Real Talk
A couple of years ago a few high profile people announced publicly that they were giving up on what they had understood as Christianity. What one of the people, Marty Sampson (a songwriter and performer at Hillsong), wrote at the time caught my attention and this series comes directly out of what he wrote at […]
Exploring Identity
Some issues that we study in the bible are at arm’s length to us personally. For example: Is there a second heaven? What about angels and baptism of the dead? But the concept of personal identity is not at arm’s length to us! The personal question of “Who am I”? has many layers, and at […]
rest
The amount of change, uncertainty, and new aspects of life to include that we had to manage over the last 12 months has left many of us weary! Summer is often a time for a break, a slow-down from the normal schedule, a time for rest. So in January we will look at rest from […]
Christmas Characters
This Advent, each week we’ll have a ‘visit’ from one of the characters associated with Christmas to tell their story of what they saw and heard–and how it impacted their life. Joseph, Matthew 1:18-25; 2:13-23 and Luke 2:22-40 (Nov 29) A Shepherd, Luke 2:1-20 (Dec 6) A Magi, Matthew 2:1-18 (Dec 13) Mary, Luke 1:26-56; […]
Encountering Jesus
Each of us have had some memorable encounters in life, and some we’d like to forget (for a range of reasons)! There are a few encounters that have set the course of our history, and world history. The Bible records many encounters that Jesus had with a vast array of different people. In each encounter […]
Good Work
What is work for? It seems a silly question, but that’s why it’s important to answer it–so that we aren’t doing it wrong or trying to get something out of it that we never can. This is just a short series that considers a couple of aspects of “work”–which relate perfectly to retirement as well!: […]
Returning
To mark the high significance of our main mode of gathering returning to our building we will explore the following: Returning brings joy and sorrow, Ezra 3:1-13 and Revelation 21:1-8 (Aug 23) Being steady in disruption, Genesis 1:1-27 and Genesis 6:5-22 (Aug 30) Living firm law or flexible grace?, Romans 14:1–15:9 (Sept 6). Martin Luther’s […]
Paradoxes of the gospel
paradox /ˈparədɒks/ noun: paradox; plural noun: paradoxes a seemingly absurd or contradictory statement or proposition which when investigated may prove to be well founded or true. There are multiple parts of the bible and Christian thought that people have found to be puzzling paradoxes. The point of this series is to explore some of them. […]
Prayer
The experience of prayer is a struggle; and a mystery; and a joy… Prayer is simply (and profoundly) understood as the conversation of friends (but also much more!). What is your understanding (your paradigm) of prayer? These last months have been good for us to consider that question… and Richard Dawkins has kindly helped us […]
Chosen Aliens
As a foreigner in an overseas country I was given an identity card officially called an “Alien Card”! I didn’t get to the country by UFO, and though I love that country, I just didn’t belong. 1 Peter is written to such people, Christians, who don’t ‘belong’ to this world. Our citizenship is ultimately in […]
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