Worship Reflections from September 2023
1 October 2023
Text: Matthew 21:23-32 Introduction Last Sunday at the baptism Together@10 service I reflected on the extravagant generosity and grace of God from Matthew 20:1-16. The Uniting Church considers baptism as a gift from God.“Baptism is a visible sign of God’s grace. That is most powerfully expressed in the practice of baptising infants as well as adults as an expression of God’s gracious welcome into the community of faith.” And in today’s gospel message the crowd that follows Jesus is again proof of this…
17 September 2023
PENTECOST 16 THE PASSOVER – TRIBES PASSING THROUGH THE RED SEA AND THE SEA OF FORGIVENESS ALONG THE WAY It’s fair to say all humans are bound together by some form of tribalism. Tribes! Tribes are the basic unit by which humans are organized into a meaningful life. Some of you might recall from the 1980s the lovely song of praise “Bind us together Lord, Bind us together with chords that cannot be broken” I remember during the 1980s many UCA camps…
24 September
Title: Are You Envious Because I am Generous? Introduction Let me first welcome all of you to this baptism service. Good to see so many of you here. I hope you will find this service meaningful for you. As you know we are here to baptise Amelie Alice May Smith and Jasper Andrew Hanson into the family of God. What is baptism? Or what is the meaning of baptism? The Uniting Church considers baptism as a gift from God. “Baptism…
3 September 2023
Introduction This morning I want to begin my reflection with a preamble.We have a difficult passage this morning – Matthew 16:21-27.There is a great chance that some of you might not like my reflection.This passage is not for the faint hearted. The passage from the Gospel according to Matthew contains one of Jesus’ hardest sayings. “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to…