Category Archives: New Testament

Imagine a World Where Death Wins…

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In some ways it’s not hard to imagine a world without Easter. Even though most are pleased to enjoy the blessing of a long weekend, most live without Easter making any difference to their lives.

It’s not that the public holiday is the issue. Many of us enjoy other public holidays, without making much difference to our own lives. If our theme was  ‘Imagine a world without the Adelaide Cup’, we’d probably think we’d be all the better for it!

When Tom Playford was premier during the war years, he shut down the racing industry. Apparently the Prime Minister of the day had issued the instruction to close non-essential services because of the war effort, and Playford thought racing fitted the category (this was reportedly not what the PM had in mind, and the industry was reinstated a year later).

What would happen if we shut down the Easter ‘industry’?

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Imagine a World Without Justice…

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Imagine a world without justice. Our first reaction when we see injustice is ‘Someone should fix that!’; ‘Where’s a policeman when you need one?’; or ‘There should be a law against that!’. Most of us don’t like injustice when we see it against others, and particularly when we experience against ourselves.

The event that took place on ‘Good Friday’ amounts to injustice on a grand scale.

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Imagine a World Without Hope

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The good news about Jesus is often spoken of as the ‘hope’ of the gospel. It’s not a ‘hope-so’ or a ‘hope-ful’. Hope is the promise from God of eternal life gifted to all who place their faith in Jesus Christ.

The Bible speaks of the hope ‘that God has called you to’ (Ephesians 1:18), and the hope ‘laid up for you in heaven’ (Colossians 1:5). This is the ‘assurance of hope until the end’ (Hebrews 6:11).

Imagine a world without the hope of the gospel!

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How to make Easter more than just overpriced chocolate!?

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We are less than a month out from Easter – that wonderful weekend of the year when we remember and celebrate the clearest demonstration of God’s love for his people – sending his son to the cross for those, like me, who don’t deserve this incredible act of grace.

The Easter weekend is also the weekend when the greatest number unbelieving folk walk into our gathering. Get that – they walk into Trinity City and 5pm Church under their own steam.Trinity City 'Five by 5' Challenge - hand

So how can you plan to make the most of this opportunity – not only for those that you meet that weekend at church, but also for those friends, family and colleagues who you might find will easily accept your invitation.

Here are some suggestions:

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A Leap Year of Affliction?

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Thirty days hath September,Pirates of Penzance
 April, June and November;
All the rest have thirty-one
 Save February, she alone
Hath eight days and a score
Till leap year gives her one day more.

The 29th February plays a pivotal role in the Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera The Pirates of Penzance. In the story the hero Frederic realizes his pirate apprenticeship binds him till his 21st birthday, but as his birthday falls on the 29th of February it only occurs every fourth year, meaning he would have to wait to his 84th year before he was released from his bonds.

Frederic is a pirate who wants redemption!

Here is a question to consider. What makes our burdens and afflictions so difficult?

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