Episode

The flame of love – Psalm 26:1-8, Romans 12:9-21 It was wonderful this week to spend time with other central city Baptist pastors – from Adelaide, Hobart, Melbourne, Sydney and Wellington, New Zealand – and to have the opportunity to preach at Collins Street last Sunday. Collins Street send greetings Read more…

Skinny cows – Genesis 45:1-15, Psalm 133 The story of Joseph makes up most of the last part of Genesis, from chapter 37, our reading last Sunday, to chapter 50, the end of the book, and our reading today, Gensis 45, is the climax of that story – which as Read more…

Dream us forward – Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28 I’ve discovered that Google (or whatever search engine you use) can pretty much replace Joseph and his famous ability to interpret dreams. This week I had a dream that the ground floor of my house was much larger than I had thought, and Read more…

Don’t let go – Gen 32:22-31 and Psalm 17:1-7, 15 I re-read this week a Tim Winton short story from his 2016 book, The Boy Behind the Curtin. It’s the autobiographical short story about growing up in the Churches of Christ in the 60s and 70’s, and about his journey Read more…

But wait there’s more – Matthew 13:31-32, Ezekiel 17:22-24 At the end of Matthew chapter 13, in the space of just nine verses, Jesus tells five parables – short, sharp, evocative parables – that reveal, to stick with seeds theme, kernels of truth about the kingdom of God – about Read more…

Now Kingdom, Start Growing – Psalm 86:11-17, Matthew 13:24-30 I found myself this week, as you do, reading an article entitled, ‘Controlling Weeds Post-Harvest in Winter Wheat’ from the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska -Lincoln, and this line jumped out at me, “Controlling weeds Read more…

Christ at all hazards fruit hath shewed – Isaiah 55:10-13, Matthew 13:1-9 I caught up with a friend for coffee at the start of this week. When I was young there was a wall poster – with an image like this – that said, “I know into each life some Read more…

For the elders – Genesis 24 One of the gifts Covid brought my family was a weekly zoom gathering – precious shared time during the pandemic and the three years of my father’s cancer treatment. But in July last year, after treatment had come to an end, it was clear Read more…

10 Sermons in 1 on Giving – Exodus 35:4-5a, 20-29, 2 Cor 9:6-14 This is not an official event in the liturgical calendar, but today is the last Sunday of the 2022/2023 financial year and in our bulletin there is a note, from the treasurer (I am speaking of Ian Read more…

Refugee Sunday – Genesis 12:10-20 &16 (Deut 10:12-13,17-19 & Heb 13:1-2,12-16) Today is Refugee Sunday so I am deviating, slightly, from the lectionary readings. For your information these include the wonderful story of Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 18 entertaining three men or angels or God-Godself (the text keeps this Read more…