Monday, 22 July 2019

Sound Recordings

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


Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Timing:  18:47 Size:  6.5 MB Uploaded:  21-Jul
SUN 21-JUL-2019 - 11.00 AM Sermon  .mp3  Listen  [ 0 times ] Download   [ 0 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  [ 18 times ] Download   [ 6 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  [ 20 times ] Download   [ 9 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  [ 12 times ] Download   [ 5 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  [ 19 times ] Download   [ 5 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  [ 17 times ] Download   [ 8 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  [ 24 times ] Download   [ 14 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  [ 33 times ] Download   [ 13 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  [ 41 times ] Download   [ 21 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  [ 34 times ] Download   [ 21 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  [ 47 times ] Download   [ 23 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  [ 47 times ] Download   [ 12 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  [ 63 times ] Download   [ 32 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  [ 50 times ] Download   [ 23 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  [ 72 times ] Download   [ 37 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  [ 65 times ] Download   [ 30 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  [ 69 times ] Download   [ 33 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  [ 83 times ] Download   [ 26 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  [ 64 times ] Download   [ 34 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  [ 69 times ] Download   [ 43 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  [ 167 times ] Download   [ 94 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  [ 95 times ] Download   [ 42 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  [ 92 times ] Download   [ 37 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  [ 76 times ] Download   [ 30 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  [ 74 times ] Download   [ 38 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  [ 100 times ] Download   [ 41 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  [ 97 times ] Download   [ 41 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  [ 95 times ] Download   [ 49 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  [ 190 times ] Download   [ 146 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  [ 120 times ] Download   [ 49 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  [ 126 times ] Download   [ 67 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  [ 113 times ] Download   [ 47 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  [ 139 times ] Download   [ 66 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  [ 126 times ] Download   [ 58 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  [ 130 times ] Download   [ 61 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  [ 129 times ] Download   [ 77 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  [ 132 times ] Download   [ 68 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  [ 162 times ] Download   [ 118 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  [ 162 times ] Download   [ 98 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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