The power of forgiveness
“Archbishop Kanishka Raffel has thanked the Abdallah family for activating a community conversation about forgiveness, on the second i4Give day.
A service at The King’s School chapel was packed on Sunday, February 6, as members of the school communities of King’s and Tara, local residents and dignitaries, including the Prime Minister and Premier, joined the Abdallah and Sakr families in celebrating the power of forgiveness. …”
– Russell Powell has the story at SydneyAnglicans.net.
Amazing Grace — a hymn for the New Year
John Newton wrote his most famous hymn, Amazing Grace, 249 years ago.
Learn more at The John Newton Project.
“The words of Amazing Grace were etched on Newton’s heart daily.
But we assume that he first wrote this hymn for his New Year’s Morning sermon of 1 January 1773, for it fits his sermon notes so closely and the text he chose to write above it in the Olney Hymns, 1 Chronicles 17:16,17, is identical to the sermon’s text.”
You can also hear some of the earliest tunes used to sing the hymn.
Christmas message — Bishop Mark Calder
The Bishop of the Diocese of Bathurst, Mark Calder, has released this terrific message for Christmas 2021.
Here’s the text:
Will Christmas celebrations offer any reprieve from the anxiety and uncertainties we face through COVID-19 at the present time, especially with omicron?
About a month ago, it looked as though we could plan for a pretty much normal Christmas. Hotel quarantine for international travellers has been scrapped. Requirements of wearing masks and checking in through the QR codes had been relaxed and we were able to plan family reunions and Christmas holidays.
Now all of that is up in the air as NSW case numbers are blown out of the water. Some of your friends may have now been deemed as close contacts of a COVID case and you’re not able to meet with them. Christmas holidays have had to be put on hold for many people. Some planning to travel to Queensland are now no longer able to get there simply because they haven’t got their test results back in time.
I think anxiety levels are now higher than they at any time during the lockdowns that we’ve known.
Yet into all of this, Christmas will surely come, and it is the message of Christmas that can give us some hope, some comfort, and some perspective.
Perhaps you’ve been singing some of the ancient carols, where we sing words such as:
“He came down to earth from heaven, Who is God and Lord of all”.
“So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heav’n”
“Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled”
By turning up here on earth in the historic person of Jesus Christ, God reached out to us in love, and the invitation is there this Christmas and always, to reach back to him and find some hope, strength, perspective, calm, peace, and even joy, in the midst of our mess.
Don’t miss the truth of Christmas — Archbishop Kanishka Raffel
Here’s the first Christmas message from Archbishop Kanishka Raffel.
With thanks to SydneyAnglicans.net.
Great to share – you can also download it from this link.
Why I celebrate Christmas — Jinming Pap
“Christmas was never a thing in my childhood. Growing up in a small town in Jilin Province, Northwest China, Christmas was not part of our yearly celebration. I was only introduced to Christmas through vague references in Western movies. From these movies, I learnt that Christmas was all about Santa, gifts and Christmas melodies. …”
– At The Australian Church Record, Jinming Pap, who serves at Moore College, shares the good news she discovered about the real meaning of Christmas.
How I came to know Jesus – Annabel Nixey
“When my parents bought a house in Sydney in the early 80s, in God’s kindness, it was down the road from a church which loved Jesus and taught the Bible. It meant that I got to grow up hearing about Jesus the King.
My mum, in particular, modelled to me how to follow Jesus and the significance of prayer and Bible study. Even as a child I knew that her ‘quiet time’, reading the Bible in our front sitting room, was a treasured and protected time in her day.…”
– At The Australian Church Record, Annabel Nixey shares how she came to know the Lord Jesus.
D. A. Carson on the Two Jews Talking the Day Before the First Passover
“Picture two Jews, by the name of Smith and Brown. Remarkably Jewish names.
The day before the first Passover they’re having a little discussion in the land of Goshen, and Smith says to Brown, ‘Boy, are you a little nervous about what’s going to happen tonight?’…”
– Justin Taylor shares this wonderful illustration from Don Carson.
Heroes of the Faith: Apolo Kivebulaya
“Some heroes of the faith are forgotten and deserve rediscovery. One of these being Apolo Kivebulaya, a remarkable church worker in Africa for 40 years and a reminder of the way so many African Christians have spread Christianity on that continent.
Apolo was born into a peasant family in 1864 in Kampala in what is now Uganda…”
– Canon J. John writes of Apolo Kivebulaya in his series on Heroes of the Faith.
Many in Uganda and DR Congo still give thanks for Apolo Kivebulaya.
Also published at Christian Today. (Photo: via J. John.)
How I came to know Jesus – Mike Leite
“The story of God’s grace and mercy in bringing me to faith in Jesus is very ordinary. Ordinary in the sense that mine is not a spectacular conversion story. God used ordinary means. He used ordinary people. And thus, mine is an ordinary story. …”
– More encouraging stories from The Australian Church Record.
Find Life that lasts: A national co-ordinated evangelism campaign
“How could we build back better after COVID? Could evangelicals unite together to rebuild the church with a national co-ordinated evangelistic campaign?
COVID has created an unprecedented opportunity for evangelism, but churches and church leaders are feeling fragile and weary.
In Great Britain, churches are getting set for a national campaign leading up to Easter 2022, under the banner ‘Find life that lasts. It’s closer than you think.’…”
– Watch at The Pastor’s Heart.
How I came to know Jesus – Kirsten McKinlay
“Although I knew a lot of Bible stories, it wasn’t until a specific moment as a teenager that the overarching theme of the Bible, and the centre point of Christianity itself, made sense to me.
Until that moment, I was sure that being a nice and considerate person had earned me God’s favour. …”
– In another encouraging story from the ACR, Kirsten McKinlay shares how she came to Christ.
Faith
“It must be heart-breaking for someone with a life-threatening condition to know about a new treatment but have no access to it. Family and friends will campaign and fundraise. Every effort will be made by them because they know that there is a solution to the problem, and that they just need to get hold of it somehow.
For Christians, salvation is like that …”
– George Crowder at Church Society begins a series of posts on the Christian essentials of faith, hope and love.
Sunday morning encouragement
With thanks to Rob Smith and St. Andrew’s Cathedral.
Bringing the gospel to the North West
Here’s an encouraging and challenging video from the Diocese of North West Australia. Might you answer the call?
And a message from Bishop Gary Nelson to Christians in the North West –
“The diocese of North West Australia seeks to make disciples of all nations as we centre our church life in the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. As you pray, share your resources and visit, please remember to give God thanks for his unfailing, steadfast love to us. Thank you for your support.”
Kanishka Raffel, the weeping Archbishop
“Much as been said about Kanishka in recent weeks, his Sri Lankan heritage, his background in law, his gifts of teaching and preaching, his intellect, and his commitment to indigenous reconciliation.
There is something else I have noticed. …”
– Murray Campbell sees something we should all learn from.
And watch Kanishka’s sermon here.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…