After a year of providing pre-recorded audio online worship resources because of COVID-19 this is now coming to an end, as lockdowns have lifted in Melbourne and people can attend face to face worship.

Down the track we may explore audio recording the live reflection in worship and posting this online.  But for now, as this chapter closes, Sally wanted to share a few thoughts with you - especially those of you who have been joining Richmond Uniting in online worship over this year.

Worship resources for Easter Sunday 4 April

On this Easter Day Rev Dr Sally Douglas challenges us to listen to the women apostles - Mary the Magdalene, Salome and the other Mary - attending to both their words and experiences (it is an ancient and contemporary challenge to listen to, and believe, women). In doing so, Sally invites us to expand our understanding of what faith is. Christian faith is not static but includes wrestling, questioning and acknowledging the whole range of our our human emotions - even fear - and learning to trust Jesus in the middle of all this messiness - the one who loves us to death and through the other side.

If you would like to connect with the Richmond Uniting Church community in other ways as well as in audio worship, for example for Midday Prayers or Zoom ‘morning teas’, or a theology group discussion please email [email protected]

Worship resources for Good Friday 2 April

In this worship for Good Friday Rev Dr Sally Douglas invites us to notice the violent mob mentality of the crowd in this story and to reflect on the shocking 'un-power' of God revealed to us in Jesus.  In Jesus, the human desire for violence and power - that can captivate each one of us - is exposed and transformed.

If you would like to connect with the Richmond Uniting Church community in other ways as well as in audio worship, for example for Midday Prayers or Zoom ‘morning teas’, or a theology group discussion please email [email protected]

Online worship resources for Sunday 28 March

This week, Palm Sunday, as we hear about Jesus entering Jerusalem, Rev Dr Sally Douglas challenges us to take seriously that in Jesus understandings of divine power are undone. The power that Jesus embodies looks like nothing like the empire’s power. Taking this seriously invites us to reconsider how God moves in ‘power’ and how we might pray.

If you would like to connect with the Richmond Uniting Church community in other ways as well as in audio worship, for example for Midday Prayers or Zoom ‘morning teas’, or a theology group discussion please email [email protected]

Online worship resources for Sunday 21 March

This Sunday, the fifth Sunday in Lent, Rev Dr Sally Douglas challenges us to take seriously Jesus’ claim in John’s Gospel that all people will be gathered in and included in the divine embrace and she invites us to wrestle with the question ‘what is Christianity for?'

If you would like to connect with the Richmond Uniting Church community in other ways as well as in audio worship, for example for Midday Prayers or Zoom ‘morning teas’, or a theology group discussion please email [email protected]

Online worship resources for Sunday 14 March

This Sunday, the fourth Sunday in Lent, Rev Dr Sally Douglas invites us to dive into Jesus’ claims in John 3 that G*d’s movement, G*d’s nature and G*d’s being are shaped by love and not judgement. Today we are challenged to explore the call of journey from fear into love in our daily lives.

Sally reads out the poem ‘The Moment’ by Catherine Lewis from her book Coming Home: Meditations, Prayers Poems. Montrose: Poetica Christi Press, 2020. Find more information here.

If you would like to connect with the Richmond Uniting Church community in other ways as well as in audio worship, for example for Midday Prayers or Zoom ‘morning teas’, or a theology group discussion please email [email protected]

Online worship for Sunday 7 March

This Sunday, the third Sunday in Lent, we explore the extraordinary account of Jesus in the temple overturning tables. Here Jesus is not meek or mild, instead Jesus is angry, loud and disruptive. Rev Dr Sally Douglas invites us into the complexity of this reading and challenges us to get in touch with the importance of anger as followers of Jesus.

If you would like to connect with the Richmond Uniting Church community in other ways as well as in audio worship, for example Midday Prayers, Zoom ‘morning teas’, or a theology group discussion please email [email protected]

Online worship resources for Sunday 28 February

This week, the second Sunday in Lent, Rev Dr Sally Douglas challenges us to explore Jesus’ call to deny self and take up cross in Mark 8.31-38 within its context. Beyond dangerous ideas that can contribute to the glorification of suffering, in Jesus we discover that divine power is very different to human constructs of power. Furthermore, in Jesus we are invited into G*d’s subversive compassion.

If you would like to connect with the Richmond Uniting Church community in other ways as well as in audio worship, for example for Midday Prayers, Zoom ‘morning teas’, or a theology group discussion please email [email protected].

 Online worship resources for Sunday 21 February

This week, the first Sunday in Lent, we journey with Jesus into the wilderness as he faces the accuser. As we explore this reading, Rev Dr Sally Douglas challenges us to face the reality of evil within our global village instead of being constantly shocked by human behaviour. In this process, she argues, we find truth and energy for the work of liberation.

If you would like to connect with the Richmond Uniting Church community in other ways as well as in audio worship, for example for Midday Prayers or Zoom ‘morning teas’, or a theology group discussion please email [email protected]

Online Worship for 14 February 2021

This week in the reflection Rev Dr Sally Douglas invites us to engage with the story of the transfiguration of Jesus and to read this within its wider context in Mark’s Gospel. In particular we are invited to reflect on the ‘upside down’ glory of G*d revealed in Jesus and challenged to stop thinking we have to be ‘gloriously strong’ or ‘together’ before we can approach G*d.

If you would like to connect with the Richmond Uniting Church community in other ways as well as in audio worship, for example for Midday Prayers or Zoom ‘morning teas’, or a theology group discussion please email [email protected]