Wait

5 February, 2012

Delivered by Rev Dr John Evans
Sunday 5 February, 2012

Today our reading is from the great 40th Chapter of Isaiah.

This chapter is set at a point of transition in Jewish history. The prophet is addressing a new reality. The Children of Israel were now in exile.  There was death and destruction back in Jerusalem.  Bondage and no future lay ahead in Babylon.  Even traditional worship seemed useless.  As the lament of Psalm 137 states about this period: “How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?” Even if they were able to sing that song, surely it wasn’t true?  It couldn’t be true – the promises of God’s lovingkindness, all that covenant talk, were just a cruel joke as they looked around them in the midst of despair, bondage and hopelessness.

The chapter itself has two emphases: the first is a clear pastoral emphasis; the second, is a challenge: a challenge to have a clear eyed look at what is going on. The chapter begins very gently. It offers comfort and solace. So the chapter begins with those wonderful words:

“Comfort, O comfort my people,
says your God”

It goes on to offer hope:

“A voice cries out:
In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight in the desert the highway for our God.
Every valley shall be lifted up
and every mountain and hill shall …

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By john | Posted in sermons |

In Carlton and Ninevah it can be all too hard!

22 January, 2012

Delivered by Rev Dr John Evans
Sunday 22 January, 2012

In the gospel of Mark’s sharp and terse style, the evangelist records the story of John the Baptist, the baptism of Jesus, his temptation in the wilderness and by just verse 14 Jesus is beginning his ministry in Galilee proclaiming the good news of God saying “The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God has come near, repent and believe in the good news.”

Of course the rest is history.  . . well I believe it was history. Jesus became a very successful preacher and leader. For his troubles, he was eliminated by the Roman authorities with the help of the Jewish leadership of the day  . .  but his message and impact lived on among his followers. And their message became his message; the very simple message, in that terse style of Mark

“The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God has come near, repent and believe in the good news.”

The proclaimer became the proclaimed.

At the same time, I am gripped both with excitement – and huge trepidation when I read this. Excitement that in a simple few words we are getting at the essence, the basis of Christianity – but at the same time there is an enormous ache in my heart that such a message today  – baldly stated, just as …

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By john | Posted in sermons |

Our Calling

16 January, 2012

Delivered by Rev Dr John Evans
Sunday 15 Januar, 2012

Today we are reflecting on our calling in life – prompted by this great story of the call of the young boy Samuel, but also by that wonderful psalm: Psalm 139.

The first observation I make is that the call of Samuel begins with an intriguing verse:

Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli. The work of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread.  (I Sam 3:1)

Such a verse indicates that the people in this late period of the Judges were – well – losing the plot. Certainly as we soon find out in the story  –  Eli and his sons were corrupt and it was to be part of the calling of Samuel to tell Eli and his sons this was the case. No longer did people sense they had any calling from God. An old word we used to use to refer to such a calling was vocation. . . . based on the Latin “to call”.  Indeed you may be old enough to have received vocational guidance while at school. The shift to it being “career counseling” was significant.   A vocation is literally a calling, which reflects who you are – but has a dimension that it arises from beyond you. You have …

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By john | Posted in sermons |

New Beginnings

8 January, 2012

Delivered by Rev Dr John Evans
Sunday 8 January, 2012

It is the season for new beginnings. The new year brings out that sort of hope and promise in us all. At least at this time we all have the sense the we have permission to try new things and do things a little differently .

So what do our readings today teach us about new beginnings: a reading about, the first beginning, the big one  – the creation of all; and the second, about the beginning of Jesus’ ministry with his baptism by John the Baptist in the Jordan.

However, before I get underway  I hear you cry . . . I am perfectly happy with my lot. I do not need to change. How about a bit of peace and stability. There is too much change, I do not need another. No new beginning for me!

Indeed during the week there was a fascinating article in the Age about how today we are all too electronically connected today, and find our lives driven by the demands of contemporary technology. The gist of the article was that there is in fact too much change and we need that peace and stability. Apparently the average American spends eight and a half hours a day in front of a computer screen, while the average American teenager …

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By john | Posted in sermons |

Happy New Year – Hopefully

3 January, 2012

Delivered by rev Dr John A Evans
Sunday 1 January, 2012

People will have different reactions to today – New Year’s Day. There will be those of us who have been eagerly looking forward to this day – to 2012. They can hardly wait to be rid of last year, 2011. For them 2012 offers so much more – they perhaps  are already a aware a milestone awaits in the year ahead – the completion of university degree or even a proposed wedding, perhaps even a birth. At the other end of the scale there are those who find such a day as this insignificant – meaningless really. Today is not different to any other day – why all of the fuss? In between there are those who appreciate any excuse to have a party – and New Year’s is one of the classic times to party. Of course none of those folk are here this morning – they are either still out partying of recovering.

There are then those who find a time such as this as good as any to stop, reflect and ponder life and I guess think of the year, or even years, ahead.  And to certain extent that is the view of our lectionary, when it relates to the readings for New Year’s Day. As I have already …

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By john | Posted in sermons |

Christmas – Our Saviour is Born!

29 December, 2011

Delivered by Rev Dr John Evans
Christmas Day, 2011

One of the transformations of Christmas celebrations in recent times, has been the advent of the Christmas letter. Once we used to just exchange cards – although someone would occasionally insert a  stray piece of paper when you ran out of space on the back of the card writing all of your news. Nowadays, Christmas communication is not complete unless one has a complete photo gallery of the year past and a blow by blow account of the year in a Christmas Letter.  And of course it is delivered electronically, and not by the postie.

One of our friends also sees the Christmas letter as an opportunity to launch into poetry and collect thoughts and ideas not dissimilar to what you might have once seen on desk date pad calendar. So this year, our friend  Boni ends, I guess a little cryptically, with

So this Christmas , let’s seek to strip away the difficulties we bring on ourselves.

Certainly a different message to the saccharine sweet Merry Christmas we used to get on all those cards.

I think we understand what my friend was getting at. Life accumulates all sorts of superfluous needs, demands and priorities – and Christmas affords an opportunity to stop, reflect, and as she says – “strip away the difficulties we bring upon …

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By john | Posted in sermons |

Christmas Eve – A Candlelight Vigil

29 December, 2011

Delivered by Rev Dr John Evans
11.00 pm Christmas Eve Service

In Isaiah 9.6 we read:

“For unto us a child is born; unto us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulders, and his name will be called ‘wonderful counselor, to an original understanding of what is a vigil is. Remember I said,

Tonight in our vigil – we seek, new hope, a new basis for living – a new start.  . .  and we believe the birth of Jesus is a basis for such a hope.  “For unto us a child is born.”

I wish to go back a step however. We began  this evening reflecting on what is a vigil – a candlelight vigil. And I referred to several significant vigils that have been held this year. You might feel this service tonight is in fact different – and in a sense you could be right; but I would like us to get back to an original understanding of what is a vigil is. Remember I said,

“In general terms a vigil is an occasion of keeping awake, of keeping alert – for some special purpose – like hoping and praying for a recovery of a person, or remembering a tragedy and hoping for a changed  or renewed situation.”

There is also a meaning that a vigil is just the …

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By john | Posted in Uncategorized, sermons |

Trusting in Advent: Ethel and Winsen

13 December, 2011

Delivered by Rev Dr John Evans
Sunday 11 December, 2011

At the heart of the Season of Advent is that we trust God; we believe God is faithful and just; we have have something to believe God comes among us – again and again. In our despair and our longing for a better world, God in Christ again will come, just as God all of those years ago, came in the birth of that tiny child – Jesus of Nazareth.

In short we trust God and we have hope.   And why, or perhaps more likely how, do we trust and have hope. I simply want to suggest that on this day we can do this because of who we are as this congregation; these people who gather here and are the body of Christ in this place, give us confidence for the future.

First of all – to set the scene – I would like to refer to Psalm 126.

Now this psalm is thought to date from the time of the return the Children of Israel in exile in Babylon. A familiar context we have heard in recent times. Yes it was great to be free from bondage in Babylon, but the returning  home was not easy – indeed very difficult: a situation not dissimilar that is being played out through Northern Africa and …

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By john | Posted in sermons |

John the Baptist Today

5 December, 2011

Delivered by Rev Dr John Evans
Sunday 4 December, 2011

Isaiah 40:1-11 

Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13 

2 Peter 3:8-15a 

Mark 1:1-8

At this time of Advent there is a familiar range of themes and characters we encounter in our readings each Sunday: the second coming – as we had in our readings last week; the prophets – typically Isaiah  – always proclaiming that God is faithful and will come to God’s people with hope and salvation; and then there is Mary, a devoted child of God who in trust and hope bears the Christ child. Today however, it is John the Baptist’s turn.

I like John the Baptist.  There is a boldness and eccentricity about him that I find attractive. A boldness that eventually leads to his death when he challenges Herod over his marital arrangements; an eccentricity that relates to his choice of clothing and diet. However, today, on this second Sunday of Advent, we particularly recall his role as the forerunner; the one who prepares the way; points to the One who is to come – the one whom John feels he is not worthy to untie his sandals. He is the one who is crying out in the wilderness, preparing the way of the Lord, pointing to Jesus.

This side …

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By john | Posted in sermons |

The Season of Advent – What’s it Mean?

28 November, 2011

Delivered by Rev Dr John EVans
Sunday 27 November, 2011: The First Sunday of Advent

Isaiah 64:1-9
Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19
1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Mark 13:24-37

The season of Advent is not Christmas. Christmas is the joyous celebration of “the day of the Lord”; of the birth of the Messiah; of God coming among us; of being born to a young woman in a remote part of the Roman Empire. Our carols today by and large joyfully proclaim this event of the Saviour’s birth.

Advent, on the other hand, is waiting for, anticipating, even wanting “the day of the Lord”.
And there is the problem. How do we understand a season of waiting, when what we are waiting for has already come? It does not make sense. Yes preparation for our celebration of “the day of the Lord” – that would work; but simply to recall what it was like to await the birth of the Messiah all those years ago, does seem a little remote.

It is thus understandable that wrapped up in the season of Advent is not just preparation for the birth of Christ, but the second coming, as we say, the parousia, the end of the age, the end of time, or the end of the world or some such phrase.   Advent is just not about the first coming, but also …

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