Wembley Downs Uniting Church

31/01/2026

I love this, particularly now!!

There is a kindness that dwells deep down in things; it presides everywhere, often in the places we least expect. The world can be harsh and negative, but if we remain generous and patient, kindness inevitably reveals itself. Something deep in the human soul seems to depend on the presence of kindness; something instinctive in us expects it, and once we sense it we are able to trust and open ourselves.

JOHN O'DONOHUE

Excerpt from the books, Benedictus (Europe) / To Bless the Space Between Us (US)
Ordering Info: https://johnodonohue.com/store

County Clare, Ireland
Photo: © Ann Cahill

16/12/2025

I will keep posting shards of light here!!

15/12/2025

The Uniting Church in Australia expresses its deep sorrow following the attack at Bondi Beach, which NSW Police have identified as a terrorist act.

The violence occurred while families and children were gathered to celebrate the start of Hanukkah, a long-held religious tradition, in peace. What should have been a time of joy, faith and community was instead marked by fear and devastation.

We grieve the lives lost and hold in prayer all who have been injured, traumatised and affected.

As the Uniting Church in Australia, we unequivocally state that any attack on families and children gathered peacefully to celebrate faith is utterly unacceptable. We name and reject antisemitism in all its forms. Violence and hatred must never have the final word.

We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community and commit ourselves again to compassion, peace, and care for one another. We reaffirm our commitment to stand with our Jewish friends against hatred, violence, and fear. This horrifying moment reminds us as a nation that the safety and dignity of our neighbours must never be taken for granted and that protecting one another, especially children and those targeted for their faith, is a shared responsibility.

The Uniting Church affirms the dignity of every person and the right of all people to gather, worship, and celebrate their traditions without fear or violence.

At moments like this, when terror seeks to unsettle our sense of safety and unity, we reject fear, hatred, and division. As a Christian church, shaped by the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, we are called to speak with moral clarity and to act with deep compassion.

We give thanks for the courage and care of first responders, health workers, and all who have supported those affected during this time.

We invite the church and the wider community to join us in prayer and quiet reflection for all who are grieving today.

The Uniting Church continues to hold in prayer the Jewish community, the families and children impacted, and the wider community as it grieves and seeks healing.

𝗥𝗲𝘃 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗮 𝗦𝘂𝗹𝗶
𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮

20/10/2025

If you are interested in sermons that address the world we live in, and how we can make a difference regardless of age and stage, to make the world kinder and more just, here are a list that can be found on out website. Most of us may be the other side of 50, but faith is faith and it can help to change and transform, even if its only in our little bit of the world! Look at Jane Goodall, 91 and was still speaking out for love and compassion when she died!

Just click on the date of the sermon that's on the front page of the website.

We acknowledge the Wadjak people and their elders, past, present and emerging, and their stewardship of this land, Noongar land, throughout the ages.

04/10/2025

Nev is a man who has lead our church for many many years and been a mentor to me. We worry as we age about what will happen, but as said here, we are called to be faithful not successful! We will continue on being a voice of faith in a troubled world!! Even with our older congregation and less numbers..

Richard Rohr: "How's Neville Watson doing? ... He's an inspiration for so many of us." This was one of the first things Richard said to me last time we got to catch up. Yesterday I got to catch up with these two legends of peace and justice, Rev Neville Watson (96) and Jo Vallentine (79). We talk about how the contemplative life prepares us for aging, how forgetting ourselves in prayer helps when we have trouble remembering in old age, and the importance of faithfulness to the way of justice and compassion when surrounded by injustice and callousness. Two stories from these friends and legends stay with me from our time together. Jo Vallentine talking of the horrible treatment she experienced in the senate as a voice for human rights, peace, the earth and nuclear non-proliferation. She would sometimes return to her office and cry and one of her staff would remind her, " we called to be faithful not successful." The other story from Neville about being a child and the ceremony for his father being knighted when the Queen visited Australia. Maybe 13 year old he refused to stand when the Queen entered the Cathedral. A listening to conscience that was a taste of things to come.

09/06/2025

Goodbye to a wonderful scholar and prophet!

Today’s guest post is from author and speaker Brian McLaren. McLaren has written over a dozen books, including A New Kind of Christianity, A Generous Orthodoxy, Naked Spirituality, and Why Di…

04/06/2025

This Sunday we have Michael Morwood preaching, an author, speaker and a voice in the progressive Christian space for a long time. 930 am WDUC

13/03/2025

So I have just updated the webpage, www href="://WDUC.squarespace.com">://WDUC.squarespace.com, with some new sermons and there is also a new blog. And don't forget the Lenten series which started last night.

But I want to point out one service in particular, by Rev Dennis Ryle - this is some of what he said, because it speaks so clearly of where we are today -

Let me return to Bishop Budde’s plea to USA President 47 to show mercy to those impacted by his Executive orders that continues to resonate. Some Christian leaders have accused her of committing the “sin of empathy.”

I had never heard of this sin – I knew of the classic 7 and the early church even had one or two more. But the term “sin of empathy” was completely new to me. A little research revealed that the phrase emerged in recent years from those opposed to theology that was overly feministic and a manipulative and deceitful counter to the strong arm of justice.

We may well wonder how they reconcile this with the Jesus of the Gospels who seems to be constantly committing the “sin of empathy”!

Mark Sandlin in The Radical Empathy of Jesus, states
"In the long arc of Christian theology, we have witnessed many bastardizations of Jesus's message, but few are as spiritually dangerous as the emerging concept of the “sin of empathy.”

As I sit here reflecting on this morally corrupt notion, I am reminded of Jesus' words: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”

Those who would condemn empathy as sinful fundamentally misunderstand both the nature of sin and the life and teachings of Jesus. Jesus did not stand apart from human suffering – he wept at Lazarus's tomb, he felt compassion for the hungry crowds, he touched the “untouchable” lepers.

Jesus' ministry was, in fact, defined by a radical empathy that drew him into the depths of human experience.
To suggest that feeling deeply for others' pain somehow corrupts our moral judgment is to forget the Christian concept of the Divine entering into human struggle and suffering. The cross itself stands as a symbol of Jesus' identification with human pain and resistance to systems of oppression.

When Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan, he highlighted empathy as the vital force that moves us from mere religious observance to true righteousness. The priest and Levite had correct doctrine, but the Samaritan had what mattered most – a heart that could be moved by another's suffering.

We must resist this dangerous teaching.

The sin is not in feeling too deeply for others, but in hardening our hearts against their cries. As James wrote, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress." This is empathy in action, and it stands at the very heart of the gospel.

Let us not mistake emotional distance for spiritual maturity. The way of Jesus is the way of deep empathy, solidarity with the oppressed, and liberating love that transforms both oppressed and oppressor. Through divine empathy, we participate in God's ongoing work of liberation and healing.

Again we must resist this dangerous teaching.
Jesus practiced radical empathy. Imitating him is far from sinful. It is, in fact, what we are called to do.

Go forth and empathize boldly!

We acknowledge the Wadjak people and their elders, past, present and emerging, and their stewardship of this land, Noongar land, throughout the ages.

23/02/2025

A Lenten series for 2025

Beyond Belief: A Marcus Borg Retrospective
Featuring Marcus J. Borg (1942 – 2015)

Location: Wembley Downs Uniting Church, 130 Calais Rd. Wembley Downs Time: Wednesday Evenings. 7.30 to 9pm

March 12th WDUC 1.Centered in the Spirit
March 19th WDUC 2.Meeting Jesus again
March 26th WDUC 3.Followers of the Way
April 2nd WDUC 4.Reading the Bible
April 9th WDUC 5.An Emerging Way
April 16th WDUC 6.Beyond Belief

• Marcus was an American New Testament scholar, theologian and author.
• He was among the most widely known and influential voices in progressive Christianity and internationally known in both academic and church circles.
• Marcus brought clarity and insight to an understanding of Jesus and Christianity that was accessible and transformative.
• He was also a long-time friend and contributor to Living the Questions. This video series contains favourite moments, core teachings and extensive never-before seen material from the LtQ archives plus commentary from his wife Rev. Marianne Borg.
• Typically, each Session involves 3 Video sections of about 6 minutes followed by questions and discussions of about 10 minutes in each section. Every person’s view is respected.

All Welcome

31/12/2024

As this year draws to its end,
We give thanks for the gifts it brought
And how they became inlaid within
Where neither time nor tide can touch them...

Days when beloved faces shone brighter
With light from beyond themselves;
And from the granite of some secret sorrow
A stream of buried tears loosened.

We bless this year for all we learned,
For all we loved and lost
And for the quiet way it brought us
Nearer to our invisible destination.

JOHN O'DONOHUE

Excerpt from the blessing, 'At the End of the Year,' from the books,
Benedictus (Europe) / To Bless the Space Between Us (US)
Ordering Info: https://johnodonohue.com/store

Winter sunset at the Cliffs of Moher
County Clare, Ireland
Photo: © Ann Cahill