Central Church Port Kembla
Religion & Spirituality
About
Central is a non-denominational Christian church that meets in the suburb of Port Kembla, Wollongong, Australia. This podcast is a recording of our Sunday sermon. In our gatherings we often have dialogue, ask questions, and listen to each other, not just the preacher. For this reason, what you hear here has been edited to remove bits and pieces of discussion that would otherwise be recorded as 'dead-space'. We hope you enjoy and are encouraged by what you hear. If you'd like to find out more about us you can find us at centralchurch.org.au or www.facebook.com/centralchurchportkembla/
Episodes
- Spiritual Resilience
This episode from Central Church Port Kembla examines two metaphors for spiritual resilience, drawing wisdom from them. It concludes with a lectio divina focusing on God's steadfast love.
- Don’t Cling To Me
Caro explores Jesus
- The Restoration of Peter
Oran explores the Gospel of John's account of Jesus restoring Peter after his denials, examining the layers of Peter's redemption and reflecting on God's loving restoration.
- Colossians 4: Lives of Liberation
The episode "Colossians 4: Lives of Liberation" from Central Church Port Kembla concludes a series on Colossians. Speaker Bryony examines the instructions given to slave masters within the letter, noting it was carried by a freed slave.
- The Practice of Community (feat. Dorothy Day)
This episode from Central Church Port Kembla features Dorothy Day and discusses the practice of community.
- Colossians 2: The Answer is Community
In this episode, Becca delves into Colossians chapter two, examining themes of survival against imperial power, the temptation of exclusive knowledge, and the role of community in knowing God.
- Colossians 1: The Christ Story
This message unpacks Colossians 1, focusing on the Messiah Hymn. It contrasts prevailing stories of violence with the Christian narrative of peace, emphasizing how Christ absorbed violence on the cross.
- Newness
This sermon reflects on Jesus' parable of new wine and new wineskins, discussing the nature of real change, growth, and transformation. It suggests discerning when old seasons end to embrace the new work God is doing.
- Advent: Peace and Preparation
This episode uses Isaiah 2 and Psalm 122 to discuss the concept of "now and not yet" regarding the peace promised during Advent, and how individuals can prepare for the coming of the kingdom.
- Hope, Peace, Joy, Love in 2025
The December contemplative service at Central Church Port Kembla focused on the Advent themes of hope, peace, joy, and love. Participants engaged in an Examen to reflect on their year and practiced centering prayer using one of the Advent…
- The Trauma of Paul
Oran discusses the indifferent nature of trauma, examining signs of it in Paul's writings. The message considers Paul's journey, reflecting on his experiences as someone who inflicted harm and later bore its weight.
- Holy Resilience: God when life shatters to pieces
Becca explores how the prophet Jeremiah helped people understand the catastrophe of exile, using insights from Walter Brueggemann, David Carr, and Wil Gafney to discuss the promise of hope after devastation.
- Liminal Space
This message discusses the concept of liminal space, the transitional period between the end of the old and the beginning of the new. It examines the presence of liminal spaces in Scripture and considers how to navigate these times, noting…
- Contemplative Service - Selah
This Central Church Port Kembla episode, 'Contemplative Service - Selah,' explores practices for finding Divine Hospitality within silence, drawing inspiration from Sally Longley's book. The service includes guided 'Divine Listening' to mu…
- Ordinary Time in Extraordinary Times
This episode discusses maintaining spiritual awareness during ordinary time, especially in unusual circumstances. It delves into Jesus' perspective on time and the role of nature in fostering a peaceful state of being.
- The Connection Between Faithfulness and Creation
This episode examines the Genesis 1 directive to care for creation, linking unfaithfulness to its negative impacts, referencing passages from Isaiah and Hosea. It further considers practical expressions of faithfulness, particularly concer…
- Contemplative Service - Trust in the Slow Work of God
This episode features a contemplative service from Central Church Port Kembla, focusing on the writings of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. It includes a meditation on nature and explores themes of trusting God's slow work.
- Perfection and Wholeness
This episode discusses Jesus's command to "be perfect," exploring its original meaning and modern interpretations. It suggests that Jesus may have been calling for wholeness rather than absolute flawlessness.
- Contemplative Service- Desert, A Spiritual Geography
This episode explores the disorientation of desert seasons in life. It uses Lectio Divina and meditation on Australian desert imagery to reflect on personal connections to these spiritual geographies.
- From Law to Intoxicating Joy, from Water to Wine
Caro unpacks John 2:1-11, examining John’s wisdom and its connections with other parts of Scripture.
- From Scarcity to Abundance, from Water to Wine
The episode discusses John 2:1-11, the biblical account of Jesus turning water into wine. It serves as a reflection point on transitioning from scarcity to abundance within personal lives and communities.
- Just Build a Bigger Barn
The episode examines the parable of the rich fool from Luke 12, with Caro discussing Jesus' potential message regarding surplus wealth.
- Capitalism & Care
This episode discusses the spectrum between capitalism and care, contrasting societal measures of wealth with the values of giving. It invites listeners to reflect on how these concepts shape personal choices and daily life.
- Contemplative Service- The Sacrament of the Present Moment
This episode from Central Church Port Kembla is a contemplative service. It includes practices to foster presence and a Lectio Divina focusing on Jean-Pierre de Cassaude's 'The Sacrament of the Present Moment'.
- Women of the Exodus, Part Two
This episode delves into the significance of Miriam in the Exodus and Numbers narratives, examining her role as a leader and prophet and considering her potential as a queer icon.
- Women of the Exodus, Part One
This episode examines the crucial roles of women in Exodus 1 and 2, whose actions were essential for Moses's survival and the liberation of Egypt. It discusses their resistance, disobedience, and the impact of their acts of mercy.
- Empire, the Son of Man and Benedictine Nuns
This episode discusses the Son of Man as an antidote to empire, particularly in the context of Palm Sunday. It also touches on the quiet practice of living lives of resurrection.
- Dying and Rising
This episode from Central Church Port Kembla examines the biblical story in Luke 17:11-16 about Jesus resurrecting a widow's son. It incorporates lectio divina and imaginative prayer.
- The Death of Death
This episode discusses theories surrounding Christ's death and resurrection, focusing on how this event reconciled humanity with God and signified the end of death. It explores the broader implications of Christ's resurrection.
- The Cross as Revealing a Pattern of Death and Resurrection
The episode explores the Cross as a revelation of a death and resurrection pattern inherent in the universe. Caro explains this pattern is undergone by God in Christ and reflected in human experience.
- The Cross as the End of Scapegoating
This episode discusses the concept of scapegoating, originating from an Ancient Israelite practice on the Day of Atonement. It examines Rene Girard's observations on scapegoating across cultures and interprets Jesus's death and resurrectio…
- Sacred Pathways
This episode from Central Church Port Kembla, titled "Sacred Pathways," explores nine distinct ways individuals can connect with God, drawing from Gary Thomas's work. It examines how people naturally sense God's presence and recognizes spi…
- Grief, Hope, and Dancing Bears - Why We Are Weird
This episode features Becca sharing insights on the distinct nature of Christian community, highlighting the gifts found in shared grief and hope.
- Welcoming the Stranger
In this episode, Caro explores the meaning of hospitality through the lens of welcoming the stranger.
- Changes in 2025!
Central Church Port Kembla is sharing details about their journey and values, outlining changes to their leadership structure and the rhythm of their gatherings in 2025.
- Spirituality in Community
This episode delves into the personal and communal dimensions of spirituality, using lectio divina and examen to reflect on the role of community in faith.
- Egó mésa ekklisía - Ekklisía mésa mou
The message explores the relevance of attending church in the digital age, contrasting online resources with the concept of 'Me within the church, the church within me.'
- God in Unexpected Places
This episode examines the biblical story of Jacob's Ladder in Genesis 28. Presented as a campfire narrative, it seeks to uncover insights into the relationship between humans and God.
- The Anatomy of Yes
This sermon uses Mary's encounter with the angel Gabriel to explore archetypes of personal 'yeses' to God. Six artworks were referenced, available on the church's Facebook page.
- Holy Disturbances in Luke 1
This episode examines the beginning of Luke's gospel, focusing on how God disturbs lives. It uses Mary's story as an example to encourage listeners to consider how God might be disrupting their own lives.
- Sticky Forgiveness - the place of forgiveness within systems of injustice
This episode examines Jesus' teachings on 'turning the other cheek' and 'going the extra mile,' interpreting them as ways to maintain dignity within oppressive systems. It discusses the call to forgive individuals while resisting systemic…
- A Theological Look at Forgiveness
Oran
- Caring for Ourselves While we Forgive (Why is Forgiveness so Dang Hard?)
This episode explores the challenges of forgiveness, including spiritual bypassing, and suggests offering deeper compassion to ourselves and others by lowering expectations.
- A Contemplative Gathering Around Forgiveness
This episode features a contemplative gathering focused on forgiveness, discussing its nature and potential interpretations. It includes an examen to help listeners identify what they may need to release, let go of, or move away from in th…
- Contemplative Service - Confession
This contemplative service from Central Church Port Kembla uses quotes and poetry to encourage reflection on confession, honesty, truth-telling, and vulnerability. Ambient background music is featured.
- Wholesome confession, self awareness, and trauma informed apologies
Luke and Caro discuss the importance of humility, confessing mistakes, and the elements of a healthy, trauma-informed apology. This episode begins a series on forgiveness.
- Creation as Healer
This message from Central Church Port Kembla discusses the health benefits of nature, highlighting its spiritual significance and humanity's intrinsic connection to the natural world. It examines the link between nature and humans from sci…
- Creation as Participant in God’s World
The episode examines biblical perspectives on creation actively participating in God's world and how mystical thought shows all creation united in Christ, challenging human superiority and influencing life choices.
- Creation as Teacher
In this episode, Bryony explores scriptural passages demonstrating how Creation serves as a teacher about God. The discussion includes reflections on learning from creation.
- The Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds
This episode examines the parable of the wheat and the weeds, discussing how its meaning can be complex and challenging. Oran considers various perspectives on the parable, questioning if it solely represents the final separation of good a…