Sermons by The Ven. Rhonda Waters (Page 2)

We are here to remember. A sermon for Good Friday

Thanks be to God that we are a Good Friday people – called to see the world as it really is – broken and despised, fearful and violent, and also, always, loved and redeemed. So come – come to the foot of the cross; come in penitence; come in need… and come in hope-filled thanksgiving for the love that is stronger than sin, stronger than despair, stronger than death.

Being remembered by Holy Week

The story of Holy Week is not just another story. It is the story that makes us who we are – the formational memory of the community of the church, the Body of Christ. We don’t just tell this story – we live it, in the rituals of this week but more also – and more importantly – in our lives.

From revelation to transformation. A sermon on the Last Sunday of Epiphany which is also the second Sunday of Black History Month

Jesus may have been the one who was outwardly transfigured but it was Peter and James and John who were changed by what was revealed on that mountaintop, called to go beyond what they knew and embrace Jesus in a more complete way; to listen to him and obey his instruction to take up their own cross and journey with him down the mountain.

From generation to generation. A sermon for the first Sunday after Christmas.

Readiness for a new beginning is, perhaps, the most remarkable thing about Simeon – even more remarkable than his faithfulness in waiting or his ability to recognize the Messiah in the unlikely form of the baby Jesus. He was able to release what was finished and embrace the new beginning that God had prepared; to lay down his previous role with grace and humility and hope.

Mary’s “Yes”. A Sermon for the 4th Sunday of Advent.

But it is enough for Mary to understand that she is being asked to serve her God and her people; to participate in something worth the risk; a new chapter in the story of God’s promises. She doesn’t know everything she is saying “yes” to – but she knows who is asking and she is brave and bold and strong so she says “yes”, giving her whole self – body and soul and reputation – to the fulfilment of God’s story.

From Isaiah to Mary to Jesus to Us. A sermon for the 3rd Sunday in Advent

God has cast down the mighty and lifted up the lowly; God does cast down the mighty and lift up the lowly; God will cast down the mighty and lift up the lowly.

These are declarations of faith and they are powerful. They have sustained people in moments of crisis and over generations of struggle. But declarations of faith are not intended purely for comfort or sustenance. They are intended to shape lives; to direct attention and action in accordance with that faith.