Tag Archives: Easter

Around 1990 my New Testament professor, in referring to the encounter of Moses and the burning bush, spoke of Moses encountering “the larrikin God of the desert”. The God that Moses encountered was nothing like the gods of the empires of the ancient Near East. This God was about covenant, freedom and human society organised to a completely different economy ...

Lent is a season binding Christians together no matter their church tradition, but it is observed very differently depending on where you go. What does it look like for the Uniting Church to observe Lent? Rohan Salmond explores. For more than 1000 years Christians everywhere have observed Lent, an annual 40-day time of fasting and reflection in preparation for Easter. ...

To the editor, Regarding Rev Mel Perkins’ comments (Journey, April 2014, pages 6 and 7). The Easter story doesn’t disturb me. The way the church interprets it does. I agree with Rev Peter Lockhart that we are “almost obsessed with the sin and death part” of the Easter story. I am frustrated by the doom and gloom of Easter—especially Tenebrae ...

Two US writers over at Christianity Today have identified five errors preachers should drop from their Easter sermons. Authors Andreas Köstenberger, senior research professor of New Testament and Biblical Theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary North Carolina and Justin Taylor, senior vice president and publisher for books at Crossway suggest if you want to help people see Holy Week with fresh eyes, ...

Christians hear the Easter story regularly, but how do we breathe new life into the story—and do we even need to? Mardi Lumsden explores. For some people the Easter story is a reminder of the purpose of their faith. For others it is the impetus to change their life. It is an epic tale of betrayal, loyalty, suffering, death, love, ...

Sometimes life is not all it is cracked up to be. Dreams are lost. Disappointments occur. Doubts creep in. That is what it was like for the friends of Jesus. Travelling with Jesus was an exhilarating ride. People were healed and the stories he told gave people hope for a better community. They expected him to overthrow the oppressive Roman ...

The April edition of Journey magazine is now available in PDF. You can download this edition and all previous editions back to 2005 on the download page. Remember the Easter promise In the hyper-commercialised lead-up to Easter, it can be easy to forget that Easter eggs are more than about chocolate—they are a promise. Traditionally they were chickens’ eggs which, just like ...

The Christian tradition of giving something up for Lent could provide a new perspective on life and faith. Dianne Jensen talks to families about Lent Event. Uniting Church congregations don’t have much corporate memory when it comes to the Lenten practice of undertaking 40 days of repentance and self-denial, culminating in the joy of Easter Sunday. Frankly, it’s been a ...