Reducing suffering is a noble aim and it should be encouraged. But to do this effectively, teachers of mindfulness need to acknowledge that personal stress also has societal causes. By failing to address collective suffering, and systemic change that might remove it, they rob mindfulness of its real revolutionary potential, reducing it to something banal …
The benefits of justification
A sermon by Rod Benson Romans 5:1-11 God planned it. Abraham experienced it. David worshipped in the light of it. Jesus paid for it. The Holy Spirit applies it to us. And we enjoy its unique benefits. I’m talking about justification, the big word Paul uses for a central aspect of salvation, where God declares …
A sermon on euthanasia
Job 14:5-13; 2 Peter 1:2-4 When I was asked to preach a topical sermon on the subject of euthanasia, my thoughts turned to the tragic and mysterious Old Testament character named Job. There are many life lessons for us in the Book of Job, many opportunities to pause from frantic attempts to make a life …
The consolation of Job
A sermon by Rod Benson for Seniors Week. Martin Luther called it “magnificent and sublime as no other book in Scripture.”[1] “Considered from a purely literary perspective, the book of Job is the supreme literary achievement of the Old Testament.”[2] Job is a biblical book like no other. Its themes invite philosophical speculation. Its story …
Praying when God is silent
A sermon by Rod Benson Mark 15:21-39 Christians are people who pray. We love prayer. We love answers to prayer. We believe it is vital to our identity as Christians. And yet we are not immune to the malady of unanswered prayer. Is God indifferent to our cries for help, our desperate pleas, our intercession …
