Talks, Sermons and Reflections

Luke 16.17-31 Last week we looked at the very difficult passage from the beginning of Luke 16. It was difficult because it is hard to understand   This week it is also a difficult passage from Luke 16 – not because it is difficult to understand, but because it is extremely challenging. And it is a bit scary.   It is a story about wealth, about hell and heaven and it is a story about how we can begin to change.   It is a story about wealth. Jesus has been speaking in the previous verses about how you cannot serve two masters. You will be split in two. Story of the Admiral getting into a launch. He had one foot on the launch, one foot on the jetty, when a sudden wave pushed the boat away from the jetty. Something had to give, and he ended up in the water. Jesus says 'You cannot serve two masters, you cannot serve both God and wealth'. And then we are told, ‘The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all this, and they ridiculed him’.   And so ...

For many of us these last few days have been a bit unreal and quite difficult. Listen to this sermon here It is easy to feel a bit lost We have lost our Queen, who – for those for whom she has been Queen - is the only monarch who we have known. She has given us a sense of stability in a constantly changing world, and of course a remarkable example of faith in God in both the and difficult times. We are usually allowed to play out our own dramas and crises within the privacy of our own families. She was never given the luxury of doing that. And she has been an example of self sacrificial love and service, of dedication, commitment and duty. She has hardly put a foot wrong. At the age of 90 she was still working a 40 hour week. And she has done it for 70 years. The fact that she was appointing a new Prime Minister last Tuesday is quite remarkable. Some of you here, I know, have met her, have been introduced to her – when she came here to St Andrew’s. That is one up on me. Alison and myse...

Luke 14.25-33 This is a difficult passage. A large crowd of people are starting to travel with Jesus. But there is a big difference between travelling with Jesus and being a disciple of Jesus Listen to the audio of this sermon And Jesus says that to be his disciple, we need to have made the decision to give up everything for him - Our families, our possessions, even our very lives Jesus is pretty clear: ‘Whoever does not hate .. even life itself cannot be my disciple’ (v26) ‘Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple’ (v27) ‘None of you can become my disciples if you do not give up all your possessions’ (v33) It is not just here. In Luke 12 Jesus speaks about how he will bring division to families: father against son, mother against daughter. In Luke 18 a rich young ruler comes to Jesus and asks him what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus tells him, ‘Sell all your possessions and give to the poor and come and follow me’. And we are told that t...