Lord, have mercy. Some days there are situations which confront us with horror. I think of senseless violence in too many places. And I think especially of the sister in our congregation who flies to Cairns today to https://www.acheterviagrafr24.com/vente-viagra/ grieve for the loss of family and the rupture felt within her home community. […]
Sunday was a day filled with beauty. The sun shone in the morning- perfect beach weather for an unusual free Sunday morning. I love the beach! The waves were rough and there was much laughter in trying to stay between the flags. Even Iain, who doesn’t much like the beach, said that perhaps we could […]
In Advent we look for signs that God is present in our midst. We hope. We wait. We watch. We pray: Advent-God, we are waiting for you. Burst in upon our lives with your colour and vibrance, like fireworks in a summery sky. God-of-Hope, forgive us when we fail to expect your coming, […]
On Sunday we celebrated the baptism of Lani Jean Johnson. We marvelled together at the way that God gathers us up in loving embrace. Mary Fleeson, an artist from the Lindisfarne Scriptorium, puts it like this: Embrace me, O Lord As the loving parent to a new born babe; As the gentle wave […]
You probably won’t be surprised to know that I’ve been thinking about baptism. There is a deep sense of joy and excitement that our community will be sharing in the baptism of not one, but two people in November. We will welcome Lani and Leah and recognise the grace of God already at work within […]
On the weekend I visited my first Australian mosque. I’ve been to mosques before when travelling overseas, particularly in Morocco and Turkey. But when I heard about the National Mosque Open Day, I realised that I had never been inside a mosque within my own country, as a fellow-citizen rather than as a tourist. […]
I’ve been on retreat for a couple of days alongside those who shared my ministry training. We’ve had lots of gossip to catch up on over scones and coffee (and wine and cheese). Being gifted a couple of days to listen deeply to the stories of Scripture and to the wisdom of these friends has […]
It was good to be back among the gathered Hope community on Sunday morning, after three weeks of travelling in Jordan and Jerusalem. I really appreciated the stories that Mike shared with us of grandfathers and justice. His comments resonated deeply for me with his comments after the juxtaposition of luxurious relaxation by the Dead […]
“I heard the voice of Jesus say…” I can still hear this old hymn ringing out as our very own Bec Lindsay sang the refrain throughout one of her early sermons as Hope Uniting. It marked out some clear territory; Bec’s own strength and boldness; a connection to Iona and a willingness to play within […]