Church Blog (Page 2)
A Letter to the Church Family
PASTORAL LETTER – August 27 Dear Friends, In these days of uncertainty it seems more than ever we are needing to remind ourselves of things that are certain and will never change. The Apostle Paul focuses on the reality of the resurrection and the coming again of our Lord Jesus Christ and makes it clear to us that this matter is of first importance. In 1 Corinthians 15:58 he writes these words of encouragement, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast,…
A Letter to the Church Family
August 17, 2021 Dear church family, “Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained. Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.” 2 Timothy 2:8-10 It would be reasonable to expect Paul to become despondent and…
A Letter to the Church Family
10th August 2021 Dear Church Family, We hope that you are being encouraged and helped by the preaching of our pastors, Matt and James, over the past few weeks, prompting us to think about the meaning and purpose of each of the Ten Commandments. We have been reminded that our first love and allegiance must always be to the One True God, who is both our Creator and Rescuer; that we must honour his name and oppose any false ideas…
A Letter to the Church Family
“We cared so much for you that we were pleased to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us” (1 Thessalonians 2:8) Dear Church Family, The local community of God’s people is an essential part of the Christian life. It is God’s intent for us to be connected. The present restrictions have made this harder. We hoped we had reached the supposed end of our struggle with…
A Letter to the Church Family
July 28, 2021 Dear Engadine Cong church family, It has now been just over 4 weeks since our lockdown commenced and it would appear that this situation will continue for some time yet. I wonder what kinds of feelings this produces in you? What a privilege that we can turn to our Lord, whatever we may be feeling, because he knows us completely. We also have the privilege of sharing what we are going through with one another. We may…
Worship during the current covid lockdown
Online Services Live Stream Sundays 10 AM (Sydney, NSW) – go to our Youtube live stream Later you can find the services at our web-site’s service archive Pastoral Help Please contact our pastors. Matt Murray James Stone
Who’s Doing The Heavy Lifting?
Sometimes when I am watching sport on TV the commentators will refer to a player and say, ‘He, or she, has been doing the heavy lifting’. What they mean is that that particular player is doing the most demanding part of the work, or the work that is requiring the most effort, on behalf of their team. In the Old Testament book of Isaiah there is a theme that runs consistently throughout. Isaiah repeatedly draws a contrast between idols and the one…
What’s Happening With COVID-19?
In light of the current advice from Government, information received from the Fellowship of Congregational Churches, as well as the example of other churches in our local area and across our city, we have decided to put on hold our public Sunday gatherings until further notice. Our Sunday services will be made available on line. You can find them here. Some Bible study groups will also be meeting on-line. Contact details are here.
COVID-19 in Perspective
The first of April is usually reserved for April Fool’s jokes. If only COVID-19 was nothing more than one of these! As you would be more than aware, the situation our country, and our world, is presently facing is far from a joke. The number of infections, and deaths resulting from infections, is devastating. The impact on people’s lives and livelihoods is immense. This ought to engender compassion on the part of Christians, a desire to show God’s love in…
A prayer in response to COVID-19
A prayer in response to COVID-19 Lord, we commit ourselves to you as people affected in various ways by this particular coronavirus, COVID-19. We have seen and heard and felt so much over these past few weeks – on the news, on the internet, in our supermarkets. We have experienced a whole range of emotions – shock, worry, concern, uncertainty, nerves, stress, fear. And so we come to you, because you, Lord, know us. You know when we sit and…
On being human
Samuel Beckett’s play, ‘Breath’, lasts for a total of 35 seconds. No people are seen on the stage. Instead, the stage is littered with miscellaneous rubbish. There is a recorded cry – a birth cry – at the beginning of the play. This is then followed by a recording of someone slowly inhaling and exhaling, as the intensity of the stage lighting is increased and decreased. There is a second identical cry. And the play concludes. Is that all there is to being human? Is that what…
Justice and judgement
For many people the idea of judgement, and of God as Judge, is so unpalatable that it renders faith in the God of the Bible impossible. Perhaps that might describe you? Although I am a Christian, and a church leader, I admit to occasionally feeling a palpable sense of awkwardness upon reading some of what the Bible says about judgement. How are we to navigate this challenging topic? One comment I would venture is that I wonder whether at least some of…