This weekend we mark Australia Day, a day when wecelebrate our nation’s history and heritage. Dorothy Mackellar’s poem evokes a real sense of what it means to live with the Australian landscape, of the way we have to hold together the rugged beauty and the terror of this country that’s our home. The heat, storms …
When I started to think about Jesus’ first miracle at the Wedding at Cana this week, the first image that came to mind was Rowan Atkinson’s parody of a Church of England Vicar telling this story. ‘On the third day there was a marriage ag Cana of Galilee and it came to pass that there …
As we move through the season of Epiphany, we continue to reflect on the meaning of the Incarnation: Emmanuel, God born for us. Although the nativity is a beautiful, warm fuzzy story, we need to take care that this doesn’t disguise the real truth of this season. God is with us, in our believing and …
The Christmas season is upon us once again; for most of us it is a time of joy and celebration, of coming together as families. Yet it’s so easy for the great truths of this season to get lost in all the rush, and in the relentless commercialism that takes ownership of the Christmas story …
The third Sunday of Advent is known as ‘Rejoice’ Sunday. We light the pink candle on the Advent wreath as a reminder of the hope and joy ahead of us in the incarnation. Traditionally this third Sunday in Advent has been a day to lighten up, to be joyful. Indeed, the whole of Advent is about …
Get ready! As we come to this second Sunday in Advent it’s time to start getting Christmas preparations underway. In my family, emails are starting to fly around – what are we doing, who’s house, how do we organise presents this year, what about the children? Perhaps cards are being written and posted, meals are …
This week we begin a new liturgical year, the year of Luke, and at the same time we enter into the rich and ancient season of Advent. For most Australians, Advent passes virtually unnoticed, as the celebration of what has become the very commercial feast of Christmas dominates everyone’s thinking and time. Yet taking time to …
Last week we were reminding ourselves about time and how time seems to fly by. Well, believe it or not, here we are the the final week of the church’s liturgical year with the Feast of Christ the King, a feast day that celebrates Christ’s messianic kingship and sovereign rule over all creation. We stand right …
Today’s Gospel reading reminds us how close we are to the end of the church year and to Advent. Several people have said to me lately – I can’t believe it’s nearly Advent! Time certainly flies, and it is indeed hard to believe where the last year has gone. We live in a world that …
This Sunday, November 11th, marks one hundred years since the end of World War 1, which was classified at the time as the war to end all wars. Of course, this was never the case, and the horror and devastation of war continues to end lives and displace people from their homes, who then flee …