Message from ALWS (Australian Lutheran World Service): THANK YOU!
We praise God for the generosity of our people across Australia and New Zealand. As of this morning, $204,117 has been raised for the Lutheran Haiti relief effort, and we are still counting. $100,000 was put to work on 27 January. The next $100,000 will go this week. Please pass on news of this generosity and our ALWS thanks to you church members!
16 February, 2010
02 February, 2010
70th Wedding Anniversary
I would like to congratulate my Grandparents, Paul & Frieda - or as I call them: Opa & Oma.
They will be celebrating their 70th Wedding Anniversay this weekend.
In my case, the influence I have received from my Grandparents has been formative for my Christian faith
. I remember on one occasion many years back, as we were staying with them for the holiday break, that it came to saying 'good night.' We were asked to say a short prayer upon which I recited a learnt prayer and rattled it off. Mid way through this rote prayer, my Grandfather stopped me and asked if this is how I would like our conversation to proceed from now on. Then he asked me to kneel down and pray from the heart.
This was my first real and genuine prayer. From that moment on, I wanted to seek the heart of God, just as I then knew that God valued what's on my heart. The thought I leave with you, a thought I have learnt from my Grandparents, is simply this: "Seek the Lord while He is near." & "The Lord inhabits the prayers of his people." (Is.55:6 & Ps.22:3)
Rev.'D
They will be celebrating their 70th Wedding Anniversay this weekend.
In my case, the influence I have received from my Grandparents has been formative for my Christian faith
. I remember on one occasion many years back, as we were staying with them for the holiday break, that it came to saying 'good night.' We were asked to say a short prayer upon which I recited a learnt prayer and rattled it off. Mid way through this rote prayer, my Grandfather stopped me and asked if this is how I would like our conversation to proceed from now on. Then he asked me to kneel down and pray from the heart.This was my first real and genuine prayer. From that moment on, I wanted to seek the heart of God, just as I then knew that God valued what's on my heart. The thought I leave with you, a thought I have learnt from my Grandparents, is simply this: "Seek the Lord while He is near." & "The Lord inhabits the prayers of his people." (Is.55:6 & Ps.22:3)
Rev.'D
The offense of the Gospel
Sunday's sermon was based on the Luke passage where Jesus, having used the Isaiah passage about "the Spirit of the Lord is upon me to proclaim good news," basically told his hearers 'but none if it is going to be for you!' (quoting various examples from the past actions of the ancient prophets, like Elijah, to make his point even clearer - just in case they missed it).
Can you imagine that kind of an approach to preaching in the church of today. No wonder those people took offense at Jesus' words and tried to throw him off a cliff. Let's face it, we love good news when it comes our way, but to deliberately by-pass us and assign it to some foreigners; well, that's not on. God once spoke to the church through a modern prophet - namely Martin Luther - and several death threats were aimed at him from powerful people and the established religious order of things. You might say that Luther slaughtered some sacred cows. I read that on a title of a book once which suggested that such sacred cows make great hamburgers.
Religion can so easily become the reason for 'taking offense.' Today we have worship wars (if you can believe that this could be the case in a church), over music styles and preferences: traditional hymns verses contemporary songs ... and how quickly they become sacred cows!
Whatever happened to just being good news, identified by Jesus as the reason for his coming into our world? That sort of thing never gets old. It is needed in so many places on our planet, our neighbourhood, our friends and family. But Jesus' point was not about being on the receiving end, but empowered through the Holy Spirit, to be good news for someone else. St.Francis is quoted as having said: "At all times proclaim the Gospel, and when nessesary, use words."
Let's share more of that around this week!
Rev.'D
Can you imagine that kind of an approach to preaching in the church of today. No wonder those people took offense at Jesus' words and tried to throw him off a cliff. Let's face it, we love good news when it comes our way, but to deliberately by-pass us and assign it to some foreigners; well, that's not on. God once spoke to the church through a modern prophet - namely Martin Luther - and several death threats were aimed at him from powerful people and the established religious order of things. You might say that Luther slaughtered some sacred cows. I read that on a title of a book once which suggested that such sacred cows make great hamburgers.
Religion can so easily become the reason for 'taking offense.' Today we have worship wars (if you can believe that this could be the case in a church), over music styles and preferences: traditional hymns verses contemporary songs ... and how quickly they become sacred cows!
Whatever happened to just being good news, identified by Jesus as the reason for his coming into our world? That sort of thing never gets old. It is needed in so many places on our planet, our neighbourhood, our friends and family. But Jesus' point was not about being on the receiving end, but empowered through the Holy Spirit, to be good news for someone else. St.Francis is quoted as having said: "At all times proclaim the Gospel, and when nessesary, use words."
Let's share more of that around this week!
Rev.'D
17 January, 2010
Second Sunday after Epiphany
The message today centred on the wedding at Cana in John 2:1-11 and as everyone knows, weddings are about 'the two shall become one.' When the wine ran out during the festivities, Jesus was asked by his mum to step in and save the day. His first miracle took place in turning an obscene amount of water into the best ever gold-award-winning wine.
But what's the deeper point of this account? Well, I think the first lot of wine signifies the basic elements of life (grapes) + our human effort, resulting in wine (enjoying the fruits of our works). But that is achieved by constant hard work and runs out very quickly. Without that effort the grapes rot; the basic elements stay as they have always been. So more effort is required. All of life works on this principle: take the raw elements of life, add human effort and you get a new product every time (just like turning rocks of iron ore into steel products for the building trade). But it is temporal at best. Nothing we make lasts; otherwise we would still be driving around in our grandparents' model T Ford. Old stuff rusts away and we have to apply more human effort to come up with something new. Sounds familiar - it should be, humanity has been at this merry-go-round since life began.
Now Jesus comes along at the Cana wedding and introduces a new thing: my life (water in the jars) + Jesus' effort resulting in the miraculous and eternal (see 1 Cor. 12:7&11). Even in the Old Testament, this futuristic thought is found: 'not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord.' The Christian life is all about allowing God to use the basic, normal, ordinary parts of my life and join them in union with Christ's acomplished works to result in the redemption of every part of ourselves, our plans, our decisions, hopes and dreams. John the Baptist knew what he was saying when he proclaimed: 'I must decrease so that Christ can increase.' So, put more of God into your everyday life and see the miracles take shape. Miracles don't happen by 'more effort', but simply by more of Christ impacting our life. Think about it.
Rev.'D
But what's the deeper point of this account? Well, I think the first lot of wine signifies the basic elements of life (grapes) + our human effort, resulting in wine (enjoying the fruits of our works). But that is achieved by constant hard work and runs out very quickly. Without that effort the grapes rot; the basic elements stay as they have always been. So more effort is required. All of life works on this principle: take the raw elements of life, add human effort and you get a new product every time (just like turning rocks of iron ore into steel products for the building trade). But it is temporal at best. Nothing we make lasts; otherwise we would still be driving around in our grandparents' model T Ford. Old stuff rusts away and we have to apply more human effort to come up with something new. Sounds familiar - it should be, humanity has been at this merry-go-round since life began.
Now Jesus comes along at the Cana wedding and introduces a new thing: my life (water in the jars) + Jesus' effort resulting in the miraculous and eternal (see 1 Cor. 12:7&11). Even in the Old Testament, this futuristic thought is found: 'not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord.' The Christian life is all about allowing God to use the basic, normal, ordinary parts of my life and join them in union with Christ's acomplished works to result in the redemption of every part of ourselves, our plans, our decisions, hopes and dreams. John the Baptist knew what he was saying when he proclaimed: 'I must decrease so that Christ can increase.' So, put more of God into your everyday life and see the miracles take shape. Miracles don't happen by 'more effort', but simply by more of Christ impacting our life. Think about it.
Rev.'D
06 January, 2010
Topic : JOY
Would you believe that a person once accused me because I was 'too happy' as a Pastor. Personally I don't want to be part of a Church where the message is: 'join us and be as misserable as me.' The Christmas message was all about 'joy to the world,' yet so many Christians haven't even got a clue that it's meant for here and now - not just when we leave this life. Why is joy still so unwelcomed in traditional churches; even suspect and viewed with suspicion as false theology? 'There must be something wrong with you!' They think that Jesus lived his life in a solem and serious way; an ispiration to all medival monks for sure - and all seeking approaval for their religious demeanour. One of the readings during the Sundays after Christmas indicated that Jesus grew is favour with God and with all people. I believe that the message spoken by God's holy angels was incarnate in Christ: bringing joy to the world. While on earth, Jesus infected people during his ministry with joy, peace, hope, and healing. Through his Holy Spirit, Christ continues to work through his WORD to bring 'good news' (Gospel) to you and me. Want to find out more about that? Then follower these blogs .... Rev'd
Epiphany
Well folks, Christmas season is over and today marks Epiphany (6th Jan). That's when the Christmas Tree is packed up in our household. The first Sunday after Epiphany (10th Jan) will focus on the beginning of Jesus' ministry at the point of his baptism. In Galatians 4:4,5 we are reminded that "when the right time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive his adoption." During Advent, I mentioned in a sermon that 'I hate religion' - it was based on the text where Jesus said that God doesn't want our offerings and sacrifices. So, how do we have less 'religion with its rules and regulations' and more real Christianity? How do we find our freedom from the LAW? How do we find the JOY to the world spoken of at the birth of Jesus? How do we get closer to what Jesus was on about when he said to his disciples: "I've told you all this so that you might have peace within you. In this world you are going to have trouble, but cheer up; I have overcome the world!" (John 16:33). Join with me on this blog to find out ... Rev'd
02 November, 2009
Social Event: Master Chef, Ashmore
Nearly 80 people enjoyed an excellent 4 course meal on Saturday night at the College Restaurant thanks to our Church's social event entitled: Master Chef-Ashmore. The idea was birthed under the concept of 'cooking for dummies' but reshaped through the expert training under our master-chef-trainer, Wolfgang Kessler. Wow, what can happen to 10 ordinary blokes who have hardly seen the inside of an industrial kitchen and then place them under the training supervision of this meister to cook for 80 people!!! Each course had a variety of three different items. This wasn't just a meal - it was a feast that satified every taste-bud ... to the fullest! A huge thank you to our Wolf-meister and the 10 cooks, who have all discovered a new appreciation of what goes on in the kitchen, behind the scenes, to serve up a such a high standard of food delights. (There is a DVD available for the cooks - just to remember what they learned. Now you can make at least one of these fine dishes at home for the whole family!).
Rev.'d
Rev.'d
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