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What sort of leader are you?

When we think of leaders, our minds naturally gravitate towards political leaders. But there are leaders in every walk of life from companies to churches, from schools to scientists, from hospitals to the home. Can you name all the leaders in the image and their field of influence?

Leaders come in all sorts of shapes and from all sorts of backgrounds. Some are inspiring, while others inspire terror. Some seek to serve those around them while others seek to dominate by eliminating rivals. What sort of leader are you, or what sort of leader would you be glad to follow?

In the reading this week from 1 Samuel, the people of Israel have become disillusioned with the leadership offered by Samuel and his corrupt sons. They want a different sort of leader – they want a king like other nations around them, a powerful military figure to lead the army. Samuel warns the people that such a king will be greedy and selfish and will not support the needs of ordinary people. But the people are adamant they want a king and God advises Samuel to grant their wish.

It turns out in Israel that a king may be brave and successful in battle yet be morally weak and paranoid in other respects. Over the centuries, the prophets paint a picture of an ideal leader who is identified as the Messiah. When Jesus comes along, he ticks several of the boxes of this ideal leader (filled with God’s Spirit, just, compassionate) but not the hope of a successful military leader. So as we think about leaders in the Bible as well as contemporary leaders, none seems to meet all our hopes and expectations. For Christians, though, Jesus has become the type of leader we admire most and seek to emulate. What leadership qualities does Jesus demonstrate that we could aspire to? How would our own leadership style need to change to become more like that of Jesus?

From the Minister

Where to for reconciliation?

This week marks Reconciliation Week, the week where we are encouraged to reflect on the histories and cultures of Indigenous people in this country. The week runs each year from 27 May (anniversary of the successful 1967 referendum where Aboriginal people were counted as full Australian citizens for the first time) to 3 June (anniversary of 1992 Mabo case in the High Court that declared native title existed for all Indigenous peoples prior to 1788).

This year is the first time Reconciliation Week has been celebrated since the resounding defeat of the Voice referendum last October that would have created an Indigenous Voice to Parliament enshrined in the Constitution. Hence the mood this year is rather subdued with many Indigenous communities feeling deeply hurt and disappointed.

Reconciliation is a theme that appears in several of Paul’s letters as one of the ways of understanding the cross. In Paul’s thinking, two estranged parties – God and humanity – have been reconciled through Jesus’ death on the cross with enmity and separation now replaced by friendship and restored relationship. Paul sees the church playing a key role in sharing this hopeful message with the world.

So where to now for reconciliation in Australia? Who or what is going to bridge the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians? Unfortunately the failed referendum has put a huge dent in the hopes and aspirations for reconciliation. Some Indigenous leaders see a focus on truth-telling as the way forward now. This too is a controversial journey to undertake as many non-Indigenous people remain apathetic or sceptical to hearing more about the dark histories of colonial settlement and present day injustices. May God give us ears and hearts to listen because it is only truth that will set us free.

From the Minister,

Knowing God

In the busyness of our daily lives with their routines, pressures and anxieties, we may not stop too often to think about how God may be present in our lives and indeed whether and how intimately God wants to know us. The invitation of Trinity Sunday this week is to do just that – to take the opportunity to slow down and reflect on these questions.

The concept of the Trinity – that there is only one God who exists as three persons, namely Father, Son and Holy Spirit – was an early and at the time controversial doctrine in the church. According to the laws of maths and science such a statement makes no sense, yet according to the lived experience of Christians down through the centuries it is how we encounter God.

The Bible readings chosen for us in the Lectionary this week reveal various aspects of God’s nature and God’s action. Each tears back the veil for a moment to reveal a deeper spiritual reality that is often hidden from our sight.

We learn from Isaiah’s encounter with God in the Jerusalem temple that God is awe-inspiring and holy yet also full of grace. In the story of Nicodemus meeting with Jesus we learn that if we want to know God and God’s ways we need to be born from above through the action of the Holy Spirit. This is a little mysterious, with Jesus comparing the action of the Spirit to the wind, blowing where it will. And from Paul’s letter to the Romans we learn that through the Spirit, God had adopted as children into God’s forever family and promised us the privileges that come from this intimate level of relationship with God, whom we are invited to call Abba, Father.

How all of this works is something of a mystery, something to experience rather than something to try and explain or rationalise. May God bless us this week with curiosity and  insight as we ponder both who God is and how God wants to love us and treasure us.

From the Minister, ,

The challenge of Pentecost

Pentecost is the third great Christian festival along with Christmas and Easter. But unlike the latter two festivals, Pentecost has never really caught on in popular imagination. There are no special foods associated with Pentecost, no well recognised music and no extra holidays on offer. So Pentecost is just there for Christians to enjoy.

The story appears only in the book of Acts where it kick starts the witness of Jesus’ followers as commanded by Jesus in the opening chapter of the book (You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth).

The story begins with a violent wind blowing from heaven and fiery flames, both signs of God’s powerful presence. As Jesus’ followers are filled with the Spirit they praise God in multiple languages. All of this attracts a crowd and Peter talks about what has happened (the coming of the Spirit) and at length about Jesus. Many people come to place their faith in Jesus and a thriving new community emerges that is full of joy and generosity.

While it’s easy – and safe – to focus on the wind and flames at the start or the vibrant community that emerges at the end, the heart of the story is about previously afraid people now praising God openly and speaking confidently about Jesus. The Spirit has changed their outlook and given them new boldness.

Here lies one of the real challenges of Pentecost. If every Christian has received this gift of God’s Spirit, why do we find it so difficult and intimidating to speak about our faith and about Jesus? Perhaps it is our historical distance from the extraordinary person of Jesus. Perhaps it’s because our rational and logical ways of being stop us from experiencing God’s spiritual presence. Or perhaps it is that we are afraid of what people may think of us or say about us. The challenge is not just that we’ve lost our nerve to speak about Jesus, but also that we’ve lost much of the joy and generosity of the early Christian community that also derives from the Spirit’s presence.  How might we recover our boldness to speak of Jesus and our joy?

From the Minister

Jesus prays for us

Prayer is practised in many religions. We may pray for ourselves or our situation. We may pray for others and their situation. Often we stumble in trying to find the right words or the right way of expressing our prayer. In the Christian tradition of faith, prayer is seen as communication with God. There is no one right way to do this, but most often it involves both speaking and listening (which may include contemplation, meditation and silence).

In the Gospel tradition, Jesus is portrayed as spending much time in prayer, often early in the morning and sometimes all night. Very few of his prayers are recorded. Once the disciples ask Jesus to teach them how to pray, namely how to pray in a way similar to how he prays. His response is what we know as the Lord’s Prayer, a prayer recited every day by millions of Christians.

As is often the case in John’s Gospel, we find a different version of this prayer as Jesus prays for himself, for the disciples and for future followers. The so-called High Priestly Prayer completes Jesus’ long farewell address that covers chapters 13-17. Many of its themes resonate with earlier chapters (e.g. life, truth, love, glory, the mutual indwelling of Jesus and God the Father).

Three aspects of Jesus’ prayer stand out. First is the priority in praying for protection from evil. This is an ever present and serious risk according to Jesus, and is also captured in the Lord’s Prayer. Second is the request that all believers be one, one with each other but also one with God and with Jesus. This invitation into an intimate relationship with God is closely tied up with the notion of eternal life. Third is that despite the risks and hostility of the world, the purpose or mission of the disciples – and for us – is to go out into the world as witnesses of Jesus and to extend his mission (as the Father sent me, so I send you).

How does it make you feel that Jesus prayed for us and our situation … that he prayed for our protection, our union with God and our purpose in the world? When we feel uncertain which way to go or feel overwhelmed by events, it’s helpful to remember that Jesus is in our corner and wants us to know God’s love and presence and protection with us as we live as his followers in the world.

From the Minister

Being friends with Jesus

Friendship is a precious gift. Friends accept us as we are and for who we are. Friends can be honest and frank with each other. Friends spend time with us, encourage us and inspire us through their love and care. While we don’t get to choose our family, we do get to choose our friends.

In this week’s Gospel passage from John 15, Jesus continues to prepare the disciples for life without his direct presence with them. If they are to live fruitful lives, they must remain connected to Jesus. They – and we – will continue to stay connected with Jesus and dwell in his love as we embrace his commands, especially the command to love one another.

Jesus then says two amazing things. He chose us, just as he chose the first disciples, and he wants to be our friend. So just like other friends we may have, Jesus chooses to be our friend. This is a great gift and assurance. As the old hymn puts it, what a friend we have in Jesus …

How might we cultivate this friendship with Jesus that he is offering? By doing the same sorts of things that we do with our other friends. We spend time together, we enjoy each other’s company, we share stories and joys and heartaches.

We can do these same things with Jesus through prayer, if we take the leap of faith that prayer can be a conversation. It may take some time to tune our hearts and spirits to hear what Jesus is saying to us and we should always seek the counsel of others before making major decisions. But as we deepen our relationship with Jesus we will find ourselves following his ways more often and learning more about how we love one another. Before long we will be extending the friendship of Jesus to those around us.

From the Minister

Staying connected with Jesus

Grapes are a wonderfully versatile fruit. While being delicious eaten fresh, they form excellent dried fruit (think raisins, sultanas) and their juice forms the basis of many fine table and fortified wines. Grapevines are quite tough and will grow in a variety of climates from cool to warm and in different types of soils. It’s no surprise, then, that grapevines are planted widely across the world.

In the Hebrew Bible the vine is often used as a symbol for Israel (e.g. in Psalm 80). The prophets use the image to illustrate the faithlessness of Israel, showing how God took a vine from Egypt, planted and tended it, and came looking for good grapes yet found either no fruit or wild grapes. As a result, Israel will face God’s judgment.

In John’s Gospel, Jesus calls himself the true vine (John 15:1) who produces the sort of fruit that God seeks. His followers are the branches of the vine. So long as they remain connected to Jesus, the source of their life, they will be fruitful. But if they lose touch with Jesus and his ways, they will become worthless branches only useful for firewood.

While we may become anxious about how fruitful our lives are and how well we are holding onto Jesus, the comforting truth is that Jesus is holding strongly onto us at the same time. The fruit we produce – love, kindness, joy, generosity and so forth – develops as we trust in Jesus and in the presence of God’s Spirit at work in our lives. Grapes tend to come in bunches, so our fruit is more easily seen and appreciated as we work together. What sorts of delicious and satisfying fruit are you and your community producing?

From the Minister

Encountering Jesus on the road

While we normally regard Easter as a happy and joyous celebration, it wasn’t that way for the early followers of Jesus. In most of the stories we have of disciples meeting Jesus after the resurrection, they are portrayed as confused, depressed, doubting and in some cases plain terrified.

The marvellous story of two of these disappointed disciples trudging home after the events of Easter starts with this familiar tone. Luke writes that they look sad and gloomy, their hopes of a brighter and better future with Jesus firmly dashed by the events of black Friday. They are joined by a mysterious fellow traveller on the road and get to talking about their recent experiences. Their new friend listens patiently to their story before gently urging them to see the Scriptures that speak about the Messiah differently.

The two invite the friend to share an evening meal with them and as he takes bread, blesses it and breaks it, suddenly they recognise that their friend is none other than Jesus, risen from the dead. Now their hearts are filled with joy and wonder and excitement, even while Jesus disappears mysteriously from their midst.

I wonder how and where we notice or sense the presence of Jesus with us. And why we often struggle to recognise or name this presence. Perhaps we are too preoccupied with our own thoughts and problems. Perhaps we imagine that Jesus would never come to us in our everyday situation. But what if Jesus came to us in the guise of a stranger who listened to our story and then encouraged us to view life in a different way? Who knows, perhaps we have met Jesus and weren’t aware of it. This story reminds us that Jesus meets us where we are yet may be hard to recognise.

From the Minister

Thinking about the cross

It’s Easter time again. For many Australians that means it’s the opportunity to go away camping or to paint the house or enjoy an extra long weekend. While most people no doubt enjoy these extra days off, I wonder if they stop to think why they are declared as public holidays.

When British colonists arrived in Australia in the late 18th century, they brought their Christian faith and traditions with them. Over time, Christianity became the predominant religion in the colonies, and Christian holidays like Good Friday were established. It was and remains a solemn day marked by church services, the reading of the Passion narrative from the Bible and sometimes by processions. Many Christians participate in Good Friday services to reflect on the significance of Christ’s death on the cross.

One common interpretation of the cross is that Jesus had to die to take away our sins and to save us from the wrath of God. This type of theology is taken primarily from the writings of the apostle Paul. Yet when we turn to the Gospel accounts, the four books attributed to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John that describe the life and death of Jesus, we find few mentions of Jesus needing to die to take away sin. Indeed, during his ministry Jesus often forgives people and invites them to start living in a new way. This forgiveness is not tied to the cross in any way but rather emphasises the compassion and love of Jesus who speaks and acts on behalf of God.

So when we think about the cross, perhaps we would do better to reflect on the love of God and the compassion of Jesus. The well-known verse from John’s Gospel provides an alternative way of thinking – that God so loved the world that he gave his only Son – Jesus – so that everyone who trusts in him may not die but rather have eternal life. The cross is crucial for our understanding of the depth and breadth of God’s love. It stands at the centre of our faith. It shows that love, suffering and forgiveness are all part of following in the footsteps of Jesus.

May God bless you with fresh understanding as you contemplate the cross on Good Friday.

From the Minister,

Welcome to the Messiah

On first blush, this week’s Palm Sunday story is quite simple. Jesus and his ever growing band of disciples have been journeying from Galilee and have now reached Jerusalem in time for the Passover festival. Jesus procures a donkey and rides this into the city while his followers wave branches and shout enthusiastically ‘Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’

On deeper reflection, it’s also an odd story. Jesus walks everywhere. It’s basically how people got around. Yet on this occasion he is at pains to ride an animal, and a donkey at that. Procurement of the donkey takes up more than half the episode, so was presumably unexpected and memorable. First time rider riding an animal that’s never been ridden before. What could possibly go wrong?!

It seems that it’s all quite deliberate. Jesus could have entered the city inconspicuously among the Passover crowds. This may have been the prudent and safe course of action. But Jesus seems intent on making a statement. That statement appears to be political, namely that he is coming as king, humble and riding on a donkey according to the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9. The crowd’s response is from Psalm 118, a song of people welcoming a victorious king into the city with shouts of Hosanna and blessing.

So Jesus chooses to enter the city provocatively as a king, as the long awaited and hoped for Messiah. Up until this point in Mark’s gospel, Jesus has been very careful to keep his identity under wraps, which is commonly referred to as the ‘messianic secret’ in Mark’s Gospel. But now he comes openly as the Messiah. Why the change in approach? Why stir up the crowd’s imagination when it’s clear that he is not the type of Messiah they were hoping for? But perhaps that’s the point. Jesus is in fact the Messiah and the events of the next week will show the type of Messiah that he is.

From the Minister