I was unable to attend
church today so I am unable to write up the service. However I thought I would
write a personal reflection and include something that I see as relating to the
readings.
One of the first things
we do on a Sunday in the service is to offer a prayer of praise
and thanksgiving.
I have a background in
biology teaching and as a result I am very aware and thankful of the universe
around us, from tiny bugs to great towering trees; from a pot plant in a corner
to panoramic vistas.
I have looked through
huge telescopes and down school microscopes and am always amazed at the
intricacy, the microscopic engineering and the impossible processes that keep
our universe and everything in it buzzing along. And I thank God for it. I take
none of it for granted. At the moment I am crashing into things a lot around my
home and have bruised toes, but they always heal. That is amazing! My body
knows to send stuff to my toes to fix them. On a grander scale, this country we
live in just knocks me out. I love this place. I relate to Dorothea Mackellar's
line, "Core of my heart, my country". Travelling around Australia, I
have seen splendours that I cannot give thanks enough for. What a gift! Just outside!
Then there are the
people of this country. What a mix of God's children; what a mix of God-given
talent! May we continue to be so different from each other, honing our
particular skills and contributing the better part of each of us to make this world
a better place. I didn't mean it to be, but this has turned out to be a bit of
an Australia Day theme.
Then we have a prayer
of confession.
My ongoing fault is
lack of trust in God's ability to run his creation. I am always meddling,
messing things up. But Jesus showed another way. I don't have to keep doing the
wrong thing. And. God is merciful. He forgives. Thanks for that.
The bible readings
for today were from Jonah and the beginning of Mark.
The Mark reading
covered Jesus' calling of the disciples. For those of us who have never
responded to that call, now could be the time. For those of us who have
responded, it could be a time to renew our commitment or even check out whether
or not we are following the example Jesus set as closely as we might.
In the Jonah
reading, Jonah was sent to warn a people of their approaching destruction
because they had ignored God. The people repented and God was merciful. It
seems these people were pretty terrible, but God's mercy was greater. So, in
case you are thinking you have really overstepped the line too far, God calls
us all - as we are.
Then a strange thing
happened. Jonah threw a tantrum. He wanted these evil people punished, it
seems. It didn't suit him that God forgave them. Big lesson there. It is God who
is in charge. (Note to self).
All people who have
ever lived or who will live, are God's creation and his children. Sometimes we
forget that and make judgements about who makes the cut and who doesn't. God's
mercy is available to all who seek it. There is that catch, though. God doesn't
push his gifts into people who don't want them.
It is the same with
God's other great gift of love. Everyone on this planet is a child of God and
is loved by God. It is not for any of us to call judgement on who can look to
God for his love. But again there is a catch, That love cannot free us from
whatever binds us unless we accept it and let it do its work in us. And it's
not a once only thing, If my life is anything to go by there needs to be
continual asking for God's healing grace which is free to us because of his
great, boundless love.
To all of you - a
blessed Australia Day. That we have so much to celebrate is a gift from God
too.
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