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God’s river of life

Rivers and creeks are a vital part of the landscape, bringing a source of fresh water to places downstream. They provide an environment for fish, reptiles, insects and plants to thrive and provide water for animals, birds and people to drink. They can also be places of great beauty and peace.

In the book of Ezekiel, the prophet has a vision of a river that starts under the altar of the Temple and flows east out of Jerusalem and down towards the Dead Sea. This river brings life wherever it flows, even to the Dead Sea. It swarms with fish and its banks are lined with fruit trees whose fruit is for eating and whose leaves are for healing. This river is closely associated with the presence of God, which brings life to both humans and the natural world.

When we think of the rivers and creeks near to where we live, I wonder if we pause to see the many forms of life they bring to the environment. And I wonder about God’s river, flowing where it will in the world, bringing life and healing in a different way.

From the Minister

A vision of peace

As we look at the world in 2023, we may find it hard to see signs of peace, that state of harmony and wholeness where people and the rest of creation are in right relationship with each other. Devastating wars continue in Ukraine and Sudan and Myanmar and in other places that we don’t hear about. Our climate is getting hotter all the time, with July being the hottest month since records began. We’ve seen intense wildfires in Europe and North America. Closer to home, many Australians are struggling to pay their mortgage or rent as well as feed their families, causing stress and anxiety. Peace seems far away.

Yet Psalm 85 assures us that despite our current problems, God is still faithful and trustworthy and will bring peace to the earth. How this will happen we are not told – just that God’s character of loving kindness, faithfulness and righteousness will result in peace. The psalm is a prayer of trust in God to act in line with God’s character. It’s similar to the line in the Lord’s Prayer that goes ‘May your will be done on earth as in heaven’. God’s will is to bring peace and righteousness. But for this vision of peace to become a reality, we need to do more than simply trust in God’s goodness and love. We need to walk in God’s ways of faithfulness and righteousness, which includes seeking justice for the poor and actively caring for the environment. As we do this more and more we may be surprised to find ourselves overtaken by peace.

From the Minister

A call to justice

It’s springtime in Australia and time to celebrate the Season of creation in the church!

The symbol or logo for this year’s celebration is a river flanked by two mountains with a bird flying overhead. The bird represents a dove of peace I presume, but the rest of the image tells a powerful if unintended story. It may of course simply be two images of a river, one reflecting the scene in the midday sun (the blue side) and the other reflecting the scene at sunset (the orange side).

But given the state of the planet this year, with 2023 so far being the hottest year ever on record, it’s hard not to see the right hand side as the world burning and being coloured by bushfire smoke giving that familiar orange haze. Indeed there have been horrendous wildfires this year in Canada, Europe and in Hawaii of all places. Meanwhile fossil fuel companies continue to make record profits.

In the book of Amos, the prophet rails against the wealthy trampling the heads of the poor into the dust. Amos warns them that God despises their empty worship when they fail to live justly and share the resources of the land equitably. A similar pattern of greed and corruption is easy to see in our world with the poor suffering the worst effects of climate change while rich Western companies and governments rake in huge profits and taxes from fossil fuel production, leaving the world to burn.

The rising cost of living is hurting many people in our society, but is crippling the poor in places from Africa to Asia to the Pacific. We need to change our ways and let justice and peace flow.

From the Minister

Strength in vulnerability

For the past three weeks we have been exploring some of the mental health challenges that many of us and our loved ones face. We noted, for instance, that mental illness can affect anyone of any age. It is not a sign of failure or being a lesser person, nor is it a punishment from God.

Fortunately, there are a range of mental health professionals who can help and a variety of medications that can help alleviate the symptoms, although these often cause unwelcome side-effects.

But what of our spiritual tradition? Is there any wisdom or insight that might add to these other helps? We have drawn on several passages from Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians. In this letter, Paul describes his many physical and mental challenges, including his daily anxiety for all the churches he has founded (2 Cor 11:28). He embraces weakness and afflictions for these allow the grace and strength of God to be more clearly seen in his life (2 Cor 12:9). He further suggests that it is these very frailties and vulnerabilities – the cracks in our lives – that allow the treasure of the gospel message to shine through (2 Cor 4:7).

There are many activities and approaches that can help us maintain our mental well-being. These include time spent in nature, listening to music, having a pet and joining in community. In their different ways, each of these activities points us back to the unconditional yet mysterious love of God and the call of God to love ourselves and to love our neighbour. Many mental health challenges cannot be ‘cured’ but the love and support of a godly community can life make life more bearable.

From the Minister, ,

For our Elders

The first week in July has been celebrated as NAIDOC week since 1975. NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee and has its roots in the 1938 call for Indigenous people to gather for a day of mourning (while the rest of Australia celebrated 150 years of European settlement). In recent decades, the focus in NAIDOC week has changed from mourning to recognition and celebration of Indigenous culture and achievements.

The theme for NAIDOC week this year is ‘For our Elders’. It’s interesting to reflect on the standing of Elders within the Indigenous community. Both men and women Elders are seen as leaders of their communities, as trailblazers in the fight for justice, as custodians of the stories and songlines, as teachers of culture and tradition. Elders are highly honoured and respected.

When non-Indigenous people offer an Acknowledgment of Country at the start of an event or worship service, this usually includes paying respect to Indigenous Elders – past, present and emerging. In this way, non-Indigenous people are following the example of Indigenous people in honouring their Elders (at least in words).

Yet when it comes to our own elders, non-Indigenous people are often less respectful, seeing their elders as mostly irrelevant to wider society and not as holders of wisdom (with some exceptions of course). I wonder why this is. Perhaps older people are seen as less productive – yet their days are often filled with volunteering, which is essential in the running of our society. Perhaps older people are seen as out of the loop when it comes to technology – yet the most influential Twitter user (until being banned from the platform) was former US President Donald Trump.

Indigenous culture has something important to teach us here. Our elders learned much wisdom during their lifetimes and learned valuable lessons that they can pass on to us – if only we take time to sit and listen and give them the respect they deserve.

From the Minister

God calls unlikely people

This week we hear about the time when Jesus called the tax collector, Matthew, the ascribed author of the Gospel that bears his name, to follow him. This call is described only very briefly. Jesus sees Matthew sitting at his tax collection booth, calls him to follow and Matthew gets up and follows. All I can say is that Jesus must have been very persuasive or Matthew was getting bored with collecting taxes on behalf of the Romans.

Before heading off on the road with Jesus and the other disciples, Matthew hosts a big dinner party for his fellow tax collectors at which Jesus is present. Some Pharisees, the constant critics of Jesus, observe this and question why Jesus, supposedly a person who speaks for God, would pollute himself by joining such a group of ‘sinners’ (today we might call them a bunch of corrupt fat cats).

Jesus’ response is instructive. People who are well don’t need a doctor. It’s the sick who need a doctor. The implication is that law-abiding decent folk like the Pharisees don’t need someone to come and show them how to live. But folk like Matthew and his friends have become greedy and corrupt and have lost sight of God’s ways. It’s these sorts of people that Jesus is attracted to.

If we had been in Jesus’ shoes, perhaps we would have chosen more promising and talented people to make up our travelling community. But Jesus chose unlikely and ordinary people – simple fishermen, a tax collector like Matthew, anti-government zealots – as well as a few strong women. He saw potential and hidden talents in them. For their part, it took a mix of curiosity, courage and trust to set out with Jesus. And although they were ordinary people, God did extraordinary things through them.

I wonder what extraordinary things God can do through you?

From the Minister

Reconciliation – a long slow walk

27 May – 3 June is National Reconciliation Week in Australia. This is a week that calls for all Australians to learn about shared histories, cultures and achievements, and to explore how we can all contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. 

The significance of the first date is that 27 May marks the anniversary of the 1967 referendum when indigenous Australians were first officially counted as citizens of this country. 3 June marks the anniversary of the High Court Mabo decision that ruled that indigenous people had indeed lived and productively used the land (well) before the European colonisers came, thus overturning the fallacy of this country being terra nullius (empty land).

The theme for National Reconciliation Week this year is Be a Voice for Generations. This has an obvious link to the referendum later this year to include a permanent indigenous Voice to Parliament in the Australian Constitution. If passed, this Voice will have an effect for generations to come. It is also a call to use our voices to have conversations about the referendum and its implications for reconciliation – whether to take a step forward together or reject the proposal and create further division.

In the closing words of the Uluru statement from the Heart that was the impetus for the Voice to Parliament … “In 1967 we were counted, in 2017 we seek to be heard. We leave base camp and start our trek across this vast country. We invite you to walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future.”

This is a gracious invitation to continue the long journey of reconciliation. Are you ready and willing to take this step? If not, what is really holding you back?

From the Minister,

The Spirit at Pentecost – bringing peace or disturbing the peace?

The Christian festival of Pentecost is one of the three great festivals celebrated by the church each year, alongside Christmas and Easter. It tells the story of God’s Spirit being poured out on Jesus’ followers and how this experience and its aftermath was decisive in forming the new movement that we know today as the church.

God’s Spirit is imagined in different ways in the Bible. In the first reference – in the opening verses of the very first book of Genesis – the Spirit is the wind or breath of God moving over the waters. If we fast forward to the start of Jesus’ ministry, the Spirit descends on Jesus at his baptism in the form of a dove. In the Gospel of John, Jesus speaks of the coming Spirit as the Advocate or Helper, the presence of God drawing alongside God’s people to bring comfort. At Pentecost, the outpouring of God’s Spirit is marked by wind and fire and the immediate response of God’s people to praise God in various languages.

So it is hard to tie down the Spirit to a single image or role, which is not really very surprising, as the Spirit is the essence and presence of God alive and at work in the world, even before creation.

An interesting question to consider is whether the Spirit’s role is more to provide peace and comfort (as suggested in the Gospel of John) or whether to disturb the peace (as suggested in the story of Pentecost). Most of us would probably prefer the option of bringing peace, yet often in the Bible the Spirit seems to do the opposite, stirring up people to speak or act for God.

May God’s Spirit move among us afresh today, bringing peace where there is conflict and suffering but also disturbing the peace where we have grown too comfortable with the status quo. Come, Holy Spirit, to bring life and hope!

From the Minister

Jesus and prayer

Prayer is often seen as a key part of our walk of faith. At its simplest, prayer is talking with and listening to God. Yet for many Christians, prayer remains a source of guilt and anxiety. We feel that we should pray more, or pray better, or pray more effectively. Some people view prayer as largely a waste of time that serves no practical purpose in the world. Despite these doubts, prayer remains a core element of Christian practice the world over and a source of blessing and encouragement.

Jesus completes his farewell teaching to the disciples by praying what is often called the High Priestly Prayer. In this prayer he prays for himself in the light of his impending death on the cross, for the disciples and for the later church (those who will come to believe based on the witness of the disciples). The prayer includes many of the key themes of John’s Gospel – glory, eternal life, faith, truth, Jesus’ origins and relationship with God. It also looks ahead to the time of the church as Jesus prays that his followers would be protected from evil, would be united in heart and purpose and would know the love and joy that comes from God as they witness to Jesus.

As humans, our life depends on breathing. We breathe in and we breathe out from the moment we are born until our dying breath. If our actions of compassion and service and witness in the world are how we breathe out spiritually, then prayer and worship are key parts of how we breathe in spiritually. It is through prayer that we are refreshed, encouraged, unburdened and remain connected with God.

There is no one right way to pray, or place to pray, or time to pray. Try to find a way, a time and a place that works for you and don’t be afraid to change it around occasionally. Listen out for God’s whisper in your heart that you are indeed a precious child of God and deeply loved by God. As you listen and talk, prepare to be surprised where prayer may take you.

From the Minister

We remember mothers and their love

This Sunday is celebrated as Mother’s Day in Australia. It provides an opportunity for children to make their mother breakfast-in-bed, to give a bunch of flowers and a ready excuse for a family get together. There is of course also the commercial pressure to buy Mum this or that gift that she may or may not really want.

The odd thing about Mother’s Day is that we set aside just a single day to pause and remember all the amazing things that mothers do each and every day of the year … nurturing, caring, catering, managing, encouraging, helping, sharing common sense. And that’s not to mention that each of us only came to be born into this world through the painful labour of childbirth endured by our mothers.

It’s interesting that when Jesus is wanting to share the news about how his impending death will affect the disciples, he uses the illustration of childbirth. They will feel great pain – just as a mother feels great pain during labour. But just as the pain turns to joy for a mother when her child is born, so the disciples’ pain will turn to joy when they see Jesus alive again after the resurrection.

These pangs of childbirth are what it will take to bring Jesus’ vision for new life fully into being … a vision where every person is welcomed with respect and dignity, where loving and serving one another irrespective of our status or gender or background are the norm, where suspicion and animosity are replaced by kindness and acceptance. Wouldn’t it be great if this vision was lived out not just on a day like Mother’s Day but every day.

From the Minister