Luminous means, emitting or reflecting usually steady, suffused, or glowing light and the festival aims to bring light into the darkness of our cultural moment.
Make a plan to participate in at least one of the many events lined up.
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Luke 6:46-47 (NIV) Why do you call me, Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say?
As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like.
Following on from the Great Road Trip series, our next series is called Growing People.
On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus spent a lot of time with his disciples teaching, demonstrating and living the Kingdom of God.
One of the profound implications of his death and resurrection ... READ MORE >
As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. Luke 9:51
As we move out of the holidays, and into 2023 proper, we want to build on our theme of Welcome as we work through Luke's gospel and follow Jesus on The Great Roadtrip.
The next ten chapters of Luke's gospel document the events of Jesus' journey to Jerusalem. These chapters are filled with momentous events and revolutionary teaching as Jesus and his followers make their way to the city.
Throughout this account, Luke continues to be concerned with showing how Jesus and the gospel impacted ordinary people, and how Jesus continues to both fulfill what was prophesied about the coming messiah, while also continuing to confound expectations and be very different to what people expect to find.
Luke the Physician was likely an outsider and a second-generation follower of Jesus.
It appears from his writings he was deeply interested in people, and how the story of Jesus was relevant to everyone. Regardless of ethnicity, gender, socio-economic or class status, Luke’s gospel is a collection of stories of Jesus interactions with people. It is clear from this gospel that Jesus seeks to include everyone, even when it meant challenging the established social and power structures and those who benefit from the status quo.
As we explore this gospel, we will find he writes of a Saviour who embodies the value of ‘welcome’ that is Hobart Baptist’s theme for 2023. We will also find it a valuable roadmap for how we can navigate following Jesus in Hobart in the twenty-first century.
Every year, for a number of years, we’ve had a series reflecting on Hobart Baptist Church and our values, mission and vision. Normally this is at the beginning of the year as we arrive back from the summer break. However, this year, we’ve decided to place our vision just before we enter the busyness of Christmas and the relaxation of the summer break. Hopefully, placing it here will enable us to be focused and ready to go as the year gets into full swing when school begins.
Our title Welcome comes out of our desire to be a place where those without a faith and those looking for a place to express faith, but feel unwelcome in other church settings, can feel welcome.
Welcome has two specific audiences. To those in the church it is an aspiration and call to the church we aim to be, and to those outside the church it is a declaration ‘you are welcome here’.
