NOTE: I preached this sermon at the Murri Evangelical Church (a Baptist church) in Ipswich, Queensland, Australia, on the first anniversary of the 1996 Australian federal election which swept Pauline Hanson onto the national political stage. Ms Hanson’s seat of Oxley, since renamed Blair following electoral boundary changes in 1998, included most of the city …
Living counter-culturally in the world
A sermon by Rod Benson, Perth, 21 September 2014 Matthew 3:1-3; 4:12-13, 17-19 Then Jesus took his disciples up a mountain and, gathering them unto himself, he taught them, saying: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are …
A pastoral response to same sex marriage
A sermon preached at Toongabbie Baptist Church, Sydney, 28 September 2014 Genesis 1:27-2:1; Romans 12:18-21 In an episode of The Simpsons, Springfield’s mayor calls for ideas to promote tourism, and Lisa Simpson suggests allowing same-sex marriages. The idea is approved and Springfield becomes the place to be for same-sex nuptials. When Rev Lovejoy refuses to …
Reflections on ordination
A sermon by Rod BensonSunday 10 October 1999 The great nineteenth-century Christian leader, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, described by many as “the prince of preachers,” occupied the pulpit of London’s New Park Street Baptist Church and its successor, the renowned Metropolitan Tabernacle, from 1854 to 1892. When asked if he were a Doctor of Divinity, he …
A young person’s wisdom
Sunday 28 October 2001 Job 32-37 Toby Nelson worked as a volunteer chaplain at the site of the demolished twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York. He writes: In between spontaneous comfort and counseling sessions, one could see the enormity of this disaster. TV images and words fail to capture what I …
