Jul2021
Honour Christ, praise God and respond to evil with good
by Bishop John Henderson
The first letter of Peter in the New Testament is addressed to Christians scattered across Asia Minor in the first century after Christ. It is a practical manual on how to survive persecution. We live very different lives to believers back then, but we, too, could soon face more active opposition.
May2021
Reflections on the church
by Rev John Henderson
Each year I write some ‘Reflections on the Church’ for District Conventions. This Heartland eNews shares with you the most recent version, in the hope you might find it helpful.
May2021
Clear vision for the way forward
by Rev John Henderson
I recently had a pair of multifocal spectacles that just weren’t right. Everything was slightly off. No matter how I twisted my head or swivelled my eyes, my vision was not clear.
Apr2021
Loving the world is our only path
by Bishop John Henderson
Just before his death, Jesus prayed to his Father on behalf of those who would believe in him.
Mar2021
God our rescuer amid life’s storms
One day, while driving across the western plains of New South Wales in the mid-summer, we were suddenly caught in the most terrific storm. It seemed to come from the smallest of clouds, yet it blew a gale and pelted horizontal hail and rain at us.
Feb2021
Stand firm as God’s baptised, redeemed family
by Rev John Henderson
2020 was a complex, confusing and sometimes difficult year. Our reactions were equally mixed – fear, frustration, anger, relief, grief, selfishness, pride, joy and disappointment, among others.
Dec2020
Whatever our sin may be, God’s love is unceasing
by Rev John Henderson
‘Pastor, you’ve only got popcorn sins!’
That’s what a wealthy businessman and church member told me as he spoke of the personal cost of keeping his company afloat. In order to operate he needed to obtain sensitive environmental permits, which had drawn him into immorality and high-level corruption.
Nov2020
What’s in our name? The call to share the good news
by Rev John Henderson
During my school years in Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra, people would sometimes ask me about my ‘religion’. Their frequent response to hearing ‘Lutheran’ was, ‘Is that a sect?’
Oct2020
Salvation for all – a story worth sharing
by Rev John Henderson
Years ago, when I was a young pastor, I said in a Sunday sermon that the Bible verses I was speaking about were a ‘story’. Later, an older pastor took me aside to tell me I was wrong. He thought a ‘story’ meant something made up and therefore not true. I disagreed with him then and I still do now.
Sep2020
Humility our first lesson of Christian living
by Rev John Henderson
The Macquarie Dictionary defines humility as having a ‘modest sense of one’s own significance’.
