A Peace that Lasts.

             If you could sum up Christmas in a single word what would it be? For me that word is 'Peace’.           

            If we’re honest, it can be hard to come by, can’t it?
             So often our experience of peace is determined by our surroundings. Maybe you’ve had a difficult few months or even a difficult year. Perhaps you lost a job, your health, or even a loved one. Maybe peace seems fleeting. Even if you have had a great year, we know that things change and soon enough we will experience our own trials and sufferings. The world changes and we change. What happens to peace then?

          I know it may be hard to tell through all the glitter, noise, shopping, and rushing about, but at its core Christmas is about peace.

            And not just any peace but a peace that doesn’t change because it isn’t based in our surroundings.

           For billions of Christians around the world, Christmas is one of our biggest celebrations and it all has to do with the birth of an infant from a poor family in first century Palestine. In the Gospel of Luke, the circumstances surrounding this birth are extraordinary: it is announced by an angel and the mother of the child will be a virgin. Most strange! Then the birth itself – tucked away in the backwaters of the Roman Empire, is accompanied by a whole crowd of angels who sing, ‘Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men,’ (Luke 2:14).

            That’s the message of Christmas, that Jesus Christ, born in Bethlehem, brings the peace of God’s presence to earth so that wherever he is found peace abounds. True peace, God’s peace.

          This is not a peace you can buy and it’s not a peace you can find or discover within yourself. You can only receive it as a gift from God’s hands. Best of all, this peace doesn’t change, because the One who gives it doesn’t change. This peace is sturdy. It lasts. And it fundamentally transforms how we live.

             Now I’m not trying to be preachy here, I’m just trying to tell it like it is. Christmas is an announcement of something that has already happened whether you like it or not. God’s peace has come to us in Jesus Christ. And it has come to you as a gift to be welcomed, or not.

                                But either way, there it is – Peace.

                         Rev. Jonathon R Turtle, The Parish of Craighurst and Midhurst. Canada.

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                                         Who was St. Bartholomew?

    Bartholomew was  one of Jesus' twelve apostles. In the synoptic gospels, Bartholomew is listed with the
other apostles (Mathew 10:3, Mark 3:18, and Luke 6:14) but not referred to elsewhere. In the Acts of the Apostles, Bartholomew is mentioned as being in the upper room in Jerusalem with the others, (Acts 1:13).
But the Gospel of John tells us much more about Bartholomew, although he is referred to as Nathanael.

According to John, it was Phillip who introduced Bartholomew to Jesus. Jesus first saw him sitting under a fig tree and later remarked 'Here is a true Israelite in whom there is no deceit' (John 1: 43-49). John also says that Bartholomew was present when Jesus showed himself by the Sea of Tiberias (John 21:2).

Scholars now accept that Bartholomew and Nathanael were almost certainly the one and the same person and the Bartholomew was a patronymic ( a modification of the father's name borne by the son). The apostles full name would have been 'Nathanael Bartholmai'. i.e. the son of Tolmai. That three of the Evangelists mention Bartholomew with Phillip but do not mention Nathanael, and John mentions Nathanael in connection with Phillip but says nothing about Bartholomew, supports this thesis. And as one writer put it, if Bartholomew/Nathanael was not the same man, after the crucifixion why did the apostles choose between Mathias and Joseph called Barsabbas  (Acts 1: 23-27) to replace Judas? Why not Nathanael?

In addition to what the scripture tells us of Bartholomew's life, a fair number of stories about him have accumulated over the centuries. No doubt some were embroided in the retelling. In the Gollden Legend by Jacob de Voragine (c.1228-1298), Bartholomew is reported as going as far as 'India' (then a term with wide geographical application), to spread the gospel. He is supposed to have left a copy of Mark's Gospel in Hebrew in India. When in Armenia he gained the favour of King Polemius by curing his daughter of some malady. Polemius and his family then converted to Christianity. But this conversion so infuriated King Astrages, Polemius' brother, that Bartholomew was martyred by the gruesome method of being flayed alive.

Alban Butler's, 'The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and other Principal Saints', first published in the 18th century, repeats the story of Bartholomew's martyrdom, and describes him as 'a native of Cana in Galilee, and a doctor of the Jewish law.'

Modern reference works include simpler versions of Bartholomew's story, reflecting the efforts of scholars to peel away the accretions of almost two thousand years. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, (third edition, 1997), refers to his leaving the Gospel in 'India' and adds, 'Bartholomew is traditionally said to have been flayed alive at Albanopolis in Armenia.' This town is now called Derbent, and is located on the west coast of the Caspian Sea.

According to Eusebius' History of The Church, 323A.D., Bartholomew is reported to have 'preached the gospel of Christ in India; thence he went into Greater Armenia and when he had converted many people there  in the faith he was flayed alive by the barbarians, and at the command of King Astyages fulfilled his martydom by beheading'.


Written by Percy Preston, Jnr for St. Bartholomews church. New York. USA.
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                        'Dear God, You've Got It Wrong'

         When Phillip landed on our shores in 1788
 He cried 'Dear Lord, You've got it wrong! We'll fix it for you mate
 Now loo at all those scraggly trees - eucalypts, I think they're called
 We'll chop them up for firewood - it's great to hear them fall'.

         'We need the land to be all bare, so we can use a plough
 To grow some decent grass and seed to feed our horse and cow.
 And what about my greyhound dogs? Good job I brought some rabbits
 They couldn't chase those animals with tails and bouncing habits".

        'I'm sure the bunnies will like it here - they won't get out of hand
 For after all they'll think like us - it's pretty awful land' .
 So Phillip started off with glee, to make it like 'back home'
 And as successive settlers came, they slowly started to roam.

        They cleared the land and introduced the species called 'exotic'
 Which only meant they brought to Aus some flora diabolic.
 Like Paterson's Curse and St. John's Wort - some pretty little flowers
 It didn't take them long to spread about, with wind and showers.

        And then came berries black and red - they made delicious jam
 But how they thrived and grew so well across the land.
 The list is almost endless of the species introduced
 The aborigines couldn't believe the whites man's land abuse.

        The chemical companies yelled 'you beaut - we'll really do our best'
 Producing pesticides and drugs to kill those awful pests.
 And so the great imbalance came to poor defenceless Aus
 If only we had realised the great land that it was.

        But bit by bit we're seeing now that God was pretty right
 And if we try each one of us to work with all our might
 To do our share in fixing up the damage we have done
 Our great land Aus will shine again, beneath the golden sun.

           Betty Walton
        Bell's Ballads July, 2002
This poem won 'Ladies Original Poem' at the Snowy Mountains Poets Championships - November 1998


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         G o d ’s  E a r t h 
 
The earth itself is a witness to the glory of God and the Lordship of Christ. It is important for Christians to ensure that this witness is enhanced and not undercut by our actions and approaches.
Have we thought deeply about our place in the world and our responsibilities to the web of life?
Do we value nature for its own sake, not only for the material benefits to humans?
 
Let’s dream :
          We could have a carbon neutral economy and fully renewable energy, including equitable access. and a just transition process for communities currently dependent on fossil fuel activities.
         We could live sustainable lifestyles with minimal further human impact on our ecosystems.
        The abundance of the earth’s resources, food and water, are managed in a just, participatory and sustainable manner, for the benefit of current and future generations. 
       We protect the rights of future generations to healthy air, an intact ozone layer and sufficient thermal exchange between earth and space. 
      'Waste’ products are seen as resources, and products are built to last.
       We recognize that there is no ‘away’ and that we are responsible for all the items we use.
       We live within, and as a part of, an abundant natural world, with a rich plant and animal life.
 
Australia is a land of amazing biodiversity, however, we are failing to fully protect that diversity.
 
According to the  Australia State of the Environment Report, 2017, the main pressures facing the Australian environment are: climate change, land-use change, habitat fragmentation and degradation, invasive species and multiple overlapping pressures of the same ecosystems.
Additional pressures include altered fire regimes, overuse of species and habitats, ocean acidification, pollution in our coastal and marine environments, energy production, mining and agriculture.
 
Actions that we can take include:
     Support more natural land and marine protected areas, better land care and water management and improved environmental laws. 
     Policies which support farmers, who have already or want to transition, to more sustainable agriculture techniques. 
     Have strong environmental laws, with independent assessment processes, and strict enforcement.
     We create a culture where the desire to protect and sustain our environment overrides the desire to consume. 

In the Uniting Church in Australia, (UCA)  document,                                                      ‘Our Vision for a Just Australia’ (n.d.), and from the section                                               Renewal of the Whole of Creation:
“Our Vision states: We seek the flourishing of the whole of God’s Creation and all it creatures. We act to renew the earth from the damage done and stand in solidarity with people most impacted by human-induced climate change. Government, churches, business and the wider community work together for a sustainable future.”

 Pat Faggotter, September, 2019


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Why Pray?

Prayer is calling back home.
Prayer is, in essence, coming home, or it brings us into connection with our selves.
It is the way we speak to God, and its beauty and poetry  and devotion should match that in our hearts,
so the home we offer to God is an immaculate and pure one.
Prayer is the time when our mouths, our minds and our hearts are filled with the glory of God,
when we simultaneously speak, think and feel our love for him.

Prayer is the blanket that wraps itself around our souls and keeps us warm and cozy.

Prayer is the water that quenches the thirst of a man lost in the desert.
It is the stars that glisten in the dark of night, giving light to all those who need it.
It is the sun that shines in the middle of winter, coaxing the flowers to open their petals.
It is medicine to the sick, food to the hungry,  and shelter to the homeless.

From Drops of Nectar, Fifth Edition, 1999

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Unity in Diversity
 In June 2019, our Uniting Church in Coffs Harbour hosted an ecumenical church service as members of our local Council of Churches: Uniting, Anglican, Catholic, and Lutheran, and other guest Ministers coming together to worship in song and prayer.

Following this service, Rev. Jan McLeod, from the Anglican Church, wrote a message on Unity in Christian Churches. She has given her permission to put this in our website Reflections. It might make you think about Unity, or Disunity or Diversity and Difference, but also Togetherness in Christian Churches. She wrote as follows:

“I believe we are all connected at a much deeper level as a result of our gathering and worshipping together.
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking (and reading) lately about ecumenism and I am more and more convinced that the future of our Christian churches is somehow tied up with a clear understanding of ‘unity’.

 I have a really hard time believing that our unity means uniformity! In fact, I think the opposite is true. Looking around God’s world there is an awe-inspiring multiplicity of difference - from the tiniest of species to the grandeur of continents, from racial diversity to the wonder of humanity, from creativity to loving purpose.

And all this difference is God’s gift and needs to be accepted and indeed celebrated!!
 
In my readings I came across a commentary on the Tower of Babel story in Genesis. The author writes that the scattering of people into differing language groups was one way to describe ‘difference’. That this passage is read at Pentecost is one way to describe the arrogance of those who believe that only one language is necessary to reach ‘into heaven’. No wonder that the Tower of Babel came crashing down, as the tide sweeps away a sand castle. The fix is not that we share one universal language, but that God speaks in every language!! Diversity is a blessing, not a curse. 

 The problem, as I see it, is that somehow disunity is enhanced by one group believing that they are ‘right’ and the others need ‘fixing up’! But is there any cause, or principle, or perspective sooo… important or essential, that it justifies creating even more disunity between believers?

Our challenge is to work to break through barriers and misunderstandings that have arisen between individuals, and indeed, between churches over the centuries, and our hope and trust is in the power of the Spirit to strengthen us in love for this task. There are no winners and losers but only God-purposed love!!

And that is worth a celebration!!!”

Love and Blessings, 
Jan.
      July, 2019                                                               
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                                           I am Grateful

    For the teenager who is not doing dishes, but is watching TV, because it means he is at home and not on           the streets.
    For the taxes that I pay, because it means that I am employed.
    For the mess to clean up after a party, because it means I have been surrounded by friends.
    For the clothes that fit a little too snuggly, because it means I have enough to eat.
    For a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning and gutters that need fixing, because I have
         a home.
    For the parking spot I find at the far end of the parking lot, because it means I am capable of  walking             and that I have been blessed with transportation.
    For my huge heating bill, because it means I am warm.
    For the lady behind me in church who sings off key, because it means I can hear.
    For the pile of laundry and ironing I have to do, because it means I have clothes to wear.
    For the weariness and aching muscles at the end if the day, because it means I am capable of working  
         hard and that I have employment.
    For the alarm that goes off early in the morning, because it means I am alive.

                                                    Anon. from Drops of Nectar, 2004
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                                          Reflections on Parenting.
Recently we had a young father come to our church Card, Craft and Books shop, asking if we had any books on parenting, as he needed some help with knowing what to do with issues with his children. We didn’t really have any – well, one very old one which we did give him, as it would be quite useful even today. But we did get in three books, one of which I have referred to.

What are you doing to pass on your values and beliefs to your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews? Are you aware of trying to be a good role model through what you say, or don’t say, do, or don’t do? We know we need to set boundaries, but not legalism (Lee & Lee 2012, p.437). We try to answer the hard questions about life. But we also must realise that we cannot guarantee our children’s future beliefs or lifestyle. However, we do hope the good basic values are retained, even though over time, as a result of experiences and education, beliefs do (and should be able to) change.

Through Christian faith and love, parents can pass on their values.

The way that children see their parent’s relationships, or any adult relationships, which are a close part of their everyday life, will influence their thinking and behaviour. We need to reflect God’s love in our behaviour at all times. Children thrive in an environment they enjoy – one where there is laughter, where everyone listens and learns from each other. Children are likely to be turned off by any sort of heavy, intense spiritual control though. ‘They are attracted by a spirituality that brings a sense of freedom, love and security’ (Lee and Lee 2012, p.438).

 If you read Bible stories with children, which I hope you do, listen to their questions and doubts. Science can and does exist alongside faith in God the creator of all things. Parents don’t need to know all of the answers, but need to say it is right for them to express their views, but suggest how you might all find views on, or answers to, their questions or doubts.

The Bible does have a few messages for parents e.g. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. (Ephesians 6:4) and Proverbs (22:6):  Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.

Teach children to pray. They will accept this, as in our secular society, we frequently hear people use the word ‘pray’ or ‘prayer’. It is a good approach to pray to God for His help when they face BIG problems. Being grateful, saying ‘Thank you God’ and saying ‘sorry’ to God when they have made a bad choice is important. Let them know that they can ask God, as well as people, for forgiveness.

Creating a life where children will come across other Christians is important. Even if you feel that church worship services are not for you, seek out churches children’s activities, like playgroups or teenage café meetings, and Scripture class at school.

Yes, as they grow up, they will probably question Christian beliefs, but building a strong spiritual life for your child will provide the foundations for a good adult life.

I’ll leave you with a few words from Nicky and Sila Lee’s book, ‘The Parenting Book’ (2009 p.456):

CHILDREN THRIVE ON:
Encouragement, Gratitude, Boundaries, Discipline, Apologies, Forgiveness, Laughter, Listening, Freedom to be themselves, Acceptance and Trust.
CHILDREN WITHER ON:
Criticism, Complaining, Legalism, Authoritarianism, Blame, Fear of failure, Intensity, Ridicule, Being made to conform, Being judged and Control.

Lyndall Coomber
Coffs Harbour Uniting Church, Australia
References:
Lee, N. & Lee, S, 2009, The Parenting Book, 1st Edn., Koorong Books, Australia.
New Living Translation, Holy Bible, 2nd Edn., Tyndale House Publishers, Illinois.

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   Let's reflect on Easter.
 
    Easter reminds us of the good news of Jesus Christ.
   He was killed like a criminal, but God brought him back to life.
 
   Now Christ Jesus has come to show us the kindness of God.
  Christ our Saviour defeated death and brought us the good news.
  It shines like a light and offers life that never ends.
 
                                                    God gives the new life to everyone who believes in Jesus.
 
                                                    May this life be yours this Easter.  
 
                                                                                                                                                (The Bible Society in Australia Inc. 2001)
              
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Three Categories?  Where do you fit?

Last year, on this webpage, there was a short Reflections message: ‘Making a Difference’ from an article in the Seafarer’s magazine (Wright, Nov/Dec., 2017).

Our Reflections message began with the words:
In all the interactions we have as people, we should aim to make a positive difference. The Christian Bible is full of great stories which contain insights for those of all faiths, and none. In its gospel of John, for example, we read of many different meetings Jesus had with a wide range of people.

This month, we again refer to a similar Christian message from the Seafarers.
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A member of the Mission to Seafarers, famous for their Flying Angel symbol, said that he believed that people fell into three categories.

“Some are like ancient canal barges because they only move forward when towed.

Others are like sailing boats, who only operate and function properly when there are favourable winds.

‘And what’s the third kind?’ I asked.

‘They are like lifeboats,’ he said. ‘They travel through all waters and all weathers, often against the tide, because they not only have the power within but a distant goal, too, that includes helping others out of trouble.’

Let us try to be as single-minded as these lifeboats and their courageous crews.”

                                                                                  From: ‘The Friendship Book’ of Francis Grey, 2010.

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Celebrating Christmas into the New Year

Christmas 2018 has come and gone. People around the world have celebrated, in a range of different ways, the birth of Jesus on the 25th December (over) 2018 years ago – but was it? Nobody really knows exactly when Jesus was born, but scholars and theologians think it was more likely to be in the Northern Hemisphere Spring, not Winter, (Castro, J. 2014), between 6BC and 2 or 3BC. The shepherds came out of the fields whilst looking after their sheep. However, they would not have been in the fields in winter (December). But it wasn’t until the Roman Emperor Constantine, who became the first Christian Emperor, declared that Christ’s birthday be celebrated on the 25th December – instead of the festival to celebrate the Sun called ‘Saturnalia’ – a celebration when people decorated their houses and presents were exchanged. So Christmas only became an event, as we know it, in AD354.

And it hasn’t always been officially celebrated every year throughout history since then. In 1647, Cromwell in Britain abolished it, as his form of Puritan Government had no room for joyful festivities and feasts. In 1660, Christmas was reinstated until the 1790’s. Around 1843, when Charles Dickens published ‘A Christmas Carol’, Christmas Day, as a day of celebration, was reinstated (Ardagh, P. 2013, The Truth about Christmas).

Christmas greetings have been an important part of Christmas. Winter landscapes, a church prominent in the picture, snowmen, Holly and Robins and of course, St. Nicholas in Europe, and then the American Santa, have presented an identity of Christmas on cards for as long as we remember Christmas cards. To a child, illusion is reality, but over the years, as one becomes an adult, the illusion is stripped away and we are soon reminded that Christmas is summer in Australia. Religious cards or indeed physical cards at all, are fast becoming a thing of the past. It is becoming all digital now, and messages with a religious theme are a minority. Did you notice that we were told on one of Television’s Breakfast shows a few weeks ago – that after-all, Christmas is really all about the birth of Santa Claus!!

Maybe people ARE having difficulty grasping what Christmas is really all about!

Messages about Christmas and the Nativity, have long been conveyed as warm and familiar, perfect stereotype images, rather than the reality of the time and place of Jesus’ birth. This may have been the bleak, cold conditions of winter, or the heat and dry of the desert landscape, distance and isolation. Mary gave birth in a small village away from her home and family, no doctor, no hospital or midwife! Writers such as T. S. Eliot in his poem, The Journey of the Magi, have written to present a less comfortable image. The Christmas picture as it has come down to us through the ages, offers the perfect study in tranquillity. Common images of Mother, Babe, wandering cattle, adoring shepherds, a rustic background, and more unfamiliar images in a star which stood still, angels, and wise men (who actually came months or years later), embellish the picture.

But whilst we express Christmas in material ways, and the Christmas Spirit may be briefly seasonal, for Christians, that Spirit is everlasting.
The fact is, that all of this is symbolic of something that is ‘always fresh and genuine and so utterly splendid, that we need but a moments glance of it to carry us through the year’ (Wright, R. 1929).


Lyndall Coomber

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                                      We Understand So Little
                Our understanding of God’s creation is imperfect, so our faith must fill in the gaps, as this   
old Jewish folktale reminds us.
 
                Once there were two young brothers who had spent all their lives in the city, and had never even seen a field or pasture. So one day they decided to take a trip into the countryside.

               As they were walking along, they spied a farmer ploughing, and were puzzled about what he was doing.
      'What kind of behaviour is this?’ they asked themselves. ‘This fellow marches back and forth all day, scarring the earth with long ditches. Why should anyone destroy such a pretty meadow like that?’
                Later in the afternoon they passed the same place again, and this time they saw the farmer sowing grains of wheat in the furrows.
                ‘Now what is he doing?’ they asked themselves. ‘He must be a madman. He’s taking perfectly good wheat and tossing it into these ditches!’
                “The country is no place for me,’ said one of the brothers. ‘The people here act as if they have no sense. I’m going home.’ And he went back to the city.
                But the second brother stayed in the country, and a few weeks later saw a wonderful change. Fresh green shoots began to cover the field with a lushness he had never imagined. He quickly wrote to his brother and told him to hurry back to see the miraculous growth.
                So his brother returned from the city, and he too was amazed at the change. As the days passed they saw the green earth turn into a golden field of tall wheat. And now they understood the reason for the farmer’s work.
                Then the wheat grew ripe, and the farmer came with his scythe and began to cut it down. The brother who had returned from the city couldn’t believe it. ‘What is that imbecile doing now?’ he exclaimed. ‘All summer long he worked so hard to grow this beautiful wheat, and now he’s destroying it with his own hands! He is a madman after all! I’ve had enough.  I’m going back to the city’.
                But his brother had more patience. He stayed in the country and watched the farmer collect the wheat and take it to his granary. He saw how cleverly he separated the chaff, and carefully he stored the rest. And he was filled with awe when he realised that by growing a bag of seed, the farmer had harvested a whole field of grain.  Only then did he understand that the farmer had a reason for everything that he did.
                ‘And this is how it is with God’s works, too,’ he said. ‘We mortals see only the beginnings of His plan. We cannot understand the full purpose and end of His creation. So we must have faith in His wisdom’.
 
From: The Book of Virtues. A collection by William J. Bennett, 1993

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                                                  Someone sees you.

    This folktale reminds us that an act of dishonesty is never truly hidden.

Once upon a time a man decided to sneak into his neighbour’s fields and steal some wheat. ‘If I take just a little from each field, no one will notice,’ he told himself, ‘but it will add up to a nice pile of wheat for me’. So he waited for the darkest night, when thick clouds lay over the moon, and he crept out of his house. He took his youngest daughter with him.

‘Daughter’, he whispered, ‘you must stand guard, and call out if anyone sees me’.

The man stole across the first field to begin reaping, and before long the child called out, ‘Father, someone sees you’!

The man looked all around, but he saw no one, so he gathered his stolen wheat and moved on to a second field.

‘Father, someone sees you!’, the child cried out again.

The man stopped and looked all around, but once again he saw no one. He gathered more wheat, and moved to a third field.

A little while passed, and the daughter cried out. ’Father someone sees you!’

Once more the man stopped his work, and looked in every direction, but he saw no one at all, so he bundled his wheat and crept into the last field.

‘Father, someone sees you!’, the child called again.

The man stopped his reaping, looked around, and once again saw no one. ‘Why in the world do you keep saying someone sees me? He angrily asked his daughter. ‘I’ve looked everywhere, and I don’t see anyone.’

‘Father’, murmured the child, ‘someone sees you from above’.

Author unknown.
From ‘The Book of Virtues’, William J. Bennett. 1993
             
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      The man in the Tree
                               (The Miracle of the Seed)
 
                         A tiny seed once fell on land – a seed so small and frail
                      It fell between a rock and soil – as winds and rain did wail.
                      This tiny seed was seen by none as it wedged into the ground
                       Yet, as darkness fell in warm moist earth – a miracle was found.
                       Yet his tiny seed, it swelled and burst and found it could not see,
                       So it climbed towards the sky above to see what there might be.
                       It pushed its way above the soil and stood and to look around
                       In wild amaze it found in light a world that did abound.
                      With trees and rocks and birds and roos and lush green grasses too
                      To its delight, it flourished on as life seemed fresh and new.
                       As years went by it played the host to many passers by
                      Like human kind that fought and killed, the tree just wondered why.
                       Humans just were not content to live and grow their seed.
                      It wondered at their hostile words and spirit never freed.
                      It wondered why they could not stop and take a look around
                      To understand the miracle – the message from the ground.
 
What is Seed?
Seed is the very basis of on-going life, small, seemingly insignificant, something we take for granted and walk over every single day and don’t even think about.
Yet, we depend upon this simple resource – a tiny capsule with gigantic potential, containing a genetic formula that is designed to grow into a tree or plant which bears the specific fruit or grain of the genetic formula contained therein – that is – provided it is planted in suitable conditions and properly cared for.
Yet could another form of ‘seed’ provide answers to the challenges that faced mankind for thousands of years? Could there be a seed that grows eternal life?
Indeed…! The seed of God’s Spirit planted in us.
Like seed of the ground it faces challenges every day so we must nurture it until its transforming power changes to become a tree of life that never grows old.
Like the old man in the tree, we need the wisdom to stop, think and understand the miracle –
                                the message from the ground.
 
Bob Neville, Tingha UAICC

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 LOVE
The Sermon at the recent wedding of  Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

And now in the name of our loving, liberating and life-giving God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen. From the Song of Solomon in the Bible, "Set me as a seal upon your heart, a seal upon your arm. For love is as strong as death. Passion fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire. A raging flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it out."
The late Dr Martin Luther King once said and I quote: "We must discover the power of love, the power, the redemptive power of love. And when we do that, we will make of this whole world a new world. But love, love is the only way." There is power in love. Don't underestimate it. Don't even oversentimentalize it. There is power, power in love.
 
If you don't believe me, think of a time when you first fell in love. The whole world seemed to centre around you and your beloved. Oh, there's power, power in love. Not just in its romantic forms, but any form, any shape of love. There's a certain sense in which when you are loved, and you know it, when someone cares for you and you know it. When you love and you show it. It actually feels right. There's something right about it. And there's a reason for it. The reason has to do with the source. We were made by a power of love. And our lives are meant to be lived in that love -- that's why we are here. Ultimately, the source of love is God himself. The source of all our lives.
 
There's an old medieval poem that says where true love is found, God himself is there. The New Testament says it this way. Beloved, let us love one another. Because love is of God and those who love are born of God and know God. Those who do not love do not know God. Why? Because God is love. There is power in love.
 
There's power in love to help and heal when nothing else can. There's power in love to lift up and liberate when nothing else will. There's power in love to show us the way to live. Set me as a seal on your heart, a seal on your arm. For love, it is strong as death.
 
But love is not only about a young couple. Now, the power of love is demonstrated by the fact that we're all here. Two young people fell in love, and we all showed up! But it's not just for and about a young couple who we rejoice with -- it's more than that. Jesus of Nazareth on one occasion was asked by a lawyer to sum up the essence of the teachings of Moses, and he went back and reached back into the Hebrew scriptures to Deuteronomy and Leviticus and Jesus said you shall love the Lord your God, with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: love your neighbour as yourself.
 
And then in Matthew's version he added, he said, on these two, love of God and love of neighbour, hang all the law. All the prophets. Everything that Moses wrote. Everything in the holy prophets, everything in the scriptures. Everything that God has been trying to tell the world: Love God. Love your neighbours. And while you’re at it, love yourself.
 
Someone once said that Jesus began the most revolutionary movement in human history. A movement grounded in the unconditional love of God for the world. And a movement mandating people to live and love and in so doing, to change not only their lives but the very life of the world itself. I'm talking about some power - real power. Power to change the world.
 
If you don't believe me, well, there was more slaves in America's antebellum South who explained the dynamic power of love and why it has the power to transform. They explained it this way, they sang a spiritual even in the midst of their captivity. It's one that says there is a balm in Gilead, a healing balm. Something that can make things right, there is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole. There is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin-sick soul.
 
And one of the stanzas actually explains why. They said if you cannot preach like Peter and you cannot pray like Paul, you just tell the love of Jesus how he died to save us all. Oh that's the balm in Gilead: his way of love it is the way of life.
They got it. He died to save us all. He didn't die for anything he could get out of it. Jesus did not get an honorary doctorate for dying. He didn't -- He wasn't getting anything out of it. He gave up his life, he sacrificed his life for the good of others, for the good of the other, for the wellbeing of the world. For us. That's what love is. Love is not selfish and self-centred. Love can be sacrificial.
 
And in so doing, becomes redemptive. And that way of unselfish, sacrificial, redemptive love changes lives. And it can change this world. If you don't believe me, just stop and think and imagine. Think and imagine, well? Think and imagine a world where love is the way. Imagine our homes and families when love is the way. Imagine neighbourhoods and communities where love is the way. Imagine governments and nations, where love is the way. Imagine business and commerce, when love is the way. Imagine this tired old world when love is the way.
 
When love is the way -- unselfish, sacrificial, redemptive, when love is the way. Then no child would go to bed hungry in this world ever again. When love is the way. We will let justice roll down like a mighty stream and righteousness like an ever flowing brook. When love is the way poverty will become history. When love is the way the earth will be a sanctuary. When love is the way we will lay down our swords and shields down by the riverside to study war no more. When love is the way there's plenty good room, plenty good room for all of God's children.
 
Cause when love is the way, we actually treat each other, well, like we are actually family. When love is the way we know that God is the source of us all. And we are brother and sisters, children of God. Brothers and sisters, that's a new heaven, a new earth, a new world, a new human family. And let me tell you something, old Solomon was right in the Old Testament. That's fire.
 
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin -- and with this I will sit down. We got to get you all married.
 
French Jesuit Pierre Teilhard de Chardin was arguably one of the great minds, great spirits of the 20th century, a Jesuit Roman Catholic priest. A scientist, a scholar, a mystic. In some of his writings he said from his scientific background as well as his theological one, in some of his writings he said, as others have, that the discovery or invention or harnessing of fire was one of the great scientific and technological discoveries in all of human history. Fire to a great extent made all of human civilization possible. Fire made it possible to cook food and to provide sanitary ways of eating, which reduced the spread of disease in its time. Fire made it possible to heat warm environments and thereby made human migration around the world a possibility, even into colder climates. Fire made it possible, there was no Bronze Age without fire, no Iron Age without fire, no Industrial Revolution without fire. The advance of science and technology are greatly dependent on the ability to take fire and use it for human good.
 
Anybody get here in a car today? An automobile? Nod your head if you did -- I know there were some carriages. But those of us who came in cars, fire, the controlled, harnessed fire made that possible. I know that the Bible says, and I believe it, that Jesus walked on water. But I have to tell you that I didn't walk across the Atlantic Ocean to get here. Controlled fire in that plane got me here. Fire makes it possible for us to text and tweet and email and Instagram and Facebook and socially be dysfunctional with each other. Fire makes all of that possible.
 
And de Chardin said fire was one of the greatest discoveries in all of human history. And he then went on to say that if humanity ever harness the energy of fire again, if humanity ever captures the energy of love, it will be the second time in history that we have discovered fire.
 
Dr King was right. We must discover love, the redemptive power of love. And when we do that, we will make of this old world a new world. My brother, my sister, God love you. God bless you. And may God hold us all in those almighty hands of love.
 
Bishop Michael Curry, 19 May, 2018 
                                                      
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                                                                    One Man’s Journey

Professing to be a Christian is an interesting concept. So many people see it as an ‘all or nothing’ decision, in contrast to being a ‘bit interested’ in politics, or perhaps ‘somewhat acquainted’ with football. To the outsider, a person professing to be a Christian should be a teetotalling, non-swearing, ‘goodie two-shoes’, and it confuses them when the supposed Christian falls short of those expectations.
 
And yet we know that all of us are less than perfect; we know that we all fall short of ideals; but most of all, we know that the grace of God accepts us as we are. Jesus died for our sins, and if we believe in him, and accept him as our saviour, then that God-given grace is there for us all.
 
For me, as with so many people, coming to Christ has been a circuitous journey. I recall some (Presbyterian) Church and Sunday school when I was very little, but Church was not part of most of my school years. At senior high school age, there was ISCF (Inter-School Christian Fellowship), as well as some attractions at Fellowship, but that all fell away when I moved into tertiary education and working life.
 
It took the life milestone of marriage to review my relationship with God, and more specifically, meeting and talking with Reverend Neil McLeod. ‘Mr Mc’ officiated at our wedding, in CH Presbyterian Church, just prior to Union, and his pre-marriage counselling, along with some hearty sermons in the brand-new Uniting Church, introduced me to a world that I had not looked at seriously.
 
It was made even richer when Mr Mc. baptised our son and then daughter, and my relationship with God and CH (Coffs Harbour) Uniting Church developed further.
As they grew, so did I: never perfectly, but always learning more about myself. You can see that there was never a single moment for me becoming Christian: it was always (and still is) a work in progress. There have been some ups and downs, some forward steps and some backward, but always with God in view.
 
Perhaps two events in the last fifteen years stand out as having shaped me as I continue to grow. The first was becoming part of a Bible study group, and that group’s first study being Rick Warren’s ’40 Days of Purpose’. It broadened my outlook of what Christian life could be, and gave me the impetus to seek more.
 
The other event of course was becoming a volunteer in the Soup Kitchen. That developed, under Rev Ian Weeks’ tuition, into being less of a ‘cook’ and more of a ‘server’. Having been guided by Narelle and Joan, it continues today, reaching out to all sorts of people, aiming to give a smile and some time to people who may not see much of that in their daily lives.
Like me, those who volunteer and those whom we serve in our Soup Place; all have problems and weaknesses, but I know that God understands and forgives. It is the most inspiring encouragement that any of us can accept.
 
And so, each and every day, one tries to live a good life and productive life. God knows us all and recognises our shortcomings; He is there for all of us.
 
Phil Crofts
June 2018
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Excerpts from my Devotional Book,  ‘Word for Today’ by Bob Gass.
 
These have been very special and helpful for me, helping me to see some things In a different light to previously; just sharing something of my journey that may help you in some way too. It amazes me that God always has something new to show us no matter how long or short a time we have known Him.
 
1.  Ya Gotta have Heart!   Be strong and courageous…for the Lord…goes with you.  Deuteronomy 31:6 NAS
 
If you want your life to count, find a cause greater than yourself, and put everything you’ve got into it (John 12:24). Remember Nehemiah? He risked his all to rebuild Jerusalem. In spite of constant threats and hostility, he finished in record time. Why? Because ‘The people had a heart and mind (the courage) to work: Nehemiah 4:6 AMP.
In an 1828 copy of Webster’s Dictionary, the word courage is defined as, ‘That quality which enables us to face difficulty and danger….without fear or depression.”
Then Daniel Webster, a committed Christian, added the words of Moses as he handed over the leadership to Joshua. Listen, “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid…for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6 NAS). Even at 120 years old Moses was still telling the people ‘Ya gotta have heart!” Why? Because anything worth having, is worth fighting for!
 
It takes ‘heart’ to deal with a child’s wilful defiance – or face your own fears – or pick up the pieces and start over again. It’s easy to talk about what’s wrong, but it takes ‘heart’ to do something about it. That kind of courage only comes from God.
 
2. Are You Hurting?  He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3
 
If you’re not hurting, before this day is over you’ll meet someone who is. Behind the smile you’ll find a broken heart, or a wounded spirit – and you have the answer: “He heals the broken in heart”. Often it’s because someone took a wrong direction, or never consulted God in the first place. After Peter denied his Lord, he went out and wept bitterly. He remembered how wonderful it had been to walk with Jesus. He remembered the Master’s words “You will deny me three times”. (Matthew 26:75, NASB). He was so sure that it could never happen to him – but it did. Sound familiar?
 
Maybe you find yourself today in circumstances you never dreamed you would be in. divorced? Unemployed? Sick? Depressed? No will to live? Never discuss your problems with someone who is incapable of solving it – take it to Jesus. He’s a heart specialist! He has walked every path and felt every pain. Everything you need is available through Him today, but you’ve got to reach for Him, “Cast your burden upon the LORD, and He shall sustain you” Psalm 55:22. That doesn’t mean He’ll take you out, but it does mean He’ll bring you through. He’s the healer of broken hearts.
 
God bless you
Nancye Duroux
                                                                 
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Taking the Bible Seriously

This morning I was listening to a fascinating conversation between Old Testament and Biblical Studies scholar Pete Enns, and well known pastor, write and theologian Brian McLaren. I won’t repeat the conversation in detail (you can download the podcast at https://peteenns.com/podcast/ if you like), but one question asked in the conversation sparked my imagination — “What does it mean to take the Bible seriously?”
 
Those who know me will know that I am a science and science fiction kind of guy, and so the scenario that popped into my head was the following:
 
What if you were a scientist, perhaps an astronomer, and you received a message from a colleague, Ellie — “I’ve seen martians and they’re mobilising to attack the earth!” What would it mean to take this message seriously?
 
One response might be to entirely dismiss the message, throwing it in the bin and assuming that Ellie was either joking or having a bad drug reaction. The opposite response would be to announce to the rest of the lab, “Well, if Ellie says it, it’s good enough for me! I’m off to gather the family, pack the ute and head for the outback.” It seems to me that neither of these responses is really taking the message seriously.
 
To take the message seriously would be to look at it carefully; to study it; to analyse and interrogate it. “Does this message really come from Ellie? Does it match other messages I’ve received from Ellie? Are there any other authorities I should check with? What does the Chief Scientist in the facility think of this message? What do my own senses say — have I checked a telescope myself?” You get the idea.
 
So, why, when it comes to reading the Bible, do we think that “taking it seriously”, is any less a process of asking questions, of using our judgement? Why wouldn’t we ask the question as to whether the idea we are reading is supported in multiple places within scripture, or alternatively whether there are voices in scripture giving a competing viewpoint? Why wouldn’t we wonder how the passage we’re reading sits with the teachings of our greatest authority, Jesus? Or whether our own life experience backs up, or calls into question the interpretation of a passage we’ve always heard.
 
To faithfully “take scripture seriously” is to do all this and more. It is to be open to different interpretations and approaches, to be willing sometimes to say, “I don’t know — it doesn’t make sense to me yet.” To take scripture seriously then, might not be simple or easy; it might take a deal of work. But I believe that it is what Christians are called to do.
 
Rev Lindsay Cullen was formerly the Northern Zone Minister for the Mid North Coast Presbytery. He is currently a Consultant within the Resourcing Unit of the Uniting Church of Australia’s National Assembly.
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                                                      What we found out on holidays…
We received our Compassion 2018 magazine this week. This issue focuses on HOPE and reading the opening statement about this issue, and Tim Hanna’s column, reminded me of a church, as part of the welfare organisation, The Mission to Seafarers, which  we ventured into when travelling recently.  It was sandwiched between the old colonial hotel where we were staying, and the Police and Customs at the port of Colombo in Sri Lanka.

When Tim wrote that the writer of Hebrews referred to hope as ‘the anchor of the soul’, I thought it would be so relevant to tell you about the mission of this Seafarers’ Centre. We don’t tend to think about poverty and hope in relation to those who work on ships sailing our seas!  When things go wrong for seafarers, what they too face is: “You don’t matter. You are nothing” (p.3).

The Mission To Seafarers serve the 1.5 million crewmen and women who face danger every day to keep our global economy afloat. Through a global network of Chaplains, staff and volunteers, they offer practical, emotional and spiritual support. They can be found in over 200 ports around the world in 50 countries. Churches associated with the Seafarers Mission tell some of their stories where hope has been restored and justice has been achieved. You can read these on their website missiontoseafarers.org and we were given copies of two of their magazine, The Sea, published every two months. I acknowledge them as my source of what follows:The Sea, Jul/Aug 2017, Jan/Feb 2018.

The Mission to Seafarers deals with many cases of seafarers being abandoned by shipowners, who neither care for their crew, nor carry out their business in a professional and honest way, often just leaving them in a port in a foreign country. Abandoned crews have been left to their fate, often not paid their wages, left to fend for themselves when a ship runs aground, left at a port in a ‘strange’ country without food, water or money for months and not being able to fund their way back to their own country. They face various problems where hope seems impossible, when ships are hijacked by pirates or there are collisions, and at other times, when they need support or to seek justice.

As well as dealing with poverty and abandonment, the Mission to Seafarers helps to seek fair incomes and working conditions, provides a place in port where they can go to feel safe, receive comfort and a kind word, get counselling, have time out and a rest, pray in a church or chapel, have a meal and can access the internet to contact their family in their home country. Providing advocacy and helping in court cases, ensuring environmental responsibility, through giving protection and gaining compensation for a whistleblower (as was the case with the Princess Cruise Lines dumping oily waste into the oceans in 2013), exposing fishing ships which are involved in illegal fishing, human trafficking, extreme labour abuses, debt bondage, serious injuries, safety violations and even murder. These occur more often as ships have the technology to now stay at sea for long periods, even a year or more. Whilst problems are worst in waters off Africa and its ports, the Middle Eastern shipping lanes (UAE and Bahrain) and SE Asian waters, there are seafarers who need support and hope in the seas and ports all over the world.

In your prayers, remember to pray for the seafarers on whom Australian and world economies depend for trade and the Pastors, employees and volunteers working with those who live on the seas.

In the Jan/Feb magazine, the Mission’s regional director for Australia and Papua New Guinea, Rev. Canon Garry Dodd, wrote in his article: ‘Daily time for prayer’, of a poster he saw: ‘If you are too busy to pray – you are too busy!’.

Pray for hope from relational and spiritual poverty, so prevalent in our own community and in many countries, seas and ports, throughout the world. Every day!

Written by Lyndall Coomber, March 2018

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The Elephant in the Room
Whenever I hear someone in a meeting saying: ‘We need to talk about the elephant in the room’, I always think of my little friend.  Yes, he is a bit battle scarred but he has been with me now for well over 60 years. My memory is a bit blurry – some of you will understand that – but I do know that my big brother gave it me for what I am guessing was a very young birthday.
The wee elephant sits on my desk and so is my own personal elephant in the room, rarely causing me any concerns, an actually quite happy to be talked about if needs be.

Elephant – I never have given him a name – is the senior citizen amongst the paraphernalia of my desk that contains family photos, gifts from family and friends, mementoes of events and places visited over the years, candles, books read or to be read with enough room for me to have a laptop to keep up with what is still a fairly busy lifestyle.

Should you lift your eyes from the magnificence of my immediate work space you would note some of my rather modest model car collection and the walls have posters and pictures as testimony to my various sporting loves. It is my space and while it is a long way from neat and tidy, I am okay with it.

I am sure that we all have various things around our home, office or even church space that hold good memories and evoke memories of recent or distant past. Elephant is probably retirement age now, around 65, while some things are much more recent.

These things are a bit like the early Old Testament markers that mentioned in the Scriptures: Genesis 28:18-22; Joshua 4:1-24. These markers were to remind people of an important moment in their lives; but at no point do we read that they were markers for the future. Simply reminders of God at work in their past.

As we move forward it is good to remember our markers but also to be aware that invariably God is saying ‘Put the stones in place, but don’t take too long! You need to keep moving.’ Our various ‘stones’ are God’s remembrance of the Spirit’s presence with us as we keep on going forward.

A picture of the work of the Holy Spirit is that of someone who ‘comes alongside’. The comforter, the advocate are other words used.

Perhaps a simple clue for us to start off the year is to seek to be a person willing enough and alert enough to the Spirit’s call to come along side someone who needs a shoulder to lean on or cry on, or desires a word of hope to hold onto? If nothing else it will help us to focus on something or someone other than ourselves!

When Jesus called those first disciples it seems as if they were clueless about what lay ahead; but nevertheless they responded to Jesus’ call:
As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea – for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. Mark 1:16-18

Increasingly today, our worlds are too small and seemingly becoming smaller. Our worlds are too small and there are seemingly too many elephants in the room! There is always something to complain about or someone to hold a grudge against that closes our heart and ears to the Spirit calling us out. 

When Jesus calls us he offers something bigger than ourselves, and bigger than anything we may have ever dreamed of before.

As with Simon and Andrew, we are invited into this great adventure of being a follower of Jesus. At some point in our lives Jesus came alongside us and invited us to join Him in the journey. In doing so our lives – well mine at least – have never been the same again.

We discover Jesus to be the Truth and this really does set us free! We discover Jesus to be the way and we are bold enough to follow. We discover Jesus is the life and we get to share in it.

Many of the markers on my desk are personal reminders of the above truth; but they do not give permission to wallow in the good old days; but hopefully encourage and enliven me to be alert to sense Jesus call for me today.  

So, how alert are we all to the call of Jesus again this year? We hopefully come alongside any number of people, informally or formally, how many of these meetings might be moments of hope or healing or comfort, or even transformation, as we journey?

                                                      Rev. John Thornton. January, 2018

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Seasons
Christmas has come and gone for another year. Our new digital sign at our Coffs Harbour marketplace church said, ‘Jesus is the reason for the season’, but for many, they sadly miss this point. Our hope is that a few more people than usual might read the real reason for the season as they drive or walk up one of our main thoroughfares in our city.
The Christmas season as it has come down to us through the ages, presents a perfect picture of tranquillity.  If only this was true of our world today! More than ever, we needed to pray for peace in our troubled world this season. Even in our own environment, most of us would gladly swap our rushing around, getting tired and often short tempered, for tranquillity at Christmas. We compose a Christmas which is not as simple as a baby in a manger in a stable, but one with so many embellishments which have increasingly grown in numbers over the centuries. What this Christmas season really holds for humanity is faith: faith that ‘makes this first Christmas the very apotheosis of perfection and its remembrance the perfect tribute’
(Richardson Wright, 1887-1961).
For a century or two now, cards have been a popular way of sending the season’s greetings to friends and relatives, or to those we want to thank for the past year. Religious cards have been in the minority, apparently for decades. Now the new digital messages are increasingly making the paper cards and the Post Office mail redundant.  It is so much easier to send Christmas greetings by bulk mail in emails or via social media! No need to be very personal, or as Wright put it decades ago, cards are only afforded a passing glance anyway, and perhaps it is an illusion, or as imitation, as snow in Australia, in this season. One of our shopping centres promoted the illusion and had an imitation snow dome this year! But whilst the commercial ways we display Christmas may be a passing moment, the Spirit of Christmas is everlasting.
It is now 2018, and we now look to the next season, that of Easter. Yes, soon the shops will have hot cross buns, followed closely by chocolate eggs and Easter bunnies! But Christians once again will worship and celebrate the real reason for the season.
Have a Happy, Healthy and Blessed 2018.
Written by Lyndall Coomber
Coffs Harbour Uniting Church
January 2018

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A Prayer for the World
Let the rain come and wash away the ancient grudges, the bitter hatreds held and nurtured over generations.
Let the rain wash away the memory of the hurt, the neglect.
Then let the sun come out and fill the sky with rainbows.
Let the warmth of the sun heal us wherever we are broken.
Let it burn away the fog so we can see each other clearly,
so that we can see beyond labels, beyond accents, gender or skin colour.
Let the warmth and brightness of the sun melt our selfishness,
so we can share the joys and feel the sorrow of our neighbours.
And let the light of the sun be so strong we will see all people as our neighbours.
Let the earth, nourished by rain; bring forth flowers to surround us with beauty.
And let the mountains teach our hearts to reach upwards to heaven.
Amen 
                  
Rabbi Harold S Kushner
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God’s grace is for everyone.
 
During his years of ministry, Jesus taught lessons by relating parables.  One such parable is the Story of the Labourers in the Vineyard, told in Matthew 20: 1-16.  Paraphrased very roughly, it tells of a land-owner who hires day labourers for his vineyard.  Those he hires first, he promises a day’s wages, and off they go to work.  He returns to the market place several times during the day, each time hiring more workers.  At the end of the day he pays the workers, starting with the last hired (who had only worked for an hour).  Each group got a full day’s pay, regardless of how long they had worked.  The ones who had worked the full day complained that they had not been treated fairly.  The owner’s reply was “Can’t I do what I want with my own money? Are you going to get stingy because I am generous? Here it is again, the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first.”  This Great Reversal had been mentioned just a little earlier - in Matthew 19 (“many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first”) when Jesus was telling a rich young man how he could enter heaven.
 
There are many lessons that could be learnt from this parable.  Is it a warning against coveting something your colleague has?  Is it about getting a full day’s pay for a full day’s work?  Is it about charity - giving the labourers who had only worked for an hour enough to take home and feed their families?  It could be about all these issues – Jesus does not give an explanation and scholars have been debating ever since.
 
To me, it provides a lesson for everybody – for those who have known the love of Jesus and the grace of God for most, or even all, of their lives, and for those who spend most of their lives without knowing Jesus, but who finally learn of God’s love for them.  I’ll explain.  The labourers who toiled for a whole day represent those who are fortunate enough to learn about Jesus relatively early in their lives.  Just because they have been part of God’s kingdom on earth, they do not have any greater claim to living with Him for eternity than those who come to this knowledge later in their lives (the labourers hired last).  God is like the landowner, generous with his Grace, and it is available to all who know Him, love Him and serve Him with joy in their hearts.
 
Alison Herd. (October, 2017).
With acknowledgement to Gwyn Austen, who inspired this reflection.

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HOW GREAT THOU  ART!
 
                               Three thousand years ago King David, wrote Psalm 19 which opens with the words,

                                     The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
 
Before he was king, however, he minded his father’s sheep. While doing so at night he would have been greatly impressed by the silent beauty and magnificence of a truly dark sky. Most of us have had similar experience when away from city lights, the sky has been dark and the stars bright and clear.
 
How many stars can we see in a dark sky? Only about 3,000. Through binoculars it could be a couple of million and through a telescope a billion or more.  We know much more than David did about the heavens. Our Sun is a star and a fairly average one at that. It is not the only star with planets – nearly 3000 planets have been found around nearby stars. It and us are located in a whirling collection of over 200 billion stars we call the Milky Way Galaxy which in turn is one of about 200 billion galaxies we can observe throughout the Universe. Astronomers have peered back in time and space almost to the creation event we call the Big Bang and have imaged the residual glow of that event which occurred 13.8 billion years ago.  The heavens indeed declare the glory of God.
 
Yet there are many today who strongly argue that all creation has come about as a result of natural causes: that God is no longer necessary to explain it: and that belief in God should, in our rational society, be regarded as mere superstition derived from a time when we knew no better.  However they have no explanation of how the Universe originated within a space smaller than an atomic particle: or what caused the Big Bang: or how life in all its complexity was derived from the simple elements of hydrogen and helium present after the Big Bang: or how so many things in our earthly environment have to be just right for life to survive.  It is hard to accept that all this was totally unplanned – just a happy accident with no particular purpose in mind.
 
When in the silence of the night I gaze at the heavens as David did (but with a little more technological aid) I can’t help ponder upon the sheer immensity of what I see; the stark and barren craters of the Moon: the geometrical beauty of Saturn and its rings: the glory of multi-coloured star clusters displayed like gems on a dark cloth; huge clouds of dust and gas where new stars are forming or have died; and vast galaxies each containing billions of stars whirling through space. 
 
These are the times when I feel closest to God.  The heavens do indeed declare the glory of God, His greatness, power and wisdom. In so great a creation how much greater is its Creator? And how great His love for us that He nurtures us in this tiny corner of His creation!
 
  Win Howard. (September, 2017)

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                                                  Why am I alive?  Does my life matter?

In this present self-centred, materialistic, secular society in which we live, Rick Warren, author of “The Purpose Driven Life” puts the above questions into perspective.  He says “The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness.  It’s far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions.  If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God.  You were born by His purpose and for His purpose.”   We won’t discover our life’s meaning by looking within ourselves.  We were made for God, not vice versa.
 
As Rick claims, the easiest way to discover the purpose of an invention is to ask the creator to explain it.  Creator God is the source of our life and it is time to discover its purpose.   Found in the scriptures written in Ephesians 1:11 (Msg) “It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for.  Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.”  The Bible tells us God is love.    It doesn’t say God has love.  He is love.  Love is the essence of God’s character.
 
Everyone’s life is driven by something.  Is it guilt, resentment, fear, materialism, need for approval?  There are many forces that can drive our lives but they lead to the same dead end: unused potential, unnecessary stress, and an unfulfilled life.  That’s why nothing matters more than knowing God’s purpose for our lives.  Without God, life has no purpose, and without purpose, life has no meaning.  Without meaning, life has no significance or hope.  Hope is as essential to our lives as air and water.  Knowing our purpose, focuses and energises our life.  Rick stresses that we were put here to prepare for eternity.  This life is just a dress rehearsal for eternity (forever and ever).   Life on earth is a test, nothing is insignificant in our lives.   Life on earth is a trust, that is, our time, energy, intelligence, opportunities, relationships, and resources are all gifts God has entrusted to our care and management.
 
The Bible tells us “The heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1 NIV).  So what is God like?  God has revealed himself throughout history in different ways but his clearest example is seen in His Son, Jesus Christ.   Jesus said, “I am the Light of the World” (John 8:12 NIV).   He came and lived a human life, showing us the Way.  “The Word became human and lived among us and we saw His glory… a glory full of grace and truth” (John 1:14 GWT)
 
So how can we bring God glory?  By getting to know and love Him, becoming like Christ, loving other people, serving others, telling others of the salvation through Christ.  Right now God is inviting you to live for His glory by fulfilling the purposes he made you for. 
 
First, believe God loves you and made you for His purpose.  Second, receive Jesus Christ into your life by allowing Him to become your Lord and Saviour.  Receive His forgiveness for your sins.  Receive His purpose and peace and His power to help you fulfill your life’s purpose.  If you are reading this and you want to change your life, act now and receive the gift you are being offered.
 
Our Card and Gift shop, located in our church foyer, sells this great little pocket booklet for only a few dollars, called “What on Earth am I here for?” by Rick Warren.  It contains excerpts from Rick Warren’s global bestseller book entitled ‘The Purpose Driven Life”.   To continue your spiritual journey, visit www.purposedrivenlife.com  or let the Bible speak for itself.
 
Pat Faggotter (August, 2017)
Information sourced from “What on Earth am I here for?”, by Rick Warren.
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 (The Road Less Travelled. This month’s mini message has the same title, or a similar title, to that of a range of poems, songs and books. Probably, the best known of these is the poem, The Road Not Taken, by Robert Frost, written in 1915. It begins:

                 Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
                 And sorry I could not travel both …

 You might also be familiar with Graeme Connors song of some years ago, Take the Road Less Travelled:

                 In a world that grows, more confused each day
                 The temptation gets stronger, for an easy way …

                 So take the road less travelled
                 Take the long way round, …

Their words hold a lot of symbolism for those who are Christians and follow Jesus, who is The Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). God gave us all a consciousness so that we can make a choice. Each one of us can make a choice about the path we follow. We may be taking different roads to the same destination, and we will not get there by following the crowd. And the crowd size is increasing. The Australian 2016 Population Census reflects an increasingly secular society, and declining numbers adhering to any religion.

The road to eternity is the road less travelled. Neither is it easy, but sometimes it becomes difficult, and at times it would be much easier to turn back, or take an easier road. Jesus said:

             Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who     
             enter by it are many, For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.  
             (Matthew 7:13-14).

Let’s say that you feel like you are on the ‘right’ road through your faith in Jesus. Remember that as we travel along the road not taken by most, the Bible makes quite a few references which we should heed. Our Faith without deeds is useless (James 2:20), and in Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus reminds us that we will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven unless we have done mighty works in His name. So as we travel along that road less travelled, we need to do the will of God. We are warned in Romans 8:5-7: live according to the flesh, and the mind is governed by the flesh. Those who live in accordance with the Spirit, find life and peace. Through the Holy Spirit, God leads each of us to fulfil His mission through love, kindness and compassion for others, in our community and in the world.

Choose then, to accept the Way of Jesus, take the road less travelled, the road not taken by others, enter by the narrow gate, and experience the goodness of God in your life. Do not take the road most travelled. It will not lead to happiness, peace and salvation. One day you will be explaining your choice.

To conclude, I found a slightly different version for the last stanza of Robert Frost’s poem written by Larry Norman who was an American singer/song writer, which fits well with this website message:

              Two roads diverged in the middle of my life,
              I heard a wise man say;
              I took the road less travelled by,
              And that’s made the differences
              Every night, and every day.
 
Lyndall Coomber. (July, 2017)
Reference was also made to Doby at www.biblesabbeth.org , and www.christianity.about.com
   
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                                                              Take off your shoes

         Earth’s crammed with heaven,
         And every common bush afire with God,
         But only he who sees takes off his shoes,
         The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.

This is a quote from Aurora Leigh, a ‘novel in verse’ by Elizabeth Browning (1806-1861. She was the wife of the poet, Robert Browning, the poems of whom many of us studied at school. I love reading poetry, and when I came across these lines, I thought what intriguing and challenging lines these are!

Let’s consider what these lines might mean for us as Christians, or indeed for anyone.

What is Heaven? Are there little pieces of Heaven on earth? A world without sin is Heaven, but sin is temporary. Goodness is eternal. Do you see beauty in God’s creation? It is there if you look. Be aware and see what’s good and right in the world. Can we see the link between the spiritual and the natural when we are so busy, always preoccupied with our digital technology gadgets, and we do not stop to live in the moment, to be still, to pray, to experience silence; or to notice a flowing stream, the sun rising or setting over the hills or the sea, to look on the petals of a flower as they slowly escape from the bud, to stop to smell the roses, or close our eyes and listen to nature’s soft music.

Be still, take off your shoes today, it’s a natural reaction when you see something beautiful and it lifts your heart. Talk to God. He will hear you. You will feel renewed.

If you want to know what Heaven’s like, look around. Those who do, as Browning says, are not the sort of people who sit around the bush picking blackberries! Elizabeth invites us to take off our shoes and feel the fullness of both the earthly and the heavenly.

God knows us, our every thought and action. Take off your shoes, sit quietly and read Psalm 139.  These words might help in understanding who you are and your relationship with God.

Let’s celebrate the beauty of God’s creation; what is good and right with the world.

Lyndall Coomber. (Jun, 2017)

References (from my digital gadgets) include:

https://russadcox.wordpress.com
www.online-literature.com
www.celebratewhatsright.com