A lift-out magazine in a recent weekend newspaper contained an article on the search for a “psychedelic” medical solution for a range of mental health issues. It is not uncommon, of course, for people to self-medicate with mind-altering substances: everything from alcohol and LSD or Ecstasy to magic mushrooms and marijuana.  A drug-induced high is an attractive solution for someone struggling with the black-dog of depression.  This article however pointed out that recent medical tests with psychedelic substances (such as psilocybin) had proven effective in treating people with clinical depression and even folk with Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD).  The author argued...

I had an hour and a half to wait before the bus left Brisbane for Coffs Harbour.  Since the Roma Street Coach Terminal isn’t far from the Queen Street Mall in Brisbane I figured it was a good opportunity to stretch my legs before the long coach trip home.  A coffee from one of the numerous coffee outlets was an added bonus.  It had been a very long time since I was last there.  Much had changed.  There was one rather unobtrusive change that caught my eye while sipping my coffee.  Back in the mid-1980s CCTV was only just being introduced...

Word of Salvation – Vol.33 No.22 - June 1989   God's Law And My Neighbour's Reputation Sermon: by Rev. John W. Westendorp on Exodus 20:16 Reading: James 3:1-3, Lord's Day 43, John 8:31 - 47. Singing: H 204 BoW, 251(after the law) H 13 BoW, 20 (after sermon) H 808 BoW   Introduction Boys and girls, I wonder if you can tell me one of the first things that a doctor often tells you to do when you visit because you're sick?  Something that at other times wouldn't really be all that polite.  What does he tell you to do.....? Yes,...

Merle and I were walking the breakwater at Coffs Harbour jetty last Sunday afternoon.  I was struck by the unusual name of a yacht moored in the marina.  It was named the Deo Volente.  I guess that’s a nice enough a name for a yacht.  Deo Volente has a pleasant ring about it, although I suspect that few today would know what that name means.  I mention this because it especially left me wondering why someone would name their yacht Deo Volente.  You see, Deo Volente is a Latin expression that means ‘God willing’. So why would someone call their yacht...

I recall an older parishioner talking to me about some family issues that had been troubling her.  She became rather teary so I passed her the box of tissues that I kept handy for such occasions.  She thanked me and then, as she dried her tears, soberly apologised with the words: “Sorry!  But I’m afraid that as I’ve got older my eyes have moved closer to my bladder!”  We had a good laugh at her explanation of why tears often come more readily to older people. Emotions are strange things aren’t they?  A recent family wedding that I attended was very...

Word of Salvation – Vol.38 No.41 - November 1993   Discipleship: Call, Cost and Commitment   Sermon by Rev. J. W. Westendorp on Luke 9:57-62 Scripture Reading: John 1:35-51, Luke 9:57-62   Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, There are different kinds of 'Jesus-followers'.  Some follow Jesus the way they followed the Gulf War.  They are interested, even fascinated.  And they want to stay informed of progress.  But there is no involvement.  They are not bound to Jesus in love and obedience. We read of people like this in John 6:66.  When Jesus began to say hard things, they soon left...

The subject of the after-life came up in a recent conversation.  The man I was chatting with told me that he wasn’t particularly excited about the thought of heaven.  On one level I can understand that. There was a Sunday School teacher who wanted to make the point that heaven is not earnt by our efforts – but rather that it is a gift of God, freely given as we trust in the saving work of the Lord Jesus Christ.  She asked her students, “If I gave away all my money to charity, would that get me to heaven?”  The students...

The Christmas story is the story of God almighty taking on humanity.  That’s difficult to get your head around but it’s what the Bible teaches.  Through a special work of the Holy Spirit Jesus took to himself a human nature from the Virgin Mary.  For starters there’s the huge obstacle of the virgin birth.  Virgins don’t normally have babies.  More than once I’ve met someone who had great respect for the person of Jesus Christ and for His teachings but who balked at the idea of a virgin birth.  I understand that.  It’s not for nothing that we who are Christians...

It’s the British author, C.S. Lewis, who is to blame.  He wrote some fantasy books for kids – and they sucked me right in.  The result is that I became something of a fantasy addict.  I guess you too may have read Lewis’ Narnia Chronicles at some point in your life or watched a movie of one of his books such as The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.  I recall reading the Narnia Chronicles to my young children while we were on holidays.  We had a bit of an age gap between my older and younger children so when the...

Some folk have this strange idea that the Lord Jesus Christ came into this world on that first Christmas Day for the sole purpose of getting people into heaven.  Ask them why Jesus, God’s Son, took on humanity and they will tell you that it was in order to die on Calvary’s cross on Good Friday to save our souls from eternal condemnation in some sort of pit of eternal destruction.  Well, I can’t deny that that is a very, v\ery important part of Christian teaching in the Bible.  But it is also woefully inadequate. For starters you and I need...

There was a judge who had the reputation that he could not be bribed.  Over the years some had tried – but to their regret they found that the judge had come down even heavier on them for their attempted bribery.  Paddy appeared before this judge in a litigation case that seemed unwinnable.  He asked his lawyer whether he should send the judge a bottle of champagne and a leg of ham.  His lawyer was horrified and told him of the Judge’s reputation.  On the day of the trial the hearing was decided in Paddy’s favour – much to the surprise...

In these last six years in my retirement I have joined the ‘Shedders’.  So... you don’t know what Shedders are?  Well, they are a rather novel breed of (usually) older men who get together in Men’s Sheds – also known as Man Caves.  What they do there is everything from working at their hobbies to community projects... and from playing cards to just dropping in for coffee. I was talking to a Shedder last week who figures he would probably be on the wrong side of the grass if it wasn’t for his local Men’s Shed.  And he’s not the first...

One of the elders in my church once lamented our inefficient way of living.  He pointed out that most families have a washing machine that only gets used a couple of times a week.  Our garden shed inevitably houses a motor mower that on average sees the light of day less than once a week.  He listed various other things that families could easily share.  His ideal was for several families to live more closely together so as to share these kinds of resources.  Many years later he put his theory into practice.  Together with two other families they bought a...

An older colleague of mine, who was approaching retirement age, was reflecting on the process of aging.  He expressed the desire that after his retirement as a preacher and pastor he might help out with some locum work in parishes without a gospel minister.  His motivation was to serve God by helping others.  But he added some words that I’ve never forgotten.  He said, “Of course one day I’ll preach my last sermon and then the time will probably come where I will provide other people with an opportunity to serve God by caring for me.” I thought of those words...

There’s an expression that was heard often in times past but that I don’t hear so much these days.  One place where I often came across it was in the “Peanuts” cartoons by Charles Schultz.  Something incredible would happen and Charlie Brown would remark, “Good grief!”  ‘Good grief!’ could be an expression of dismay or surprise, even of alarm.  But it’s a strange expression, isn’t it?  We don’t normally think of grief as being good, so why did the expression ‘Good grief’ become a common saying? I did some research.  Since the Peanuts Cartoon is an American product I assumed the...

Word of Salvation – Vol.42 No.2 - January 1997   Finding Certainty in Jesus’ Footsteps   Sermon by Rev J. Westendorp on 1John 2:3-6 Scripture Readings: John 1:35-51 & 1John 1:8–2:6 Suggested Hymns: BoW 27; 416; 119b; 510   Congregation, Introduction: There is a beautiful balance in I John - John avoids two problems we often face. On the one hand – the teaching of perfectionism. Christians are ‘saints’... they have the power of the Holy Spirit. That means they can live victorious Christian lives. God says we ought to be perfect and He wouldn’t say that if we can’t be. ...

Word of Salvation – Vol.43 No.32 - August 1998   Blessed Are The Peacemakers...!   Sermon by Rev J Westendorp on Matthew 5:9 Scripture Readings: Psalm 122; Ephesians 6:10-18; Matthew 5:1-12 Suggested Hymns: BoW 122; 465; 451; 426   Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Introduction: There’s an interesting version of this beatitude around: "Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall never be unemployed” That’s sad, but it’s true... because there’s such a great need for peacemakers. We need peacemakers in our families... where civil war so quickly breaks out between mum and dad... between parents and children. We need peacemakers...

Please imagine for a moment the following scenario.  You’ve been shopping at your local supermarket.  You hop into your car and reverse out of your parking spot – but you fail to see the other car about to enter the vacant parking spot next to you.  There’s an awful crunching sound and in shock you hit the brakes.  You look around and you notice the other driver is getting out of his car and making his way towards you.  He’s a big brawny bruiser of a bloke and you say to yourself, “Uh oh, I think I’m in trouble!”  Now at...

Word of Salvation – Vol.43 No.20 - May 1998   Blessed Are Those Who Hunger and Thirst After Righteousness.   Sermon by Rev J.W.Westendorp on Matthew 5:6 Scripture Readings: Isaiah 55:1-7, James 2:14-26, Matthew 5:1-12 Suggested Songs: BoW 360; 111a; 451; 148   Introduction: Congregation, In these Beatitudes we have some puzzling saying of Jesus.  At first glance they don’t seem to make much sense.  But turn with me to Luke 6 and you’ll notice that there they appear to make even less sense.  In Luke’s account of The Sermon on the Mount the Beatitudes seem even more puzzling. They appear...

I noticed that attempts were recently made on social media to kick off a health-carers’ appreciation week.  The context of that was the extra-ordinary effort that has been made by health-care professionals during this Covid-19 pandemic.  In the various social media posts that I read it was especially our nurses who were singled out for commendation and applause – and rightly so. However I wonder if people realise just how much modern nursing is indebted to the Christian faith.  Let me put it even more strongly: health care is an area of social life that has always been of special interest...