In Sermons:

Remarriage Is Adultery Series

Contributed by David Smith on Oct 27, 2009

Jesus said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."

Every now and then you find yourself tacking a Bible passage that just doesn’t lend itself to starting your sermon with a joke. Today’s Gospel reading is one such passage. For divorce is no laughing matter, and of course I know that first-hand. Indeed, not only did I experience the divorce of my ...read more

Scripture: Mark 10:2-16

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

Jesus Took The Child In His Arms Series

Contributed by David Smith on Oct 5, 2009

Then they left that place and were passing through Galilee. Jesus didn’t want anyone to know it, for he was teaching his disciples and saying to them, "The Son of Man will be betrayed into human hands. They will kill him, but after being dead for three da

Then they came to Capernaum. While Jesus was at home, he asked the disciples, "What were you arguing about on the road?" But they kept silent, for on the road they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. So he sat down and called the twelve. He told them, "If anyone wants to be ...read more

Scripture: Mark 9:30-37

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

The Dangers Of Discipleship Series

Contributed by David Smith on Oct 5, 2009

Then Jesus and his disciples set out for the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he was asking his disciples, "Who do people say I am?" They answered him, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and still others one of the prophets." Then he

Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man would have to suffer a great deal and be rejected by the elders, the high priests, and the scribes. Then he would be killed, but after three days he would rise again. He was speaking about this matter quite openly. Peter took him aside and began to ...read more

Scripture: Mark 8:27-38

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

The Incomprehensibility Of Jesus Series

Contributed by David Smith on Sep 21, 2009

The person who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will also live because of me.

The person who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will also live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not the kind that your ancestors ate. They died, ...read more

Scripture: John 6:56-59

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

The Downward Mobility Of Jesus Series

Contributed by David Smith on Sep 21, 2009

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Although He was rich, for your sakes he became poor, so that you, through his poverty, might become rich. “

I thought it was about time I began a sermon with a joke, and today’s passage did make me think of that story about the world’s leaders at prayer, asking God when their countries would repay their national debts. As the story goes, President Obama prays to God, asking when the US economy will ...read more

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

Asking The Right Questions Series

Contributed by David Smith on Aug 7, 2009

When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into these boats and went to Capernaum to look for Jesus. When they had found him on the other side of the sea, they asked him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?" Jesus replied t

A wise person once told me that what you see in life depends on what you are looking at, and that what you hear depends on who you listen to, just as the answers you get depend largely on the questions you ask. Now I do apologize for beginning my sermon with such a ponderous set of philosophical ...read more

Scripture: John 6:24-35

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

Jesus' Most Trivial Miracle Series

Contributed by David Smith on Aug 7, 2009

After this, Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias). A large crowd kept following him because they had seen the signs that he was performing on the sick. But Jesus went up on a hillside and sat down there with his disciples.

A wise person once told me that what you see in life depends on what you are looking at, and that what you hear depends on who you listen to, just as the answers you get depend largely on the questions you ask. Now I do apologize for beginning my sermon with such a ponderous set of philosophical ...read more

Scripture: John 6:1-15

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

Jesus Is Exhausted Series

Contributed by David Smith on Aug 7, 2009

Jesus said to them, "Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat! (Mark 6:31)

We’re in Mark chapter 6 this morning, dealing with a long and rather spectacular reading, where we see Jesus heal the sick, feed 5,000 hungry people with only a few loaves and fish, walk on the water, and preach to the lost - all in a day’s work, or so it seems! I’ve had days like that (indeed, ...read more

Scripture: Mark 6:30-56

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

The Murder Of John The Baptist Series

Contributed by David Smith on Aug 7, 2009

When his daughter Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, "Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it." And he solemnly swore to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdo

We had a baptism this morning, and I think if you’d searched through the Bible for the most inappropriate Gospel story to feature today, you couldn’t have done better (or rather worse) that the one we had this morning - the story of the death of John the Baptist! When you’re working with the ...read more

Scripture: Mark 6:14-29

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

The Downward Mobility Of Jesus Series

Contributed by David Smith on Jul 6, 2009

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Although He was rich, for your sakes he became poor, so that you, through his poverty, might become rich. “

I thought it was about time I began a sermon with a joke, and today’s passage did make me think of that story about the world’s leaders at prayer, asking God when their countries would repay their national debts. As the story goes, President Obama prays to God, asking when the US economy will ...read more

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

Storms & Questions Series

Contributed by David Smith on Jul 6, 2009

That day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let’s cross to the other side." So they left the crowd and took him along in the boat just as he was. Other boats were with him. A violent windstorm came up, and the waves began breaking into the boat, so

I’m conscious this morning that we’ve had another baptism, which is wonderful, but I do get the feeling sometimes that when parents bring a child to baptism they are sort of quietly hoping that the experience might have a soothing effect on the child. After all, isn’t that part of what good ...read more

Scripture: Mark 4:35-41

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

Call No Man Father! Series

Contributed by David Smith on Jun 19, 2009

You must not be called ’Teacher,’ because you are all equal and have only one Teacher. And you must not call anyone here on earth ’Father,’ because you have only the one Father in heaven. Nor should you be called ’Leader,’ because your one and only leader

“Call no man ‘Father’” says Jesus. That’s part of our reading today from Matthew 23. Jesus says, “call no man ‘Father’”. What’s that doing here? And I don’t just mean what’s it doing here as this week’s reading. I mean, what’s it doing in the Bible? Since the (not so recent) publication of “The ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 23:8-11

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

The Parable Of The Two Sons Series

Contributed by David Smith on Jun 18, 2009

Jesus said "What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ’Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ’I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered

My friend Kon used to say ’the more I see of kids today, the more I think about getting a dog’. Then he had a son. He doesn’t say that quite as much any more. His other great saying was ’I love children, but I can never finish a whole one’. He doesn’t say that much any more either. He might think ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 21:28-31

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

Jesus Teaches Us To Dance Series

Contributed by David Smith on Jun 18, 2009

Jesus and his disciples, including James and John, left the synagogue and went straight to the home of Simon and Andrew. Simon’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a fever, and as soon as Jesus arrived, he was told about her. He went to her, took her by t

We are in the latter part of the first chapter of the Gospel according to St Mark this week, and it’s a scene that I think would make very acceptable day-time television. It is very ’G’ rated. This is not typical of the Gospel stories, despite what you might have heard. Mark’s Gospel in particular ...read more

Scripture: Mark 1:29-31

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

Jesus Is Angry Series

Contributed by David Smith on Jun 18, 2009

The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the shee

We’re in John chapter 2 today, following the Lentern pattern of jumping around into different sections of the Gospels and landing upon passages that are appropriately sombre and challenging. And we’ve landed on a dousie this week - a passage that contains not one but two rather unique and entirely ...read more

Scripture: John 2:13-25

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican