Sermons from All Souls Church

Linz starts with a gutfelt reaction to the familiar good Samaritan tale - what would you do if you saw somebody battered and bleeding on the road? She references our hero's pro-activity, pity and generosity - with his time, his resources and his attention. He is an example of selflessness Jesus exhorts us to follow - attending to spiritual needs as well as physical.

Charles talks about how spectacular growth can suddenly emerge from seeming insignificance. The kingdom is God's kingdom and it grows without needing our attention - though we might feel less able to contribute during lockdown God's kingdom is growing anyway. Captain Tom's remarkable story is an example of how simply doing what we can can balloon into blessing - we are encouraged to keep eyes open...

Rachel prepares us for new things ahead. She separates imagination from fact and points out that faith leads to fact but is often based on fiction - what we believe not just what we know. She talks about the parable of the 99 sheep and how the shepherd rejoiced over the 1 lost sheep - a cause for celebration. "If reason changes our minds imagination changes our hearts" and such parallels help us a...

Maf starts with Lego and a cheeky grandson to introduce the topic of obstacles - for Nehemiah, this ranged from threats and scorn to the need to clear the ground - down before up. For us too, Maf talks about our rubble - the risks of nostalgia clouding our vision, traditions blinkering our openness to options and consumerism clogging our attention - and invites us to clean our ears, expect to be c...

Tim transports us to the build stage as we take a "Grand designs" tour around the rebuild of Jerusalem's walls. The list of people in chapter 3, though a challenge to pronounce, celebrates the individuals and their respective talents and how they have been each helped "get things done" collaboratively. What talents to do you have and what role is it that you're being called to fulfil as we rebuild...

Hannah highlights that although this is a turbulent, draining time for us all, as we come to the end there is also a great opportunity - to put life ahead of productivity, for exposed inequalities to be reduced, for creation to flourish, for communities to remain connected as we emerge from this long hibernation... She looks at how Nehemiah seized his opportunity and encourages us to similarly lis...

Nehemiah was cupbearer to the king in title but in practice lived more like a prime minister than a servant. Dan reflects on why somebody so successful would make a 1000 mile across a desert to a city he'd never known. He shares from his own career in magic and reflects on another's $45bn giveaway to help us understand why living for others is so much more than money, prestige and power.

Karl welcomes us to 2021 with three main messages: 1. the gospel is good news for everyone, everywhere; 2. God is surprising; 3. Jesus is worth pursuing. Against a pandemic backdrop he highlights the injustices coronavirus has magnified, the lowly circumstances Jesus chose to be born into and the application of the wise men, who determined to investigate with open hearts.

Rachel invites us to contemplate how Mary and Elizabeth grew closer through their pregnancies. Mary, a young lady, when met by the angel Gabriel would have appreciated the provision of a friend to talk to as well as the promise of a son. She raced to Elizabeth to share her hope - may we do likewise through whatever means are available to us this Christmas.

Beginning with a poem Donna talks about the place of waiting and how through reflection we appreciate more what we need and what we've received - after this most unusual of years embrace the waiting this advent.

Donna talks about her own experiences of worship - from private, living room experiences to the much-missed mass participation of Summer festivals. She challenges us to think about our intentions (to honour another), our attitude (reverent not self-righteous) and our abandon (whole-hearted not half-hearted) and to look back at how Moses was so transformed through worship that his face literally sh...

On "stir-up Sunday" Maf uses three parallels - a Christmas pudding being prepared, a "Pursuit of happiness" app and the Hokey Cokey - to cause us to question whether we are going along with the individualistic "pursuit of happiness" our culture encourages or, with transformed minds, have switched to the team game "Pursuit of holiness", as intended.

Helen takes an eco theme today starting with a local perspective from a foggy Bushy Park and tales of Francisco of Assisi. St Francis's life personified a trust in God, a care for creation and a sense of joy derived from nature. We are stepped through the rich reality of his life guided by God and how we are to recognise our role includes restoring and celebrating creation.

On Remembrance Sunday, as we wade through another season of limited movement, Donna invites us to compare how little our own sacrifice of freedom is relative to that of those who have gone before us, and to take heart from the abundance of generosity we see as communities pull together and do what they can to help each other.

Jon challenges us to engage our entire being as we ascribe value through our acts of individual worship. He begins with a story of a precious stone and how it is treated differently once its value is realised. Similarly he encourages us to reflect on the true value of our relationship with God and with each other. As we head into another period of physical separation Jon highlights what unites us...

Donna starts with an adoration of artichokes(!) to ease us into the raw topic of stripping back and its necessity for worship. Isaiah's experience - as he realised his own uncleanliness - causes us to pause and reflect on how grubby we really are. Jesus knew us when he was on earth and still wanted to touch and be near to us - he continues to beckon us to be open and honest as we worship, in the k...

Donna reorientates us on the enormity of God and how he rejoices over us as we, with all our passion, are sometimes most vocal when we are silent. She prompts us to recognise God's constant presence and our opportunity to worship with and without words, and through our thoughts and attitudes and actions - as exemplified by the woman breaking perfume over Jesus in adoration.

Rachel connects her own sporting endeavours with Paul's encouragement to persevere. "How is Paul able to be unstoppable despite all the hardhships?", she asks and goes on to examine our common task and give tips for keeping on track - learning how to be humble, know our worth and find focus in Jesus.

Donna emphasises obedience and trust as two key themes from this passage. She highlights the regular reassurance God gives (not always an angel(!)) and the halo of blessing and "encouragement to trust" that others in our circles receive, that helps them in turn to also believe, as we persevere together.

Hannah talks about giving up. As many of us "hit the wall" after 6 months since lockdown began she compares Paul's experiences with the Corinthians and his "keep going" encouragement from God. In our anxiety, fear, frustration and uncertainty she highlights the practical steps that Paul undertook - building friendships, working, reasoning with others - and encourages us also to pause, breathe and...

Donna sums up the last 6 months as "loss" (of loved ones, of direction, of freedoms) and "gain" (identifying with those around us and demonstrating love for our community in practical ways). She considers the "what could of/should of/would of" what ifs that we all ponder from time-to-time which risk dragging us down... But, using Paul and Silas and the "get out of jail card" they didn't play as in...

Bishop Graham uses the book of Jude to remind us to "build ourselves up" as the Covid wilderness stretches ahead. He draws out 4 themes - seeding prayer in the rhythm of daily life, keeping in the love of God, looking forward to our inevitable ends and comforting others - and encourages us to keep connecting in new as well as old ways with our communities.

Donna relates ancient (Paul) and modern (Shane) tales of conversion when people looked to Jesus to turn their lives around. All Christians have a story - whether a dramatic moment or dawning realisation - that makes them unstoppable in their determination to be led and to follow.

On her last Sunday at All Souls Fi reflects on her own transformation from dissatisfied atheism to God-connected to geared up to go. She looks back on how Barnabas and Paul recognised that if Christianity isn't for everyone it isn't for anyone. They left their "bubble" and went overseas to share their experiences and our good news.

Dan talks about 'ians and the identity the first Christians developed for being followers of Christ - regardless of their varied backgrounds. Having a church welcome Gentiles as well as Jews was radical in its time - diversity and inclusion from the get go - as Jesus modelled throughout his life on earth. Whether kings from distant lands or local shepherds, a thief on a cross or a Samaritan women,...