All Saints Burwood Sermon-Cast

Today the reading from the book of Luke is The Parable of the Tax Collector. The challenge here is to look inside our own hearts & seek out where we are going off track, in a culture today that may support these traits. The lesson for all of us is that it is easy to judge others but much harder to self-reflect. allsaintsburwood.nz facebook.com/allsaintsburwood youtube.com/@allsaintsburwood910⁠...

Today the reading from the book of Luke is about prayer. Prayer can be an area where we end up feeling a bit of guilt because we're not praying enough. Thankfully there are several different models of praying in the bible. Some people pray alone and regularly, others pray in temple with other people, while other go out into the wilderness to pray when needed. The key thing with prayer isn'...

Today we reflect on the mustard seed. Here is a picture of the kingdom is where people on the outskirts find a place to belong. This is what we are invited to be a part, a place where people find rest & welcome. Here is the promise - the seed of the Kingdom of God can grow in your life & the life of the church. But just like plants grow, this isn't something you can manufacture - this...

We continue with Luke as he tells the story of a poor man who was ignored by those who had the ability to do something. We are called as Christian's to care for those in need, to serve those around us. But what are we going to do? For many of us the challenge is - are we making space to hear God's call to the good works that He has prepared for us to do? Luke 16:19-31 allsaintsburwood.nz f...

This week we have Geoff Bevan sharing with us. Following up on last week's message, which asked the question of how we can have structures in church that are healthy. Reading the Parable of the Shrewd Manager, Geoff discusses the sometimes uncomfortable subject of church financing. Luke 16:1-13 allsaintsburwood.nz facebook.com/allsaintsburwood youtube.com/@allsaintsburwood910 podcasters.spotif...

We read from Luke the Parable of the Lost Sheep, with everything going on with the world's leadership today and the polarity of opinion that is spreading, we reflect on the responsibility of leadership to care for every individual. Here is the challenge for the Church - we are called to be in community, but how do we organise ourselves when we do? Luke 15:1-10 allsaintsburwood.nz facebook.com/...

We read from Luke Chapter 14, as he describes two parables about the high cost of discipleship and we reflect on what this means for us today. "Costly grace...is costly because it compels a man to submit to the yoke of Christ and follow him; it is grace because Jesus says: 'My yoke is easy and my burden is light.'" Dietrich Bonhoeffer "The Cost of Discipleship" Are we w...

We continue to read from Luke, where Jesus challenges the Pharisees again over their attitude to work on their Sabbath. One of the challenging things with Jesus and our call to follow him is how do we respond when we feel that he is speaking to us? Jesus doesn't turn away from the Pharisees, he is not going to turn away from us, he will keep on engaging. How are we responding to Jesus? What do...

We read from Luke about Jesus healing a crippled woman on the Sabbath. The challenge we find here for today's society, is that we need overcome this new way of living that is causing social isolation & loneliness. We can talk to other people, we can make the effort to connect with who are isolated. We were made to live in community. Jesus cares for everyone, sees everyone and we as Christi...

This Sunday the theme is Unity vs Division. When we want to stand up for Kingdom values we need to remain humble. There are times when we need to stand up and make statements - but how can we be critical without cutting people down? We hear from Bruce Fraser about how he chooses truth over false harmony. Luke 12:49-56 allsaintsburwood.nz facebook.com/allsaintsburwood youtube.com/@allsaintsburwood9...

The invitation we find from Luke in todays passage is to reorient yourself to God's kingdom. We don't change how we act by changing the way we think. It's by changing the way we behave. As we reflect, ask yourself what is that God is calling us to do here? How do we turn that thought into a reality? Luke 12:32-40 allsaintsburwood.nz facebook.com/allsaintsburwood youtube.com/@allsaintsb...

This Sunday we read the Parable of the Rich Fool & we will be asking ourselves if we purchase and collect too much stuff when people have nothing. The challenge for us to understand today is of radical sacramentality. Can we make space to find God in our everyday lives? Luke 12:13-21 allsaintsburwood.nz facebook.com/allsaintsburwood youtube.com/@allsaintsburwood910⁠⁠ podcasters.spotify.com/pod...

This Sunday we are so pleased to have Dawn Harris preaching for us. Dawn has been an integral part of our church community for many years, filling a variety of roles. She continues to volunteer actively across all areas of church life and within the local community, in addition to leading our Elder Care group We read from Luke as Jesus sends out his 72 chosen disciples and we are encouraged to ref...

This Sunday we are thrilled to welcome Dallas Harema as Guest Speaker, who recently joined us as Discipleship Enabler. We read from Luke The Parable of the Good Samaritan and reflect on what it means to be a good Samaritan in today’s world. Real loves challenges, redefines and transforms. Luke 10:25-37 allsaintsburwood.nz facebook.com/allsaintsburwood youtube.com/@allsaintsburwood910⁠⁠ podcasters....

This Sunday we have our Curate Cassie Kaumanga preaching for us. We read from Luke as Jesus sets out on his final journey to Jerusalem and Cassie asks us to take a few moments to reflect on these questions in the presence of the Lord. Are there people that you are often tempted to judge or write off? Who do you need to forgive not because they deserve it, but because you've been forgiven? Wher...

Today is Pentecost. We remember this day two thousand years ago when God's own spirit came to dwell in the first followers of Jesus. Today we pray again for God's Holy Spirit to come and make his home within us and as a community. The promise of the Holy Spirit within us in that we are not alone, we have an advisor to guide us. We are also promised power to do God's work in the world....

This is what the passage today addresses - the story of humanity is the story of temptation. There is the invitation to come into the light, to come into God's presence at the same time their is an acknowledgement that there is hurt & brokenness in the world. Jesus is the Tree of life that offers healing & salvation. It is this that we are invited to take part in. John 17:20-26 allsain...

We read from John where Jesus says "I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid" There is the challenge in the culture we live in to feel - too busy to help someone else. Too busy to hear what God might be calling you into. Too busy running, so you don't have to stop & think. The invita...

This week we talk about the stages of faith. We read from both John and Acts and reflect on the challenge for every generation of church - whether to welcome the next one. Are we prepared to put down our own preferences and have the maturity to serve people that are different from, because this is the true calling of what it means to be Christian. John 13:31-35 allsaintsburwood.nz facebook.com/all...

This week we continue to read from John, the passage where Jesus claims to be the son of God. This is the image Jesus gives of himself, selfless love, we celebrate on mother's day - but you don't have to be a mother to learn to give selflessly The challenge & the invitation here is; can we live like this? The challenge, is hard in our cultural context, where we are told to think we are...

This week we read from John, as he describes Jesus appearing to the seven disciples. As we reflect on this passage we can understand how it is often hard in modern society to recognise Jesus. Often Jesus comes to us in the form of another person - often we fail to recognise Jesus because we don't truly know Jesus. Ultimately however, all we need to now about ourselves is that we are deeply lov...

This week we Matt Maslin, Priest Assistant at the Cardboard Cathedral preaching for us. Reflecting on that passage from John 12 where Jesus is anointed at Bethany, we see Mary being fully present to Jesus. She is fully present to her embodied life and conscious of Christ and what he is doing. The challenge for us is that the world we live in makes it really hard to be attentive to Christ. Througho...

This week we read from Luke the Parable of the Lost Sheep The invitation here is to take the step, no matter what we've done, to come back to a God that wants to embrace us, and the invitation is limitless, the welcome is always there to welcome us home. There is also the invitation to acknowledge your own mistakes and come back and accept God's love. There is the temptation to believe tha...

Today we read from John a passage, just prior to his arrest, where Jesus prays to God for "all who will ever believe" to know they are one. In a world where our lives are dominated by social media, how do we find the time to be followers of Jesus when we are addicted to distraction? The invitation here is to remember that Jesus offers himself, and Jesus can transform us. God is inviting...

This weeks gospel reading tells the story of Jesus weeping over Jerusalem. I have found myself feeling the same way looking at global politics currently. I have felt a bit of despair over the way migrants, the poor and hungry are talked about. It can be hard to find hope in that situation. When we are feeling overwhelmed by the state of the world, the best thing we can do is act in ways that line...