Writer's Thoughts

...and chance the consequences."  Who'd have thought a fictional pirate king in a comic opera (Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance) would give such scripturally based advice! Perhaps "trust" would have been a better word - but otherwise, these are words God would approve.

• Talk to God
• Talk to God about your stress
• Trust God with your stress

It was two decades in management consulting that gave me the judgemental outlook on life that I have. I was paid to find problems in business organisation and systems, rather than complimenting things that were working well. And that I now apply judgement wholesale to people I know and businesses I deal with. Not always the best approach if making new friendships and retaining old is a priority!

There are words in the Bible which tell us not to judge. One's that a vicar I know is never hesitant to quote when I'm critical of him or his church.

But the Bible does not mean that we shouldn't show discernment. Speak out against sin... Here's a good post to clarify things...

"O GOD, forasmuch as without thee we are not able to please thee; Mercifully grant, that thy Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen."

They are words which form part of the collect (a prayer for the day) for the nineteenth Sunday after Trinity (the first Sunday after Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was given to believers).

I remember hearing these words said many times school morning assembly. It's only recently that their significance  has dawned.

Never was the priority of faith over and above works put so clearly. And the importance of having the Holy Spirit ruling our hearts.

The Archbishop of Sydney talks about God's light:

• That shines in the place of judgment.
• That shines in the experience of salvation.
• That shines in the birth of a child.

Carol service preaching as it should be!

Do you believe that Jesus will come again?

1. The Confusion, vv1-2
2. The Questions, vv3-12
3. The Comfort, vv13-17
4. The Command, v15

This sermon is all about trusting in God's justice. Not thinking we can do God's job of judging fairly. Not letting our preoccupation with the unfairness we see all round damage the way we live out our Christian life.

But it doesn't mean we sit back an ignore injustice; we mustn't get chewed up by it. It ends with the sober reminder that God will judge us all when we leave this earth. And we should remember not only the times when we are on the end of injustice, but those occasions when we perpetrate injustice.

We'll need God's grace to save us for the punishment we deserve. And the only way to do that is to accept Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross as payment for our sins. And to thank God for his love that made all this happen.

Sermon Bishop Michael Stead
Matthew 24:29-51
Introduction: Advent
1. The Timing of Christ’s Second Coming

• Context: two questions in Matt 24:3 – “these things” + “your coming”
• vv. 5-28 these things
• vv.29-31 his coming
• vv.32-35 these things
• vv.36- his coming
• 4 examples - flood + thief / a returning master / a delayed groom / parable of the talents

2. Keep Watch (vv.37-44)

• Like the flood – suddenly taken
• Like a thief - unprepared
• What does this means for us?

3. Keep Working

• vv.45-51The faithful and wise servant
• The wicked servant
• What does this means for us?

Who says the Bible doesn't rival good fiction? Revered icons being toppled by small boxes. Something troublesome being passed around, like a miscreant schoolboy being expelled from on school after another. The passage preached on has all this.

I've already said I've not been a good husband. But even my worst mistakes don't come close to Adam, someone whose marital failure caused the downfall of the human race. Don't get how Adam and Eve's failed marriage was responsible for the sin we all suffer? Then you might want to read this article

Here are some points that hit me: