Last Sunday John finished his message with one of my favourite songs, Brother, sister, let me serve you. It is a journeying song, which was appropriate as he was preaching on a journeying psalm, Psalm 123, a psalm the Israelites would have sung as they made their way to worship Read more…
Walter Brueggemann speaks of the importance of arriving at praise through lament – rather than starting with praise. Over the last three Sundays, we have been looking at the psalms of lament and, as we come to end of that series, fully aware that there is still suffering in our Read more…
My word for the week has been ‘paleochannel’! Last Sunday after church was our second church walk, and a large group of us walked through the Jerrabomberra wetlands and enjoyed a short address from Patrick Paynter on the ACT government’s land management of this area over time. He spoke of the ‘paleochannels’, Read more…
This Sunday, 11th October, at 10am is our annual Blessing of the Animals Service, but there is one animal I am not feeling so disposed to bless this Sunday! Last weekend we were at a campsite near Huskisson which was also inhabited by a large number of peafowl. Thanks to Read more…
How do we as Christians respond to this pandemic? During this year, I (and probably many of you) have been hearing Christian voices call us back to the language of lament. As I mentioned in my sermon on the crossing of the Red Sea two weeks ago, in relation to Read more…
Over the last couple of weeks John and I have been preaching through the Old Testament story of Exodus, the powerful saga of how, out of unbreakable love, God freed the people of Israel from their captivity in Egypt, a story which dominates Jewish theology and practice, and resonates with Read more…
Last Sunday we looked at one of those wonderful, yet challenging, body passages in the New Testament, Romans 12:1-8, which speak of how every one of us have different gifts, which spring from the grace of God which creates and love diversity, but which we are given so we can Read more…
It takes a long time to recover from trauma. If it is one incident, it can take from one to two years I was told by someone working with emergency response teams here in the ACT. Extended trauma may take longer. Joseph, the subject of our sermon last Sunday. had a Read more…
I loved the picture of Ava’s pizza dough that she sent in to illustrate John’s sermon on Jesus’ parables in Matthew 13 last Sunday. And I hear the pizza was pretty good too! But I must confess that I – along with most of you – voted the mustard seed Read more…
Dear Friends, It was wonderful to have a break over the last two weeks; to have time away as a family at Culburra Beach relaxing and reading books and celebrating Grace’s 18th birthday! It was also good to hear John preach on the 5th July on those very apt words Read more…