Learning to follow Jesus in 21st Century Australia
As we move towards Christmas, we might be hearing a lot of Christmas songs and carols. They can be ancient carols through to modern songs, sung by choirs, rock bands or vocalists in a wide variety of musical styles. One musical group with a pretty large following that performs Christmas music is called Pentatonix. Pentatonix... Continue Reading →
In recent years, and especially since the COVID pandemic, there has been a dramatic rise in the amount of shopping people do online. The process of buying something from an online store is pretty simple. We can look around the internet for something we want to purchase. When we find what we want, we can... Continue Reading →
A few years ago, shortly after moving into the manse, I planted a frangipani tree in the backyard next to our neighbour’s fence. At first it grew well with some healthy leaves and even its first flower. I was looking forward to seeing more growth and flowers last year, but the frosts that hit the... Continue Reading →
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 →
One game that is often played at church picnics or school sports days is a tug-of-war. Two teams of people engage in a competition of strength and persistence as they dig their feet into the ground beneath them, hold on tight to the rope in front of them, and pull with all their strength against... Continue Reading →
The year was about 556BC. It had been just over 30 years since the armies of the Babylonian Empire had invaded Judah, destroyed Jerusalem, and taken the Jewish people into exile. For thirty years, God’s people had lived in a foreign land under the oppression of a military dictatorship and dreamed of God restoring them... Continue Reading →
When was the last time you were caught doing something wrong? Some of us might find it difficult to remember a time when that happened. That could be because either we rarely do anything wrong, or we might be good at not getting caught. Others of us, however, might find it a bit easier. Maybe... Continue Reading →
Life was looking hopeless to Jeremiah in this week’s Old Testament reading, Jeremiah 32:1-3a,6-15. He was under arrest for speaking God’s word to his people. King Hezekiah didn’t like what Jeremiah was saying and so put him in prison. At the same time, the mighty and all-conquering Babylonian army was camped outside the walls of... Continue Reading →
During the three years of Jesus’ earthly ministry, he told a lot of parables to teach people about the mysteries of the coming Kingdom of God and how to live faithfully in his Kingdom. One of the most difficult parables Jesus told is called the Parable of the Shrewd Manager or the Parable of the... Continue Reading →
What makes a saying trustworthy? The English language has a huge range of sayings that people use in various situations. We can say things like, ‘Many hands make light work’, ‘It’s always darkest before the dawn’, ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’, and ‘Easy come, easy go’ for example. However often we might use... Continue Reading →
Pastor Eugene Online 