Weekly reflections

I shared this painting with you on Sunday. It is titled ‘David and Uriah’ and was painted c.1666-1669 by the Dutch master, Rembrandt. It captures the traumatic moment in 2 Samuel 11:14 when David signs Uriah’s death warrant and sends it to his general Joab “by the hand of Uriah.” The painting was first given its title by Dr. Abraham Bredius (1855-1946), a Dutch art collector, art historian, and museum curator, and this has been supported by a number of other scholars Read more…

As I promised in the middle of last Sunday’s sermon – here is the last cheeky sign from the new Oxford Terrace Baptist Church in Christchurch, New Zealand. And as I was praying, in our prayers of intercession on Sunday, for the different rooms of our houses – particularly our bathrooms – and how God is present in all these spaces, I thought I should have been bolder and included this image then too. Because humans live in bodies. And Read more…

The story we read on Sunday, of David transporting the ark of God to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6), sounds – at times – like a game of hot potato! Having captured the ark of God (1 Samuel 4), the Philistines are soon convinced (1 Samuel 5 and 6) to return the ark to Israel, to the people of Beth-shemesh, but they in turn are quick to hand the ark on – this time to the people of Kiriath-jearim. Then David Read more…

Dear Friends, Happy NAIDOC Week! On Sunday I mentioned the beautiful resources indigenous Salvation Army officers have prepared to celebrate NAIDOC Week this year, and I wanted to share this video with you – a sermon from Aunty Clare Lena, speaking alongside the Tweed River in Bundjalung Country,  on ‘The Power of Fire’. I spoke on Sunday about Moses’ encounter with the burning bush and the verse from Romans about keeping ourselves “fuelled and aflame” (Romans 12:11), and she reflects Read more…

Dear Friends, As I was looking for quotes related to refugees and boats last week, I came across this poem by young Somali-British writer and poet, Warsan Shire. The line that was picked up in my search was: you have to understand,that no one puts their children in a boatunless the water is safer than the land It was such a powerful line, I went searching for the poem and was not disappointed. There are parts of this poem, entitled Read more…

Dear Friends, This week Rudy Prasetya sent me this picture of a mural depicting David and Goliath that he took in Regensburg, Germany. As he says, “the proportions between them seem more accurate!” David and Goliath are a powerful metaphor for the struggles we experience, and thinking about how those struggles impact the lives of many in our world, this coming Sunday we are backtracking to celebrate Refugee Week (16-22 June). I want to share with you the reflection Gershon Read more…

Dear Friends, It is not often someone shaking the minister’s hand at the door of the church describes the service – excuse the language – as ‘kick-arse’! But that was the case on Sunday! It was a powerful service – hearing from Karen Pack about the damage that is done when LGBTIQ+ people are told that the unconditional love of Jesus is actually conditional; and the healing that is done when they genuinely experience that love from others. She quoted Read more…

“Everyone is cranky at the moment!” That’s what we’ve been saying in our house this week. It seems patience is just a bit thinner and fuses just a bit shorter than usual. I was looking up the ACT Government Health site to see if the Covid health advice had changed (it remains the same; see below for details*) but on their “Be well this winter” page, I came across this advice: “Take steps to maintain your physical and mental health Read more…

Dear Friends, As I shared at church, last Saturday was an exciting day! It was the first General Meeting of the Open Baptists, and at that meeting Canberra Baptist Church and South Yarra Community Baptist Church became the first member churches of the new association. The significance of what we are doing hit home for me at the end of the meeting when Phil Smith (who shared his story with CBC at the time of the same-sex marriage plebiscite) said Read more…

Dear Friends, It was wonderful to hear an update Sunday on our project ‘Improving the Lives of People with Disabilities’ in Bangladesh. Mike Bartlett from Baptist World Aid mentioned they are experiencing a downturn in donations due to cost-of-living pressures. I know these are real concerns, but can I encourage you to give generously to people who are facing much greater living pressures! And remember – our Thank Offering closes this Sunday, 26 May! Your generous donations can be made Read more…