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Nazareth Then and Now
Ancient Nazareth lacked the critical advantages for its development as a significant settlement: abundant water supply, an elevated site for defensive purposes, and strategic location adjacent to a major highway. The most comprehensive recent study of the archeology of ancient Nazareth and its local region was completed by Ken Dark over several seasons between 2004…
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The oldest hatred
Presentation to a panel discussion sponsored by the Jewish Council of Australia at St John’s Cathedral, Brisbane on Monday, 29 September 2025. The topic of the event was: Should anti-Semitism be exceptionalised or should we combat all forms of racism together? Co-hosts for the event included: Doykeit (a local Jewish group in Brisbane), St John’s…
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Creating a Network not forming a Crowd
Palm Sunday Christ Church Cathedral, Grafton 5 April 2020 [ video ] It is Palm Sunday, a day for crowds. There were crowds in Jerusalem at Passover time 2,000 years ago … There are crowds in Jerusalem for Palm Sunday every year, except 2020 … There are good numbers at people at churches on…
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Faith community compassion generosity
Fourth Sunday in Lent (Year A) Grafton Cathedral 22 March 2020 [ video ] The gospel set for today is strangely apt and yet it strikes a chord that spells fear, not hope. Jesus is in Jerusalem and he encounters a man who has been blind since birth. Note the very different attitudes of the key…
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Clean hands and open hearts
This opinion piece appeared in The Daily Examiner on Thursday, 12 March 2020 “Facts not fear. Clean hands. Open hearts.” With these seven simple words, Dr Abdu Sharkawy, concluded a recent Facebook post about the coronavirus. Dr Sarkawy is a Canadian medical doctor and an infectious diseases specialist. His post went viral, which is an…
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Solidarity in blessings
First Sunday of Lent (Year A) Christchurch Cathedral Grafton 1 March 2020 [ video ] Perhaps not surprisingly on this first Sunday in Lent, the Bible readings chosen for today tends to focus on temptation and sin. For sure there will be sermons in churches all around Grafton and all over the nation about sin…
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Think different
Grafton Cathedral Epiphany 6A 16 February 2020 [ video ] Between 1997 and 2002, Apple Computers (as they were then called) had a highly successful advertising campaign that transformed perceptions of them and their products, while encouraging people to “think different”. Hold that thought as we delve into today’s Gospel reading. For the…
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Religion that pleases God
Fifth Sunday after Epiphany Christ Church Cathedral, Grafton 9 February 2020 [ video ] Our readings today revolve around one really big idea. It is simply this: what kind of religion pleases God? You would think that after 2,000 years of Christianity and at least another 1,000 years of Jewish history we might have…
