Sermon Archive

Colossians 3:14-17 Did you hear that? It’s the collective sigh of relief now that Christmas has come and gone. Consumers are recovering from Boxing Day combat, and now we’re sliding on into New Year’s Eve. We’re in that “in-between” time from the end of one party and heading into the next. I have little doubt that the decorations in the malls are already coming down. After all, there’s only 48 shopping days until Valentine’s… so wreaths will soon be replaced by hearts. But it’s still Christmas. I think we have become so used to the ways that the Malls tell time that we almost entirely forget that the Christmas season started on Friday morning. Christmas is not over, not by any stretch of the imagination. Those of you who have gotten to know me know that I try to resist stampeding into the Christmas carols during Advent. It’s because Advent is its own season… with its special message of anticipating the coming of Christ. But Advent gets overshadowed in favour of getting ready for Christ...

Text: Luke 1:1-20 I bid all of you welcome on this Christmas Eve, where we come together to give and receive, to share in the wonders amidst the cold winter’s chill, and listen to ancient stories that captivate still. And yes, with it being Christmas Eve, my tradition stays, tonight is the fifth time I’ve offered this way, of preaching the message somewhat diverse, I hope you don’t mind it’s completely in verse. Through word rhythm, and pattern, and rhyme, I hope it helps us to listen this time. Rather than some distant mouldy old story, we may catch a glimpse of God’s true glory. So please, relax, listen and enjoy, and I don’t mind if children make noise. It’s part of it, the package you see, the story is about a child, a little baby. It is a rare occasion when stories are told, that the words the King James can unfold, the tale of Christmas in a very special light, of what the shepherds heard that first holy night. Now normally, I prefer versions more practical, rather than the words...

Text : Luke 3:1-6 The Gospels are more than simply telling the story of Jesus. As I mentioned last week, the expectation of a Messiah around the time that Jesus was born was so high, there were many different ideas about who the Messiah might be, and how the Messiah would appear to the people. The expectations were so high that when Jesus lived, it’s not surprising that many… perhaps even a majority of people… weren’t able to see God right in their own midst. The writers of the gospels are doing a lot more than just telling the story of Jesus. They’re making a case for Jesus as the one who fulfills the expectations of being the Messiah, the holy one of God. It’s why the gospel writers, Luke and Matthew in particular, are constantly drawing these links back into the Hebrew Bible. After all, the desire, the hope for one who would come and redeem the people had been building for centuries. When it came to Jesus, perhaps hindsight was 20/20… and perhaps reminds us that often our own experi...