“I was not the best with sailing growing up, especially given that I am from the sea. I suffered terrible seasickness as a child. Whenever we sailed, I would always stay on deck, close to my father so I felt safe… As we sat around my father while he steered the rudder, he told us that, ‘The rainbow is God’s creation and God made this world in beautiful colours, including his people.’ He then told us not to be judgmental and to always respect, honour and listen to one another. He said that loving others is always the most important thing,” said Aunty Dr Rose Elu during her Mothering Sunday sermon at St John’s East Malvern
“Being prepared to listen and to learn from others who are different, presupposes that no one person or group can possess the whole truth of the infinity of God,” says Archbishop Phillip Aspinall
“The unity of God’s Church, however, is more than merely overcoming fear and suspicion of difference. Relations between the separated parts of the body of Christ have certainly improved, but we cannot be content with this,” says Bishop Doug Stevens on the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which is held between Sunday 24 May and Sunday 31 May this year
The Ven. Keith Dean-Jones explores the history and meaning of the Feast of the Epiphany, which will be celebrated on Sunday 6 January
We are products of God’s love
“The powerful tune has an energetic pulse and an irrepressible melody which reflects the sweeping quality of the text, invigorating and interpreting it with a sense of reflection and exciting reality,” says The Rev’d Canon Dr David Cole on this new Australian hymn, which is perfect for the forthcoming Pentecost Season
Bishop John Roundhill is about to embark on an eight-day walk and talk tour from Brisbane to the Gold Coast and is inviting parishioners and members of the public to join him
“As a community, after the Easter Day service we celebrated the resurrection of the Lord Jesus with a big kai kai (feast). People from all over the Torres Strait Islands and Papua New Guinea (which was then still administered by Australia) came via sailing canoes rather than by motor boats, bringing seafood, taro, sweet potato, casava, sago and other traditional foods. We then had traditional dancing with men wearing headdresses made of emu feathers and women wearing grass skirts,” says Uncle Milton Walit from NATSIAC and The Parish of Laidley
Over the last 15 years or so, the ancient meditative practice of labyrinth walking has been gaining momentum across our Diocese: Randal Dennings, from St Matthew’s Church in Holland Park, introduces us to the history of labyrinths and local labyrinth activities
“As a financial year ends and a new one starts there is always stocktaking, so at the start of this Church year we should all do some spiritual stocktaking,” says soon-to-be-101-year-old Margaret Thurgood from St David’s, Chelmer-Graceville and St Hugh’s, Inala