Last weekend Tropical Cyclone Alfred had a severe impact on South-East Queensland and Northern New South Wales. There were plenty of pictures and videos of high winds, massive waves, pelting rain, flooding rivers and the damage which resulted from these extreme storm conditions. Some of the more amazing images showed people venturing out into the... Continue Reading →
Tested Love (Luke 4:1-13)
In a few messages this year I have explored the point of view that the heart of the Christian message is Jesus’ new command to his disciples: to love one another the way that he has loved us (John 13:34). St Paul tells us that the only thing that counts in the Christian life is... Continue Reading →
Unveiled (2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2)
I remember a conversation I had years ago with someone who didn’t believe that God exists. We were standing in a school carpark and this person at one point in the conversation looked around him with his arms wide open and said, “Where is he? I can’t see him. Show me God so I can... Continue Reading →
Missional Listening (Luke 5:1-11)
How well do you receive advice from others? Sometimes we can find it hard to receive advice. We might think that we know what we’re doing, or that we want to work out problems or challenges by ourselves. However, when we are facing a problem we’ve never confronted before, when the challenge seems too overwhelming,... Continue Reading →
Back to Basics (1 Corinthians 13:1-13)
Matthew, Mark and Luke all tell stories of conversations Jesus had with people about the greatest commandment (Matthew 22:34-40; Mark 12:28-34; Luke 10:25-28). Jesus quoted the Old Testament when he said that the greatest command is to love the Lord God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength (Deuteronomy 6:5), and to love our... Continue Reading →
So Many Choices! (Ephesians 1:3-14)
Have you ever looked at a menu and found it hard to decide what to order because there were so many good choices? Sometimes we can go to a restaurant or café and something on the menu appeals to us, so we choose it straight away. At other times, however, there can be so many... Continue Reading →
Joy in the Mess (Luke 2:1-7)
When people are expecting a child, they often plan for the baby to be born in a birthing suite at a hospital. These maternity wards are clean and sterile where every care is taken for the safe delivery of the child. Experienced medical professionals are present in case there is an emergency of some kind,... Continue Reading →
Love (Hebrews 10:5-10)
At this time of year, a lot of people are invited to meals or Christmas celebrations with families or friends. We can often bring something to eat or drink to share with others when we get together. For example, we might like to bring a platter of the Barossa’s best meats and cheeses, a delicious... Continue Reading →
Joy (Philippians 4:4-7)
In 1974, a Hungarian sculptor and architecture professor named Ernö Rubik invented a puzzle which has challenged and frustrated people ever since. If you’ve never seen a Rubik’s Cube, it is a small cube with nine tiles on each face. When you buy a Rubiks’ Cube, the tiles on each face are the same colour... Continue Reading →
Hope (Jeremiah 33:14-16)
Not too long ago, before digital technology, if we were taking a photograph, we would need to load film into a camera, take the shot, wait until we had filled the roll of film, take the film to a chemist or some other place to be developed, and then wait at least a few more... Continue Reading →