Episcopal visit to Centenary UC!

It’s not every day—indeed, not every decade—that a bishop of the Church of England preaches in a suburban Uniting Church congregation. But such was the case at Centenary UC yesterday!  
Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali is here to deliver the 2008 Rollie Busch lecture, entitled “Conviction and Conflict: Islam, Christianity and World Order”, and to dialogue with [...]

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Research discovers a new element

Can’t remember when and where from, but I found this some time ago. It’s still good!

A major research institution has recently announced the discovery of the heaviest element yet known to science. This new element has been tentatively named Administratium.

Administratium has no protons or electrons and thus has an atomic number of 0. However, it [...]

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A modest proposal for growing the church

Let’s get a dog to lead the prayers. It seems to work here:  
 
 
 

Attendance at a Buddhist temple in Japan has increased since the temple’s pet, a two-year-old dog, has joined in the daily prayers.
 
Conan, a Chihuahua, sits on his hind legs, raises his paws and puts them together at the tip of his nose. “He [...]

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Batteries not included

There’s apparently an Orthodox tradition that on Easter Sunday afternoon, priests sit around, get drunk and tell jokes—because the victory has been won by Jesus Christ! They’re not going to be able to do that till 27 April, so for now, here’s a cartoon from the Wittenburg Door:   
 
 

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Risen in us

Sermon for Easter Sunday
 
Matthew 28.1-10
 
In Matthew’s take on the story of the Resurrection of Jesus, as the women leave the tomb, they are met by the risen Lord Jesus with what must be the most understated greeting in all human history: “Greetings!”

 
Greetings? Greetings? Excuse me! Jesus had died. Dead. The women had gone to see [...]

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Ah, but what about when the sun comes out?

 
Sermon for the Easter Vigil

 
Matthew 28.1-10

The Rev Dorothy McRae-McMahon is a well-known minister in the Uniting Church, and someone I count as a friend. When she was the minister of Pitt St Uniting Church in the heart of Sydney, she wrote these words in her typical warm style:
 

Max is an old Aboriginal man and [...]

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Poem from a Normandy crucifix of 1632

I found this wonderful poem on Bishop Alan’s Blog. It’s a wonderful meditation for Good Friday and Easter Saturday: 
 
I am the great sun, but you do not see me,
I am your husband, but you turn away.
I am the captive, but you do not free me,
I am the captain but you will not obey.

 
I am the [...]

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New eyes, new tears

This is a story that has been around the traps for a while. I’ve given it a twist in the tail to make it explicitly a story of redemption, of how the cross works. 
 
Sermon for Good Friday

John 18.1—19.42  

At the end of time, billions of people stood together on a great plain before God’s throne. Most [...]

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The Challenges and Opportunities of Islam in the West 2

When we hear about Islam in today’s world, it’s often articles like this one: Global outcry at death of Iraqi archbishop. We should all absolutely condemn this outrage, which has been attributed to al-Qaeda by Iraq’s prime minister.

Recently, I’ve seen another side of Islam at a 3-day symposium called Challenges and Opportunities of Islam in [...]

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Glory and shame

 
Sermon for Passion/Palm Sunday

Matthew 21.1-11; 27.11-54

 
Remember Michael Parkinson, the Yorkshire-born retired talk show host? In his younger years, he was a cricketer, and thought about making a living playing cricket for Yorkshire—every Yorkshire lad’s dream. He was turned down, and the rest is as they say, history. Parkinson’s dad was a coal miner, and [...]

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