St Michael's talks & sermons

In the final sermon of this series, Dr Andrew "Burge" Burgess takes us in awe up the Mountain of the Ascension. What does the Ascension teach us about life in the world, about time, and about mission? Readings: Exodus 40.33b-38 Acts 1.1-11 John 14.15-24

The paradoxical climax of Jesus' ministry is his ascent up Mt Golgotha, to the cross. Why is this paradoxical moment so important? Why is it the way to life? Matthew Bartlett explores these questions in this sermon. Towards the end, he references a painting by Ioannis Moskos, which can be found here: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/Crucifixion_by_I.Moskos_%281711%29.jpg Rea...

The words of Jesus are good! From the vista of the Sermon on the Mount, we can see Jesus' vision for a good society, built on the wholehearted faith of those who open their lives to God. As the floodwaters of our time rise, we're called to remain faithful and generous and committed to others, trusting that God will make that generosity possible. This sermon was a version preached at the 9a...

In this sermon, Sam follows Jesus up the Mountain of Transfiguration. The beautiful truth revealed in this climb is that, in Jesus, God gives us the gift of Godself. Since Jesus has climbed the mountain, it's not all up to us: we have instead the privilege of following him. Readings: Exodus 32.31-34, 33.12-18 Psalm 8 Matthew 17.1-13

"Zion" is among the most evocative names in Scripture, suggesting the union of heaven and earth in the Jerusalem Temple Mountain. In this sermon, Tim sketches the way "Zion" develops from a nationalistic symbol, via being a symbol of universal hope for the nations, to a place in the heart set aside for the worship of God "in spirit and in truth". Since St Michael'...

Mt Sinai is one of the most famous mountains of scripture, the mountain where the 10 Commandments are given. In this sermon, Matthew ponders those commandments, and explores the difference between obeying them as a matter of external obedience, and obeying them as a joyous offering from the heart. In the process, he calls us to lives of worship, and gives us a helpful side-helping on mimetic desir...

Mt Moriah is the mountain of sacrifice, the mountain where Abraham shows himself willing to give up everything for God. It's a troubling and mysterious story. In this sermon, Tim asks us to exercise our imagination for what would be possible for St Michael's if we let God have our all. On the way, he gets some help from Soren Kierkegaard, and some from Bishop Justin Duckworth, to ask, &quo...

At the Diocesan leadership camp in early 2024, a (sort of) anonymous prophetic message was shared with St Michael's, "Piki Mai!" "come on up [the mountain]". This series responds to that message, by exploring some mountains of scripture, exploring what it might mean for us to come higher up and higher in, in our life together with Jesus. In this opening sermon, Jessie Thorn...

What does it mean to believe in Jesus? In this final part of our post-Easter series on 1 John, Ginni Shaw gives us a beautifully clear statement of what it means to believe in Jesus, and where to go to deepen that belief. the process, she helps revive our faith if it's at risk of going stale. Readings: 1 John 5, especially vv. 1-12 Sermon preached at the 9am service, so the acoustic is a bit d...

Professor Chris Marshall joins us to unpack the rich symbolism of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

Tim continues our interrupted series on 1 John with some reflections on Chapter 4. Why is it good news that Jesus has come "in the flesh", as a human? How do we dwell in that truth?

Bishop Justin brings the first of his two-part sermon on the Good News. This week: the good news of the cross.

The lectionary sets readings from 1 John for the weeks after Easter. Before this sermon, Tim played the first few minutes of the Bible Project overview of 1 John, and then dives into 3 issues that arose for him from Chapters 1 & 2. - who is this God John is passionate about? - what does it mean to walk in the light? - how do we get into the light?

The Law is a massive theme across the whole bible. How do we understand it, from its place in the Torah's wilderness narratives, right through to Jesus, and Paul's apparent reevaluation of it. These are the questions Rebecca guides us through in this helpful overview of the theme of Law. Readings: Exodus 19.3-6, Ex 20.1-17 Deuteronomy 4.5-14 Galatians 3.23-4.7

Who is God? One Jewish answer to this question, repeated throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, is: "God is the God who liberated us from slavery in Egypt". In this sermon, Dr Philip Fountain recounts the way that Jewish people recall the Exodus in ritual and story. He reminds us that this story has empowered liberation struggles throughout the world. And he closes by reaffirming that Jesus c...

Scripture starts in a garden and ends in a city. So what's the problem with building a tower as part of a city, as in the Tower of Babel? In this sermon, Matthew traces all sorts of interesting clues in the Babel story that the people are critiqued for imposing an "anti-pattern" on reality; a pattern that looks attractive, but it ultimately too rigid and imperial for God's purpos...

For those who heard the Genesis stories as Sunday School kids, it's easy to overlook how profound they are. In this sermon, Matt Packer explores one aspect of the very profound story of Cain & Abel - the role played by imitative desire. Beginning with a summary of the theory of Mimesis, Matt helps us to see that we are by nature creatures who imitate others, often out of jealousy and envy....

Mostly, this series takes the scriptures at face value, without asking the historical or scientific questions. This sermon is an exception, as Jonathan Boston takes a theistic evolutionary perspective on the account in Genesis 3. He then asks how a committed Christian should understand the doctrine of the Fall, and how that should shape our life in today's world. Fittingly, the sermon was prea...

Tim continues our series on the archetypal stories of the Old Testament with a look at human vocation in Genesis 2. What can we learn from taking seriously the patterns of life in The Garden of Eden for life today? Texts: Genesis 2 John 20.10-18 Note: Tim assumes people have watched the following Bible Project video : https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/priests-of-eden/

In a world of perceived chaos and crisis, how do we find meaning and hope? This new series looks to the archetypal narratives of the Old Testament to find the repatterning to which St Paul calls us in Romans 12.1-2. In this opening sermon, Matthew Bartlett explores the rich patterning of Genesis 1, and how it points us to the central place that humanity holds in God's creative intention. How c...

What does God call us to give to the life of the church? And why? In this sermon, Sam exhorts us to see all we have as gift from God, such that it's easier both to give and to receive. And might that not encourage us to give a whole lot more ? Readings Numbers 3.40-51 2 Corinthians 8.1-15 John 12.1-8

If worship is about offering our whole lives to God (Romans 12.1-2), what's so special about worship services? Can't we just worship Monday to Friday, and get a sleep-in on Sunday? Readings: Revelation 4 Revelation 5 Mark 12.28-34

In Episode IV of this series on The Church, Tim goes off lectionary to outline the kind of behaviour Paul expects of Christian communities. If a church is too big to tease the vicar, does it mean it's too big? Readings Romans 12.1-16 Matthew 12:46-50

Anglicans in Aotearoa & Polynesia celebrate Te Pouhere Sunday, the Sunday when we remember the unique 3-Tikanga Constitution of our Anglican Church. Alan Cameron today explores what being people of the Treaty of Waitangi might mean for the Christian church here.

The series on The Church continues, with this Trinity Sunday exploration of The Trinity & the Church. How does the doctrine of the Trinity empower and encourage us to live and witness as church? Readings: 2 Corinthians 13.-11-14 Psalm 86.8-13 Matthew 28.16-20