The Whitehouse Church Podcast: Recent Episodes
The Whitehouse Church
Weekly-ish sermon recordings from the Whitehouse Church in Canberra. If you’re a fan of Greg Boyd and Brian Zahnd among others, you’ll definitely notice the influence (and occasionally shameless borrowing) of their great ideas.
The Whitehouse Church is mostly Neo-Anabaptist~ish, post-evangelical leaning in worldview. We see Jesus as the full expression of what God is like and try to build community around his teachings.
If you have any questions or comments check out our website and send us a message!
http://www.whitehousechurch.com.au
The obvious story here is not hard to perceive, the kingdom of God is like the seed that grows secretly under the earth and then at the appointed time it springs forth into view. But a like a seed that first grows under the soil, there is more going on in this parable.
When people talk about coming to faith, they often remark about leaving the world, or leaving behind a life of sin. But Nicodemus had already built his life around being set apart and avoiding sin. To be born again is not simply about sinning less, it is about living more beautifully as the Spirit transforms us. It is about being made new daily.
When teaching his disciples how to pray Jesus reveals a lot about the identity and nature of his father. In this simple prayer we are given a model rather than a mantra, with a lot of subtext going on behind the scenes that would have been much more obvious to a first century audience.
Ecclesiastes teaches me to grasp continually for the gifts of joy that God offers. To eat, drink, celebrate, and love despite how fleetingly each of these experiences can seem. It makes me appreciate the beautiful and delightful breath-like moments of each day.
The psalms of new orientation are a herald of hope beckoning us beyond grief, anguish, and anger into a surprising realisation of God’s power, presence, and faithfulness.
Christ is risen.He is risen indeed!
The images and story used in this video and podcast are from "The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name" written by Sally Lloyd-Jones and illustrated by Jago.
On Good Friday we remember how the people in charge tried to make Jesus be quiet. We remember how they were so upset by his message of love and forgiveness that they killed him. We remember how they thought their violence was more powerful than his love. And we remember how Jesus forgave his enemies, and how Jesus also forgives us.
Sadly, like the first century Jews, many modern Christians are awaiting a warlord. They are waiting for a triumphant Jesus to ride in on a warhorse soaked in blood and seeking vengeance. But the Hebrew Scriptures don’t just give us a warrior Messiah, they also give us a picture of a suffering servant that Jesus perfectly embodies and fulfils.
Psalm 291 Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendour of his holiness.3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.4 The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic.5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.6 He makes Lebanon leap like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox.7 The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning.8 The voice of the Lord shakes the desert; the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.9 The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forests bare.And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King forever.11 The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.
The Psalms of disorientation deserve a place in our prayer lives. They are a window into the raw, chaotic, and despairing voice within humanity that emerges during times of crisis and confusion. The Psalms of disorientation give us both the language to cry out our rage and grief, and the permission to authentically petition God. These Psalms also have the power to draw us into the experience of others facing adversity, allowing us to prayerfully come alongside those facing despair or injustice.
"In popular piety, without people ever thinking about it, the only Psalms people know are the Psalms of orientation . . . it's important to keep the rest of the repertoire working that allows for faith in disorientation . . . the Psalms of orientation are enormously valuable resources for us, but they are by themselves not adequate because they do not allow for the slippages of disorientation that are inescapable in the living of one's life."Walter Brueggemann
In modern times the word hope can often be understood as a desire for something to happen. The Hebrew word translated as hope three times in Psalm 25 is better understood as waiting. The outcome is inevitable, it is the timing that is unknown. And it is the same with the coming of the kingdom of God. The promises of the kingdom that we are hoping for are not in question, they are a future reality that we are simply waiting for.
In our modern Christianity it’s common for people to have the idea that everyone in church needs to be happy. So, when people are going through challenges they often disappear from community. They don't know how to be a Christian whilst going through a divorce. Or how to be Christian amid chronic illness. They don't know how to authentically live out their Christianity in the face of despair and heartache, guilt or regret, disappointment, or anger. It is into this quagmire that the Psalms can offer hope as a prayer book that we can turn to when everything is broken in our world.
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. He took a deep breath and announced to the world that something new was about to happen. The holy space of heaven was going to take shape in the earth and transform it. Nothing would ever be the same.
The genealogy that introduces Jesus includes all sorts of unsavory, unpleasant, and 'unclean' people. This is the Messiah's family tree.
Hallelujah!
This is clearly a family that doesn’t exclude anyone! This is a family that can redeem anyone and change their story into something beautiful.
As God’s workers we are invited to partner with him to make all things new. And in this, we have an opportunity to support the poor so that their needs are met now, and we can comfort those who are mourning, and protect the earth for the meek. Right now, we can invest our talents in mercy and peacemaking. As we wait, we must not be idle, but rather we must exercise our power and privilege to sow and reap a harvest of righteousness, justice, and love.
"The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exaltthemselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." Matthew 23:11-12.
As a pastor and friend I have a responsibility to help people put on the new garments of faith, but that more often looks like coffee andcounsel than an emotive call to repentance. I have found that doing life closely with other people is the best way to spur on growth. I’m not saying that we should be complacent with sin, just patient. We should be aggressive with our own sin whilst patiently loving our neighbours as they also work out their salvation.
This landowner planted a vineyard, he built the wall, dug the winepress, and built the watchtower. These are the actions of a landowner who loves his vineyard. He got his hands in the soil and stones and seeds. The tenants were privileged to live and work in the vineyard but they did not build the vineyard and they did not own the vineyard.
For the kingdom of heaven is like… a place where people have their needs met regardless of when they arrived or how much they can contribute. Where all people are treated with dignity and value. Where we have the privilege of serving in God’s garden and joyfully labouring under the sun for the work of justice and kindness.
Is this relationship safe for me and for the community I am in? Or do I need to step back to protect myself and allow for this other person to live in the consequences of their actions?
Jesus never misled his disciples about the nature of his kingdom. They just couldn’t see past their cultural worldview. They couldn’t see past their religious nationalism and their desire for retributive justice to the kingdom of peace, love, mercy, and restorative justice that Jesus was building.
As is common, there is a lot more going on behind this text than we first imagine.
When the woman is viewed as a representative person from an elite economic class that has habitually taken advantage of the peasants of Galilee the conversation takes on a different tone. Jesus’ comments could very well reflect the real-lived experience of bread being taken out of the mouths of Galilean children to be given to their rich Gentile neighbours.
The challenges of life: the grief, wars, famines, floods, fires, diseases, death, anxieties, worries, suffering, misery, and injustices of history are the groaning of God’s good world.
We are in the groaning time. But it isn’t just meaninglessness. The groaning is like childbirth and at the end of all this pain there will be a beautiful reconciliation. Destruction, corruption, and death will not be victorious.
Have you ever felt that a task was hopeless. World peace? Eradication of hunger? The restoration of the environment? Forgiving someone who has wronged you? The reconciliation of a broken friendship? Healing from a toxic or abusive relationship? Finding peace in the wake of tragedy or grief? Sometimes the best that we can offer is a meagre handful of loaves and fishes with the hope that Jesus can do a miracle.
The only reasonable response to finding a treasure is to pursue it, and so it is with the kingdom of heaven.
Awful things happen in the world. The weeds are apparent in every facet of our lives. Big weeds like war and famine, but also in the small things. Even in the church there are weeds among the wheat. But the good farmer, the Son of Man, is waiting. He is not powerless and one day he will command his angels to harvest and sort the crop. The kingdom of God is going to uproot the kingdom of the world, it is going to overthrow the corrupt systems and rulers. It is going to restore what has been broken, free the oppressed, and comfort the mourning. The end of the age will signal the end of everything that causes sin and all who do evil.
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The story of Abraham offering Isaac as a sacrifice to Yahweh presents Christians with a challenging portrait of God. If we are to believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God and contend that God is like Jesus, we do not have the liberty of dismissing or embracing the violent portraits of God.
Rather, we must find a way to interpret them in light of what we know about God through Jesus, who is the ‘radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being’ – Hebrews 1:3.
Jesus calls unlikely people to partner in his mission: His mission to bring good news. His mission to bring the restoration of all things. This is the way of the kingdom. Jesus calls the unlikely to lead the unworthy to sometbeautiful.
Matthew is retelling the story of his midlife crisis and in the midst of that story Jesus heals a paralysed man and an unclean woman, and then he raises a girl from the dead. This is what following Jesus was like for Matthew. The day Jesus called him was a day of salvation and resurrection. A day of mercy and breaking cultural taboos to bring life.
The narrative of Amos describes the people of Israel as devout in their adherence to cultic ritual but also as devoid of genuine concern for justice and righteousness (Amos 4:4-5; 5:21-24). As God’s covenant people they were meant to reflect his care for the most vulnerable but instead they oppressed the poor, withheld justice, and engaged in acts of sexual abuse, slavery, financial misconduct, and extortion (Amos 2:6-8; 4:1; 5:10-12).
The crimes and negligence of God’s people in the book of Amos are shockingly mirrored in the crimes and negligence inflicted against First Nations people here in Australia.All our church meetings and conferences, the reciting of the Lord’s Prayer in parliament, our grand cathedrals, and our Bible studies are meaningless if we ignore the cries of the oppressed and deny justice to the innocent. Our God is a God of justice and righteousness.
It is disappointing that the type of divisions Paul was addressing in the Corinthian church can still easily be seen in churches today. Celebrity pastors and culture in the church, gender-based hierarchies, reserved seating and car parking, barista coffee for the rich and instant coffee for the poor. The more trivial of these examples sadly belie the deeper issues of division in modern Christendom across denominational and theological lines. One can only wonder about the stern rebuke that a contemporary epistle would contain for the segmented church on view in our cities today.
I have frequently talked about the simplicity of Jesus’ command to love but it is so important for us to remember. When I look at history and even when I lookaround today, it is apparent that many people in Christendom think that loving looks more like correction than washing feet, and more like judgement than cooking meals, and more like condemnation than compassion, and more like wrath than comfort. But I am convinced that following Jesus’ commands means building a community defined by love and characterised by a deep experience of belonging.
The statement, “because you are with me” is in the exact middle of this Psalm and represents the central theological claim of the entire passage.
It may be dark and bleak, but the shepherd is in the valley with you. The shepherd knew the way into this valley, and he knows the way out the other side, the way to grassy pastures and still waters.
So don’t be afraid.
In this message Chevelle shares intimately and thoughtfully about her own experience of death and grief.
We had the pleasure of hearing from Wendell Mullet today who shared an encouraging message delving into Anabaptist history and our present calling to represent the beautiful kingdom of God.
Rather than perceiving this woman as prostitute, a harlot, or a sinner, there is a narrative here that can present this outspoken and theologically astute woman as an unfortunate victim of her circumstances that boldly steps into a place of faith and then chooses to go forth as an apostle to her people. If this story was about a man, it would likely have been interpreted differently for the last 1900 years.
There are many things that the Bible actually says, and even more that have been tortured out from its pages that cannot be considered consistent with the life and teaching of Jesus. Bad exegesis and interpretation can easily create false gospels.
The post-transfiguration life for Christians means walking away from – repenting of – violence, power over, and authoritarian control. It means repenting of a gospel that promotes bad news as a means to manipulate people, and a gospel that exclusively promotes personal salvation and personal morality but ignores corporate repentance, social justice, and institutional change. The post-transfiguration life looks like sacrifice, joyful service and love.
Just as the Ten Commandments were the foundational laws in the society of Israel, Jesus is presenting a manifesto for the new community of the kingdom of God. In all these teachings Jesus expresses what the true fulfilment of the law should look like, not as a doctrinal statement but rather as a beautiful vision of a holy community relating towards one another with love and respect.
If you are exhausted but still holding on in spirit,if you are grieving or in despair,if your gentleness is triumphing over your violence, if you are seeking for God’s justice in the world,if you are merciful and pure and making peace,if you are persecuted or mocked for following Jesus. Celebrate and rejoice!The time of citizenship,comfort,prosperity,satisfaction,mercy,theophany,adoption,inheritance,and reward awaits you.That which is hidden will be revealed (Matt 10:26),the poor will become rich (Luke 6:20),the last will become first (Mark 10:31),the small will become great (Matt 18:4),the hungry will be filled (Luke 6:21),the weary will find rest (Matt 11:28),the mourners will be comforted (Matt 5:4),those who weep will laugh (Luke 6: 21),the sick will be healed, and the blind will receive sight (Matt 11:5),the prisoners will be freed (Luke 4:18),and the humble will be exalted (Matt 23:12; Luke 14:11; 18:14).https://youtu.be/IPCA5NN-64E
A tent of meeting tried to contain something of God’s nature. There was a tabernacle, and a temple, and an ark, and a Holy of Holies, but none of them could not contain God. They all passed away, yet God still desired to dwell among his people, he still wanted to be with us. And so, he took on flesh like us. And within Mary’s womb became the temple of the very enfleshed Word of God! The one who could not be contained was now contained! The incarnate Son of God within her. Theotokos, the God-bearer, the fulfilment of the Law and the beginning of a new Covenant of grace whose name is Jesus Emmanuel, God with us!
Jesus’ kingdom isn’t from this world, which should be obvious because worldly kingdoms always defend themselves with violence. Worldly kingdoms are insecure and fragile realms led by insecure and fragile kings that are founded on the blood of their enemies. But Jesus’ kingdom is from another place, and instead of violence, trickery, and insurrection, his kingdom is founded on the love of his enemies, on truth, and resurrection.
It is not foremost our orthodoxy and creeds, or our pageantry and performances, or our offerings and sacrifices that make us Christian. It is our love of God and the love of our neighbours that shows how close we are to God’s kingdom.
Somebody needs to lead and somebody needs to hold power, it’s just that Jesus simply doesn’t recognise this as a prerequisite for greatness. Having the most power, prestige, influence, money, or might is irrelevant to Jesus’ definition of greatness. It is obvious who Jesus thinks is great. He draws attention to the widow with a few coins, the good Samaritan, the faithful Centurion who petitions for their servant, and the Canaanite woman who seeks healing for her child. These are the people that impress Jesus.
Our picture of God must be shaped by our understanding of Jesus. He is the only true perfect representation of the father, and he is the lens through which we must interpret all Scripture and revelation. His teaching and example are superior to all others, and when we are faced with complex theological and moral conundrums the sensitivity, graciousness, and kindness of Jesus must be our model for both contemplation and practice.
When Jesus defines the boundaries of belonging he makes it clear that it is the people that cause others to stumble, the people that exclude others, and the people that are focused on defining themselves as the greatest that should be worried.
We must trust that war and violence, death and suffering, greed and malice, and all manner of evil will ultimately be done away with in the kingdom of God. We must trust that the unjust, apathetic, unmerciful and evil empires, powers, and authorities will receive judgement and that the poor, the oppressed, the broken, and the innocent victims of the world’s corruption will receive life everlasting through Christ who died for them!
Today we have the wonderful Chevelle Hibberd sharing about favouritism from the book of James.
Even though the psalmist of Psalm 84 longs to be back in the courts of the Lord, he knows that there is a blessing for the pilgrims who seek out God. God gives his children the strength to carry on even through the Valley of Weeping. God is just as real on the journey as he is in the temple. God is just as present on the difficult road as he is in the sanctuary of his courts.
Solomon had a listening heart but sadly the later part of his life was dictated by him listening to the call of his wives’ pagan worship and idolatry. Solomon is an example of wisdom, but he is not the fulfilment. Jesus is the true beacon of wisdom that we should seek to follow.
The crowd that followed Jesus missed the signposts that were pointing them to his true identity. They were able to connect the dots and see how Jesus was like Moses, but they couldn’t see past their physical reality to the spiritual reality being revealed.
Today we have something a little bit different as our face-to-face meeting was shifted online due to Covid. Instead of a regular sermon Geoff guided us through a Bible study in John 6:1-21 using a range of visual tools including maps and interlinear Bible resources.
The church should be a place of healing, not a place that causes trauma. And not just miraculous physical healing, but the kind of healing that comes from deep abiding relationship, from connectedness, intimacy and belonging. The kind of healing that comes from extended times of listening, from tea and from coffee, and from the breaking of bread.
Today we have something a little bit different as our face-to-face meeting was shifted online due to Covid. Instead of a regular sermon Geoff guided us through a Bible study using a range of visual tools to help show how he reads the Bible and prepares his messages.
These incredible stories are signposts for us in the gospel of Mark. Jesus didn’t heal everyone in the world or raise every dead person in the region. But in these examples, we see what his kingdom will be like in the time to come. God is remaking the world through Jesus and one day his kingdom will look like all the signposts that Jesus left behind in his ministry. The oppressed are set free, the afflicted are healed, the blind have their sight restored, the dead are raised, and all injustices will be made right. The greatest signpost of all being the cross upon which Jesus died as a sign of his great love and his power over sin and death.
The mustard bush was not a plant that any farmer would sow into his field. They are an invasive plant that grows and takes over! It is a weed! And the kingdom of God is like this, it will get into every nook and cranny, it will find every space and it will grow. There is no stopping it! The kingdom of God is going to uproot the kingdom of the world, it is going to overthrow the corrupt systems and rulers. It is going to restore what has been broken, and free the oppressed, and comfort the mourning. And it will be a refuge for all people.
The teachers of the law had a sinister agenda. By labelling Jesus as 'possessed' they were also trying to justify to the people what they were planning to do to him. This is a common tactic even today when authorities want to get away with hurting people. Our media is often complicit with policy makers in creating labels that dehumanise people with the explicit agenda of justifying institutional abuse. If I can convince you that someone is not like you and that they are less valuable than you, it then becomes reasonable for me to treat them without dignity. But our heavenly father has a new label for us also, the 'sons and daughters of God'.
Ultimately, spiritual maturity is about balance. We want to be sensitive to the subtle and emotive voice of the Holy Spirit whilst being tempered with the wisdom and discernment that the Holy Spirit offers. Simply being stoic and emotionless does not make you mature; it makes you a cold and unfeeling. At the same time, always being ‘led’ to do things without wisdom, discernment, and appropriate restraint does not make you a spiritual giant it makes you a weirdo. Neither of these extremes produce good fruit or are helpful in building up the body.
God is love. God is not some warmongering, violent, capricious, malicious, angry being in heaven that hates everyone who disagrees with him. God is love and he sends his son as the witness and example of that love, and his son dies for us. This is the ultimate example of love: To lay down one's life for one’s friends.
There are definitely things in your life that need a pruning. Old ways of thinking, habits, toxic ambitions, destructive behaviour, selfishness… even grief and hurt. These things must give way so that new things can grow.
My experience as a child and as an adult has been blessed because I have always known that my mum loves me. All my life she has laid in the gate and protected me. She has been a good shepherd.
I have never doubted her love, and there is nothing that I could do that would stop her from loving me. She bore me in her womb and fed me at her breast. She carried me in her arms, and in her heart and prayers. She has bled, cried, and sacrificed for me in ways I cannot even fathom.
My mother’s selfless love has been a testimony of God’s love for my entire life, and I am grateful for her.
Jesus’ physical incarnation, physical death, and physical resurrection, marked by Christmas and Easter, are central to his embodiment of humanity and show us that the flesh is fundamentally good and capable of housing the divine presence.
Our bodies are not bad. Our flesh is not bad. This world is not bad. When God created the earth and everything within it, he called it ‘good’, and when he made humanity from the dust of the ground, he proclaimed us to be ‘very good’.
When the judgement ultimately comes it will not be the destruction of the world, it will be the destruction of death and the restoration of the world.
I choose to believe because the world truly needs to be saved and the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and the beautiful kingdom that he represents are honestly the hope of the world. As I have studied and travelled, as I have sought wisdom and truth, I keep coming back to Jesus as the centre of my life.
Part of what Jesus does on the cross is to take back the power that humans have handed over to demonic forces. By defeating the devil and his schemes Jesus sets the scene for a new creation and a new earth where humans fulfil their purpose as image bearers.
What have you made sacred that is should not be? What has become commonplace in your life that creates a stumbling block to your worship and faithfulness?
"The Son of Man must suffer and die, and if you want to be my disciple you must also pick up your cross and follow me. You must resist the beastly temptation to define good and evil, resist the temptation towards violence and greed; resist the beast. And in doing that you will find life!"
*May the God of all Goodness and Mercy
follow you on this Lenten journey
and may the barren parts of your life
be made fruitful through the grace of Jesus Christ
and the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.*
There are many things in the Bible that we can rightly call biblical, that we cannot rightly call Christian. If there is any confusion about whose opinion, tradition, or practice is most valid it is made clear for us here at the transfiguration; Jesus supersedes everything that came before him. “Listen to him!” The law and prophets testified about Jesus, but we must take our lessons directly from him.
A terrible side effect of our disbelief in spiritual things is that we fail to recognise their influence and fail to respond to them. There are two sets of values at play in the world, those that are consistent with the kingdom of God and those that are not. Those that bring life and those that bring death. Those that seek to restore and build, and those that seek to pull down and destroy.
Whilst the cross has mostly been used as a symbol of service and sacrifice, it has also been turned into a symbol of power. Seeking military, political, or social power in the name of the cross of Christ is blasphemy. Committing acts of violence, greed, imperialism, judgement, genocide, superiority, and power over people in the name of the cross is the antithesis of following Jesus.
Second Sunday After the Epiphany, Year B.
Gabriel basically says, ‘Don’t be afraid of me, I’m afraid of you!’
Mary’s womb will become the Temple of the enfleshed Word! The incarnate Son of God will be within her and before her angel’s tremble.
I am grateful for you. For those who have become old friends. For those who are becoming old friends. I am grateful for the shared food and memories, and I am grateful for the shared projects and passions. I am grateful for the partnership that we have in the gospel to share good news of hope and salvation through Jesus. I am grateful for your generosity and kindness, your patience and wisdom, and your friendship.
These people where very quick to make a loud public declaration of their faith when the thought Jesus was going to be a powerful warlord, but they just as quickly disappeared when things got hard.
We were thrilled to have Jarrod join us for an amazing conversation that covered everything from spiritual formation and practice, to historical and contemporary Anabaptism, to what it means to ‘decolonise’ faith in a time of ecological crisis. Even narwhals get a mention!
Jarrod McKenna is an award-winning peace trainer and activist who has spent his life serving those whom society has pushed to the margins. Jarrod co-hosts the Inverse Podcast with Professor Drew Hart.
You can checkout more of his interviews and work via the following links:
InVerse Podcast
InVerse Patreon
We are not good at lament. Our suburban Christian faith is rarely resilient enough to survive significant suffering, sickness, disappointment, struggle, or setback. I know a lot of Christians who have been through challenges and put on a brave face whilst privately experiencing the erosion of their hope, joy, and faith. The inability of Christians to lament, to question, and to grieve has made many atheists. It is easier to watch Netflix than to process our grief and anger.
“To deny our sorrow doesn’t make us happy it makes us numb.” Brian Zahnd.
Hebrew poetry isn't like poetry in English. Where we rhyme words, the Hebrew poets rhyme concepts! Once it has been pointed out you can't un-see it. In particular they used parallelism which we are going to look at today.
Saint Ignatius of Loyola was a 16th century priest who co-founded and led the religious order called the Society of Jesus, or simply the Jesuits. In 1548 St Ignatius wrote Spiritual Exercises, a simple set of meditations, prayers, and other practices. Perhaps the most well known of these exercises is 'The Daily Examen'.
This practice helps to build intimacy and trust in God. It helps us to slow down, remembering and reflecting on the events of our day. It brings us to a place of quiet contemplation, peace, and gratitude. It can help us to worry less, discern more, and grow in your relationship with God.
Be Still – Become aware of God’s presence.
Be Thankful – Review the moments of your day with gratitude.
Be Present – Review your day with curiosity rather than judgement.
Be Prayerful – Choose one part of your day and pray about it.
Be Hopeful – Look toward tomorrow.
One of the defining blessings of my life has been the unwavering knowledge that my dad loves me and wants the best for me. The older I get, and the older my kids get, the more I see the sacrifices and investment that my dad made to be there for me growing up. I know that he loves me. I know that I don’t have to be afraid of him, and that he isn’t angry or disappointed with me.
These commands were not meant to be perceived as a new law. They were the basis of a new kind of community and a new kind of kingdom. Just as children learn their mother tongue simply by being exposed to a language, these new commands were to be the daily life of the Christian community such that they became second nature to new believers rather than imposed rules.
For us, taking these commands to heart means building a community of encouragement, peace, and patience where the disheartened are uplifted, the weak are supported, and where everybody strives to do what is good for each other. A community that rejoices always, prays continually, and give thanks in all circumstances.
The wonderful Chevelle Hibberd shared again with us today. "As renewing as it is to remember Jesus's resurrection, the Lord's Supper harks back to a very ancient message that the Kingdom is about feasting, and the feasting is open to every nation."
Jesus had an entirely different set of priorities compared to the synagogue leader. Setting this woman free was more necessary than following the rules of the Sabbath. But this isn’t just a story about a woman who is bound, it is a story about how Israel is bound. Jesus' desire to set this daughter of Abraham free reflects his desire to set Israel free.
From beginning to end the doctrine of Mark is vividly presented as an incarnation story with a persistent message. You must see Jesus not simply as a great teacher, an inspiring leader, and a miraculous healer. You must know Jesus the Son of God, crucified and risen.
The Old Covenant was written on tablets of stone, but the New Covenant is written on our hearts. In the past we were externally compelled by the law but now as we are transformed, we are internally compelled to become more like Christ, living out the way of the kingdom that is within us.
Are Jesus’ words harsh? Yes. Just as his words against the religious rulers were harsh. But under the circumstances I’ve described it makes much more sense. This is a situation loaded with historical racial tension where Jesus cuts straight to the heart of the matter and the woman responds with faith.
When we justify our judgemental wrath towards others by calling it righteous anger we are simply creating a theological loophole to baptise our sin! Anger is not the emotion of righteousness; it is the emotion of judgement. The emotions of righteousness are love and compassion. Jesus was moved with compassion.
The instruction here is short and simple: treat women with the respect they deserve as co-heirs of the grace of life, and don’t use your social and physical power to dominate women or your prayers will be hindered!
This passage is not a treatise endorsing empire or kingship, the institution of slavery, or the patriarchal family, but rather a guide for Christians about how to remain faithful to their calling in the face of a hostile society and pagan cultural structures.
Faith isn’t knowing exactly what is going to happen. Faith is trusting the person who is telling you to jump. It is knowing their voice even though you can’t see them and trusting that they will catch you. A leap of faith may look like blind faith, but it is based on a foundation of trust. It may seem foolish but really it is wisdom to follow a trustworthy voice.
Today at the Whitehouse Church we had a chat about love languages - what they are (and what they aren't), and how they can help us to build healthy and fulfilling relationships.
I wish I had better words to describe what it means for me to say "I’m progressive". But right now, I simply don’t. I just want to serve Jesus, not tradition, and I believe that all people deserve to be treated with respect, and to be seen as image bearers of God.
Ancient creeds like the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed have been used to define orthodoxy since the 4th century CE. When I say that I am a Christian who holds orthodox beliefs, it is against these statements that I measure my theology.
Today we had Chevelle Hibberd sharing with us!
"It’s humbling to remember that people who’ve spent their lives pondering the mysteries of God, whose minds and thoughts can go a million miles faster and higher and deeper than most, whose faith in God is unshakeable and profound, could still fall into the trap of shoehorning — and even augmenting — Scripture in order have it fit their finite understanding and limited worldview.
None of us is immune to this."
The Parable of the Ten Minas is not what it seems. In our western culture we are accustomed to glorifying the rich noble and demonising the 'lazy servant'. But what if that isn't the point of this story at all?
Despite his fear, the third servant lays the offense of the master at his feet. “You take what you don’t deserve, and you reap a harvest from other people’s labour.” This servant is the true hero of the story. Jesus’ audience are not rooting for the despot or his minions, they are rooting for the servant who refused to be complicit with the corrupt economic system of the wealthy and powerful. This is not a parable that sanctifies capitalism or materialism, it is a parable that highlights the evil of exploiting people for economic gain.
Jesus' message was scandalous to the religious, treasonous to the empire, and utterly captivating to the poor, disenfranchised, forgotten, broken, and ignored.
The message of Jesus was, and is, beautiful. So beautiful that it’s guaranteed to threaten the status-quo and make all who believe a target for the world’s scorn.
Each year around this time we ask people to prayerfully consider their financial commitment to the Whitehouse Church. We are a pretty small community and we do our best to keep our overhead costs to a bare minimum, so our budget is very modest at about $5000 a month.
During the next couple weeks we are hoping you will fill out our online pledge form indicating how much you expect to give during the next year. It isn’t a contract and it doesn’t have your name on it. It is simply a way for us to make a responsible budget and plan for the future. Nobody likes a long guilt ridden offering speech every week and this annual pledge is our best attempt to avoid that.
You can find the pledge form here - http://www.whitehousechurch.com.au/pledge
If you are a part of the Whitehouse Church community we’d really appreciate your financial support. Even a small consistent gift can make a significant difference to our budget.
And finally, a huge thank you to those that contribute so generously of their lives, skills and finances into the Whitehouse church! Without your faithfulness we couldn’t keep hanging out and blessing people the way we are now.
Hey friends, I'm still having some audio issues when recording. So if you notice it is a bit choppy please accept my apology. I'm pretty sure I have figured out the problem now so hopefully it'll be all fixed for next week.
"To be connected to the vine is to be connected to one another. And we must do that with love and grace, forgiveness and compassion, and we must bear with one another as we work through the things that need to be pruned off. We have got to do it together. That’s part of the deal. Part of the deal of being connected to Jesus is that we are part of a family, and in that family, we deeply love and serve one another."
Hey there! Sadly there was an issue with the recording today and the sound isn't as good as normal. Sorry about that. :(
He came so that we who were poor might become rich. How does that happen? Most of you are familiar with the term guilt-by-association. That means if I hang around with someone who has committed a crime, I may be considered guilty as well because of my close relationship with them. Turn that concept around and you’ve got the gospel. It is grace-by-association. All the grace of God is available to me by virtue of my relationship with Jesus Christ. That is the Christmas gift we have received from God.
What does being a good neighbour look like to Jesus?
Washing feet, serving widows and orphans, standing in front of those who accuse and disarming them, befriending the isolated, touching the untouchable, dismantling structures that dehumanise people, promoting the welfare and societal value and equality of disenfranchised people groups including women and minorities, weeping with those who mourn, welcoming children, turning over the tables of injustice, making wrong things right and seeking forgiveness for his enemies even whilst they are nailing him to a cross.
Today we had our very own wonderful Chevelle Hibberd share with us.
"A faith community that doesn’t embrace doubt with understanding and trust in God’s wisdom isn’t interested in growth but in control. I can’t emphasise enough how important it is that we continue to extend grace and tenacious love to one another. This is the primary reason I decided to put my roots down with you. Because you have questioned deeply and doubted honestly. And yet you still trust."
Nicodemus was steeped in religious tradition that was generations old. His entire life was dedicated to honouring God’s rules but instead of bringing him freedom these rules had become a stumbling block to him. No amount of law keeping, scholarship, tithing, or tradition had allowed him to see the kingdom of God. And then this self-appointed Galilean Rabbi turned up and God was with him. All the confusion and doubts, all the unmet hopes and questions birthed out of his seeking were now being illuminated by this man who had clearly come from God.
When Jesus talks about little ones he isn’t just talking about children, he is talking about the people in our society who are little in the eyes of the world. Those who have little influence, little power, little money, little prospects, little opportunity, little honour, and few advocates.
Sometimes awful things happen, and they are simply that, awful. They aren't a test. The world we live in is broken and the consequence of generations of sin and selfish choices is that our existence is riddled with pain and suffering that grieves both us and God. That is why God is going to reconcile all things to himself in Christ. That is why the beatitudes say God will bless those who hunger, mourn and weep, precisely because there are things about this world that are not consistent with the will of God at this time.
When people attempt to sanctify their politics, businesses, and ambitions with the name of Jesus they violate his name far more deeply than simply cursing as a cultural reflex.
When Jesus teaches them to pray, “father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come”, he is also making a prophetic declaration!
The church is a community defined by love, not a creedal statement. It is not held together by a set of principles or dogged tolerance but rather by a deep experience of belonging. Accepting the invitation to be a member of God’s household means accepting an invitation to a shared life of redemptive love and a willingness to sacrifice for one another.
Saint Ignatius of Loyola was a 16th century priest who co-founded and led the religious order called the Society of Jesus, or simply the Jesuits. In 1548 St Ignatius wrote Spiritual Exercises, a simple set of meditations, prayers, and other practices. Perhaps the most well known of these exercises is the 'Daily Examen'.
This practice helps to build intimacy and trust in God. It helps us to slow down, remembering and reflecting on the events of our day. It brings us to a place of quiet contemplation, peace, and gratitude. It can help us to worry less, discern more, and grow in your relationship with God.
- Be Still – Become aware of God’s presence.
- Give thanks – Review the day with gratitude.
- Reflect – Pay attention to your emotions.
- Pray – Choose one feature of the day and pray from it.
- Hope – Look toward tomorrow.
Even with all the evidence pointing to Jesus’ true identity, John was nervous. He was in prison, captive to a man who would ultimately have him executed. And in that dark place he is asking himself, “Is it possible that I am wrong? Is it possible that Jesus isn’t really the one who is to come? Have I given my life to proclaim a gospel that isn’t even true?”
Have you ever felt like that?
If you can’t identify any area of change or growth in your theology or practice during the last season of your life, I would politely suggest that what you have is not unyielding faith, but more likely hardheartedness. If we are being transformed by a renewing of our minds and if we are working out our salvation daily it will be reflected in changes to our character and thinking.
Forgiveness doesn't mean we must allow people to continually hurt us or that we must continue relationships with people who have hurt us.
Jesus begins his parable by saying there was a man that planted a vineyard. This is a little bit like saying, “A woman named Karen went into a store.” Now, we know what’s going on here… you’re already picturing a certain type of woman and a certain type of behaviour before I have explained anything! And so it is with Jesus in this parable. His audience all knows that the vineyard is a picture of Israel.
Rather than saying ‘Don’t do to others what you don’t want them to do to you,’ Jesus taught, ‘Do unto others as you want them to do unto you.’ In a world that generally says you can do whatever you want so long as it doesn’t hurt anyone, Jesus goes further by teaching his disciples to actively initiate actions that will benefit others. In this way Jesus’ teaching is unique.
One of the few small blessings of the season we are in right now is that the world has actually started to redefine greatness. Right now, people are not impressed with billionaires, tyrants, celebrities, and sports stars. In this time of global grief, we are looking to the doctors, nurses, researchers, supermarket workers, delivery drivers, and garbage collectors, and recognising them as great.
Today's podcast is a little different as it is a guided time of reflective meditation on Matthew 6:25-34. The format of the reflection is based on a monastic practice known as 'Lectio Divina'. It is not meant to be a study method, rather it is a contemplative practice of reflection and prayer to encourage meeting with the Lord. The goal is not to rigidly follow the steps, the goal is to meet with God. It is a practice that encourages us to slow down and carefully meditate on the word of God.
Today, CJ was our guest speaker! I'm positive you will be blessed by this challenging message just as we were.
"When God chose to become incarnate, it wasn't as Caesar, or Pharaoh, or someone who would lord it over others just like every other ruler. No, God came to earth as a brown-skinned child in the poorest and most disenfranchised corner of a small North African nation living under the oppressive rule of a European empire. This is the social location God chose to identify with. That is the community God chose to express his deepest solidarity with.
The church needs to follow Jesus' example and renounce every social hierarchy and every form of 'lording it over others'. For the glory of God to be seen, every valley must be raised up, and every mountain laid low."
You should also check out Dr Drew Hart's excellent book, 'Trouble I've Seen: Changing the Way the Church Views Racism', that CJ quotes during this message.
Loving our neighbour means more than acknowledging the struggle of others. It means engaging in their struggle with compassion and without judgement. In John 8 we see how Jesus engaged in the struggle experienced by a woman who was being publicly accused by the Pharisees, and he used his privileged status to defend her. He engaged in the physical and social struggles of lepers and outcasts. And ultimately, Jesus engaged in our struggle against sin on the cross, remaining vigilant until he was victorious on our behalf.
We must stand against the corrupt systems and institutional powers that promise freedom but really only bring destruction. We must not shirk in the face of perverse authorities that want to maintain the status quo. And we must not be drawn into anger and violence, but rather we need to act out of grief and love for those who are oppressed, compassion for those who are complicit, and hope in the knowledge that our saviour Jesus is coming to bring justice and make all things right.
Jesus was not simply a theologian. He was an activist who fought against the systemic oppression within his Jewish culture that afflicted the underprivileged and the outsiders. He stood with the poor and the outcasts. He raised the status of women and children who were socially unseen, and he consistently refused to racially denigrate foreigners like the Samaritans and Romans. The good news of the kingdom of God was not simply a salvation message. It was a radical new social order where justice meant restoration, and nobody was treated as subhuman.
He wasn’t killed for his orthodoxy he was killed for his orthopraxy. He was killed because he was a threat to the institutional powers that did not want social transformation.
The proclamation of the gospel isn’t a soapbox on a corner shouting at people about the end of the world. The proclamation of the gospel is having lunch with prostitutes and tax collectors. It is throwing parties and inviting everyone off the street. It is the multiplication of food and the sharing of resources. It is a communal life of generosity, compassion, kindness, and sacrifice. It is humble sharing and repentance. It is listening, and it is a testimony of good news.
In this message Geoff discusses how even though the majority of us do not have any significant connection to Aboriginal peoples we can at least acknowledge the shocking truth of our history as a starting point. And then we need to agree to seek Reconciliation and friendship rather than simply blaming Aboriginal people or covering our eyes, ears and hearts to the injustices that have been done and are still ongoing.
"I hope that history will show that we, as Australians and as Christians, responded to the challenges of climate change, displaced people, wealth inequality, the Covid-19 pandemic, and racial injustice with wisdom, humility, repentance, compassion, love, and sincerity. I hope that we will one day look back upon 2020 as the beginning of something beautiful and not simply a time of deepening despair."
To a world that was in upheaval, in a time of wars and rumours of wars, in a period of deep uncertainty and political jostling when people were desperately seeking a saviour they looked to a dishevelled man wearing clothes made of camel hair, who lived in the wilderness eating locusts and honey. And he said to them: “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."
The word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness and it was a word of hope. There is one coming who will make things right.
My experience as a child and as an adult has been blessed because I have always known that my mum loves me. To believe otherwise has never even occurred to me. She has always loved me, and there is nothing that I could do that would stop her from loving me. She bore me in her womb and fed me at her breast. She carried me in her arms, and in her heart and prayers. She has bled, cried, and sacrificed for me in ways I cannot even fathom.
And now as a husband and father I can see this mother-child relationship with different eyes as I look to how my wife loves our kids. How she bore them in her womb and fed them at her breast. How she has carried them in her arms, and in her heart and prayers. How she bleeds, cries, and sacrifices for them in ways I cannot even fathom. The mothers in my life are beautiful examples of the love, grace, mercy, compassion, strength, wisdom, and kindness of God. This is why we can learn so much from seeing God as a mother.
If your church experience has been more charismatic or Pentecostal, you have likely felt the presence of God through communal worship. I know for myself that singing praises as a community has been a central part of my connection with God since forever. Which is awesome… except for when we are not allowed to gather together. Once all the performance and props are taken away how do we personally connect with God?
“Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NLT
During this storm we can bring hope to our communities by offering kindness, peace and love. We need to become experts in the simple acts of generosity, compassion, and empathy. We need to be available to listen to the needs of our neighbours. And we can be gentle with our children, partners, housemates, and with ourselves. We need to be kind to ourselves.
Now, probably more than ever we need to be good listeners. We are not in a position to comfort one another with a hug over a video chat, but we can offer an ear in this time of uncertainty. Getting better at listening is a great way to love the people around you.
Jesus was willing to feed people and heal people on the Sabbath because he was driven by Godly principles that released life and he was not bound by the rules that wouldn’t facilitate this. But the Pharisees had it all back to front. They would rather get to temple on time than stoop to help a man bleeding in the gutter. They happily tithed on their herb garden but neglected justice and mercy. They followed the rules but violated the principles of the kingdom of God.
“This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” If there is any confusion about whose opinion, tradition or practice is most valid it should be clear here that Jesus supersedes everything that came before him. “Listen to him!” The law and prophets testified about Jesus, but the disciples must take their lessons directly from Jesus.
Jesus wouldn’t be tricked into a kingdom without a king, or a kingdom built on the blood of his enemies, or a kingdom of subservient robots. As you journey towards Easter consider setting aside luxuries and time to remember how Christ resisted the accuser and his good ideas. How he chose to take upon the foolishness, scorn and shame of the cross to show God’s mercy and forgiveness and to establish a new kingdom. A kingdom that will feed everyone, liberate everyone and fill everyone with faith.
Against the backdrop of God’s love your sin is inconsequential. That doesn’t mean we should sin more; it means that we work out our salvation daily in the context of loving relationships and not shame. It means that we are stewards of God’s grace. We have gifts from a loving God to share with one another. And it means that we do it together. In this kingdom we are heirs together, we are never alone.
There are so many ‘us and them’ narratives in our culture at the moment. Politically, socially, economically, sexually, educationally, nationally, racially, demographically... Inside our fallen nature is a desperate need to belong and feel safe and we so easily get deceived into believing the best way to belong and feel safe is to exclude or alienate someone else. This woman is guilty. And the Pharisees are guilty. And Jesus offers them both grace. However right and righteous we feel we should never take the place of the accuser. And I don’t know exactly what that looks like, but I’m very sure it doesn’t involve a bag of rocks. To the ‘leftist liberal tree hugging Marxist delusional rainbow warriors’ and the ‘right-wing coal loving delusional gun toting climate change denying nutters’. It doesn’t matter where you are standing in the courtyard – We all need the grace of Jesus to walk away from our hypocrisy and life of sin.
When we celebrate together we say, ‘your victory is my joy’, and in times of trouble we say, ‘your concern is my burden, and together we will get through this.’ Marriage is a commitment like this. For better and for worse, for richer and poorer, in sickness and in health. In a family we are born into this commitment. And in Christ’s body, we lay down our lives for the purpose of the King and his kingdom.
“We are not what we do, we are not what we have, we are not what others think of us. Coming home is claiming the truth. I am the beloved child of a loving creator.” ― Henri J.M. Nouwen
The Good Samaritan, and the sheep and the goats, are stories about kindness. Kindness isn’t just a fruit of the Spirit; it is fundamental to the work of the gospel and the Great Commission. Kindness is good doctrine. Kindness is a beautiful foretaste of God’s kingdom.
The growth of the early church was not due to famous people, it was because normal people were radically altered by their relationship with Jesus in a way that made them prepared to love, and sacrifice for others. It wasn’t just the way the church reacted to persecution that made them unusual, it was the consistent loving actions of Christians for hundreds of years that truly changed the world.
What a twist, the king invites everyone to the party! Good and bad! This is definitely not how a royal wedding reception works. Here is the punchline – God desires that all people would respond to his invitation into the kingdom of heaven. This is what our gatherings should reflect. We should invite all those that have bounced off the church and those that aren’t normally invited. We should open up the banquet for the people least like us, good and bad. Not just the poor but those who we simply don’t normally connect with. We should be a place where people can come and find room at the table.
“Listening is an act of intimacy and when you choose to listen to someone you are giving them a gift.” Also make sure you check out this video from Brené Brown as an introduction to this message: The Biggest Myth About Vulnerability https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkDaKKkFi6Y
The Son of Man was tempted to serve the beast just like every other human before him, but he resisted. The Son of Man came among us and built a new kingdom that was not corrupt or violent. And in his kingdom the beast is expelled. Sickness, disease, poverty, violence… none of these things exist in the Son of Man’s kingdom. The beast is defeated and thrown into the fire and the Son of Man is given authority, glory and sovereign power.
“Jesus is the very incarnation of God. He is the exact representation of God’s being. Jesus shows us exactly what God is like. And in this moment of shared grief as Jesus wept with his friends Mary and Martha, we can know with certainty that God also wept.”
The life of Christ writes in small letters what God has, since the beginning, been writing in grand letters too vast for us to comprehend. Jesus is the supreme example to all mankind of what God has always been like and what God has always been doing. He summarized in one short lifetime what God has been doing throughout all of history.
Jesus always treated people like they were human beings not issues. Jesus never looked at people and saw them as ‘the adulterer’, ‘the thief’ or ‘the greedy man’. Jesus saw people and had compassion on them.
Luke 22: 60-62 ‘My good fellow,’ said Peter, ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ And at once, while he was still speaking, the cock crowed. The master turned and looked at Peter, and Peter called to mind the words the master had spoken to him: ‘Before the cock crows, this very day, you will deny me three times.’ And he went outside and wept bitterly.
“If we fight for our religious freedoms in this country but fail to use that freedom to petition for the poor, the marginalised and the refugees we are no better than the Pharisees.”
Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’ And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’” (Matthew 25:44-45).
This message is about the wilderness between the present time and the kingdom that is coming.
The message concludes with a reading of the benediction written by Nadia Boltz-Webber for Rachel Held Evans’ funeral. Here are the words of the benediction.
Blessed are the agnostics. Blessed are they who doubt. Blessed are those who have nothing to offer. Blessed are the preschoolers who cut in line at communion. Blessed are the poor in spirit. You are of heaven and Jesus blesses you.
Blessed are those whom no one else notices. The kids who sit alone at middle-school lunch tables. The laundry guys at the hospital. The sex workers and the night-shift street sweepers. The closeted. The teens who have to figure out ways to hide the new cuts on their arms. Blessed are the meek. You are of heaven and Jesus blesses you.
Blessed are they who have loved enough to know what loss feels like. Blessed are the mothers of the miscarried. Blessed are they who can’t fall apart because they have to keep it together for everyone else. Blessed are those who “still aren’t over it yet.” Blessed are those who mourn. You are of heaven and Jesus blesses you.
I imagine Jesus standing here blessing us because that is our Lord’s nature. This Jesus cried at his friend’s tomb, turned the other cheek, and forgave those who hung him on a cross. He was God’s Beatitude— God’s blessing to the weak in a world that admires only the strong.
Jesus invites us into a story bigger than ourselves and our imaginations, yet we all get to tell that story with the scandalous particularity of this moment and this place. We are storytelling creatures because we are fashioned in the image of a storytelling God. May we never neglect that gift. May we never lose our love for telling the story. Amen
Blessed are the asylum seekers, for they will find a home. Blessed are the elderly, for they will be loved and valued. Blessed are the powerless, for their voices will be heard. Blessed are those who cherish all people, for they show God's heart.
You have heard that you are the masters of the earth, but I tell you that you are the servants of the earth.
You have heard that you should accumulate wealth, but I tell you to share your belongings.
You have heard that you must ‘be’ a certain way to be loved by God but I tell you that you are loved.
A very quick overview of the whole bible... well mostly an overview of Genesis and Exodus and then a desperate attempt to reach Revelation.
John 13:34-35 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
“It is wise to work from the known to the unknown and the clear to the unclear.” Greg Boyd
Luke 18:18-25 - A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honour your father and mother.’” “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said. When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
Once a year we talk about money. And this is it! We also have an anonymous annual pledge so we can make a budget for the next year. If you’d like to be a part of that you can find the pledge form here - www.whitehousechurch.com.au/pledge
John 13:1-17 - It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus replied, “You do not realise now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” 8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” 9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” 10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not everyone was clean. 12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
Matthew 5:43 ‘You heard that it was said, “Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.” 44 But I tell you: love your enemies! Pray for people who persecute you! 45a That way, you’ll be children of your father in heaven!
Luke 15:11-32 “Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ “ ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ ””
2 Corinthians 5:16-21 - So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Matthew 1:23 - “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
Luke 1:26-38 - Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favoured one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” 29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” 34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” 35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.” 38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
James 1:2-4 - Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Matthew 14:22 - ... he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone.
1 Kings 19:11-13 - The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
“Loneliness is inner emptiness. Solitude is inner fulfilment.” Richard Foster in Celebration of Discipline
Matthew 11:28-30 - “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Luke 9:23-24 - Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.
Romans 10:9 - If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
2 Corinthians 5:14 - For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.
Acts 8:36 - As they travelled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?”
Acts 2:40 - With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”
Psalm 137 1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. 2 There on the poplars we hung our harps, 3 for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” 4 How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land? 5 If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill. 6 May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy. 7 Remember, Lord, what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. “Tear it down,” they cried, “tear it down to its foundations!” 8 Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is the one who repays you according to what you have done to us. 9 Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.
“And they were already about to cast from the ship the hawsers to the shore, had not Thracian Orpheus, son of Oeagrus, stringing in his hands his Bistonian lyre, rung forth the hasty snatch of a rippling melody so that their ears might be filled with the sound of his twanging; and the lyre overcame the maidens’ voice.”
Philippians 3:7-8 - But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ…
1 Corinthians 1:4 “I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus…” 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 “We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labour of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Thessalonians 1:3 “We must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing…” Colossians 3:15 “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful…” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
“One of the toughest lessons a Christian can learn is how to trust and praise God in the uncertain time between a promise and its fulfilment. I believe it is a powerful act of spiritual warfare to stand in the middle of death and disease, conflict and unresolved issues, and to cause your spirit to rise and give thanks to God.” Bill Johnson
Luke 10:38-42 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.
But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Ephesians 2:19-22 - Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
“It is the job of a pastor to create environments where Christians and non-Christians can hang out.” Jim Yost
Acts 2:1 - And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
Romans 8:28 - And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Romans 12:1 - Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.