Embracing Love and Hope This Advent

This week my heart and thoughts have been occupied by Sunday's act of terrorism in Bondi and the subsequent outpouring, not only of grief and anger, but also of further expressions of hatred, simplistic analysis and cynical posturing. I have found it not only a deeply sad time, but also a very disturbing time. 

There is something to be said for having a period of national mourning after such events, during which we simply seek to look after one another and attend properly to the grieving. There does also need to be a time, later, of truth-telling and of looking for ways to build a better future. But that should come after we have attended well to being together.

The Brisbane Solidarity event will be held in City Hall on Sunday from 5pm.

The Season of Advent speaks into the complexities of living life in these days. This week our focus is on the capacity of love to be a source of transformation. Our focus on love will hopefully provide us with some of the resources we need to confront the rising tide of hatred, of which racism is just one manifestation.

A highlight of the weekend’s worship will be the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols on Sunday at 7pm.

Our annual Blue Christmass Service, designed to be a space of support and reflection for those who find Christmass a tough time, will be held on Monday at 6pm. It will also be live-streamed. 

A full list of Christmass Services can be found on the What’s On page of the Cathedral website.

We need people to work alongside our Stewards for the Christmass Services. The main tasks are to say ‘hello’ and to give people a copy of the order of service. On Sunday, please add your name to the list that can be found on the table near the carpark entrance, or contact the Cathedral office, if you can assist.

If you prefer to use envelopes to make your financial gifts to the Cathedral, you can find new sets for 2026 on the table near the carpark entrance.

The 2026 Cathedral Retreat brochure is also available click here to download.

As I look toward Christmass I am reminded that the world into which Jesus was born was turbulent, violent and full of insecurity. Against that backdrop he lived a life that pointed to what the world could and should be. May we each be alive to the Spirit that helps us hold that same life-giving vision as we prepare to celebrate his birth anew.

Peace,

Peter+