Michael Toy
Michael Toy is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Religious Studies at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington studying digital religion in New Zealand. He also serves as public theologian for the Student Christian Movement Aotearoa.
Sermons and Bible Studies
The God of Hope, Advent 2 (A) – December 7, 2025
[RCL] Isaiah 11:1-10; Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19; Romans 15:4-13; Matthew 3:1-12 God is the God of Advent. As we hurtle towards Christmas, this liturgical season encourages us to pause and ponder the Advent themes of waiting, expectation, repentance, and hope. Today’s scripture lessons dig deep into these concepts, with Isaiah and the Psalmist both painting vivid […]
Enemies, Lent 2 (C) – 2025
[RCL] Genesis 45:3-11, 15; Psalm 37:1-12, 41-42; 1 Corinthians 15:35-38,42-50; Luke 6:27-38 “For many lives as enemies of the cross of Christ.” In his letter to the Philippians, Paul explains that these enemies of the cross are focused on earthly things and pursuing a hedonistic existence here in this life. There is no scholarly consensus […]
Wisdom and Understanding, Epiphany 6 (C) – 2025
[RCL] Jeremiah 17:5-10; Psalm 1; 1 Corinthians 15:12-20; Luke 6:17-26 There’s a piece of folk wisdom passed down each generation from violin teachers to violin students that when a string instrument is played well, the instrument itself improves. This bit of lore extends not just to violins, but to all string instruments, including the cello, […]
The God of Time, The Presentation – 2025
[RCL] Malachi 3:1-4; Psalm 84 or Psalm 24:7-10; Hebrews 2:14-18; Luke 2:22-40 God is the God of time. The readings appointed for this week in the lectionary each give a powerful reminder that God is not an aloof entity who stands above and outside of our world. We worship a God who has actually entered […]
Bible Study: Advent 1 (C) – 2021
RCL: Jeremiah 33:14-16; Psalm 25:1-9; 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13; Luke 21:25-36 During Advent and Christmas, we will be using study prompts and other activities tied to the sermon for the week. Read the sermon aloud and follow up with spoken responses to the two questions at the end. Find our full sermon compilation for individual, small […]
Bible Study: Advent 2 (B) – 2020
RCL: Isaiah 40:1-11; Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13; 2 Peter 3:8-15a; Mark 1:1-8 Pointing to Christ The perennial challenge during Advent and Christmastime is to hear anew the familiar story we all know. We all know the story. We’ve all seen the Christmas pageants. We’ve set up the Nativity crèche with the holy family, cow, donkey, and […]
Lent: A Season for Dominance, Lent 1 (A) – 2020
[RCL]: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-19; Matthew 4:1-11; Psalm 32 “If, because of the one man’s trespass, death exercised dominion through that one, much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness exercise dominion in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.” What image does your mind […]
Zombie Ants, Baptism, and the Beloved, Epiphany 1 (A) – January 12, 2020
[RCL]: Isaiah 42:1-9; Psalm 29; Acts 10:34-43; Matthew 3:13-17 In the 1950s, a young Harvard professor, Dr. Ed Wilson, discovered something fascinating about ants. When an ant dies, after a couple of days, the other ants take it to the colony’s refuse pile where other dead ants and junk gets discarded. Ed Wilson discovered – […]
Bible Study: Easter 5 (B) – 2015
Acts 8:26-40 This story from Luke/Acts stars Philip, one of the seven deacons chosen earlier, in Acts 6:5. Philip has just come from Samaria, where he preached the gospel with joyous reception. Now we find Philip on a road in the wilderness where he teaches the Ethiopian eunuch about Jesus. In Acts 1:8, Jesus tells […]
Bible Study: Lent 4 (B) – 2015
Numbers 21:4-9 This passage finds the people of Israel after they have left Egypt and journeyed through the wilderness. Bullied by the Edomites, the Israelites become impatient on the circuitous route and repeat their malcontented refrain: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?” God responds by sending poisonous […]
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