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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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a picnic at the heart of the universe
Pentecost 13BSt Paul’s Church, Ipswich18 August 2024 [ video ] At the heart of every faith community there is a symbol of the good life, or perhaps the struggle to overcome evil. Sometimes there are multiple symbols. These symbols capture almost without words the essence of our faith. For some Christians, the ultimate symbol of
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How to kill a church
Pentecost 12BSt Paul’s Church, Ipswich11 August 2024 The theme sentence for our liturgy today came from the Epistle to the Ephesians. You can find it at the very top of page 2 of the service booklet: Be imitators of God, as beloved children,and live in love,as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us.
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Why bother with the Bible
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The Magdalene
Feast of the MagdaleneSt Paul’s Church, Ipswich21 July 2024 [ video ] This Sunday we celebrate the feast of Saint Mary Magdalene, perhaps better named as The Magdalene. As we reflect on this feast day and gather up fragments of wisdom for our own lives I want to suggest that we use three simple questions
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When God comes to church
Beam of sunlight above the tomb of Christ at the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem. Photograph ©2015 Gregory C. Jenks Pentecost 8BSt Paul’s Church, Ipswich14 July 2024 [ video ] A couple of weeks ago we celebrated the joint feast of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. In my sermon for that day, I observed that
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Being on country
Pentecost 7B / NAIDOC SundaySt Paul’s Church, Ipswich7 July 2024 [ video ] In today’s sermon I want to invite you to join me in a reflection that seeks to intertwine a story of Jesus going back home to Nazareth—described simply as his “hometown”—with our sense of belonging to the places we call home, and
