A New Home for 5pm Blog

As you may know, this blog is being duplicated (for now) at the new 5pm website here. But soon I will phase this out and move over to the new site completely. You might like to start reading the blog at the new address.

Jasper Jones Against Religion

This year, various people recommended to me Jasper Jones, a novel by WA author Craig Silvey, and when I saw it on my mother’s bookshelf, I took the chance to borrow it and read it. It is an engaging story with a vivid setting and characters and a whole range of things going on for the protagonist, thirteen year old Charlie Bucktin, over a fateful summer holiday period.

On Holidays

Seasons greetings to all the readers of the St Matt’s 5pm blog. It’s summertime, and nothing much will go on here till the new year. Catch up with 5pm in 2012, when we will have a new look and a new blogging home…

Digest: 1 Timothy 6:17-21

Well, here we are at the end of our travels through 1 Timothy, and Paul leaves Timothy, and us, with some bracing and timeless instruction on how to be rich. This will be the last Digest for the year.

Redeemer City to City Conference Report

Roger Morey and I attended the Gospel in the City conference at St Phillip’sYork St, Sydneyon 15-17 November. The conference presenters were from Redeemer City to City, an organisation that has sprung out of Redeemer Presbyterian NY, and her church planting ventures. I thought I’d post the report I wrote for those interested.

From Kanishka: Forgiven by God!

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us….    Ephesians 1:7-8

In Paul’s letter to the infant church in Ephesus, he begins by describing the amazing  kaleidoscope of ‘spiritual blessings’ that have been poured out on all those who have put their trust in Jesus.   In this verse he touches on forgiveness.

Digest: 1 Timothy 6:3-16

The founding documents of Christianity insist that certain doctrines, truths, teachings are essential to the integrity of the faith. In this passage Paul addresses Timothy, for the third time in the letter, about those teaching things other than the original word from Jesus and about Jesus. Paul is not so much concerned about the content of the heterodox teaching, but more with the corruptions of the heart that may lead people to depart from the faith in this way.

Blaise Pascal

I spoke a little about the talented M. Pascal (1623-1662) in my sermon on Sunday. A couple of people were interested in him. I quoted from his Pensees in the sermon, and if you click the picture to the left, you will go to the Amazon page for the Penguin Classics edition (heaps of other editions available too). Another book that I have read and enjoyed that tries to give a guided tour of some of the main lines of thought of Pascal’s rather unfinished and disorganised set of pensees is Making Sense of It All, by Thomas Morris. Pascal is very witty, modern and passionate. Maybe you’d enjoy what he has to say. Put him on your Christmas list, if the taste on Sunday piqued your interest.

Digest: 1 Timothy 6:1-2

In this short passage Paul addresses Timothy about what attitudes to encourage in Christian slaves. Obviously the topic of slavery is a charged one – it seems to us so obviously a cruel and unjust institution. Yet Paul wants Christian slaves to respect their masters. Is this simply thoughtless capitulation to an inhuman practice? You can read something about    slavery in ancient Roman society here or here.

5pm Reading Group

The ever energetic Andrew Hastie is planning to kick off the 5pm book reading group over brunch on Sunday 11 December from 10 – 12. Sit around, have a chat about the book, What Is the Mission of the Church?: Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission. Nothing formal. Contact Andrew to express your interest.