What follows is broadly based on notes of a sermon Rev PKA deBoer preached on Psalm 124 in the Free Reformed Church, Mt Nasura, on Armistice Day (commemorating the end of World War 1, 100 years ago) last Sunday, 11/11/2018. In it he highlighted our ongoing…
Trust and Obey
There’s a Christian song titled ‘Trust and Obey’. Whatever the merits or otherwise of the song, the two key words of the title are simple yet profound.…
Speaking the Truth – Always
As you know, in courts of law witnesses can be required to swear an oath. That’s allowed, though it wouldn’t, and shouldn’t, be necessary—if only…
Dating – who?
A recent discussion around the Consistory table revealed that the elders are concerned about the ease with which our young people (and some not so young) strike up a romantic relationship with a person outside the church. The brothers wish the members of…
Our Future
Life can be very difficult, but our suffering is not permanent. Soon the moment of our dying comes. Yet even that dying can still be so hard because of pain and the thought of being separated from everyone and everything so dear to us in this life. But then…
Preventing Article 11
Rev P Holtvluwer[i] refers to Article 11 of the ‘Canadian’ Church Order. The ‘Australian’ Church order does not have this article. However, as we have seen, the ‘problem’ he highlights applies to the FRCA as well as to the CanRC. Preventing Article…
A Rugby Player’s Bold Witness
I know little about sport and even less about rugby, but a rugby player named Israel Folau has featured prominently in the Australian secular press throughout the past week or two for saying something ‘politically incorrect’. It appears that someone on…
The Good Fight!
Whoever follows the news a little, knows that the war in Syria is developing into a tangle of warring factions. Syrians, Russians, Iranians, Turks, Kurds, Americans, ISIS followers are all involved in this war. It’s one of those far-from-home shows; not…
#Metoo?
Sexual abuse of any kind is abhorrent. God hates it and Christians ought to hate it just as much. It is a sin in so many ways and at so many levels—and it thrives on secrecy. Abusers prey on the vulnerable, on those who are weak, on those they know can be…
May I Have This Dance?
In no time, the tables and chairs are cleared away. The lights are suddenly turned down. Red, blue and green strobe lights appear and start flashing across the room just as the music starts. A romantic song is cranked louder than most can talk. One couple…
