Mon, 22 December 2014
Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “Mary-The First Disciple” based on Luke 1:26-38 (Mary's Song) for The Fourth Sunday of Advent on December 21, 2014. Mary is the person and place where God chose to enter most deeply in to the human story, into our stories. She also is the one who hears the Word of God and responds in faith.
The Fourth Sunday of Advent 2 Samuel 7:1-11,16 Luke 1:46-55 (Mary's Song) Romans 16:25-27 |
Tue, 16 December 2014
Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “The World Is About To Turn" based on Luke 1:46-55 (Mary's Song) for The Third Sunday of Advent on December 14, 2014. God is at work in individual lives and in the social order as a whole in order to subvert the very structure of society that supports and perpetuates tyranny, injustice, and oppression.
The Third Sunday of Advent Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 Luke 1:46-55 (Mary's Song) 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 John 1:6-8, 19-28 |
Mon, 8 December 2014
Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “Out of the Depths We Cry" based on Psalm 130 for The Second Sunday of Advent on December 7, 2014. Lament is a posture before God that acknowledges our limits and weakness, our sinfulness, our need of redemption, as well as our trust and communion with God.
The Second Sunday of Advent Isaiah 40:1-11 Psalm 130 2 Peter 3:8-15 Mark 1:1-8
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Mon, 1 December 2014
Michael McGhee preached a sermon entitled “In a Little While" based on Mark 13:24-37 for The First Sunday of Advent on November 30, 2014. Advent takes our daily lives and puts them in an eschatological (the last days) context and in doing so the struggles and longing of our daily lives become a lament for the return of Christ.
The First Sunday of Advent Isaiah 64:1-9 Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 Mark 13:24-37 |
Mon, 24 November 2014
Michael McGhee preached a sermon entitled “Winning by Losing" based on Matthew 25:31-46 for Christ the King Sunday on November 23, 2014. As Christians we are given the gift of power, and the Cross teaches us how to use that power. Andy Crouch puts it this way, "Why is power a gift? Because power is for flourishing. When power is used well, people and the whole cosmos come more alive to what they were meant to be. And flourishing is the test of power."
Christ the King Sunday Psalm 100 Ephesians 1:15-23 |
Mon, 17 November 2014
Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “Bold and Risky Initiatives" based on Matthew 25:14-30 for The Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost on November 16, 2014. Being prepared for Jesus’ coming in the Gospel of Matthew is not a posture of religious contemplation, having a certain emotional experience, or even of prayer; in the Gospel of Matthew the grace of the Gospel motivates the disciple who follows Jesus Christ to take risky initiatives to engage the beauty and brokenness of the world as he or she waits for the Lord's coming.
The Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 123 I Thessalonians 5:1-11 |
Fri, 14 November 2014
Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “The Nearness of His Coming" based on Matthew 25:1-13 for The Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost on November 9, 2014. Those whose faith is changing their lives will be ready when Jesus comes.
The Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 78:1-7 I Thessalonians 4:13-18
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Mon, 3 November 2014
Canon Mary Hays preached a sermon entitled “Hello Saints!" for All Saints Day on November 2, 2014. All Saints Day |
Mon, 27 October 2014
Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “To Gain a Heart of Wisdom" based on Psalm 90 for The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost on October 26, 2014. The ”wise heart” described in Psalm 90 is a heart that shaped by and responsive to the true and living God. As we follow Christ, we are continually undergoing a conversion of our faith and imagination. The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost |
Mon, 20 October 2014
Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “Israel's Predicament and Ours" based on Exodus 33:12-23 for The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost on October 19, 2014. In Exodus 33, God’s relationship with Israel is in crisis. This section is the theological center of the book of Exodus, and deals with one of the central questions of the whole of Scripture, pointing us forward to the Gospel of Jesus Christ: ”How can a holy God dwell among and with a sinful people? The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost |
Tue, 14 October 2014
Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “To Live Beyond Anxiety" based on Philippians 4:1-9 for The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost on October 12, 2014. The ultimate meaning, the redemption of our anxiety, begins at Christmas—the Incarnation—and culminates in Easter—the Resurrection. Jesus has conquered the anxiety of our life and broken its spell over us. The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost |
Mon, 6 October 2014
Michael McGhee preached a sermon entitled “Eyes To See the Promise" based on Exodus 20:1-20 for The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost on October 5, 2014. So often the 10 Commandments are seen as a checklist, but maybe something more is going on. The Law is actually something that can shape our imaginations to see the promises of God. The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost |
Mon, 29 September 2014
Michael McGhee preached a sermon entitled “Jesus Walks With Me" based on Matthew 21:23-32 for The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost on September 28, 2014. Vulnerability is something we both fear and crave. The Gospel provides a way for us to let down our guard and speak to a gracious God about our deepest needs. The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost |
Tue, 23 September 2014
Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “The Extravagant Abundance of God" based on Matthew 20:1-16 for The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost on September 21, 2014. The God who is revealed to us in Scripture, both in His creative acts and in His redemptive acts, is abundantly generous, incredibly lavish, and overextravagant. The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost |
Wed, 17 September 2014
Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “The Work of Forgiveness” based on Matthew 18:21-35 for The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost on September 14, 2014. Forgiveness always begins with the Gospel, and it is one of the central spiritual, moral and psychological tasks for the Christian. The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost |
Sun, 7 September 2014
Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “Plant Sequoias” based on John 1:1-18 for The Feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist on September 7, 2014. On our 4th anniversary, Father Kenny preached on the vision and mission of St. John's. The Feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist |
Mon, 1 September 2014
Michael McGhee preached a sermon entitled “Hospitality and the Gospel" based on Matthew 20:1-16 for The Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost on August 31, 2014.
"Love never stands aloof from other peoples joys or pains. Love identifies with them, sings with them, suffers with them. Love enters deeply into their experience and their emotions, their laugh their tears, and feels solidarity with them whatever their mood.” - John Stott The Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost |
Mon, 25 August 2014
Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “Doubt and the Silence of God” based on Exodus 1:1-2:10 for The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost on August 24, 2014. Most of us experience long stretches of the seeming absence or silence of God. Whether the experience of absence is measured in weeks, months or years, for most of us it doesn’t fit into our expectations of the Christian life. The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost |
Mon, 18 August 2014
Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “A Sacrament of Grace” for The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost on August 17, 2014. We baptize because Christ died on the cross for the sins of the world. The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost |
Sun, 10 August 2014
Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “The Risk of Faith” from Matthew 14:22-33 for The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost on August 10, 2014. Peter had to leave the ship and risk his life on the sea, in order to learn both his own weakness, and the almighty power of His Lord. The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost |
Tue, 5 August 2014
Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “Sacred Wounds” from Genesis 32:22-31 for The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost on August 3, 2014. At the beginning of the scene, we are led to believe that Jacob is wrestling with a man; at the end of the scene, we realize he has been wrestling with God all along. The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost |
Mon, 28 July 2014
Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “Our Anchor of hope” from Romans 8:26-39 for The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost on July 27, 2014. The gospel is our anchor of hope, and maintains our sanity in this fallen world with all its beauty, confusion and heartache. The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost |
Mon, 21 July 2014
Michael McGhee preached a sermon entitled “Dealing With Shame” on Romans 8:12-25 for The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost on July 20, 2014. The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost |
Mon, 14 July 2014
Michael McGhee preached a sermon entitled “What the Heart Loves” on Romans 8:1-11 for The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost on July 13, 2014. The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost |
Mon, 7 July 2014
Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “The Gospel Is The Cure” from Romans 7:14-25 for The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost on July 6, 2014. In our epistle reading today, Paul helps us understand the nature and reality of the tension we experience in the Christian life, with that understanding comes freedom. The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost |
Wed, 2 July 2014
Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “True Freedom” from Romans 6:12-23 for The Third Sunday after Pentecost on June 29, 2014. In our epistle reading today, Paul explains to us that what we often think of as freedom actually leads to slavery, and that true freedom is only found as we experience new life in Christ. The Third Sunday after Pentecost |
Sat, 28 June 2014
Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “Fear Transformed to Courage” for The Day of Pentecost on June 8, 2014. The primary effect of Pentecost—for the first disciples and us—is that it creates a fellowship with a new and shared experience of the Gospel—this fellowship is caught up into the life of the risen Lord. In a new awareness of him and of one another they burst into praise, and they are sent into the world as bearers of this Good News. The Day of Pentecost |
Sun, 22 June 2014
Michael McGhee preached a sermon entitled “The Freedom of Forgiveness” on Romans 6:1-11 for The Second Sunday after Pentecost on June 22, 2014. The Second Sunday after Pentecost |
Mon, 16 June 2014
Michael McGhee preached a sermon entitled “Holy Mystery” for Trinity Sunday on June15, 2014. Trinity Sunday |
Mon, 2 June 2014
Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “Incarnate Forever” for Ascension Sunday on June 1, 2014. In the ascension Jesus continues as the incarnate Word--He ascends to heaven with a human body--He is exalted as our King but through the Cross. The Ascension of the Lord A Reading from a commentary on St John’s Gospel by Cyril of Alexandria Our Lord Jesus Christ has opened for us a new and living way into God’s presence, ‘not entering a sanctuary made by human hands, but by entering heaven itself to appear before God on our behalf’. For Christ has not entered heaven in order to make his own appearance before God the Father. He was, and is, and always will be in the Father, in the sight of the One from whom he receives his being, for in him is the Father’s unending joy. But today, the Word, who had never been clothed in human nature before, has ascended as a human being, revealing himself in a new and unfamiliar way. And he has done this for us and in our name, so that being like us (though with the status of the Son) and hearing the command to ‘Sit at my right hand’, he might transmit to fellow members of the human race the glory of being children of God. For since he became man it is as one of us that he sits at the right hand of God the Father, though in truth he is above all creation and is one in being with his Father: God from God, Light from Light. It was, then, as a human being on our behalf that he appeared before the Father today, to enable those who had been cast out from the Father’s presence because of sin to once again behold the face of God. As the Son he took his seat to enable us as sons and daughters through him to be called the children of God. That is why Paul, who claims to speak for Christ, teaches that the whole human race participates in the life of Christ, saying: ‘God has raised us up with Christ and enthroned us with him in the heavenly places.’ |
Thu, 29 May 2014
Danny Bryant preached a sermon entitled “The Spirit of Truth” for The Sixth Sunday of Easter on May 25, 2014. The Sixth Sunday of Easter |
Tue, 20 May 2014
Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “Bless the Place Where You Live” for The Fifth Sunday of Easter on May 18, 2014. God urges us to seek the welfare of the places where He has put us. Within the spheres of influence that God has given us, we are to be agents of shalom--in our work, our neighborhoods, the institutions we serve, our town and the part of creation in which we dwell. The Fifth Sunday of Easter |
Mon, 12 May 2014
Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “How Is Your Priesthood Going?” for The Fourth Sunday of Easter on May 11, 2014. God calls us to participate in the story of His divine embrace. We are given a calling, a priesthood from God. Each of us has been created for a purpose, to fulfill a key role in serving others with the gifts and talents God has given us. The Fourth Sunday of Easter
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Wed, 7 May 2014
Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “The Mark of God's Loving Embrace” for The Third Sunday of Easter on April 27, 2014. The whole of the Christian life is lived out of our union with Christ; participation in the life of Christ and thus in the very life of God. Baptism is the rite (ceremony) of this spiritual union with God. Being baptized is the sign, the mark of God’s loving embrace of you. The Third Sunday of Easter |
Mon, 28 April 2014
Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “The Divine Embrace: The Two Arms of God” for The Second Sunday of Easter on April 27, 2014. What is the overarching story of our faith…and how do we connect with it? How does it relate to the nitty-gritty details of our everyday life? God became one of us, ”dwelt among us” as John puts it, and restored the union of humanity with Himself.
The Second Sunday of Easter Acts 2:14, 22-32 Psalm 16 1 Peter 1:1-9 John 20:19-31 |
Mon, 21 April 2014
Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “That We Might Walk in Newness of Life” for Easter Sunday on April 20, 2014. The empty tomb meant that power of a closed world—the world defined by humanity’s failure, by our failures, is broken…If you are in Christ, you also, just like Peter and Jesus’ other followers on that Sunday, are included in the New Creation. The power of the resurrection is at work within you. Easter Sunday Acts 10:34-43 Psalm 118:1-2,14-24 Colossians 3:1-4 Matthew 28:1-10 |
Mon, 14 April 2014
Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “The Ministry of Disillusionment” based on Matthew 27:11-54 for Palm Sunday on April 13, 2014. The ministry of disillusionment is the ongoing and continual discovery that the world is broken—at every level.The death of Jesus provides the only starting point for us as Christians for understanding and living in a broken world. Palm Sunday Isaiah 50:4-9 Psalm 31:9-16 Philippians 2:5-11 Matthew 27:11-54 |
Mon, 7 April 2014
Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “The Defeat of Death” based on John 11:1-45 for the Fifth Sunday of Lent on April 6, 2014. In our Gospel reading today Jesus interrupts a funeral to show that He will defeat our ultimate enemy, death itself.
Fifth Sunday of Lent Ezekiel 37:1-14 Psalm 130 Romans 8:6-11 John 11:1-45 |
Mon, 31 March 2014
Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “Two Kinds of Blindness” based on John 9:1-41 for the Fourth Sunday of Lent on March 30, 2014. Our Gospel reading today is a story of one physically blind who receives his spiritual sight, and others, supposedly possessing spiritual insight, who are actually blind. God sees in a different mode to how we see.
Fourth Sunday of Lent 1 Samuel 16:1-13 Psalm 23 Ephesians 5:8-14 John 9:1-41 |
Tue, 25 March 2014
Our bishop, the Archbishop Robert Duncan, visited St. John's this Sunday. He worshipped with us, preached the Gospel, and did confirmations. His sermon,“Give Me This Water,” was based on John 4 on the Third Sunday of Lent on March 23, 2014. The Third Sunday of Lent Exodus 17:1-7 Romans 5:1-11 |
Mon, 17 March 2014
Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “Abraham and Christian Hope” based on Genesis 12:1-4 and Romans 4:1-5, 15-17 for the Second Sunday of Lent on March 16, 2014. When we seem to be at a dead end or a stuck place, the freedom of God is the source of our hope. The freedom of God means that He is not bound by how the world defines what is possible. |
Tue, 11 March 2014
Rod McLain preached a sermon entitled “Baptism and Temptation” based on Matthew 4:1-11 for The First Sunday of Lent on March 9, 2014.
The First Sunday of Lent Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 Psalm 32
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Tue, 11 March 2014
Thomas McKenzie preached a sermon entitled “The Real Jesus” based on Matthew 17:1-9 for Transfiguration Sunday on March 2, 2014.
Transfiguration Sunday Exodus 24:12-18 Psalm 99 2 Peter 1:16-21 Matthew 17:1-9 |
Sat, 1 March 2014
Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “The Missio Dei: Being a Witness” based on 1 Corinthians 3:10-23 for The Seventh Sunday after Epiphany on February 23, 2014. Being a witness means manifesting God’s light in the everyday circumstances of life and leaving the results to God.
The Seventh Sunday after Epiphany Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18 Psalm 119:33-40 1 Corinthians 3:10-23 Matthew 5:38-48 |
Mon, 17 February 2014
Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “The Missio Dei: God Causes the Growth” based on 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 for The Sixth Sunday after Epiphany on February 16, 2014. God causes the growth, we are his workers, cultivating and facilitating the life that comes from Him.
The Sixth Sunday after Epiphany Deuteronomy 30:15-20 Psalm 119:1-8 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 Matthew 5:21-37 |
Mon, 10 February 2014
Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “The Missio Dei: Foretaste” based on Matthew 5:13-20 for The Fifth Sunday after Epiphany on February 9, 2014. The church, in the ordinary work of its common life, becomes—in itself—a locally embodied foretaste of the Kingdom.
The Fifth Sunday after Epiphany Isaiah 58:1-9 Psalm 112:1-9 1 Corinthians 2:1-16 Matthew 5:13-20 |
Sun, 2 February 2014
Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “The Missio Dei: Receiving the Gopsel” based on 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 for The Fourth Sunday after Epiphany on February 2, 2014. To participate in God’s mission, we must receive the Gospel in an on-going way: continually bring our sin-marred lives to God by faith, and open ourselves in an on-going way to the restorational power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Fourth Sunday after Epiphany Micah 6:1-8 Psalm 15 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 Matthew 5:1-12 |
Mon, 27 January 2014
Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “The Missio Dei: Following Jesus” based on Matthew 4:12-23 for The Third Sunday after Epiphany on January 26, 2014. The missio Dei, God’s redemptive mission to the world, always begins with Jesus calling followers.
The Third Sunday after Epiphany Isaiah 9:1-4 Psalm 27:1, 4-9 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 Matthew 4:12-23 |
Sun, 19 January 2014
Rod McLain preached a sermon entitled “The Lamb of God” based on John 1:29-42 for The Second Sunday after the Epiphany on January 12, 2014.
The Second Sunday after the Epiphany Isaiah 49:1-7 Psalm 40:1-11 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 John 1:29-42 |
Sun, 12 January 2014
Danny Bryant preached a sermon entitled “The Power of God's Delight” based on Matthew 3:13-17 for The Baptism of the Lord on January 12, 2014.
The Baptism of the Lord Isaiah 42:1-9 Psalm 29 Acts 10:34-43 Matthew 3:13-17 |
Sun, 5 January 2014
Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “No Longer At Ease Here” based on Matthew 2:1-12 for The Feast of the Epiphany on January 5, 2014. Epiphany marks the celebration of the New Testament reality that the revelation of God, the Gospel, is now available to all the peoples of the earth. All this was a long time ago, I remember, From The Journey of the Magi, T.S. Eliot
The Feast of the Epiphany Isaiah 60:1-6 Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14 Ephesians 3:1-12 Matthew 2:1-12 |