Minister’s Blog 13 December 2020

God, it seems, is not without a sense of humour. The theme for this week is Joy and when I looked at the readings set down for today, I laughed out loud at the instructions of Paul to “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing and give thanks in all circumstances”. Are you kidding me, after the…

Minister’s Blog 6 December 2020

Every year, on the fourth Thursday in November, Americans celebrate Thanksgiving. While we Australia don’t celebrate this day itself, I find that we do join in with some of the other aspects of the holiday namely the shopping festivals known as “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday”. Last week I think that every shop I have…

Minister’s Blog 29 November 2020

I think we could all use some hope these days. It’s been a very difficult year as we have faced dreadful bushfires and are now suffering through a global pandemic that has completely upended our lives. Just when we thought things were getting better, we had an outbreak, and we were locked down to give…

Minister’s Blog 22 November 2020

We’re right in the middle of exam season just now and I feel sorry for those students in Year 12 and University. I clearly remember my going through this myself and I know it’s a stressful time. You wonder what areas of the subject will be in the exam and what the questions will be…

Minister’s Blog 15 November 2020

How often have you spent the day waiting for a parcel to be delivered? You’ve ordered something and you get the email or text to say it is going to come today and so, because you have to sign for it, you have to wait for it to come. Think of all the things you…

Minister’s Blog 8 November 2020

Woody Allen famously remarked that he was not afraid of dying, he’d just prefer not to be around when it happened. While it’s a funny one liner, I think it gives voice to an extremely common conception around death. Death is seen as the final ending of everything and, as humans, it’s something we all…

Minister’s Blog 1 November 2020

I once knew of a builder who only ever drove a top of the range Mercedes regardless of how well the business was doing. His logic was simple. If he drove an expensive car, it meant he must be successful. If he was successful, it meant he had to be good. If he was good,…

Minister’s Blog 25 October 2020

I was thinking this week of the story of the fox and the crow which is commonly attributed as one of Aesop’s fables. In it, a crow finds a piece of cheese and flies off to a branch of a tree in order to eat it. A fox however wants the cheese and begins to…

Minister’s Blog 11 October 2020

Sorting out the guest list for a wedding is always a logistical headache. Firstly, we want to invite those we think are the right people, those we think deserve to be invited; those who we consider are worthy of our lavish generosity as hosts. We agonise over who to leave off the invitation list because…

Minister’s Blog 4 October 2020

It’s a fairly reasonable expectation that if you go to someone who says they’re qualified for the task, they will be able to do it. If you are ill, you go to a doctor and you would expect them to do something about making you well. If you need legal advice, you go to a…