Talks, Sermons and Reflections

Matthew 21:23-32 Two stories, two sons and a choice. The audio of this talk can be found here It is quite hard to see a connection between the two stories The first is about a question of authority. Jesus has just turned out the money changers from the temple. The elders and chief priests ask Jesus about his authority, and he turns it into a question about the authority of John the Baptist. The second is about two sons. The first says No to his father, but then does what his father asks. The second says Yes, but doesn’t do it. Jesus disputing in the temple with the Pharisees who ask him to prove his authority. Cristoforo De Predis (1440-1486) in 'The History of the New Testament' .  And the thing that these two stories have in common – is that in both Jesus refers to John the Baptist. I was utterly hopeless at chemistry at school. But I did seem to be able to manage the litmus test. You put a piece of litmus paper into a test-tube with some liquid and if it came out red it said...

Matthew 18:15-20 Today we are looking at the Church’s grievance policy! And that might sound very contemporary, risk averse and dry. But the astonishing thing is that Jesus gave his followers a grievance policy 2000 years ago – and modern organisations could do far worse than making Matthew 18 the basis of their policy. The audio of this talk can be found here There are a number of challenging elements to what Jesus says. 1. We are part of a recognisable community of believers , with real bonds, responsibilities and boundaries. Our reading speaks of being a ‘member’ of the people of God. The Greek speaks of being a ‘brother’ or a ‘sister’ within the Christian community. It is a family term We are not simply isolated individuals who happen to believe similar things. we are brothers and sisters who belong to one another. Jesus Christ is for everyone. The Church is open to everyone. To become part of the family of God is not to do anything – it is not to pay a subscriptio...