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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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Earthlings first and last
Christ Church Cathedral, Grafton Earth Sunday 2018 22 April 2018 [video] Today we have an opportunity to reflect on the significance of Earth for us as people of faith, and to reflect on the significance of faith—specifically Easter faith—for Earth. This is a huge topic and one with immense significance. I propose simply to offer…
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A letter to my critics
It seems that my 2018 Good Friday sermon has attracted more interest among a wider circle of people than I mostly manage to achieve. This includes negative reactions—some of them quite exaggerated—among conservative Evangelicals for whom there is only one way to understand the theological significance of the cross. During the past week or so…
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Better than silver or gold
Christ Church Cathedral Grafton Third Sunday of Easter 15 April 2018 [video] During these great fifty days after Easter the first reading in Church most Sundays comes from the Book of Acts rather than the Old Testament. Normally we take time to check in with the wisdom of our spiritual ancestors (and indeed our spiritual…
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Witnesses to transformation
Easter Day Christ Church Cathedral 1 April 2018 [video] Our second reading for this liturgy is from Paul’s first letter to the troublesome Christian community at Corinth. They were a tough parish for Paul to serve as their pastor, but we can be grateful for that since their issues repeatedly drove to Paul to put…
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Rethinking the cross of Jesus
Good Friday Christ Church Cathedral 30 March 2018 [video | Letter to my critics | Making meaning out of the cross] This morning I want to speak briefly about the death of Jesus, about the cross. It is a most familiar topic, as our churches are littered with crosses. From the roof top to the decorations…
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When words fail …
Christ Church Cathedral Grafton Lent 5 (B) 18 March 2018 [video] This week the Sunday lectionary offers us three serves of text, each of which centres around a particular—but different—metaphor. At first glance I wondered what exactly I would do with those texts for the sermon this morning, but on reflection I want to suggest…
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