Sermons by Jacob Theunisz, BSc, BTh, usually preached in St. Anna and St. Mary’s Haarlem.
I remember very well how, over 20 years ago, one of my sons was dressed up like a soldier in church, as a living illustration of Ephesians 6. We pointed out all the various pieces of his armour to the congregation, with my son being a mixture of proud and shy. Much of the symbolism [...]
It is not my intention to advertise it, but Addy and I obtain some of our fruit and vegetables from a delivery service called “the Great Temptation”. With that name they probably wanted to express that their merchandise is of high quality and therefore irresistible. This is just one of many examples of temptation and seductiveness [...]
At times, Jesus was really fed up with the Pharisees. When their arguments fail, they look for a sign. And then not like the poor and suffering, who seek healing or forgiveness or hope, but for a sign of power and authority, because otherwise they don't think Jesus is worthwhile. Jesus knows that such a [...]
A few months ago a Dutch policeman named Arno was killed by a truck driver. The truck driver was not unknown to the police. He had caused several similar incidents and everyone who knew him said he hated the police. It was a mystery why this man was still in possession of a driving licence. [...]
On the 13th of April 2021 I was privileged to be interviewed by two spiritual directors in the USA on the subject of clergy and laity. Chris and Maggie are fellow-lay-ministers who regularly produce podcasts. Much recommended. How important it is to have a good understanding of the Greek words related to priesthood, is [...]
Today we think about the shame we sometimes feel when we suffer or when we are associated with people who suffer. Let’s break up the gospel reading in three pieces: suffering, shame and salvation. The first part of our text marks a huge change in Jesus’ ministry. So far his followers had [...]
Video of the sermon, with English subtitles Video of the entire online service (no subtitles) When it comes to the past year, in all honesty I am probably just like you, at a loss for words. Even though we live in a relatively rich and free [...]
Video of the meditation, with English subtitles Video of the entire online service (no subtitles) In the past weeks we have been considering the Psalms and how they can help us to pray and to worship. We have heard how some of them focus on praise [...]
The above audio file contains the sermon and part of the rest of the worship service held in the Scottish International Church in Rotterdam on Sunday 28 September 2020. Due to technical issues with the recording, parts were inaudible or hard to understand. These were removed. The full version can still be found [...]
Today's gospel reading is not a long one, but there is so much in it. So in a reflection like this, we have to make a choice as to what to focus on. And to me the most striking thing here, is most certainly Peter’s confession. Jesus had asked his disciples to [...]
