Sermon Podcasts at St Thomas' Moonee Ponds

Now that we have had our parish mission conference we are formally in the process of putting the mission action plan together. The them for use in the next little while is revealing God’s mission. As a parish we are part of God’s amazing plan to redeem all of creation, but we need to be clear that this is not a mere administrative task, but it is a serious intentional commitment to costly disciple...

As we start to look at doing a few things and doing them well, who is on our "guest list"? Do we only invite people who are like us, who can fit in, who can serve on a committee or tithe? A healthy church is not a country club for saints; it's a hospital for sinners. It's a family that actively seeks out the overlooked, the broken, the messy, and the new—not as projects, people...

We read about the woman today and we read how she is bent over and bound by Satan. My mind opened an image of how the world is bent over and bound by Satan. We walk down the street and see so many people bent over and bound to a screen, to their finances or to their addicitions in ways that numb us to the gospel.  Jesus actively works to liberate a woman who has been marginalised. Our mission acti...

As we continue looking at preparing for the Parish Mission Conference, we will also need to consider the cost of growth and change on the people around us. Jesus says when the Holy Spirit comes there will be division as the gospel does come to shake things up. As we face the future we need to look at the gospel and consider how we implement it in our parish, not as a means of pleasing people, but...

As we prepare for our Parish Mission Conference, we reflected on the idea of what God wants us to do and the priorities that are spoken about in the bible. We reflected on how we should think about the priorities before us as we move forward.

Today we continue growing the body of Christ. We remember our journey into these waters not just for a ritual, but it is for a radical reorientation. Baptism declares: 'My life is no longer defined by what I OWN, but by WHOSE I AM.' Jesus’ words in Luke 12 expose the emptiness of chasing wealth—and reveal the eternal riches we receive in Christ. The rich fool’s story ends in death becaus...

Today we had our Christmas in July event. Whilst this is not a usual Anglican event, it is always timely for us to think about the promise of Jesus' second coming in light of the promise fulfilled of the Messiah coming to the earth to be amongst us. Let us be ready to use our daily bread to do the work of Christ on earth as well as take the time to know Jesus in a deeper way. Let us release t...

Today we reflected on what it means to abide. This is a testimony of what has been happening in our parish over the last few weeks which culminated in a huge service last week. Have a listen in to what is happening at the Parish of St Thomas' Moonee Ponds.

Amos speaks about God using a plumbline to see the nation of Israel is fairing in terms of righteousness and holiness. According to God they are falling short.  We prefer spirituality that ‘slants’ in our favour—affirming our politics, lifestyles, and biases. But God’s standard is fixed: justice, holiness, compassion (Micah 6:8). His plumb line doesn’t bend to culture. Amaziah responds by rejectin...

Today we celebrated our patronal feast, the Feast Day of St Thomas. Rachel, who is a member of our congregation, original worshipped in a church that was founded by St Thomas - about 2000 years ago. Imagine being a church that has been dedicated to Christ for 2000 years. Rachel reflected on some of the experiences of being in this church and shared some local knowledge and practices. Our exhortati...

Ministry is not glamorous. It’s not about platforms, comfort, or applause—it’s a call to walk a road of sacrifice. The gospel today strips away illusions of glamour, revealing that true ministry demands total surrender, resilience in rejection, and undivided loyalty to Christ. When Jesus sets his face to Jerusalem, he is on a mission to the cros and suffering, not to be a celebrity. Through His ex...

We have been spending time reflecting on the values that underpin our church. As we change seasons, we are moving into a season of growing which means that we now need to look at how to manifest our values and put them in action. Today's reading from the gospel speaks about us reaching into the fringes of our society. This is the place where demons, anxiety and worry occupy the hearts minds a...

Today is the beginning of Refugee Week and Trinity Sunday.  With all the unrest about immigrants and their place in various locations, it is a timely reminder to pray for those in our community who are displaced, undocumented and do not belong where they are. In recent years, refugees and assylum seekers have been demonised and labelled as criminals who are breaking the law. A refugee or assylum s...

Acts 2:1-21 being read in the languages of English French Malayalam Spanish Mandarin Italian

The Spirit falls on the Apostles on the day of Pentecost. In the jewish calendar, the day of Pentecost is the day when the first fruits are celebrated as well as when the Law is given to Moses at Mt Sinai.  Pentecost commemorates the idea of the law being shared with the right Spirit. It is a day when we think about how the law can bring life to a situation. What does the Spirit ask you to do that...

Societal structures can be burdensome and when implemented enslave people. Girl enslaved as an oracle, prison guard enslaved by the rules that if anyone escaped his gaol he would be executed.  Holy Spirit works against enslavement: like the demoniac, the girl imprisoned by a spirit recognise the saving grace of Jesus and announces their proclamation to the world – annoying Paul; the gaoler wakes u...

John 5:1-9 tells a story of what happened at the baths of Bethesda. A man was looking for healing for 38 years and could find noone to help him into the pool to find healing. The location for what happened here was thought mythical for a long time until the place was discovers (approx 1890's). Once we had evidence we could speak about the story with far more legitimacy. As we uncover the trut...

This week we looked at loving the unlovable – which begins with us before we do our mission.   Loving others as Christ has loved us requires us to have our eyes open to how Christ loves us. As sinners and whose sins would have hurt others, we must recognise that we deserve nothing from our God, yet Jesus gives up his life for us.    If we recognise that we, as the ones who are undeserving, are giv...

The light of Christ has come into the world - the light shines in the world and darkness has not overcome it. Jesus Christ is our light and we are called to share that light and walk in the light of Christ. Today we reflected on the importance of: - Intentionally watching what we let come into our hearts, minds and souls. - Intentionally removing what take us away from Christ or deliberately remov...