Sermons

In the field of psychology no figure is more divisive than that of Sigmund Freud.  I can recall sitting in a lecture where one of my professors began with the words, “Freud was a charlatan and in the next 60 minutes I will prove it.”  Another professor was more more»

In 1994 a 73-year-old man named Alvin received the news that his brother, who he hadn’t spoken to in several years, had had a stroke.  Realising that his brother was soon to die he made the decision to visit him in order to make peace with him.  Having no other way to travel more»

Next weekend at St Andrew’s I will be baptising my baby nephew.  This is the first time I will have done something like this for a member of my family, and it’s fair to say that I’m quietly excited about it.  It will be a unique Sunday where my family and my parish more»

One of the marks of Anglicanism is our rich tradition of hymn singing.  Love them or hate them, hymns are part of the fabric of our denomination.  From Hymns Ancient and Modern, to contemporary collections such as Alleluia Aotearoa, we have a vast inheritance of good and some not so more»

This morning’s Gospel reading has a great sense of urgency about it.  Be ready, for you don’t know when the master of the house will return.  When I was younger I typically read this passage as having apocalyptic overtones.  The idea that Jesus was speaking about more»

This morning’s Gospel reading is a great example of how the Gospel writers married together very different recollections of the life of Jesus, and in doing so brought out an altogether different meaning.  The passage began with Jesus teaching the disciples to pray.  It more»

Today is a busy day, at the end of a busy week, in the middle of a busy month, only halfway through what has been a very busy year.  How many of you have caught yourselves saying, I can’t believe we’re halfway through the year?  It’s almost August!  Or words to more»

When writing this sermon I was at a loss as to how to begin.  This was because I was all too aware of the reading from the second book of Kings that told us of Elijah being carried up into heaven.  Of all this mornings readings, this one is the Elephant in the room.  What is more»

Earlier in the year I preached about the pitfalls of personifying evil.  The idea that personally vindictive demonic forces have the capacity to besiege human beings has been a very unhelpful concept for many people.  Such a worldview promotes the idea that humans are little more more»

This past week a veteran white house reporter was forced into retirement following a number of comments that the American media universally labelled as anti-Semitic.  Helen Thomas made comments to the effect that Palestine was an occupied country and that Israelis should return to more»