A sermon on 1 Corinthians 7: 29-31 by Michael Hardin Tonight we were again blessed to have as our guest preacher, Michael Hardin of Preaching Peace, visiting from the USA. There is no manuscript for the sermon, but you can listen to it here.
A sermon on 1 Corinthians 7: 29-31 by Michael Hardin Tonight we were again blessed to have as our guest preacher, Michael Hardin of Preaching Peace, visiting from the USA. There is no manuscript for the sermon, but you can listen to it here.
Are we, individually and together, focused on the things that we can be doing, that will enable us to embrace and nurture the growth of Christ’s values, withstanding opposition to them?
We have a distinct and privileged identity as God’s chosen people, but it does not turn us away from other people, but leads us to offer ourselves to and for them that all may share in the grace that has made us who we are.
Jesus’ teaching on the new ethics for disciples do not weigh us down because they are wrapped in generous mercy and humour.
God has given us all we need to live out our calling with integrity.
In the growth of children, God reveals to us much of how we all should be growing and developing.
Letting go of the idea that we can earn God’s favour is very difficult for most people, but it is a key to enjoying the fullness of life and grace.
Faith is not the absence of doubt, but the courage and trust to be faithful to God in your your actions and life, despite doubts and disappointments.
The whole story of the universe, from creation to ultimate redemption, is held in God’s hands and revealed in the crucified and risen Christ, and all our stories are gathered safely into that larger story.
In a moment of transfiguration we glimpse the weightiness of Jesus and his mission, and we are ourselves transfigured, becoming people of greater substance.
Taking up your cross is about a willingness to pay the price of following Jesus and living out your baptism. It is not a generalised stoicism.
When we encounter Jesus, we are seeing the truth about God and the truth about life as it is meant to be lived. To embrace that truth will put us at odds with the world, but on the pathway to fullness of life.
When we glimpse the fullness of what could be, we are called to the tough work of bridging the gap between here and there.
The wilderness can seem harsh and threatening, but God is there, ready to nourish us with the bread of heaven.
Jesus commits himself to the path of redemptive suffering in preference to either fight or flight, and he calls us to follow him in that commitment.
Jesus will be there for us in the midst of the storms, but we are to stay together in his boat rather than jump ship in a misguided “display of faith”.
You might have been written off as a dead loss (even by yourself), but only respond to the call of Christ, and you will live!
The kingdom of God is celebrating our life together now and our shared hopes and dreams of a world where all might eat and drink, and we are called to do what we can to bring this world about.
God calls us to new beginnings, and we have to let go of old certainties to embrace them.
Growth in faith and love come as we work through tough times together for God.