Tag Archives: life after death

Sermon: Comfort in the face of death

Posted on November 8, 2026 by Avril Hannah-Jones

Reflection for North Balwyn Uniting Church 8th of November 2026 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Recently I read a book by religious sociologist Philip Hughes titled What is happening to religion in Australia? What is happening, as we in this congregation know, … Continue reading →

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Sermon: “with warm breast and with ah! bright wings”

Posted on May 18, 2024 by Avril Hannah-Jones

Do not be afraid of night, of death, of exile, of grief. The Holy Spirit, God’s ruach, still broods over the world with warm breast and bright wings. Continue reading →

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Sermon: It’s not the Rapture

Posted on November 11, 2023 by Avril Hannah-Jones

I have wondered whether it makes sense to preach hope and a God of love in such a world. But then I remember that the world has always been like this, and that the church not merely can but must preach hope and a God of love through every crisis. Continue reading →

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Sermon: In death and life

Posted on May 6, 2023 by Avril Hannah-Jones

We do not need to wait until death to enter God’s dwelling-places, to join the community of love that is God. Jesus tells his disciples ‘I am in the Father and the Father is in me,’ and we are welcomed into their community of love and invited to dwell in God in both life and death. Continue reading →

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