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 →
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 →
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 →
The Spirit of Truth (John 14:8-17,25-27)
Most of us would have done a True or False test at some stage in our lives. These tests are simple: we are presented with a statement and asked to say if it is true or not. For example, we would say that “3x3=9” is mathematically true. The statement that European settlement in South Australia... Continue Reading →
Knowing God Better (Ephesians 1:15-23)
When we meet people for the first time, usually the first thing we might learn about them is their name. After that, to get to know them better, we might ask about what they do, where they are from, or what football team they support. Since living in the Barossa Valley, I’ve learned that people... Continue Reading →
Peter & Saul (John 21:1-19; Acts 9:1-20)
Do you know what it’s like to see someone for the first time after you’ve had a fight, or they’ve said hurtful things either to you or about you? I hope you’ve never been in that situation, but if you have, you’ll probably know how difficult it can be. Do you ignore what’s happened and... 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 →
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 →
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 →