What does the word, “hero” mean to you? Does it bring to mind any particular mental image? Once upon a time movies would present us with hero after hero – all much the same: tell, white, male, athletic and inclined to never speak at all except for the occasional, well-timed witticism. That has changed for the better. Heroes in today’s movies are more likely to be awkward teenaged girls, who rescue themselves, and save the world in the process, rather than waiting for a tall, silent man to come along and rescue them. Today’s passages give us a similarly nuanced look at what it means to be a hero.
It only ever happens once. And the person who achieves it is the last person you would expect. Although with Jesus, you have learned to expect the unexpected.
When life feels out of control, does that mean God is absent? Or does it mean we are looking in the wrong place?
Rev Pam Hynd's sermon for Pentecost 9 (Ordinary 17)
Where do you go when you want to be with God? Where do you go when you want to get away from God? Where do you look for wisdom? And for hope? What is all this suffering is leading to something wonderful, beyond our imagining?
Bishop Jeremy Greaves' sermon for Pentecost 7
Rev Kathy Hammers' Sermon for Pentecost 6
Full Evensong service at St John's Cathedral, 2 July 2023. Rev Margaret's sermon on the 19th Century Author - theologian - mystic begins at around 54 minutes
So, today we do some thinking about Abraham's call to (NOT) sacrifice Isaac. Really disturbing but also foundational. God does not have needs. God does not demand sacrifice. That's a hard message to get through.
Maybe history is told from the perspective of the victors. But it is when we read from the perspective of the victims that we begin to see that God is up to.