• Nazareth Then and Now

    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

    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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  • Grace upon grace

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    In the months between the diagnosis of an aggressive bladder cancer and my discharge from hospital this morning, I have been on a journey of grace, a pilgrimage to wholeness. My initial reflection on this close encounter with Lady Cancer, aka Holy Wisdom, was published on August 17. This update is being written on November…

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  • The Mind of Christ: Peace and Joy

    Christ Church Cathedral Pentecost 19(A) 15 October 2017   The Mind of Christ, 4: Peace and Joy Background | Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three |  Video Here we are—already—at week four of our four week mini-series on Paul’s letters to the Philippians. A lot has happened in all of our lives during those…

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  • The Mind of Christ: Faithfulness

    Christ Church Cathedral Grafton Pentecost 18 (A) 8 October 2017 This week our series of passages from Paul’s letter to the Philippians brings us to chapter 3. Background | Chapter One | Chapter Two | Video 1 (0800 Liturgy) | Video 2 (0930 Baptism Liturgy) Having considered compassion as a key attribute of the Christian…

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  • The Mind of Christ: Humility

    Christ Church Cathedral Grafton Pentecost 17 (A) 1 October 2017   Video of this sermon is now available online. This is the second in our four week sermon series as we take the opportunity to explore the key themes of Paul’s letter to the Philippians. For those who were not with us last week, let…

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  • The Mind of Christ: Compassion

    The Mind of Christ: Compassion

    Christ Church Cathedral Grafton Pentecost 16A 24 September 2017   Introduction [A video of one iteration of this sermon is available online.] It is good to be here, and I am deeply appreciative of your welcome these past few days, as well as for your prayers in the past few weeks. Sometimes (maybe often) things…

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  • Four Sundays with Philippians

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    A Congregational Companion IMAGE: Our earliest copy of this letter: Papyrus 16 – Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 1009 – Cairo Egyptian Museum JE 47424 – Epistle to the Philippians 3:10–17, 4:2–8. Public Domain.   Gerald F. Hawthorne reflected on the four years he invested in research for his commentary on Philippians in the Word Biblical Commentary: Four years…

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