In Sermons: showing 286-300 of 589

The Prodigal Son

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Mar 18, 2007

Jesus told the story to reveal God’s love to saints and sinners alike

NR 17-03-07 ES Lk 15:1-3 and 11-32 If we really want to understand the Parable of the Prodigal Son, we need to look at the context of the story. Why did Jesus tell the story? And we find the answer to that question in the opening verses of Luke 15. Let me read them to you: Tax collectors and ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:11-32

Denomination: Anglican

Wedding Sermon No 1

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Mar 18, 2007

The key ingredients to a Christian marriage are: 1.The presence of God in the marriage 2.The realisation that we have married our husband and wife – warts and all and 3.The reality that we have to leave home not just physically but mentally too.

Christian Marriage Story: A young courting couple approached the gates of Paradise and knocked on the door. St Peter appeared and beckoned them in. As the young man approached St Peter he said: “Before we come in can we ask: Can you get married in paradise” St Peter replied. “I don’t know off ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4:12

Denomination: Anglican

Mothers - The Home Maker

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Mar 14, 2007

Mums have one of the toughest ministries that God has given out!

NR 18-03-07 Mothering Sunday Today is Mothering Sunday, the day when we thank God for giving us the one human being on this earth who generally has had the greatest impact on our lives. Today we come to Church to give thanks for our mothers – whether or not they are dead or alive. Story: I ...read more

Denomination: Anglican

Change Belongs To The Christian's Vocabulary

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Mar 8, 2007

How can we buy milk and honey with no money - because the currency of heaven is trust and obey

NR 11-03-07 We must be changed I would like to look this morning at our Old Testament reading and in particular at verse 1 "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come; buy wine and milk without money and without cost. At first blush ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 55:1-9

Denomination: Anglican

Don't Call God A Liar!

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Mar 1, 2007

Abraham knew the character of God so well that he trusted His Promises even when he could not understand them

Gen 15:1-13 I have always liked the story of Abraham – a heathen whose father was a craftsman of idols in Ur of the Chaldees - and who responded to the call of God in his life And the story in Gen 15 is particularly striking for me – because Gen 15:2 was my baptism verse “I am your ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 15:1-13

Denomination: Anglican

The Temptations Of Christ

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Feb 24, 2007

And chasing temptation for too long, too far, and too low into enemy territory has caused the downfall of many good people. So how can we avoid it?

DC 25-02-07 Introduction Story: Manfred, Freiherr von Richthofen, the famous German First World War fighter pilot was better known as the Red Baron -because he flew a distinctive a red Fokker aircraft. He shot down more enemy combat planes than any ...read more

Scripture: Luke 4:1-13

Denomination: Anglican

Not Your Soppy Sentimental Love

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Jan 27, 2007

The four words for love with a focus on Agape Lve

NR 27-01-07 1 Cor 13 Story: I came across this true story - that happened during the Holocaust of the Second World War. Solomon Rosenberg, his wife and their 2 sons were arrested, together with his mother and father for the crime of being Jews. They were placed in a Nazi concentration camp. ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Denomination: Anglican

The Paradox Of God

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Jan 20, 2007

We have an unchanging God who brings in change and itbis the churched who resist it most - in our lives, in our thinking and in our wiorship

People don’t like Change Introduction We all know the old adage “Familiarity breeds contempt” - a saying that goes back as far as Publius the Syrian, in 2 BC. And as we see in our Gospel reading this morning, this happened to Jesus when he went back to his hometown of Nazareth. I didn’t grow up ...read more

Scripture: Luke 4:14-30

Denomination: Anglican

Water To Wine

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Jan 11, 2007

If you are going to have a wedding invite Jesus

14-01-07 NR Jesus’ first miracle: Turning water into wine (Jn 2:1-11) Story: Some years ago when Johnny Carson was the host of the well known American chat show: The Tonight Show he interviewed an eight year old boy. The boy was asked to appear because ...read more

Scripture: John 2:1-11

Denomination: Anglican

Jesus' Baptism

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Jan 6, 2007

Why did Jesus, the sinless Son of God have to be baptised, when baptism identifies the baptised with sin

Luke 3:21-23 Story: In her famous book and film, “The Hiding Place” Corrie ten Boom tells the story of a Dutch Christian family, her family, who had a heart for the Jewish people Her grandfather Wilhelm started a weekly prayer group in 1844 in the city of Haarlem, near Amsterdam for the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 3:21-23

Denomination: Anglican

Demythologise The Christmas Story And You're Left With What?

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Dec 23, 2006

What would you be left with if you took the miraculous out of the Christmas Story

Christmas Eve 2006 The miracle of the Incarnation It is hard to come up with something new to say about the Christmas story – that we all know so well. So I’d like to take a different tack this year and consider what would we be left with if we took the miraculous out of the Gospels. So what ...read more

Denomination: Anglican

The Star Service 2006

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Dec 15, 2006

Let us digress from the well known story and consider the Inn keeper who missed Jesus’ birth

NR 17-12-06 The Star Service 2006 It is very difficult to come up with some new take on a story that is so well known. Throughout England there are going to be churches Sunday schools and Primary schools re-inacting the Christmas story. Story: One year a Sunday School was putting on a Christmas ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:1-15

Denomination: Anglican

The Portrait

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Dec 10, 2006

If you receive the Son you receive it all

Whoever Takes the Son Gets It All Years ago, a very wealthy man shared a passion for art collecting with his devoted young son. Together they travelled the world, adding only the finest art treasures to their collection. They soon collected priceless works by Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet and many ...read more

Scripture: John 1:1-18

Denomination: Anglican

God's Uncoventional Wisdom

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Dec 10, 2006

Why did God use John the Baptist rather than the "good and the great" to announce the birth of his Son

NR 10-12-06 Luke 3:1-20 John the Baptist Conventional wisdom says that how you present the message is more important than the message itself And Alistair Campbell Tony Blair’s spin doctor incorporated that in the ultimate Why else do we see smartly ...read more

Scripture: Luke 3:1-20

Denomination: Anglican

Riches Untold

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Dec 1, 2006

Advent - a time to reflect on God’s "Uncut Diamonds"

New Romney 03-12-06 THE TIN – Riches untold Story: In the late nineteenth Century in South Africa, an old man was digging for gold in a river bed. He had been at it for many years. Every now and then he found a little bit of gold, not enough to make him rich – ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 1:4-8

Denomination: Anglican