prophet to make the necessary arrangements for the God of Isreal to bring about a cure. Elisha didn't even open the door for Naaman and his delegation; instead he sent a message telling Naaman to go and wash himself in the river. Naaman overcame his anger at such a ridiculous suggestion when a servant persuaded him to accept the instructions with humility and graciousness, and put aside his dignity and arrogance. He bathed himself as directed and was cured. God's healing grace does not emerge from glitter and ceremony, but from humility and compassion.
2 Kings 5: 1-17

Geoff Boyce Timing:  20:34 Size:  7.1 MB Uploaded:  7-Jul
SUN 07-JUL-2019 - 9.30 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 131 times ] Download   [ 310 times ]
Pentecost 4 – Geoff told us about the year he once spent working as a liason person for John Smith, a Baptist minister and the founder of the "God‘s Squad Christian Motorcycle Club International". One of the aims is to reach out to outlaw biker gangs like the Hells Angels and the Bandidos, who have been counted among the most despised people on the fringes of society. It is in line with the way of Jesus, who was equally at home with the most powerful, the poorest of the poor, and those of no repute. The sermon goes on to discuss how God cured a pagan Syrian general, Naaman, of a skin disease at a time when the Jewish people were so out of touch with God that God was unable to cure a single one of them. The prophet Elisha gave Naaman the freedom to go home in peace, just as he was, with no need to convert to another religion. God is the God of love, kindness and compassion.
2 Kings 5: 1-19

Rev Sandy Boyce Timing:  17:04 Size:  5.9 MB Uploaded:  1-Jul
SUN 30-JUN-2019 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 119 times ] Download   [ 269 times ]
Pentecost 3 – In the Uniting Church there is currently much sadness over a lack of unity across a spectrum of views, beliefs and theological positions. When Jesus set out on his final journey to Jerusalem, he passed through Samaria where Jews were definitely not welcome. Jews and Samaritans both revered Abraham, Moses and Torah, and they worshiped the same God, but they had parted company, for racial and theological reasons, some time after the return from the Babylonian exile. By travelling through Samaria, Jesus was showing that he was prepared to mix with people whose theology was different. Later in Luke's writing we are told how the gospel would be extended beyond Jerusalem to Samaria, and then to the rest of the world. God loves all people.
Luke 9: 51-62

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  21:37 Size:  7.5 MB Uploaded:  30-Jun
SUN 30-JUN-2019 - 9.30 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 118 times ] Download   [ 481 times ]
Pentecost 3 – "but the fruit of the Spirit is ..." – If we work hard at keeping up appearances by following strict rules and hiding our failures, it is likely to lead us into the destructive behaviour that Paul describes as "works of the flesh". But we are urged not to be enslaved by rules and regulations that we can't keep, but to be guided by the Spirit of Christ and enjoy its fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, and much more.
Galatians 5: 1,13-25

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  19:21 Size:  6.7 MB Uploaded:  23-Jun
SUN 23-JUN-2019 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 130 times ] Download   [ 589 times ]
Pentecost 2 and Uniting Church 42nd Anniversary – When Paul wrote his letter to the Christian community in Galatia, he was very angry at the way certain Christian outsiders were telling Galatian converts, from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds, that they had to adopt ancient Jewish laws, traditions and rituals in order to become 'real' Christians. Paul told them straight out that those things didn't matter any more when they were all children of God through faith. In Australia 42 years ago, Christians from three traditions, Congregational, Methodist and Presbyterian, felt themselves led by the Spirit to form the Uniting Church in Australia, as a demonstration of oneness in God's family and as a way to cross borders and find connections rather than misunderstandings and conflict.
Galatians 3: 23-29

Rev Dr Grace Ji-Sun Kim Timing:  20:21 Size:  7.0 MB Uploaded:  12-Mar
SUN 16-JUN-2019 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 131 times ] Download   [ 348 times ]
Trinity Sunday - What does it mean to worship a tri-une God? It is not easy to understand God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. But we are all created in God's image and that should make all the difference . . .
Grace Ji-Sun Kim is a Korean-American theologian and professor at Earlham School of Religion at Richmond, Indiana.
John 16:12-15

Rev Dr Greg Elson Timing:  21:07 Size:  7.3 MB Uploaded:  9-Jun
SUN 09-JUN-2019 - 9.30 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 146 times ] Download   [ 408 times ]
Day of Pentecost - Wind and breath we can see and appreciate but what is Spirit? Perhaps Spirit is already there? What is absent may be our awareness. Spirit is the essence of our existence, our guide and companion! If we breathe in God's spirit of love and justice then the challenge is to breathe out that same love and justice.
John 14: 8-17, 25-27

Rev Vikki Waller Timing:  15:45 Size:  5.4 MB Uploaded:  3-Jun
SUN 02-JUN-2019 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 119 times ] Download   [ 321 times ]
Easter 7 - Truth is not always truth. Any truth that divides us is not truth. False truth sees the other as enemy. God's truth seeks to transform the world, where all God's people are one.
Acts 16:16-34, John 17:20-26

Olly Ponsonby Timing:  13:54 Size:  4.8 MB Uploaded:  3-Jun
SUN 02-JUN-2019 - 930AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 141 times ] Download   [ 322 times ]
Easter 7 - What will we do when we find ourselves in dark places? We have in God a rest for our souls, a friend in our suffering and a God who loves and cares for us. God of the daytime is still God in the nighttime. Who else can we turn to?
Olly Ponsonby is a prison chaplain.
Acts 16:16-34

Rev Sandy Boyce Timing:  15:53 Size:  5.5 MB Uploaded:  27-May
SUN 26-MAY-2019 - 11.00am Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 149 times ] Download   [ 390 times ]
Easter 6 Reconciliation Sunday - Saying sorry has its root in love for others. It is a challenge to be as open as Christ calls us to be, to welcome those who are ostracised by society and on its fringes, to befriend the unlovely. To make this a new world love is the only way.
John 14:23-29

Geoff Boyce Timing:  23:07 Size:  8.0 MB Uploaded:  13-May
SUN 12-MAY-2019 - 11,00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 159 times ] Download   [ 517 times ]
Easter 4 – In Australia and elsewhere around the world, Psalm 23 – "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want ..." – would be the most recognised and best loved of all the psalms. It is often turned to in times of grief. In this sermon, it is examined in terms of the rules of hospitality and mutual obligation that were in effect at the time of its writing. For example, there was an obligation on a host to provide the very best of food and entertaknmnet for a stranger appearing at his door, and the stranger, now a friend, would have similar obligations towards his former host, and to any visitor to his home. In the history of the Israelites, their host was God; and with his grace and hospitality, God offered the Israelits a transformed lifestyle that would be a blessing for all. The psalm can be seen as a call to a "Radical Hospitality".
Psalm 23

Rev Mike Rayson Timing:  21:17 Size:  7.3 MB Uploaded:  13-May
SUN 12-MAY-2019 - 9.30 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 147 times ] Download   [ 450 times ]
Easter 4 – 'I will be there' – The sermon was delivered in song and word. After singing "Jusr Grace" to his own accompaniment at the piano, Mike testified to the grace of God witnessed in the miraculous healing of a 15 year old girl, her brain split in two down to the stem as a result of a road accident. She had been in a coma and on life support for months on end, when one day, during a family visit to the hospital, she sat up and asked for a pizza. God had somehow, secretly, miraculously and inexplicably, knitted her brain together, and she has gone on to live a normal, productive life. In Psalm 23 we read, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for THOU ART WITH ME ...". God promises that he will walk with us and guide us in the shadows, even when things are going horribly wrong..
Psalm 23

Rev Sandy Boyce Timing:  15:12 Size:  5.3 MB Uploaded:  6-May
SUN 05-MAY-2019 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 169 times ] Download   [ 489 times ]
Easter 3 – A professional rugby player for Australia, Israel Folau ('Izzy'), a committed Christian, is in trouble because of a social media post on Instagram, in which he has quoted from a few verses of scripture (Galatians 5:19-21) to tell various classes of sinners that they will be going to hell. His own addition of homosexuals to the list has upset many people. Such messages of condemnation and punishment are likely to draw people away from Christ. Has he spent time with the people he condemns, to get alongside them and discover how and why their lives are so robbed of joy? When Saul of Tarsus was following the written Law to the letter, he believed he was doing the right thing by vigorously persecuting and punishing members of the expanding Christian community – until he encountered Jesus, and found for himself the love and grace of the God who does not set about punishing and condemning, but who loves us unconditionally, warts and all,
Acts 9: 1-6

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  24:42 Size:  8.5 MB Uploaded:  6-May
SUN 05-MAY-2019 - 9.30 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 161 times ] Download   [ 595 times ]
Easter 3 – Risen, and Reconciling – Peter's courage to follow Jesus had failed catastrophically when Jesus was arrested. It had been a chilly night, and while warming himself by a charcoal fire, he had denied three times that he had anything to do with Jesus. With everything falling apart, Peter and some other disciples went back to their former occupation of fishing on the Sea of Tiberias. Some time later they unexpectedly found themselves having breakfast around another charcoal fire, with Jesus acting as cook. Jesus asked Peter three times, "Do you love me?", and each time Peter replied, "Yes!" Jesus did not condemn Peter, he was not angry, and he didn't retaliate. For the sake of healing, restoration and re-commissioning, Jesus dealt with Peter gently – his grace overcame Peter's shame. What if we, too, were to offer unconditional love in the midst of another's humiliation, to become a sanctuary for the shamed?
John 21: 1-19

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  18:28 Size:  6.4 MB Uploaded:  29-Apr
SUN 28-APR-2019 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 159 times ] Download   [ 364 times ]
Easter 2 – The confused and frightened disciples of the recently executed Jesus of Nazareth were together behind locked doors, when Jesus himself appeared among them, his crucifixion wounds clearly visible. He was openly and unashamedly the wounded one, and his wounds were the unmistakable signs of his solidarity with humanity. Jesus honoured the human body, whether bruised, broken, wounded or disabled. The present sermon was delivered on Break the Silence Sunday, a time for churches to learn about the terrible pain, grief, humiliation and rejection suffered by victims of rape and sexual assault. We need communities of trust, courage and compassion, where our stories of woundedness are listened to, and where we can feel honoured and cared for in our stories.
John 20: 19-31

Rev Sandy Boyce Timing:  16:21 Size:  5.6 MB Uploaded:  29-Apr
SUN 28-APR-2019 - 9.30 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 231 times ] Download   [ 249 times ]
Easter 2 – "Break The Silence Sunday" – This fourth Sunday of April was set aside for Break the Silence Sunday, to open up a conversation about sexual assault and rape. These are subjects usually avoided by churches as too private and personal. The victims suffer fear, shame, disgrace and humiliation; it is one of the most unreported of serious offences; there is a lack of community understanding; and the justice system works against the victims. Christ still carried the scars from his cruel crucifixion when he rose from the dead, and he became the wounded healer. This sermon examines, at some depth, the question of how we, as a faith community and disciples of Christ, can respond to victims of sexual assault and rape and help them towards a healing.
John 20: 19-31

Rev Sandy Boyce Timing:  14:39 Size:  5.1 MB Uploaded:  21-Apr
SUN 21-APR-2019 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 158 times ] Download   [ 477 times ]
Easter Day – The burning of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris has been described as a symbol of the decline of Christianity, traditions, faith and civilisation. But all buildings have an ending, whether by fire, earthquake, lightning strike, vandalism, disrepair, or fanaticism. We need sacred places, holy and set apart, marked by beauty and dedicated to the glory of God. The destruction of a sacred building is a catalyst for thinking about death and rebirth. But is there something wrong, when spending so much on repairing a big old fire-damaged cathedral is considered more important than caring for the poor, the under-privileged and the destitute, as Christ has taught us to do? Notre Dame will be rebuilt. But the church that witnesses to the risen life of Christ is not the actual building, it is the people. From the devastation of the day when Jesus was put to death, a new day has dawned and love has conquered death.
John 20: 1-18

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  23:45 Size:  8.2 MB Uploaded:  22-Apr
SUN 21-APR-2019 - 9.30 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 155 times ] Download   [ 290 times ]
Easter Day – 'I have seen the Lord' – Between the scripture readings and the sermon there is a dramatic monologue which has Mary Magdalene relating her own memories of what had happened at Jesus' tomb. When she realised that she was speaking to Jesus himself, he told her not to hold on to him, but to go back with a special message for his brothers. It was not a reprimand for wanting to touch him; it was Jesus telling her, and the men back home, that he was going back to his and their Father, who would send them another companion, the Holy Spirit, to be with them forever. We spend a lot of energy holding on to beliefs, practices and customs which are no longer of any benefit – holding on to what we have been told to do or believe or understand can make us incapable of responding to the freedom to follow Christ in our own context. The Christian life is a contest between holding on and letting go.
Isaiah 65: 17-25; John 20: 1-18

Rev Sandy Boyce Timing:  7:24 Size:  2.6 MB Uploaded:  19-Apr
FRI 19-APR-2019 - Good Friday Reflection  .mp3  Listen  [ 259 times ] Download   [ 273 times ]
Good Friday – Parallels are drawn between the horror and shock of watching the recent fire that destroyed part of the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, built 850 years ago as a symbol of the body of Christ, and the horror and shock of the early disciples watching Jesus dying, nailed to a cross. When Jesus told his beloved disciple that Mary was now his mother, she became the mother of us all – Our Lady, or in the French language, Notre Dame. We await new life rising from the ashes, but let us mourn a great loss before looking for the new. Even death cannot suppress the irrepressible energy of God's presence. Love will rise from the ashes to greet a new day.

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  15:13 Size:  5.3 MB Uploaded:  7-Apr
SUN 07-APR-2019 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 177 times ] Download   [ 231 times ]
Lent 5 – Lent is regarded as a serious, sombre time for focusing on confession – so what should we give up? The passage from John's gospel tells of a dinner party for Lazarus, whom Jesus had recently raised from the dead, and they were celebrating in spite of the lingering threat of Jesus' death. Mary, Lazarus' sister, could see the big picture of what was going to happen, and in a very extravagant display of her devotion to Jesus she anointed him as though for burial, using a large amount of expensive perfume. Let us celebrate in inclusive, life-preserving ways, and avoid the judgmental asceticism that frowns on all light-hearted, pleasurable experiences. Authentic celebration is a necessary discipline in the fight against injustice, a way to rise above impoverished circumstances. What if we were to take the call to celebrate more seriously, and go celebrate?
John 12: 1-8

Olly Ponsonby Timing:  18:05 Size:  6.2 MB Uploaded:  7-Apr
SUN 07-APR-2019 - 9.30 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 173 times ] Download   [ 329 times ]
Lent 5 – All four gospels tell of a woman anointing Jesus with a large amount of very expensive perfume, In an act of total love, devotion and worship. John's gospel identifies her as Mary, the sister of Lazarus whom Jesus had raised from the dead. She was beyond words, her worship was active and physical. She was undeterred by public criticism of her display of devotion, and. the fragrance of her perfume filled the whole house. Is the fragrance of our worship filling the space around us?
John 12: 1-8

Rev Sandy Boyce Timing:  19:32 Size:  6.7 MB Uploaded:  31-Mar
SUN 31-MAR-2019 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 161 times ] Download   [ 241 times ]
Lent 4 – The parable of the Prodigal Son tells of a father's joyful celebration on the return of his younger son from a ruinous time abroad, when the father treated his returning son like royalty, no questions asked. But the older son had a different attitude – conscientious and loyal towards his father, but critical, judgmental and angry towards his younger brother, whom he regarded as a "sinner" not fit for decent company. In her address, Sandy suggests that the real "sinner" is not the outcast but the one who casts the other out, and that exclusion of the "other" is exclusion of God and of joy. How will we seek reconciliation where there has been division and separation? How will we express grace ourselves, and extend the grace to others?
Luke 15: 1-3, 11b-32

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  23:29 Size:  8.1 MB Uploaded:  31-Mar
SUN 31-MAR-2019 - 9.30 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 168 times ] Download   [ 139 times ]
Lent 4 – Lost and Found – For Jesus, God was Love before and above all; and when he was criticised for befriending the dregs of society that no decent person would be seen with, he told a parable about a young man who couldn't wait for his father to die before getting hold of his share of the father's estate. Moving out into the world, the son squandered everything his father had given him, and lived for a while in poverty and filth. Coming to his senses, he went back to his father to beg for a job and avoid starvation, and his father welcomed him back with open arms, no questions asked. His son had been lost and was found again. God does not ask questions when he embraces us. We are the ones being sought, and it is God who does the seeking. May we continue to love, and allow ourselves to be loved.
Luke 15: 1-3, 11b-32

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  20:00 Size:  6.9 MB Uploaded:  24-Mar
SUN 24-MAR-2019 - 10.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 186 times ] Download   [ 264 times ]
Lent 3 (Combined Service) – The Jewish people had been in exile for 50 years, powerless, destitute and with no resources, when the prophet Isaiah brought them a message from God that the ancient covenant made hundreds of years earlier with King David was about to be reactivated, and the nation of Israel was to become a light to the world – a ridiculous idea, given the current circumstances. But God tells us that his thoughts are not our thoughts, and his ways are not our ways. We have the hope that God is always with us, making the world a better place to live in. Hope is not the same as confidence; confidence implies a belief in one's own abilities to get the job done. Let us allow ourselves to be transformed by the spirit of God to become a blessing to our neighbours. Leave the consequences to God, whose thoughts and aims are way beyond ours.
Isaiah 55: 1-9

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  13:46 Size:  4.8 MB Uploaded:  17-Mar
SUN 17-MAR-2019 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 183 times ] Download   [ 204 times ]
Lent 2 – When some Pharisees warned Jesus that he should go into hiding because Herod had plans to arrest him, Jesus responded by asking the Pharisees to take a message back to "that fox"; and he went on to liken himself to a hen striving to protect her family. When a fox attacks a hen, the hen does not abandon her chickens. In a show of extravagant sacrificial love she is inevitably killed, laying down her life for others. She protects the vulnerable by gathering the victims into a community where the love of the mother lives on even after her death. Where we encounter "fox" power, the desire to control or manipulate with little regard for consequences, Jesus stands there as "hen", wounded breast bared and wings outstretched, to gather us into the community of friendship and the grace of God.
Luke 13: 31-35

Olly Ponsonby Timing:  13:44 Size:  4.7 MB Uploaded:  17-Mar
SUN 17-MAR-2019 - 9.30 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 177 times ] Download   [ 393 times ]
Lent 2 – "Our Lenten journey continues..." – Abraham waited a long time for the fulfilment of God's promise that he would be ancestor to a host of offspring; and we ourselves are not strangers to waiting with memories of hard times, bitterness, worries and fear. We cannot help but notice a hurting world. As a prison chaplain, our preacher tells of the pain of separation experienced by prisoners – separated from society, overlooked, and well acquainted with regret, remorse and fear. Let us acknowledge our own pain and suffering, look to God, read his promises, and ask God, "What will you do for me? While I'm waiting, let me know your presence and comfort." To which you could add, "What can I give in your name, to bring good news to others in this hurting world?"
Genesis 15: 10-18

Rev Sandy Boyce Timing:  19:00 Size:  6.6 MB Uploaded:  10-Mar
SUN 10-MAR-2019 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 265 times ] Download   [ 380 times ]
Lent 1 – After his baptism, Jesus was led by his Father's spirit into the wilderness for 40 days to consider the nature of his person and mission. He faced a series of ideas or temptations from his spiritual accuser, who was quoting particular verses lifted straight out of the Bible; and in response, Jesus also used verses taken straight from the Bible. It is an example of 'Midrashim', the traditional Jewish way, still practised, of discovering meanings in the Bible that are much deeper than the literal, by engaging in constructive debate. It is far removed from using an isolated "proof text" to ram home a point. The sermon also deals with the importance of keeping memories alive, an example being the annual observance of Passover with its commands that involve remembering the terrible past in Egypt and showing compassion to strangers.
Deuteronomy 26: 1-11; Luke 4: 1-13

Trish Brice and Revd Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  31:44 Size:  10.9 MB Uploaded:  11-Mar
SUN 10-MAR-2019 - 9.30 AM Early Word and Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 201 times ] Download   [ 305 times ]
Lent 1 – "Balance for Better" – This service celebrated the 125th Anniversary of the granting of voting rights for women by the Parliament of South Australia, and Trish describes in some detail the activities of seven remarkably courageous women at the heart of the Women's Suffrage movement. They had strong church backgrounds, generally from the Methodist tradition, and they worked unceasingly towards social justice for women and girls forced to live and work in appalling conditions. In the short sermon following the Early Word we are reminded that all of us, like Jesus, are beloved of God, and that like Jesus, we too will be confronted by temptations and difficult moral and ethical decisions. Lent is a period set aside for contemplating such things..
Luke 4: 1-13

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  18:40 Size:  6.4 MB Uploaded:  3-Mar
SUN 03-MAR-2019 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 200 times ] Download   [ 405 times ]
Transfiguration of Jesus – The majesty of Jesus was revealed on the mountaintop with manifestations of glory, light, clouds, historic figures, and a voice from a cloud affirming him as the beloved only son of his Father. Down in the valley there was a frantic father and his beloved only son, a very sick boy. Mountaintop experiences and valleys of shadow go together. Whether we hear of glory or of agony, let us listen – both need to speak, and both are beloved of the Father.
Luke 9: 28-43a

Gary Stuckey Timing:  22:19 Size:  7.7 MB Uploaded:  4-Mar
SUN 03-MAR-2019 - 9.30 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 187 times ] Download   [ 364 times ]
Transfiguration of Jesus – Radiance – Transfiguration comes from the mountaintop experiences where we take time apart with God, and from where the courage can come that we need to go on. There is a mystery in the world, a Dream Time, a reality beyond the natural world; but while it is good to go to the mountains to think about the deeper mysteries of life, it is not where we live. We live on the plain, in places where Christ comes to us in the form of human need.
Luke 9: 28-43a; 2 Cor 3: 17-18

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  23:01 Size:  7.9 MB Uploaded:  24-Feb
SUN 24-FEB-2019 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 207 times ] Download   [ 455 times ]
Epiphany 7 – With so much misunderstanding and bad feeling between Them and Us, so much hurt and offence, if we don't look after ourselves, who will? And Jesus tells us to love them! How do we act towards those who hold animosity towards us? Forgiveness is being a fighter for freedom – from retaliation and worse, from being controlled by the past. It is a chance for grace and renewal. instead of continuing mistrust and animosity.
Genesis 45: 3-11, 15; Luke 6: 27-38

Rev Sandy Boyce Timing:  11:02 Size:  3.8 MB Uploaded:  17-Feb
SUN 17-FEB-2019 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 192 times ] Download   [ 527 times ]
Epiphany 6 – Shortly after selecting his twelve apostles, Jesus spoke to a crowd about future blessings for people at the bottom of the social scale, and future woes for people at the top of the social scale. He was speaking of the upside-down social system of the Kingdom of God – the inverse of the conventional system, with the wealthiest at the top of the heap caring little for the disadvantaged and destitute beneath them. Sydney's Kings Cross Wayside Chapel, and their Wayside Chapel café at Bondi Beach, are following the teaching of Jesus by providing a safe place for people from any walk of life. The Wayside Chapel focus is "love over hate", and their mission is "creating a community with no 'us' and 'them'".
Luke 6: 17-26

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  21:20 Size:  7.4 MB Uploaded:  17-Feb
SUN 17-FEB-2019 - 9.30 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 204 times ] Download   [ 317 times ]
Epiphany 6 – The Beatitudes – The Beatitudes of Jesus are confronting. How can you feel blessed when you're thoroughly miserable with poverty, hunger, disease, weeping, and more? And why should you be cursed with woe when everything is going your way? It sounds ludicrous. Let us sit with the texts from the Scriptures that irritate us, the sayings from Jesus that appear so confronting, and see in practical, earthly ways how they might lead us closer and closer to the heart of the God of Jesus, that our lives might be whole and free.
Jeremiah 17: 5-10; Luke 6: 17-26

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  23:26 Size:  8.1 MB Uploaded:  10-Feb
SUN 10-FEB-2019 - 9.30 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 206 times ] Download   [ 349 times ]
Epiphany 5 – Jesus' Call: Our Response – After a futile night's fishing in the Sea of Galilee, the three fisherman Simon, James and John accepted some unsolicited advice from Jesus to try again – and the result was an overwhelming catch. They could see that they were not dealing with an ordinary human being. Jesus assured them that there was no need to be afraid. He invited them to give up catching fish destined for the dinner plate, and instead to follow him and go fishing for people, that people might have life to the full. Peter protested that he was far from perfect – but God calls us just as we are and then shapes us into being his faithful servants. The three fishermen did follow Jesus, and they became his first disciples. (The 9.30 AM and 11 AM sermons were very similar, and the above summary could have been used for either of them.)
Isaiah 6: 1-8; Luke 5: 1-11

Rev Sandy Boyce Timing:  20:30 Size:  7.1 MB Uploaded:  27-Jan
SUN 27-JAN-2019 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 199 times ] Download   [ 129 times ]
Epiphany 3 – A community of Christ's followers is described metaphorically in terms of different parts or members of a human body, such as ears, eyes, nose and feet, all important for the body's general welfare. In the Body of Christ, the comuunity of his followers, no part of that body is more important than any other; all have their functions, and are to be respected regardless of class, ethicity or gender. We need a radical culture shift towards more compassion, kindness, tolerance, generosity, forgiveness, and mutual respect. In Australia this could include issues such as a treaty with the First Peoples; a serious consideration of the Uluru Statement from the Heart; and changes to the unconscionable ways in which asylum seekers are treated.
1 Corinthians 12: 12-31a; Luke 4: 14-21

Rev Sandy Boyce Timing:  17:07 Size:  5.9 MB Uploaded:  6-Jan
SUN 06-JAN-2019 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 243 times ] Download   [ 155 times ]
Epiphany – The kingdoms of Herod and Jesus had entirely different scripts. Herod's kingdom was based on scarcity and grasping for power – his efforts to protect things that he was afraid of losing had resulted in a reign of terror with frequent murders and assassinations. He was terrified when he met some magi enquiring about the precise location of a baby boy who might usurp him as king of the Jews. But the kingdom of God that Jesus would be preaching was based on the abundance of God's mercy, not on scarcity; and sharing God's abundance will result in trust, acceptance, openness, grace, forgiveness and mercy. We need a conversion from the illusion of scarcity, to a recognition of God's world of open-handed abundance.
Matthew 2: 1-12

Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  33:38 Size:  11.6 MB Uploaded:  6-Jan
SUN 06-JAN-2019 - 9.30 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 228 times ] Download   [ 128 times ]
Epiphany – "... with love, joy and justice as our star" – Matthew tells a story of some officials from beyond the Roman Empire arriving in Jerusalem, and enquiring at the court of Herod, the region's despotic puppet king, for the exact location of the baby who would grow up to be king of the Jews – and Herod was terrified at the idea of a baby usurping him. Herod was in the big city using force, abusive power and wealth to maintain his kingdom and his personal privileges; while in the little unpretentious village of Bethlehem there was a baby destined to be king of a different sort of kingdom, the Kingdom of God. Matthew wants us to understand about God's grace, revealed to us through that baby.
Isaiah 61: 1-6; Matthew 2: 1-12

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