While it is yet day

Haddon Willmer

Today

  • Don’t let the sun go down on your anger

    Riot on the streets answered by stern prosecutions and prisons over-full – will that ensure order, bring peace?  We have often been here before. Read, for example, Austin Lovegrove’s informative and entertaining book, Images of an Australian Enlightenment: The Story of Lachlan and Elizabeth Macquarie’s Treatment of the Convicts as a History Tale for Today…

  • Prayer and politics

    Praying is no substitute for politics. When we abandon living in the world, when we no longer love the earth, when we ignore the neighbour on the road, prayer is left empty, make-believe piety. We no longer walk with Jesus, Word made flesh, whatever our orthodox profession. Politics, even when it has not collapsed into…

  • Looking for the heavenly Jerusalem – on earth

    GIVEN a choice, would you live in the country or in the city? Many of our cities have declining populations because people get away if they can. We have enough hassle travelling into work in the city, we do not want to live there as well.  Why is the city so uncomfortable? It jams so…

  • Praying in our exiles 

    Sometimes people go far away, for a holiday perhaps. They find themselves alone in strange places and discover the experience is stimulating, educational even.  Millions of people are now tourists; but millions more are refugees and exiles: they find themselves alone and lonely in strange places. Theirs is a destructive experience. Being an exile means…

  • Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?

    Sermon on Luke 7.18-23, preached at Moortown Baptist Church, 25 February 2024 You can watch this at the link below, from 26.40 – 56.40 minutes, followed by the hymn ‘Fold to your heart your sister and your brother‘.

  • Love Your Enemies

    “You have heard, you shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”.    (Matt 5:43) These words sound like a call, even a command. But we fear the risk. So the miserable-go-round of the world continues – we have enemies, and we hate them,…

  • A good politician’s reverberating mistake

    Readings : Nehemiah 13.23-31; Matthew 5.38-48 You can watch this sermon here (27:00-52:00, with prayers from 52:00-54:00). I respect and value Nehemiah because he was a politician – a good politician, good hearted, good ideas, great skill and courage.  Politics is unavoidable in our living together. We know how much we need good politicians every…

  • Monday morning

    Monday morning, I sit down to write this piece, only a few hours left before it is due. And very little idea – or perhaps too many ideas, probably most won’t do. A clue-question I will follow: What is my world this morning? ‘My world’ is the great created living world as it comes to…