Holy Cross Anglican Church, Hamersley, WA

27/02/2022

Exodus 34:29-35;
2 Corinthians 3:12 – 4:3;
Luke 9:28-36.


Our reading today about transfiguration of Jesus,
This event teaches us about Christ’s authority and glory as well as the transformation we should go through as his followers.

God emphasis Jesus as his Son, confirming his deity and telling the disciples to listen to him. Peter, James and John. have seen in Jesus the true glory.
The Son of God, who reigns eternal, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

The apostles experience that the time has comes when we have to come down from mountain and rejoin our everyday life.

But when we do it we need to do it as a changed person.

The transfiguration of Jesus makes us look backwards over salvation history and then forward to our own desire and preparation for eternal life with God. we don’t have to fail to see the glory of God shining through the good news the gospel the word of God.

It’s our time to stop and change our hearts that they may see the glory of God.

In Luke we have the Transfiguration of Jesus, where the disciples see Jesus with his face, body and clothing transformed as if by lightning. The disciples do not fully understand this and believe that Jesus is a prophet, just like Moses and Elijah.

God then helps them by announcing “This is my Son, whom I have chosen. Listen to him.” The disciples were not able to speak about this event and told nobody else maybe this was because they were overcome, in awe and woder.

God actually appeared to the disciples as a cloud – he could not show his face because nobody could see the face of God.

when Moses came down from Mt. Sinai his face was veiled حجبًا because it was too bright for the people to behold. But now when Jesus is exaltedممجد by God his face is not veiled, but there for everybody to see.

Just as God announced Jesus to the disciples, so Paul in 2 Corinthians announces the New Covenant. This New Covenant is greater than the old Covenant.

Moses was veiled, but in Jesus we see the glory of God- “Whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away” and the Lord is the Spirit which gives us freedom.

All of us here today have unveiled faces which can be transformed by the image of Jesus and come to have a loving relationship with our Lord. It is God who gives us the Holy Spirit which sets us free and gives us freedom from sin and condemnation.

This New Covenant gives the people freedom from all the old rules of excluding certain people and the requirement for animal sacrifices and fear of God - the New Covenant is about the love of God.

When we use scripture from the Bible to suit or argument, we must be careful. We cannot just take one small part of scripture that suits our purpose – we are called to proclaim all of the “good news.”

The Holy Spirit helps us to understand, follow our Lord Jesus Christ and grow closer to God. the gospel is unveiled or discover to all believers who trust and follow its teachings. But the gospel is veiled مقنع and not recognised or understood by unbelievers.

We are so lucky, this New Covenant is simple, when we trust in Christ to save us, he removes our heavy burdens, we are accepted, forgiven and freed from sin – this is the freedom of the Holy Spirit when we follow Jesus and trust in God. the New Covenant is all about love, not about sacrifices and obligations to food, culture and other people.

Our present weaknesses are many. Paul especially condemned those people who twisted or misrepresented the Word of God that we find in our Bible. God is listening when people claim the power to prophesy, he is listening when people claim that they hear the Word of God.

The focus of preaching is all about our Lord Jesus Christ and about God, it should never be about pretending to be a special prophet, of having secret knowledge to share with others. The Bible is free and open in all its teachings and is available to everybody and anybody who wants to learn about the “good news.”

The more we learn about Christ and follow him, the more like him we will become. And it is the Holy Spirit who helps and guides us along this pathway.

27/02/2022

Exodus 34:29-35;
2 Corinthians 3:12 – 4:3;
Luke 9:28-36 (37-43).


Our reading today about transfiguration of Jesus,
This event teaches us about Christ’s authority and glory as well as the transformation we should go through as his followers.

God emphasis Jesus as his Son, confirming his deity and telling the disciples to listen to him. Peter, James and John. have seen in Jesus the true glory.
The Son of God, who reigns eternal, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

The apostles experience that the time has comes when we have to come down from mountain and rejoin our everyday life.

But when we do it we need to do it as a changed person.

The transfiguration of Jesus makes us look backwards over salvation history and then forward to our own desire and preparation for eternal life with God. we don’t have to fail to see the glory of God shining through the good news the gospel the word of God.

It’s our time to stop and change our hearts that they may see the glory of God.

In Luke we have the Transfiguration of Jesus, where the disciples see Jesus with his face, body and clothing transformed as if by lightning. The disciples do not fully understand this and believe that Jesus is a prophet, just like Moses and Elijah.

God then helps them by announcing “This is my Son, whom I have chosen. Listen to him.” The disciples were not able to speak about this event and told nobody else maybe this was because they were overcome, in awe and woder.

God actually appeared to the disciples as a cloud – he could not show his face because nobody could see the face of God.

when Moses came down from Mt. Sinai his face was veiled حجبًا because it was too bright for the people to behold. But now when Jesus is exaltedممجد by God his face is not veiled, but there for everybody to see.

Just as God announced Jesus to the disciples, so Paul in 2 Corinthians announces the New Covenant. This New Covenant is greater than the old Covenant.

Moses was veiled, but in Jesus we see the glory of God- “Whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away” and the Lord is the Spirit which gives us freedom.

All of us here today have unveiled faces which can be transformed by the image of Jesus and come to have a loving relationship with our Lord. It is God who gives us the Holy Spirit which sets us free and gives us freedom from sin and condemnation.

This New Covenant gives the people freedom from all the old rules of excluding certain people and the requirement for animal sacrifices and fear of God - the New Covenant is about the love of God.

When we use scripture from the Bible to suit or argument, we must be careful. We cannot just take one small part of scripture that suits our purpose – we are called to proclaim all of the “good news.”

The Holy Spirit helps us to understand, follow our Lord Jesus Christ and grow closer to God. the gospel is unveiled or discover to all believers who trust and follow its teachings. But the gospel is veiled مقنع and not recognised or understood by unbelievers.

We are so lucky, this New Covenant is simple, when we trust in Christ to save us, he removes our heavy burdens, we are accepted, forgiven and freed from sin – this is the freedom of the Holy Spirit when we follow Jesus and trust in God. the New Covenant is all about love, not about sacrifices and obligations to food, culture and other people.

Our present weaknesses are many. Paul especially condemned those people who twisted or misrepresented the Word of God that we find in our Bible. God is listening when people claim the power to prophesy, he is listening when people claim that they hear the Word of God.

The focus of preaching is all about our Lord Jesus Christ and about God, it should never be about pretending to be a special prophet, of having secret knowledge to share with others. The Bible is free and open in all its teachings and is available to everybody and anybody who wants to learn about the “good news.”

The more we learn about Christ and follow him, the more like him we will become. And it is the Holy Spirit who helps and guides us along this pathway.

18/01/2022

Prayer and fasting 1-3 February 2022
Join in the call to prayer across Perth, multiple churches are taking part. United in Christ we are stronger, through Him, all things are possible!

10/11/2020

2020 has certainly been an interesting year, a year of trials in many aspects. Bush fires, Covid-19, global lockdowns, job losses, isolation from friends and family, domestic violence, earthquakes plus usual day-to-day.

During this journey many have thought how difficult it all is, but had courage to push through. I have witnessed a growth of community, especially when forced to remain home except for exercise and essentials. Families spending more time together and enjoying it, people smiling and greeting strangers from afar whilst walking pets. People offering from what little they have to those with greater need.
This is what we should be proud of and celebrate this remembrance day. The poppy is a sign that we remember the sacrifices made by others for us, so that we can enjoy the freedom we have. 2020 has forced us all to re-evaluate what is important in our lives, including our freedoms that we often take for granted.

It is easy to forget during the general hectic lives we lead that others have given the ultimate sacrifice so that we can be where we are and living in peace.
It is written "Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." (Phil 2v4)
Let us actually stop and give thanks for everything, take the time to remember and be grateful. We are the lucky ones.
God bless

14/10/2020

https://www.facebook.com/415116648564045/posts/3326515780757436/
Something worth remembering, not always quantity but quality. God bless

My wife and I have been talking about cancelling Netflix because of all the issues with one of their recent movies. We are doing our homework to be well informed about our decision but I ran across this very timely story which seems to put it in a very sobering perspective!
Some years ago when I was a pastor, I walked into my church office after a Sunday morning service to find a little brown bag on my desk containing three chocolate brownies. Some thoughtful and anonymous saint who knew my love for chocolate had placed them there, along with a piece of paper that had a short story written on it. I immediately sat down and began eating the first brownie as I read the following story:
Two teenagers asked their father if they could go to the theater to watch a movie that all their friends had seen. After reading some reviews about the movie on the internet, he denied their request.
“Aw dad, why not?” they complained. “It’s rated PG-13, and we’re both older than thirteen!”
Dad replied: “Because that movie contains nudity and portrays immorality—which is something that God hates—as being normal and acceptable behavior.”
“But dad, those are just very small parts of the movie! That’s what our friends who’ve seen it have told us. The movie is two hours long and those scenes are just a few minutes of the total film! It’s based on a true story, and good triumphs over evil, and there are other redeeming themes like courage and self-sacrifice. Even the Christian movie review websites say that!”
“My answer is ‘no,’ and that is my final answer. You are welcome to stay home tonight, invite some of your friends over, and watch one of the good videos we have in our home collection. But you will not go and watch that film. End of discussion.”
The two teenagers walked dejectedly into the family room and slumped down on the couch. As they sulked, they were surprised to hear the sounds of their father preparing something in the kitchen. They soon recognized the wonderful aroma of brownies baking in the oven, and one of the teenagers said to the other, “Dad must be feeling guilty, and now he’s going to try to make it up to us with some fresh brownies. Maybe we can soften him with lots of praise when he brings them out to us and persuade him to let us go to that movie after all.”
About that time I began eating the second brownie from the little brown bag and wondered if there was some connection to the brownies I was eating and the brownies in the story. I kept reading…
The teens were not disappointed. Soon their father appeared with a plate of warm brownies which he offered to his kids. They each took one. Then their father said, “Before you eat, I want to tell you something: I love you both so very much.”
The teenagers smiled at each other with knowing glances. Dad was softening.
“That is why I’ve made these brownies with the very best ingredients. I’ve made them from scratch. Most of the ingredients are even organic. The best organic flour. The best free-range eggs. The best organic sugar. Premium vanilla and chocolate.”
The brownies looked mouth-watering, and the teens began to become a little impatient with their dad’s long speech.
“But I want to be perfectly honest with you. There is one ingredient I added that is not usually found in brownies. I got that ingredient from our own back yard. But you needn’t worry, because I only added the tiniest bit of that ingredient to your brownies. The amount of the portion is practically insignificant. So go ahead, take a bite and let me know what you think.”
“Dad, would you mind telling us what that mystery ingredient is before we eat?”
“Why? The portion I added was so small. Just a teaspoonful. You won’t even taste it.”
“Come on, dad, just tell us what that ingredient is.”
“Don’t worry! It’s organic, just like the other ingredients.”
“Dad!”
“Well, OK, if you insist. That secret ingredient is organic…dog p**p.”
I immediately stopped chewing that second brownie and I spit it out into the waste basket by my desk. I continued reading, now fearful of the paragraphs that still remained.
Both teens instantly dropped their brownies back on the plate and began inspecting their fingers with horror.
“DAD! Why did you do that? You’ve tortured us by making us smell those brownies cooking for the last half hour, and now you tell us that you added dog p**p! We can’t eat these brownies!”
“Why not? The amount of dog p**p is very small compared to the rest of the ingredients. It won’t hurt you. It’s been cooked right along with the other ingredients. You won’t even taste it. It has the same consistency as the brownies. Go ahead and eat!”
“No, Dad…NEVER!”
“And that is the same reason I won’t allow you to go watch that movie. You won’t tolerate a little dog p**p in your brownies, so why should you tolerate a little immorality in your movies? We pray that God will not lead us unto temptation, so how can we in good conscience entertain ourselves with something that will imprint a sinful image in our minds that will lead us into temptation long after we first see it?”
I discarded what remained of the second brownie as well as the entire untouched third brownie. What had been irresistible a minute ago had become detestable. And only because of the very slim chance that what I was eating was slightly polluted. (Surely it wasn’t…but I couldn’t convince myself.)
What a good lesson about purity! Why do we tolerate any sin? On the day of the Passover, the Israelites were commanded to remove every bit of leaven from their homes. Sin is like leaven—a little bit leavens the whole lump (1 Cor. 5:6). Jesus, “our Passover” (1 Cor. 5:7), and sin, don’t mix.
Help us, Lord, to “cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Cor. 7:1).
Hate evil, you who love the Lord (Ps. 97:10)
This was shared by a gentleman named Randy Hicks.

02/10/2020

🙏 😷
We continue our weekly series of intercessions for our one human family at this time of crisis. Today we invite you to pray with words from the - Commission on World Mission and Evangelism, affirming and confessing what we believe:
We believe that you created this beautiful world
in which death and destruction, sickness, pain and suffering
cannot, and must not, have the last word...

To find additional prayers and resources for this time of crisis, please visit:
www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/covid-19/pray

15/06/2020

Me: Hello God.
God: Hello...
Me: I'm falling apart. Can you put me back together?
God: I'd rather not.
Me: Why?
God: Because you're not a puzzle.
Me: What about all the pieces of my life that fall to the ground?
God: Leave them there for a while. They fell for a reason. Let them be there for a while and then decide if you need to get any of those pieces back.
Me: You don't understand! I'm breaking up!
God: No, you don't understand. You're transcending, evolving. What you feel are growing pains. You're getting rid of the things and people in your life that are holding you back. The pieces are not falling down. The pieces are putting in place. Relax. Take a deep breath and let those things you no longer need fall down. Stop clinging to pieces that are no longer for you. Let them fall. Let them go.
Me: Once I start doing that, what will I have left?
God: Only the best pieces of yours.
Me: I'm afraid to change.
God: I keep telling you: YOU'RE NOT CHANGING! YOU'RE BECOMING!
Me: Becoming, Who?
God: Becoming who I created you to be! A person of light, love, charity, hope, courage, joy, mercy, grace and compassion. I made you for so much more than those shallow pieces you decided to adorn yourself with and that you cling to with so much greed and fear. Let those things fall off you. I love you! Don't change! Become! Don't change! Become! Become who I want you to be, who I created. I'm gonna keep telling you this until you remember.
Me: There goes another piece.
God: Yes. Let it be like this.
Me: So... I'm not broken?
God: No, but you're breaking the darkness, like dawn. It's a new day. Become!! Become who you really are!!

You're welcome to share ♥️

28/05/2020

Allow yourself to be transformed through Christ. God bless x

24/05/2020

Sunday Sermon

John 17.1-11

In Johns gospel we have Jesus praying for himself, praying for his disciples, praying for us and praying for those who are coming to Christ.

What is prayer? Prayer is conversation with God!
And prayer is most usually a prayer of thanksgiving. So what do we have to thank God for? Just like Jesus we pray for ourselves and for others.

And what do we give thanks for? We give thanks for –
• The past, the good times and the difficult times.
• Our present circumstances both good and difficult.
• Our redemption, our inheritance and the future to come.
• Our spiritual family – the church both here and worldwide.

The apostle Paul teaches people how to live life as Christians. He prayed for and was teacher to the communities of Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Philippi, Colosse, and Thessalonica; as well as praying for others in Timothy and Titus.
In Colossians 1, Paul tells disciples how to pray for other Christians. He says we should pray and –
• Be thankful for their faith and changed lives.
• Ask God to help them to know what He wants them to do.

• Ask God to give them deep spiritual understanding.
• Ask God to help them live for Him.
• Ask God to give them greater knowledge of Himself.
• Ask God to give them strength for endurance in good times and difficult times.

• Ask God to fill them with joy and thankfulness.
How many people in each of our lives would be touched if we prayed this way?

For Paul prayer and thanksgiving to God is the basis of all worship; and that we gather together as church for the purpose of thanksgiving and prayer. The gathering together as church, united in prayer is surely a more powerful prayer than just a person praying on their own.

In our church service we have the Great Thanksgiving which prepares us to receive Holy Communion and we have the prayers for the world, the church, the community, the sick and the faithful departed. These, together with the Confession of sins are the most important parts of our church services.

Paul in his letters to the Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians and Thessalonians makes 33 references to thanksgiving and prayer. He also referred to thanksgiving and prayer 7 times in the letters of Timothy, Titus and Philemon. Teaching us how to live as Christians, how to give thanks and how to pray was the mission of Paul and we should give thanks for his guidance and advice.

Without doubt Paul was both the greatest missionary and the greatest teacher in all of Christian history. He was responsible for the establishment of Christianity among the Gentiles – all the non Jews outside of Israel.
When Jesus was praying for himself and for his disciples he also went on to pray for future believers who would believe because of the message of the disciples.

So we need to take some 5 minutes of prayer time right now in order to decide what we will give thanks for and what we will pray for. I hope we will also pray for how to bring new believers to this church. At the end of the 5 minutes anybody is welcome to make a short statement about what they prayed for.
5 minutes of prayer

17/05/2020

Sunday Sermon
Sixth Sunday of Easter

John 14.15-21.

Jesus tells the disciples and us
I am no longer calling you servants.
I choose you and put you in the world to bear fruits, fruit that won’t spoil. As fruit bears whatever you ask the father in relation to me, He gives you.

But the root commands: love one another, Jesus said if you love me you will keep my commandments the commands which love God with all we are, and loving our neighbours as our selves, is the proof of our love in Christ.

It’s not simply saying we love Him it’s doing what he told us to do. That is measuring rood of our faithfulness.

We may not see or hear the presence of God all the time. But the power and presence of God is always available for us. No matter how frightened or alone we feel, no matter how much we feel abandoned or how weak or powerless we believe we are, that doesn’t mean the Spirit isn’t here. That doesn’t mean we are not loved.

God protects and provides for us. We are God’s treasured possession. We are God’s children, brothers and sisters of Christ Jesus. We’re friends of Jesus. Jesus promised He will never leave us orphaned. He promised to be with us always through the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus tells us that if we love Him we will keep His commandments. And to help us keep his commandments He sends us the Holy Spirit. Jesus was trying to help the disciples who would be without Him very soon. The Holy Spirit was also known as an Advocate. An Advocate was a person who gave comfort, encouragement and good advice.

But for us believers to do good works and love the stranger and enemy it is not enough for us just to know that the Holy Spirit dwells in us.- we actually need to do something about that to help us to do good works. What we need in order to good works are.

• Pray, without prayer we can never hope to be true disciples who come closer to knowing Father God.
• Obedience – without obedience to God we are like hollow vessels.
• The Holy Spirit – without asking for the guidance of the Holy Spirit we wander about like a man lost in the desert.
So Jesus sends us the Holy Spirit but without prayer and obedience we cannot help the Holy Spirit to guide us towards God and to inspire us to do good works as true disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit is mentioned often in the gospel of John. We are told in 14.16 that the Holy Spirit will be with us forever. And in 14.17 that the rest of the world will not accept the Holy Spirit, but that for us he lives with us and in us. Later in 14.26 he teaches us and reminds us of the words of Jesus.

convicts us of sin, shows us the righteousness of God and announces God’s judgement.It is important for us to remember that the Holy Spirit comes to us through Jesus and that to have the Holy Spirit is to have Jesus in person.

Jesus reminds us that we cannot know the future, but that God can prepare us for whatever the future will bring to us. When we live by God’s commandments, He will nor abandon us for He will live in us.
When God lives in us, we need have no fear of the future. All we need is faith in God to accept and to not worry about the future.
In these times of COVID 19 we have many changes; and these lead many people to be afraid.

we have people who are afraid of catching the COVID 19 disease - some few people will die, and others will need to go to hospital. But we are called to not be afraid, for even if we die, we are promised eternal life with God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.

And some people will be in fear of losing their jobs and having to endure financial struggles. Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit that we might be comforted and promised that our Lord Jesus Christ is with us and will never leave us or neglect us.

And most people are having to practice distancing for others and gathering only in small groups. Many of the elderly people have been living in isolation from their children and grandchildren which is very sad. But it is wonderful to see how people are telephoning these older relatives, greeting them from outside their houses, and finding new ways to keep in touch like Skype and Zoom.

We read in the papers and on TV about how not having football, rugby or cricket is causing problems for our society. Everybody has a suggestion about how the guidelines should be relaxed to allow sport to continue. But there is no publicity about Christians, to whom church life is the most important part of our life.

We have not been able to attend their church for over a month yet we find ways to pray and to connect with each other – we have not complained and we should not live in fear, for our trust is in God and our Lord Jesus Christ who has given us the Holy Spirit as comforter, guide and advisor.

But in times like these daily prayer becomes the most important activity in life. Without prayer, we cannot hope to be faithful disciples and followers of our Lord Jesus Christ. With prayer we can overcome all difficulties and not live our lives in fear or hopelessness

13/05/2020

May 10th 2020.
Acts 7.55-60;
1 Peter 2.2-10;
John 14.1-14;


1 Peter tells us that Christ is the living stone on which the church is built. The stones form the spiritual house that is the church and it is this church which is the community of believers. And this community all of us here today, is a community of priests – all of us are priests.

In the faith of ancient Israel only it was the High Priest who approached God on behalf of the people. But now, through the grace of Jesus, all of us here today are priests who can approach God directly. What a wonderful gift Jesus has given us.

Priests used to offer animal sacrifices to God. But now we are called to offer our spiritual sacrifices to God. These spiritual sacrifices can be our time, our possessions our money, or our love.

In the early days of Christianity people were martyred because they would not renounce or forsake Christ. They made the ultimate spiritual sacrifice

Stephen, in Acts 7 refuses to renounce Jesus Christ and is stoned to death. There were many martyrs in the early days of Christianity, but still today we have many Christians who have been martyred in Syria, Iran, and other parts of the world.

Here in Australia it is not likely that we will be killed for being Christians, but it is expected that we will make spiritual sacrifices in giving our time, our money and our love in the name of Jesus.

In John’s gospel Jesus tells us that if we believe in, trust and follow Him, then we will have eternal life. We do not know what this eternal life is like, but we can trust in Jesus because He has told us that He has gone to prepare the way for us.


In John 14 verses 5 and 6 we have one of the most important teachings in all of scripture. Previously people wondered how they could come to know the way to God. Here we are told that we can only come to God through Jesus. we know this is true because Jesus is both man and God. Jesus is the only way to God – there is no other way! To know Jesus is to know God. The search for God, for truth and reality starts and ends in Christ.
Jesus finishes by telling the disciples that He will do whatever we ask, but we must remember that God can only grant requests that accord to His will and nature. If we are sincerely following God, then our requests will be in line with what He wants.

We can pray for others and we can make our personal requests, but we must remember that we do not know the will of God. God does not promise to grant every prayer, but God does promise us help in our ministry and mission.

Because Jesus was both man and God, who shows all of us his love and compassion, we can be certain of the compassion of God. In that compassion of God there is a place for each every one of us, a place for all! We can join that compassion wherever we recognise its ‘Jesus like shape’ and accept it as the life and truth and the only way