Talks, Sermons and Reflections

Luke 9:28-36 Today, on this last Sunday before Lent, we read of how Peter, James and John see the transfigured Jesus. They have been taken up a mountain by Jesus – it is a real mountain, you can go there today – and he is changed. His appearance changes. Matthew tells us that his face shines like the sun, and his clothes shine with dazzling, brilliant whiteness. And they see Moses and Elijah with him, both of them long long dead. Moses was the one who God used to lead the Israelites, who were slaves in Egypt, out of Egypt, through the wilderness into the promised land. That is what we call the Exodus. He went up on a mountain and was given the law, what we know as the ten commandments. He is described as a prophet, and he met with God face to face. Elijah was born about 1300 years later. He too was a prophet. He came at a time when the people of Israel had committed apostasy and walked away from God. He too met with God on a mountain. And Elijah is one of the two people who we are told...

Luke 6:17-26 Mark Twain famously said that it was not the bits of the Bible that he couldn't understand that caused him problems, but the bits that he did.  Today is one of those passages. It is difficult. Not to understand, but to live. How does one preach on this passage to a congregation when most of us, and I include myself very much in this, are materially rich and well fed? You will notice that the passage begins with the words, ‘Jesus came down with them’. He has been up a mountain where he has been praying, and he calls to him those who he chooses to be his 12 disciples. Now he comes down and stands on a level place, and the people flock to him. They come to listen to his teaching and to receive his healing. Power comes out of him. And then we are told, ‘Jesus looked up at his disciples’ Having come down from the mountain to the people, he now sits down and looks up at the disciples. So here is Jesus ministering with astonishing power, in words and actions, but from a posit...

Luke 2:22-38 If you go into an Orthodox church, often in front of you, where the sanctuary rail would be, is a large panel on which rows of icons are placed – the iconostasis. One of the rows on the iconostasis is called the festival row and on it are scenes from the life of Mary but mainly of Jesus. And today we are looking at the icon of the presentation or purification. The audio of this talk can be found here. On the left, we have Joseph and Mary. Behind them is the temple. The red drape in iconography shows that we are looking at what is going on inside the building, even though the main characters are shown standing in front of the building. PURIFICATION Mary and Joseph have come into the temple. Joseph is holding in his hands two birds, pigeons. The pigeons are a sacrifice for the purification of Mary, which the law required for a mother after she had given birth. Why was a woman thought to be ritually unclean after giving birth? Indeed, why was Mary unclean after the birth of ...