Each year, as College Chaplain at Worcester College at the University of Oxford, New Testament scholar N. T. Wright would meet first year undergraduates, welcoming them to the college and breaking the ice. Most were happy to meet him; but others said, “You won’t be seeing much of me; I don’t believe in god.” I …
How God rewards innocent suffering
A sermon by Rod Benson on Psalm 16. It’s all very well to praise God in song on Sunday morning, surrounded by the people of God. But what happens on Monday when I am alone in the universe, and I face familiar demons, and feel the panic rising; or I put the phone to my …
The crux of history
A sermon for Easter Sunday Christ is risen. He is risen indeed! I have great good news to share with you: The resurrection of Jesus is confirmation that God loves us; that God is for us, and not against us. The resurrection of Jesus is the crux of history. It is the most profound truth the …
The death of God
A sermon for Good Friday Can reading a book change your life? Harvard University Professor David Damrosch tells this story from his young adulthood: Early in the fall semester, I saw a sign for an audition that night for a production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s operetta Trial by Jury, and I wanted to try out for the …
Jesus the prophet
Our Gospel reading today tells the story of the “triumphal entry” of Jesus into Jerusalem (cf kZec 9:9), riding a donkey, welcomed by cheering crowds, just one week before his violent death. It’s the first of three symbolic acts in Matthew 21. This is the beginning of Passover Week: Jesus enters Jerusalem, the holy City of …
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