Sermons from the preaching at St James Anglican Church, Dandenong
On this first Sunday in Advent, our readings remind and warn us to be ready by putting aside the deeds of darkness and receiving the light of Christ. Jesus offers a kingdom worth preparing for. So what does it mean for you to get ready and prepare for Christ’s coming?
Rev Graeme Peters preaches on What sort of King will Jesus be and what will his kingdom be like?
1. His Coronation: Mockery and rejection.
2. His Kingship: He came to serve and to die for our Salvation.
3. His Kingdom: Here, but still coming.
Rev Jeremy Watson preaches on Change and Uncertainty in our midst - So Beware and Endure. Much change and uncertainty will continue for Jesus’ disciples, as the church is persecuted and scattered to the ends of the earth. But amidst change, difficulty, trials and opposition, we can hold onto Jesus and his kingdom: ‘For by your endurance, you will gain your souls’ (21:19).
Rev Jeremy Watson preaches on DO YOU BELIEVE IN THE RESURRECTION POWER OF GOD? It might seem hard to believe that God can transform our weary, fragile, ordinary lives. The Sadducees in Jesus’ day also doubted God’s power to transform, to the extent that they did not even believe in a future resurrection age.
Rev Graeme Peters preaches on GOD’S UPSIDE-DOWN KINGDOM
Jesus inaugurating the kingdom of God on earth with his coming. His teachings were like a kingdom manifesto, what does it mean to live in his kingdom? Jesus said, "Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another".
Our vicar Graeme Peters preaches from Luke 18.15-30, let the little children come to Jesus.
Our vicar Graeme Peters preaches from Luke 18:1-14 on confidence & humility. Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.
Our vicar Graeme Peters preaches for the first time at St James from Luke 17:11-19, Jesus' healing of the ten lepers. While ten are cured of their skin disease, only one - an unlikely Samaritan - returns to Jesus to thank him and begin a relationship. We too are to be open to the faith of the outsider, recognising that Jesus' mercy is available to all.
God's grace and compassion are able to change our heart, even though we, like Jonah, can be slow learners. Yet we have even more knowledge and experience of God's grace than Jonah, for we can look to Jesus, whom the unlikely prophet Jonah is a sign.
Jonah 3 provides examples for both heeding God's call into mission (as Jonah preaches to Ninevah) and of repentance (as all of Ninevah turns away from violent and wicked deeds). Given what Christ has achieved, how much more can a Christian trust God for mission and to live a life of repentance as God enables by his grace.
