Corowa Presbyterian Church

19/05/2026

Over the last couple of weeks we’ve been looking at essential doctrines: the truths about God that are vital for Christians to believe. Two weeks ago we saw that only God is God. There is no one like him. Nothing we fear, nothing we love can be compared to him. Last week we saw that Jesus is truly God and truly human. He is Lord. He makes God known to us. And he gives us the right to become God’s children.

Today we come to the Spirit. And here the crucial question is slightly different. If you read through the Old Testament, one thing becomes clear very quickly. The Spirit is divine. The Spirit is God at work in the world he has made. He is God with his sleeves rolled up, doing things, changing things, making them different, making them better. In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, the Spirit was already there, hovering over the ancient seas. Elsewhere we see that he is the giver of life, renewing the hope and strength of the weary. He is also the giver of wisdom, helping God’s people know right from wrong, to see what is good and better and best. And he is the giver of prophecy, carrying God’s word to the prophet, and then carrying it from the prophet’s lips into the hearts of those who hear. Wherever God touches his world, the Spirit is there at the point of contact. If you have ever had a genuine experience of God, if you have heard his voice, or known his strength when your own ran out, you’ve had a close encounter with the Spirit of God, whether you knew it or not.

So the Spirit is God. It is the consistent message of the Old Testament. It was never seriously in doubt. But here is the question the New Testament forces us to answer. Is the Spirit a force or a person?

If you'd like to read more of this message on the Holy Spirit, click the link below.
https://corowapc.org/the-holy-spirit/

13/05/2026

Our Op Shop's new sign

Our new sign. Thanks to Corowa Signs.

05/05/2026

Who can you turn to in a crisis? Who do you pray to when life takes a turn for the worse? Footballers and cricketers might turn to the gods of sport. Gamblers might invoke the help of Lady Luck. And atheists and agnostics might pray to a God they say they don't believe in. But Stephen prayed to Jesus.

In our second reading from Acts chapter 7, we see Stephen on trial for his life on the charge of blasphemy. At the end of his long speech he accused his accusers of hypocrisy — it is they, not he, who have resisted the will of God. In response, they picked up stones and hurled them at Stephen. And as he died, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Lord, do not hold this against them." Stephen shows us that in our moments of crisis we too can pray to Jesus. As everyone's favourite hymn says, "What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear." Our message today from John chapter 1 will show that we can pray to Jesus because of who he is.

For more of this message on John 1:1-18, click the link below:
https://corowapc.org/god-the-son/

28/04/2026

Isaiah chapter 40 is a wonderful passage, full of picture perfect quotes. None are better than its closing words:

Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

From beginning to end, the passage shows not only how powerful God is, but the power he gives to his weary, faithful people.

On the surface, it all looks lovely. But at the heart of Isaiah chapter 40 there lies a wound, a wound in the soul of the people of Israel that the prophet’s words try to heal. And that wound is laid bare by the Lord’s question to his people in verse 27:

Why, O Israel, do you complain, “My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God”?

They feel invisible. They feel that their way is hidden, like the Lord can’t see what they’re going through. They feel abandoned, disregarded, like their God has left them and moved on.

And they have good reasons for feeling that way.

For more of this message on Isaiah 40:12-31 click on the link below:
https://corowapc.org/god-is-god/

08/04/2026

A friend of mine once shared a story about a man he knew who was dying. His friend was not a Christian, and my friend felt a burden on his heart to go and tell him about Jesus. Time was running out, but he never went.

At his friend’s funeral, he discovered that a mutual friend had shared the gospel with the dying man, and on his deathbed he had made a commitment to Christ. My friend shared both joy at his friend’s conversion and grief that, through his own disobedience, he had missed the moment. God’s purposes were not frustrated. The man came to faith. But my friend missed the moment that had been prepared for him.

This was the faith that Mordecai confessed to Esther: “Who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” This is a message about that question, and about the woman who answered it.

For more of this message on Esther 4-5 click the link below.
https://corowapc.org/esther-for-such-a-time-as-this/

25/03/2026

Imagine a mountain spring. Not a tank with a limited supply that can run dry, but a constant source of natural fresh water. The more you draw from it, it continues to flow. Now imagine that love flows like that water, and that God is the source of it. Because there is an assumption that loving God first and most means loving everything else less — that if you give your highest loyalty to God there is less left over for your spouse, your children, your neighbours, your community. That faith makes you less present, less committed, less useful to the world around you.

But that is not how a spring works. The people we know who love God most deeply are not the ones who love their families least. They are the ones who love most faithfully, most patiently, most generously. Not because they have divided their love between God and everyone else, but because loving God and being loved by God is the spring from which all their other love flows. You don’t love your children less because you love God most — you love them better. You don’t become a worse spouse, a worse neighbour, a worse citizen. You become a better one.

That is the argument of Esther chapters 2 and 3. And Mordecai makes it not with words, but with his actions — with his life itself.

For more of this message on Esther chapters 2 and 3, click the link below:
https://corowapc.org/mordecai-and-esther/

23/03/2026

10/03/2026

Our passage today is one of my favourite stories in the Bible. It’s the story of a woman of genuine faith, trapped in misery beyond her control, pouring out her heart to God in prayer. Her name is Hannah. Her story is a great inclusion in our current series on Women in the Bible. But it begins with a man, her husband Elkanah, because Hannah lived in a man’s world.

As verse 1 says, There was a certain man from Ramathaim whose name was Elkanah, son of Jeroham. He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none. It tells us his name, his father’s name, where he was from, and how many wives he had, one of whom was Hannah. And if we had any doubt that Hannah lived in a man’s world, her husband Elkanah wasn’t satisfied with one wife — he insisted on having a double helping of domestic bliss. We don’t know why Elkanah thought he needed two wives, but one good guess is because Hannah had no children. Another man might have been content to share her childlessness, but Elkanah wanted offspring. And his desires were fulfilled by his second wife, Peninnah, who gave him sons and daughters. Elkanah now had everything a man could want: a wife he loved and an ongoing legacy.

Elkanah was happy, but Hannah was miserable.

For more of this message on 1 Samuel 1:1-20, click the link below.
https://corowapc.org/hannah/

03/03/2026

Revamp Op Shop Announces New Leadership and Major Donation to Local Rural Fire Service

COROWA – Revamp Op Shop, a ministry of Corowa Presbyterian Church, has announced a leadership transition following the retirement of long-time manager Florence Hudson, while also revealing a significant $15,000 donation to the Corowa Rural Fire Service.

After 11 years of dedicated service, Florence Hudson retired from her role as manager at the end of January. Rev Richard Keith, minister of Corowa Presbyterian Church, has stepped into the manager’s role while the shop recruits and trains new volunteers to continue Revamp’s community mission.

“The continuing success of Revamp is a real credit to Florence’s passion and drive,” said Rev Keith. “She made herself available every day and with her retirement we realise that no one person can fill her shoes. So we’ll have to work more as a team and inspire new volunteers to keep the good work going.”

Rev Keith brings 30 years of experience in recruiting and leading volunteers, including managing a small Christian bookshop in Leeton before moving to Corowa. Despite his experience, he acknowledges the learning curve ahead.

“I’ve been in the position for a couple of weeks and there’s a lot to learn, believe me,” he said. “But what really inspired me to keep going is the experience and pride of our continuing volunteers in the work they do for their community.”

Supporting the Local Community Through Action

The $15,000 donation to the Rural Fire Service will fund upgrades to equipment on their fire trucks and improvements to RFS facilities at Corowa Airport and will be shared between Hopefield, Redlands, and Federation Support Brigades. The decision comes in the wake of grass fires in the Whitehead Street Wetland in late November and early January, which damaged crops and came dangerously close to homes.

“At Revamp we pride ourselves in supporting local projects that do real, tangible good for the local community. Showing Jesus’ love in practical ways to our neighbours,” Rev Keith explained. “The recent fires in the wetlands close to where I live really opened my eyes to the vital work the RFS does for our community. That’s when I decided to reach out to a friend in the firies and ask how we, as a shop, could help.” Federation Group Captain Greyd’n Davis of the NSW RFS praised the donation as “a remarkable show of community spirit.”

About Revamp Op Shop

Revamp Op Shop serves the Corowa community by recycling donated goods to raise money for the church and local community projects. The shop is open six days a week and is located at the top end of Sanger Street in Corowa, opposite D’Amicos Italian Restaurant. Throughout March, all summer clothing will be 50% off as the shop transitions to winter inventory, making it an ideal time to find quality bargains while supporting local causes.

“As a man, I’m probably not entitled to an opinion, but a lot of the women’s clothes I’ve had to sort and price are in new condition, even with the tag still on,” said Rev Keith. “So I reckon Revamp is a great place to find a hidden treasure for a very reasonable price.”

Supporting Local Causes — And Looking for Support

Revamp has a strong track record of supporting vital community services. In addition to the RFS donation, the shop will make its annual donation to the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne around Easter.

As winter approaches, the shop is calling on the community to donate warm clothing in good condition. Donations can be brought in during open hours or left on the shop doorstep.

“Right now, our particular need is winter clothes. At about Easter we’ll swap out the summer clothes for the winter stock and our reserves are looking a bit low at the moment,” Rev Keith said. “You have to remember that many of our clients can’t afford new things and they are the most vulnerable people in the community when the cold hits.”

The shop also welcomes new volunteers who want to contribute to the community mission and help continue Florence’s legacy of service.

02/03/2026

Imagine a friend calls you up and says they need company for a trip. If they said they were catching the train to Melbourne, you might say yes — a few hours’ travel, maybe a night or two in a fancy hotel. That’s not too hard. But what if they said they were driving up the east coast with no fixed plan, no bookings, no certainty about how long it would take? You’d think more carefully. And probably say no.

But what if your friend had lost everything, and they had this mad plan to hitchhike across the country to go back where they came from, to a place you’d never been, among people you do not know? They ask you to go too, but at the last moment they have a change of heart because it’s too dangerous. They say: stay here, stay with your family and friends, this is not your problem, you owe me nothing. But they still insist on going themselves. What would you do? Would you risk your life on the road for a friend who didn’t even want you to come?

That’s the choice Ruth faced. The book of Ruth is a story about costly love — love that puts itself out for the sake of loyal friendship. But it’s also a story about God who was quietly at work long before anyone could see what he was doing.

For more of this message on Ruth chapters 1 and 2, click the link below.
https://corowapc.org/ruths-costly-love/