A crowd follows Jesus and the disciples to a remote place and are fed by Jesus as he teaches them. After a time there is a need to satisfy their hunger. A boy with a lunchbox of some loaves and fish becomes a faithful key to the feeding miracle that follows.
We continue to explore our ‘life-givng’ themes and look at how we become involved in miracles of God’s abundance.
Sermon Sunday July 26th, 2009 (pdf)
St. David’s Uniting Church, Oakleigh
Rev. Arnie Wierenga
As we continue reflecting on life-giving moments where God’s story has touched our own deeply, we discover that King David has a story that reflects our third life-giving theme:
We are a pilgrim people on the way.
We acknowledge that we are members of a community
and are not separate from it.
David was a nomadic pilgrim who finally was able to celebrate the Ark of God finding a home in the city of Jerusalem. But when David wanted to build a magnificent place to house the sacred Ark, God had other ideas. The God who cannot be contained is found with and within the people, and so is not separate from community.
Sermon July 19th, 2009 (pdf)
St. David’s Uniting Church, Oakleigh
Rev. Arnie Wierenga
King David knew clearly the story of God and how it was intertwined in his own life. He had good reason to dance as the Ark of the Covenant was being brought into Jerusalem, the religious centre of the new unified kingdom of Israel.
As we reflect on David’s story we ask about our own story of God and if we know it well enough to dance with joy. Are the places we inhabit the equivalent of God’s Holy City?
Sermon Sunday July 12th, 2009 (pdf)
In Jesus’ home town, the people tried to dismiss him because he seemed to be aiming above himself. As the disciples are sent out by Jesus, the could have been targeted with the same criticism. The unlikely band of twelve contained the likes of rough fishermen and tax cheats.
If Jesus could form and send out this band of twelve with the authority of God, then he does the same with us. We commit to growing and maturing our faith so that we are equipped to answer his call.
Sermon 5th July, 2009 (pdf)
St. David’s Uniting Church, Oakleigh
Rev. Arnie Wierenga