Journey of a Thousand Steps

To be or not to be, that is the question. Do you like Hamlet's soliloquys or a good, melancholic poem? This Spring we are delving into the Hebrew writing called Ecclesiastes, which dramatises the meaninglessness of life. By taking the position of a man who has experienced everything good this life can offer, the writer concludes that there is nothing we can gain in this life that death will not ultimately steal from us. He is a king of achieved the highest wisdom and success in all fields, tasted every pleasure the world could offer and slept with hundreds of partners, only to conclude that "everything is vanity." Ecclesiastes 2.1-11 exposes three vanities that we lean into in our attempt to immortalise our significance: romantic relationships, fun lifestyles or significance in our work. We stepped into the solution: die to this life ahead of schedule, and start living for eternity now. 

Podcast by Heather Cetrangolo, 11 October 2026

We all experience the emotions of jealousy and envy, when we feel the grass is greener for someone else in a way that's 'not fair'. When was the first time you felt that feeling of, "It's not fair"? What recent experiences have you had of feeling as though you worked harder or performed better than someone else and it wasn't acknowledged? Or what recent experience have you had of feeling that your life has been unfairly harder than another's? Jesus speaks to this feeling in the parable of the workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20.1-16), as he draws out the emotion and gives us a chance to see it through his eyes. Today we brought our harder work or the feeling of living in harsher conditions than others to Jesus. We invited him to help us see these experiences through heaven's eyes.

Podcast by Heather Cetrangolo, 20 September 2026

Forgiveness is a word Christians regularly use and sometimes weaponise, but how do we actually do it? What does it mean? And what does it NOT mean to be merciful, or to let go of holding others' wrongdoings against them. This week Campbell Brice shared a word with us from Matthew 18.21-35, where Jesus answers Peter's question, "How many times do I have to forgive the same person?" We considered what forgiveness is and is not. It is not tolerance, ignoring consequences or the same as reconciliation. Forgiveness is a genuine, regular practice that seeks the other's good and delights in God's mercy. 

Podcast by Campbell Brice, 13 September 2026

Do you believe in hell and the devil? If no, what is your theology of suffering and evil in the world? If yes, how would you describe it? Jesus references hell and final judgement 34 times in the Gospels, including in this week's readings from Matthew 18. The word for "fire of hell" used in Matthew 18.9 is from the Hebrew Gai-Hinnom, which is a geographical place - the Valley of Hinnom, which sits at the base of the mountain where Jerusalem is built. It was a place, historically, where the worst of human violence and suffering took place. 'Hell' is a place where destruction leads to perishing. Today, we considered three teachings that Jesus gave to his disciples about how to avoid patterns of thinking and behaviour that set us on a trajectory of destruction, and ultimately lead to death. First, personal relationships with people and things that are unholy and destructive, he says to "cut off." Second, to expressions of church that prioritise the people in the community over those outside of it, he says the lost one comes before the 99. Third, when sin arises in the life of the church, address it quickly; talk about it. Don't leave it until it results in perishing. 

Podcast by Heather Cetrangolo, 6 September 2026

If you were asked to explain why Jesus had to die on the cross, in your own words, in 30 seconds, could you? This week we delved into three kinds of death that Jesus went through on our behalf: relational, financial and physical. First, he was rejected by his own people and abused by them as he hung naked on a cross. Second, he took his place amongst the least and poorest in society; with two convicted criminals, one on each side. Third, he suffered a painful physical death. Our world is full of these three kinds of suffering that are described in Genesis 3.16-19. From rejection in relationships stem family breakdown and cycles of abuse, which lead to patterns that make it hard for everyone to compete, in a world where survival and provision is not guaranteed. Physical death is the process that awaits us all, oftentimes accompanied by the injustice of a lack of care for the elderly, injured or sick. This is why, as Jesus described to his disciples in Matthew 16.21-28, he had to be crucified. The cross leave us with only one option - die to live, or, live on our own terms ... until we don't. 

Podcast by Heather Cetrangolo, 30 August 2026