Weekly Bible Reflection

During this Easter Season (until next Wednesday) it’s helpful to consider the scene when Jesus appeared to his disciples on the first Easter evening. John 20:19 tells us that as they met behind closed doors, for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus suddenly stood...

This Sunday, May 10, is Mother’s Day. It’s an important day in that it reminds us of the love and extraordinary sacrifices mothers can make for their children. Since the 1960s there have been significant changes in the way women see themselves: having now the sexual...

In the midst of the uncertainties and fears accompanying the coronavirus pandemic, it’s worth pausing and reflecting on those all too rare moments when we experience a deep longing that we know nothing on earth can satisfy. We might experience such moments when our...

Back in 2008 Professor Keith Ward in his Why There Almost Certainly Is a God critiqued the views of Richard Dawkins and others on the question of the existence of God. A respected philosopher and theologian, Dr Ward raised questions about the dubious nature of...

‘We need Easter’, is an unexpected line we’ve been hearing. For many, Easter is a metaphor for ‘new life’ or ‘new hope’. It is not a reference to the literal resurrection of Jesus Christ. A journalist once put it like this: ‘The historical, literal truth about the...

It is a mark of the critical times in which we live that last Sunday, Her Majesty the Queen made a rare speech. As well as thanking everyone on the frontline of health care, she called for unity in adopting a lifestyle of self-isolation that considers others –...

On New Year’s Eve on the stroke of the 21st century the word Eternity lit up on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The back story is the personal story of Arthur Stace. Born in poverty to alcoholic parents, he had little education and became a petty criminal, an alcoholic and...

‘Expect the unexpected, for it (truth) is hard to discover and hard to attain’, is a good translation of Heraclitus’ (the Greek philosopher) enigmatic words. Over the centuries so many scientific and other areas have advanced through unexpected discoveries – moving...

With the social distancing and other measures that governments the world over are putting in place with the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus, is there anything that God’s people can be doing? At an important transition in his Letter to the Colossians Paul the...

Introduction. With concerns over the rapid spread of the coronavirus, the panic-buying of toilet paper that seems to have started in Australia, has now gone global. Apparently this panic buying signifies a human desire to be in control. The reality of course, is that...

Introduction. There are times when we feel we are not spiritual enough. God seems distant. Our faith feels cold. We go to church, but we don’t read the Bible or pray from one week to the next. What’s to be done? Some of us set ourselves a rigorous program – perhaps...

Introduction. Today is known in the church calendar as Ash Wednesday – the first day of Lent. Traditionally it is an important time of preparation for the events that we remember and celebrate at Easter – ‘The Last Supper’, Jesus’ crucifixion (Good Friday) and his...

In an article, ‘Female confidence gurus – inside the feminist fad taking New York by storm’ (Spectator Life, February 17, 2020), Olivia Grant includes her comments on Regena Thomashauer’s recent book, ‘Pussy: A Reclamation,’ a New York Times best seller.  Olivia Grant...

Ten days ago Sydney was shocked to learn that four children had been struck down by a car driven by a 29 year-old allegedly three times over the legal limit. Three of the children were siblings from a family of six. The fourth was their cousin. They had been out...

In his book, The Right Questions (2002), the late Phillip Johnson – who before his retirement had been Professor of Law at the University of California, Berkeley for over thirty years – wrote: ‘There is an unacknowledged creation story that is at the root of all...

“What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty! In form and moving, how express and admirable! In action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god!” These words form Hamlet’s reflections in Shakespeare’s play of the same name. He...