Liturgies

The theme for Advent this year is Joy, inspired by Margaret Clifford’s poem, Choose Joy, where she says of joy, ‘It will not shield you from the weight of the world but will save you from its crush’. Margaret will introduce the theme of joy this week and provide a reflection on concepts of joy in the Old and New Testaments and what it means to “choose” joy regardless of the circumstances.

We are called to be Peacemakers, to follow Christ in the building of a just and loving community. We often assume peace making is peacekeeping, but they are not the same thing. Peace making is active and requires engagement, whereas peacekeeping can be passive and focus on avoiding confrontation, which can ignore injustice.

Liz will be thanking the homilists who have presented since Terry retired earlier this year. Our AGM is on Sunday. This photo reminds us that we have always been aspirational. And so we continue.

John and Mary are sharing the homily. Together they will describe their organization SERVAS in order to reflect on the connection between hospitality, peace and the sacred.

On this Sunday, the Feast of All Souls, Mark will discuss “Is there a place for All Souls and All Saints in our modern spiritual practice?”

In a world where ‘fake news’ abounds, there is a tendency for everyone to have an opinion about anything – not necessarily based on fact. This often leads to misplaced self-righteousness and conflict. Wayne, in his homily, will discuss how Jesus dealt with this problem in his time.

Be Like Luke is advice offered by Reverend Canon Dr Gregory Jenks (December 2024). Liz will use Rev Jenks’ work to explore the qualities of the Gospel of Luke that we are invited to emulate.

This week’s homily is entitled ‘Can faith make you well?’ Mark Thomson will explore the themes of spirituality and healing and will share modern day research on the topic.

Noel will be speaking this weekend about the moments of synchronicity in his life, especially at those times when he has attended SMX.

Ingerid Meagher is the homilist this week. Using two much treasured photos, she explores the subject of perspective and how different viewpoints may shape our understanding of the world. It focusses on how a single event can be perceived in multiple ways, or how personal experiences influence our interpretation of reality.