Readings: 2 Samuel 11:1–15; Ephesians 3:14–21 & John 6:1–21 Critics of the Bible often point out the apparent contradictions between stories that appear in more than one of the Gospels as proof that much of what is contained in the Bible is unreliable. Richard Dawkins, for example, argues that because the Gospels weren’t written until many years after the death of Jesus,…

Readings: 2 Samuel 7:1–14a, Ephesians 2:11–22 & Mark 6:30–34, 53–56 I’m sure we’re all familiar with the saying, “Home is where the heart is”. It’s thought to have originated in the mid-seventeenth century, but the first instances of it being recorded in writing apparently didn’t occur until the mid-nineteenth century. The saying has generally been interpreted to mean that your home is…

Sermon for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost Readings: 2 Samuel 6:1–5, 12b–19; Ephesians 1:1–14 & Mark 6:14–29 I recently started rewatching the TV series Game of Thrones with Jiayin because she has never seen it. For those of you who have seen the series yourselves, I’m sure you would agree with me that King Herod’s birthday banquet, which is described in today’s…

Sermon for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost Readings: 2 Samuel 5:1–5, 9–10; 2 Corinthians 12:2–10 & Mark 6:1–13 My preparation as a candidate for ordination in the Diocese of Melbourne included participating in the Ministry Formation Program at Trinity College Theological School while I was studying for my degree in theology. A requirement of the Formation Program was to complete placements in…