Prayer

Embracing Faith Amidst Uncertainty: Reflections on Apocalyptic Themes in Scripture Today, I want to share some reflections that delves into the themes of revelation and apocalypse in scripture, particularly as we approach the darker, colder months of winter (in the northern hemisphere). These reflections are inspired by the biblical stories of Noah and Jacob, as…

I grew up in the country. I don’t think I really noticed a couple of key things until much later – because often you only notice things when they’re not there anymore. But there were two things. When you would go outside, particularly on a night like this, pretty chilly kind of night. The night…

I grew up in the country. I don’t think I really noticed a couple of key things until much later – because often you only notice things when they’re not there anymore. But there were two things. When you would go outside, particularly on a night like this, pretty chilly kind of night. The night…

Easter, Sunday 4, Year A. One of my pet peeves are the shallow stereotypes that abound around ideas of “What does it mean to be a Christian?” Tight-laced, Straight. Goody 2 shoes. Narrow. Conservative. Anti-Environment. Homophobic. Backward. It is really hard to live well against this. I’m sure you faced this often enough when you…

Lord, teach us to pray! What a great request. I doubt if any person who is trying to faithfully follow God thinks that they are praying too much, or too well. We all desire to grow in our prayer. To spend our time in God’s presence in a way that is more fruitful and more…

NB. The first attempt at livestreaming Mass from St Columbkille’s – had a number of technical problems! We listen to Mark 6 tonight, and join Jesus and the disciples as they hear the terrible news that “King” Herod the Tetrarch has, during a magnificent banquet, executed John the Baptiser. So while Jesus needs to find…

The parable that lies at the heart of our Gospel this week, from Luke chapter 18, seems at first glance to be describing a religious event. In reality, like the parable that begins chapter 18 which we heard last Sunday – the one about the widow and the corrupt judge – this parable also is…

Although St Paul tells his young disciple Timothy that “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, refuting error, guiding people’s lives and teaching them to be holy” (2 Tim 3:16) it is hard to see how that can be applied to our first reading today, taken from Exodus 17:8-13. Like so…

There is a sense of urgency in the Gospel today as Jesus sends out this group of seventy(-two) disciples to prepare the way for him as he continues to make his pilgrimage journey to Jerusalem. He had already sent out the twelve apostles on mission at the beginning of the previous chapter (Luke 9:1); only…

We are invited deeply into relationship with a God who as a good father wants to give good gifts to all of his children – and especially the gift of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus was a little child, as was the tradition at the time, his mother Mary would have taught him how to…

In today’s gospel, we see Jesus arriving at the house of Martha, who in good near eastern tradition is very attentive to the hospitality of Jesus. But when Martha’s sister Mary is able to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to him while he taught, Martha remains distracted by all the serving. Mary…

A short prayer on the cross offered at the conclusion of the Stations of the Cross. Play MP3 Recorded at St Paul’s, 10am service (1:47)Good Friday, Stations of the Cross

When you learn a new language one of the things that you need to become familiar with are the rules of grammar and syntax. But the degree to which you have to continue to remember each of the rules in turn is an indication that you haven’t yet become fluent in the new language. Once…

“Be merciful O Lord, for we have sinned.” So much of this season of Lent is acknowledging how true this – that we stand before each other as sinners. This cry attempts to express something of our need for God – to be healed. By myself, I cannot do this; but with the grace and…

The parable that lies at the heart of our Gospel this week, from Luke chapter 18, seems at first glance to be describing a religious event. In reality, like the parable that begins chapter 18 which we heard last Sunday – the one about the widow and the corrupt judge – this parable also is…

Although St Paul tells his young disciple Timothy that “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, refuting error, guiding people’s lives and teaching them to be holy” (2 Tim 3:16) it is hard to see how that can be applied to our first reading today, taken from Exodus 17:8-13. Like so…

There is a sense of urgency in the Gospel today as Jesus sends out this group of seventy(-two) disciples to prepare the way for him as he continues to make his pilgrimage journey to Jerusalem. He had already sent out the twelve apostles on mission at the beginning of the previous chapter (Luke 9:1); only…

Recorded on my mobile phone at Zero Gravity 2012, a summer camp for 200+ teenagers held at Mount Tamborine on the Gold Coaast hinterland. The Sunday Eucharist was the culmination of the four-day camp. The readings of the second Sunday provided a great reflection on discipleship and evangelisation.Play MP312’09”

In the perception of the so-called general public, when people think about God – if indeed they ever think about God, the idea that will probably be conjured would be more like the idea of the force from Star Wars, then the biblical reality of God. Likewise, the idea of heaven as somewhere up there…

On this third Sunday in Advent, the church issues a command – Rejoice! The teaching comes to us from the second reading today, taken from the very end of St Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, and therefore the very earliest Christian writing that we have. In the few short sentences, Paul manages to pack…

As we return to the ordinary season of the year, we are given a most magnificent Gospel to land on, in Matthew 11:25-30. This gospel passage is unusual in the first three Gospels that rarely take us into the inner life of Jesus in his prayer to the Father. Here we are plunged into this…

17th Sunday – Season of the Year. Luke 11:1-13 – Lord teach us to pray. If we are honest, I suspect that most of us would admit that we are not very good at praying, or at least that our prayer life is not nearly as good as it should be. So what do today’s…