St Paul's Box Hill Podcasts

What to do if you are looking for Jesus. 1. Do not be afraid (it takes courage). 2. Trust God to know what you are looking for. 3. Investigate and eliminate (there are many substitutes that cannot give Peace or Life). 4. Go and tell (talk, listening, explore). God is one step ahead of you, and will lead you to Gallilee where you will find answers. 5. Hold on to Jesus' promises. (The reality is that God is seeking you.) [ Organ/Choir - Easter Day - Hallelujah Chorus ]

All Christians are called and "ordained" (set apart) to join in the worship of the Most High God. We are called to surrender ourselves to him completely, and to let our lives of service become our worship. [ Organ/Choir - Palm Sunday ]

Thomas Place services explore big questions. Many people think that evils spirits are just a superstition; but personal experience supports the biblical view entirely. But this is not to fill us with fear, because experience also underlines the truth that Christ has already mastered evil. There may be devils, but they are not in charge. [ Thomas Place - Lent 5 ]

Death, it turns out, is not the worst thing that can happen to us. With the resurrection of Lazarus, Jesus points to his own resurrection. Both are proof that God is master of a life that continues beyond the moment we call death. But if Jesus hung back for four days so that God's glory might be evident, if he knew his friend would shortly walk out of hte grave… why then did he weep? Today's insights from guest preacher Pastor Mark Tuffin. [ Organ/Choir - Lent 5 ]

The history of advertising shows it making some astonishing claims -- claims that are better suited to the Creator than to any product. And in today's story, which is the longest Biblical record of an individual encounter with Jesus, the Samaritan woman at the well discovers that Jesus is, indeed, the real thing. [ Organ/Choir - Lent 3 ]

The letters D-R-M will help dig into the nature of being born again. Why do we need to be born again? Because, spiritually speaking we are Dead on arrival. How does this rebirth happen? Through Repentence, entering a relationship with God through the natural (water, Word and sacrament) and the supernatural (the Holy Spirit). Finally, what are the results for Me? We are made new; now we find a new way to do, to serve in the Kingdom. [ Organ/Choir - Lent 2 ]

(First of a series about those who had Encounters With Jesus.) There can be no doubt that evil stalks this world, intent on destroying God's good creation. After his baptism, Jesus found himself doing battle with this tempter, this slanderer, this adversary (the three names given in this account to Satan). Jesus resisted temptation, but his ministry is characterised by the constant presence of evil. Our baptism into Christ marks us as participants in the continuing skirmish, but we know who wins in the end. [ Organ - Lent 1 - Buxtehude Cantata BuxWV 60 Jesu, Meine Freude ]

Our Thomas Place services (first Sunday evening of the month) tackle big questions. This month's question is about abortion: is it always wrong? How should we respond? Senior Pastor Andrew Brook makes clear that Christians have not always responded well. It's time for a rethink. [ Thomas Place - Transfiguration ]

Transfiguration means a kind of transformation, and we could say that the whole Christian life is about transformation. How does this happen? First we must see Jesus, and recognise who he is and what he offers us. (What happened with the disciples on the mountain makes this cleear.) Second, we must hear Jesus, and third we must simply obey Jesus. In being transformed ourselves, we become a transforming influence on our world. [ Organ - Transfiguration of Our Lord ]

Recent events in North Korea show that true peacemakers may rapidly become the persecuted. This is not peace in the sense of ending hostilities, separating the parties at the point of a gun. Biblical peacemaking starts not with the outside, but with the inside. And this can result in persecution to one degree or another. In many parts of the world, this persecution today is very real. How could Jesus then say that those persecuted are blessed? [ Organ/Choir - Epiphany 7 ]

Mercy gives undeserved forgivess, exactly as God offers us. Jesus showed mercy to those he healed; God offers mercy to all through the death and resurrection of his Son. So too, this is to be the orientation, the pattern, for all who follow Jesus: we are merciful to others. We are also to be pure in heart. In this context "heart" means the seat of all thinking and acting. These days we would say integirty, meaning both morally upright, and unified and consistent. To be people of integrity, we have help both from God, and from our community of believers. [ Organ/Choir - Epiphany 6 ]

Dealing with the next two beatitudes: Blessed are the meek; and Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Meekness may include receiving assistance from others; staying accountable and receiving feedback. This can be both surprising and tough. Hungering and thirsting for righteousness means we want to be changed. We want to leave behind unhealthy behaviors, and seek God's healing. To God's offer, we need to choose our response. [ Organ/Choir - Epiphany 5 - Bach Cantata BWV 39 'Break Bread for the Hungry' ]

Returning after two weeks' leave, Pastor Aldi gives a contemporary interpretation of the first two beatitudes (Blessed are the poor in spirit, and Blessed are those who mourn).Humility and Emotional Honesty [ Organ - Epiphany 4 ]

The call to repentance comes from God's great desire to be in relationship with us, his beloved ones, but he doesn't leave it at that - he has great plans for us in Jesus' healing ministry. (With our pastors on leave, today's guest preacher is Sue Westhorp, a congregation member and Palliative Care Chaplain at Royal Melbourne Hospital.) [ Organ - Epiphany 3 - Sue Westhorp is a chaplain at RMH ]

The opening of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians seems simple enough, but dig into the riches it contains! With our pastors on leave, guest preacher Pastor Mark Tuffin, school chaplain at Luther College, Croydon, leads us to see our calling in these simple verses. [ Organ/Choir - Epiphany 2 ]

We don't know how many wise men journeyed to Bethlehem, but we do know that all Christians should be wise now. What does this mean? First seeing the star, seeing the divine in the world around us. Then the wise men followed the star: that is, we commit to following, seeking after God, and being willing to change direction to do so. Finally, wise people bow down and worship, and offer to him our gifts. In this way we become light bearers for the world. [ Organ - Epiphany.  ]

That first Christmas, there was a lot of fear. But it didn't take long for fear to turn to faith. How was that possible? First, they listened. We need to hear the message God is providing (which starts, incidentally, with the reassurance that we need not fear his awesome presence). And the message is the good news that today is the day when a Saviour is reaching out, and coming to each one of us, personally. When we realise what this means, we can only join in the songs of praise, and prepare the way of the Lord. [ Organ/Choir - Christmas Day ]

If Christmas marks a special delivery from God to rescue us on earth, what were the conditions for that delivery? The first was Mary's pledge of obedience. Second was her life living into the purity that allegiance to God requires. Then there was the pregnancy, a miracle in itself, foretold by the prophets. FInally, there was the prophecy, which today is the mandate for the whole church. So each of us, now, is a special delivery person to tell the world about Jesus: Christ the Lord, the Saviour of us all. If Christmas marks a special delivery from God to rescue us on earth, what were the conditions for that delivery? The first was Mary's pledge of obedience. Second was her life living into the purity that allegiance to God requires. Then there was the pregnancy, a miracle in itself, foretold by the prophets. FInally, there was the prophecy, which today is the mandate for the whole church. So each of us, now, is a special delivery person to tell the world about Jesus: Christ the Lord, the Saviour of us all

What does the Bible teach about the way we should walk? We know we will walk in hope, even through the desert. We know that redemption means we will walk into change: first, the change from death to life; and second, during this life, being transformed more and more into the likeness of Jesus. We know we will walk towards everlasting joy. And finally, we know that for now we have to walk with patience. [ Organ/Choir - Advent 3 ]

Paul writes that it's time: time to wake up, to get ready, and to serve God with worship, as one body, learning his ways, establishing justice, and working for peace. In these ways, we can shine in Christ's own light. [ Organ/Choir - Advent 1 ]