Commitment to your Congregation — Mark Burkhill

The latest Church Society podcast: Mark Burkill spoke at the 2024 Junior Anglican Evangelical Conference on how a pastor must be committed to the people under their care.

Encouraging. Listen here.

An interview with Jocelyn Loane

At The Australian Church Record, Kirsten McKinlay catches up with Jocelyn Loane to find out about her new book Motherhood — How the gospel shapes our purpose and priorities.

Sam Green — Engaging with Islam

From AP, the national Presbyterian journal:

“In this episode of AP’s Profiles in Christian Living we talk with Sam Green, one of Australia’s leading apologists to Muslims. Sam lives in Hobart, Tasmania and has written an excellent book called Where to Start with Islam by St Matthias Press. …”

– Watch or listen here. Very very helpful.

See Sam’s book Where to Start with Islam, and his website Engaging With Islam.

Are churches losing global mission focus? — with Tim Silberman

From The Pastor’s Heart:

“Is the church losing its global mission focus?

The number of overseas missionaries being sent out is down on ten years ago.

Church and mission leaders have encouraged Christians to respond to the need for mission locally, especially as church decline accelerates.

Yet there’s a growing concern that global mission involvement is being neglected in many local churches.

Sydney Missionary and Bible College Lecturer Tim Silberman has just completed a study on practices and perspectives on mission among evangelical churches in Australia.

Tim says for mission to prosper, churches need to have strong relationships with overseas mission partners, and this will help the gospel globally and our local mission work.”

– Watch or listen here.

Church Society Podcast: Messiah

“Lee Gatiss talks to Lucy Downer, Music Director at St Ebbe’s Church, about the music and theology of Handel’s Messiah, as well as the new devotional book from Church Society based on its libretto.”– Listen here.

They speak about the newly published book A Month With The Messiah – Reflections on Handel’s Masterpiece. In addition to the printed version, it’s available as a digital download.

“A Month With The Messiah – Reflections on Handel’s Masterpiece (262pp) brings together a cast of thirty scholars, pastors, musicians, and theologians come together to provide a profound and accessible devotional commentary on this musical masterpiece. Curated to appeal both to long-time admirers and newcomers, this book dives into the libretto’s scriptural themes with clarity and reverence.”

Includes contributions by Dr Peter Adam, Dean of Sydney Sandy Grant and St. Andrew’s Cathedral Music Director Ross Cobb.

Dear Pastor, Keep This in Mind When There is “Too Much to Do”

Crossway has published this article adapted from Letters Along the Way: From a Senior Saint to a Junior Saint by D. A. Carson and John D. Woodbridge –

“I’ve been asked if I have any suggestions for sorting out how to live when there is ‘too much to do.’ With the preface in mind that the ‘preacher practiceth not what he preacheth,’ here are a few thoughts …

My father was once conversing with me about how he had lived his life. Almost poignantly, he said: ‘Son, I wish I had done fewer things better.’ I was young then, and I did not really understand what he meant. …”

– See the eight pieces of advice for those who feel overwhelmed in ministry with ‘too much to do’.

The Nativity: Fact or Fairytale?

From Tyndale House in Cambridge:

“[Tyndale House Principal] Peter Williams has been studying the Gospels, and therefore Jesus’ birth story, for over 20 years.

Tony Watkins recently sat down with him to explore the historical and textual reliability of the Nativity, one of the world’s most popular narratives. In this engaging interview, Peter sheds light on the significance and reliability of the accounts of Jesus’ birth found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.

‘…what I’d say is there’s absolutely no reason why these narratives can’t be true’.”

– Watch here.

Hannah Blake reviews John Mark Comer’s ‘Practicing the Way’

“Recently I’ve noticed a lot of discussion surrounding John Mark Comer’s latest book Practicing the Way, and more generally around discipleship and formation. Many of us are asking questions about what it really means to follow Jesus, or to be his disciple, or to ‘apprentice’ with him. What does it actually look like for you and me, today, to live the Christian life? …”

At The Australian Church Record, Hannah Blake looks at a solution she evaluates as ‘sorely misdirected’.

Britain’s new National Death Service?

“If Labour MP Kim Leadbeater’s Terminally ill Adults (End of Life) bill ends up on the statute book, it could well be that the principal (perhaps only) achievement of Sir Keir Starmer’s government in Britain will have been the introduction of a National Death Service.

It will also signal the assisted suicide of Britain as a moral society. Indeed, Friday’s Commons debate on the issue revealed that Leadbeater herself clearly doesn’t understand what she has done because she doesn’t understand the moral distinction between killing and dying. Nor do some other MPs. …”

– British journalist and author Melanie Phillips takes a closer look at what MPs actually voted for on Friday in the House of Commons.

(Image from an interview at johnanderson.net.au. John Anderson has spoken with Melanie Phillips on a number of occasions.)

You can be certain — Luke 1:1-4

Bishop Mark Calder begins his Advent/Christmas series for the Diocese of Bathurst: You can be certain

December 01 ADVENT 1 Why? Luke 1:1-4
December 08 ADVENT 2 John the Baptist prepared the way. Luke 1:5-25
December 15 ADVENT 3 Jesus was miraculously conceived. Luke 1:26-38
December 22 ADVENT 4 God’s eternal promises were being fulfilled. Luke 1:39-56
December 25 CHRISTMAS A Saviour was born – Messiah and Lord! Luke 2:1-21.

Watch the first talk at this link.

Encouragement for church members, and great to share.

Nexus 25 registration open

The Nexus25 conference is coming up on Monday 17th March at Village Church Annandale:

“Nexus25 is about how we can reach our city with the life-giving gospel of our Lord Jesus.

Our conviction as a Nexus network is that the death and resurrection of Jesus, and his imminent return, means that our lives and churches must be driven by the urgent proclamation of our Saviour and Lord. And yet if we’re honest with ourselves, this conviction often wanes and does not flow into concerted, effective action in our churches.  We believe that God is not done with Sydney. Christ still has many people in this city—people who have not yet heard and believed the gospel of Christ—and we long to see them saved and gathered around his throne.

Together under God, let’s think about what we need to do in our churches as we strive to reach this city for Christ.

Dave Jensen and Phil Colgan are going to help us think about how we can help everyone in our churches be on board with the mission that drives us.  What are the convictions we need to sharpen in ourselves and encourage in others if we are going to be evangelistically effective? Are there things holding our churches back?  Are there better ways to do things that flow more truly from our convictions?  Those are the sorts of questions we’re going to consider.

Of course, along with this, we’re going to do what we always do at Nexus – come together for encouragement, fellowship and prayer, to spur one another on to persevere in the noble task of serving God’s people as pastors, teachers and evangelists.”

– Learn more, and register, at the Nexus25 website.

Advent account a salutary reminder in self-centred times

“The Prayer Book Bible readings and Collect for Advent Sunday are a powerful reminder that the Jewish Messiah who was crucified in Roman Judea will one day return to the judge the world.

The reading from Matthew’s Gospel stresses the humility of Jesus when he entered Jerusalem on a donkey in fulfilment of the Old Testament prophecy in Zechariah 9:9…”

– Julian Mann writes at The Conservative Woman.

Advent Devotionals from Prayermate

If you use the free Prayermate app, there are a number of Advent devotionals you may find helpful.

Some are paid, some are free. See the current list – as well as links to download Prayermate – here.

Women in the Anglican Diocese of Armidale

From the Diocese of Armidale:

“At the recent Synod (September 2024), the Bishop presented a position paper on the Role of Women in the Anglican Diocese of Armidale.

In the paper he seeks ‘to explore the way Christian men and women can partner together in ministry, to grow and build Christ’s church in accordance with the Scriptures’ (Bishop’s synod address, p9).

This was in preparation for employing a Diocesan Deacon for Women. Everything is now ready for the role to begin in January 2025 – the new Deacon for Women will be announced in December…”

– This page has links to Bishop Rod Chiswell’s Position Paper here and his Synod Address.

Image: The Synod of the Diocese of Armidale.

Growth and Change and Preaching

“Recently during a week of study leave I had the privilege of reading Andrew Heard’s excellent new book, Growth and Change: The danger and necessity of a passion for church growth (Matthias Media, 2024). It receives the commendation of numerous respected pastors and scholars. D. A. Carson, reluctant to call any book the ‘best’ in its field, suggests in the Foreword that Growth and Change might serve as an exception to his rule.

Reading through it over three consecutive days, I found myself praising God for its zealous, ambitious, and what I believe to be a scripturally faithful perspective. …”

– David Burger writes at The Expository Preaching Trust. This is Part 1 of his reflections on the book.

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