2000 Years ago, the world was far from a peaceful place. Herod the Great, the cruel king of Judea, died, sparking a frantic struggle by his sons, those who had survived their father's murderous tendencies, to fill the power vacuum.

But 2000 years ago, something else happened. A child was born. This child had a vision. A vision that threatened the oppressive systems of the day. One that prioritised justice and righteousness for all, not just the elite few. Just like many who had gone before him, he ended up nailed on a cross, the price one paid for challenging the principalities and powers of the world.

A message by David B

What does hope look like for you? For some, hope looks like a lottery ticket or a Scratchie.

For me, hope looks like McLaren in Formula 1. Bruce McLaren, a Kiwi racing driver, founded McLaren F1 in 1963. I became a fan, being introduced to F1 and the team by the Melvins, who attended the first church I pastored at Enoggera in QLD in the late 90s. That was perfect timing because it also coincided with when they stopped winning constructors' championships.

But I lived in hope, and last year and this year McLaren won, and I continue to hope that either Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri will win the driver's championship next weekend.

We can find hope in all sorts of places. What gives you hope, and how do you give hope to others?

A message by David Toscano.

This morning, we begin with a well-known story, and it goes like this:

Once upon a time there was a hare who lived in the forest. He was a speedy runner and loved to race others to prove he was the fastest.
“I’m so fast, no one can beat me” He would say to anyone that would listen.
One day, Hare was boasting about his talent when a small voice said,
“You’ve never raced me.” It was Tortoise.
“YOU, the slowest in the forest? Race ME?” Hare laughed. “This is going to be the easiest race ever.” Hare said, “First one to reach the end of the meadow on the other side of the forest is the winner!”
The other animals in the forest set up a starting line and one shouted, Ready Set Go!
As soon as the race began, Hare hopped off into the distance, quick as a flash. But tortoise barely moved from the starting line. When Hare reached the big oak tree on the edge of the meadow, tortoise was nowhere in sight. Hare was so sure of himself and his ability that he decided he had time to rest for a while under the shade of the tree before he finished the race. But Hare fell into a deep sleep under the tree and didn’t notice as tortoise plodded on by into the meadow towards the finish line.

When Hare woke up, he looked up to see that Tortoise was close to the finish line, and though he was fast, he was not fast enough to beat Tortoise. Tortoise won the race.

Now, this story was said to have originally been told by a great Greek storyteller called Aesop as a fable around 600 BC – a short story with a moral life lesson attached – Pride goes before a fall.

A message by Samantha Barlow