Journey of a Thousand Steps

In Christ There Is No Racism, Classism or Sexism

One of the reasons the early Church grew so rapidly was because it was an ATTRACTIVE community to join. It was uniquely inclusive of different racial groups, campaigned against slavery, and elevated slaves and women to leadership roles that had always been reserved for men. The early Church radically rejected polygamy, infanticide and sex slavery, teaching men to be faithful to and respectful towards their wives. Baby girls were wanted and kept as equal in value to boys. All of this stemmed from the day of Pentecost, as the Holy Spirit was being poured out on all flesh, indiscriminate of race, age, class or gender. How do we reconcile our experiences of communities that call themselves Christian but fail to deliver equality? This Pentecost Sunday we answered this question by taking a close look at Paul's letter to the Galatian province c. 48-50 CE.

When You're Not Sure If It's Worth It

What moments do you look back on in your life and think, “That was worth it!” We can be in a bit of a jam sometimes. We can completely avoid hard things that we wish we did, or we might work hard at something but aren’t really sure why or if its really worth it. In today’s passage, Paul finishes off his letter of advice to Timothy by encouraging him to “fight the good fight of the faith.” He shows us that a life of active faith is not easy, it might even be hard work, but it is good, it is worth the effort. This message is for the one who needs to be encouraged.

Don't Be a Weirdo Because You Are a Christian

Have you ever known any Christians who, over time, seem to become less and less 'normal'? This might be the effect of an unhealthy relationship with religion. When people become more interested in debating finer points of doctrine than being a friend, abstaining from perfectly healthy forms of enjoyment of life, obsessively attending church to the point of having no time for anything else, or stacking up converts like they are point-scoring with God ... we know something isn't quite right. Religion is a danger for all of us, no matter what denominational background we come from. This week looked at how Paul exposes the signs of unhealthy religion and outlines the evidence of true maturity in Christ (1 Timothy 4.1-16).   Podcast by Heather Cetrangolo, 3 May 2026

Rediscovering the Beauty of Church Leadership

We live in a world where people, at best, have no idea what a church leader or priest does, and at worst, wouldn't trust this kind of leadership. In Paul's first letter to young Timothy, a leader in the early church in Ephesus, he reminds us that to be a leader of faith, as a priest, elder, deacon or lay leader, is both hard work and truly beautiful. When we allow a culture to emerge that lowers the standard of work and moral conduct required of leaders, this gift becomes lost and the church suffers. Today we were encouraged to raise the bar, in terms of what we expect from church leaders, and the standards we strive to role model in our own lives as disciples.  Podcast by Heather Cetrangolo, 26 April 2026

Women and Men in Church

This week we continued our teaching series on 1 Timothy with an exploration of one of the most controversial texts in the Bible - chapter 2. Paul writes to Timothy with advice about how men and women should behave and relate to each other in the early Ephesian church. This is one of the key texts that is referenced to support the theological position that God designed women to be subordinate to men, and not to hold positions of authority or biblical instruction over men. Our congregation took a deep dive into the historical context of this passage, even moving around the church, as we considered the changes that were happening for men and women, Jews and Gentiles, after the resurrection of Jesus. We considered the need for contextualisation in reading texts like this, whilst seeking the consistent and timeless Word that God wants us to heed for the Church now, as then.  Podcast by Heather Cetrangolo, 19 April 2026