Tag Archives: christmas

From planning a nativity to hosting carols, Uniting churches across Queensland are creating opportunities to share the joy and hope of the Christmas message. Read about six ways different congregations are helping local communities to rediscover the wonder. Light up your neighbourhood Sandgate Uniting Church has been helping people rediscover the wonder of Christmas for more than 25 years through ...

While a great deal of society tends to focus on material “wants” at Christmas, Trinity College Queensland’s Dean of Formations and Dispersed Learning Rev Nigel Rogers uncovers the relational “needs” at the core of the Christmas narrative, and how God holds the key to a flourishing, abundant life. “Oh, wow, a T-shirt! That’s awesome, thanks so much,” I said as ...

The Journey team selects stories that got us talking this week.   Mary miracle just a pipe dream? The Daily Mail covers news of hundreds of Catholics visiting algae growing beneath a pipe that allegedly contains the image of the Virgin Mary. Discovered by a young boy in the Boyaca region who claimed the image of Mary moved which caused him to drop ...

With Christmas less than two weeks away, news reports suggest Christmas spending is at its weakest in four years as shoppers struggle to find the must-have presents to put under the tree. Some blame economic factors such as rising utility costs and slow income growth, others cite the lack of new toys and trinkets in the market to stimulate demand ...

Rev Jenny Coombes—Longreach Uniting Church minister—reflects on what Christmas means for the Longreach region of the outback and what people around the state can do for those impacted by drought. It’s a time when communities manage to come together regardless of how good or bad the year has been. Christmas lights and decorations start to appear on houses in town; ...

The Journey team selects stories that got us talking this week.   Red Cross without the cross leaves some seeing red The Christian Post reveals calls for some Belgian branches of the iconic organisation Red Cross to remove the red cross from its buildings due to fears the Christian symbol could offend non-Christians. The Provincial Committee of the Red Cross in Liege asked ...

While Christmas is associated with family, festivities and the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, Trinity College Queensland’s New Testament lecturer Dr John Frederick explores how we can also use the Christmas story of Jesus’ birth to reflect on the “apocalyptic” in the traditional sense of the word—the revelation of that which was previously hidden—and how that may shape ...

For millions around the world the Christmas season brings no respite from a range of preventable risks such as dirty water or malaria. UnitingWorld’s Cath Taylor reflects on the Christmas story, personal tragedy and how we can bring hope to those abroad who are disadvantaged. I remember the birth of my first child: three-and-a-half hours in the final stage, head ...

A couple of days after the birth of our first child, Joan and I were travelling with him from the hospital back to Toogoolawah. We had to stop at a chemist for something, and the realisation came to me (belatedly, some may say) that life would never be the same. I was particularly immersed in the dawning awareness that I ...

The Journey team selects stories that got us talking this week. ANU experiment sees priests as detriment Brisbane Times reports on the findings of an Australian National University report, Australian Beliefs and Attitudes Towards Science, which suggests that Australians see priests as a detriment to our wellbeing. But it’s always good to read the fine print: the 1200 people selected as “typical Australians” ...