Priscilla & Aquila Conference 2022 — The one another commands

Posted on December 27, 2021 
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Peter Orr is the keynote speaker at the 2022 P&A Conference at Moore College on 31 January. (Also via livestream.)

Recently, The Australian Church Record asked P&A Director Jane Tooher what to expect. There’s a lot planned, including ten afternoon electives.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson after the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope

Posted on December 26, 2021 
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Last night (Christmas morning in the US), after years of delays, the James Webb Space Telescope was launched for NASA from South America by the European Space Agency. It’s an incredibly complex and sensitive observatory with the potential to make astounding discoveries.

NASA administrator Bill Nelson spoke shortly after the launch, using words you may find familiar. (Starting at 2:04 into the video.)

Christmas morning encouragement

Posted on December 25, 2021 
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With thanks to Emu Music.

Christmas Eve Encouragement

Posted on December 24, 2021 
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O Come, All You Unfaithful – from Sovereign Grace Music.

The easiest conspiracy theory to debunk this Christmas

Posted on December 23, 2021 
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“Are you feeling a bit apprehensive about your conversations with family and friends this Christmas?

The restrictions and lockdowns of the last few years have helped to keep us safe physically, but they’ve also played a role in dividing us socially. The combination of physical isolation, fears for safety, and the overwhelming stream of digital information at our fingertips have opened us up to all sorts of problems…”

– Dreading talking about COVID or US politics over Christmas lunch?

Lionel and Bronwyn Windsor have a suggestion for you. At The Australian Church Record.

Masks, density limits reintroduced in NSW

Posted on December 23, 2021 
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“Wearing a mask while indoors will become mandatory in NSW from midnight tonight as the state government reintroduces restrictions to curb the Omicron wave.

Premier Dominic Perrottet has announced density limits of one person per 2 square metres for hospitality venues would also be reinstated from December 27, while QR code measures will be ‘back in a limited way’. …”

– Report from ABC News.

Updated Rules for people in NSW.

And from SydneyAnglicans.net’s “COVID-19 Church Worker Frequently Asked Questions”:

“What process do we follow if we have a COVID-positive case at church?”

Christmas message from the Archbishop of Canterbury

Posted on December 23, 2021 
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The Archbishop of Canterbury’s Christmas message to the Anglican Communion is a somewhat sombre affair, with a focus on COVID, Climate Change, and the coming Lambeth Conference.

Related:

Canadian commentator and author Mark Steyn on GBNews spoke overnight on the Church of England’s missed opportunities during COVID lockdowns.

Christmas message — Bishop Mark Calder

Posted on December 22, 2021 
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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.

Direct link to video here.

PDF version here.

Don’t miss the truth of Christmas — Archbishop Kanishka Raffel

Posted on December 21, 2021 
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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.

Submission to Parliamentary committee on the Religious Discrimination Bill

Posted on December 20, 2021 
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From Neil Foster at Law and Religion Australia:

“The submission of Freedom for Faith to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights inquiry into the Religious Discrimination Bill is now available for download here. I prepared the submission with input from other board members.

Submissions to this committee can be made at their website here, but only until 5 pm Tuesday 21 December.

There is also a short survey that the Committee have released which it would be good for anyone concerned with religious freedom in Australia to fill in before that same deadline.”

Image: Diocese of Sydney. (Emphasis added.)

Five misleading Untruths about the Federal Religious Discrimination Bill

Posted on December 20, 2021 
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“Would a Federal Religious Discrimination Bill (RDB) allow a nurse to say to a patient with HIV that AIDS is a punishment from God?

Would the RDB allow a disability worker to say to a disabled girl that her disability is caused by the devil?

Would it allow a doctor to refuse treatment to a gay patient just because he’s gay?

These are some of the claims being made about the Religious Discrimination Bill that’s before Federal Parliament. …”

– At The Gospel Coalition Australia Akos Balogh takes a look at some of the claims which have been made about the Religious Discrimination Bill.

See also:

Your voice needed on Religious Discrimination Bill – SydneyAnglicans.net.
Parliamentary survey open to all until Tuesday December 21.

UK Pastors write letter to the Government explaining they will choose God

Posted on December 19, 2021 
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“Victoria is not the only jurisdiction in the world to introduce laws prohibiting conversion practices. While Victoria’s The Change or Suppression (Conversion) Practices Prohibition Act remains the most extreme, both in the breadth of what is banned and in the criminal sanctions that are threatened, other Australian State and several countries have or are in the process of banning elements of Christian practice and belief.

The United Kingdom is introducing legislation to ban so-called conversion practices. More than 2500 pastors have signed a letter to the Government, explaining their position…”

– Murray Campbell in Melbourne draws attention to an important Christian response to proposed bans on “Conversion Therapy” in the UK.

(The website was over bandwidth last we checked, but an archived version is available here.)

Sunday Morning Encouragement

Posted on December 19, 2021 
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With thanks to Emu Music.

A Fireside Chat with Bishop Rod Chiswell

Posted on December 18, 2021 
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The December 2021 – January 2022 issue of The Link from the Diocese of Armidale is now up on their website.

Lots of encouraging articles and fuel for prayer.

Bishop Rod Chiswell writes,

“Greetings from Armidale. I hope you’ve weathered the winter and stayed warm in your patch. Since moving to Armidale, I’ve rediscovered the joys of sitting by the fire. So, this letter from me comes as a kind of fireside chat to share some of the things that are on my heart.

During my first eight months in the job as bishop, at every opportunity in parishes around the Armidale Diocese, I have been underlining the central importance of God’s word. …”

– Read it all on page 3 of The Link, available via this page.

Also in this issue, Bernard Gabbott reflects on “shepherding a scattered mob” during COVID in Narrabri.

The Diocesan vision is to “Introduce people to Jesus and help them home to Heaven”. How wonderfully clear and encouraging!

Your voice needed on Religious Discrimination Bill

Posted on December 17, 2021 
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“Supporters of protection for religious freedom are being urged to take part in a survey by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights, as the Parliament considers the Religious Discrimination Bill 2021. …”

– Here’s post from SydneyAnglicans.net on an important matter.

The survey referred to closes at 5:00pm on Tuesday 21st December.

The post also includes the questions from the survey.

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