The Easter story is about transformation.

And so in this week’s story, two disciples travel from disappointment to fresh insight, from discouragement to enthusiasm, from noting the absence of God to celebrating the presence of God. Their transformation comes about as they welcome a stranger into their midst, allow themselves to be vulnerable and as they experience God’s hospitality.

The shape of this story reminds me about the movement of worship.

First we welcome people into our midst, just as the two disciples welcomed the stranger, not knowing who he was. Later in the story they welcome the stranger into their home in an act of hospitality.

Next, the disciples share honestly with Jesus about how they are struggling. They acknowledge their disappointment, discouragement and confusion. This is a place of confession, a place of vulnerability, a place that we often try to hide from others, from God and even from ourselves. We need to tread carefully here and be gentle with ourselves.

Then Jesus opens the Scriptures with them. That must have been an amazing experience, which they later describe as having their hearts burn within them. Through God’s Spirit, these ancient texts continue to speak a word to us that is relevant and life-changing today.

When they arrive home, hospitality is offered and the guest becomes the host as he breaks the bread, in a scene reminiscent of Communion. Suddenly the disciples recognise Jesus’ presence with them.

Finally, the disciples’ eyes are opened and they discern it has been Jesus all along. They immediately return to Jerusalem to share the good news with others. This is mission, being sent out into the world with a message of hope and transformation.

What are some of the ways you recognise God’s presence in your life?

Click here for worship@home resource Journey to Faith – 26 April 2020

After the success last week of sharing virtual worship with over 40 others from Croydon and Croydon North UC, we will be holding a Zoom worship meeting this Sunday morning from 9.45 am. I will host the meeting from my home but it will be an opportunity to hold a larger (virtual) gathering and to see each others’ faces. We will be basing our worship on the attached worship@home resource for this week, so it would be handy to have a copy present. We can send you a link to the meeting or a phone number and meeting details if you sign up by emailing the Croydon UC church office on office@croydon.unitingchurch.org.au.

Those that are from a tradition that celebrates communion along with the story of the Emmaus journey may like to participate in the Communion of Empty Hands available below.

In this week’s reading from John’s Gospel, the disciples are not sitting around eating Easter eggs or having a party. They are afraid and meeting behind locked doors because of the Jewish authorities … and I’m sure they had lots of questions.

Then Jesus suddenly is there, standing among them.

Something dramatic and unexpected has clearly happened – Jesus was alive again and could be seen, touched, spoken to … it really was Jesus … but he was not the same as before – he could seemingly appear and disappear at will … and yet he speaks words of reassurance, three times saying ‘Peace be with you’. What is it about Jesus’ presence and words that gives the disciples – and us – peace and courage to live hopeful and outwardly focused lives?

Then there is Thomas, introduced here as the Twin rather than by history’s less endearing tag of ‘Doubting Thomas’. He was nothing if not pragmatic and concrete … unless I see the scars and touch Jesus, I will struggle to believe. At different times, we all have questions and doubts about our faith. The experience of Thomas – and Jesus’ accepting response – shows that it’s okay to have doubts. As always, Jesus meets us where we are. According to John, the special blessing available to his readers – and to us – is to trust Jesus despite not having seen and touched him like Thomas.

This week we will be trying something new. For those with the interest and computer skills, we will be holding a Zoom worship meeting this Sunday morning from 9.45 am. I will host the meeting from my home but it will be an opportunity to hold a larger (virtual) gathering and to see each others’ faces. We will be basing our worship on the attached worship@home resource for this week, so it would be handy to have a copy present. We can send you a link to the meeting if you sign up by emailing the Croydon UC church office on office@croydon.unitingchurch.org.au.

Click here for It's OK to doubt - 19 April 2020 (60 downloads)

We all approach Good Friday with mixed emotions. Even the name of the day can be confusing and confronting. What is ‘good’ about this day? The answer to that question depends very much on your perspective. As we are not able to meet together to hear and reflect on the message of Easter that lies at the centre of our Christian faith, perhaps this year we will more easily engage with the solemn message of Good Friday with its focus on suffering and death, given all that is happening across the world. But even here we will remind ourselves of the love and compassion at the heart of the story, qualities that are also being seen across the world in various ways in every community.

If you wish to engage with and participate in an online service on Good Friday and Easter Sunday, a collaborative team from Ringwood North, Ringwood, Heathmont, Croydon and Croydon North Uniting Churches has prepared services for you. These will be broadcast from the North Ringwood Uniting Church website at 10 am on the respective days. Go to the website and under the large LIVE banner, click ‘Watch’. You may write comments during the service which will appear on the right hand column of the screen.

This Easter, I encourage you to sit with the bleakness and sadness of Good Friday and not rush ahead or read on to Easter until Sunday. Then feel free to go wild with your celebrations and to call or Skype each other to pass on your Easter greetings.

Click here for worship@home for Good Friday 2020 (72 downloads)

An Easter message from the Moderator, Rev Denise Liersch, can be found here.

An Easter message from the UCA President, Dr Deidre Palmer, can be viewed from Sunday.

So much has changed in the world we know in the last 10 days. We have gone from a normally functioning society to one where we are told to stay home indoors for the foreseeable future to reduce the spread of corona virus. Our country is slowly being locked down. Tens of thousands of people have lost their jobs. Share markets and investments have crashed. Streets and stations are eerily quiet. The footy has been cancelled for months. Supermarkets are calm again – although many shelves remain empty. There is a feeling of grimness and heaviness that we all feel. These are serious days.

The church is affected just like every other group. Our Sunday services at Croydon North and Croydon will no longer be happening. Groups such as Playgroup, weekly Tuesday community lunches, Evening Fellowship, Drop-In, the Pastoral Care service have all been postponed until further notice. Funerals, if required, will be limited to ten people. Weddings to just five people. We are working with Maroondah Council to see if we can keep Helping Hand open with a new set of younger volunteers.

What all this illustrates is how fragile our society really is. So much of what we rely on day to day has been cancelled or taken away. So in times like this, where do we turn to for hope and reassurance? One passage that I’ve been reflecting on this week is Philippians 4:4-7, where Paul is encouraging the church community not to turn inward and not to lose hope. He reminds them that God is always near and that when we feel anxious or worried we are urged to pray and make our requests known to God. This helps lift the burdens we are carrying. Mysteriously, in exchange we will receive God’s deep and enduring peace in our hearts.

For the next several weeks or months – however long these restrictions last – a weekly resource for worship at home will be prepared and emailed out/delivered on a Friday. Messages from previous Sunday’s can be found on the Croydon website to download (PDF) and read. News from the community will also be circulated. If you have a good news story to share, an encouragement, or a need for prayer, please contact Peter Mallen or Peter Mitchell in the Croydon office and we will include these as part of our weekly church@home. Hopefully you will also receive a friendly phone call from a member of the congregation. You are of course encouraged to keep in touch with your friends and family by phone or Skype or Facebook Messenger or whatever technology you feel comfortable with.

Click here for worship@home resources for 29 March 2020 (72 downloads)

This week for the Exploring faith group we trialled a video conferencing app called Zoom so we can meet together from the comfort and safety of our own homes. We will also be using this app for future Church Council meetings. We are exploring various options for how we might record the whole or parts of a worship service and upload to the Croydon Uniting Church website (https://croydon.unitingchurch.org.au/).

Through these days, remember that we are not alone because Jesus has promised to be with us always (Matt 28:20). We also have the support of each other. So stay strong and remember to be kind and loving towards others.

Rev Dr Peter Mallen

A few light-hearted insights from Facebook this week …

From a UCA church noticeboard:
Dear God, Can we reboot 2020? It has a virus that is shutting everything down.

For the first time in history, we can save the human race by laying down in front of the TV and doing nothing. Let’s not screw this up!

Day 5 of social distancing: Struck up a conversation with a spider today. She seems nice. She’s a web designer …

I just asked a six year old if he understands why there is no school today. Serious as heck answer: because they are out of toilet paper.