ST JUDE'S ARTICLES

We hear and say the Lord’s Prayer all the time, but there is a richness to be enjoyed when it is carefully considered. Jesus’ prayer from Matthew 6 can act as a tuning fork for the heart even from the opening lines, realigning our fears and motivations, reorienting our gaze towards a loving father and heavenly king.

It's winter. It's cold. And if you go to one of our traditional services, you'll be all-too familiar with the heater's impeccable timing in breaking down right as the first cold snap hits (update: it’s fixed now!). It’s tempting to stay in bed and watch the sermon on YouTube from the comfort of your lounge with a blanket and a big cup of tea.

Only recently (at 45!) did I really begin to understand the value of habits. By experience I learned that; sport + an aging body = physical pain. That forced me to think about how to strengthen my body for the sports I still wanted to do. What I came to understand is that the benefits of habits are built up over time. In other words, daily habits prepare and protect us for future struggles.

We believe that, God himself speaks with power and authority through His living Word! That means that at the heart of our growth in maturity as believers must be personal, faithful, and careful Bible reading and prayer. However, the Bible’s vast size and diversity can make distilling its truth a daunting task.

I've been struck afresh by a niggling question: how could the religious leaders get it so wrong? Especially the teachers of the law: their job was to study and teach the Scriptures — the very Scriptures that testified about Jesus — yet the very best of them only manages to get himself 'not far from the kingdom of God'

I was speaking with a young man who was figuring out ‘what team’ he was in. By team he meant church denomination. I was encouraged by his willingness, yet he had found some odd and wrong teachings from bad sources on YouTube.

At its heart, St Jude’s Bowral is a bible-believing and a bible-teaching church. But what does that actually mean? Every legitimate church gives a central role to engaging with the Scriptures. The reading and exposition of Scripture has been part of Christian gatherings since the time of the apostles, just as the reading and reflection upon the Hebrew Scriptures was a central part of synagogue gatherings before the time of Jesus.

We like to have things under control. We like to be in control of our own destiny. Many of us, because of the advantages that birth, education and prosperity have given us, can, for a while, live with the illusion that we are in control. But we all know how easily that sense of control can come crumbling down.

Looking around the congregation on Sunday, the statistics tell me that in a congregation of 50 people, 10 people will be struggling with mental health challenges. Throughout October, if you watch ABC TV or spend any time on social media, you’re going to know about Mental Health Month. Unfortunately, being a Christian, and going to church, doesn’t make us immune from issues with mental health.