Preacher: Nathan Nettleton
At Open Icon Baptist Church, we value great preaching — preaching that engages deeply, humbly and honestly with Jesus, the Bible, and the pain and joy of living in the real world. And since going permanently online, we have been able to welcome great preachers from all over the world without having to wait for them to visit our shores. Click here to meet the inspirational preachers depicted in the gallery above, none of whom have preached for us!
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Pastor
Nathan Nettleton
Nathan Nettleton has served as pastor of this congregation since 1994. He was ordained as a Baptist pastor that same year and completed an honours degree in theology at Whitley College in 1995, followed by a Master of Theology in Liturgical Studies from the University of Divinity in 2001. In our church, he carries particular responsibilities for the preaching, teaching, and ordering of worship and prayer, and for pastoral care. He also writes liturgical resources for a global audience through LaughingBird.net, and serves as a board member of Open Baptists. Nathan is married to Margie, and they have an adult daughter, Acacia, and two dogs.
Sermons by Nathan Nettleton
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4 April, 2026
Preacher: Nathan Nettleton
Topic: Communion, Community, Icons, Identity, Resurrection
Scripture: 1 Corinthians, Genesis, Matthew
The resurrection doesn’t restore what we lost — it reveals what we were always becoming: living icons through whom the world might glimpse the life of God.
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15 March, 2026
Preacher: Nathan Nettleton
Topic: Abundance, blindness and sight, Generosity, Justice, Karma, Light and darkness, reward and punishment
Scripture: 1 & 2 Samuel, Ephesians, John, Psalms
The desire for a fair universe is real and grief-filled – but Jesus steps outside that framework entirely, and invites us into something better.
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1 March, 2026
Preacher: Nathan Nettleton
Topic: Blessing, Discernment, Faithfulness, Identity, Love, Pilgrimage, Vocation
A church discerns its new name while remembering that identity is not possession, but a journey of love shaped by God’s call to be a blessing.
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22 February, 2026
Preacher: Nathan Nettleton
Topic: Abundance, Blessing, Generosity, Grace
In a world ruled by suspicion and blame, the gospel announces an abundance that was never earned and cannot run out.
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8 February, 2026
Preacher: Nathan Nettleton
Topic: Compassion, Culture, Discipleship, Ethics, Jesus, Justice, Law, Suffering
Scripture: Matthew
Jesus calls us to be salt and light by living a public embodied faith that tells the truth, resists indifferent silence, and makes God’s justice and love visible in the world.
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1 February, 2026
Preacher: Nathan Nettleton
Topic: Blessing, Discipleship, Ethics, Generosity, Service, Vocation
Scripture: Matthew
The call to live the beatitudes is not about turning them into a guilt-inducing to-do list, but about living a life that is a blessing to others.
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18 January, 2026
Preacher: Nathan Nettleton
Topic: Discipleship, Forgiveness, Reconciliation, Salvation, Sin, Tribalism
Salvation – reconciliation with God and with one another – is relational rather than transactional, and it begins with a willingness to see, listen and learn.
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6 January, 2026
Preacher: Nathan Nettleton
Topic: Ecumenism, Generosity, Gifts, Interfaith dialogue, Reconciliation, Tribalism
Epiphany reminds us that we have no monopoly on the truth and always have more to learn from people of other faiths and backgrounds.
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28 December, 2025
Preacher: Nathan Nettleton
Scripture: Matthew
The hope born at Christmas does not erase, deny, or hide from the horror of a violent world, but meets us in the midst of it.
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21 December, 2025
Preacher: Nathan Nettleton
Topic: Compassion, Racism, Repentance, Terror
Confused feelings in the aftermath of the Bondi massacre are a window into the ongoing need for healing and transformation in our own hearts.
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7 December, 2025
Preacher: Nathan Nettleton
Topic: Discipleship, Hope, Reconciliation, Spirituality
Hope is a courageous and active stance towards life which is nourished in those who attend to the voice of God in Scripture.
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30 November, 2025
The coming Christ will do whatever he can to get through our defences.

