Hibiscus Coast Anglican Parish

19/10/2026

14/09/2026

Have you ever felt judged?
As humans, at some point in our lives, we will all have felt judged. Whether this was by ourselves or by another person. If we walk in that judgment, we will continue to feel unresolved shame, bitterness, and may even have a lingering mindset of not being able to earn God's approval; sometimes, when we walk in this mindset, we can even inadvertently project our hurt onto others.
The Apostle Paul was a man who knew what it was to judge people. Before his conversion, he had pronounced judgment on Christians through persecution and supporting executions and by his own admission, he was a man on a mission to enact his judgment on the church.
But then, Paul came face to face with God’s perfect justice. But rather than receiving the human understanding of justice that he had dealt himself, he instead came face to face with God’s justice, which was revealed to be the forgiveness, mercy, and grace in Christ. Because of this, Paul knew just how important it was for believers to reveal Christ’s forgiveness, mercy, and grace as a witness to the measure that they had first received.
In Romans 14:1-12, Paul reminds believers that in Christ they have been called not to judge the actions of other believers by their own understanding. For in Christ, believers have been justified not by what they have done or not done, but through the mercy and grace of God.
This is why it is important as believers to remember that we who were once judged unacceptable have been made acceptable to God, not through anything we have done ourselves but through the cross of Jesus Christ. Now accepted by God, we no longer live for ourselves, but for God, and because God is our master, every person answers directly to God, and not to other humans. For only God knows the state of our hearts, and he holds the right to judge it.
Now, because we have received God’s mercy and grace, we too are called to reflect God’s character of his perfect justice and mercy into the world, to be gracious to one another, forgiving as he has forgiven.
But just how many times should we be forgiving towards one another?
In the parable of the unforgiving servant, in Matthew 18:21-35, Jesus echoes the Beatitudes, revealing that if a person is truly sorry, God will know, as he judges the person's heart, not the outward expression. If that person seeks mercy, then those who show mercy to them are the ones who will inherit the mercy of God. For those who show mercy reflect the character of God.
But will we all reflect God’s character the same way? No! We have each been made uniquely and wonderfully in the image of God. We have different perspectives, thoughts, and opinions, and because of this we have a rich diversity in how we live our lives to honour God. So let us delight in our diversity in the knowledge that in Christ we have been called together and unified as his body. Let the grace we have received be our marker of unity, and let us love one another as he has loved us.

24/08/2026

I wonder what you think about when you hear the word sacrifice?
Sacrifice in the purest sense means intentionally giving up something for someone or something else. If we think about our lives, we will all have had times of sacrifice. Times when, perhaps, as parents, we made financial sacrifices for our children, or sacrifices of our time in order to study, or even sacrifices of our career to care for loved ones. In all these cases, sacrifice is something that we give up in order to show love.
In Romans 12:1-8, Paul reminds believers that God has given the greatest sacrifice of all in Jesus Christ, and he commends believers to respond to this gift of mercy by giving their whole self to God as a living sacrifice. For in Christ, we have received salvation, and this is the mercy of God, that once we were cut off from God, but now we have been made new creations, joined into the body of Christ, and now as part of Christ’s body we are co-identified with him.
Just as Jesus Christ called his disciples to reveal his identity to the world in Matthew 16:13-20, he calls those who are co-identified with him to live our identities in Christ, no longer conformed to this world's ways of living, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. To be holy, as Christ is holy, and to give our lives as a living sacrifice. Not out of compulsion, not as a religion, but as people who have been transformed by the very identity of Jesus Christ. The one who gave the greatest sacrifice of all, to show us how much he loved us.
So what does it look like to be a living sacrifice?
As Timothy Keller points out, “if God is not at the centre of your life, then something else is”, and that something is what we worship for, “Religion says, 'I obey; therefore, I am accepted.' But here’s the difference: Christianity says, 'I'm accepted; therefore, I obey.'”1
When believers choose to live holy lives, to love God and to love others as Christ loves us, we worship God and choose to obey him as a result of his mercy, not out of obligation. And we don’t just do this part-time, but full-time, not just on Sundays. We choose to live fully committed in the way he has shown us so that, as we do, we grow to be a holy people who glorify God and reveal who Jesus Christ is to the world.
1 Timothy Keller, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism

10/08/2026

Sometimes life can feel a bit like a jigsaw. Sometimes the pieces fit smoothly, one after another, and things can progress well. At other times, what at first looked like the right fit doesn’t end up working out.
The story of Joseph in Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28 reminds us that even when our lives might look like they are heading in the wrong direction, God has a plan for every person’s life. God knows how the puzzle is put together, and in Jesus, God is with us in the pieces.
In Matthew 14:22-33, Jesus shows us that even when we are in the midst of life’s storms, he never leaves. In life, we all experience times when things are not working out as we had planned. Times when we might be fearful for our future, because things are not looking great. But just like Jesus met the disciples in the storm, do you know that Jesus can meet you where you are today?
In Romans 10:5-15 we are reminded that when we can call on the name of Jesus and believe in our hearts that he is our Saviour; we have assurance that he hears us, and he will save us. God does not require perfect faith from us; instead, when we believe, he accepts us where we are and meets us in our doubts and fear, and he shows us the way to the full picture for our lives.
But more than this, Jesus has promised us that he will never leave us. Even when our faith is lacking, his faith reaches out and shows us the way forward. All we are called to do is put our hand in the one who walks across the water.
As we trust in God’s plan for our lives, God grows our faith in him and we become people whose lives reveal to the world the picture that in Jesus God is with us, and that God is for them too.

01/08/2026

Wonderful celebration this evening in the life of our parish as we celebrated the 70th anniversary of the patronal festival. Thanks go to the Parish Committee, especially Grant and Neville for the quiz and entertainment.

22/06/2026

Reinvention or Recreation?
Reinvention is a word that is heard in a lot of different ways today. From glow-ups to levelling up, reinvention is big business in our world, but there is a driver that is behind this fascination and that is that as humans we want to live our best life. But this comes with a catch. You must be consistent to see and maintain results.
In Roman's 6:1-11, Paul reminds us though that in Christ we have not been called to reinvent ourselves, rather we have been called to follow Christ. For Christ has done for us, what we could not do. Out of God's love for us, he has made a way for us not to reinvent ourselves, but to be totally recreated. To become what God has always intended us to be. This begins when we turn to God in recognition that in Christ, he has made the way for us to walk in newness of life. As we follow the way of Jesus, we are transformed day by day into his life, eternal life in which we live into fulfillment as we journey in this life with Jesus. For once we were dead and now we have been made alive in Christ.

16/05/2026

It was great to gather as a vestry to plan for our parish to over the next year. We met at Holy Trinity Silverdale which is newly restored. Thanks be to God for all our discussions and planning today. May we hear what the Spirit is saying to the church!

14/05/2026

Churches across Hibiscus Coast are joining in with the 24/7 prayer initiattive to pray for renewal in our churches in the lead up to Pentecost.

To book a time to pray, please follow the link below or get in touch with the office for support. This initiative is being led by Coast Vineyard Church.

Join us on the journey, as we pray for our communities, our people, and for God to move in this season.

Dates: 14–24 May
Location: 9 Agency Lane, Silverdale (below Coast Vineyard Church hub)

Bookings: book a timeslot to pray here.