Church leaders use Christmas message to spread hope for the new year
Posted on December 26, 2019
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“Millions of Australians have today celebrated the spirit of Christmas with family and friends.”
– Report and Image from Seven News Sydney (on Facebook).
‘God is with us’: Anglican Archbishop’s Christmas message to us
Posted on December 25, 2019
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“The Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Glenn Davies, has told Mark Levy no trouble, bushfire or any other event can separate people from the love and comfort of God in Jesus.”
– Archbishop Glenn Davies was interviewed on Sydney’s 2GB this morning.
Bishop Mark Calder’s Christmas message 2019
Posted on December 23, 2019
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Bishop of the Diocese of Bathurst, Mark Calder, has released his Christmas message for 2019 –
“Christmas – that time when God turned up on earth as one of us.
That is what Christmas is about and it’s worth celebrating!
It’s the sure sign that God cares enough about us to turn up, loves so much that he would come and live among us in humility; that he died and rose again so that we could be forgiven and have eternal life if we put him back in control of our lives.
So despite living in a drought ravaged land, a land deeply impacted this year by bushfires, we have in Jesus a sure sign that God loves us, cares for us, is with us, is alongside of us, wants to know us, wants to be in relationship with us and promises us a glorious future.
Friends, have a happy Christmas!”
You can also watch Bishop Calder’s Christmas sermon, on Luke 2:1-4.
It’s all a good reminder to pray for the people of the Diocese of Bathurst, which covers the region bordered by Oberon, Cowra and West Wyalong in the south; Cobar and Bourke in the west; across the north-west to Coonamble and Coonabarabran; and Coolah, Mudgee and Rylstone in the east.
Gary Koo consecrated as Bishop of Western Sydney
Posted on December 22, 2019
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“A warm smile and a ready handshake was everywhere as the new Bishop of Western Sydney was consecrated at St John’s Cathedral in Parramatta on Friday night, 20th December.
The Reverend Gary Siew Leong Koo was one of their own and many western Sydney clergy and congregation members came out to see him consecrated at the regional Cathedral. …”
– Russell Powell at SydneyAnglicans.net has the story and some photos.
Losing a job for believing that biological sex is immutable
Posted on December 21, 2019
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“An astonishing decision from an Employment Tribunal in the UK has ruled that it is acceptable to dismiss an employee because of their view that sex is biological and immutable (unable to be changed).
In a preliminary ruling in Forstater v CGD Europe (18 Dec 2019; Case No 2200909/2019, Employment Judge Tayler) this view was found to be ‘incompatible with human dignity and [the] fundamental rights of others’ (para [84]), and hence not a protected ‘belief’ for the purposes of a claim of “belief”-based discrimination under the UK Equality Act 2010.
While this case is not based on a religious belief, it brings into sharp focus a number of issues connected with religious beliefs and the workplace. …”
– At Law and Religion Australia, Neil Foster looks at a case which might have been unthinkable a very short time ago.
‘Tis The Season to Be Jolly, So What If I’m Feeling Sad?
Posted on December 20, 2019
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The song playing in Target will tell you “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”, but you might feel like screeching back “For who?”
A light up display on Santa’s belly in Kmart will tell you how many sleeps are left, but to you it might feel strangely reminiscent of a ticking time bomb.
And if you’ve managed to suppress all that by the time you get home, you may be fortunate enough to have a three-year-old who regularly shouts “Hey Siri! How many days ‘til Christmas?” to refresh your memory/increase your blood pressure. …
– At The Australian Church Record, Jocelyn Loane considers what we mustn’t forget at Christmas.
Bishop of Bathurst’s Christmas Sermon 2019
Posted on December 19, 2019
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Newly installed Bishop of Bathurst, Mark Calder, is sharing his sermons from Bathurst Cathedral by video as an encouragement to people across his far-flung diocese.
Here’s his Christmas sermon, on Luke 2:1-4.
Why would God do the Christmas thing?
Posted on December 19, 2019
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“Why would God do the Christmas thing? It’s commercial, it often brings out the worst of consumerism, it stresses people, promotes greed and jealousies among children, and rekindles moments of bitterness and family frictions among adults.
Sadly for most people there is just a confusion about the purpose of Christmas. Christmas for many has become like a statue in the park where observers wonder why it is there and pigeons find it convenient for all the wrong reasons.
So why would God do the Christmas thing in the first place? …”
– Bishop of Armidale, Rick Lewers, has been writing about Christmas in his In Focus column.
Here’s the latest, “Why would God do the Christmas thing?”.
New Archbishop of York, and other news from the UK
Posted on December 18, 2019
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“It has been announced this morning that the new Archbishop of York will be Stephen Cottrell, currently Bishop of Chelmsford.
Stephen Cottrell is the President of Affirming Catholicism, an organisation which is ‘seeking to bring together and strengthen lay and ordained people who recognize the positive, inclusive and joyful currents in the Catholic tradition of Christianity.’ Among other things, they are seeking to allow same sex marriage and the ministry of people in same sex relationships within the Church of England. …”
– See Church Society’s website for more. Photo: Diocese of York.
The Church of England website has a story.
In other news from the UK, Bishop Gavin Ashenden, who joined the Anglo-Catholic Christian Episcopal Church two years ago, has now announced that he is ‘crossing the Tiber’.
Related:
Rome Scholars & Leaders Network, June 15th-19th 2020.
“Evangelicalism currently has an incoherent relationship with Roman Catholicism. Many evangelicals are uncertain about what Roman Catholics actually believe. Do they believe in the same Gospel, or something entirely different?…”
Swimming the Tiber? by Mark Jones at Ligonier Ministries.
Our Times are in God’s Hands
Posted on December 18, 2019
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“As Christmas 2019 approaches, many of us have a sense that the world has almost tilted on its axis. There are droughts and bushfires in the natural sphere, and in the civil sphere we have seen the widespread acceptance of abortion, euthanasia, and same-sex relationships. Furthermore, there is a perceptible coarsening and hardening of public and private life. …”
– Moderator-General of the Presbyterian Church of Australia, the Rev. Dr Peter Barnes, shares great encouragement this Christmas.
Jesus is God with us
Posted on December 17, 2019
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Archbishop of Sydney Glenn Davies has released his Christmas Message for 2019 – in both text and video formats.
It would be ideal to play at services on Christmas Day – and to feature it on your church website.
Rejoice that He is with us
Posted on December 16, 2019
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“Emmanuel is, for me, one of the most precious words in the New Testament.
The Greek word is a transliteration of the Hebrew phrase, meaning “God with us”. Although only occurring once in Matthew 1:23, where it is a translation of the Hebrew phrase that appears in Isaiah 7:14 and 8:8, it is rich in meaning and has become regularly associated with both Advent and Christmas carols. Jesus is our Emmanuel (or Immanuel to reflect the original Hebrew).”
– Archbishop Glenn Davies shares this Christmas reflection. At SydneyAnglicans.net.
Conversation between former Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson and Journalist Melanie Phillips removed from YouTube
Posted on December 16, 2019
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[Update, Tuesday 17 December: The video appears to have been reinstated.]
Former Australian Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson has been continuing to post his Conversations series on his website, johnanderson.net.au.
There, he explains his motivation. In part, he says:
“Increasingly in Australia our famous commitment to a fair go for all, mateship, and rubbing along with people who have different views, seem to be under threat.
It often seems to me that the old adage, ‘I may disagree with you, but I will defend to the death your right to say it,’ is giving way to a notion which says, ‘if you dare disagree with me I’ll do whatever it takes to silence you.’
The good policy that Australia desperately needs now will not come out of a bad or silenced debate, which is the inevitable outcome of a loss of respect for other people and the views that they hold.“ (emphasis added)
On Friday (13 December), he published his latest Conversation, this one with Melanie Phillips, Journalist, Author and Broadcaster. Today (Monday 16 December), the video of the conversation has been “removed for violating YouTube’s Terms of Service”.
In a message to subscribers, John Anderson says,
“We are currently trying to determine if taking down the video was an honest mistake and are working to have it reinstated as soon as possible. We’ll let you know if and when it is available to view again.
In the meantime you can listen to the discussion on podcast at these links: iTunes, Spotify.“
Advent Letter from Archbishop Ben Kwashi
Posted on December 15, 2019
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“Peace be with you!
Our Advent card celebrates the wonderful truth that our Lord Jesus who first appeared in the humility of the incarnation will most certainly return in glory, ‘For all the promises of God find their Yes in him’ (2 Cor 1:20).
The gospel brings a hope that nothing and nobody else can give and living myself in a situation where Christians risk their lives for faithfulness to Christ, I know the power of this hope to sustain and strengthen. …”
– Gafcon General Secretary, Archbishop Ben A Kwashi, shares his Advent 2019 message.
Reflections on leaving the Church of England
Posted on December 14, 2019
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“Having served for 23 years as an ordained minister in the Church of England, I was recently licensed as minister of Emmanuel, Morecambe in the Free Church of England, a smaller Anglican denomination which formed in the mid-19th century. …
People have asked me what has changed in the CofE in recent years such that I have decided to leave it now and whether this decision has involved some soul-searching.”
– Julian Mann shares something of his journey, at VirtueOnline.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…