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 →
Peace (Luke 1:68-79)
Finding our way from one place to another has become much easier since the Global Positioning System, or GPS, was invented. Finding our destination on a map, working out the best way to get there, and relying on someone in the passenger’s seat to give the driver accurate directions could get pretty complicated. It was... Continue Reading →
A Glimpse of Eternity (Revelation 7:9-17)
A few months before any new movie is released in the cinema, a trailer for the movie usually appears. We might see these trailers in a few different places: as advertisements on our televisions, at the cinema before we see another movie, or on YouTube. Their purpose is to give us an idea of what... Continue Reading →
Many Parts, One Body: On Ordination in the LCANZ (1 Corinthians 12:18-27)
The human body is an amazing thing. When our bodies are working well, we can do so much that is good, creative and beautiful. People are able to make incredible works of art, build impressive structures, grow magnificent plants and flowers, and perform outstanding sporting achievements. Even the everyday things we do like going for... Continue Reading →
Unstained Religion (James 1:17-27)
The word ‘religion’ can mean lots of different things. For example, when people say they aren’t religious, it can mean that they don’t attend church services. An increasing number of people talk about being ‘spiritual but not religious’ which can mean that they believe in something but aren’t part of a religious organisation. People can... Continue Reading →
Expectation or gift? (Mark 2:23-3:6)
Next weekend, the second weekend in June, will be a long weekend for most Australians to celebrate the birthday of King Charles III. Whatever our thoughts might be about the monarchy, most of us will probably be happy about the public holiday as it gives us an extra day to relax and do something enjoyable... Continue Reading →
Paraclete (John 15:26,27;16:4b-15)
(click play to listen to this week's message) Have you ever tried to give yourself a haircut? When the COVID-19 pandemic was at its worst, there were stories about people who had been locked down for extended periods of time trying to tame their out-of-control hair by cutting it themselves. There were some interesting haircuts... Continue Reading →
Buried Grain (John 12:20-33)
When we go to the supermarket or visit a bakery, there is a huge variety of products we can buy that are made from wheat. We can choose from an enormous range of different breads, cakes, biscuits, breakfast cereals, and other foods. This can be hard for people with a gluten intolerance or allergy who... Continue Reading →
God’s Will For His People (1 Thessalonians 5:16-24)
At this time of year people might be making a few different lists. There can be lists of work we need to complete before we get some time off over Christmas and New Year, things we need to do to prepare to celebrate Christmas, grocery shopping lists for the food we need to get for... Continue Reading →
Gathered (Mark 13:24-37)
On Saturday night I was at the Foo Fighters concert in Adelaide. I know it’s probably not the best way to prepare for leading worship the next day, but there are a few reasons why I love the Foo Fighters and go to their concerts when they play in the city where I live. For... Continue Reading →