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 →
Church (Ephesians 1:15-23)
What do you think of when someone uses the word ‘church’?The word ‘church’ can carry with it a few different meanings. For example, for a lot of people, a ‘church’ is a building where people gather for worship. For others, it might be the worship service that happens in the building. Still other people might... Continue Reading →
Accepting Others (Romans 14:1-12)
In our New Testament readings over the last couple of weeks, we have heard Paul talk about Christ-like love in the life of the Christian faith community. A fortnight ago we heard Paul say that ‘love must be sincere’ as he instructed Christians to ‘be devoted to one another in love’ (Rom 12:9,10 NIV). Last... Continue Reading →
Old and New Treasure (Matthew 13:52)
In all of Creation, one of the most beautiful and diverse things God has made is music. Every culture since the dawn of time has had its own form of music. In our own time, we have an incredible diversity of forms of music, from classical to rock, from pop to country, jazz, blues, punk,... Continue Reading →
Peter’s Missional Strategy (1 Peter 3:13-22)
When the Australian Bureau of Statistics released the results of the 2021 Census last year, many Christians were surprised to discover that, for the first time in the history of our nation, less than half of Australians who completed the census identified as Christian. It came as quite a shock to some, but Christians are... Continue Reading →
Living Stones (1 Peter 2:2-10)
One of the things people love about the Barossa Valley are the old buildings. It is amazing to think that the early settlers to the area constructed their homes, sheds and other buildings by hand, without modern machinery, using the materials they found around them. When we look at the old buildings made of stone,... Continue Reading →
Deep Love (1 Peter 1:17-23)
Towards the end of next month, I will be running a 5-week course to discuss the future of ministry with younger generations in our parish. These sessions will be based on a few resources I’ve come across over the last decade which have researched why younger people have been disconnecting from Christian churches and make... Continue Reading →