St Barnabas Swanland, Sunday Sermon Summaries

  Matthew 22: 15-22 2 Corinthians 9: 6-8   Who would want to be a Pharisee? We don’t need a degree in theology to know that the 1st-century sect known as the Pharisees don’t come off too well in the Bible.    It’s strange in some ways; they were the ultra-religious.    They believed the right things – immortality of the soul, resurrection, and afterlife and emphasised ritual purity... trying to obey their interpretation of God’s laws, and calling on others to do the same.    You would have thought that they would welcome Jesus. But Jesus was not the sort of Messiah they were expecting - and the gospels tell the story of the increasing tension and conflict. ·          The Pharisees are generally depicted in the gospels as opponents of Jesus, critical of his behaviour, hostile in their questions.      Their meticulous observance of rules led to pride, and contempt or condemnation for the less observ...

  Readings: 1 Timothy 6: 6-10 and Matthew 6: 25-33   Harvest is one of those times in the church calendar when we love to celebrate the rhythms of creation. We bring forward our produce and gifts, and we sing the familiar, comforting hymns about all being safely gathered in before the winter storms begin. It feels warm, stable, and deeply reassuring. Yet, if we are honest, for many of us in a comfortable, prosperous community, Harvest can feel just a little bit detached from our day-to-day reality. Most of us haven't spent the last six months anxiously scanning the skies for rain or praying over the health of a wheat crop. We don't get our food from a field; we get it from Sainsbury’s or Morrisons, or Waitrose if we want to avoid the riff raff! If we want strawberries in December, we buy them. If we want focaccia or sourdough bread, we don't pray for a good harvest; we simply tap our contactless card or phone. For a relatively affluent group, the great danger is...