Transforming stories

We’re excited to launch a new 7-week sermon series tomorrow, exploring some of the wonderful parables of Jesus in Luke’s gospel. 

Most people think of parables as old stories with simple moral lessons and earthy illustrations. But the stories Jesus told are far more than that. Jesus tells them to draw us closer to him in faith and therefore to transform our very lives.

Whether you’ve heard these parables many times or you're encountering them for the first time, we pray that this series will challenge us, comfort us and ultimately change us, as we see more clearly the true nature of Jesus' kingdom and what it means to truly follow him as our king.

Here’s a glimpse at what’s ahead:

1. The good samaritan (Luke 10:25-37): A story that shatters boundaries and redefines what it means to be a neighbour. Jesus invites us to love others like he loves us, with a compassion that crosses cultural, social, and religious lines.
2. The rich fool (Luke 12:13-21): A warning against the illusion of security in material wealth. Jesus challenges us to consider where our treasure truly lies, and what it means to be “rich toward God.”
3. The two lost sons (Luke 15:11-32): Often called the parable of the prodigal son, this powerful story reveals the extravagant grace of the Father, not just to the rebellious, but also to the self-righteous.
4. The shrewd manager (Luke 16:1-13): Perhaps Jesus’ most puzzling parable, it forces us to think about how we use our resources and whether we live with an eternal perspective.
5. The rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31): A sobering contrast between two lives, two eternities, and the dangers of ignoring the suffering around us.
6. The persistent widow (Luke 18:1-8): A call to persistent prayer and confident hope in the God who listens and acts for the good of his people.
7. The Pharisee and the tax Collector (Luke 18:9-17): A stark picture of two men praying at the temple: the proud Pharisee and the humble tax collector.

Before each Sunday, please read through the passage beforehand and pray for the Spirit’s help to understand it. Then come ready to hear Jesus speak and to be changed by his words of grace and truth. 

Yours in Christ,
Mark Barry

Assistant Minister
Community Connections

16 August 2025

What can you do about loneliness?

Close friends?

How many close friends do you have? By ‘close’, I mean people, other than family members, in whom you can confide about deep or shameful things; people to whom you can turn when you need some help — not momentary help, but help which will require them to go to some trouble for you. 

A surprising number of people have few, if any close friends — and this is particularly an issue for young adults. 

Loneliness as a serious health problem

Loneliness is not a problem if it is fairly short term. It is an ordinary life experience; but chronic loneliness —  loneliness which is not just a temporary phase — is a serious problem. If you experience this kind of loneliness, have no close friends or maybe just one close friend, think of yourself as having a serious health problem, but one that is readily curable. 

Prolonged loneliness is likely to have profound impacts, not only on your mental health — feeling depressed for example — but on your physical health as well. Some experts have likened it to the health effects of smoking fifteen cigarettes per day. 

Tackling loneliness

How then can we address the problem of loneliness? The first thing is to recognise how serious a problem it is. You cannot tackle any issue in your life unless, first, you are ready to acknowledge it, and secondly you are motivated to do something about it. Just ask an alcoholic. 

A few ideas may help:

1. Get off your computer or smartphone more often. Computers and smartphones are an integral part of our lives and there is no point telling people to go back to the nineteenth century. As with so much else in our lives, the important thing is to achieve some balance.  Reducing your engagement with social media is very likely to improve your mental health. Research has shown that limiting social media use to about 30 minutes per day decreases depression and loneliness amongst university students. 
2. Find a community: You can’t form or maintain friendships from the isolation of your bedroom. Finding a community involves more than finding a group of people. Communities are typically formed around shared interests. A neighbourhood can be a community, if people are mutually invested in caring for the area and each other. A sporting team provides community. So does a church. In fact, most churches are very welcoming places. Just introduce yourself and say you are new here. People won’t ignore you if they know you are new or have only started coming recently. The minister will always be interested in meeting you. You don’t have to believe in order to attend, but you may find that you come to believe when you learn more about what the Christian faith is all about. 
3. Learn how to cope with social anxiety. A major problem in finding a community to which you can belong is social anxiety. The gregarious and socially confident are willing and able to join groups, even groups of strangers. But many others may find that too difficult. There is some wisdom in what Winston Churchill wrote, towards the end of his life: “When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of an old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which had never happened!” Most of what we are anxious about never happens, and even if it does, it is usually not so terrible. Others are unlikely even to remember our momentary embarrassment after a while.
4. Invite people out for coffee or a drink: You will make a lot more friends if you are the one to take the initiative in getting to know others. It really doesn’t take much to ask someone out for coffee.
5. Actively pursue romantic relationships: No-one will go on a date with you if you don’t ask. And forget the old norm that men have to be the ones who ask women on dates. It’s all very well pursuing career success, but for most people that provides only limited life satisfaction. Our relationships, both in our families and our friendships, are what tend to matter most. In choosing people with whom we may want to explore a romantic relationship, character matters so much more than looks or prospects of financial success. A good person, caring, forgiving, empathetic, fun to be with, will be in the long-term a much better partner than someone to whom you are attracted for superficial reasons.
6. Look for helpful resources: You may benefit from help in addressing problems you have with making and maintaining friends. Lots of people struggle in this area. There is a wonderful new course you can do online called the Friendship Lab. It consists of a series of six video sessions. You can do it on your own, but it would be even better to do it in a group with others. 

Loneliness really is a huge problem; but it is not an insuperable one. It does however, take some initiative to deal with it. And for everyone — treasure your close friendships. Keep investing in them. They are such an important part of living well.

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A guest post by Patrick Parkinson, a member of the Holy Trinity Parish and the Executive Director of Publica, a policy and advocacy organisation dedicated to building strong families, friendships and communities.

A longer version of this article was originally posted on the CASE website, which you can read in full here: www.case.edu.au/blogs/case-subscription-library/the-social-isolation-of-young-adults

13 August 2025

Changing the world for good

How can we really change the world for good?

I don’t know about you, but sometimes it feels like the world is becoming more and more hopeless. Yet Paul’s letter to the Colossians has reminded me just how great a hope we have in Jesus. If that’s true, if knowing him is truly our greatest treasure, then the greatest thing we can do as a church is to make him known to a world that desperately needs him too.

So how do we do that?

In Colossians 4, Paul gives us three simple and yet powerful ways to take part in Jesus’ mission:

1) Pray faithfully

Paul begins: “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful” (verse 2). Being devoted to prayer doesn’t necessarily mean getting up at 3am every day and praying for four hours. It means being faithful in prayer across our whole lives.

As Paul goes on, it means living with one eye on the needs of the world, and the other on the sovereign God who rules over it. It’s about being watchful, aware of what’s going on, and thankful, remembering God is always at work, even if we only see a fraction of it.

Paul also asks for prayer for openness, that God would open doors for the gospel, and for clarity, that the message of Jesus would be made clear to those who hear it.

One simple way to begin? Try the One Minute Prayer. Every day at 1pm (or a time that works for you), pause and pray for one person to come to know Jesus, and for one gospel worker to share him clearly. It can really be that simple.

1pm. One minute. One person. One gospel worker.

2) Act wisely

Paul continues, “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity” (verse 5). To act wisely literally means to ‘walk wisely’ towards outsiders; to live like Jesus in the lives of those who don’t yet know him. Mike Frost, in his book Surprise the World, describes this as living 'questionable lives', living such “generous, hospitable, Spirit-led, Christlike lives” that people can’t help but ask why.

I saw this first in my year 7 history teacher, Mr Watts. He was known both for his full-on faith and his genuine kindness, even to colleagues who mocked him. Over time, other teachers started joining him on playground lunch duty because he was the only one who didn’t speak badly about others behind their backs. And over the 40 minutes of lunch, he’d slowly tell them why.

3) Speak graciously

“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt” (verse 6). Most people will never read a Bible, but they’ll read us. So when they ask why we live the way we do, let’s be ready to answer with grace-filled words, spoken in a grace-filled way. As the apostle Peter writes: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). That doesn’t necessarily mean downloading a sermon. It can just be a few words that point people to the hope we have in Jesus. 

Here’s the amazing thing: people are often more open to listen, than we are to speak. In fact, a recent McCrindle survey found that 79% of Australians (4 in 5) are willing to talk about spiritual things with someone they know … like us.

We need to remember too that we’re not solo missionaries, flung into the world alone and empty-handed. As the rest of Colossians 4 shows us, we’re partners together in this kingdom work. And Jesus is right there with us, promising us both his power (Acts 1:8) — to speak through our weak and faltering words — and his presence — to always be with us, no matter where we go or what we face (Matthew 28:20).

So let’s pray faithfully, act wisely, and speak graciously, that through us Jesus might change the world for good — and for the glory of his wonderful name.

Yours in Christ,
Mark Barry

Assistant Minister
Community Connections

11 August 2025

Growing together

How do we grow — spiritually?

I don’t know about you, but for most of my Christian life, I pictured spiritual growth as an individual thing. Like trees in a forest. I’m growing over here, Bob is growing over there, and Lucy is growing somewhere else. Separate, isolated, doing our own thing.

But that’s not the way the Bible pictures it.

According to Colossians, we’re not like isolated trees, we’re in fact a body. As the Apostle Paul writes, we are organically connected by ‘ligaments and sinews’ to each other and to the life-giving head of Jesus (Colossians 2:19, 3:15). So, we grow spiritually as we grow together in Christ. It’s not a solo activity. It’s a communal way of life.

And as Paul goes onto write, one of the chief ways we grow together is by letting the word of Christ dwell in us:

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.” - Colossians 3:16

That ‘word’ is the gospel, the good news we have in the Bible, that brings us God’s grace in Jesus. As Paul says back in chapter 1, this word has been planted in our hearts. It has given us new spiritual birth. But more than that, it’s a word that continues to give us life together. It grows in us and bears fruit among us as God’s people (Colossians 1:6).

A few years ago, an Australian survey, aptly called The Milk to Meat survey, found that the more deeply Christians engaged with the Bible, the more they tended to:

• Pray together
• Care for others
• Serve in the church
• And share their faith

In other words, there’s a direct connection between the word in us and the spiritual life flowing out of us.

So, we’re to let the word dwell in us as we gather together. Not as an occasional visitor, like Aunt Mavis who pops by for a quick chat and a cup of tea, but as a permanent resident. And it’s to dwell in us richly — abundantly, lavishly, deeply. It should get under our skin, into our bones, and become the very lifeblood of our church, saturating everything we do. To paraphrase Charles Spurgeon: if someone pricked our skin, we would bleed the Bible.

But who makes this happen?

Paul is clear, it’s you ... plural. Youse! All of 'youse' are to teach and admonish one another. It’s not just the job of the preacher or service leader. Everyone is called to speak to everyone. Teaching what is right, warning against what is wrong, with all the wisdom the Spirit gives, and all the songs we can muster.

This of course happens in our Sunday gatherings and in our mid-week LIFE Groups. But here’s a really simple way to make it part of our everyday life:

The One Minute Bible Study.¹

We introduced this at my old church, especially to encourage men to share the Bible with each other, rather than just talking about the weather or sport. So, when you bump into someone from church at the shops, or you meet up with someone for a coffee, or you're speaking to someone after the service, ask each other three simple questions:

• What have you read recently in the Bible?
• What did you learn about God or yourself?
• How has that helped you live for Jesus?

It usually lasts more than a minute. But the basic idea is to keep it simple and make it natural. Just getting into the habit of speaking God’s word into each other’s lives. Letting the word of Christ — dwell in us — richly.

Yours in Christ,
Mark Barry

Assistant Minister
Community Connections

28 July 2025

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[1] www.thebriefing.com.au/2001/06/the-one-minute-bible-study/

The perfect you?

Imagine your perfect self. The very best version of you. What do you think that looks like and how would you start to become that person?

According to most people today, the answer is simple: look within your heart.¹ You find your deepest desires and let them define who you are and shape the way you live. In other words, you “be true to yourself” — one of the greatest mantras of our age and the theme of pretty much every Disney film ever made.

But, here’s the challenging thing for us. Jesus calls us to do the exact opposite:

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.” (Mark 8:34-35)

So, how do we truly become the people God created us to be?

Paul gives us the answer in Colossians 3. It’s not by looking within yourself but by looking up to Jesus. By seeing your identity in him and following him with your life.

1. Remember who you are in Christ

One of our greatest dangers as Christians is spiritual amnesia: forgetting who we are in Christ. So, Paul reminds us exactly who we are in him: past, present, and future.

When a plane takes off, the lives of the passengers are suddenly united to the pilot’s. If the pilot crashes and dies, so do the passengers. If the pilot lands safely, so do the passengers. In the same way, when we trust in Jesus, our life is spiritually bound to his:

• Past: 2000 years ago, when Jesus died on the cross, we died with him there and then to our sin. When he rose from the grave, we were raised with him there and then to new life. (3:1, 3)
• Present: “Christ is your life.” He isn’t just someone who gives us life. He is our life. (3:3-4)
• Future: One day, when Jesus appears, we will appear with him in glory. What’s hidden now will be gloriously revealed to the world. (3:4)

2. Reset your hearts and minds on Christ

Though we’re spiritually raised to be with Jesus in heaven, we still live on earth. That creates a tension for us: where are our hearts and minds truly at home?

Paul says: set your hearts and minds on things above, not on earthly things. (3:1-2) We are called to reset our focus, to look away from whatever earthly things threaten to capture our hearts and minds, and look instead toward Jesus. It’s like using two muscles at once: repentance and faith. As we turn from worshipping the things of this world (in repentance), we turn to Jesus (in faith). Like muscle-memory, the more we do that, the easier it gets to keep doing it, as Jesus’ grace becomes more and more beautiful to us, and our sin becomes more and more dull in its light.

3. Be renewed in the likeness of Christ

Do you see Paul’s logic across these verses? We’re not called to change our external behaviour first. It has to start from the inside-out, with us remembering who we are in Jesus and us resetting our minds and hearts on him. Only then, can we truly transform our outward behaviour. 

Nevertheless, this transformation doesn’t happen instantly. See what Paul writes: we are ‘being renewed’ in Jesus’ likeness (3:10). It’s a life-long process of progressively becoming like him, as we do two things.

Firstly, we’re called to take off the old self (3:5-9). In fact, Paul’s says to ‘put it to death’ (3:5): all the unrestrained, loveless and self-centred behaviour that flows from our sinful hearts and angers the creator who made us. This is a snap shot of what it looks like to be true to ourselves and it’s not a pretty picture.

Secondly, we’re called to put on the new self (3:10-14). Just like Jesus left behind his grave clothes as he left the tomb, we’re to leave behind all our old sinful ‘clothing’, putting on a new spiritual wardrobe in it place. Like we might layer up on a cold, winter’s day, we’re to clothe ourselves with the layers of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness. On top we’re to put on love, which like a full length coat ties the whole outfit together.

This is how we grow into who we were truly meant to be. In the words of Dallas Willard, this is ‘becoming who Jesus would be, if he were you’. Not becoming less of ourselves. But, actually becoming more our true selves, as we truly reflect the image of our Creator and Saviour, Jesus.

Yours in Christ,
Mark Barry

Assistant Minister
Community Connections

21 July 2025

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[1] 91% of people in a recent survey agreed with this statement: “The best way to find yourself is by looking within yourself” (via Trevin Wax’s article: ‘Finding Yourself Is Harder Than You Think’: www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/finding-yourself/)

Pray before you vote

Around election time, cynics often quip that the best way to help your preferred party win is to “vote early and often”. But for Christians, a more fitting motto would be to “pray early and often”. In 1 Timothy 2:1–6, Paul urges believers to make prayer a priority, especially in relation to those in authority over us. With our state election on Saturday, we have a great opportunity to not only vote, but to bring the whole voting process to our good and powerful God in prayer.

Here are three simple reminders from this passage about how we can pray this week:

1. Pray first

"I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people — for kings and all those in authority …" - 1 Timothy 2:1–2

Before you even begin to think about parties or policies, start first with prayer. Thank God for the freedom we enjoy in Australia to vote in a truly democratic election. Pray for a fair and honest election process. Pray for every candidate seeking election that they would genuinely seek the common good, rather than self-interest or party politics. Pray that we would get the leaders we need (not deserve) as a state.

Then pray about your vote. This isn’t just a well-meaning platitude. It’s the necessary spiritual posture for our decision-making. Our allegiance ultimately isn’t to any political party, it’s to the Lord Jesus. Pray that the wisdom of God’s word and the work of the Spirit, rather than your natural preferences, would guide your heart and mind, as you weigh up all the candidates and policies before you.¹

When we pray first, we invite God to not only shape the outcome of our election, but our hearts and minds as we engage in it.

2. Pray for peaceful & quiet lives

“… that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” - 1 Timothy 2:2

God calls us to pray for all those in authority, including our soon to be elected leaders, so that … we may live ‘peaceful and quiet lives’. The most basic outcome of a good government is peace, namely freedom from war, violence and civil unrest. It’s within this environment of stability that churches can thrive as communities of ‘godliness and holiness’, i.e. that reflect the loving character of God (godliness) as they are set apart for him in the world (holiness). The more we live surprising lives as followers of Jesus, the more people will see how we are different, and the more they will want to know why.

3. Pray for people to be saved

“This is good, and pleases God our Saviour, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” - 1 Timothy 2:3–4

God’s deepest desire for our state isn't simply stability. It’s salvation. Election results matter. Eternity matters more. So, as you pray for this election, pray that the outcome would enable the gospel to be proclaimed freely and widely in our state. Pray that every church would have opportunities to speak about Jesus in all our communities. Pray that this would bring many Tasmanians to know the saving truth of the gospel: that our ultimate hope isn’t secured by a ‘good’ government. It’s secured by the perfect mediator between God and humanity:

“Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people” (1 Timothy 2:6).

Let’s seek to shape this election not just with our votes, but with our prayers. Pray first. Pray for peaceful and quiet lives. Pray for people to be saved.

Yours in Christ,
Mark Barry

Assistant Minister
Community Connections

14 July 2025

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[1] If you want an outline of the policies of the parities and candidates, the Tas Votes website is a helpful place to begin: www.tasvotes.org.au

Happy 1700th birthday to the Nicene Creed!

This year marks a significant milestone in the life of the worldwide church: the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed. Originally formulated at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD (20 May to 25 July),¹ this creed has stood for seventeen centuries as the cornerstone of Christian orthodoxy ('correct teaching').

Born out of a time of theological conflict and confusion, the creed was written to unify the church’s understanding of who Jesus is — fully God and fully human — and how the persons of the Trinity relate together: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, all equal and all eternal. It arose from a theological dispute between Bishop Alexander and Arius, whose teaching denied Jesus' full divinity. The controversy spread, threatening church unity. Emperor Constantine, seeking peace in the empire, convened the Council of Nicaea. Over 200 bishops debated whether Jesus was of the same substance ('homoousios') or a similar substance ('homoiousios') as God the Father. The resulting creed, championed by Athanasius, affirmed Jesus’ full divinity and therefore rejected Arianism.

The creed’s enduring strength lies in both in its theological clarity and its theological depth. Especially in our Anglican liturgy, it has become a living, breathing affirmation of our faith. As we say these words together every Sunday across the Holy Trinity churches, we remind each other of the biblical truths we believe as Christians. Even 1700 years later, the Nicene Creed continues to teach us, correct us, encourage us, and unite us, in the worship of the one, true God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

So, next time you say these words, remember you’re not just saying them with believers across the pews, but across the globe and across the centuries too.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, what do you believe?

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic² and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Yours in Christ,
Mark Barry

Assistant Minister
Community Connections

7 July 2025

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[1] The creed was later revised and adopted with additions at the Council of Constantinople in AD 381. 
[2] In the context of this creed, ‘catholic’ simply means ‘universal’, rather than being a reference to the Roman Catholic Church.

Is Jesus enough?

Is Jesus enough? That’s the big question we’ll grapple with over the next eight weeks, as we work through the wonderful little letter of Colossians.

So, as we start this series on Sunday, I want you to imagine that you suddenly got a text out of the blue from a really close friend to say they've finally become a Christian. They’ve finally stepped over the line and entrusted their lives to Jesus. Can you imagine the sheer joy you’d feel in that moment?

Then imagine the absolute dread you’d feel, if you received another text a couple hours later from this same friend, saying that one of their neighbours had just come over and told them that trusting in Jesus simply wasn’t enough. They also needed to obey all these rules and do all these things to actually be right with God.

What would you say? How would you set your friend right?

The Apostle Paul was in a similar situation, as he heard the wonderful news that this brand new church has sprung up in the city of Colossae (in Asia Minor or modern day Turkey). However, soon after, he heard that these young Christians were being led astray by false teachers, with a fake gospel, telling them that trusting in Jesus was not enough. They needed to do so much more to have spiritual fullness.

So Paul wrote to the Colossian church to assure them that Jesus is more than enough. In fact, Jesus is everything we need for true spiritual life, growth, and fruitfulness. For Jesus gives us complete fellowship with God, perfect forgiveness of our sins, and total freedom from every spiritual law and power over us.

As such, Paul urges these Colossians to stick with the Jesus who has already saved them. 

Listen to the heart of his letter, from chapter 2, verses 6 and 7:

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”

These are words that every Christian today needs to hear and heed. So, as we start working through this letter on Sunday, let’s pray that these very verses would be true of us, across the Holy Trinity churches:

Heavenly Father,

As we look at your word over the coming weeks, we pray that each one of us would continue to live our lives in Jesus, being rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as we were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness to you.

We pray this in Jesus’ saving name.
Amen.

Yours in Christ,
Mark Barry

Assistant Minister
Community Connections

18 June 2025

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Image from Pexels

A Spirit-filled church

What a joy it was to celebrate Pentecost together on Sunday! As we remembered the coming of the Holy Spirit into the hearts of the first disciples in Acts chapter 2, we were also reminded that we too have the wonderful gift of the Spirit as followers of Jesus today, the very presence and power of God within us.

But what does it actually look like for us to be a Spirit-filled church?

We don’t have to go very far in the Bible to get a picture of that. In fact we see it only a few verses later, at the end of the chapter. In response to Peter’s Pentecost sermon, 3000 people turned to Jesus, were forgiven of their sins, were baptised as his followers, and were filled with the Holy Spirit (2:38-41).

However, these new believers didn’t simply go back to their own individual lives. Rather, they were knit together as a new spiritual community. And while there was no repeat of the wind, fire or tongues from earlier that morning, the lives of these 3000 people were nevertheless powerfully transformed by the work of the Spirit, in four significant ways:

1) Learning

Through the Spirit’s power, they became a learning community.

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching.” (Acts 2:42)

As John Stott writes: “the Holy Spirit opened a school in Jerusalem that day, with 3,000 new students”, hungry for the life-giving words of Jesus.

2) Caring

Through the Spirit’s power, they became a caring community.

“They devoted themselves to … fellowship” (Acts 2:42)

They devoted themselves to those who were devoted to Jesus. That meant more than sharing a cup of tea after the service (as good as that is). They shared their whole lives together. In fact, rather shockingly, they were willing to share everything with their fellow believers:

“All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.” (Acts 2:44-45)

It’s important to note that they weren’t forced into communal living. They still met in each others homes after all (2:46). Rather, they freely chose to give what they could, when they could, to meet the needs of others.

3) Worshipping

Through the Spirit’s power, they became a worshiping community.

“They devoted themselves … to the breaking of bread and to prayer. … They broke bread in their homes … praising God.” (Acts 2:42, 46, 47)

Saved by God’s grace, they worshiped him in response: sharing the Lord’s Supper together, praying, and praising God with ‘glad and sincere hearts’.

4) Growing

Lastly, through the Spirit’s power, they became a growing community.

“... enjoying the favor of all the people. The Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:46-7)

As they lived out the truth, generosity, and joy of Jesus, others were drawn into this community—ultimately to meet the loving Saviour at the centre of it all.

What a vision of the kind of community our churches could all be!

Let’s continue to pray that these four spiritual marks would become more and more a reality for each of our four centres in the Holy Trinity Parish, through the power of the Spirit, for the glory of Jesus.

Yours in Christ,
Mark Barry

Assistant Minister
Community Connections

9 June 2025

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The image above is a Wikipedia Commons (copyright free) image of El Greco's 1597 Pentecost painting.

How good are you at prepping?

Mark 6:1-13

If I am honest the worst part of going on holiday for me is the preparations. 

I know - I get it - things don't just happen, there needs to be some form of preparation.

But sometimes the extent of those preparations can almost make me question whether I should just stay home.

My wife is great at prepping for a trip - she should have a qualification in it. That's not to say she doesn't get stressed - and you can understand why, when she has to put up with me dragging my feet!

The disciples haven't recently been seen in the best of lights as they fear for their lives in the storm on the Sea of Galilee. With all the talk around fear and faith that has been going on so far in the preceding chapters - if I were one of Jesus' first disciples, I think it is fair to say that my nerves wouldn't be much soothed by the scant instructions Jesus now gives them as he sends them off in the first half of chapter 6.

After all, they are about to head off and encounter demons - yet Jesus says (6:8-9) "Take nothing for the journey except a staff-no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not an extra shirt...". On the one hand that's my kind of prepping - on the other...yikes!

We often get a bit hung up on details don't we. I wonder if that's the point. Jesus is sending the twelve disciples off with 'his authority' (v 7). The task is the same as their master's, the need is urgent and focused on proclaiming the coming kingdom. No time for worrying about personal well-being.

And cutting through this short account is how gracious and supportive Jesus is. Mark hasn't exactly given a complimentary account of these men. So far they do not understand Jesus' teaching (4:10), do not trust his will or power to protect them (4:28), nor are they sensitive to his extraordinary perceptions (5:31). Yet here we have Jesus sending them out nonetheless. 

I wonder if the key for us to consider is that often no amount of preparation, hearing, teaching or observing God at work will be enough. Sometimes you just have to step forward and take a risk, depending on God and believing that He is enough.

Hopefully seeing that Christ is enough will be what shapes us as a community in The Parish of Holy Trinity, Launceston in the months and years ahead.