A friend encouraged me to re-preach an oldie, but you can never quite do the same thing twice. So here’s the oldie, changed to reflect recent news events and some fresh weirdness in my life. Listen here. Given to Coburg Uniting Church on 8 September 2024.

‘If you don’t raise your voice, it is unlikely that anyone will hear you,’ wrote Malala, the Afghani girl who was shot by the Taliban simply for going to school. Yet last month, the women of Afghanistan had their voices completely silenced. ‘They must not sing or read aloud in public, nor let their voices carry beyond the walls of their homes,’ reports The Guardian. Why? Because every woman’s voice is now deemed to be ‘a potential instrument of vice.’

Revelation can be read to judge and exclude … but what if it’s not like that at all? Listen here. A reflection on Revelation 6:1-8:1 given to the Vietnamese Evangelical Church of Australia (English language service) on 28 July 2024.

A couple years ago, I met a young woman on a train. I was quietly reading my Bible, trying to be discreet, but she noticed and began asking questions. Gradually our conversation unfolded, and what I learned was this: She was South Sudanese. Her family had fled that long and terrible war, and eventually found asylum in Australia.