Do you ever change your mind? We all make lots of decisions in our lives. Some of these might be small things about what we will eat, what we will wear, or how we will spend the day. Other decisions can be more significant and shape the course of our lives such as what careers... Continue Reading →
Cancelled Debts (Matthew 18:21-35)
Just about every Australian adult lives with a certain amount of debt. For some, it might be a credit card debt of a few thousand dollars. For others, it might be a personal loan for a car, motorbike or overseas trip that could take years to repay. A lot of people have home loans or... Continue Reading →
A Shared Meal (Matthew 14:13-21)
A long-standing tradition in a lot of church communities is the shared lunch. Many of us will remember halls full of people with long tables overflowing with casseroles, sandwiches, and homemade pies, pasties and sausage rolls, followed by delicious cakes, slices and cream-filled desserts. They were times when people would connect, talk about their lives... Continue Reading →
Mercy Not Sacrifice (Matthew 9:9-13,18-26)
Jesus was associating with the wrong kind of people. In ancient Judea, people assumed that religious teachers would spend their time with followers who obeyed their religious traditions and held to high moral standards. They expected people who knew and taught God’s word to mix with people who knew the ways God wants people to... Continue Reading →
Tongues (Acts 2:1-21)
In our Bible readings over the last couple of weeks, we have been hearing Jesus promise his disciples to send them the Holy Spirit. Two weeks ago, in John 14:15-21 Jesus told them, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit,... Continue Reading →
Witnesses (Luke 24:44-53)
There are a lot of movies and television shows set in courtrooms. For example, classic movies such as To Kill a Mockingbird and Twelve Angry Men all include a courtroom scene. More modern courtroom movies include A Few Good Men, My Cousin Vinny, Primal Fear, Legally Blonde, Big Daddy, just about anything by John Grisham,... Continue Reading →
A Beautiful Temple (Luke 21:5-19)
Many of us might be able to understand what Jesus’ disciples were thinking in the opening verses of this week’s Gospel reading, Luke 21:5-19. They were walking with Jesus through the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, pointing out and marvelling at its ‘majestic stonework … and the memorial decorations on the walls’ (v5 NLT). Instead of... Continue Reading →
Heroes of Faith (Hebrews 11:29-12:2)
Just over a week ago some of the primary-school aged young people from our church were involved in their school’s concert. They did an amazing job showing incredible dance skills to songs from a range of popular musicals. Each part of the performance was received with massive applause from a packed theatre full of relatives... Continue Reading →
The Church: Christ’s Body (Colossians 1:15-28)
This Sunday St Peter’s is celebrating the 125th anniversary of their church building. For one hundred and twenty-five years God’s people have gathered in that place to hear the good news of Jesus, to welcome people into the family of God through baptism, and to receive the body and blood of our crucified and risen... Continue Reading →
Welcome (Mark 9:30-37)
Most people like to place a mat at their front door for visitors to wipe their feet, so they don’t bring dirt or mud into their home. These doormats can have a wide variety of shapes, sizes, colours and materials to enhance the appearance of a home or reflect the personality of the people who... Continue Reading →