Sermons from Pastor Nathan Hedt

Ripples of the Resurrection (1 Peter 1)

Through the resurrection of Jesus, God throws a huge rock into the pond of the universe! The ripples of that rock spread out from that point, and from every point where the risen Jesus meets with real people. These ripples have an impact – they make a difference – in the lives of real people.

1 Peter 1 shows us the effect in our own lives of the ripples of the resurrection.

This sermon was preached on Sunday 1^st May at St John’s Southgate.

Enjoy!

The Lord's prayer through Lent - Part 2: your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven

In these parts of the Lord's prayer, Jesus invites us to pray for the coming of God's kingdom. God's kingdom was the key concern of Jesus' life, ministry, death and resurrection. Jesus invites us also to be part of the answer to the prayer, ' Your will be done on earth as in heaven.' This sermon explores the theme of God's kingdom and the question of what is NOT God's will, and what IS God's will? It was preached on Sunday 20th March 2011 at St John's Southgate. You can use this sermon with the bible study found at this link. Enjoy!

The Lord's prayer through Lent - Part 1: Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name

of his own prayer, but also a gift of relationship with God as our loving heavenly Father. This sermon series explores the Lord's prayer in more depth, inviting us to plumb its riches and encouraging us to join Jesus in praying. Part 1 examines the invocation and first petition: from 'Father', the first word in prayer, to 'hallowed be your name.' It was preached on Sunday 13th March 2011 at St John's Southgate. You can use this sermon with the bible study found at this link. Enjoy!

That's my boy: meditations on the Transfiguration

On the mountain of Transfiguration, we hear the voice of the Father. What mysteries of the universe will God reveal as he speaks? Instead of profound mysteries of the Universe, God shows us the true identity of his Son, Jesus. Jesus' identity as Son of God and his approval as beloved, well-pleasing are prior to his activity. So in our lives, Jesus gives us the gift of identity and approval which underpin all our activity. This sermon was preached on Sunday 6th March at St John's Southgate Lutheran Church. It can be used in conjunction with the small group bible study that can be found at this link. Enjoy!

Resisting Evil (Turn the other cheek?) - Matthew 5

Jesus' teaching in Matthew 5:28-48 has often been either misunderstood or ignored. "Do not resist the evil person"? "Turn the other cheek"? Is Jesus really teaching passive acquiescence and nonresistance to evil?  But wasn't Jesus' whole life, ministry, and death a struggle against the dehumanising powers of evil in all their forms?  So possibly, we have misunderstood his teaching. In Matthew 5:28-48, Jesus is not teaching passive acquiescence and nonresistance to the powers, but creative nonviolent resistance to the powers of evil. This sermon examines Jesus' teaching and what it means for our lives as his followers. The sermon was preached on Sunday 20th February, 2011, at St John's Southgate Lutheran Church. You can access the PREZI which accompanied the sermon (and which contains a bible study) at this link. Enjoy!

The road to true humanity - with a short detour

Jesus' radical teaching in the Sermon on the Mount lays out for us the path to true humanity, with warning signs that alert us to the danger of going the wrong way, and ending up with our lives on the rubbish dump of life. Jesus also gives us an alternative, life-giving way of ethical living as children of God that leads to true humanity and true life. This sermon was preached at St John's Southgate on Sunday 13th February 2011. It was presented with the aid of a ' PREZI' slideshow, which has been updated to include a bible study (you will need internet access in order to use the PREZI as a bible study outline). That Prezi can be viewed at this link. Enjoy!

You are the Gatorade of the world

Would Jesus perhaps have said this if he preached the Sermon on the Mount in our times? What does it really mean to be 'salt' and 'light' in this world? How do we 'Be who we are' as Jesus' people? This sermon is based on Matthew 5:11-20. It was preached at St John's Southgate on Sunday February 6th, 2011. Enjoy!