It’s time to put airbags on pokies!

罢辞诲补测’蝉 is pathetically weak on gambling harm.

In fact, NSW tax revenue from pokies in pubs and clubs will reach a record level – $2.6 billion in the next financial year! That’s rising by 6% per annum – faster than the inflation rate.

This comes off the back of NSW residents who lose over $24 million every day on poker machines — more than $1 million an hour! [, NSW Liquor and Gaming figures]

Jesus said we should love our neighbours. So I speak for the suicidal young man at our 台灣UU直播 door when he lost his last $3000 at the pub down the road… And the young family I know whose furniture was repossessed due to pokies problems.

NSW and its government has the world’s biggest gambling addiction, and relies on a regressive and socially destructive form of taxation for over 7% of state tax revenue.

And sadly, the Minns Government’s minor efforts on reform, such as removing ‘VIP’ signage from outside pubs, has done nothing to slow the rate of gambling harm in NSW.

It is telling that the Wellbeing Statement (Budget Paper no.2), tabled by Treasurer Daniel Mookhey, does not mention the need to address gambling harm, as it boasts of measures to improve health, security and prosperity.

But I am not interested in partisan politics. Both Government and Opposition should commit to the following reforms recommended by experts:

• Mandatory poker machine shutdowns from midnight to 10am;

• A state-wide cashless gambling card with enforceable limits (which would also address money-laundering);

• Tighter caps on machine numbers in high-risk communities.

Such public health and welfare measures is like putting airbags in cars and making seat belts compulsory.

The Bible says, “Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honours God” (Proverbs 14:31).

I pray that our politicians will be kinder to the needy and stop preferencing the powerful pubs and clubs and protecting their own regressive taxation coffers.

The Very Reverend Sandy Grant
Dean of Sydney,
St Andrew’s 台灣UU直播

P.S. GambleAware provides 24 hour state-wide gambling support

For free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit

CATHEDRAL NEWSLETTER - 20/6/2-25

Friends in Christ, Street T turned one this Tuesday.

In that time we’ve served up about 3,000 cups of coffee, 1,500 pieces of fruit, 1,000 bowls of porridge and 90 Bible studies.

Our goal with breakfast has been to provide something nutritious, yummy and warm. I love discovering what the homemade food will be for this week, as well as getting my special Milo from Joyce!

Reading and discussing the Bible together has been a special joy. We’re only about a third of the way through Luke’s Gospel – I guess we’ll be finishing it around our 3rd birthday! I’ve really loved listening to God, the occasional debate or new insight, and spurring each other on as we seek to apply His Word to our lives.

And as we serve up the porridge, or have a chat, or share a prayer, I trust we do so in a spirit of friendship. Of course not everyone is chatty first thing on a Monday morning and occasionally someone rubs us up the wrong way, but I’m so thankful to God for a genuine sense of friendship among us and I hope and pray that this is what others feel too. 

Of course it’s customary to say some words of thanks at a party, so here are mine.

Firstly, I give thanks for our wonderful volunteers. We give thanks for our 18 servant-hearted Team Members - of whom you might see up to a dozen on a Monday or Tuesday. They’re hard working, they love serving and they’re kind. In addition there’s another 10 Street Chefs who prepare homemade food each month! None of us are perfect - we all have our good days & bad - but I think these guys are a great credit to our Jesus Lord, in whose they serve. You really are his hands and his smile :)

Secondly, I give thanks for our community members; there’s no community without them. We’ve loved getting to know them; our lives are much richer as a result. It’s a joy not just to serve them, but to hear their opinions, and to pray with each other. I’ve been really struck by the level of hunger and interest in Christian faith - so many have a curiosity about faith or a deep faith in Jesus. It’s a great joy to see a community of love (in all its quirkiness!) taking shape. 

Most of all, I want to give thanks to God. In 1 John 4 we read,

“Here is what love is. It is not that we loved God. It is that he loved us and sent his Son to give his life to pay for our sins” (1 John 4:10).

Isn’t that an extraordinary love! God’s love for us in Jesus takes away our sins and frees us to live a whole new way. As the passage continues,

“Dear friends, since God loved us this much, we should also love one another. No one has ever seen God. But if we love one another, God lives in us. His love is made complete in us” (1 John 4:11-12).

Rob Elder
Community Chaplain

P.S. In addition, the co-located monthly Community Hub has also turned one! We host this forum for accessing community services on the 台灣UU直播 forecourt – in partnership with the Salvation Army, with our volunteers offering an additional morning tea/early lunch sausage sizzle and cuppa. Here is a list of many amazing groups that have been consistently involved with the Hub over the last 12 months, that people off the streets and on the margins can access:

• 4 Voices

• Anglicare Sydney

• GambleAware NSW

• 台灣UU直播s NSW

• Inner City HEIS

• Launchpad

• Legal Aid NSW

• NSW Births, Deaths & Marriages

• NSW Ombudsman

• People with Disability Australia

• Revenue NSW

• Services Australia

• Short Back & Sidewalks

• St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney 台灣UU直播lessness Team

• Sydney City Salvos

Thanks to them all – turning up especially in the cold months and on rainy days!

God’s love for us is transformative, and we hope and pray many are experiencing some of that through Street T and the Community Hub.

Friends in Christ, as the end of the financial year draws near, I commend CMS - the Church Missionary Society - to you. CMS is the organisation by which we send and support gospel workers around to the world so that, as their slogan goes, we might see "a world that knows Jesus". 

Through CMS, we currently pray for and support:

• Josh and Susannah Apieczonek and kids in Lyon in post-Christian France;

• Simon and Jess Cowell and kids in Bari in Catholic Italy;

• 'N' helping run a language school in a south-east Asian nation, where her name and details cannot be published for security reasons; and

• Gillian Akers, using her retirement as an active church member in Rennes, in Brittany, France. 

Josh and Susannah and their family will soon be completing over a decade of service in France and returning home to live in Australia. We expect to see and hear from them for a final time later this year. Gillian Akers is also coming home for a couple of months in January-February and we should see her as well.

And our former Student Ministers, Lachie and Zaneta Neal have just finished the CMS cross-cultural training at St Andrew's Hall, Melbourne. They are on their way back to Sydney for seven months or so. They expect Zaneta to give birth to their first child later this year, before heading to Japan for mission in early 2026. If you'd like to join them in prayer through it all, you can sign up to receive their . 

Along with the Chapter, we encourage 台灣UU直播 attenders to support CMS - and other Anglican ministries and charities (like Anglican Aid, Anglicare, Moore College, Youthworks and Bush Church Aid) - directly as you see fit. At this time of year,  Your gift enables CMS missionaries to serve long-term in their locations as they share the hope of Jesus. 

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In addition, at the end of financial year, some 台灣UU直播 members have asked about tax deductible giving at St Andrew's. For your information, the following funds associated with the 台灣UU直播 are tax-deductible, and gifts can be made by cash (to the Office) or by EFT.

• A/C Name: Christian Education Foundation

• BSB 062 028

• A/c No. 1154 2212

• Description: Your name

OR

• A/C Name: Music Foundation

• BSB 062 028

• A/c No. 1154 2175

• Description: Your name

Note: Please enter your name in the description field and also email our bookkeeper to indicate the date the payment/transfer was made, so we can issue you with a tax-deductible receipt.

For those who have not thought much or lately about giving for God's purposes in the world, I wrote a little piece on our website about how to figure out how much and to whom to give!

Warmly in Christ,

Sandy Grant
Dean of Sydney

Friends in Christ, next Sunday is Pentecost Sunday, and with our guest speaker, Bishop Michael Stead, we focus on the Holy Spirit and his ministry. 

The following Sunday is Trinity Sunday. As part of our gatherings we will invite you to recite the Athanasian Creed, which is traditional to do on Trinity Sunday. 

This Creed was not written by Athanasius, but Anglicans and many other Christians believe it well summarises the synthesis early church leaders like Athanasius arrived at to summarise what the Bible means

• by presenting God as Trinity - three-in-one, and

• by presenting Jesus Christ as truly God who became truly man without ceasing to be God the Son. 

We will be using a modern English translation of the Creed, prepared by Jonathan Adams, who used to be a Classics teacher of Ancient Greek and Latin (and checked by Bishop Stead). So you can familiarise yourself with the technical language, today I provide that translation for you. 

The Creed of Saint Athanasius in modern English translation

Whoever wishes to be saved: must, above all, hold to the catholic faith.
Unless they keep this faith whole and complete: they will undoubtedly be lost forever.
And this is the catholic faith: we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity.
We neither conflate the persons: nor divide the substance.
For there is one person of the Father, another of the Son: and another of the Holy Spirit.
But the godhead of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is one: their glory is equal, and their majesty co-eternal.
What the Father is, the Son is: and the Holy Spirit is also.
The Father is uncreated, the Son uncreated: and the Holy Spirit uncreated.
The Father is immeasurable, the Son immeasurable: and the Holy Spirit immeasurable.
The Father is eternal, the Son eternal: and the Holy Spirit eternal.
Yet they are not three eternal beings: but one eternal being.
Just as there are neither three uncreated beings, nor three immeasurable beings: but one uncreated, immeasurable being.
Likewise, the Father is almighty, the Son almighty: and the Holy Spirit almighty.
And yet they are not three almighty beings: but one almighty being.
So, the Father is God, the Son is God: and the Holy Spirit is God.
And yet they are not three Gods: but one God.
So, the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord: and the Holy Spirit is Lord.
And yet they are not three Lords: but one Lord.
For, just as Christian truth compels us: to confess each person individually as God and Lord,
so the catholic religion forbids us: from saying there are three Gods or three Lords.

The Father is made from none: neither created, nor begotten.
The Son is of the Father alone: neither made, nor created, but begotten.
The Holy Spirit is from the Father and the Son: neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.
So, there is one Father: not three Fathers.
There is one Son: not three Sons.
There is one Holy Spirit: not three Holy Spirits.
And in this Trinity no person is before or after another: no person is greater or less than another.
But the whole three persons are coeternal: and coequal with each other.
So, as in everything, as was said above: the Unity in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity, is to be worshipped.
Whoever wishes to be saved: must understand the Trinity in this way.

But it is also necessary for eternal salvation: to believe faithfully in the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
For this is the right faith we believe and confess: our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and man.
He is God, of the substance of the Father, begotten before time: and he is man, of the substance of his mother, born in time.
Perfect God, perfect man: with a rational soul and human flesh.
He is equal to the Father with respect to his divinity: he is less than the Father with respect to his humanity.
Although he is God and man: he is not two, but one Christ.
And he is one, not by the turning of his divinity into flesh: but by the taking of humanity into God.
He is completely one, not by a mixing of substances: but by the unity of his person.
For just as a rational soul and flesh are one man: so God and man are one Christ.
This Christ suffered for our salvation: descended to the dead, and on the third day he rose from the dead.
He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty: from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
At his coming, all people will rise with their own bodies: and they will give an account for their own works.
And those who have done good will go into eternal life: but those who have done evil into eternal fire.
This is the catholic faith: unless each person faithfully and firmly believes it, they cannot be saved. Amen.

Remember, you are not saved by passing a technical theology exam, but by trusting in the risen Lord Jesus Christ, and in his atoning death for sin, as he comes to us in the Bible.

But to know God better in his infinite majesty, and to avoid 'going off the rails', it is helpful to have this careful statement about our three-in-one God, and Jesus the God-become-man, and what it does and does not all mean!

Warmly in Christ,

Sandy Grant
Dean of Sydney

P.S. The following comments were later added … Thanks to those who expressed concern or unfamiliarity with the Athanasian Creed. It is worth noting that the Athanasian Creed is widely accepted in Western Christianity. This includes not only the Anglican Church (39 Articles), but also the Roman Catholic Church, the Lutheran Church (as part of Lutheran confessions in the Book of Concord), and many Reformed churches (the Belgic Confession). I also understand it is accepted by the Prebysterian Church of Australia.

Almost always with something written centuries ago, and translated from another language, there will be care needed in understanding its phrasing.

So I am unsurprised at the concern people express, often with the first and last lines, or with the complexity of the detail in between.

However, the Trinitarian Faith as outlined in the Creeds - especially in more detail by the Nicene and Athanasian Creeds - is the 'catholic faith'. That is, it has been accepted as the right summary of the doctrine of who God is and what he has done in pretty much all times and places. That’s what 'catholic' means in this context.

So when something – like this Creed, that surprises modern ears in the strength of its language – is so widely adopted across denominations, then it may be our own thinking needs a little adjusting, rather than us individually presuming to challenge or avoid the statement.

But I think it is fair to say the strength of the last line surprises people.

However ancient church leaders were very aware that young believers, and new believers were unlikely to be able to grasp, let alone express, detailed technical theology. But they believed the young could be saved, of course, by trusting in the triune God: Father, Son and Spirit, and what he has done for us.

Perhaps if we were writing today we might say: You can’t be saved if you *persist in denying* the catholic faith as expressed (i.e. trinitarianly) in this Creed.

In the context of the trinitarian debates of the first few centuries of the Christian churches, that was the function of creeds, to rule out, especially leaders, who were beyond the bounds of acceptable understanding of doctrine, especially of the one God, Father, Son and Spirit.

Postively, someone said: “I've always understood it to mean, not so much that everyone must be able to articulate the catholic faith in the creed's exact words, but that a person who holds to the true and saving faith found in scripture will be able to assent to the words of the creed – once understood – about the nature of God as one in three persons.”

CATHEDRAL NEWSLETTER - 29 May 2025

Friends in Christ, on Australia Day this year I preached on the shortest Psalm in the Bible, the two verses of Psalm 117. Its theme is praise of the Lord God.

I noted that the New Testament only quotes Psalm 117 once. In Romans 15:11, Paul uses it as a proof text for his words just previously in vv7-9a, which tells Christians of different backgrounds, Jews and Gentiles, to,

“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God” (Rom 15:7).

The way we live, especially the way we treat each other, will reflect well or poorly on the gospel. That includes reflecting his mercy to others.

But can we do so, when there are tough things in our backgrounds, injuries, disputes? This is a question that can arise in Reconciliation Week, following Sorry Day, when we remember Indigenous Stolen Generations. And some Christians had involvement in such sad episodes in Australian history.

The Director of Indigenous Ministry for our Sydney Anglican ministries, the Reverend Michael Duckett, says we can still praise God, notwithstanding difficult things of the past.

Jews celebrated sabbath days and special Jewish festivals. Gentile Christians generally did not have these special days as part of their cultural background. Some ate meat, others did not. They differed over drinking. And they felt really strongly about this stuff. But if you’re all saved simply by faith in risen Lord Jesus, then don’t make each other stumble over these differences. Accept one another, just as Christ accepted you.

As Romans said 14:5 “One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike…” Either way, as the next verse there says, we should do so to the Lord. In historical context, it probably referred to sabbath days and particular festival dates.

Michael Duckett applies this thinking to Australia Day. He does not personally see it as a special day. But he happily recognises other Aussies differ. As he says, every day the Lord gives us is a gift from God, including Australia Day.

Secondly, as a Christian, he can lament. Thankfulness does not mean glossing over difficult topics. But Michael chooses to major on what we can praise God for. He thanks God for the survival of his people. And he recognises things in his culture that are beautiful and teaches them to his kids. 

And most of all, he says every day is day where we can celebrate the goodness of God. And that’s particularly seen in the reconciling work of Christ on the cross.

This certainly applies in Reconciliation Week. As Michael said on the Pastor’s Heart back in January,

“That's what really matters for a lot of my people: that God isn't just a white man's God; he's actually the God of all people. He says, ‘I love you so much I demonstrated through my Son so that you may be brought back into relationship, through …the forgiveness of our sins through Christ dying on the cross.’ It's sort of simple but it’s driven by a heart of love and that's what resonates with all people groups throughout the world. You come with a heartbeat that says, ‘I just come to share the love of God’. People see that …before they hear your words… They’ll sense that you have [the] love!”

Reconciliation from God… Through Jesus on the cross! …And transforming relationships with others… Forgiving as we have been forgiven. This is something unique that we Christians have. And no matter our own background: Jew and Gentile, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, rich or poor, by God’s grace, we can offer it to others.

Warmly in Christ,

Sandy Grant
Dean of Sydney

CATHEDRAL NEWSLETTER - 1 May 2025

Friends in Christ, recently a younger new friend has started reading the Bible, and had read some New Testament books, some of the Gospels, and some of the Letters. He'd also begun in Genesis. But I wanted to encourage him to read the Psalms. After all, the Psalms are really the song book of Jesus. That's what all Jewish people in his era would have grown up knowing, and often singing. 

But there are 150 of them! And although there is structure to the chapters, and some important themes and groupings, they don't have an unfolding narrative that's necessarily obvious.

So for better or worse I decided to pick just 15, 10% of the total, as a kind of introductory highlights orientation tour for my friend to read over a few times, before hopefully going on to read all 150 later on. 

What would you pick in your top ten or fifteen psalms to help orient an inexperienced Bible reader to the joys and the variety of the psalms?

Here's my list of "Fifteen Psalms to introduce you to Jesus’ songbook (before you learn to read them all!)"

1. Psalm 1           Introduction: God’s law/instruction is essential

2. Psalm 2           Introduction: God’s Son and King on earth will rule!

3. Psalm 8           Humanity’s special place in God’s grand cosmos

4. Psalm 19         The wonderful ‘books’ of nature and scripture

5. Psalm 22         The suffering king and his eventual glory

6. Psalm 23         The Bible’s most famous psalm: the good shepherd

7. Psalm 42         Thirsting for God in the midst of turmoil

8. Psalm 51         Brokenness at our sin

9. Psalm 73         Doubts when the wicked prosper

10. Psalm 88         The saddest song in the Bible, yet still talking to God

11. Psalm 95         A call to worship and listen to God

12. Psalm 103        Praising the character and nature of God’s love

13. Psalm 110        The Messiah God raises is more than a mere man

14. Psalm 121        Help comes from on high (so you can go to sleep)

15. Psalm 139        We are each uniquely made by the sovereign God

[Download a PDF here.]

I'm sure many of you will have a favourite I've left out. And I could have easily added another 5 or 10 to my list.

But if you have never read through the Psalms for yourself, why not start here?

Read the psalms on the list two or three times. Think about what they tell you about God, how they help you feel about God, how they address the variety of situations we can find ourselves in. Maybe see if you can find out a bit more about the original situations they were written for and about.

And because Jesus actually says the Psalms (along with other Old Testament Scriptures) testify about him, start to consider how these Psalms might point you to Jesus. If you've got a cross-reference Bible, you could even look up how the New Testament quotes some of these psalms. 

I am sure that if you develop a habit of reading the psalms regularly it will enrich your life of prayer and praise with God, in the ups and downs of life as a follower of Jesus.

Warmly in Christ,

Sandy Grant
Dean of Sydney

CATHEDRAL NEWSLETTER 22 May 2025
This year, in May to be specific, marks 1700 years since the start of the Council of Nicaea. The town is now known as Iznik, in modern Turkey. From this Council’s determinations sprang the core content of what Christians now know and regularly recite as the Nicene Creed.

Why does the anniversary of such an old statement matter? It’s not ultimately about philosophical theology, or winning a debate, let alone the intersection of religion and politics, as some suggest.

Ultimately, it’s about worshipping God properly, as he truly is, and not just as we imagine or find convenient.

In particular, it was about honouring Jesus not just as perfect man, but truly as God.

Just think of the start of John’s Gospel (1:1-4, 14,18):

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men... 

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth... 

18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.

There can be nothing more important than rightly honouring Christ!

And this is not irrelevant to the modern world. You may know that Jehovah’s Witnesses insistently deny that Jesus is God. So, of course, do Muslims.

But far more broadly, it’s worth noting that a reputable survey in the United States in 2022 discovered that 53% of professing Christians tended to agree with the statement that “Jesus was a great teacher, but he was not God”.

They would do well to understand and confess with the Nicene Creed:

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...

We will preach a short series on Nicaea and the Nicene Creed, beginning on Trinity Sunday, 15 June, with guest preacher from Moore College, Andrew Leslie (and also featuring Bach’s Cantata 129 at the 10:30am service).

But the background story is more interesting than any Dan Brown conspiracy theory. And the theology is more important. So why not read on to this extended piece…

+++

The Council of Nicaea was called by the Roman emperor, Constantine. He was almost two decades into his reign. It was just over a decade since his conversion to Christ (312), Soon after with the Edict of Milan (313), he had granted freedom of religion in the empire, and reversed the persecution of Christians that had previously ebbed and flowed.

Even so, the church’s history prior had been public, even if difficult. Christians had been gathering to listen to the reading of Scriptures, to pray, to love one another and to share meals together, notably the Lord’s Supper.

And the foundation of orthodoxy, of right teaching, was clear: it was the teaching from the apostles of Christ, now found in the Scriptures.

There were some very clear data points of Christian teaching, certainly about God. And the list of key teachings included:

• There is only one God: the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who created all things, in heaven and earth.

• Jesus is God, specifically the eternal Son of God.  

• He is the only-begotten Son of the Father; so Son and Father are not the same person, but interact with each other.

• The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, is also distinct.

• “Father, Son and Holy Spirit” are rightly spoken of as a triplet that sets them in parallel to each other.

• We worship all three of these as God – one God.

• We do not give divine worship to any who is not God.

The word ‘trinity’ had even begun to be used by some as a summary word for this constellation of truth. This was central to the “faith once delivered to the saints”.

But from the middle of the third century A.D., new teaching was gaining ground. And these ideas, associated with Arius, a presbyter or priest in the Christian church, grew in popularity into the 300s.

In brief, Arius and others taught a single high God, who had created all things. And Jesus was his first creation, a perfect creature ‘emanating’ from the unknowable God. You could worship Jesus as a kind of ‘small g’ god. He was like God in nature (homoiousios: = of ‘similar nature’), but not the same.

After all, famously, Arius had a hymn which had people sing, “There was a time when the Son was not.”

Arianism was largely an attempt to rationalise or simplify the more mysterious idea of the Trinity.

There was an understandable hesitancy to use philosophical terms to systematise the data points above. There is magnificent mystery with God. As limited creatures, we humans are ultimately unable fully to comprehend God!

But when the new teachers denied a couple of key teachings, then more careful and philosophical language became inevitable.

This is where the famous ‘homoousios’ ( = ‘same nature’ or ‘consubstantial’) arose to help hold the data points together: Jesus was homoousios with the Father, not just homoiousios, resembling God. 

Alexander, the bishop of Alexandria in Egypt, commanded Arius to leave aside his novel teachings. Arius and a few colleagues refused to do so. Alexander sadly excommunicated Arius.

That’s when the Emperor heard of it. These Christians seemed a great source of unity and strength for the empire, when he converted a decade earlier and legalised their faith. Now they were quibbling about words. Roman paganism had been more relaxed than this. So he summoned Alexander and Arius and other bishops and priests to a Council in Nicaea.

Tradition says up to 318 of them arrived in May 325, from every country where Christianity had spread. There were Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Libyans, Phoenicians, Palestinians, Macedonians, Asians (i.e. modern day Turkey), Mesopotamians and more; even Scythian and Persian bishops from outside the empire.

It was chaired by Hosius, the Bishop of Cordoba in Spain, close to both Constantine and Sylvester, the Bishop of Rome, who was too old to come. The person who emerged as a key player during the Council was Athanasius, Alexander of Alexandria’s secretary, about twenty-nine at the time.

The bishops knew Jewish monotheism had taught - over millennia - that there is only one God, not many. Only this God should be worshipped. You cannot worship a second, albeit lesser god. To allow an Arian understanding would be to lose a biblical conception of God.

So Nicaea insisted: there is One God; and that Christ Jesus, the man, is God, consubstantial with the Father. And there was no time when He was not! And they said it was unacceptable to deny this.

Here is how they expressed it in the creed of the Council of Nicaea:

We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of all things seen and unseen; 

And in one Lord, Jesus Christ the Son of God, begotten of the Father, the only-begotten, that is, of the essence of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of the same being as the Father, through whom all things came to be, both the things in heaven and on earth, who for us humans and for our salvation came down and was made flesh, becoming human, who suffered and rose again on the third day, ascended into heaven, who is coming to judge the living and the dead;  

And in the Holy Spirit. 

The catholic and apostolic church condemns those who say concerning the Son of God that “there was a time when he was not” or “he did not exist before he was begotten” or “he came to be from nothing” or who claim that he is of another subsistence or essence, or a creation, or changeable, or alterable.

[]

It's worth noting scriptural echoes all through the phrasing!

For example, you can see how “through who all things came to be” arises from texts like Hebrews 1:2.

That Scripture had described Jesus as “the Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe”.

And “God from God, Light from Light”, echoes Heb 1:3: “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being...”

Or think of John 1:14 & 18 (quoted near the start) which describe Jesus, literally as the “only-begotten” one. That term is repeated in the Creed.

And it follows John 1:3’s assertion about this Word (i.e. Son) “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”  Jesus is Creator not creature, hence the Creed’s, “begotten, not made”.

Constantine may have been happy with a compromise everyone could sign which showed sympathy to Arianism. But he didn’t get it from the decision of the Council of Nicaea, which gained near-unanimous agreement from hundreds of attenders (with a tiny number refusing; perhaps five, including Arius).

The creed of the Council of Nicaea was fit for purpose; it articulated the old list of assertions in a way that would not permit an Arian to affirm it.

But Constantine later tried to command Athanasius, who had become Bishop of Alexandria, to rescind the excommunication of Arius. Athanasius refused.

“If a decision was made by the bishops, what concern had the emperor with it? ...When did a decision of the Church receive its authority from the emperor?”

Athanasius spent several “spells on the sideline” as a result, but would not compromise, though much discussion swirled around.

It took another fifty-six years, through deabte, insincere profession, and political manoeuvring for the theology of Nicaea to achieve genuine acceptance more widely through the churches. It involved careful listening and patient argumentation in an effort to address and clarify ongoing concerns.

But the conclusion came at the Council of Constantinople in 381, which produced the Creed we now receive and recite as the Nicene Creed

The Principal of our local Moore Theological College, Dr Mark Thompson,  has used the idea that “you can’t unsee it” with Nicaea. Once the Council articulated the New Testament data the way it did, it is impossible to be orthodox and not to see it that way.

“Once we’ve seen it, there is no going back. The decision at Nicaea is a little like that. Once the unity and equality of the Father and the Son has been articulated in this way, there is no going back.” 

Sources: 

For the story-telling, I have leaned heavily on “The Not At All Secret History of Nicaea” by Susannah Black Roberts

To note and study how the Nicene Creed expresses the teaching and even phrasing of the Bible, and expressions of earlier church ‘fathers’, see “Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed with Scripture and Pre-Nicene Fathers”

For Mark Thompson’s article “Celebrating Nicaea”, delving into the Scriptural background and theological distinctions, see

I also found Andrew Moody’s “Learning from the Fathers: Nicaea at 1700” helpful for its nuanced explainers of how and why things happened and applications for today.

See also “A ‘praiseworthy landmark’ as the Council of Nicaea marks its 1,700th anniversary” by Nick Needham, who gives us another helpful account of Nicaea and its background, and also reminds us that Councils are not sinless, and Creeds are subservient to Scripture.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, last year, I reflected on the home affordability crisis, and shared an initial theology of housing.

Recently, I have been looking at Christian involvement in addressing homelessness through history. Today I thought I'd share the story of what might have been the world's first hospital, which was a lot more than a hospital, where Christians were at the forefront...

A 4th century case study: Basil the Great’s hospital and poor house

Basil the Great came from a wealthy Christian family, and took a lead in fourth century theology, notably defending the Trinity. He was also an organiser of monastic communities in his native Cappadocia (in modern day Turkey). Shortly after becoming Bishop of Caesarea in 370 A.D., famously, he founded the first hospital in history (at least for which any significant evidence survives). It was known as the Basileaias.

There had been modest Christian guesthouses and soup kitchens earlier in the fourth century in overpopulated city centres in the eastern Mediterranean.

But Basil chose a larger tract of land on the outskirts of Caesarea, partly donated, it seems, by the emperor Valens. The architecture and scope of the Basileaias was extensive, oriented far more significantly in a medical direction.

Its charitable services included outstanding hospital facilities for the sick, a hospice for lepers, a poorhouse for the indigent and elderly, a refuge for abandoned orphans, and a hostel for travellers and the homeless. There was an affiliated monastery and church attached in the precinct.

Basil’s hospital was founded primarily to serve the local poor and destitute (not just the ‘lower class’) whether by feeding, housing or curing them. Basil has himself trained in Hippocratic and Galenic medicine as a young man, and employed professional doctors and nurses, alongside monastics for whom hospital service was one of their standard duties.

In an era where ancient physicians usually rejected chronic and hopeless cases, his leprosarium on site was considered a crowning achievement by his friend, Gregory of Nazianzus. Basil himself served in the leper colony, as an example of treating such sufferers with dignity, and helped destigmatise illness more broadly.

The orphanage section also included children ‘donated’ by families to the monastery for education. The orphans and others children were housed in their own separate wing, provided with all the necessities of life, educated (included in manual crafts so they could make a living when older), and trained in godliness. It appears manual labour was not required of them and discipline was fairly light.

But the concern for hospitality also extended to housing and care of strangers, travellers without shelter on the road, and displaced refugees (for example rural poor hoping for better in the city). There was, of course, no state aid or welfare for any of these people.

Overall, Gregory of Nazianzus praised Basil’s hospital and poor house complex as a wonder greater than the pyramids!

Warmly in Christ,

Sandy Grant
Dean of Sydney

[Reference: From Monastery to Hospital: Christian Monasticism & the Transformation of Health Care in Late Antiquity by Andrew T. Crislip (University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor) - thanks to John Dickson for the pointer!]

CATHEDRAL NEWSLETTER - 29 May 2024

Friends in Christ, I have come to the conviction that affordable housing supply is one of the most pressing and critical issues facing Australia.

Much as I am exercised by issues like domestic violence, gambling reform, anti-semitism, euthanasia, I think this issue may be just as big, if not bigger, or at least more basic, in affecting almost everyone.

At the 台灣UU直播, we see the issues of homelessness and rough sleeping directly on our doorstep. So I am really glad about the pioneering work our Community Chaplain, Rob Elder, is looking to do with a growing team of volunteers.

But it’s a much wider issue. Here’s what one commentator :

A recent analysis shows that any pupil graduating today will have to save for 46 years to afford a deposit for a median house, and mortgage repayments will require 127 per cent of a median salary. 

Forget about buying a home in order to start a family. Unless they have wealthy parents to fall back on, school leavers in Sydney will only be able to afford a house in their home town after they’ve retired. 

, drawn to my attention by a staff colleague, supplied a map of NSW where someone with an income of less than $90,000 can afford* to buy a home. Note that this is where a single woman on her own with an average salary in NSW – $88,000 according to ABS data – would be able to buy a home. (*It was based on the borrower paying a 20 per cent deposit, and then spending no more than 30 per cent of their gross income on their mortgage, which is the rule of thumb for where the risk of mortgage stress kicks in).

The analysis shows that on less than $90K, the western Sydney suburb of Lakemba is the closest suburb to the CBD where you could afford to buy an apartment. If you’re after a house you’re basically limited to country towns hours away from Sydney, such as Wellington or Cowra or Lochinvar.

After World War II, there was the famous “Baby Boom”. But before that, Australian government policies had enabled a house-building spree and so made the cost of housing substantially cheaper. So people got married more often and earlier, and the babies came. This correlation between houses being built and marriage rates increasing was not only found in Australia, but in many nations around the world. 

But for me, the most striking line from the first commentator’s analysis was this one:

Moreover, in contrast with the 1950s, housing is no longer seen as a form of shelter and security for young families, but is viewed as an investment vehicle. 

These concerns have impelled the Sydney Anglican Social Issues Committee to look into the issue from a theological perspective. I have begun taking biblical survey, and have just completed a look through 887 mentions of terms involving “house” in the NIV translation of the Bible.

You’ll be glad to know that I won’t list them all. (But I am afraid this article will still be too long for some – apologies!)

Interestingly, we've learned recently from the life of Abraham how insecure his housing situation was at points. Abraham left his country and father's household, and, therefore, presumably, his actual home, in order to live in tents as a foreigner in the land God promised to him and his yet-to-be-born descendants (Genesis 12:1; 13:18). Even though he became wealthy, he spent his life in tents, as a migrant, and was only able to purchase one field from Ephron the Hittite for the cave of Machpelah located in it, so that he could bury his dead wife, Sarah (Genesis 23:4).

Little wonder, Hebrews 11:9-10 comments

By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

Housing insecurity here on earth is not our greatest need, therefore. Eternal security matters more. In a passage made famous at funerals, Jesus said,

My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? (John 14:2).

And so Paul can write, 2 Corinthians 5:1,

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.

But housing insecurity is by no means unimportant!

The Law of Moses had careful rules in place to minimise the likelihood of an Israelite’s home and share in the promised land being lost forever, even if sold to service a debt (e..g. Leviticus 25:29-31).

Property rights, privacy and personal space were valued and to be respected:

When you make a loan of any kind to your neighbour, do not go into their house to get what is offered to you as a pledge. Stay outside and let the neighbour to whom you are making the loan bring the pledge out to you.(Deuteronomy 24:10-11)

An economic system that exploited the poor and vulnerable, even if in service of the Temple or synagogues, was deplored by Jesus, who said of the Scribes:

They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.(Mark 12:40)

Indeed, Luke’s description of the Gerasene demoniac, in Luke 8:27, makes vivid, in passing, the dignity-stripping tragedy of rough sleeping, however it is caused:

When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs.

Positively, in response, the prophet Isaiah had already identified one kind of religious activity that God approves:

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke…? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them…? (Isaiah 58:6-7)

And there is the astonishing example the early church’s sharing recorded in Acts 4:33-35! Not a universal command, but a challenge nonetheless, powered by belief in the gospel message.

With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales  and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.

Of course, there are matters of personal and practical responsibility – such things as hard work, contentment and delayed gratification:

• Put your outdoor work in order and get your fields ready; after that, build your house. (Proverbs 24:27)

• Through laziness, the rafters sag; because of idle hands, the house leaks. (Ecclesiastes 10:18)

• But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. (1 Timothy 6:6-8)

I think “shelter” is a legitimate extension of those basic human needs listed in the last reference. The supply of these needs should form the basis of our contentment. But the lack of them should be presumed as naturally unpleasant and challenging.

Really, I have only just begin my theological reflection; further synthesis is still to come. So thanks for bearing with my “thinking aloud”.

But perhaps even this brief biblical survey will provoke some thought about your own attitude to housing, inheritance, greed, envy, contentment, industriousness, generosity and ultimate security.

Perhaps I can end with a command of God (the tenth of the Ten!) and a promise of Jesus:

You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbour’s house or land, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour. (Deuteronomy 5:21)
And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. (Matthew 19:29)

Feel free to share your own reflection with me in reply!

Warmly in Christ,

Sandy Grant
Dean of Sydney

Brothers and sisters in Christ, our 台灣UU直播's AGM is coming up in two Sundays' time, on 18th May from 1:30pm, with Archbishop Kanishka chairing the meeting.

Currently there are all sorts of post-mortems after the federal election... Why were people so surprised by such a strong result? Where did the parties that lost ground go wrong? What priorities should the new government have? Who should lead the ministries or become the new opposition leader?

People are often wise after the event. And it's easy to get caught in our own echo chambers and only hear what we want to hear. 

No one has 20-20 foresight... except God Almighty!

Voting is compulsory at our parliamentary elections. But voting is voluntary for a church's AGM. 

But humanly speaking, the decisions are made by those who turn up.

Coming to the AGM means you hear what's happened in the year past – hint: by God's grace some really positive things have occurred – and you also get a taste what's being planned for the year ahead. 

Questions of accountability about our finances can be asked. And you can vote on who gets elected to governing roles in our 台灣UU直播's Council.

But perhaps the best thing is being connected to others from across all the 台灣UU直播's congregations, praying and working at keeping the bonds of peace in the unity of the Spirit, as with one heart and mind we seek to contend for the gospel of Jesus Christ, here in the heart of the global city of Sydney. 

Here are some practical details:

Where and when? The AGM is Sunday May 18, from 1:30pm in the Bishop Barker Hall (Upper Chapter House).

What Happens? All are welcome to come. A report are presented from the Dean (i.e. Minister in Charge) and other ministry reports are tabled. The audited annual financial statements for the prior year and budget for this year are tabled and explained. You can request a copy of the finances in advance by email, or pick up a paper copy on request to a staff member at church this Sunday, one week in advance. 

We also elect people to various offices for the coming years. This year that includes one 台灣UU直播 Chapter representative (and in other years, Synod Representatives for our denominational Anglican 'parliament'. 

There is also an opportunity for members to ask questions about 台灣UU直播 affairs and to make recommendations to the Chapter.

Who is Eligible to Participate? If you are over 18, have been baptised, consider yourself to be a member of the Anglican Church of Australia, and have usually during at least 3 months within the past 12 months attended services of public worship at St Andrew’s 台灣UU直播 (on Sundays or midweek), then you are eligible to vote (unless you claim to be a member of another Anglican Church or have voted at another Anglican church's AGM within the last three months).

Who is to be elected? This year, we elect one Lay Canons to be a member of the 'Chapter', i.e. governing body of the 台灣UU直播 (which has both local and diocesan representatives) for the next three years. The Chapter has a role overseeing 台灣UU直播 finances and property and advising the Dean, who reports to the Chapter, on ministry. The Chapter generally meets 4:30-6:30pm on the first Tuesday of most months. 

Those making nominations should be in attendance at the AGM. It is not a requirement that those being nominated be present (though this is encouraged). Nomination forms are available in the 台灣UU直播 this Sunday. 

Those nominated for election or appointment to the Chapter must be at least 18 years of age and communicant members of the Anglican Church of Australia. A ‘communicant member’ is someone who has been baptised and attends church abd takes part in the Lord’s Supper regularly. They must not be bankrupt or mentally incapacitated and they must not have been convicted of a disqualifying offence listed in Schedule 2 of the Child Protection (Working with Children) Act 2012. 

Those nominated to the Chapter as canons must also be able willing to sign the 台灣UU直播’s Statement of Personal Faith, which reads as follows: 

1.    I believe and hold to the truth of the Christian faith as set forth in the Nicene Creed, as well as the Apostle’s Creed, below 

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth;
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son our Lord, 
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, 
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
crucified, dead and buried. 
He descended into hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead. 
He ascended into heaven, 
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; 
from there he shall come to judge the living and the dead. 
I believe in the Holy Spirit; 
the holy universal church; 
the communion of saints; 
the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body; 
and the life everlasting. 

2.    In particular, I believe

a)    that God’s word written, the canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct;
b)    that there is only one way to be reconciled to God, which is through his Son, who died for our sins and was raised for our justification;
c)    that we are justified before God by faith only;
d)    that this faith produces obedience in accordance with God’s word, including sexual faithfulness in marriage between a man and a woman, and abstinence in all other circumstances. 

Romans 12:5 says that "In Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others." I hope many of you will see your way clear to playing your part in ensuring good governance for our 台灣UU直播 church family.  

Warmly in Christ,

Sandy Grant
Dean of Sydney

Join us Saturday 12th April, 9am-12pm and 1:30-4:00pm.

Guided tours on the hour, every hour. Browse in between.

Limited behind-the-scenes access to parts of the 台灣UU直播 rarely accessible to the general public. (Details to come!)

Take time to pray or reflect in this special space.

Explore questions of God and Jesus, faith and scripture.  

Enjoy Australia’s oldest 台灣UU直播, consecrated in 1868, with its handsome ‘gothic revival’ style and with its rich interior, ornamented with beautiful finishes, furnishings, joinery, art and artefacts.  

No need to book or RSVP, and no charge to attend. However we encourage visitors to consider a donation to help support our ongoing ministries and conservation works.

We are located at the corner of George and Bathurst Streets, right next to the Town Hall train and light rail stations.

Best entry via the main North Doors, Sydney Square, facing Town Hall. Disabled ramp access available on request upon arrival.

W also welcome you at other times when we’re open, Monday to Friday. And feel free to attend one of our public worship services on Sundays or midweek.

Friends in Christ, Easter is on the way, and this week I was asked a theological question concerning Good Friday.

When Jesus is on the cross, bearing sin for us, does the Father "turn his face away"? ... From his beloved Son? Is there some kind of tension in the Trinity at the cross? 

We affirm that at the cross, Jesus’ death made an act of atonement - a sacrifice that restores relationship to God for sinners like us (e.g. read ). Along with other ways we can describe it, that sacrifice of atonement was substitutionary – the innocent Jesus died for the guilty, see  – and it was penal, that is, Jesus bore the penalty deserved for our sins.

Just as the prophet said in Isaiah 53:5-6:

But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
    each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.

In particular, notice that it was the Lord who laid our iniquity on the Suffering Servant, Jesus, with the punishment that we deserved.

You may also remember that Jesus, the incarnate Son of God, quoted while being crucified (see ):

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 

From this songwriters have produced lines like Stuart Townend’s ‘How Deep the Father’s Love” (emphasis added):

How great the pain of searing loss –
The Father turns His face away,
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory.

But this wording seems to go too far.

That's because it can be seen to suggest that at the cross, some split or division occurred within the one eternal triune God - between Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one God and three persons. 

Of course, Jesus is fully God and fully man: one person with two natures, perfectly united but without confusion, as indicated in our Creeds (especially see the on this). 

So we need to see that whatever Psalm 22:1 means in the mouth of Jesus, it is said with particular respect to his human nature, though it applies in some mysterious way beyond our comprehension to his whole person.

But God himself cannot suffer and die, because God is eternal and immutable. 

Perhaps we can sing that the Father turned his face away with respect to Jesus' human flesh, while he bore our sin. 

But we must certainly also affirm that the Triune God cannot be severed or split, nor the persons of the Trinity turned against each other.

In fact, Jesus' sacrifice was a fragrant or sweet-smelling sacrifice to God (); his obedience at the cross is why God exalted him ().

In addition, we ought to recall that Jesus would have known the entirety of Psalm 22. So he knew that in , God not only sustained the author through the anguish, but he also eventually vindicated him after it. Even in his humanity, Jesus suffered no loss of faith in the Father. 

Here is how I briefly put it all together in a recent sermon (actually from 1 Chronicles!):

Jesus alone is our Saviour. No one else died for you. Only Jesus could take the punishment for our sins.

But that mighty man, Great David’s Greater Son, the Son of God, was never alone. 

In his full humanity, he experienced the abandonment that sin deserves. 

But in his full divinity, the Trinity was never split. 

In some mysterious way, Father, Son and Spirit were never divided, but unbroken in will and purpose and relations, winning victory at the cross.

If you would like to read more, try this piece, '' 

+++

On another matter, I promised some recommendations on Christian parenting books in my recent sermon on Colossians 3:20-21 ( if you missed it). My recommendations come from personal experience and/or from trusted youth and children's ministers.

• Disciplines of a Godly Family - by Kent and Barbara Hughes, a favourite for Karyn and myself when our kids were young (available at , ). 

• - edited by Harriet Connor (whose earlier book, Big Picture Parents: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Life, I am also reading and enjoying);

• - by Jocelyn Loane, who is one of the team leaders of the Moore College mission team coming to the 台灣UU直播;

• - by Tony Payne, who has recently joined the Moore College faculty full time;

• - by Ed Drew

This month's Southern Cross, which you can pick up this Sunday at the 台灣UU直播, has including podcasts and other digital resources for those who prefer that!

Warmly in Christ,

Sandy Grant
Dean of Sydney

CATHEDRAL NEWSLETTER - 22 March 2025

Friends in Christ, apologies to be writing late this week... But I am excited to share news of the Moore College Mission to the 台灣UU直播 that will run 6-13 April, ending on Palm Sunday. The team will comprise sixteen students, along with two college chaplains, the Rev Mal York, Dean of Students and Jocelyn Loane. 

They will learn about evangelism and ministry by being with us and having a chance to participate in the various ministries that occur at the 台灣UU直播. So they will get a taste of community chaplaincy and Street T, of English and Bible classes, of SRE (Scripture in Schools), and our Chinese language Bible study groups. We will be blessed by their preaching and teaching at all services during the 8 days, as well as some special opportunities such as our 台灣UU直播 women's Easter event that Clare mentioned last Sunday. 

One of the excellent opportunities for the students is to experience mid-week services such as Choral Evensong and the Healing Service, with ministry styles and opportunities, which are rarely experienced in local suburban churches. They will also get a chance each day to learn from such wisdom our various staff team members have with their particular areas of experience and focus. 

But perhaps what I am most excited about is the chance for the Moore College team to augment our mid-week 台灣UU直播 welcome and evangelism team, which greets the hundreds and hundreds of visitors who come into our 台灣UU直播 each week as tourists, the curious, the seekers, and those wanting to pray or to think or reflect. Our Welcomers have great opportunities to show Christian hospitality, and can often take chances to commend Christ, tell a Gospel story, or explain some aspect of Christianity. 

The lovely thing about this ministry is that you can contribute whether you are shy or more gregarious since visitors expect to find Christian people inside and are not surprised that they are greeted. So the variety of personalities that come to a theological college like Moore will get a chance to do lots of talking to a variety of visitors.

I am hopeful that we might be able to extend our 台灣UU直播's opening hours that week. Even better, on Saturday 12 April, I hope to experiment with offering guided tours of the 台灣UU直播 that we advertise to the public. More details to come.

Furthermore, where possible some of the Moore College team members will get out on George Street to offer invitations to Easter services to the numerous passers-by, and to see what other helpful conversation might arise. 

How can you help with our Moore College Mission?

Firstly, by prayer. Pray that all who preach the gospel publicly or speak personally in commending Christ or answering questions can speak clearly, and make the most of every opportunity, with grace and saltiness of speech (). Pray also for courage (). 

Secondly, you might consider whether you can invite a friend or family member to church on Sunday 6th or 13th April or over the Easter weekend. All the Holy Week and Easter service details are now online here, and there will soon be postcards to use to invite a friend personally. 

Thirdly, contribute to feeding the Mission Team. Being so close to the College at Newtown, it is not a residential mission for the team. But we do need to feed them during the days – both lunch, and morning and afternoon teas. Could you volunteer to help assist with cooking or otherwise preparing morning tea or lunch one day? Or if you cannot cook, can you come in and serve and wash up for the team one day, which helps them stay focused on their tasks? We need people to assist with this on both Sundays and also on Monday-Thursday. 

Warmly in Christ,

Sandy Grant
Dean of Sydney

Friends in Christ, we know a federal election is not too far off. No doubt you have some key issues you will consider before casting your vote. 

Mine is a varied list. There are obvious things like the cost of living, housing affordability, and how our governments seem to spend more than they raise in revenue. There's the tricky mix of climate change policies alongside energy affordability and reliability. I care about restoring sex-based rights for women (e.g. in sport, education, refuges) that can seem a bit hot to handle, but can affect ordinary people. And there are matters like euthanasia, where the horse seems to have bolted. Perhaps you have children younger stage than mine, or grandchildren, and you worry their education, or what they are exposed to online. My own parents are growing more frail, so I think about aged care. 

One thing I will definitely continue to advocate for is gambling reform at the state (pokies) and federal (sports bet ad) levels.

At the state level, to minimise harm, we want universal cashless gambling cards with mandatory loss limits (these are already working in casinos in Melbourne and Sydney). We also want the parliament to insist that poker machines in pubs and clubs be switched off at midnight, rather than 3 or 4am, because problem gambling patterns accelerate after midnight. 

At the federal level, I will be writing to the Leaders of Labor and Liberal asking what their policy is - after more than 18 months of delay - on implementing the unanimous ... Especially the phase out of all online sports bet and other gambling advertising from TV, streaming services, and at sports grounds and on player uniforms! And I will write to ask independent MPs to make substantial implementation of Murphy one of their not-negotiable conditions of support for any minority government that might form.

You might wonder why an Anglican minister focuses on this so often. Firstly, it came from first hand pastoral experience of the absolute misery caused by gambling harm to people in local parish churches I've served. How can I not care about that? (I have previously written about the ethics of gambling here.)

It also comes from the second great command identified by Jesus: to love your neighbour as yourself. And his parable of the Good Samaritan reminds me that my neighbour is anyone in need that I can help. 

Last year, we preached through 1 John. These words from chapter three ring in my ears:

This is how we have come to know love: He laid down his life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has this world’s goods and sees a fellow believer in need but withholds compassion from him—how does God’s love reside in him? [1 John 3:16-17]

I see advocacy for gambling harm reduction as one social application of God's word that I can make from my position. In a parliamentary democracy, we as citizens, are encouraged to participate. 

It's also an issue of economic wellbeing.  – that's how much we, the people of NSW, are losing on the pokies! A new shows gambling losses are a bigger drain on the household budget than the cost of electricity and gas. Australia’s staggering annual gambling losses of $31.5 billion eclipses what the Federal Government spends on aged care! 

This wasted money is money that could have been spent more productively on housing, paying utilities, buying groceries, or assisting kids with their education... Or even eating out - since dollars spent in the hospitality industry sees more people employed as a by-product than the same amount spent on gambling. 

Maybe you might be moved to write to your MP asking about their policy position on this issue – state MPs for pokies; federal MPs for the sports bet ban?

Or maybe there is another issue you would like to write to your MP about. That would be good too. Every little effort helps. 

And at the same time, please , for the persoinal welfare in a hard job, as well as for good and just policy-making. 

Warmly in Christ,

Sandy Grant
Dean of Sydney

Been attending church without ever quite ‘getting it’? Want to brush up on the basics of Christian belief? Or maybe you have an interested friend.

Then sign up yourself or bring your friend to our 台灣UU直播’s next Simply Christianity course.

It will run via Zoom over five Wednesdays from 7:45pm, beginning Wednesday, 30th April 2025.

Simply Christianity is a 5 week course, based on the Gospel of Luke, done by thousands of Aussies. Participants are not asked to read or pray aloud, but can ask as many questions as they like.

Our Dean, , is the presenter. We'll be done within 75 minutes each time. Sandy writes:

Come do this course with me, and within a month, you'll have had the chance to (re-)read one of the biographies of Jesus' life with your adult mind, and be in the box seat to assess the claims of Christ.

Those dates again: 30th April through to 28th May, 2025.

The next in-person course will run towards in the third quarter of 2025.

Register your interest by emailing our office.

All welcome in Holy Week… 

Morning Prayer – 14-17 April – 7:45am Monday-Thursday of Holy Week | Visiting preachers

Holy Wednesday – 16 April – 6:00pm Healing Service | Canon Christopher Allan ()

Maundy Thursday – 17 April – 6:00pm Holy Communion | Dean Sandy Grant

Good Friday – 18 April

• 10:00am* Morning Service | Dean Sandy Grant ()

• 7:00pm 贬补苍诲别濒’蝉 Messiah (ticketed event vis )

Easter Day – 20 April – Archbishop Kanishka Raffel

• 8:30am, 10:30am* (), & 5:00pm*

• Holy Communion at all services

* Printed sermon translation in Chinese provided 设有打印的中文讲道翻译

Location: Corner of Bathurst and George Streets, Sydney (Next to Town Hall Station)

Friends in Christ,  this week, (SACS, for short) began its celebrations of its 140th anniversary with an all-school assembly in the Sydney Town Hall. All previous living Heads of School were also present, along with alumni, current and former council members and so on. It was a grand occasion. 

SACS is . It opened on 14 July 1885 in the 'St Andrew's Schoolroom' in Pitt Street. Out of the first group of 27 students, 22 of the boys were choristers.

Following in the English choir school tradition, educate choristers for the 台灣UU直播 remains one of its stated purposes today. It is the only school of its kind in Australia. This makes it part of a tradition that reaches back well over a millennium, beginning in the early Middle Ages with the foundation of the Song School at Canterbury in 597!

And our Choir's history and current performance was an important feature of the assembly. 

The current Head of School, Dr Julie McGonigle gave a tremendous address on the theme of 'giants'. One of the old boys present was able to answer her question about the source of the famous quote: "If I have seen further it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants." It was Isaac Newton and his breakthrough insights were built on the labours of previous great scientists. And Dr McGonigle suggested the School's current great achievements highlighted are made by building on the labours of those who have gone before. She also referenced the famous Bible story of the defeat of a giant, Goliath, as the enemy of God's people, by an underpowered David. The key thing, Julie said, was not his strength, but his trust in the Almighty God of the Bible.

Here were two other encouragements. Firstly, the Year 12 Extension 2 English class (including Freddie Cobb) composed a poem for the occasion, which I have been given permission to share:

A Legacy of Light
For one hundred and forty years we stand,
A beacon bright upon sacred Gadigal land.
The city hums, yet in these walls abide
The echoes of a faith that will not hide.
Like psalms in ancient, sacred air,
Our voices rise in worship, hope, and prayer.

Found in the shadows of a 台灣UU直播 tall, 
Where echoes of faith through history call. 
Our school rises strong, with spirit and grace, 
A home for the future, a cherished space. 
The choir lifts with angelic sound,
As future leaders are nurtured and found. 

Beyond these walls, where futures carve their way,
The spirit of Old Andreans still holds sway.
When we graduate and all do scatter, 
We all know deep inside, we always matter.

Not bad at all for junior poets!

Maybe even more impressive was the premiere of the piece commissioned for the occasion, entitled 'I will not be shaken'. 

It was a choral piece featuring the 台灣UU直播 choir along with the School's massed junior, middle and senior school choirs, accompanied by the School's symphony orchestra and Ross Cobb, on the massive Town Hall organ. The soprano lead was sung beautifully by the daughter of the rector of a neighbouring Anglican parish.

The noted composer, Old Andrean Dr Huw Belling writes:

In modern pedagogy, we often speak of ‘resilience.’ It is an essential quality for both learning and life: the ability to embrace frustration and remain steady in the space between falling short and achieving success. This widely used term has an ancient counterpart in scripture - ‘steadfastness.’ To be steadfast is to maintain unwavering faith, perseverance, and commitment despite challenges, suffering, or opposition, with confidence that such dedication will be rewarded many times over.

Steadfastness’ was the theme I was given to create a piece for SACS’ 140th celebrations—an idea I embraced wholeheartedly because of its deep connection to the modern concept of resilience. My journey as a SACS student, particularly as a music scholar, was one of learning to be steadfast, unshaken by difficulties.

Most movingly for me and for many present, the lyrics were taken entirely from Scripture texts

Psalm 16:8 – ‘I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.’Psalm 86:15 – ‘But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.’1 Corinthians 15:58 – ‘Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.’Lamentations 3:22-23 – ‘The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.’

Psalm 16 foreshadows the resurrection of Jesus, and, of course, 1 Corinthians 15 is built upon this great truth. And so, conscious that the Lord Jesus is alive and is changing lives today, "I will not be shaken" moved me deeply. As a Christian, there are good reasons to be steadfast.

I hope it encourages you to see evidence that St Andrew's 台灣UU直播 School continues to develop as a profoundly and openly Christian school in the heart of our global city. Please also note, and use, the Prayer for the School below. 

Warmly in Christ,

Sandy Grant
Dean of Sydney

St Andrew's 台灣UU直播 School Prayer (140th anniversary service was on March 3, 2025)
O God, our Heavenly Father, whose blessed Son, Jesus Christ, went about doing good and teaching the good news of Your Kingdom, we give You humble thanks for the inspiration of the founder of this School and for the lives and influence of those who during the past years, have built up its traditions. Help us, we humbly beseech You, to find the way of the Cross, and finding it, to follow more closely Him who on the Cross gave His Life, that we might have the Light of Life; Through Him who is the true Light, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Friends in Christ,

“No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted.”

This saying is connected to one of Aesop’s Fables: "". In the story, a lion traps a mouse that has irritated him, but instead of eating him, out of kindness the lion releases the mouse. The mouse promises to pay him back, which the lion finds ridiculous. What can a tiny mouse do for a lion?

But later the mouse comes across the lion trapped, all tied up in ropes. He chews through the ropes and frees the lion, and the kindness is returned.

Every act of kindness is worthwhile and appreciated.

Right now the 台灣UU直播 staff team is praying for volunteers to serve in various roles in and around the 台灣UU直播.

As Paul says in Romans 12:3-8...

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Perhaps it was this passage of Scripture that Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. was thinking of when he said: 

“Everybody can be great... because anybody can serve.

You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve.

You only need a heart full of grace.”

What grace has God given you? What contribution, what gift or ability, what time or energy can you use to encourage others, especially as a follower of Christ?

If you attend the 台灣UU直播 regularly, and any of these roles below interest you, please let us know, and tell us what caught your attention!

• Front Office Reception Volunteers - three hour shifts, once a week, 10am-1pm or 1-4pm, Monday to Friday - friendly manner, basic tasks, .

• Service Welcomers (monthly),  (with tweaks depending on congregation):

  • Sundays at 8:30am

  • Sundays at 10:30am

  • Sundays at 5:00pm

  • Evensong at 5:15pm, Mondays or Thursdays (monthly or more often if desired)

• Hospitality Teams - serving tea and coffee and 'nibbles' after church (monthly)

  • Sundays at 10:30am

  • Sundays at 5:00pm

  • Sundays at 5:00pm - prep &/or service for the monthly meal (hopefully only every second month)

• 台灣UU直播 Welcomers - short or long shifts, once a weekday, Monday to Friday, and Sunday afternoons - welcoming the many tourists, seekers and others visitors to the 台灣UU直播 with their questions or interests, when open mid-week (generally between 10am-4pm). We eventually would love to add Saturdays. A readiness to share about Christ and his gospel and to represent the 台灣UU直播 well is essential. Following an interview with a member of pastoral staff, basic orientation is provided with occasional in-service training.

• English Teachers - We need 1-2 extra people with solid English skills, and an ability to explain things simply, to help teach English classes for refugees, international students & other migrants on Thursday mornings (school term). However you do NOT need to be a trained teacher. Excellent resources and training are available. 

• DivorceCare discussion leaders. DivorceCare’s is a Christian-based support group that welcomes and guide people on the path of recovery after separation or divorce, with professionally produced video-input. Our Community Chaplain, Rob Elder, is looking for course co-leaders: mature Christian person with an experience of divorce; able to help facilitate a discussion following a teaching session. Expressions of possible interest will be gladly received and carefully considered for such a sensitive ministry. 

If there is something else you are interested in, please ask, but these are the areas of greatest current need.

Lastly, since some of you are not in a position to volunteer for any of these particular opportunities, may I ask you all to pray that God will raise up and motivate those who can help at this present time.

Prayer about the healthy functioning of the body of Christ is an act of kindness that would never be wasted. 

Warmly in Christ,

Sandy Grant
Dean of Sydney

Friends in Christ, today I am going to repeat the basics! 

When the Apostle Paul summarises the central gospel truths he preached, he writes of what he... 

“...passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

It is what you should hear of again and again at any decent church – in our preaching, in our songs, in our confessions, creeds and prayers: 

• of the cross, and its meaning (atonement “for our sins”), and

• of the resurrection and its meaning (forgiveness, hope and the resurrection of the body, which he unpacks in the rest of 1 Corinthians 15). 

Leon Morris was one of Australia's greatest Bible scholar of the last centurry and served as Principal of Ridley College in Melbourne. He ably defended the evangelical view of the cross as legitimate in university theology circles when it was unfashionable to do so. 

Here’s a classic Morris quote, and one I hope moves you as you reflect on it. It’s from his book, The Cross in the New Testament.

 “To put it bluntly and plainly, if Christ is not my Substitute, I still occupy the place of a condemned sinner. If my sins and my guilt are not transferred to Him, if He did not take them upon Himself, then surely they remain with me. If He did not deal with my sins, I must face their consequences. If my penalty was not borne by Him, it still hangs over me. There is no other possibility.”

Nor should we forget the resurrection.

Sometimes we misunderstand Paul when he says (in ) that he “resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” The contrast here is to the demands for displaying superior human wisdom and eloquence, not to other aspects of gospel doctrine. We saw that above by the way Paul devoted chapter 15 of the same Corinthian letter to the resurrection. 

Sometimes when the gospel is preached, only the cross is mentioned. The resurrection can be ignored or assumed.

It often surprises people that by contrast, the examples of preaching in the book of Acts emphasise Jesus’ resurrection. And it’s his death that is assumed and its meaning not so often explained.

Clearly the Apostles thought the resurrection was crucial for demonstrating Jesus’ status as Lord, and as Messiah, and as Judge. It’s certainly what tells me that Jesus is alive today! And it gives me hope after the grave!

Just as there is no more important person for our lives than Jesus, there are no more important events than his death and resurrection.

Romans 4:25 says

“He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”

Here is something always to remember and always to rejoice in.

Warmly in Christ,

Sandy Grant
Dean of Sydney

CATHEDRAL NEWSLETTER - 13 February 2025

Friends in Christ, here are some words I would like you to consider learning off by heart:

"But to you who are listening I say: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who ill-treat you." [Luke 6:27-28]

These are the words of the Lord Jesus. He spoke them particularly to his disciples, but also in the hearing of the large crowds who were following him. 

And these are words for our times, our very divided and uncertain times, where hatred and fear seem to fester away so seriously, from the Middle East to the streets of Sydney, right into NSW Hospitals, though thankfully not to the vast majority of health professionals. 

Will you try to learn them off by heart? "...Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who ill-treat you."

Last weekend I attended a function in honour and support of a community whose homeland has been invaded and attacked. Many of you may know which group that was. But a number of communities from around the globe would fit my description.

I was asked to open in prayer. And I spent most of my petition praying for the return of peace and safety to the country under attack by name, for healing and recovery for victims there, for the overthrow or repentance of those who use aggression against neighbours, and so forth. But I also prayed for "ordinary" people from the invading country, which I also named, "who also suffer through war" (generally not of their own choosing), along as for the peace of several other nations - including some on opposite sides - who are affected by war and civil strife. 

In the supper break, an elderly lady berated me for praying for people from her nation's enemy. "I did not come hear for that!"

No matter what I said to explain, it was simply unacceptable to her to pray for her enemies. I should not pray even just those ordinary people in the neighbouring country, even though I suspect plenty of them hate this war as much as she does. Apparently all the people from that country were bad and beyond prayer. 

I can understand her anger. Her compatriots, including many civilians, have suffered awfully by brutal and terrifying military action. 

That's why I do not name any one group in today's letter. Because many groups have suffered and find it so hard.  

At the conclusion, the organisers has asked me to pray again. Before I did so, I invited people, who did not have a church of their own, to come to the 台灣UU直播 – where they would be taught to love God, and to love their neighbour.

And I felt compelled to add that you would also be taught the most difficult but important challenge Jesus gave: to forgive others their sins, as we ask God to forgive us. 

The nation's ambassador asked me if I was upset with his own words. And I said I understood them, and told him my sadness at the woman's unwillingness to pray for enemies.

Then I said that he had a responsibility. Even if his nation was successful in defending itself, they also needed to ensure their people were not consumed with bitterness and unresolved anger. He said, "That will be a job for our grandchildren."

"No, Ambassador", I replied. "It needs to start with leaders like you." 

There was a pause. And I asked him if he remembered Christ's words from the cross when they were executing him so brutally and unjustly. And I recited:

‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’  [Luke 23:34]

And the Ambassador nodded.

We agreed that the forgiving spirit does not prevent people speaking truth to power. It does not prevent a nation defending itself in a just war.

It need not prevent the Police and the justice system from punishing criminals. And where there is no repentance for serious sin, it may not be safe for a relationship with an abuser or an attacker to go on like normal, if at all. 

Yet when I said to my critic that we would always pray for peace at the 台灣UU直播, even if it meant praying for our enemies, she simply said of her refusal, "I am a Christian". 

It is not for me to judge her. I can sympathise with her anger. Forgiveness is so difficult. But I fear for her welfare. 

As I said in introducing last year...

The Lord Jesus taught his followers: “Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.”

He put that line right in the middle of the Lord’s Prayer.

It says (1) we need God’s forgiveness.

And (2), we need to forgive others.

And Jesus clearly thinks we need to always keep praying about those two things.

The way of Jesus is different from the protests and aggro we see on the news. It's different from so much social media discourse. It is different from how politics is often done. It is different from how some families function too.

It's easy to love those who are usually nice to us. But God loved us while we were weak, while we were sinners, while we acted like enemies towards him... And he demonstrated it by Christ going to the cross for our forgiveness. ().

You know this. It is repeatedly preached from our pulpit. So will you join me in learning Luke 6:27-28 off by heart and attempting to put it into practice?

Jesus said: "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who ill-treat you."

Warmly in Christ,

Sandy Grant
Dean of Sydney