Everyone who follows Jesus eventually encounters a tension; a very painful tension. What do you do when your faith is growing ahead of the people you love, even the people you love the most? Sometimes, we have to let go of hoping that a friend or family member can stay with us on the journey, and give ourselves permission to move ahead of them. Sometimes we even risk the possibility that if we go where God is taking us, they may walk away altogether. This week we were reminded by Luke 9.51-62 that Jesus himself faced this: people who promised to follow him anywhere, but weren't really prepared for what that would mean. Some friends rejected him outright, even leaving him with nowhere to stay. There were times when he invited people, "follow me" and they said, "Yes, but ...". This message is an assurance of two experiences in the life of a disciple: sometimes it will hurt, but it will always, always, be worth relinquishing control, in the long run.
Podcast by Heather Cetrangolo, 29 June 2025
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23:59
A Man Who Is Hard to Help
Does anyone remember the song 'Blow Up the Pokies' by The Whitlams (1999)? It was a song written about gambling addiction and the chorus was marked by a plea: "I wish, I wish I knew the right words to make you feel better, walk about of this place." Have you ever met someone who was very hard to help, or seen a situation that seemed too hard too fix? This week we encountered the power of Jesus to break the toughest barriers to freedom in the story of the Gerasene man: Luke 8: 26-39. But wait and beware - freedom of this kind only comes with a willingness to have our systems disrupted.
You will want to finish this episode off by listening to the song: https://open.spotify.com/track/1iNkpCJOAOokeapM774xGE
Podcast by Heather Cetrangolo, 22 June 2025
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36:27
The Three Loves (Trinity Sunday)
Do you ever feel like religious doctrines seem man-made? When we hear phrases like "Father, Son and Holy Spirit" in Church prayers and creeds, we might wonder whether the language comes from a patriarchal, institutional construct. We may find it distant, jarring, even 'cold' as a concept? This Trinity Sunday we explored the experience of God who is all the kinds of love we need to be fully human: parental, letting go love; child, growing into adulthood love; and friendship love, which is loyal, faithful and true. As we see the love that Jesus invites us into, in John 16.12-15, any notion of a cold, heartless, cruel Father God melts away. We come face-to-face with a love that is utterly unmatched, total and "finished."
Today's sermon ended with a time for reflection on a song by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir called My Help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPqOdLKwcsM&list=RDaPqOdLKwcsM&start_radio=1
Podcast by Heather Cetrangolo, 15 June 2025.
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20:03
How Miracles Work Today
How do you feel about believing in miracles? Today, as we celebrated the feast of Pentecost, we saw that Jesus uses miracles to provide evidence that he is real, that he is loving, that he is God. John 14.8-14 shows us that all those who believe in him will be given the authority to "do the works" that he was doing, and "even greater things that these" so that people will see evidence and believe. This week, Heather named some of the dangers and untruths that often go hand-in-hand with the way churches talk about miracles. She explains what miracles are, what they are not, and provides practical steps for taking up our authority as inheritors of the Kingdom of God.
Podcast by Heather Cetrangolo, 8 June 2025.
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27:08
What Does Church Give You That You Can't Get Anywhere Else?
Why go to Church on a Sunday when you could sleep in, catch up with an old friend, spend quality time with your family or play golf? There are good reasons why we are time-poor these days, as we chase important career ambitions, build homes, buy homes and, increasingly, spread our time building networks and relationships formed across the globe. Is going to Church on Sunday a habit of the past? This Sunday, Heather continued to teach about the Holy Spirit and why there is a kind of love that we cannot experience outside of participation in the true Church.
Podcast by Heather Cetrangolo, 1 June 2025
Welcome to our weekly sermons at Holy Trinity, Port Melbourne, where faith is the journey of a thousands steps. We love to bring the scriptures to life with modern psychology, sociology, historical context and real-life stories that will make you laugh (and cry). Holy Trinity is an Anglican congregation based at Bay Street, Port Melbourne.
Australia