Who is this God person and what does he want from us? The beginning of Ephesians gives us a place to start.
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Ephesians – Glory and Grace
Author: Alister Pate
I'm a minister in the Uniting Church in Australia, with two congregations: one in Northcote / Chalice, which now includes Cafechurch Melbourne, and one up the road in Reservoir, confusingly known as Preston High Street. I am
What does suffering mean? What sort of universe is it that allows the suffering of a good person like Job? Are we better off just abandoning the whole idea of a good God?
What does Jesus have to say about Masterchef, my nonna’s favourite recipe, and the “sin against the Holy Spirit”?
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Tools for the Job
I’d never really thought about the events of 24th of May AD 33 from an outsiders perspective. What must it have been like? And is there something particular an engineering mindset might bring to the story?
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Easter
When it comes to Easter, what I want is the Hollywood version. No, scrub that. I want the Bollywood version – all synchronize song and dance numbers and glorious technicolor. Instead, what Mark gives us is something altogether stranger. But perhaps this strange, even broken, account of the Good News is precisely what we need in our context.
When we picture Jesus entering Jerusalem, do we imagine the whole of the city turning out to celebrate the arrival of the Messiah? Or is there something altogether stranger happening? What does it all mean?
Some Greeks came to the temple wanting to see Jesus – what happened next will amaze you! Or at least make for a challenging text for a sermon…
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For God so loved the world
Do you actually know what John 3:16 means? I was shocked to discover that I didn’t, until a few days ago. Also: what on earth do snakes have to do with it?
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The Real Temple
The Second Temple was destroyed almost two thousand years ago, but the temptation to think that God has a house, that anything other than Jesus is where we could seek God’s presence, remains as strong as ever.
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Stones and Ash
What is the meaning of Ash Wednesday? And what does this famous story about a rabbi with two stones have to tell us?
Alister Pate 