Thoughts, news and sermons from our Clergy and Missions
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Show mercy to those who doubt : 28 October 2012
What do we do when we try the experiment of believing? What we do is so significant that most people take a long time nerving themselves up to it; a long time preparing for it. People will go to church, people will spend time with Christians, people will read books about Jesus, people will study… and gradually they will begin to wonder whether what they are hearing about is actually true. Is it actually trustworthy? Now that is a question that can never be settled by sitting and thinking, can never be settled by listening to or reading about what other people have to say. That evidence is simply not strong enough.
What it takes is unscientific experiment. I’ll tell you what I eventually did after years of wondering. I told Jesus that I was a sinner who needed forgiveness. And I gave myself to Him; said from now on I want you to be in charge of my life. And then I knew. The evidence that came from that experiment removed the doubt: I knew that Jesus is who He says He is. Those four lines describe the most profound event in my entire life. -
Ethical or unethical behaviour? : 21 October 2012
Christians have been using this method for handling difficult ethical problems for centuries; and know that it is simply the best ethical decision making system there is. There simply has to be unfairness in any ethical system, and it is better that the unfairness be borne by volunteers than by the weak and defenseless. It is better to turn the other cheek than to use a potentially seriously flawed method for ethical decision making.
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Africa Air Aldom - 23 September 2012 : 24 September 2012
Greetings Friends,
Spring has sprung, and it always amazes me here: dead-looking trees flower and leaf, yet they haven’t had a drop of rain for 6 months. Grass fires also spring up, but then the new growth is bright green within a week or two. Awesome. But we had rain last week – for a few minutes . -
To be human Pentecost 15B : 09 September 2012
Like the woman who came to Jesus the refugees and the women enslaved in the sex industry come out of desperation. I wonder what Jesus would say to them. He might say ‘Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’ Or in other words, the freedom, the food, the education, the health care that is available should be given to the children of Australia. What would these desperate people respond. “all we want is the scraps that fall from the table.”
We are human. We naturally have subconscious fear and prejudice when it comes to thinking about foreigners especially if they have not come via the “proper channels”.
But the question remains, Are there changes in us that need to happen so that the Kingdom of God is not limited by our narrow minded prejudices?“Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”
Mk 7:28 -
Pentecost 2 - Samuel Ch 8 - 10th June 2012 : 12 June 2012
Our first reading today starts at verse four of Ch 8 of 1 Samuel. In verses 1-3 Samuel has appointed his own sons as judges.
Now it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons Judges over Israel. The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.
Samuel was one of the most godly men in the entire Bible
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Africa Air Aldom - 5 May 2012 : 19 May 2012
Greetings Friends,
Celebration – this has been my first summer without a sewerage flood in my flat. So good. Seems the City Council’s new pipes behind the house have done the job. So thankful.There have also been some hassles lately, and could I ask your extra prayer?
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Hosanna - Lord save us (Children's talk) : 03 April 2012
Hosanna comes from Psalm 118, here is a portion of psalm 118.
Hum! Can you read that? It looks very strange doesn’t it. It is the Hebrew wording of the psalm. You have to read it from the right to the left. It says I beg you Lord save us now.The word Hosanna originally meant save us. Well probably all of us here don’t need to be saved from anything. We all know Jesus and on top of that we all have enough food and everything else we could possible want. But if we are to pray hosanna as the early Hebrew people did we might pray for children in desperate need. Here are some pictures of children who need our prayers.
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Being people of the New Covenant : 25 March 2012
Commandments. I guess that is because I see true loved being expressed rather than a legal contract. So here is my list:
- Forgiveness and generosity;
- Passion for justice;
- Willingness to serve
- Playfulness and joy;
- Love and compassion
You might like to add other things you see as a way of life for the people of God. I had to stop and think after writing the list, what is my basis for this list.
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Africa Air Aldom - 5 March 2012 : 11 March 2012
Greetings Friends,
Hi from Windhoek, where life goes on basically as normal. Wet season is
winding down, the hills are bright green, and we even see mud at times. Autumn has arrived, and we leave the flat windows open all day, -
Cleansing the temple, a sign of the new heaven and the new earth. : 11 March 2012
To get an understanding of the emphasis John wants us to hear we need to recall the beginning of John’s Gospel. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1) John tells the gospel as a new creation story. In Jesus a new creation is being inaugurated. This is so new that even the things of faith that have seemed rock solid are destroyed. The Temple is no longer the locus, the place where you encounter God. You will encounter God in Jesus himself.