Nathan has been a pastor of our Church since 1994.
God evaluates us only in terms of our growth to fruitfulness, expressed as Christ-like love, and such fruitfulness comes only from our interrelationship with Christ. God deals with us in whatever way will lead to further growth – sometimes that is gently, sometimes it is harshly, always it is for the same purpose.
The foundation of our faith is in a living Christ who enables us to understand the Bible, rather than in a Bible that enables us to understand a dead Christ.
The resurrection of Jesus is the most confronting and terrifying news imaginable, and all we can do (after trying to run) is surrender ourselves to his grace.
The life and death of Jim Stynes give a contemporary picture of what it means to give your life away.
Judgement is not something God angrily inflicts on us, but simply the fulfilment of our own decisions.
God’s covenant of love and grace is made unconditionally, not depending even on our response, and so the promises are made to our children whether they respond or not.
Becoming Christlike takes discipline and commitment and practice, but the goal of fullness of life in Christ is worth whatever it takes.
In Christ we are set free from all that would oppress us in order that we might be free to live in gracious and life-giving service of God and others.
With Jesus we are baptised into a Spirit-inspired costly life of living the new culture of scandalous reconciliation.
Though we get caught up in violent rivalries like Herod, God breaks through with the promise of a new kingdom where all are honoured.
Faithful witness to the Coming Christ is not expressed by trying to force the world into our concepts of righteousness, but by joyously, prayerfully, and thankfully cooperating with the liberating work of the Spirit, even in the face of violent opposition.
God’s action in the world and in our lives is constant and faithful, but rarely flamboyant or unambiguous. Discerning God’s activity is therefore a learned skill.
Jesus calls us to love and care for the world’s victims, and to refuse to participate in making more of them (even from among the victimisers).
Our anticipation of new life in Christ, though not removing all grief, allows us to find hope in the mercy and love of God.
Jesus recognises that there are different ways of interpreting the Bible that lead to different understandings of God and of following God, and he demonstrates the principles by which he would have us read it.
As creatures made in the image of God, imitation of God is the pathway to fullness of life.
The pathway to a life of joy and gratitude is to imitate Jesus in filling our minds with things which are worthy, honourable, merciful and loving.
The self-emptying of Jesus reveals both his divinity and the pathway to our full humanity.
We want to be rewarded as we think we deserve, but God wants to give us everything.
God gives extravagantly and abundantly, but in order to experience it, we need to begin sharing it.