Author Archives: Avril Hannah-Jones
Reflection: God our Rock
The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Continue reading
Sermon: The welfare of the city
God has brought you here; God is already at work here; and in the shalom of this amazing, beautiful, challenging city of Melbourne, you will find your shalom. Continue reading
Sermon: A psalm of hate
Another gift of the Psalter is the permission it gives us to share everything with God, even those emotions of which we are ashamed. The psalms show us that there is nothing that human beings can think, feel, say, or do, that we need to hide from God. Continue reading
Sermon: A terrifyingly simple parable
It also takes the church out of the safe realm of biblical interpretation and theology into the scary realm of economics and politics. We could quite easily be told that questions of taxation and social security are none of our business. But we are in the Year of Luke and Luke, as I’ve already said, had no qualms about bringing socioeconomics into religion. Maybe we can too. Continue reading
Sermon: A complete puzzle of a parable
I have been chewing on this parable, as Jesus’ first hearers would have chewed it over on their way home that evening, wondering what the Lord meant by this story. Continue reading
Sermon: God must be crazy!
The problem is that Jesus is willing to eat with tax-collectors and sinners, to relate to them as people, to see them as beloved human beings, before they demonstrate any repentance at all. Continue reading
Reflection: Carrying the Cross
What we are seeing with the federal Religious Discrimination Bill is a last, desperate, attempt by Australian churches to hold on to the privilege and possessions that Australian Christians used to be able to take for granted: respect from the community, and a place at the tables of politicians. Continue reading
Sermon: Slavery and Biblical Literalism
If Christians were satisfied with simply ‘believing in the Bible’ we might still be approving slavery. Continue reading
Apostles Creed 3 – Jesus Christ
What the Apostles Creed is concerned with is not the mechanics of salvation, or who might or might not go to hell, but the identity of Jesus Christ. This is what is at the heart of Christianity, not a theory or a theology, but a person. Continue reading
Apostles Creed 2 – God the Father
When Christians describe God as creator of heaven and earth we are saying a huge ‘yes’ to the whole creation. Continue reading
Rev Doc Geek 