One of our most basic assumptions is that life will be good and that things will go well for us. So, when things are not going so well we tend to feel aggrieved, or even singled out by misfortune. It’s just not fair. And yet for so many of us, life is difficult, and things don’t follow …
And so, this weekend, we arrive at Ordinary Time, that strange yet familiar part of the church calendar. But life has been far from ordinary over the past few months, and I think we are all longing for some real ordinary time, in daily life, when things return to normal! And yet, during this long period of …
As I write this, the media is full of dramatic footage of protests across America, protests that have been a mix of peaceful and violent, as George Floyd’s death lit a long-repressed fuse of racial anger. We pray for the United States as it faces these issues, and pray that above everything a path might be …
This Sunday we mark Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit among the apostles and followers of Jesus. This is the day we celebrate the birthday of the Church. This is the day the wind of the Spirit blew through the lives of his disciples, transforming them, galvanising them, releasing them from their fears and doubts and …
Over the past weeks we’ve been remembering Jesus’ last words to his friends before his cruel and untimely death. We’ve thought about his reminder to them to not be afraid, to not be troubled no matter how bad things seemed, because they were not, and would never be alone. There was always a bigger picture. As they ate …
The Daily Office is one of the ancient traditions of the Anglican Church that has survived since the Reformation. And it has survived for a very good reason. Saying the Daily Office morning and evening bookends the day with Scripture and prayer, and is a wonderful habit to build into our daily lives. I’d like to …
Although Virtual Church is our current reality for weekly worship, we remain community. There have been many times through the centuries when the Church has been forced to scatter, either through war or persecution, or due to pandemics of various kinds. And yet the Church as the people of God always continues on and is often somehow …
When I watched our Sunday Mass online last weekend, and I saw familiar faces at the moment when we would normally pass the Peace, I felt quite moved. I encourage you all to take a moment to take a photo, either your family group or just yourself, with a simple hand-made ‘Peace be with You’ sign, …
Many of you know that I am a sourdough baker, and that I really enjoy feeding my sourdough plant and creating loaves of bread to share. I think the whole of Australia has rediscovered the joy and creativity of bread baking in these difficult times – because there’s not a packet of flour or yeast to …
On this first Sunday after Easter, we encounter Thomas, and his struggle for faith in difficult circumstances. Thomas is the patron saint for all of us today who have times of questioning, times of doubting and times of wondering about our faith. Unlike Roman Catholicism, Anglican faith is not a package deal. Following the tradition of Richard Hooker, …