From the Minister 2022
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@ All rights reserved
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From the Minister (September 22)
Next Sunday, October 2, is World Communion Sunday.
In preparation, you are invited to pray for a country which is not your own. It may be in the news or may be one that you have visited or may be part of your ethnic heritage or may be one with a cuisine you find delicious or a writer or artist who inspires you. There is no right or wrong choice.
Read an online article on this country – its history, its products, its religious heritage, the challenges it faces right now, certainly including how it stands in this pandemic. [The FBI site is very detailed and informative]
Learn a word in one of its languages – maybe peace or gratitude or blessing. Google translate is a helpful resource and includes an audio pronunciation feature.
You might even find a recipe to make sometime this week.
Bob
Next Sunday, October 2, is World Communion Sunday.
In preparation, you are invited to pray for a country which is not your own. It may be in the news or may be one that you have visited or may be part of your ethnic heritage or may be one with a cuisine you find delicious or a writer or artist who inspires you. There is no right or wrong choice.
Read an online article on this country – its history, its products, its religious heritage, the challenges it faces right now, certainly including how it stands in this pandemic. [The FBI site is very detailed and informative]
Learn a word in one of its languages – maybe peace or gratitude or blessing. Google translate is a helpful resource and includes an audio pronunciation feature.
You might even find a recipe to make sometime this week.
Bob
From the Minister (September 15)
This coming Sunday marks the anniversary of the death of Dag Hammarskjöld in 1961 in Zambia. He is probably best known as the second Secretary-General of the UN, a post he was elected to in 1953. On 31 March 1953, the Security Council voted to recommend Hammarskjöld to the General Assembly, with an abstention from Nationalist China. Shortly after midnight on 1 April 1953, Hammarskjöld was awakened by a telephone call from a journalist with the news, to which he replied: ‘This April Fool’s Day joke is in extremely bad taste: It’s nonsense!’
Immediately following the assumption of the Secretariat, Hammarskjöld, from Sweden, attempted to establish a good rapport with his staff. He made a point of visiting every UN department to shake hands with as many workers as possible, eating in the cafeteria as often as possible, and relinquishing the Secretary-General's private lift for general use. He spearheaded the building of a meditation room at the UN headquarters, where people can withdraw into themselves in silence, regardless of their faith, creed, or religion.
Hammarskjöld's only book, Markings was published in 1963. A collection of his diary reflections, the book starts in 1925, when he was 20 years old, and ends the month before his death in 1961. This diary was found in his New York house, after his death. Markings was described by the late theologian Henry P. Van Dusen as the noblest self-disclosure of spiritual struggle and triumph, perhaps the greatest testament of personal faith written ... in the heat of professional life and amidst the most exacting responsibilities for world peace and order.
Hammarskjöld wrote, for example:
We are not permitted to choose the frame of our destiny. But what we put into it is ours. He who wills adventure will experience it – according to the measure of his courage. He who wills sacrifice will be sacrificed – according to the measure of his purity of heart.
From generations of soldiers and government officials on my father’s side I inherited a belief that no life was more satisfactory than one of selfless service to your country – or humanity.
This service required a sacrifice of all personal interests, but likewise the courage to stand up unflinchingly for your convictions. From scholars and clergymen on my mother’s side, I inherited a belief that, in the very radical sense of the Gospels, all men (sic) were equals as children of God, and
should be met and treated by us as our masters in God.
From Markings
Give me a pure heart that I may see Thee.
A humble heart that I may hear Thee,
A heart of love that I may serve Thee,
A heart of faith that I may abide in Thee.
The Uniting Church Calendar invites us to remember Dag Hammarskjöld on the anniversary of his death, September 18.
Bob
This coming Sunday marks the anniversary of the death of Dag Hammarskjöld in 1961 in Zambia. He is probably best known as the second Secretary-General of the UN, a post he was elected to in 1953. On 31 March 1953, the Security Council voted to recommend Hammarskjöld to the General Assembly, with an abstention from Nationalist China. Shortly after midnight on 1 April 1953, Hammarskjöld was awakened by a telephone call from a journalist with the news, to which he replied: ‘This April Fool’s Day joke is in extremely bad taste: It’s nonsense!’
Immediately following the assumption of the Secretariat, Hammarskjöld, from Sweden, attempted to establish a good rapport with his staff. He made a point of visiting every UN department to shake hands with as many workers as possible, eating in the cafeteria as often as possible, and relinquishing the Secretary-General's private lift for general use. He spearheaded the building of a meditation room at the UN headquarters, where people can withdraw into themselves in silence, regardless of their faith, creed, or religion.
Hammarskjöld's only book, Markings was published in 1963. A collection of his diary reflections, the book starts in 1925, when he was 20 years old, and ends the month before his death in 1961. This diary was found in his New York house, after his death. Markings was described by the late theologian Henry P. Van Dusen as the noblest self-disclosure of spiritual struggle and triumph, perhaps the greatest testament of personal faith written ... in the heat of professional life and amidst the most exacting responsibilities for world peace and order.
Hammarskjöld wrote, for example:
We are not permitted to choose the frame of our destiny. But what we put into it is ours. He who wills adventure will experience it – according to the measure of his courage. He who wills sacrifice will be sacrificed – according to the measure of his purity of heart.
From generations of soldiers and government officials on my father’s side I inherited a belief that no life was more satisfactory than one of selfless service to your country – or humanity.
This service required a sacrifice of all personal interests, but likewise the courage to stand up unflinchingly for your convictions. From scholars and clergymen on my mother’s side, I inherited a belief that, in the very radical sense of the Gospels, all men (sic) were equals as children of God, and
should be met and treated by us as our masters in God.
From Markings
Give me a pure heart that I may see Thee.
A humble heart that I may hear Thee,
A heart of love that I may serve Thee,
A heart of faith that I may abide in Thee.
The Uniting Church Calendar invites us to remember Dag Hammarskjöld on the anniversary of his death, September 18.
Bob
From the Minister (September 9)
Looking at the words of Jesus in a different way, is a challenge but provides us with more insights. We need to put our minds into a different gear as we read his parables,
So, instead of thinking about the one lost sheep – how is it? Lonely? Is it safe? Can we also think of the rest of the flock. Can we imagine Baa Baa looking round for her good friend Woolly? Missing the friendly bleat?
Or from the perspective of the owner, what about my wool yield? There should be almost a bale full – and it would be full if…
The shepherd, whose job is to look after all of us and keep us safe is off looking for the lost one, leaving us on our own. We are all so vulnerable! If a wolf came in and took my lamb it is possible that I would be angry with Baa Baa for getting lost and taking our protecting shepherd away from his duties.
Then the coin that is lost…it has lost value being by itself…but so have the rest of the coins because that which together they could have achieved is now not possible.
Jesus’ stories about a sheep, a coin, a son, the labourer in the vineyard, the sower, the builder, are all stories about community - maybe only a tiny group, but equally sometimes larger. And the bones of the story lie not only with what could be called the central character but also with the family, with the other members of the group.
Discipleship is about community; caring for each member is to care for us all as a whole. Our prayers of intercession; our prayers for others – other countries, other churches, other people – are important expressions of our community.
Bob
Looking at the words of Jesus in a different way, is a challenge but provides us with more insights. We need to put our minds into a different gear as we read his parables,
So, instead of thinking about the one lost sheep – how is it? Lonely? Is it safe? Can we also think of the rest of the flock. Can we imagine Baa Baa looking round for her good friend Woolly? Missing the friendly bleat?
Or from the perspective of the owner, what about my wool yield? There should be almost a bale full – and it would be full if…
The shepherd, whose job is to look after all of us and keep us safe is off looking for the lost one, leaving us on our own. We are all so vulnerable! If a wolf came in and took my lamb it is possible that I would be angry with Baa Baa for getting lost and taking our protecting shepherd away from his duties.
Then the coin that is lost…it has lost value being by itself…but so have the rest of the coins because that which together they could have achieved is now not possible.
Jesus’ stories about a sheep, a coin, a son, the labourer in the vineyard, the sower, the builder, are all stories about community - maybe only a tiny group, but equally sometimes larger. And the bones of the story lie not only with what could be called the central character but also with the family, with the other members of the group.
Discipleship is about community; caring for each member is to care for us all as a whole. Our prayers of intercession; our prayers for others – other countries, other churches, other people – are important expressions of our community.
Bob
From the Minister (September 1)
Across the world there are churches that recognise the month of September as the ‘Season of Creation’.
For instance the church of Scotland’s weekly worship resources begin –
In this Season of Creation, our resources have been produced by EcoCongregation Scotland. We are called to be more open than ever to the creative leading of the Spirit in building our spiritual resilience as people of hope beyond hope, in which the hugely ambitious project of Net Zero is a response of faith, offered in dependence on grace.
Writing in With Love to the World, Rev Dr Paul Chalson minister of Canberra City UC who has a doctorate in ecotheology says of Psalm 104 –
It is impossible to read this extract without thinking of the devastating floods that recently ravaged NSW and SE Qld. Boundaries were passed and earth was covered. The psalm affirms God’s relationship with creation and the balance and order at the heart of creation. By contrast the chaos of nature has easily burst our boundaries and brought devastation, loss and hardship.
He goes on ‘the task of living in respectful care of our planet and to seek healing and peace with creation and living sustainably and gently are practical activities shared in by many people. For followers of Jesus they are also activities of Christian discipleship undertaken in the power and guidance of God’s Holy Spirit. We must rediscover the sense of intimate relationship and understanding that the psalm acclaims, that we might cherish our planet and live at peace with all its creatures.’
Now read and enjoy the poetry of this beautiful (but very long) psalm.
Here are verses 5 to 13.
Psalm 104:5-13
5 You have set the earth firmly on its foundations, and it will never be moved.
6 You placed the ocean over it like a robe, and the water covered the mountains.
7 When you rebuked the waters, they fled; they rushed away when they heard your shout of command.
8 They flowed over the mountains and into the valleys, to the place you had made for them.
9 You set a boundary they can never pass, to keep them from covering the earth again.
10 You make springs flow in the valleys, and rivers run between the hills.
11 They provide water for the wild animals; there the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 In the trees near by, the birds make their nests and sing.
13 From the sky you send rain on the hills, and the earth is filled with your blessings.
How does the emphasis on God’s natural world as described in the psalm impact your thinking and your living?
God’s blessing be with you as you strive!
Bob
Across the world there are churches that recognise the month of September as the ‘Season of Creation’.
For instance the church of Scotland’s weekly worship resources begin –
In this Season of Creation, our resources have been produced by EcoCongregation Scotland. We are called to be more open than ever to the creative leading of the Spirit in building our spiritual resilience as people of hope beyond hope, in which the hugely ambitious project of Net Zero is a response of faith, offered in dependence on grace.
Writing in With Love to the World, Rev Dr Paul Chalson minister of Canberra City UC who has a doctorate in ecotheology says of Psalm 104 –
It is impossible to read this extract without thinking of the devastating floods that recently ravaged NSW and SE Qld. Boundaries were passed and earth was covered. The psalm affirms God’s relationship with creation and the balance and order at the heart of creation. By contrast the chaos of nature has easily burst our boundaries and brought devastation, loss and hardship.
He goes on ‘the task of living in respectful care of our planet and to seek healing and peace with creation and living sustainably and gently are practical activities shared in by many people. For followers of Jesus they are also activities of Christian discipleship undertaken in the power and guidance of God’s Holy Spirit. We must rediscover the sense of intimate relationship and understanding that the psalm acclaims, that we might cherish our planet and live at peace with all its creatures.’
Now read and enjoy the poetry of this beautiful (but very long) psalm.
Here are verses 5 to 13.
Psalm 104:5-13
5 You have set the earth firmly on its foundations, and it will never be moved.
6 You placed the ocean over it like a robe, and the water covered the mountains.
7 When you rebuked the waters, they fled; they rushed away when they heard your shout of command.
8 They flowed over the mountains and into the valleys, to the place you had made for them.
9 You set a boundary they can never pass, to keep them from covering the earth again.
10 You make springs flow in the valleys, and rivers run between the hills.
11 They provide water for the wild animals; there the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 In the trees near by, the birds make their nests and sing.
13 From the sky you send rain on the hills, and the earth is filled with your blessings.
How does the emphasis on God’s natural world as described in the psalm impact your thinking and your living?
God’s blessing be with you as you strive!
Bob
From the Minister (August 25)
I wonder if there are there are others of you that feel the way I do. What am I thinking of?
Well let me start with Ukraine – Daily over the last six months we have seen the result of President Putin’s ‘military exercises’ there. We have seen the destruction of residential housing and beautiful public buildings and the anguish of Ukraine citizens.
I find myself wanting to launch rockets at the Kremlin.
In recent days there have been incidents of domestic violence where in one case the four children escaped from the house and hid behind bushes in the backyard while seeking help from neighbours.
I find myself wanting to bring the stocks back, or public flogging.
In these and other situations I discover to my dismay that what I want to do is in fact exactly what I am railing against – what I want to do is in fact to become as violent as the actions I am responding to!
Do you share my experience? Are you as horrified at what the miscreant has done to you – or at what you have allowed the miscreant to do to you?
In Romans 7 there is a verse that speaks of this problem ‘If I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it’.
How do we respond to this situation that attempts to warp our being and our values?
I suggest that first we recognise what is happening to us.
Perhaps a conversation with God goes well at this point.
Breathing in fresh air allows our body to breathe out that which is used. In the same way, allow the Spirit of God to fill us with its positive energy.
The negatives will be deprived of their power and the positives can get to work remaking us and our thoughts.
May the power of God’s Spirit continue to work daily within your being.
Bob
I wonder if there are there are others of you that feel the way I do. What am I thinking of?
Well let me start with Ukraine – Daily over the last six months we have seen the result of President Putin’s ‘military exercises’ there. We have seen the destruction of residential housing and beautiful public buildings and the anguish of Ukraine citizens.
I find myself wanting to launch rockets at the Kremlin.
In recent days there have been incidents of domestic violence where in one case the four children escaped from the house and hid behind bushes in the backyard while seeking help from neighbours.
I find myself wanting to bring the stocks back, or public flogging.
In these and other situations I discover to my dismay that what I want to do is in fact exactly what I am railing against – what I want to do is in fact to become as violent as the actions I am responding to!
Do you share my experience? Are you as horrified at what the miscreant has done to you – or at what you have allowed the miscreant to do to you?
In Romans 7 there is a verse that speaks of this problem ‘If I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it’.
How do we respond to this situation that attempts to warp our being and our values?
I suggest that first we recognise what is happening to us.
Perhaps a conversation with God goes well at this point.
Breathing in fresh air allows our body to breathe out that which is used. In the same way, allow the Spirit of God to fill us with its positive energy.
The negatives will be deprived of their power and the positives can get to work remaking us and our thoughts.
May the power of God’s Spirit continue to work daily within your being.
Bob
From the Minister (August 18)
Some thoughts prompted by two of this week’s readings – The first reading is Jeremiah 1:4–10. The challenges of climate change are so overwhelming that we might want to declare with Jeremiah, “But I’m only one person!” God doesn’t let Jeremiah off because he is young, and we don’t get let off because we feel we can’t make a difference!
I guess that most of us have at some time felt inadequate to meet a challenge we knew we couldn’t avoid. How and where did you find the strength needed for that challenge?
This week’s Psalm [71:1-6] picks up the themes in Jeremiah – and includes the image of God as midwife, which we rarely hear; more often it's God as a gardener, for example. This is very intimate and helpful image which shows a lot of care. The imagery in verse 3-4 can feel very ‘in or out' and asks us whether we tend to place ourselves on the outside because of the place we are in, or the way we feel about ourselves? The imagery of God leaning in to listen to people presents a familiar, caring God. It continues from Jeremiah and reinforces the intimate, conversational aspect of our relationship with God. It also shows that we are recognised – who we are, our beauty, distinctiveness, etc., which may have been overlooked/written off when we were young. Again, this refers back to Jeremiah – God saw him as an individual, and recognised who he was, even if Jeremiah himself hadn't.
Further on in the passage, verses 16-18: "I come and proclaim your righteous acts, Lord, …. To the next generation … Declare your mighty acts to all who are to come" show it's a journey through life, so we can't switch off – we should still be witnessing, regardless of our age and stage of life.
And that connects with us as Pilgrim People, always on the move. May God’s blessing be with you as you journey.
Bob
Some thoughts prompted by two of this week’s readings – The first reading is Jeremiah 1:4–10. The challenges of climate change are so overwhelming that we might want to declare with Jeremiah, “But I’m only one person!” God doesn’t let Jeremiah off because he is young, and we don’t get let off because we feel we can’t make a difference!
I guess that most of us have at some time felt inadequate to meet a challenge we knew we couldn’t avoid. How and where did you find the strength needed for that challenge?
This week’s Psalm [71:1-6] picks up the themes in Jeremiah – and includes the image of God as midwife, which we rarely hear; more often it's God as a gardener, for example. This is very intimate and helpful image which shows a lot of care. The imagery in verse 3-4 can feel very ‘in or out' and asks us whether we tend to place ourselves on the outside because of the place we are in, or the way we feel about ourselves? The imagery of God leaning in to listen to people presents a familiar, caring God. It continues from Jeremiah and reinforces the intimate, conversational aspect of our relationship with God. It also shows that we are recognised – who we are, our beauty, distinctiveness, etc., which may have been overlooked/written off when we were young. Again, this refers back to Jeremiah – God saw him as an individual, and recognised who he was, even if Jeremiah himself hadn't.
Further on in the passage, verses 16-18: "I come and proclaim your righteous acts, Lord, …. To the next generation … Declare your mighty acts to all who are to come" show it's a journey through life, so we can't switch off – we should still be witnessing, regardless of our age and stage of life.
And that connects with us as Pilgrim People, always on the move. May God’s blessing be with you as you journey.
Bob
From the Minister (August 11)
This description of the Church is from a resource prepared for the 11th Assembly of the World Council of Churches to be held in Karlsruhe, Germany from 31 August to 8 September, with the theme Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity.
Historically, the Reformed church was the church of refugees or the Church of the Wandering People of God. Jesus was also a wandering preacher, travelling in particular places which people consider margins of the society.
Christ was actually always at the margin, ‘the end of the world,’ where the oppressed, victimised, discriminated, and powerless are placed and abandoned, and Christ was inviting the church to come to find him.
The idea ‘Christ at the margin’ radically challenges our conception of the church. Christ is out there at the margin with people whom we have been excluding from the church.
Christ is calling us to come to the margin to restore God’s justice and work toward reconciliation. We Christians confess this Christ is our Lord. Our identity and practices are rooted in this confession. Therefore, Christ is the test of everything that claims itself to be Christian.
We understand this call to the churches includes
1. To be committed to transformative justice in every sense.
2. To be rooted in God’s love that is mediated to us in and through Christ.
3. To be and become Christ’s beloved community manifesting the gifts of reconciliation and unity which are obligations of God’s love.
4. To become a Gospel event through its witness to Christ who resides in the margins.
5. To be there where it belongs--
dangerously with broken people and groaning creation, suffering the brutality of the authoritarian regimes and their funding corporations.
Bob
This description of the Church is from a resource prepared for the 11th Assembly of the World Council of Churches to be held in Karlsruhe, Germany from 31 August to 8 September, with the theme Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity.
Historically, the Reformed church was the church of refugees or the Church of the Wandering People of God. Jesus was also a wandering preacher, travelling in particular places which people consider margins of the society.
Christ was actually always at the margin, ‘the end of the world,’ where the oppressed, victimised, discriminated, and powerless are placed and abandoned, and Christ was inviting the church to come to find him.
The idea ‘Christ at the margin’ radically challenges our conception of the church. Christ is out there at the margin with people whom we have been excluding from the church.
Christ is calling us to come to the margin to restore God’s justice and work toward reconciliation. We Christians confess this Christ is our Lord. Our identity and practices are rooted in this confession. Therefore, Christ is the test of everything that claims itself to be Christian.
We understand this call to the churches includes
1. To be committed to transformative justice in every sense.
2. To be rooted in God’s love that is mediated to us in and through Christ.
3. To be and become Christ’s beloved community manifesting the gifts of reconciliation and unity which are obligations of God’s love.
4. To become a Gospel event through its witness to Christ who resides in the margins.
5. To be there where it belongs--
dangerously with broken people and groaning creation, suffering the brutality of the authoritarian regimes and their funding corporations.
Bob
From the Minister (August 4)
Jesus concluded last Sunday’s gospel reading with an exhortation to be “rich toward God.”
It’s a beautiful and inspiring phrase, but what does it mean?
What does a heart (and a lifestyle, and a home, and a bank account) “rich toward God” look like?
Maybe it means guarding against greed instead of obsessing over fairness.
Maybe it means holding our mortality closer than we want to.
Maybe it means asking hard questions about what makes us feel secure or insecure.
Maybe it means acknowledging that even our hard-earned, well-earned, self-earned wealth comes from God and belongs to God.
Maybe it means prioritising human interconnectedness over personal gain or asset management.
Maybe it means dialoguing with God more ardently than we monologue with ourselves.
Maybe it means holding human wisdom lightly, knowing that God’s wisdom will almost always render our own foolish.
Do any of these offer a doorway to you? To your living this week?
Looking ahead to next Sunday when there is a passage from Isaiah 1, I sense a strong suggestion that God wants us to work at strengthening our life that lies ‘behind’ our worship.
Bob
Jesus concluded last Sunday’s gospel reading with an exhortation to be “rich toward God.”
It’s a beautiful and inspiring phrase, but what does it mean?
What does a heart (and a lifestyle, and a home, and a bank account) “rich toward God” look like?
Maybe it means guarding against greed instead of obsessing over fairness.
Maybe it means holding our mortality closer than we want to.
Maybe it means asking hard questions about what makes us feel secure or insecure.
Maybe it means acknowledging that even our hard-earned, well-earned, self-earned wealth comes from God and belongs to God.
Maybe it means prioritising human interconnectedness over personal gain or asset management.
Maybe it means dialoguing with God more ardently than we monologue with ourselves.
Maybe it means holding human wisdom lightly, knowing that God’s wisdom will almost always render our own foolish.
Do any of these offer a doorway to you? To your living this week?
Looking ahead to next Sunday when there is a passage from Isaiah 1, I sense a strong suggestion that God wants us to work at strengthening our life that lies ‘behind’ our worship.
Bob
From the Minister (July 28)
Life involves us in continually making choices. From first thing in the morning and all through the day our lives can be likened to a major railway shunting yard or perhaps the multiple roundabouts on the outskirts of Swindon. One choice after another. Often they are made without conscious thought or awareness that we are making a choice.
How do we make choices? Built in to us is a set of values that has developed and continues to develop throughout our lives. If we were to analyse a significant choice of the last week and consider how we arrived at that conclusion we would be able to find what for us is the origin – parents, teacher, close friend, spouse, church.
It is not many weeks since we heard the list of fruits of the Spirit – nourishment for our always developing set of values!
The theme of this week’s readings is not hard to discern – all of the readings contrast a life of dependence on wealth with the life of dependence on God.
Paul in Colossians and Jesus as recorded by Luke both warn against greed and speak about the danger of making wealth our goal and our security. In Hosea and in Psalm 107, God’s salvation and care are promised, even when God’s people have needed to be disciplined and corrected.
When it comes to making our way in the world, the quest for money too easily becomes an end in itself, and will ultimately lead us into destruction, and to bringing suffering on ourselves and others. However, when life is found in our relationship with God, and in basing our lives on the values of God’s reign, we bring life and joy to ourselves and others, and our lives have eternal value.
Ultimately, we all need to choose the priorities by which we will live.
Bob
Life involves us in continually making choices. From first thing in the morning and all through the day our lives can be likened to a major railway shunting yard or perhaps the multiple roundabouts on the outskirts of Swindon. One choice after another. Often they are made without conscious thought or awareness that we are making a choice.
How do we make choices? Built in to us is a set of values that has developed and continues to develop throughout our lives. If we were to analyse a significant choice of the last week and consider how we arrived at that conclusion we would be able to find what for us is the origin – parents, teacher, close friend, spouse, church.
It is not many weeks since we heard the list of fruits of the Spirit – nourishment for our always developing set of values!
The theme of this week’s readings is not hard to discern – all of the readings contrast a life of dependence on wealth with the life of dependence on God.
Paul in Colossians and Jesus as recorded by Luke both warn against greed and speak about the danger of making wealth our goal and our security. In Hosea and in Psalm 107, God’s salvation and care are promised, even when God’s people have needed to be disciplined and corrected.
When it comes to making our way in the world, the quest for money too easily becomes an end in itself, and will ultimately lead us into destruction, and to bringing suffering on ourselves and others. However, when life is found in our relationship with God, and in basing our lives on the values of God’s reign, we bring life and joy to ourselves and others, and our lives have eternal value.
Ultimately, we all need to choose the priorities by which we will live.
Bob
From the Minister (July 20)
Snippets from my reading this week:
The life of those who believe in Jesus ought to arouse curiosity among those who do not believe.
We should always try to live in a way that surprises if we want to be heard and noticed.
We should out-serve, out-party, out-love, out-give, out-live, and out-everything everyone else. We should live our lives in such a way that those observing us want to say ‘I’ll have what they are having.’
The role of art and of living an artful life is significant in a world in search of meaning and beauty.
If there is someone at church who is new and you know them, please introduce them to Bob so that he can welcome them and introduce them to the congregation. (And be sure he writes it down!)
Bob
Snippets from my reading this week:
The life of those who believe in Jesus ought to arouse curiosity among those who do not believe.
We should always try to live in a way that surprises if we want to be heard and noticed.
We should out-serve, out-party, out-love, out-give, out-live, and out-everything everyone else. We should live our lives in such a way that those observing us want to say ‘I’ll have what they are having.’
The role of art and of living an artful life is significant in a world in search of meaning and beauty.
If there is someone at church who is new and you know them, please introduce them to Bob so that he can welcome them and introduce them to the congregation. (And be sure he writes it down!)
Bob
From the Minister (July 14)
Luke 10:38-42
In our reading from Luke we are not given Martha’s response to Jesus. It would not really make much sense, though, to infer that she suddenly dropped all of her work at that moment and sat alongside her sister. After all, there were still mouths to feed, still places to be set at the table. There still are all of these things to be done, and there always will be, and thanks be to God for the grace we are each given to do the necessary, unglamorous work that sustains us. It is holy work, done upon the holy ground that is, in fact, everywhere, once we remember to look for it.
So no, you are not a Martha. You are not a Mary. All of us are both of them, and neither, for love requires us sometimes to strive and other times to be still.
* * * * * * *
Remember, congregations are not called to be successful, but to be faithful.
The measure of a church is not its size, or its splendour, but its faith.
Bob
Luke 10:38-42
In our reading from Luke we are not given Martha’s response to Jesus. It would not really make much sense, though, to infer that she suddenly dropped all of her work at that moment and sat alongside her sister. After all, there were still mouths to feed, still places to be set at the table. There still are all of these things to be done, and there always will be, and thanks be to God for the grace we are each given to do the necessary, unglamorous work that sustains us. It is holy work, done upon the holy ground that is, in fact, everywhere, once we remember to look for it.
So no, you are not a Martha. You are not a Mary. All of us are both of them, and neither, for love requires us sometimes to strive and other times to be still.
* * * * * * *
Remember, congregations are not called to be successful, but to be faithful.
The measure of a church is not its size, or its splendour, but its faith.
Bob
From the Minister (July 7)
There is a story about Poland's famous concert pianist and prime minister, Ignacy Paderewski. A mother, wanting to encourage her young son in the piano, took him to a Paderewski performance. They found their seats near the front and admired the imposing Steinway waiting onstage. As the mother got to talking with a friend, the boy wandered off. At eight o'clock the lights dimmed, the spotlight came on, and the audience looked up to see the little boy perched on the bench, plunking out "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." Gasping, the mother got up to get her son. But the master had already walked onstage and went quickly to the piano. "Don't quit. Keep playing," he said leaning over the boy. With his left hand Paderewski began filling in the bass part. Then he reached around the other side with his right, to add the top part, encircling the child. Together the young child and the old master held the audience enthralled. God surrounds and whispers to us, over and over, "Don't quit. Keep playing," as the Spirit gives its increase and majestic beauty to our humble beginnings.
Bob
There is a story about Poland's famous concert pianist and prime minister, Ignacy Paderewski. A mother, wanting to encourage her young son in the piano, took him to a Paderewski performance. They found their seats near the front and admired the imposing Steinway waiting onstage. As the mother got to talking with a friend, the boy wandered off. At eight o'clock the lights dimmed, the spotlight came on, and the audience looked up to see the little boy perched on the bench, plunking out "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." Gasping, the mother got up to get her son. But the master had already walked onstage and went quickly to the piano. "Don't quit. Keep playing," he said leaning over the boy. With his left hand Paderewski began filling in the bass part. Then he reached around the other side with his right, to add the top part, encircling the child. Together the young child and the old master held the audience enthralled. God surrounds and whispers to us, over and over, "Don't quit. Keep playing," as the Spirit gives its increase and majestic beauty to our humble beginnings.
Bob
From the Minister (June 30)
The Gospel for this Sunday is Luke 10:1-20
This Sunday’s gospel reading begins ‘now after this, the Lord also appointed seventy others’ presumably in addition to the twelve. Some of our Bibles read seventy and others read seventy-two, usually with a note saying that other ancient authorities differ.
We cannot determine with certainty which is correct. The number almost certainly refers back to Genesis 10, where we find a list of Gentile nations descended from Noah. In the Hebrew Bible, seventy nations are listed, while in the Greek Septuagint the number is seventy-two. So Jesus’ appointment of the seventy (or seventy-two) provides one evangelist for each nation, and corresponds to the seventy elders selected from the twelve tribes and Eldad and Medad [see Numbers 11: 24-30).
Some suggest that this points to outreach to Gentiles, which will be important in Luke’s sequel, the Acts of the Apostles—even though, for the moment, Jesus sends the seventy only to Jews or Samaritans.
Whether the number is seventy or seventy-two matters little, however, because the meaning is the same for either number. In the call to the twelve (9:3) they are told to carry no staff, bread, bag or money whereas the seventy are told no purse, bag or sandals. (10:4). Another uncertainty for us but not such as to render the meaning unclear.
* * * * * * *
Sometimes as we reflect on our life as Pilgrim People we think that we are small and perhaps insignificant. Tish Warren has some words for us to which we could add the fact that the key people in our Old Testament story (2 Kings 5:1-14) are two un-named women – Naaman’s wife and her Israelite servant girl. Jesus’ ministry is the ultimate example of embracing smallness and particularity. “The glory of Christianity is its claim that small things really matter and that the small company, the very few, the one man, the one woman, the one child are of infinite worth to God,” wrote former archbishop of Canterbury Michael Ramsey. “Our Lord devoted himself to a small country, to small things and to individual men and women, often giving hours of time to the very few or to the one man or woman.”
He continued: “Our Lord gives many hours to one woman of Samaria, one Nicodemus, one Martha, one Mary, one Lazarus, one Simon Peter, for the infinite worth of the one is the key to the Christian understanding of the many.”
Tish Harrison Warren in Christianity Today July-Aug 22
The Gospel for this Sunday is Luke 10:1-20
This Sunday’s gospel reading begins ‘now after this, the Lord also appointed seventy others’ presumably in addition to the twelve. Some of our Bibles read seventy and others read seventy-two, usually with a note saying that other ancient authorities differ.
We cannot determine with certainty which is correct. The number almost certainly refers back to Genesis 10, where we find a list of Gentile nations descended from Noah. In the Hebrew Bible, seventy nations are listed, while in the Greek Septuagint the number is seventy-two. So Jesus’ appointment of the seventy (or seventy-two) provides one evangelist for each nation, and corresponds to the seventy elders selected from the twelve tribes and Eldad and Medad [see Numbers 11: 24-30).
Some suggest that this points to outreach to Gentiles, which will be important in Luke’s sequel, the Acts of the Apostles—even though, for the moment, Jesus sends the seventy only to Jews or Samaritans.
Whether the number is seventy or seventy-two matters little, however, because the meaning is the same for either number. In the call to the twelve (9:3) they are told to carry no staff, bread, bag or money whereas the seventy are told no purse, bag or sandals. (10:4). Another uncertainty for us but not such as to render the meaning unclear.
* * * * * * *
Sometimes as we reflect on our life as Pilgrim People we think that we are small and perhaps insignificant. Tish Warren has some words for us to which we could add the fact that the key people in our Old Testament story (2 Kings 5:1-14) are two un-named women – Naaman’s wife and her Israelite servant girl. Jesus’ ministry is the ultimate example of embracing smallness and particularity. “The glory of Christianity is its claim that small things really matter and that the small company, the very few, the one man, the one woman, the one child are of infinite worth to God,” wrote former archbishop of Canterbury Michael Ramsey. “Our Lord devoted himself to a small country, to small things and to individual men and women, often giving hours of time to the very few or to the one man or woman.”
He continued: “Our Lord gives many hours to one woman of Samaria, one Nicodemus, one Martha, one Mary, one Lazarus, one Simon Peter, for the infinite worth of the one is the key to the Christian understanding of the many.”
Tish Harrison Warren in Christianity Today July-Aug 22
From the Minister (June 23)
The gospel for next Sunday begins a new section in Luke’s gospel – ‘Journey to Jerusalem’, which has two major themes:
1. the tension between Jesus and the religious leaders, and
2. the need for Jesus to prepare his disciples for his death.
Luke reminds his readers on five occasions that ‘his face was set toward Jerusalem. Luke has a similar ‘journey’ theme in the Acts of the Apostles his second book with Paul saying ‘I must also see Rome’.
James and John asked if they should call for the death of the unwelcoming Samaritans, a suggestion which attracted a rebuke from Jesus – had they forgotten the instruction he gave to love their enemies and not to judge?
In verses 57-62 of chapter 9, Jesus offers no easy discipleship. Those who follow him must not give anything – even good things – priority over Jesus.
Verse 62 about using a horse drawn plough reminds me that it is exacting work, as it involves controlling both the plough and the horse - how well I remember the seeming impossibility of doing this while under the eye of a lecturer at Gatton College. Failure to watch a fixed point directly ahead causes the furrow to similarly wander.
God blesses reluctant discipleship, which is Good News, because it means that God does not grade us with an indelible “F” when we sin or protest or offer excuses. Every failure is an invitation to repentance and blessing.
Bob
The gospel for next Sunday begins a new section in Luke’s gospel – ‘Journey to Jerusalem’, which has two major themes:
1. the tension between Jesus and the religious leaders, and
2. the need for Jesus to prepare his disciples for his death.
Luke reminds his readers on five occasions that ‘his face was set toward Jerusalem. Luke has a similar ‘journey’ theme in the Acts of the Apostles his second book with Paul saying ‘I must also see Rome’.
James and John asked if they should call for the death of the unwelcoming Samaritans, a suggestion which attracted a rebuke from Jesus – had they forgotten the instruction he gave to love their enemies and not to judge?
In verses 57-62 of chapter 9, Jesus offers no easy discipleship. Those who follow him must not give anything – even good things – priority over Jesus.
Verse 62 about using a horse drawn plough reminds me that it is exacting work, as it involves controlling both the plough and the horse - how well I remember the seeming impossibility of doing this while under the eye of a lecturer at Gatton College. Failure to watch a fixed point directly ahead causes the furrow to similarly wander.
God blesses reluctant discipleship, which is Good News, because it means that God does not grade us with an indelible “F” when we sin or protest or offer excuses. Every failure is an invitation to repentance and blessing.
Bob
From the Minister (June 16)
The Gospel reading for the coming Sunday is Luke 8:26-39. This incident is recorded also by Matthew [8:29-9:1] and Mark [5:1-20]. In chapter 8 Luke presents it as the second of four miracles that demonstrate Jesus’ authority and represent the four types of miracles that he performs.
Nature miracle – Calming of the storm (Luke 8:22-25)
Exorcism – Gerasene Demoniac (Luke 8:26-39)
Resuscitation – Healing of Jairus’ daughter (Luke 8:40-42, 49-56)
Healing – Healing of the woman with a haemorrhage (Luke 8:42b-48)
Jesus grants the request of the demons to take up residence in the pigs which promptly rush to their destruction.
We may tend to be troubled by the economic disaster that the death of the pigs represents for their owners and/or the fate of the animals themselves. The Gospel writers, however, cared little about such issues. For them, the overwhelming concern in this story was that of Jesus’ victory over evil forces.
Like the demoniac, the people of Gerasene are comfortable with demons that they have learned to accommodate. Yes, the man was crazy, but he lived out of sight among the tombs. Now that he is “clothed and in his right mind”, they will have to find room for him in the village. Will his family welcome him home? Has his wife remarried? Have his children made peace with his absence? How will he make a living? Will he become dangerous again? Will one of their daughters fall in love with him?
Jesus solved one problem but created the potential for a thousand new ones! The Gerasenes could have chosen to celebrate God’s power in their midst but chose instead to cater to their fears.
Good news!
Merthyr Road Uniting has been without a church council and without the office bearers that we would expect a congregation to have. Now they are on the way to becoming a ‘regular congregation’. Last Sunday they held a congregational meeting and elected a Council. Appointing a chairperson and a secretary are on the agenda for their first meeting. I have expressed our congratulations and good wishes to the congregation and the church council.
It has been a long time since Murray left during which time the presbytery has functioned as the council making all the financial decision. It is good to see them now returning to operating under their church council. Please remember them in your prayers.
Bob
The Gospel reading for the coming Sunday is Luke 8:26-39. This incident is recorded also by Matthew [8:29-9:1] and Mark [5:1-20]. In chapter 8 Luke presents it as the second of four miracles that demonstrate Jesus’ authority and represent the four types of miracles that he performs.
Nature miracle – Calming of the storm (Luke 8:22-25)
Exorcism – Gerasene Demoniac (Luke 8:26-39)
Resuscitation – Healing of Jairus’ daughter (Luke 8:40-42, 49-56)
Healing – Healing of the woman with a haemorrhage (Luke 8:42b-48)
Jesus grants the request of the demons to take up residence in the pigs which promptly rush to their destruction.
We may tend to be troubled by the economic disaster that the death of the pigs represents for their owners and/or the fate of the animals themselves. The Gospel writers, however, cared little about such issues. For them, the overwhelming concern in this story was that of Jesus’ victory over evil forces.
Like the demoniac, the people of Gerasene are comfortable with demons that they have learned to accommodate. Yes, the man was crazy, but he lived out of sight among the tombs. Now that he is “clothed and in his right mind”, they will have to find room for him in the village. Will his family welcome him home? Has his wife remarried? Have his children made peace with his absence? How will he make a living? Will he become dangerous again? Will one of their daughters fall in love with him?
Jesus solved one problem but created the potential for a thousand new ones! The Gerasenes could have chosen to celebrate God’s power in their midst but chose instead to cater to their fears.
Good news!
Merthyr Road Uniting has been without a church council and without the office bearers that we would expect a congregation to have. Now they are on the way to becoming a ‘regular congregation’. Last Sunday they held a congregational meeting and elected a Council. Appointing a chairperson and a secretary are on the agenda for their first meeting. I have expressed our congratulations and good wishes to the congregation and the church council.
It has been a long time since Murray left during which time the presbytery has functioned as the council making all the financial decision. It is good to see them now returning to operating under their church council. Please remember them in your prayers.
Bob
From the Minister (June 9)
The biblical scholar, Dr. Wil Gafney has noted that she does not believe in the Trinity because the concept is too limiting. It’s not that she disputes the communal nature of God or the many ways that God shows up.
For Gafney, three is not enough and she shares why in a sermon she preached on a Trinity Sunday:
The church has largely settled on one way of naming God to our great poverty. The blessed, holy Trinity is one way and only one way of naming the God of many names, the God of Isaiah, the God of Jesus and our God.
It is not the only way and it is not my way. If you know me you are not surprised by that. I once famously – or perhaps infamously – responded to a question during a job interview about the Trinity in the Hebrew Bible by saying I didn’t believe the Trinity. God is beyond numbering and naming.
The scriptures use many more than three names or images to describe God and do not limit us to any. And the scriptures do not mention the Trinity at all. Three names make a nice poetic flourish. But God is not bound or limited by our limitations. God is One, and Two – Incarnate and Incorporeal, and Three and Seven (the “seven spirits of God” in Rev 3:1; 4:5; 5:6) and God is Many and Ineffable.
The biblical scholar, Dr. Wil Gafney has noted that she does not believe in the Trinity because the concept is too limiting. It’s not that she disputes the communal nature of God or the many ways that God shows up.
For Gafney, three is not enough and she shares why in a sermon she preached on a Trinity Sunday:
The church has largely settled on one way of naming God to our great poverty. The blessed, holy Trinity is one way and only one way of naming the God of many names, the God of Isaiah, the God of Jesus and our God.
It is not the only way and it is not my way. If you know me you are not surprised by that. I once famously – or perhaps infamously – responded to a question during a job interview about the Trinity in the Hebrew Bible by saying I didn’t believe the Trinity. God is beyond numbering and naming.
The scriptures use many more than three names or images to describe God and do not limit us to any. And the scriptures do not mention the Trinity at all. Three names make a nice poetic flourish. But God is not bound or limited by our limitations. God is One, and Two – Incarnate and Incorporeal, and Three and Seven (the “seven spirits of God” in Rev 3:1; 4:5; 5:6) and God is Many and Ineffable.
From the Minister (June 2)
Pentecost, also called Whitsunday [especially in England] is a major festival in the church commemorating the coming of the Holy Spirit to the apostles and other disciples . It is celebrated on the Sunday that is the 50th day of Easter and marks the beginning of the church’s mission to the world.
The Jewish feast of Pentecost [Shavout] was primarily a thanksgiving for the firstfruits of the wheat harvest but later it was associated with a remembrance of the Law given to Moses on Mt Sinai.
When was the festival first celebrated? It was mentioned in a work from the eastern church in the 2nd century. In the 3rd century it was mentioned by the theologian Origen and by Tertullian.
Pentecost Spirit brings spontaneous unity. God loves all of us. Categories do not apply – age, gender, health, culture, country, rank, work, wealth, denomination, et al.
The commandment ‘Love your neighbour’ means just that. God’s Spirit breathes through all of us with a love that connects us beyond earthly understanding, opening us to see, to listen and to understand our neighbours. God’s radical love and grace change not only what we do and how we do it but why we do it. Importantly, it refocuses us from ‘the world’ to God’s realm.
We are called to be in unity as a diverse family, share the past’s dreams, and celebrate visions with hope and delight. Healthy, loving relationships grow between us, with wobbly moments and Pentecost times. Our Christian denominations reflect our different expressions and the richness of the body of Christ. Our prejudice, judgements, and quarrels do not. Are we there yet?
* * * * * * *
O Lord, you who are the True King, have mercy, we pray,
on the people who suffer the ravages of war this day.
Silence the warmongers, scatter the bloodthirsty,
shatter the weapons of war, and take pity on the vulnerable,
so that true peace and justice might be restored.
We pray this in the name of the Prince of Peace. Amen.
Pentecost, also called Whitsunday [especially in England] is a major festival in the church commemorating the coming of the Holy Spirit to the apostles and other disciples . It is celebrated on the Sunday that is the 50th day of Easter and marks the beginning of the church’s mission to the world.
The Jewish feast of Pentecost [Shavout] was primarily a thanksgiving for the firstfruits of the wheat harvest but later it was associated with a remembrance of the Law given to Moses on Mt Sinai.
When was the festival first celebrated? It was mentioned in a work from the eastern church in the 2nd century. In the 3rd century it was mentioned by the theologian Origen and by Tertullian.
Pentecost Spirit brings spontaneous unity. God loves all of us. Categories do not apply – age, gender, health, culture, country, rank, work, wealth, denomination, et al.
The commandment ‘Love your neighbour’ means just that. God’s Spirit breathes through all of us with a love that connects us beyond earthly understanding, opening us to see, to listen and to understand our neighbours. God’s radical love and grace change not only what we do and how we do it but why we do it. Importantly, it refocuses us from ‘the world’ to God’s realm.
We are called to be in unity as a diverse family, share the past’s dreams, and celebrate visions with hope and delight. Healthy, loving relationships grow between us, with wobbly moments and Pentecost times. Our Christian denominations reflect our different expressions and the richness of the body of Christ. Our prejudice, judgements, and quarrels do not. Are we there yet?
* * * * * * *
O Lord, you who are the True King, have mercy, we pray,
on the people who suffer the ravages of war this day.
Silence the warmongers, scatter the bloodthirsty,
shatter the weapons of war, and take pity on the vulnerable,
so that true peace and justice might be restored.
We pray this in the name of the Prince of Peace. Amen.
From the Minister (May 26)
John 17:20-26
Jesus Prays for Believers Everywhere
“I am not praying only on their behalf, but also on behalf of those who believe in me through their testimony, that they will all be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. I pray that they will be in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me. The glory you gave to me I have given to them, that they may be one just as we are one— I in them and you in me—that they may be completely one, so that the world will know that you sent me, and you have loved them just as you have loved me.
“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, so that they can see my glory that you gave me because you loved me before the creation of the world. Righteous Father, even if the world does not know you, I know you, and these people know that you sent me. I made known your name to them, and I will continue to make it known, so that the love you have loved me with may be in them, and I may be in them.”
Jesus’ deepest longing in this significant prayer is ‘that all may be one’. It is not a call to sameness, collective thought, or dominance of one denomination. Jesus’ prayer is to the very heart of unity and connection. Everyone and everything belong. When we open ourselves to God’s love, it is deeply embedded in us, strongly connecting us, and entwined in our whole being and living.
Jesus revealed the way of living that draws us closer to God in our loving, being, thinking and doing, and so, we grow to love our neighbours. The Christian life is both individual and communal. We alone glimpse Christ. Together, as the whole body of Christ, we gain a richer insight and greater learning, and we grow through the breadth of gifts we each bring. As we draw closer to God, we draw closer to each other. Our spiritual ecumenism enriches ourselves and the whole people of God. Who are we to hinder Jesus’ love and prayer?
John 17:20-26
Jesus Prays for Believers Everywhere
“I am not praying only on their behalf, but also on behalf of those who believe in me through their testimony, that they will all be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. I pray that they will be in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me. The glory you gave to me I have given to them, that they may be one just as we are one— I in them and you in me—that they may be completely one, so that the world will know that you sent me, and you have loved them just as you have loved me.
“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, so that they can see my glory that you gave me because you loved me before the creation of the world. Righteous Father, even if the world does not know you, I know you, and these people know that you sent me. I made known your name to them, and I will continue to make it known, so that the love you have loved me with may be in them, and I may be in them.”
Jesus’ deepest longing in this significant prayer is ‘that all may be one’. It is not a call to sameness, collective thought, or dominance of one denomination. Jesus’ prayer is to the very heart of unity and connection. Everyone and everything belong. When we open ourselves to God’s love, it is deeply embedded in us, strongly connecting us, and entwined in our whole being and living.
Jesus revealed the way of living that draws us closer to God in our loving, being, thinking and doing, and so, we grow to love our neighbours. The Christian life is both individual and communal. We alone glimpse Christ. Together, as the whole body of Christ, we gain a richer insight and greater learning, and we grow through the breadth of gifts we each bring. As we draw closer to God, we draw closer to each other. Our spiritual ecumenism enriches ourselves and the whole people of God. Who are we to hinder Jesus’ love and prayer?
From the Minister (May 19)
Rebekah Simon Peter when writing about empowering congregations says :
Jesus counsels us through the Golden Rule to treat others in the way we ourselves would like to be treated.
The Platinum Rule builds on the Golden Rule and takes it one step further. The Platinum Rule suggests that we honour the dignity of those who are different, sometimes very different, from us, by treating them the way they want to be treated.
For instance, my friend Cherisa wants to be referred to as Black, while David prefers the term African American. Nyx prefers the personal pronoun “they” instead of “he” or “she.” While adapting to others’ preferences is not always comfortable, especially if you don’t understand why the changes are necessary, drawing closer to differences works better than retreating.
How do you keep all this straight? When in doubt, ask! Applying the Platinum Rule requires getting to know people in your community, asking questions, and finding out how they want to be treated.
The Platinum Rule not only applies to those with different beliefs, backgrounds or lifestyles than us, it applies to people whose personalities differ as well. Instead of rolling your eyes at the person who analyses every risk, or insists on making friends with every stranger, or takes command to get things moving, or refuses to take the next step until every person has been heard—let go of judgment. Instead, honour their behaviour as an expression of their unique humanity.
Practising the Platinum Rule isn’t always easy. It requires a hidden superpower: the ability to be a non-anxious presence. Everyone feels anxiety to some degree about certain things. But noticing your own tendency to be anxious helps you not project that on other people. This superpower is exceedingly useful for disciples and apostles of Jesus, people who care about Jesus’ dream: “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
* * * * * * *
“I am not sure exactly what heaven will be like, but I know that when we die and it comes time for God to judge us, He will not ask, ‘How many good things have you done in your life?’ rather He will ask, ‘How much love did you put into what you did?” — Mother Teresa
Rebekah Simon Peter when writing about empowering congregations says :
Jesus counsels us through the Golden Rule to treat others in the way we ourselves would like to be treated.
The Platinum Rule builds on the Golden Rule and takes it one step further. The Platinum Rule suggests that we honour the dignity of those who are different, sometimes very different, from us, by treating them the way they want to be treated.
For instance, my friend Cherisa wants to be referred to as Black, while David prefers the term African American. Nyx prefers the personal pronoun “they” instead of “he” or “she.” While adapting to others’ preferences is not always comfortable, especially if you don’t understand why the changes are necessary, drawing closer to differences works better than retreating.
How do you keep all this straight? When in doubt, ask! Applying the Platinum Rule requires getting to know people in your community, asking questions, and finding out how they want to be treated.
The Platinum Rule not only applies to those with different beliefs, backgrounds or lifestyles than us, it applies to people whose personalities differ as well. Instead of rolling your eyes at the person who analyses every risk, or insists on making friends with every stranger, or takes command to get things moving, or refuses to take the next step until every person has been heard—let go of judgment. Instead, honour their behaviour as an expression of their unique humanity.
Practising the Platinum Rule isn’t always easy. It requires a hidden superpower: the ability to be a non-anxious presence. Everyone feels anxiety to some degree about certain things. But noticing your own tendency to be anxious helps you not project that on other people. This superpower is exceedingly useful for disciples and apostles of Jesus, people who care about Jesus’ dream: “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
* * * * * * *
“I am not sure exactly what heaven will be like, but I know that when we die and it comes time for God to judge us, He will not ask, ‘How many good things have you done in your life?’ rather He will ask, ‘How much love did you put into what you did?” — Mother Teresa
From the Minister (May 12)
In the movie Forgiving Dr Mengele, Eva Kor describes how she and her twin sister Miriam spent ten months in Auschwitz, where they were subjected to Mengele's horrific experiments. She returned to Auschwitz for the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the camps in 1995.
On that occasion, Kor did the unthinkable: she read aloud her "official declaration of amnesty" to Mengele and the Nazis. To be liberated from the Nazis was not enough, she said. She needed to be released from the pain of the past. To extend forgiveness without any prerequisites required of the perpetrators was an "act of self-healing." Some Jews were outraged that she dared to do this. But for Kor it was "the feeling of complete freedom from pain" though the act of “forgiving your worst enemy”
We learn
to trust by being trusted
to tolerate by being tolerated
to be faithful by the fidelity of others
to be moderate by the moderation of others
to forgive by being forgiven
to accept by being accepted
to love by being loved
In the movie Forgiving Dr Mengele, Eva Kor describes how she and her twin sister Miriam spent ten months in Auschwitz, where they were subjected to Mengele's horrific experiments. She returned to Auschwitz for the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the camps in 1995.
On that occasion, Kor did the unthinkable: she read aloud her "official declaration of amnesty" to Mengele and the Nazis. To be liberated from the Nazis was not enough, she said. She needed to be released from the pain of the past. To extend forgiveness without any prerequisites required of the perpetrators was an "act of self-healing." Some Jews were outraged that she dared to do this. But for Kor it was "the feeling of complete freedom from pain" though the act of “forgiving your worst enemy”
We learn
to trust by being trusted
to tolerate by being tolerated
to be faithful by the fidelity of others
to be moderate by the moderation of others
to forgive by being forgiven
to accept by being accepted
to love by being loved
From the Minister (May 5)
Last Sunday we were greeted at Merthyr Road by Phil using a gurney to clean the concrete – why? In preparation for the election. The Merthyr Road property will be a polling place.
Ahead of the 2022 Federal Election, the Uniting Church Assembly has released an election resource which expresses our hope for Australia to become a nation where all people and the whole creation can flourish. Drawing on the UCA document, Our Vision for a Just Australia, the election resource identifies seven critical issues that Australians should address urgently to build a more just, compassionate and inclusive nation.
1. A First People’s heart
2. Renewal of the whole of creation—climate change
3. A welcoming, compassionate and diverse nation—Refugees and asylum seekers
4. An economy for life—economic participation for all
5. An inclusive and equal society
6. Flourishing communities—regional, remote and urban
7. Contributing to a just and peaceful world
Last Sunday we were greeted at Merthyr Road by Phil using a gurney to clean the concrete – why? In preparation for the election. The Merthyr Road property will be a polling place.
Ahead of the 2022 Federal Election, the Uniting Church Assembly has released an election resource which expresses our hope for Australia to become a nation where all people and the whole creation can flourish. Drawing on the UCA document, Our Vision for a Just Australia, the election resource identifies seven critical issues that Australians should address urgently to build a more just, compassionate and inclusive nation.
1. A First People’s heart
2. Renewal of the whole of creation—climate change
3. A welcoming, compassionate and diverse nation—Refugees and asylum seekers
4. An economy for life—economic participation for all
5. An inclusive and equal society
6. Flourishing communities—regional, remote and urban
7. Contributing to a just and peaceful world
April
From the Minister (April 27)
Last week when we joined the disciples their grief was raw, their uncertainty strong, and Jesus’ unexpected presence combined joy and doubt.
These human characteristics exemplify our faith journey.
John 20:31 captures this continuing faith renewal, ‘so that you may come to believe’, to understand more deeply, to experience an awakening again.
· God’s Spirit sits lightly in this anxious space.
· Jesus stands among us, greets us with peace, and sends us out as we follow his way.
· The Spirit Advocate fills us, centres us with a mindfulness of eternal God’s love, wisdom, and kindness. Be open and receive.
This week we meet Jesus by the sea. By the very act of feeding and tending to the disciples by the sea, Jesus was exemplifying his call to Peter – feed and tend God’s people, teach and minister, serve and love your neighbour.
To follow our Christian calling is to serve in the way of Jesus. God calls us, individually and as a community, to bring God’s love to a wounded world. It is not always easy and sometimes seems foolhardy.
Peter felt fear when Jesus was arrested.
Ananias felt fear and uncertainty when called to pray with Saul.
The whole body of Christ expresses the beauty of all God’s people, each serving in ways beyond what one person can offer alone. Whether we hear our calling clearly or take some time in hearing it (as did Saul), God calls us to serve. As we share our calling and gifts with love and care, we all learn more about God’s Creation and creatures
Words for Worship – Mediacom
Let us be the Church, by covenanting to love one another as Christ has first loved us. And then, let us be the Church in the world, loving and serving our neighbour in such a way that the world’s political institutions might come to us and say, “Hey, teach us how to be more like you, more like this Christ you follow.”
Michael Fitzpatrick
Last week when we joined the disciples their grief was raw, their uncertainty strong, and Jesus’ unexpected presence combined joy and doubt.
These human characteristics exemplify our faith journey.
John 20:31 captures this continuing faith renewal, ‘so that you may come to believe’, to understand more deeply, to experience an awakening again.
· God’s Spirit sits lightly in this anxious space.
· Jesus stands among us, greets us with peace, and sends us out as we follow his way.
· The Spirit Advocate fills us, centres us with a mindfulness of eternal God’s love, wisdom, and kindness. Be open and receive.
This week we meet Jesus by the sea. By the very act of feeding and tending to the disciples by the sea, Jesus was exemplifying his call to Peter – feed and tend God’s people, teach and minister, serve and love your neighbour.
To follow our Christian calling is to serve in the way of Jesus. God calls us, individually and as a community, to bring God’s love to a wounded world. It is not always easy and sometimes seems foolhardy.
Peter felt fear when Jesus was arrested.
Ananias felt fear and uncertainty when called to pray with Saul.
The whole body of Christ expresses the beauty of all God’s people, each serving in ways beyond what one person can offer alone. Whether we hear our calling clearly or take some time in hearing it (as did Saul), God calls us to serve. As we share our calling and gifts with love and care, we all learn more about God’s Creation and creatures
Words for Worship – Mediacom
Let us be the Church, by covenanting to love one another as Christ has first loved us. And then, let us be the Church in the world, loving and serving our neighbour in such a way that the world’s political institutions might come to us and say, “Hey, teach us how to be more like you, more like this Christ you follow.”
Michael Fitzpatrick
From the Minister (April 21)
Easter Sunday is over – that was last Sunday! Wrong, Easter Sunday is only the beginning! It marks the start of the ‘Season of Easter’ a period of fifty days extending to Pentecost and described by many as a season of feasting. After all Easter is the high point of the Church Year. So it makes sense that we would party for so long!
But why fifty days? It’s actually quite simple. After the resurrection, Jesus spent forty days on earth before he ascended, and then there were ten more days after that before the Day of Pentecost.
Luke writes in Acts chapter 1 that Jesus “presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.”
In chapter two, we find the followers of Jesus gathered for the Day of Pentecost, which actually means “fifty.” It happened during the Hebrew feast of Shavuot, which is why the followers of Jesus were gathering. The Hebrew festival was originally a harvest first fruits celebration, and later it had evolved into a commemoration of the giving of the Law to Moses on Mt. Sinai.
So the Great Fifty Days are a celebration of the Resurrection of Christ and all that means to us, leading to the launching of the Christian Church and its mission on Pentecost.
The seasonal colour is white and the Old testament reading is replaced with one from Acts recounting the story of the growth of the early church, leading up to the Day of Pentecost story in Acts 2.
The gospel readings during the Sundays of Easter explore the post-resurrection appearances of Christ, and also the promise of a future resurrection. We go back to a closed room in which Jesus suddenly appears…but Thomas isn’t there. He doubts. Jesus later appears to him. Then we have breakfast with Jesus and Peter. Peter had denied Jesus three times and, after the Resurrection, had returned to fishing. Jesus restores him and gives him a mission: “Feed my Sheep” and “Follow me.” (He also prophecies that Peter will be arrested and martyred. Tough breakfast conversation.)
We revisit Jesus’ teaching on himself and his mission as well. He is preparing his disciples, and us, to take the power of his Resurrection to the world. So, Happy Easter to you all! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed.
Bob
Easter Sunday is over – that was last Sunday! Wrong, Easter Sunday is only the beginning! It marks the start of the ‘Season of Easter’ a period of fifty days extending to Pentecost and described by many as a season of feasting. After all Easter is the high point of the Church Year. So it makes sense that we would party for so long!
But why fifty days? It’s actually quite simple. After the resurrection, Jesus spent forty days on earth before he ascended, and then there were ten more days after that before the Day of Pentecost.
Luke writes in Acts chapter 1 that Jesus “presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.”
In chapter two, we find the followers of Jesus gathered for the Day of Pentecost, which actually means “fifty.” It happened during the Hebrew feast of Shavuot, which is why the followers of Jesus were gathering. The Hebrew festival was originally a harvest first fruits celebration, and later it had evolved into a commemoration of the giving of the Law to Moses on Mt. Sinai.
So the Great Fifty Days are a celebration of the Resurrection of Christ and all that means to us, leading to the launching of the Christian Church and its mission on Pentecost.
The seasonal colour is white and the Old testament reading is replaced with one from Acts recounting the story of the growth of the early church, leading up to the Day of Pentecost story in Acts 2.
The gospel readings during the Sundays of Easter explore the post-resurrection appearances of Christ, and also the promise of a future resurrection. We go back to a closed room in which Jesus suddenly appears…but Thomas isn’t there. He doubts. Jesus later appears to him. Then we have breakfast with Jesus and Peter. Peter had denied Jesus three times and, after the Resurrection, had returned to fishing. Jesus restores him and gives him a mission: “Feed my Sheep” and “Follow me.” (He also prophecies that Peter will be arrested and martyred. Tough breakfast conversation.)
We revisit Jesus’ teaching on himself and his mission as well. He is preparing his disciples, and us, to take the power of his Resurrection to the world. So, Happy Easter to you all! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed.
Bob
From the Minister (April 14)
In the 1930s, a young German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer was preparing pastors for ministry. They trained while sharing life together, and in the process, he showed them how social structures affect the life of the church. For example, a charismatic figure might stir people to action, but misuse of that attractiveness can destroy healthy communal life.
Bonhoeffer emphasised that little was more deadly to a community of faith than a romanticised view of life together. Unrealistic ideas easily disconnect us from our actual communities. “Those who love their dream of a Christian community more than the Christian community itself become destroyers of that Christian community even though their personal intentions may be ever so honest, earnest, and sacrificial,” Bonhoeffer observes in Life Together.
Bonhoeffer rejected the temptation we often experience: imagining we alone are responsible for creating, growing, and keeping the church. The kingdom of God is a gift. The church, a gathering of God’s people who worship King Jesus, is God’s gift that we participate in, and not a movement we could start or sustain by our own powers...God gathers us with all of our differences, united only by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, into the fellowship of the Spirit and the Father’s love. God calls, cares for, and sustains his people.
April 9, 1945: The Gestapo hangs German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, after discovering his involvement in a failed plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Bonhoeffer's last recorded words were, "This is the end—for me, the beginning of life.".
From the Minister (April 7)
“Christians celebrate Palm Sunday year after year.
Don’t we believe that something monumental happened when the King of Kings eschewed the warhorse to ride a peace donkey?
Don’t we at least believe Jesus offers us an alternative to all those dudes with their horses, tanks and ICBMs? We must believe it!
The Palm Sunday shout is HOSANNA! It means “save now.”
In a world married to war, now more than ever, we need to acclaim Christ as King and shout hosanna. But our hosanna must not be a plea for Jesus to join our side, bless our troops, and help us win our war—it must be a plea to save us from our addiction to war.”
Brian Zahnd (Brian Zahnd is the founder and lead pastor of Word of Life Church, a non-denominational Christian congregation in Saint Joseph, Missouri.)
* * * * * * *
The close circle of disciples drew together, grieving as they made sense of what had happened. The wider circle of women who had followed Jesus remained present as Joseph of Arimathea placed Jesus’ wrapped body in the tomb, prepared spices and perfumes to respectfully tend his body, as they would a beloved brother, and observed the Sabbath before making their way back to the tomb. In their grief, they acted with grace. Significantly, they ‘and the other women with them’ understood and remembered Jesus’ words.
The apostles, the long-time followers, not only disbelieved them, but they also ‘thought that it was nonsense’ or ‘an idle tale’.
So often, what is familiar blinds our inner sight, inhibiting our response.
God is ever present, revealing new beginnings and truth through the eyes or vivid conversations of new witnesses and unexpected ‘angels’. Do we, too, dismiss it as ‘nonsense’ as long-term believers? To whom does God refer to ‘tell all these things’? Who is sharing the Good News? Easter is a time to revive our faith, find grace and listen to new voices who ‘tell all these things’ in unexpected ways.
from Words for Worship, Mediacom
In the 1930s, a young German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer was preparing pastors for ministry. They trained while sharing life together, and in the process, he showed them how social structures affect the life of the church. For example, a charismatic figure might stir people to action, but misuse of that attractiveness can destroy healthy communal life.
Bonhoeffer emphasised that little was more deadly to a community of faith than a romanticised view of life together. Unrealistic ideas easily disconnect us from our actual communities. “Those who love their dream of a Christian community more than the Christian community itself become destroyers of that Christian community even though their personal intentions may be ever so honest, earnest, and sacrificial,” Bonhoeffer observes in Life Together.
Bonhoeffer rejected the temptation we often experience: imagining we alone are responsible for creating, growing, and keeping the church. The kingdom of God is a gift. The church, a gathering of God’s people who worship King Jesus, is God’s gift that we participate in, and not a movement we could start or sustain by our own powers...God gathers us with all of our differences, united only by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, into the fellowship of the Spirit and the Father’s love. God calls, cares for, and sustains his people.
April 9, 1945: The Gestapo hangs German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, after discovering his involvement in a failed plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Bonhoeffer's last recorded words were, "This is the end—for me, the beginning of life.".
From the Minister (April 7)
“Christians celebrate Palm Sunday year after year.
Don’t we believe that something monumental happened when the King of Kings eschewed the warhorse to ride a peace donkey?
Don’t we at least believe Jesus offers us an alternative to all those dudes with their horses, tanks and ICBMs? We must believe it!
The Palm Sunday shout is HOSANNA! It means “save now.”
In a world married to war, now more than ever, we need to acclaim Christ as King and shout hosanna. But our hosanna must not be a plea for Jesus to join our side, bless our troops, and help us win our war—it must be a plea to save us from our addiction to war.”
Brian Zahnd (Brian Zahnd is the founder and lead pastor of Word of Life Church, a non-denominational Christian congregation in Saint Joseph, Missouri.)
* * * * * * *
The close circle of disciples drew together, grieving as they made sense of what had happened. The wider circle of women who had followed Jesus remained present as Joseph of Arimathea placed Jesus’ wrapped body in the tomb, prepared spices and perfumes to respectfully tend his body, as they would a beloved brother, and observed the Sabbath before making their way back to the tomb. In their grief, they acted with grace. Significantly, they ‘and the other women with them’ understood and remembered Jesus’ words.
The apostles, the long-time followers, not only disbelieved them, but they also ‘thought that it was nonsense’ or ‘an idle tale’.
So often, what is familiar blinds our inner sight, inhibiting our response.
God is ever present, revealing new beginnings and truth through the eyes or vivid conversations of new witnesses and unexpected ‘angels’. Do we, too, dismiss it as ‘nonsense’ as long-term believers? To whom does God refer to ‘tell all these things’? Who is sharing the Good News? Easter is a time to revive our faith, find grace and listen to new voices who ‘tell all these things’ in unexpected ways.
from Words for Worship, Mediacom
March
From the Minister (March 31)
In the Isaiah passage for this Sunday [43:16-21] we read ‘Remember not the former days, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing.’
During the week I had occasion to look at some of our ‘founding documents’ and in particular our commitment to ‘not looking back’. At the time, it was appropriate and I recall singing the song from ‘Salad Days’ - We said we wouldn’t look back. I think that we have managed that pretty well! Nothing is to be gained by dwelling on negative events of pain or discomfort from the past except to seek to avoid repeating them.
Our Isaiah reading however stresses another aspect – God is doing a new thing. The prophet was singing a song of hope and comfort to his people out of his glimpse of God’s plan for the future – something that would surpass or overcome the joys or the tragedies of the past. How good are we at readily identifying the ‘new things’ that God is doing?
How many news items have we read or heard in the last week or two which have been about human generosity and courage, about the work of God in the hearts of his people? The pathway on from the floods continues to tell of how help and kindness have flooded the suburbs; at the same time homes in the countries to the west of Ukraine have been opened to the tsunami of refugees; and as I write, volunteers are searching for little Shayla in Tasmania.
I look at our community and how a disparate group has been bonded with the glue of God. Clearly the solidity, the strength, the unity of Pilgrim People has spoken to the Presbytery as they approved our new status as a Faith Community. A new thing that God has done!
But, what new thing is God at work doing now? As we interact with each other and with others beyond our community are we looking for the work of God? How will Pilgrim People move on from here? We value who and what we are and do, but we can’t sit on our hands or twiddle our thumbs! What are we being called by God to do to widen our outreach, to enrich our community?
I know you will ponder those questions!
God’s blessing be with you.
Bob
From the Minister (March 24)
‘There was a man who had two sons’, so begins one of the most renowned of Jesus’ parables.
The older is serious about his birth obligations, he takes his place alongside his father, settles down at home and picks up his responsibilities on the farm. The younger son is an adventurer, a rule breaker who pushes life’s edges, looks to frontiers, to what might be on offer in another place, in another life.
We can frame this story in the terms of which son makes the right or wrong choices. Perhaps both sons make good decisions, and both make bad ones. In our world we need all kinds of people – those who push for the new and those who care for what they have, and we ourselves need to be adaptable people making different choices at different times according to what we are confronted with.
What we hope for is that when we make mistakes and bad choices, as we all will, we are met by the Father who is full of compassion, that the short version of this parable is that there was a man who had two sons - and he loved them both, full-stop.
from Words for Worship - Mediacom
From the Minister (March 13)
Prayer point …
Please pray for congregations and ministers where the relationship between them has become difficult.
I want to write to you though my thoughts are as jumbled as the furniture in a flood ravaged house!
Covid has affected us all even if we were not infected…rules that changed so rapidly, rules that kept us apart from others for weeks and months, distancing and isolation…It seems that our life can now return to pre-covid ways! So let’s stand and sing from next week! Make a joyful noise un-muffled by mask-wearing.
Arranging for and planning worship at this important season of the year has been made more challenging when we have only just started to meet face-to-face. We thank Adele for the instrumentalists she has gathered under her wings (shades of the gospel next Sunday!) and for arranging rehearsals for the Pilgrim Singers. Elsewhere you will find service arrangements for Good Friday and Easter Day.
Merthyr Road people are still waiting for their new future. The weather has kept some key folk away from their services. They are working towards the stage where they can elect a new church council and ‘take back’ the functioning of the congregation from Presbytery.
Ukraine is on all our minds. The news is not at all good. To balance that is the request from the Chief Rabbi addressed to church leaders to read Psalm 31, and the YouTube of Ukranian Christians reading it where they are..in shelters, in basements..
Our weather – our hearts ache at the damage we have seen to the lives of so many including some Pilgrims – Fred and Mona, Neil and Jenny, Ann, and as I write a message appeared ‘I don’t know how my son will get home from school, so many roads are closed!’
Crafting worship to take account of so much……maybe there is something in Quaker worship which is conducted in silence, allowing our prayers to be comprehensive!
We have a wonderful sense of community and while we did cause anxiety for Phil last Sunday by our not leaving on time, it is that sense of community which carries us. We know that we are with faith-filled friends who share concerns with us!
Beneath the Fig Tree a daily Lenten space:
For each day of Lent, we will offer a bible reading and a comment or question for you to sit with. You could create a space that you go to each day at a particular time, light a candle, journal the images and thoughts that come to you, listen to music, or simply sit in silence. The prayer words might remain with you for the day and open you to the needs of others and the yearnings within.
Ash Wednesday - March 2nd, begins our Lenten journey for 2022. Traditionally Palm Crosses from last year are burnt and the ashes placed in the shape of a cross on the forehead.
Read: Psalm 51:1-17
What does it mean for you when the psalmist asks for a clean heart and a new and right spirit? Prayer words: heart / spirit
Thursday March 3rd
Read: Luke 4: 1
From an experience of spiritual fullness, Jesus is led into wilderness. How do you imagine spiritual fullness? Have you experienced wilderness?
Prayer words: fullness / wilderness
Friday March 4th
Read: Romans 10:8b
The word of faith is very near to you. In fact, it resides on your lips and dwells in your heart. When you listen, what does this word say to you and to others? How is it expressed through your lips from your heart?
Prayer words: near / within
Saturday March 5th
Read Psalm 91: 1 & 2
How might God be a shelter and fortress? What does it mean for you to trust God?
Prayer words: shelter / abide
Presbytery of Gippsland
Bob
In the Isaiah passage for this Sunday [43:16-21] we read ‘Remember not the former days, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing.’
During the week I had occasion to look at some of our ‘founding documents’ and in particular our commitment to ‘not looking back’. At the time, it was appropriate and I recall singing the song from ‘Salad Days’ - We said we wouldn’t look back. I think that we have managed that pretty well! Nothing is to be gained by dwelling on negative events of pain or discomfort from the past except to seek to avoid repeating them.
Our Isaiah reading however stresses another aspect – God is doing a new thing. The prophet was singing a song of hope and comfort to his people out of his glimpse of God’s plan for the future – something that would surpass or overcome the joys or the tragedies of the past. How good are we at readily identifying the ‘new things’ that God is doing?
How many news items have we read or heard in the last week or two which have been about human generosity and courage, about the work of God in the hearts of his people? The pathway on from the floods continues to tell of how help and kindness have flooded the suburbs; at the same time homes in the countries to the west of Ukraine have been opened to the tsunami of refugees; and as I write, volunteers are searching for little Shayla in Tasmania.
I look at our community and how a disparate group has been bonded with the glue of God. Clearly the solidity, the strength, the unity of Pilgrim People has spoken to the Presbytery as they approved our new status as a Faith Community. A new thing that God has done!
But, what new thing is God at work doing now? As we interact with each other and with others beyond our community are we looking for the work of God? How will Pilgrim People move on from here? We value who and what we are and do, but we can’t sit on our hands or twiddle our thumbs! What are we being called by God to do to widen our outreach, to enrich our community?
I know you will ponder those questions!
God’s blessing be with you.
Bob
From the Minister (March 24)
‘There was a man who had two sons’, so begins one of the most renowned of Jesus’ parables.
The older is serious about his birth obligations, he takes his place alongside his father, settles down at home and picks up his responsibilities on the farm. The younger son is an adventurer, a rule breaker who pushes life’s edges, looks to frontiers, to what might be on offer in another place, in another life.
We can frame this story in the terms of which son makes the right or wrong choices. Perhaps both sons make good decisions, and both make bad ones. In our world we need all kinds of people – those who push for the new and those who care for what they have, and we ourselves need to be adaptable people making different choices at different times according to what we are confronted with.
What we hope for is that when we make mistakes and bad choices, as we all will, we are met by the Father who is full of compassion, that the short version of this parable is that there was a man who had two sons - and he loved them both, full-stop.
from Words for Worship - Mediacom
From the Minister (March 13)
Prayer point …
Please pray for congregations and ministers where the relationship between them has become difficult.
I want to write to you though my thoughts are as jumbled as the furniture in a flood ravaged house!
Covid has affected us all even if we were not infected…rules that changed so rapidly, rules that kept us apart from others for weeks and months, distancing and isolation…It seems that our life can now return to pre-covid ways! So let’s stand and sing from next week! Make a joyful noise un-muffled by mask-wearing.
Arranging for and planning worship at this important season of the year has been made more challenging when we have only just started to meet face-to-face. We thank Adele for the instrumentalists she has gathered under her wings (shades of the gospel next Sunday!) and for arranging rehearsals for the Pilgrim Singers. Elsewhere you will find service arrangements for Good Friday and Easter Day.
Merthyr Road people are still waiting for their new future. The weather has kept some key folk away from their services. They are working towards the stage where they can elect a new church council and ‘take back’ the functioning of the congregation from Presbytery.
Ukraine is on all our minds. The news is not at all good. To balance that is the request from the Chief Rabbi addressed to church leaders to read Psalm 31, and the YouTube of Ukranian Christians reading it where they are..in shelters, in basements..
Our weather – our hearts ache at the damage we have seen to the lives of so many including some Pilgrims – Fred and Mona, Neil and Jenny, Ann, and as I write a message appeared ‘I don’t know how my son will get home from school, so many roads are closed!’
Crafting worship to take account of so much……maybe there is something in Quaker worship which is conducted in silence, allowing our prayers to be comprehensive!
We have a wonderful sense of community and while we did cause anxiety for Phil last Sunday by our not leaving on time, it is that sense of community which carries us. We know that we are with faith-filled friends who share concerns with us!
Beneath the Fig Tree a daily Lenten space:
For each day of Lent, we will offer a bible reading and a comment or question for you to sit with. You could create a space that you go to each day at a particular time, light a candle, journal the images and thoughts that come to you, listen to music, or simply sit in silence. The prayer words might remain with you for the day and open you to the needs of others and the yearnings within.
Ash Wednesday - March 2nd, begins our Lenten journey for 2022. Traditionally Palm Crosses from last year are burnt and the ashes placed in the shape of a cross on the forehead.
Read: Psalm 51:1-17
What does it mean for you when the psalmist asks for a clean heart and a new and right spirit? Prayer words: heart / spirit
Thursday March 3rd
Read: Luke 4: 1
From an experience of spiritual fullness, Jesus is led into wilderness. How do you imagine spiritual fullness? Have you experienced wilderness?
Prayer words: fullness / wilderness
Friday March 4th
Read: Romans 10:8b
The word of faith is very near to you. In fact, it resides on your lips and dwells in your heart. When you listen, what does this word say to you and to others? How is it expressed through your lips from your heart?
Prayer words: near / within
Saturday March 5th
Read Psalm 91: 1 & 2
How might God be a shelter and fortress? What does it mean for you to trust God?
Prayer words: shelter / abide
Presbytery of Gippsland
Bob
February
From the Minister (February 24)
Next Wednesday March 2 is Ash Wednesday.
What Is "Transfiguration Sunday?"
Transfiguration Sunday is the Sunday before Lent. In the biblical context, the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) narrate the Transfiguration as a bridge between Jesus’ public ministry and his passion. From the time of the Transfiguration, Jesus sets his face to go to Jerusalem and the cross.
Its position in the Christian year, coming before the start of Lent and the journey to the Cross, is because Transfiguration offers encouragement before a time of rigour. Peter, John and James were given a vision of Christ in glory, the risen and ascended Lord, as they struggled to come to terms with what Jesus had said about the trouble and suffering that lay ahead.
Traditionally Lent encouraged observers to give up and make sacrifices, to tighten their belts and deny themselves excess, to better understand the way of the cross, the suffering of Jesus and the world. On Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) or Pancake Day people said good-bye to meat (carne vale). The last of the rich foods was eaten before the fasting began with the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday.
‘Shrove' refers to making confession and Lent is associated with a time of review and reflection. Lent offers the opportunity to embrace change, to re-examine priorities and to remember the needs of our neighbour. By making lifestyle changes each of us may make the world a better place for others.
Transfiguration Sunday not only makes us more aware of the needs of our neighbours but gives to us, as to Peter, John and James, a vision of Christ in Glory, for our encouragement and hope day by day.
From the Minister (February, 16)
Some special days such as children’s birthdays seem to take a very long time to arrive!!
At last, February 20, National Church Life Survey Sunday has arrived and this Sunday afternoon we will join many thousands in over 20 denominations across Australia in contributing to the most comprehensive view of church life in the world. It is a chance to review our church’s qualities as we look to the future.
Many of us will remember completing the survey before – in fact the survey has been conducted on six previous occasions over 30 years. I wonder how our responses this year would compare with those of last time!
If you are not able to attend worship on Sunday you can still join in online –
Go to attendersurvey.ncls.org.au and enter our NCLS Church Code UA310030 Complete the survey and click ‘Finish’.
Our service on Sunday will be a little shorter so we can complete the survey and have time to catch up with each other – it has been a long time since we were able to share afternoon tea. I will return our completed surveys to the NCLS office in Sydney on Monday. After the processing we will receive resources including our Profile of results.
The interest on the part of Synod is shown by the fact that Synod is ‘footing the bill’ for our participation, so our responses are part of what the synod will hear as it plans for the years ahead.
It is timely for us, as when Presbytery meets on March 1, it will be considering our request to be recognised as a Faith Community of the Uniting Church, and this Sunday our committee will update us on our progress to become an incorporated body – both of these moves relate to our future. Bob
Next Wednesday March 2 is Ash Wednesday.
What Is "Transfiguration Sunday?"
Transfiguration Sunday is the Sunday before Lent. In the biblical context, the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) narrate the Transfiguration as a bridge between Jesus’ public ministry and his passion. From the time of the Transfiguration, Jesus sets his face to go to Jerusalem and the cross.
Its position in the Christian year, coming before the start of Lent and the journey to the Cross, is because Transfiguration offers encouragement before a time of rigour. Peter, John and James were given a vision of Christ in glory, the risen and ascended Lord, as they struggled to come to terms with what Jesus had said about the trouble and suffering that lay ahead.
Traditionally Lent encouraged observers to give up and make sacrifices, to tighten their belts and deny themselves excess, to better understand the way of the cross, the suffering of Jesus and the world. On Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) or Pancake Day people said good-bye to meat (carne vale). The last of the rich foods was eaten before the fasting began with the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday.
‘Shrove' refers to making confession and Lent is associated with a time of review and reflection. Lent offers the opportunity to embrace change, to re-examine priorities and to remember the needs of our neighbour. By making lifestyle changes each of us may make the world a better place for others.
Transfiguration Sunday not only makes us more aware of the needs of our neighbours but gives to us, as to Peter, John and James, a vision of Christ in Glory, for our encouragement and hope day by day.
From the Minister (February, 16)
Some special days such as children’s birthdays seem to take a very long time to arrive!!
At last, February 20, National Church Life Survey Sunday has arrived and this Sunday afternoon we will join many thousands in over 20 denominations across Australia in contributing to the most comprehensive view of church life in the world. It is a chance to review our church’s qualities as we look to the future.
Many of us will remember completing the survey before – in fact the survey has been conducted on six previous occasions over 30 years. I wonder how our responses this year would compare with those of last time!
If you are not able to attend worship on Sunday you can still join in online –
Go to attendersurvey.ncls.org.au and enter our NCLS Church Code UA310030 Complete the survey and click ‘Finish’.
Our service on Sunday will be a little shorter so we can complete the survey and have time to catch up with each other – it has been a long time since we were able to share afternoon tea. I will return our completed surveys to the NCLS office in Sydney on Monday. After the processing we will receive resources including our Profile of results.
The interest on the part of Synod is shown by the fact that Synod is ‘footing the bill’ for our participation, so our responses are part of what the synod will hear as it plans for the years ahead.
It is timely for us, as when Presbytery meets on March 1, it will be considering our request to be recognised as a Faith Community of the Uniting Church, and this Sunday our committee will update us on our progress to become an incorporated body – both of these moves relate to our future. Bob
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