tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69846033329787972342024-03-14T02:15:34.965-07:00Reflections on Sunday MorningMargarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11994536983479352259noreply@blogger.comBlogger354125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984603332978797234.post-25900205915510681212020-11-26T17:27:00.001-08:002020-11-26T19:23:44.904-08:00Sunday 22nd November 2020 “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory …”<h2 style="text-align: left;"> </h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 9pt;">The First Reading: Ephesians
1:15-23 <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Gospel Reading &
Preaching of the Word: Matthew 25:31-46<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="background: white; color: black;">“But when the Son of Man comes in his
glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his
glory.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">The
service this Sunday morning was one of those magical times when we all left the
service feeling that God was really there with us – yes even online there was a
magic glue that held all the elements of the service together to highlight the
messages of the service in a way no one person could have foreseen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just love it when this happens and I am
sure it happens sometimes for just one or two people and that is important -
but sometimes it is so obvious we all share the magic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the service unfolded we heard from Davyn
from the Parramatta Mission who was to have visited Marsden Road Uniting Church
in March to tell us about the joy that had been shared when around 700 people
had joined together at the mission for Christmas dinner in 2019.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many “dinner plates” had been donated by
people from our church family and we were eager to hear the good news story of
God’s love being shared as people in need were fed and welcomed with love.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Then
came “the virus” and almost every plan was disrupted. For so many essential
charities who struggle to care for increased numbers of people in need, the
challenges have increased and the environment has become more trying.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">However,
finally Davyn was able to join us online this Sunday morning and he shared the
joy of last Christmas and the plans being prepared for this rather different
Christmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were all moved by the
story he told of one lady he met at lunch, who has now been associated with the
mission for more than 20 years; after having met Jesus there as a destitute
woman who had been homeless and dependent on drugs which she was introduced to
in her home at the age of 12.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Davyn told us that on hearing her story last
year his Christmas became extra special – he said he felt as excited as he had
been at Christmas when he was a young child.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As he watched this changed lady sitting and talking to a homeless lady
and passing on the hope that Jesus had brought to her life years ago, he felt
overwhelmed to watch God’s love and hope at work. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">At
the Parramatta Mission this Christmas, there are some wonderful plans being
organised to once again be able to spread hope and joy - while following “virus
rules”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There will be no lunch for 700
people, but homeless people will be “pampered” for two weeks with haircuts and
other grooming and well-being appointments, medical help and “Meaningful Gifts”
– which are virtual gifts that supporters of the work of the mission can give
to their family and friends who will receive a card describing their gift and
the boost to the self-respect and hope the actual gift will bring to the
homeless person or other person in need who will actually receive the gift.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="https://www.parramattamission.org.au/"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">https://www.parramattamission.org.au/</span></a></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You might like to look at the Parramatta
Mission Website and “buy” a virtual gift you could give to someone “who has
everything” and may enjoy together, sharing with someone who needs it much more.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">The
magic continued to build as the Rev. John read the well-known Gospel reading
from Matthew 25 as a prelude to his Reflection/Sermon;<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">… for
I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to
drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me
clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited
me.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">“God equips us with the gifts
and not all of us have the same gifts, but all of us have gifts important to
God. The life of faith is about finding and using these gifts to carry on
Christ's work in the world.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Yet often it seems to be just
too much. There are too many hungry and poor and lonely people for us to make
any difference.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ywKMYYwWwos/X8BolwOGvcI/AAAAAAAADQI/OZhOCURoR4YpFhSpUTxSGnVMZNA5qyRgQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/matt-collamer-8UG90AYPDW4-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ywKMYYwWwos/X8BolwOGvcI/AAAAAAAADQI/OZhOCURoR4YpFhSpUTxSGnVMZNA5qyRgQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/matt-collamer-8UG90AYPDW4-unsplash.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Matt Collamer Unsplash<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Because
of the “magic” I was feeling - I watched Davyn’s face and could tell that he
was getting excited about the way this so long delayed service had been
arranged on just the right day and was giving us all the inspiration that could
just help to make this Christmas very special for the strangers, the prisoners,
the poor and the hungry and lonely people. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">In
his Sermon the Rev John asked the question; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“What
is the ministry of the laity?”</i> and he gave us the answer; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“The ministry of lay people is to represent
Christ and his Church; to bear witness to him wherever they may be; and,
according to the gifts given to them, to carry on Christ's work of
reconciliation in the world; and to take their place in the life, worship, and
governance of the Church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>...according
to the gifts given them …<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet often it
seems to be just too much. There are too many hungry and poor and lonely people
for us to make any difference.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>Of
course we have all felt and expressed the frustration of feeling inadequate
when it comes to making a difference to a bad situation.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Then
the Rev. John told a story about a young boy who was working hard at the beach
at dawn to save thousands of starfish that had been stranded on the beach
during the night – a good story to inspire us to at least try and make a
difference to someone and to show us that if we do nothing – nothing will
happen; but if we stand on the beach and throw back some starfish before the
sun comes up and they die on the beach – we will have made a difference to
those few that we saved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could see
that Davyn and all the other listeners in the Zoom Gallery were inspired to do
something to make those in trouble safer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">As
at 13 November 2020 there were 12,866 inmates in full-time custody in NSW prisons
and in-person family visits have been suspended since March to ensure the safety
of staff and prisoners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This strategy
has worked, with only one confirmed case in the prison population – yet what
has been the mental cost? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Coincidentally
it was announced that Covid-Safe In-person visits would commence from the next
day, the 23 November 2020.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did not
hear about this on the TV, the radio or the news this week – I asked Google!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Along
with renewed optimistic reports of advances in the science and the production
of covid 19 vaccinations as this week has advanced; there have been other more
widely rejoiced changes to the government’s covid “rules” and other positive
signs to bring hope to people in need of relief of all kinds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Since
March my husband and I have particularly mourned the death of three beautiful
gentlemen – all in their 10<sup>th</sup> decade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although they did not know each other, each
has at times been part of our lives or part of an extended family through
marriage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was very sad when a
beautiful man from our little church died quite early in the piece when a total
of only five people, plus the minister and the funeral people could attend a
funeral - because we all wanted to celebrate and share his funeral with his
family – we are a Church Family at Marsden Road Church. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So all I could think to do to share the
feelings of our Church Family was to go to the church when the door was closed
at the appointed time and keep an informal prayer vigil while strolling back
and forth along Marsden Road as the traffic rushed noisily past. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">The
second funeral we attended was on-line and took place in Victoria during the
recent sad “second wave” outbreak and even the man’s sisters were unable to be
among the 10 people who could attend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Shortly after the service started, the streaming was interrupted and
after looking at a blank screen for some minutes the first part of the service
was repeated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then, just as the eulogies
and the family photo presentation were to begin, the streaming failed
altogether and we were left with the sad frozen image of those ten people who
were sitting apart and uncomforted in the family church in Victoria that their
96 year old father had helped to plan and build.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Yesterday
under the new “rules” which allow up to 100 people suitably separated, to
attend a funeral, I was able to attended my first Covid-Safe funeral at
Eastwood Uniting Church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was such a
relief to be allowed to be in the presence of the family as they celebrated the
life of their beautiful kind and loving 93 year old father, grandfather,
great-grandfather and friend of many people the family would not under the
previous “rules” have even known admired and cared for him and supported them
in their sadness. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">A
great-grandson of around 11 years old read a version of Isaiah 40:28-31 which I
cannot identify, but I just loved to hear those words coming from the child, who
will hopefully inherit the strength of character and kindness of his
great-grandfather even if his memory of him grows faint with time. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">“Don’t you know? Haven’t you
heard? God doesn’t come and go. God is Creator in all you can see and imagine.
God doesn’t get tired, doesn’t pause to catch breath. God knows everything,
inside and out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God energises those who
get tired, gives fresh energy to dropouts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Because even young people tire and drop out, young people in their prime
stumble and fall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But those who wait
upon God get fresh strength.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They spread
their wings and soar like eagles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
run and don’t get tired.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They walk and
don’t lag behind.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mOBlcvrPT6U/X8BqkIT6l_I/AAAAAAAADQU/4fpNpdwQBGsxW9bzQl1FMjJGGQuhVSVoACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/P1170947%2BJacarands%2Bnear%2BDalmar%2BDrive%2B25%2BNov%2B2020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mOBlcvrPT6U/X8BqkIT6l_I/AAAAAAAADQU/4fpNpdwQBGsxW9bzQl1FMjJGGQuhVSVoACLcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/P1170947%2BJacarands%2Bnear%2BDalmar%2BDrive%2B25%2BNov%2B2020.jpg" width="480" /></a></i></div><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br /><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></i><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">As
this week has moved on - my heart has certainly been touched by the
possibilities of 2021 being a better and safer year in Australia and hopefully
in the whole world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I went for my
walk yesterday afternoon and looked again at all the lovely jacaranda trees I
wrote about a couple of weeks ago in the Blog, it reminded that God is not
hiding – we can see and share his glory everyday – but we humans are sometimes too
busy to stop and look; so today I took my camera on my walk and several people
stopped to talk and admire the beauty of the world with me and we shared just a
few minutes of simple joy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sBkrYB89OK8/X8Bw_ZgynnI/AAAAAAAADQg/QLd84iF8J_8KtFOIo2ltgvdU3hKJ-tu5wCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/P1170986%2B%2BManning%2BDrive%2BAWV%2BNov%2B2020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sBkrYB89OK8/X8Bw_ZgynnI/AAAAAAAADQg/QLd84iF8J_8KtFOIo2ltgvdU3hKJ-tu5wCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/P1170986%2B%2BManning%2BDrive%2BAWV%2BNov%2B2020.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></p>Joanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05674868263535857401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984603332978797234.post-442501229944343642020-11-19T19:43:00.001-08:002020-11-19T22:56:36.095-08:00“For it is as if a man …” Matthew 25:14-30<p> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">F</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">irst I want to remind myself and others
that in reflecting on Sunday’s sermon about the parable of the talents, our
Leader Dermot stressed; that the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“timid
slave”</i> in the story was to be thrown; ‘<i><span style="background: rgb(249, 249, 249); color: black;">into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and
gnashing of teeth’. </span></i><span style="background: rgb(249, 249, 249); color: black; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He then
said; <i>“As </i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">a 21<sup>st</sup>
century Aussie. (Inevitably, I read into the parable an idea that we are meant
to substitute God for the owner.) <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">This
doesn’t sound like the God of grace and love I know.”</b> <o:p></o:p></i></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Next I want to go straight to the end of
the Reflection so thoughtfully delivered (via Zoom) and suggest that Dermot,
like some of the rest of us, is perhaps weary of trying to sort out the deep
thoughts of 2,000 years of trying to come to terms, with the true messages of
God which were recorded as parables and churned over year after year as we try
to follow God’s ways and his thinking.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">In talking about the parable of the
talents Dermot shared his love of sitting quietly away from life’s turmoils and
just <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“being with God”</i> at the place in
his life where he is at a particular time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>On this theme he said about Sunday’s Parable of the Talents<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">; “But maybe this parable has a message for
us personally <u>and</u> for the church today. Things are changing about us and
maybe, in some way, we need to switch off the power which we are using, and
glide for a time, trusting that in God’s support we will hear and become aware
of new ways of being.</i>” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">“And in doing that, we
might allow the message of the parable to emerge – let us not hold back on the
grace and love of God out of fear for what we have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s not try to protect the church from the
world. Let’s take risks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Bill Loader</span></i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"> (<span style="color: black;">Rev Emeritus
Professor William R. G. Loader BA (Auckl) BD (Otago) Dr theol (Mainz, Germany)
FAHA, Emeritus Professor at Murdoch University) </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">points towards – lets ‘<span style="background: rgb(202, 255, 202); color: black;">allow the life of God to flow through us’.</span>
Let’s release the Spirit from any ropes and chains which we place upon it by
our own expectations. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s rejoice in
the possibilities of the future. God is offering the “talents” – we need to
have the courage and love to use them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Amen”<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I have a special memory of a “girlie”
afternoon spent with my mother in front of the Kosi coke burning stove, with
her patiently teaching me to knit a pink woollen baby bonnet in the popular
feather and fan pattern.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was only due to my mother’s great patience
that I had eventually mastered the art of plain and purl knitting so that I
could finish my knitted squares with the same number of stitches on each row as
I had started off with; Mum was prepared to sit with me and guide my efforts to
make something pretty and useful to be sold at the church fete that was planned
for the spring.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">As I look back at that happy afternoon,
I realise that my mother was probably really eager to get back to her own effort
for a new church project which was quite innovative and must have been the
subject of much vigorous discussion in the St. Andrew’s Strathfield church
meetings before the launching of “The Talents Project”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I was probably about 11 at the time and
this idea made quite an impression on me as I heard the ideas and saw the
enthusiasm of the people from the church as they took on the responsibility of
“looking after” God’s talents and increasing them to be returned with a healthy
bonus at the end of the time that had been decided for the church’s chosen project.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know if everyone started with the
same amount of money being ‘given’ by the Parish Council, but I do remember
that my mother had an amount of ₤5; which in the 1950s was $10 of today’s
money, although the buying power of that amount was considerably greater.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, I do remember that if you wished you
could keep ‘investing’ your profit to become appreciated as a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“good and faithful servant/slave”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Certainly there was no talk of being <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“thrown into outer darkness or weeping and
gnashing of teeth”</i> if your enterprise failed; although I did wonder if some
lazy <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘slaves’</i> took the easy way out
and just made a donation at the end so they would not be seen by their peers to
have failed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">For many of the church congregation it
was an exciting time of sharing their gifts or talents and buying and selling
all kinds of products as they contributed to the overall project.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was much interest in the sweet little 4
or 5 cm ‘baby’ dolls which my mother bought by the dozens and dressed in
perfectly scaled baby dresses with ribbons, lace and embroidered rosebuds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The dolls also had little pink or blue
jackets, bootees and bonnets with narrow ribbons and they were very much in
demand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of the dolls were dressed
in complete miniature knitted layettes and it was good to watch my mother’s
pleasure as her “talents” were recognised.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">My father was away in the navy at the
time so my mother enjoyed “playing” with her lovely little dolls and it was
good to see her excitement as her project grew, although I cannot remember the
amount of profit she actually made for the chosen project.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The memory of that “girlie” afternoon
with mum is still quite vivid so that I can almost feel the warmth and the
sensation of safety and protection as my 11- year- old self looked out the
window at the wind-blown garden, now being soaked with icy rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were certainly not rich – but it was a
comforting feeling to know that we had enough of everything needed for our
family – with just a little to share with others who had less.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">This was about the time I began to
realise that some kids did not have all the advantages that my brothers and I
enjoyed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My brother John had one friend
whose father was a cranky drunk who abused his mother - and he had another friend
who was one of 13 children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In his home
there was not nearly enough money coming into the house to feed and clothe them
all properly and sometimes his friend had to stay home while his pants were
washed and he often had bare feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So
the church project was a timely lesson in the satisfaction of using your gifts
to help people in need. </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kQCnssSsARA/X7c5bxFxypI/AAAAAAAADPM/-R9LHCVl2WYlTDFlT-lQbW-3_-jR3ekYQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/P1170922%2BPicnic%2Blunch%2B17%2BNov%2B2020.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="2048" height="438" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kQCnssSsARA/X7c5bxFxypI/AAAAAAAADPM/-R9LHCVl2WYlTDFlT-lQbW-3_-jR3ekYQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h438/P1170922%2BPicnic%2Blunch%2B17%2BNov%2B2020.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Good News!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am happy to say that Margaret has now come
home from hospital and rehabilitation and after three operations and many
months of tedious recovery she is beginning to feel much stronger. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On Tuesday, she and her husband were even able
to join a group of around twenty Marsden Road Church members for a casual
picnic lunch in a local park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am so
grateful for the way hospitality and friendship has survived and grown during
the difficult times for our close church community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RXr-D7IOUqI/X7c59vEk-SI/AAAAAAAADPU/iox4OlFNSbgKShMMjbiYCI71oY9kRyPVwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/P1170920%2BPicnic%2Blunch%2B17th%2BNovember%2B2020.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1275" data-original-width="2048" height="398" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RXr-D7IOUqI/X7c59vEk-SI/AAAAAAAADPU/iox4OlFNSbgKShMMjbiYCI71oY9kRyPVwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h398/P1170920%2BPicnic%2Blunch%2B17th%2BNovember%2B2020.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div><br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></p>Joanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05674868263535857401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984603332978797234.post-16857524318473245802020-11-13T05:42:00.001-08:002020-11-19T20:03:22.833-08:00Sunday 8th November 2020 “At that time Jesus said …”<p> <span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">The First Reading: </span><a name="_Hlk485302282" style="text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">1 <b>Thessalonians</b> 4:13-18</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"> </span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">The Gospel Reading &
Preaching of the Word: <b>Matthew 25:1-13</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">On Sunday 8<sup>th</sup> November, the
highlight for me was the <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Hymn TIS </span></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">154: </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">“<i>Great is your
faithfulness”<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTKIqmdfHSk"><i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTKIqmdfHSk</span></i></a><i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt;">“Great is thy
faithfulness, O God my Father; </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">there is no shadow of turning with thee;<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">thou changest
not, thy compassions, they fail not; </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">as thou hast been thou forever wilt be.</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(248, 249, 250); line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 15.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 15.05pt 0cm 0cm; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(248, 249, 250); line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 15.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 15.05pt 0cm 0cm; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Morning by morning new mercies I see:<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(248, 249, 250); line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 15.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 15.05pt 0cm 0cm; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">All I have needed thy hand hath provided--</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(248, 249, 250); line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 15.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 15.05pt 0cm 0cm; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Great is thy faithfulness,
Lord, unto me!<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(248, 249, 250); line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 15.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 15.05pt 0cm 0cm; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(248, 249, 250); line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 15.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 15.05pt 0cm 0cm; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The history of this hymn is not long, but it brings into our hearts and
souls a feeling of comfort in the everlasting and predictable faithfulness of
God and the joy of hope with the dawn of each new day - and the faith we can
have that everything will continue to “be right with the world” as long as God
is in control.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(248, 249, 250); line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 15.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 15.05pt 0cm 0cm; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XfK3hIpw38I/X66Lwm7e72I/AAAAAAAADO0/8bav8HP6wWodKzN0qEaVezd1Pqv4U3YaQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/P1170206.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XfK3hIpw38I/X66Lwm7e72I/AAAAAAAADO0/8bav8HP6wWodKzN0qEaVezd1Pqv4U3YaQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/P1170206.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(248, 249, 250); line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 15.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 15.05pt 0cm 0cm; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(248, 249, 250); line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 15.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 15.05pt 0cm 0cm; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">It is once again that beautiful time of year when the jacaranda trees
splash our streets with riots of purple to be admired against perfect blue
skies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>November again! As I stand on my
front patio and look out I wonder at the miracle that unfailingly unfolds each
year and I cannot believe that another year has gone by already.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I find I measure time differently as I grow
older and I take time to enjoy these annual miracles instead of rushing
thoughtlessly by.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was really excited a
few years ago when one of our daughters showed me a photo she had taken of a
beautiful rose she had seen in the garden of Auguste Rodin in Paris.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i>“I remembered you told me before I left
for my trip to ‘take time to smell the roses’ so this rose reminded me of your
advice,” </i>she said.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We often wonder
if our children of whatever age take notice of those “throw away” bits of
advice on life which we randomly scatter to the wind.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(248, 249, 250); line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 15.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 15.05pt 0cm 0cm; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v9sB8lWoRw0/X7c_vpUNhZI/AAAAAAAADPg/pKTSiEha-rgDanQZXlguUo_sGs4adDFnwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/P1110111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v9sB8lWoRw0/X7c_vpUNhZI/AAAAAAAADPg/pKTSiEha-rgDanQZXlguUo_sGs4adDFnwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/P1110111.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(248, 249, 250); line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 15.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 15.05pt 0cm 0cm; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(248, 249, 250); line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 15.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 15.05pt 0cm 0cm; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(248, 249, 250); line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 15.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 15.05pt 0cm 0cm; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Hymns are like prayers and I think the reason why everything seems to
fit together with such complete harmony in “How Great is Thy Faithfulness” is
because the writer of this beautiful poem/hymn, Thomas Obediah Chisholm, sent
it to his friend, the musician William Bunyan who felt the strength and the joy
of the words and prayed for guidance that he might write the perfect tune to
help others to experience the same feelings that overcame him when he read his
friend’s poem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>William Bunyan first
published the hymn in 1923, but strangely, it was not until the Billy Graham
Crusades began to travel the world with George Beverly Shea making the hymn
“his own” as he and the Crusade choirs introduced the beautiful words and music
to “old” and “new” Christians around the world that its popularity grew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thomas Chisholm died in 1960 and in his
lifetime he wrote 1,200 poems and hymns.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(248, 249, 250); line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 15.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 15.05pt 0cm 0cm; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Perhaps you
have noticed that I have been avoiding moving on to write about the theme of
the reflection/sermon on Sunday 8<sup>th</sup> November.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Parable of the wise and foolish
bridesmaids has worried me for many decades now – in fact it has upset me since
I was a child. I have read and tried to appreciate and understand the various
theologically accepted meanings of the parable – yet it still suppresses my
faith and assurance about the love and forgiveness of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a negative effect all round for me - as
are some other rather harsh bible stories; although I must confess I am not a
person who spends long periods of time in bible studies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My faith is strong – but simple<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“</i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Dear friends, let us love one
another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and
knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”</span></i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">1 John 4: 8-9<b> </b></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Please stop
reading now if I have offended you; but if you read on I would like to offer my
suggestions and “alternate” thinking about the story which begins with such
authority; <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this.” </i></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then the story is told and the conclusion is;
in verses 12 and 13; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“</i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">But he</span></i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> (the Lord) <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">replied, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“Truly I tell you, I do not know you.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Keep
awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”</b></i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">In my 20<sup>th</sup> and 21<sup>st</sup>
century thinking, I can’t help wondering why any of the bridesmaids wasted
their oil by keeping their lamps alight while they were waiting and falling
asleep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">It would surely have been a better
idea to keep just a few of their lamps burning for safety or to make themselves
visible to the bridegroom in the place where they waited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then there would have been oil still
available to be <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">shared</b> when the
bridegroom arrived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or alternatively the
wise bridesmaids could have taken the arm of their less prepared companions and
showed them the way to the bridal feast along with the bridegroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am rather shocked that the wise bridesmaids
were selfish and made no attempt to share their light to go and meet God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I get a little confused when I view this
story alongside the one told only in Luke’s Gospel, where servants were sent
out twice “to the highways and byways” to bring in strangers to replace those
who ungraciously failed to attend or made insulting excuses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Going back to the story told this week, I am
appalled to contemplate that those bridesmaids who had failed to make
contingency plans in case the bridegroom was late were to be shut out by God
with no chance of forgiveness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">In his sermon, the Rev. John said; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“The foolish attendants were unprepared.
They ran out of oil and were unable to obtain more. So, when their moment came,
they lost the opportunity to help light the way. They were unable to act out
their appointed role in the community. They lost the chance even to witness the
wedding.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">I am puzzled by the context of the
following thoughts that the Rev. John expressed next;<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> “Over and over again Jesus shows us what God is like. Today, he
illustrates the truth that God takes no vacations. God never takes a break from
offering love to us graciously. God is always prepared. God never stops
forgiving us. God never ceases to watch over us. God never rests from the desire
that we follow in his way. God never lets up on loving us, no matter how much
we may rebel and stray. God is always ready.” <o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">I am not saying that I do not agree
with all those positive remarks about God’s love, forgiveness, constant care, presence
and Grace – I am just saying that I still have problems with the thought that
because we do not know when God will come; isn’t it possible that some good
people may not be ready at the exact moment God comes?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just have difficulties believing that God will
shut us out in the cold and the dark and will unequivocally reject us for ever if
we are not ready when He comes. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">In my search for an answer to my
questioning of the parables and their interpretations I have read some articles
on Jesus' Ministry and Teaching.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you
have a computer and are interested, here is the link from which I will record a
couple of short quotes that I found interesting. </span><a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/jesus/ministry.html#parables"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/jesus/ministry.html#parables</span></a><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">John Dominic Crossan: Professor
Emeritus of Religious Studies DePaul University.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has written eighteen books on the
historical Jesus and earliest Christianity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(248, 249, 250); line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 15.0pt; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 15pt 0cm 0cm; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">He asked the question: Is this [style
of teaching] unique to Jesus?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(248, 249, 250); line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 15.0pt; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 15pt 0cm 0cm; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(248, 249, 250); line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 15.0pt; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 15pt 0cm 0cm; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">“The parables are unique only in a very limited sense, in that the
primary teaching of Jesus is not taking texts out of the Hebrew scriptures and
explaining them, blasting them, commenting on them. What he is doing is telling
a perfectly ordinary story. And using that as the major teaching. "The
Kingdom of God is like this." Now you have to think, well, I hear the
story, but how on earth is the Kingdom of God like that? That's your job as the
hearer. So it's open to anyone. And that's, I think, the point of the parable.”</span></i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(248, 249, 250); line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 15.0pt; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 15pt 0cm 0cm; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(248, 249, 250); line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 15.0pt; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 15pt 0cm 0cm; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The next question: So right from the
start his teaching depends on interpretation?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(248, 249, 250); line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 15.0pt; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 15pt 0cm 0cm; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(248, 249, 250); line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 15.0pt; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 15pt 0cm 0cm; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">“If you teach in parables, you give yourself to interpretation. If you
really want to tell people what to think you preach them a sermon. If you tell
them a parable then you're leaving yourself open, inevitably, to
interpretation.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(248, 249, 250); line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 15.0pt; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 15pt 0cm 0cm; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(248, 249, 250); line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 15.0pt; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 15pt 0cm 0cm; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">In the same way I worry about having
to interpret parables; I question the work of artists whose paintings or
sculptures require me to stand in the art gallery and listen to a long
recording on a hired electronic device which explains what the artist was trying
to express. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(248, 249, 250); line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 15.0pt; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 15pt 0cm 0cm; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(248, 249, 250); line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 15.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 15.05pt 0cm 0cm; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">I think I will play the Youtube recording of Thomas Chisholm’s beautiful
hymn once more and “sign off” with the thought:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(248, 249, 250); line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 15.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 15.05pt 0cm 0cm; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(248, 249, 250); line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 15.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 15.05pt 0cm 0cm; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">“Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Morning by morning new mercies I see:<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(248, 249, 250); line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 15.05pt; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 15.05pt 0cm 0cm; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">All I have needed thy hand hath provided--Great is thy faithfulness,
Lord, unto me!”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>Joanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05674868263535857401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984603332978797234.post-40113565521876607502020-10-08T23:44:00.000-07:002020-10-08T23:44:52.119-07:00Sunday 4th October 2020 “At that time Jesus said …”<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">The First Reading: Galatians 6: 14-18 <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Gospel Reading & Preaching of the
Word: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">At That Time, Jesus Said..., -
Matthew 11: 15-20 <o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">At that time Jesus said,
"Father, Lord of heaven and earth! I thank you because you have revealed
to the unlearned what you have hidden from the wise and learned."<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Eu8G2wb-I00/X4AFSrAxRJI/AAAAAAAADHc/Z3V0GTdGXygTnuSUt5jtw88C8wxNHziLgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1787/Assisi%2B1982.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1178" data-original-width="1787" height="422" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Eu8G2wb-I00/X4AFSrAxRJI/AAAAAAAADHc/Z3V0GTdGXygTnuSUt5jtw88C8wxNHziLgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h422/Assisi%2B1982.jpg" width="640" /></a></i></div><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></i><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">On
the closest Sunday to the anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi,
the Rev. John’s Reflection/Sermon was focused on him and his life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But for me - a good quote to begin our own personal
review - comes from the summing up at the end of the Sunday Sermon. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“So what are we to make of
this famous saint? He has been called "the Other Jesus" by some. He
is revered and loved universally, by Christians and non- Christians alike. And
yet, he didn't seem to Get it Right.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Perhaps this is what Jesus is
talking about when he suggests that the foolish and unlearned may know
something that the wise and learned don't know. Perhaps certainty and Being
Right are not what Jesus wants from our lives.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Maybe Saint Francis shows us
something completely different, something that looks more like perseverance in
the face of uncertainty. Maybe the lesson I can learn from Saint Francis is the
lesson that faithfulness is more valuable than Being Right; that humility and
unknowing are a more appropriate response to God than certainty and knowledge.
Perhaps abandoning the pride of self may be the way to begin to understand God.
Or, in the words of Saint Francis' famous prayer, that it is in dying that we
are born to eternal life.” <o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It
is interesting to consider that perhaps the most famous prayer often attributed
to one of the most famous saints is not included in the official “Prayers of
St. Francis” of the Franciscan Order, although the prayer has been recommended
by members of the order. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The lavish use
of the personal pronouns </span><span style="color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">"I" and "me" and the
complete absence of the words "God" and "Jesus" are often
used as “proof” of a different author.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It
is widely thought to be more like the writing of Giles of Assisi (c.1180 – 1262),
one of the close companions of St. Francis and has similarities to his <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Golden Sayings of Blessed Giles of Assisi.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Blessed is he who loves and does not
therefore desire to be loved;<br />
Blessed is he who fears and does not therefore desire to be feared;<br />
Blessed is he who serves and does not therefore desire to be served;<br />
Blessed is he who behaves well toward others and does not desire that others
behave well toward him;<br />
And because these are great things, the foolish do not rise to them. <o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">St. Francis has been
recognised and loved by much of the civilised world going back for many
centuries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is not just a Roman
Catholic saint, but a person with many of the human traits that we can
recognise in ordinary people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His early
life was privileged because his father Pietro di Bernardone, was a wealthy and
successful cloth merchant who travelled extensively and was in France when Francis
was born in 1181/1182.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His was
christened Giovanni Francesco di Bernardone, but his father called him Francis
and gave him every opportunity to enjoy a carefree “entitled” life with his
friends. It seems that young Francis was very popular and seen by his friends
to be a happy and carefree person who loved parties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His first biographer, Thomas of Celano wrote
that friends called Francis the “King of Revels”. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was a great favourite among the young
nobles of Assisi and had dreams of becoming a Knight, although he was being
encouraged by his father to follow him as a merchant, which was not something
he enjoyed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is recorded that even as
a young man Francis had began to develop an intuitive sympathy with the poor
people. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">When he was 19 or 20 Francis
went off to fight the Perugians in a petty skirmish, but he was taken prisoner
and held in captivity more than a year. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After suffering from a fever while captive, he
began to turn his thoughts to the emptiness of his life but on recovery he
again wanted to have a splendid military career.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So Francis arranged to go with a Knight of
Assisi who had agreed to accompany Walter of Brienne, who was known as the
“gentle count”, who was supporting the Neapolitan States against the Emperor. <span style="color: #2c2727;">The biographers of Francis tell us that the night before he
set forth he had a strange </span>dream and heard what he believed to be
the voice of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In good spirits,
Francis started the next day on his journey, but a second illness caused him to
stop at Spoleto in Umbria, and in another dream where he said that he heard the
same voice tell him to return to Assisi he immediately returned to his home city.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It
seems clear that at this point in his life he was touched by the Spirit of God
and after a short period of uncertainty, Francis the fun loving “would be”
knight turned to serious prayer and <span style="color: #2c2727;">sought solitude
as he answered his call by giving up his fancy clothes and wasteful ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the reading I have done, a recurring theme
developed and Francis began to literally embrace and welcome and even kiss
lepers and beggars and give away his clothing and his money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>About this time, he made a pilgrimage to Rome
where the horde of beggars at the door of the Basilica caused him to exchange
his clothing and stand at the door with the beggars and fast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #2c2727; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Not long after Francis returned to Assisi, the incident
described by the Rev. John in his sermon, when Francis was praying before an
ancient crucifix at the forsaken wayside chapel of St. Damien’s below the town
of Assisi, took place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Francis heard
God’s voice again and he said; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Go
Francis and repair my house, which as you see is falling into ruin”. </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This event was responsible for panic reactions
which resulted in a permanent rift between Francis and his father, who did not
forgive his son for rushing off to his shop, and, impetuously taking a load of
his materials and also his horse which he rode to a market at Foligno and sold
to get the money needed to restore the church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, the priest refused to accept the money because of the way it
was obtained and Francis hid for a month in a cave near the church to avoid his
father’s great wrath, which was not abated at all - even when he got back his
money which Francis had thrown down at the feet of the priest. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The stories about the total
surrender of all comfort and worldly goods are long and amazing, and soon St
Francis who was equally kind to people and animals, was no longer considered to
be mad as he wandered the countryside preaching God’s word.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Soon he was being joined by some impressive
adherents who joined him and followed his way of life - and the Franciscan
order began to spread throughout many countries and his selfless love and
service to the poor and the sick people of the world is still reflected in this
modern age.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n4FCWpQcKIg/X4AE3S9ysfI/AAAAAAAADHU/Rl4AyvfH-tQ9g8wRtvWAIIekwpcwrK7ggCLcBGAsYHQ/s1716/St%2BFrancis%2BFresco%2B1982.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1716" data-original-width="1190" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n4FCWpQcKIg/X4AE3S9ysfI/AAAAAAAADHU/Rl4AyvfH-tQ9g8wRtvWAIIekwpcwrK7ggCLcBGAsYHQ/w445-h640/St%2BFrancis%2BFresco%2B1982.jpg" width="445" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">I found
this summary about Saint Francis and thought I should share it with you; </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">St.
Francis of Assisi was a unique spiritual personality who gave up a life of
wealth and social position to embrace a life of poverty and chastity – With the
approval of the Pope, he founded a new Monastic Order, commonly known as the
Franciscans. St Francis is considered one of the greatest saints in the
Christian tradition and an example of a life lived in imitation of Jesus
Christ. <o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">“Most high, all powerful, all good Lord! All praise
is yours, all glory, all honour, and all blessing. To you, alone, Most High, do
they belong. No mortal lips are worthy to pronounce your name.” – St Francis –
Canticle of St Francis<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5XnfvOfJHuQ/X4AEXIFd02I/AAAAAAAADHM/GkCv8VEhv_4Bc9oyJVKBVkT9_snJsqdOACLcBGAsYHQ/s1717/Inside%2BSt%2BFrancis%2BBasilica%2BAssisi%2B1982.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1194" data-original-width="1717" height="446" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5XnfvOfJHuQ/X4AEXIFd02I/AAAAAAAADHM/GkCv8VEhv_4Bc9oyJVKBVkT9_snJsqdOACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h446/Inside%2BSt%2BFrancis%2BBasilica%2BAssisi%2B1982.jpg" width="640" /></a></i></div><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></i><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F8F9FA; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; margin-right: 15.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In 1982 my husband and I visited Italy and I was thrilled
to be able to go to Assisi and visit the place where St. Francis had discovered
God’s Grace and devoted his life to God’s work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I felt I needed to pinch myself as we stood in the famous Basilica above
the steep streets of this beautiful hillside town and looked at the famous
frescos of Giotto and other artists who had painted them nearly a thousand
years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I still remember the
intensity of my art teacher at school as he held up his precious art book to
show his students the photos of these wonderful paintings. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span class="dvdnh"><b><span style="background: white; color: #70757a;"> </span></b><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">St Francis of Assisi died on </span></span><span class="gywzne"><span style="background: white;">October 3, 1226</span></span> and work </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">on the
church was started in 1228, the year <span style="color: #202122;">of Francis's
canonisation, and it was constructed slowly over the next 300 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were very sad when the Basilica was badly
damaged by two earthquakes in 1982 and some people died in the Basilica and in
the town.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F8F9FA; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; margin-right: 15.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BVwX9CHmLB8/X4AGQJGPAqI/AAAAAAAADHk/uWxgXQE22DIfEtW-6z1F3rJG7_A-_GWPACLcBGAsYHQ/s1601/Joan%2BAssisi%2B1982.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1601" data-original-width="1156" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BVwX9CHmLB8/X4AGQJGPAqI/AAAAAAAADHk/uWxgXQE22DIfEtW-6z1F3rJG7_A-_GWPACLcBGAsYHQ/w462-h640/Joan%2BAssisi%2B1982.jpg" width="462" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #202122;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F8F9FA; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; margin-right: 15.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; vertical-align: top;"><span style="color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Many times I have tried to understand how St.
Francis was able to give up all earthly joy and punish himself for his
perceived failings when he led a selfless existence with his every thought
devoted to God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have to admit that I
have often had doubts about God’s expectations and asked myself if God really
“requires” us to be miserable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think joy
is the greatest gift in life we can give and share. <o:p></o:p></span></p>Joanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05674868263535857401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984603332978797234.post-75953996974888871042020-10-01T00:18:00.000-07:002020-10-01T00:18:35.940-07:00Sunday 27th September 2020 - “Walking the Walk”<p> <span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: justify;">The First Reading: Exodus 17:1-7 The Gospel
Reading: Matthew 21:23-32</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: justify;">Hymn TIS 618:
What does the Lord require?</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: justify;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Walking
the Walk</span></u></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">On Sunday 27<sup>th</sup> September, the Rev. John began
his Reflection/Sermon by asking those watching him speaking on Zoom, listening
via a telephone link, or reading his words which asked us to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Imagine you are watching television and a
commercial comes on”</i> and then he went on to describe an idyllic scene which
was cleverly orchestrated to convince the viewers that buying their product
would deliver “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">salvation – buy our
product and it will save you from your harried, over-scheduled existence and
lead you to this “perfect” life”.</i> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Of course we all know that life is not always
perfect, yet each of us must admit that we have sometimes been enticed by
clever advertising.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Quite recently, I
was convinced by a TV advertisement that a new salted caramel biscuit with a
well-loved name and international reputation would be quite delicious – instead
I was very disappointed and felt let down and only finished the small but
expensive packet of these biscuits to avoid waste.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I suspect the product has not been a great success
because, after the initial six to eight weeks of blanket advertising, I have
never seen these disappointing biscuits mentioned on TV again.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">In the Exodus story mentioned by the Rev. John,
the Israelites had no doubt been looking forward to a better and perhaps even
“perfect” life as they journeyed out of Egypt, but as we discovered - when things
became hard; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“The people quarrelled with
Moses, and said, ‘Give us water to drink.’ Moses said to them, ‘Why do you
quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord ?’ But the people
thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said,
‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock
with thirst?’” <o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">As <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“The
Israelites quarrelled and tested the Lord, saying, ‘Is the Lord among us
or not?’”</i> – the majority of us have expressed doubts from time to time when
things go wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel sure that many
distressed people have questioned God about the current Covid 19 pandemic and
asked how he could have unleashed such illness and struggle upon the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">During his sermon, the Rev. John went on to
tell us a “modern parable” that described ‘someone’ like we have all seen come
to worship at our church and grow in enthusiasm and goodwill, but who gradually
found that everything was getting too hard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Their religious fervour gradually waned, so that they may have slowly
drifted away, with us barely noticing that one day they just stopped coming
altogether. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“modern parable” </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>went on; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“He still believed in God and felt love for
God but didn’t know how to integrate these pieces into the rest of his life. It
all seemed like it was too hard, too much.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">We should wonder why this person did not keep
looking for a closer walk with God in our church community and ask; <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Do we always “walk the walk as well as talk
the talk?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The
Rev. John said; “Jesus gives a telling example of response to God’s love in his
parable today about the two sons being asked to work in the vineyard. The first
son tells his father outright that he won’t do it, but then has a change of
heart and goes and does it anyway. Whereas the second son tells his father he
will and then never does. It’s a pretty extreme example, but it gets the point
across. Jesus tells this to the chief priests and elders – who rejected John
the Baptist and were rejecting Jesus – in order for them to be caught in their
own web of deceit. Jesus asks them, “Which of the two did the will of his
father?” and they know they are trapped because the answer, of course, is the
first</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> son. He ended up living his
life faithfully; he didn’t just talk about it or say things to appease his
father.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">We
often do similar things in our own lives. “How many of us have told someone we
would pray for him or her and then got distracted and didn’t? How many of us
have thought or talked a lot about helping the marginalised in our
neighbourhood, but haven’t? How many of us have been puzzled when people who
were once zealous about their faith faded away, and we intended to contact them
but never have? <o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">We
all have good intentions. But as Jesus teaches us in our gospel reading today,
our intentions don’t really matter. It’s our actions that are grounded in and
flow from our relationship with God that count – individually and as a
community.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">As Christians; perhaps we should encourage the
alternate idiom; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Practice what you
preach”</i> as a greater motivation than other versions of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Walk the Walk”</i> which is essentially saying <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“PROVE IT”</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other such sayings
that have great relevance to the expression of our genuine reactions are, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Actions speak louder than words”</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“The road to hell is paved with good
intentions!”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A different
interpretation of that saying is that the difference between what someone
intends to <b>do</b> and what they actually <b>do</b> can often
be called procrastination. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">A few years ago, when my husband and I sorted through
some old papers, we unearthed a “to do” list from more than 30 years ago - and
the amazing thing was there was absolutely nothing on the long list that still
needed to be done, yet not one job had been ticked as completed. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although we laughed about it and recognised
our serious faults of procrastination, we agreed that so called wise quotes are
very much like statistics really; you can find one to support almost any
argument you wish to make.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I consider
myself a reasonably decisive person; however, I can nod my head in agreement
with almost all the dozens of quotes on procrastination that I unearthed via
Google.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think the ‘tongue in cheek’ quote;
“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">One of the greatest labour-saving
inventions of today is tomorrow”, </i>which is attributed to Vincent T. Foss, perhaps
best fits the sad tale of our old unchecked list of jobs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although my mother, if she was still with us,
would have opted for<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>the often wisely
quoted; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Procrastination is the thief of
time”</i> theory?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My mother dusted the
house and swept the floor each day – it was like a religious ritual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have often wondered and imagined how much
time would have been saved if she had procrastinated and done it only when her
“round tuit” came conveniently to hand. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">As we moved our fingers down the lines of
writing on our list, we shed tears of laughter as we noted our soft blue
British Wolseley didn’t need polishing - there have been around six
replacements for that particular car since then.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More good news - the next thing on the list
didn’t need doing either – the fuchsia garden that needed weeding and spraying
for the black caterpillars that regularly stripped the leaves each time we felt
a little smug about how pretty the garden looked, could be crossed off
too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our daughter’s “new” bedroom was
built over that spot some 30 years ago and the rose garden near the back patio
didn’t need weeding either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sunroom
extension was built over that nearly 20 years ago. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AW1CBOXiWW4/X3WCQxQyTDI/AAAAAAAADGk/PQD_3M7mJV0GrBzffVVwyV4hMbhebqgUwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1729/SCAN1644%2BRoey%2Bplaying%2Bon%2BPatio%2B1970.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1729" data-original-width="1346" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AW1CBOXiWW4/X3WCQxQyTDI/AAAAAAAADGk/PQD_3M7mJV0GrBzffVVwyV4hMbhebqgUwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/SCAN1644%2BRoey%2Bplaying%2Bon%2BPatio%2B1970.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Neither did the wrought iron on the front patio
need painting because the lounge room extension covered that patio at the same
time the fuchsia garden was lost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Almost doubled up with laughter, we crossed all the remaining jobs off
the list with a flourish, feeling really good about all the time we had saved
by not doing those jobs either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Continuing to build rooms onto the house to avoid weeding the garden or
painting, may sound a little extreme but it just goes to prove - if you put
some things off long enough you never have to do them at all!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">However, the serious, older and hopefully
slightly wiser me must now agree with the quote of Edward Young, which my very
busy house-proud mother would have approved; “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Procrastination is the thief of time; year after year it steals, till
all are fled, and to the mercies of a moment leaves the vast concerns of an
eternal state. At thirty, man suspects himself a fool; knows it at forty, and
reforms his plan; at fifty chides his infamous delay, pushes his prudent
purpose to resolve; in all the magnanimity of thought, resolves, and
re-resolves, then dies the same." <o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">My reality is; I believe all people who achieve
the things that are important to them in life, gain personal satisfaction and
harbour warm feelings of fulfilment as well as setting a good example.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is for each of us to live according to our
own truth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">However, I would like to share one final quote that
may never make its way into the ‘endless list of quotes on everything’ to be
found on the Internet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is an often
repeated quote from a lady who can always find a reason to procrastinate when
there is housework to be done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you know
me well, you have probably often heard me say: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“When I lie on my death bed I will not be saying, I wish I had done
more housework!”<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Thank you Rev. John for asking us if we are
“Walking the walk”; <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">We say we are Christians, but how do we
know? How do others know? God has given us the gift of our lives and we are
called to respond.” <o:p></o:p></i></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbthcrhrrOU"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbthcrhrrOU</span></i></b></a></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">You may like to<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>click
on the link and listen carefully to the words of Hymn 618 TiS.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“What does the Lord Require?” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Do justly; Love mercy; Walk humbly with
your God.” </i><o:p></o:p></span></p>Joanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05674868263535857401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984603332978797234.post-63343318978304821372020-09-17T20:31:00.009-07:002020-09-17T23:54:03.375-07:00"So Forgive Someone Today"<div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><u><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Declaration
of Forgiveness:</span></u><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"> “<i>If it
had not been the Lord who was on our side, the forces of death would have
claimed us as victims. If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, we
would have fallen to the sword or been drowned by the sea. Dance and sing to
the Lord who is on our side and is on the side of all God’s children. Amen
Thanks, be to God!</i> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><u><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Preaching
of the Word - <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">And in Anger</b>..., -
Matthew 18:21-35</span></u><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And in
anger the Lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire
debt. So, my heavenly Father will also do it to every one of you if you do not
forgive your brother or sister from your heart. NRSV Matthew 18: 34-35 <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">This
prayer of Forgiveness at the beginning of the Rev John’s service on Sunday the
13<sup>th</sup> September and the text for the Reflection/Sermon were reminders
to me of the relatively harsh moments when we are reminded that forgiveness often
has to be earned and it can sometimes be quite difficult for us humans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the Rev. John said; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“This is not good news for those of us who have trouble forgiving.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">There
are times for most of us when we can hardly remember what we are angry or upset
about, yet we cling to our sense of grievance. That is why I try to “live by” a
well-known adage; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“People may not
remember exactly what you said or did, but they will always remember how you
made them feel.”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have not found
any evidence of who actually said this, however there are lots of people
claiming to be the authors of “wise sayings” that have obviously been their own
versions of this saying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I try very hard
to use words carefully and avoid leaving hard feelings to linger or fester
after I have moved on and forgotten an encounter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">A
friend once taped an interview with her 90 year old grandmother and one of the
questions she asked her grandmother was; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“What
do you remember most about your father?”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The old lady quickly replied, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“I
remember he yelled a lot.”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the
time I heard this interview it hit me like a bolt of lightning – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“the way I speak to and care for my children
today will stay with them until they are perhaps 90 years old”.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I nervously asked my young daughters the next
day, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“If somebody asked you what you
remembered most about your mother, what do you think it would be?” </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They thought about it for a few seconds and agreed
on their answer; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“She gives great hugs.” </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While breathing a quick sigh of relief I
resolved to strive to remain careful, encouraging and loving, so I would be
remembered positively even if they lived to 90 years old. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T6M3Y-sH4-I/X2RX07hpGmI/AAAAAAAADE8/XVmCMRG1wK4JQgmFsHoXZqUXQlrswbdWACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/P1160920%2BA%2Bgood%2Bhugger.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2024" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T6M3Y-sH4-I/X2RX07hpGmI/AAAAAAAADE8/XVmCMRG1wK4JQgmFsHoXZqUXQlrswbdWACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/P1160920%2BA%2Bgood%2Bhugger.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">I
also remember that the next day I heard a woman on one of the newly popular “talk-back
radio” programs who was devastated to learn after her husband’s death, that he
had died uncertain of her love for him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She said <b>she knew she loved him</b> but had not realised he needed
her to tell him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The depth of the regret
that poor woman felt was another timely lesson for me to always tell my
husband, children, family and even my friends, of my love for them and my
appreciation of them.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">A
person that I worked with came from a culture where men were considered as more
important than women and money and success were so important that the men could
have been considered by “happy-go-lucky” Australians as insensitive and mean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In his culture forgiveness did not seem to be
a priority.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had a number of
discussions about forgiveness with this young man whose idea of an apology was
to say with a certain vehemence; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“I will
forgive – but I will never forget!”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Was
I wrong in believing that part of forgiving is wiping the slate clean and
forgetting the grievance altogether?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
remember with some amusement how hard it was as a child to say those two words;
“I’m sorry” but, the effort was always rewarded with a smile or a hug and the
feeling of reassurance that I was loved anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Before
I had children of my own I was secretly highly amused when I visited one of my
brothers and his wife; and their son was sent to his room for doing something
naughty and told that he could come out when he was ready to say he was
sorry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next thing my brother came back
to join his wife, my husband and me in the family room and beckoned us to creep
down the hall to listen to my nephew practicing his apology over and over with
dubious success in sincerity as he faltered over those two soooooooooooo hard
to say words – I’m sorry!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the time
the five or six year old reappeared in the family room he had mastered the
delivery of his apology and somehow all four adults managed to keep a
completely straight face. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Yes,
my dear little nephew learned that day forgiveness can be a joy – both for the
giver and the receiver!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">I
smiled as I thought about the wonderful father that my nephew had to guide him
through life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As my big brother, he had
taught me valuable lessons about doing myself a favour and “letting go” of
things that I could not change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I
was in 6<sup>th</sup> class in Primary School I was coming home from school
most days in a state of distress because I had been “kept in” with the whole
class until a full blackboard of arithmetic had been finished.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a punishment for bad behaviour by a
group of girls who habitually disrupted the last lesson of the day which was
always history, which I really loved and during which I never did anything even
remotely out of order.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The real
unfairness of keeping in those who were well behaved, became intolerable for me
because I was not ever good at maths and the badly behaved girls would rush
through the punishment in record time and skip off home, while I was always the
last person to finish and by then my bus had gone and I had to walk the four or
five kilometres home from school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
brother gently persuaded me that this was something I could not change and that
it was not helping me to get upset and worry about the naughty girls not being
punished.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He even suggested that my
maths just might improve as a result of the extra work that was set almost
every day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I learned that life is not
always fair, but it is much easier if you forgive those people you can and
accept that you can’t change some things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Put
simply my older brother taught me; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“It’s
not so much what happens to you in life – it is more about how you choose to
deal with what happens to you.”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">More
than 50 years later a friend who was then in his eighties wrote wonderful
stories about his early life in Rabaul, which he described as a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Tropical wonderland for children”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>One day he told a delightful anecdote
about how, when he was a young boy, he stole a box of matches from the kitchen
servants and started a wild grass fire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">The
next morning his mother told him <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“You had
better go to Sunday school and ask God to help you stop being a naughty boy.” </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had the feeling from his mother’s tone
that he was going to be <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“In deep trouble
for some time.” </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, that
morning my friend’s Sunday School Teacher showed a picture of the crucifixion
of Jesus and pointed out how sad Jesus was as she told the kids; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“You can see how He suffered for us in this
picture – just look at His sad face and His head hanging down with the crown of
sharp thorns on it.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>The teacher
then continued; “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">He suffered because of
all the naughty things we have done.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WTxvcpjeBVo/X2RNYM4x2AI/AAAAAAAADEw/uMUqigaT4GweqI96ltXY0lg1Wt7jiq90QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1204/Bar_sur_Seine_St_Etienne_009.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="904" data-original-width="1204" height="481" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WTxvcpjeBVo/X2RNYM4x2AI/AAAAAAAADEw/uMUqigaT4GweqI96ltXY0lg1Wt7jiq90QCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h481/Bar_sur_Seine_St_Etienne_009.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">l'eglise - St. Etienne (St. Stephen), Bar - sur - Seinne, France<br />Author - Mattana - Mattis : Wikipedia Commons Licence (c) free<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">As
this was the first time my friend had ever seen a picture of the crucifixion
and he admitted that as a child he was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“naughty
every day”</i> he became very worried and began to think that his naughtiness
had contributed to the agony of Jesus on the cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The teacher then handed each child a copy of
the picture and told the children to try and keep inside the lines and do their
best work because; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Jesus likes children
who always try to do their best work”. <o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">I
have often wondered since hearing this story, how many children have been made
anxious by their Sunday School lessons.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps this teacher did not properly explain
the crucifixion using “love” words like the Rev. John used in his sermon on
Sunday; “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The cross is God's ultimate act
of love and forgiveness. What God did through Jesus was not correct or legal or
right. Rather it was pure love. God said to all humanity, ‘There is nothing
that you can do that will end my love for you.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">It irritates God when we don't
share the love and forgiveness we have received. So, forgive someone -- today!”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Do
you ever come across a Bible reading that surprises you with harsh thoughts and
violent stories and do you sometimes have problems fitting things together in
the overall messages of love, peace and harmony? I liked the Rev. John’s
thoughts about the text that he took for his Sermon because it offered a more
gentle way of looking at God’s threats of the torture that might come our way
if we hold back some of our debts to others and refuse to forgive those who
have sinned against us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is just God
acting as a parent and demanding a high standard from us when we are dealing
with all His people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: #2f5496; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themeshade: 191;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">“It may be that the torture
described in the text is just what happens to us when we refuse to forgive. The
choice seems to be whether we will be right and miserable, wrong and miserable,
or whether we will be forgiving and happy. There are some very clear words
about this from Jesus that we all know: "Forgive us our debts, as we
forgive our debtors," or in the familiar translation, "Forgive our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us." Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><br /><p></p></span></div>Joanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05674868263535857401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984603332978797234.post-44285949247418071422020-09-10T05:45:00.007-07:002020-09-10T20:02:42.906-07:00No Person is an Island<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">On Sunday 6<sup>th</sup> September the Rev.
John looked at the human traditions of community in his Reflection and he began
by saying; “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Solitary experience is
contrary to human nature because we are social animals. For all human history
life has been lived in the context of communities of one sort or another. This,
of course, is simply sociology or anthropology. It is a neutral observation,
because communities can be good and bad.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">In the 21<sup>st</sup> Century<i> </i>there has been a significant interest
and practical adoption of s</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">ocial anthropology by much of society. I have been impressed by the appointment of
anthropologists by charities and commercial companies seeking to expand their
work into third world countries, while being committed to avoid disruption of
the traditions and cultures of those communities. I know of and commend some great work done by
Microsoft Anthropologists to enable third world village women to play a role in
supporting their families through culturally acceptable home businesses set up
through donations of equipment and training that does not upset the balance of
those societies. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"">The U.K. Economic and Social Research Council
promotes the study of Social Anthropology on its website, saying; </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">“Social anthropology plays a central role in
an era when global <b>understanding</b> and recognition of diverse ways of
seeing the world are of critical social, political and economic importance.
Social anthropology uses practical methods to investigate philosophical
problems about the nature of human life in society.”</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">While
on a river cruise through Germany about ten years ago my husband and I were
taken by bus into the city of Nuremberg for a tour of the city and a visit to
the “Documentation Centre”.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">We were not
really sure what this involved, but were to discover that this is simply a name
for their Museum about Nuremberg and the Nazi years.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">This name was derived to avoid any
possibility of glorifying the Nazi History, but is also supposed to underline
the evil past and give no place or focus for neo Nazi’s to enjoy or have as a
rally point.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Ninety
percent of Nuremberg was destroyed by the Allied bombings so most of the city
was built after the end of World War Two with much of it in the very bland 50s
and 60s styles of architecture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some
areas were rebuilt in their original style and look older than they are.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It
was hard to know what to expect from our guided tour - but the impressive young
guide we had was a sociol anthropology graduate from the local university and
his “lectures” were very much based on sociology lines with absolutely no
attempt to excuse or avoid the difficult moral issues that must be confronted
by German people today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Obviously, even
with all the training in sociology and the attempts to apply all the theories
of human behaviour, it appeared that he and the current generations cannot
understand or comprehend how a whole generation of good people could have been
drawn into such moral destitution that allowed the Nazis to do the terrible
things they did. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had been wondering
how a guide could approach the history of Nuremberg for an audience of visitors
from several cultures and the attitude of this educated young man filled us
with some hope for the future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all
know the quote by Edmund Burke; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“All that
is required for evil to triumph, is for good men to do nothing.” <o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">We
were surprised to learn that many of the dreaded concentration camps were
already in use in the early 1930s and we also learned some of the reasons why
Nuremberg, with its central location and long history as a trading centre with
successful Jewish traders who had also suffered a terrible massacre in 1298,
became of such interest to Adolf Hitler and his Nazis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nuremberg was the site of the first German
railway and became a huge hub and this contributed to its role as the venue for
the huge Nazi rallies from 1927 to 1938.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was incredible to stand in the vast place where these rallies we have
all seen on TV or movies took place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L18U9myEQdg/X1ocdCS-ZXI/AAAAAAAADD0/PHyrc_M8J7U-qmftx5Z0yZ7SvgBZW06rQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/P1070894%2BNuremberg%2Bmarching%2Bground.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="375" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L18U9myEQdg/X1ocdCS-ZXI/AAAAAAAADD0/PHyrc_M8J7U-qmftx5Z0yZ7SvgBZW06rQCLcBGAsYHQ/w500-h375/P1070894%2BNuremberg%2Bmarching%2Bground.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scene of the Nazi mass marches (above)<br /><br />Photos of Nazi march displayed in the Documentation Centre (below)</td></tr></tbody></table></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-keYYQcFtF0w/X1oc08FjODI/AAAAAAAADD8/xtjRH1QwfXE8roAE8fbelxO-vnSyjwqKgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/P1070912%2BInside%2BDocumentation%2BMuseum%2BNeuremberg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="586" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-keYYQcFtF0w/X1oc08FjODI/AAAAAAAADD8/xtjRH1QwfXE8roAE8fbelxO-vnSyjwqKgCLcBGAsYHQ/w781-h586/P1070912%2BInside%2BDocumentation%2BMuseum%2BNeuremberg.jpg" width="781" /></a></div><br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">We
learned details of Hitler's wild plans and dreams of impressing the world with
his might and power and learned how some of those plans were flawed from the
start.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In his megalomania he appears through
history as a really pathetic figure as you stand and view the failures of his
building plans with the evidence of his unfinished projects which he refused to
hear just could not work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We found it quite moving to stand below the
windows of Court 61 as we listened to our guide’s descriptions of the Nuremberg
Trials that took place there.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dZjPL3669JU/X1odaMZCUiI/AAAAAAAADEE/ynyDBr-9DLMXyACg1fjDaELbX59SUVTYgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/P1070898%2BNeuremberg%2BTrials%2Bheld%2Bhere.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="375" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dZjPL3669JU/X1odaMZCUiI/AAAAAAAADEE/ynyDBr-9DLMXyACg1fjDaELbX59SUVTYgCLcBGAsYHQ/w500-h375/P1070898%2BNeuremberg%2BTrials%2Bheld%2Bhere.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtroom for Nuremberg War Crime Trials</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I
found that in some ways the feelings of the young Germans paralleled with the
thoughts of many Australians about the ill treatment of our aborigines – while
we don’t feel personally responsible for what was done, we can’t quite
understand how other essentially good Australians allowed it to happen.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The
Rev. John then spoke of the difficulties we humans have living harmoniously in
the communities we crave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He said; “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The bad is easy to recognise, because the
history of humankind is as much as anything a history of war and conflict. We
read in the record of the past and see in the news of our day that humans have
great difficulty getting along with one another—whether it be in the
neighbourhood, village, city, state, nation, or world.” <o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Sadly,
there are currently many dangers to the traditions of community looming, as a
result of this distracting Covid 19 Pandemic, because the “rules” of keeping
people safe from the deadly virus, contravene the way those who “gather
together in Jesus’ name” care for each other and share their love of God, their
troubles and their triumphs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Daily we
see the tragedy of Christians being locked out of their churches, children
being locked out of their schools, workers being dismissed from their jobs, old
people being locked in their retirement villages, families kept apart and bosses
who have built up businesses and taken satisfaction in knowing they provide
security and keep families safe from homelessness, hunger and distress all fall
into some level of despair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Yet
it goes much deeper even than that and our feeling of the loss of our freedom threatens
all communities and the very ties that hold them together and deliver a measure
of good, kindness and justice in our society.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Freedom
is; liberty, autonomy, lack of restrictions, self-determination, independence,
choice, free will, and sovereignty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I decided
long ago that to live in complete freedom I would need to leave my husband,
children and grandchildren, and cut off all ties with friends and
neighbours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would need to leave all
behind and move to a place with no laws or rules; where no one would question
any of my actions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No matter how
anti-social or selfish I was, there would be no one to control my dominion or
question my rights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">And
there would be no one to care!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet
caring for and being cared for by other humans is one of life’s great rewards
and joys.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Do
I want freedom if that is the price?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No
- I like to be held accountable for my actions; and I consider it my moral duty
to obey the laws of Australia and to follow the rules of God as set out in the
Bible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe it is a privilege to
have a husband and family to share my life, even though this means they
sometimes expect me to do something for them in return for the love we
share.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also enjoy being a part of a
sociable community.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In
order to keep this civilized and enlightened social order that we call society,
the enforcement of rules and laws must generally be seen to be the right
outcome to preserve the rights of the majority.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is in fact ironic, that the price for a person who exercises what
they may consider to be their personal freedom, in an anti-social way in a
“civilised” society, is often punishment by fines or imprisonment, inflicted by
that same society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">This
of course, brings up questions about the morality of the deprivation of freedom
in many specific circumstances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Particularly
in these disrupted times, many previously law abiding but frustrated people are
questioning the mandatory removal or suspension of their previously guarded and
accepted “human rights” and the right of society to punish them for breaking
these “new laws of humanity” being made to protect the life and health of us
all – even strangers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I suppose it is
selfishness that stops those who can’t see and understand that to protect their
own loved ones and even themselves, they must consider the needs of everyone
not only in their own society, but also in other connected societies throughout
the world.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The
Rev. John said in his sermon; “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">We do
gather in Jesus’ name. We re-call him to presence with us. And that makes him a
part of us and of what we do. That is what we experience at each Eucharist—we
in him and he in us. But we don’t celebrate Eucharist alone. If only the priest
shows up for a mid-week service, for instance, there will be no celebration of
the Eucharist. There is no community for whom to break bread.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>This reminded me of an interesting moment
in 2011 when my husband and I arrived at a beautiful church in the French
village of Bergholtz-Zell very late on a Friday afternoon; after a beautiful day
spent looking for the most perfect village along the famous Alsace wine
route.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LVmIXFWFlXw/X1oWkoMiLeI/AAAAAAAADDo/l-laMv8X4scwtvHGh0a2hWCGi0MxLPXVACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/P1100373%2BChurch%2Bin%2BAlsace%2Bchurch%2Bin%2BBergholtz-Zell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="781" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LVmIXFWFlXw/X1oWkoMiLeI/AAAAAAAADDo/l-laMv8X4scwtvHGh0a2hWCGi0MxLPXVACLcBGAsYHQ/w586-h781/P1100373%2BChurch%2Bin%2BAlsace%2Bchurch%2Bin%2BBergholtz-Zell.jpg" width="586" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Where two or three are gathered together in my name"<br />Bergholtz-Zell Church, Alsace, France</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The church is famous for its
exquisite wooden carvings, but as we quietly entered, we discovered that the
priest was talking to two women in the church and he was ready to start a
service where there really were just <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“two
or three people gathered together in God’s name”.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the service began, I found it both sad and
yet lovely to see the fulfilment of this often quoted phrase, although I was a
little disappointed to see that the two ladies stood one behind the other in
about the fourth and fifth rows back from the priest in the front of the
church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>As our understanding of the
French language was almost completely non-existent, we quietly left the church
and continued on our journey.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The
conclusion from the Rev. John was; “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Today
Jesus makes it clear how important we are one to another. Through our link to
one another through Christ, there is a power in our community, uniting the
values of God to our values on earth. This is how Jesus enables us to use God’s
power for making healing and life-giving love more effective among God’s
people. We come together, we stay together, we work together—in our Lord's
name, bringing to focus the presence of God and unleashing the power of the
Spirit to transform our lives and the lives of all God’s children. <o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Where two or three are
gathered in my name, I am there among them.” </span></i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Joanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05674868263535857401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984603332978797234.post-53114095351990025112020-09-04T20:45:00.005-07:002020-09-04T22:28:46.216-07:00John Wesley - Peace is Never Easy<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Over the past month we have learned a lot
about the Rev. John Wesley and last week our Rev. John highlighted his
conservatism and his loyalty to King and Country. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This week the Rev John spoke in his sermon of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Wesley’s Thoughts of War.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In his book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“John Wesley for the 21<sup>st</sup> Century”</i> John O’Gooch wrote; “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">John Wesley was not fond of war.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He did not leap to the notion that we have to
support the King in time of war, no matter what.”</i> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>O’Gooch stressed that Wesley tended to blame
both sides equally in war – including the American War of Independence - certainly
a battle of his own time. Gooch also stated; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“And yet Wesley was not a Pacifist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He thought war was foolish and wasteful and there should be better ways
of solving international disputes.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">I’m sure there would be no argument about
this from any ordinary, thinking and fair minded person some almost 230 years
after his death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While a Chaplain in New
Guinea in 1943 my father wrote home in a letter; “What a mad futile business
war is!”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">In 21<sup>st</sup> Century Australia when
we think of war most of us will think about those wars that we Australians, our
parents or our grandparents and for some even their Great Grandparents, took
part in at the end of the 19<sup>th</sup> Century and during the 20<sup>th</sup>
Century.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Our dead are never dead to us,
until we have forgotten them”</i></b> is a quote attributed to George Elliot
the author, who died in 1888.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We older
people have probably already passed on our personal memories and thoughts about
war in some way to the following generations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I have already written about my father and others in World War 11 as
part of my Family’s History and also shared some of those stories about World
War 11 with the readers of Margaret’s Blog. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">For the centenary of the Great War of
1914-1918 I was inspired to write a book to share the memories of my husband’s
grandfather’s family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I called the
book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“One Australian Family’s War
1914-1918 and beyond.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>My husband’s
Grandfather died on the Western Front in January 1917 and another brother left
to serve at the front just two weeks after his brother’s death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their younger brother had already died from wounds
the day after the Gallipoli landing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One
of their first cousins died in May 1915 and his body was never identified.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is one of 4223 Australians commemorated on
the Lone Pine Memorial at Gallipoli, along with another cousin who died
unidentified at the Battle of Lone Pine in August 1915. A third cousin who
died in July 1916 was one of the
Lost Soldiers of Fromelles and his identification in 2012 brought large numbers
of their scattered families together to share our family history more widely and
discover new family ties and friends. This also brought about amazing links
between our families and some wonderful French people from the towns of
Fromelles and Villers-Bretteneaux and the present day children of the schools in
those towns who have carried on the traditions of previous generations from
their towns and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Always Remembered
Australia”</i> and our soldiers. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Think
bush fires!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you remember all the
“good news” stories after our summer bush-fires when these and other French
communities once again made generous donations to our Australian country people
to care for our native animals and repair our schools.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jnk_1oWkGJM/X1MfWOOrXvI/AAAAAAAADCs/XGnkjmXztWoL3TlKWsOAETb_uT5AD-_CwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Celeste.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1381" data-original-width="2048" height="423" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jnk_1oWkGJM/X1MfWOOrXvI/AAAAAAAADCs/XGnkjmXztWoL3TlKWsOAETb_uT5AD-_CwCLcBGAsYHQ/w625-h423/Celeste.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">In all eight first cousins of my husband’s
grandfather, brother and three cousins, who died in France and Turkey also left
Australia to fight for “the Empire” on the other side of the world. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This story is not unique, but is a
heartbreaking reminder to us all of the horror, stupidity and heartbreak of
war. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, as a Christian, it helps me
to believe that even in the worst possible circumstances we can look for and
find love, loyalty, ingenuity, forgiveness and ultimately even be inspired by
the good in humans as we ponder God’s “mysterious ways.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By writing for my family and sharing my
thoughts with a much wider family group I hope that in some minute way I may be
helping to reduce the bitterness in the world and help people to work towards
peace and understanding with responsible reporting of the “people’s history”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I wrote in this Blog some weeks ago; my
Christian values tell me that tolerance is the glue that holds any society
together. My book about war began;<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Each year the moving Service of
Commemoration held at Anzac Cove Gallipoli on 25<sup>th</sup> April takes place
against the gradually changing backdrop of Anzac Cove in Turkey, with a mesmerising
change from a dark night sky to a beautiful pink tinged pale blue dawn sky. The
gentle lapping of the water and the silent expectation and reverence of the
crowd presents an extreme contrast to the scene in 1915 when hell broke loose
in that place.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">The “trouble in the Balkans” which finally
led to the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the
Austro - Hungarian throne, in Sarajevo on 28th June 1914 brewed and had many
eruptions before the declaration of this first truly global war. The often used
term, “trouble in the Balkans” is in itself an expression of the inability of
any person to completely understand the complexity of the situation which was
partly geographical, partly cultural and partly historical, but was rooted in the
legacies of centuries of other wars and unsatisfactory and conflicting peace
treaties between the many opponents. It was eventually bound to ignite into
uncontrolled chaos and that fateful shot at Sarajevo in 1914 was the trigger
that unleashed the horrendous consequences which changed the world forever. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">In his speech during the Anzac Day Service
in 2014, the Governor General of New Zealand, Sir Jerry Mateparae said; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“When we remember our brave forebears we pay
them the honour they deserve. It is also a time for reflection on war and its
impact. And it is a chance to enlighten new generations about the events that
shaped their world, and to encourage them to strive for peace. Looking out from
where I stand this morning, it is very moving to see so many people assembled
for this Dawn Service and to know Anzac Day services are taking place in many
countries throughout the world. The scale of these commemorations shows how
deeply people have been affected by what happened here.”</i> During his speech,
the Governor General quoted Neill Atkinson, Chief Historian for the Minister
for Culture and Heritage, the organisation chosen to plan the Centenary of
Anzac Celebrations for New Zealand. Neill Atkinson said: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“History is a responsibility we
carry with us now and into the future”.<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">My husband is currently reading a book, </span><span face="" lang="" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">entitled “The Great War” written by John Terraine,
which was first published in 1965, and he shared this emotional quote from a
German man Rudolph Binding (page 46).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span face="" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Rudolf
Binding was born in Basel in 1867. He studied medicine and law before joining
the Hussars. On the outbreak of the First World War, Binding, who was forty-six
years old, became commander of a squadron of dragoons. Except for a four-month
period in Galicia in 1916, Binding spent the whole of the war on the Western
Front.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His diary and letters, “A
Fatalist at War”, was published in 1927. His collected war poems, stories and
recollections were not published until after his death in 1938, rather
ironically just before the horror was about to be repeated, although it was
actually written by </span><span face="" lang="" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Rudolph on, or
very close to, the 11<sup>th</sup> November 1914 – only about three months
after the Great War started and exactly four years before that war ended.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was written by a German soldier in the
context and immediate aftermath of the “First Battle of Ypres”, and at that
time British losses alone had reached 89,000 with The Ypres battle alone
accounting for 58,000.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span face="" lang="" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Rudolph
Binding, in his gloomy billet in Flanders, found time to set his feelings down<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“When one sees the wasting, burning villages
and towns, plundered cellars and attics in which the troops have pulled
everything to pieces in the blind instinct of self-preservation, dead or
half-starved animals, cattle bellowing in the sugar beet fields and then
corpses, corpses and corpses, streams of wounded one after another – then
everything becomes senseless, a lunacy, a horrible bad joke of peoples and
their history, an endless reproach to mankind, a negation of all civilization,
killing all the belief in the capacity of mankind and men for progress, a
desecration of what is Holy, so that one feels that all human beings are doomed
in this war”. </i>Then John Terraine continued; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“It is a matter for awe to see how race after race was drawn in”. <o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span face="" lang="" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b8c9qY4BGnY/X1MgXolvi_I/AAAAAAAADC0/bBgkuyyU90I_P-i_elNZCtqiR8OSVdmkQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/E00765%2BWhite%2BTape%2BLine%2B20%2BSep%2B1917%2BHannebeek.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="640" height="461" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b8c9qY4BGnY/X1MgXolvi_I/AAAAAAAADC0/bBgkuyyU90I_P-i_elNZCtqiR8OSVdmkQCLcBGAsYHQ/w625-h461/E00765%2BWhite%2BTape%2BLine%2B20%2BSep%2B1917%2BHannebeek.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h67uPXqBMu0/X1MhHE3lb7I/AAAAAAAADC8/t8oG2D4D18Q7WZ_iCTCYjEAi9-jkH6JoQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/E00706.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="494" data-original-width="640" height="483" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h67uPXqBMu0/X1MhHE3lb7I/AAAAAAAADC8/t8oG2D4D18Q7WZ_iCTCYjEAi9-jkH6JoQCLcBGAsYHQ/w625-h483/E00706.jpg" width="625" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Before 1914 the
Great Powers were in two big alliance blocs: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Triple Alliance</i> and the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Triple
Entente</i>. The Triple Alliance (which consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary
and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Italy</b>) later drew in more allies
and was joined by the Ottoman Empire (Turkey plus the Middle East) and Bulgaria
- its allies were then known as the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Central
Powers</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The war also quickly
involved other countries who joined with the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Triple Entente</i> of France Russia and Britain, so the opposing side became
known as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">the Allies</i> and included Serbia,
Russia, France and its Empire, Belgium, Montenegro and Britain and its Empire -
including self-governing colonies like Canada and Australia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Italy changed sides </i></b>and joined the
Allies in 1915. Other Allied nations included Portugal, Japan, Greece, Romania,
China and, towards the end of the war, various South American countries,
including Brazil and Peru. The United States fought alongside the Allies from
1917, but as an ‘Associated Power’ with no formal military alliance. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">And what did it all
achieve?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Four imperial dynasties—the
Habsburgs of Austria-Hungary, the Hohenzollerns of Germany, the sultanate of
the Ottoman Empire, and the Romanovs of Russia—collapsed as a direct result of
the war, and the map of Europe was changed forever. The United States emerged
as a world power, and new technology made warfare deadlier than ever before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And once again the failure of negotiated
Peace, along with the rise of Fascism in Italy, German aggression in Europe,
the worldwide Great Depression and the rolling eruption of sniping invasions
and unrest throughout the world, the hell of a Second World War was soon killing
military persons and civilians in their millions amidst senseless destruction beyond
belief.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">There is no doubt,
without God we humans make a mess of things!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Rev John said in conclusion; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“The
Beatitudes call us above all to a sense of openness before God. We don’t see
God until we see the face of Christ in others, we learn to do that by pursuing
justice and kindness toward all people. We don’t see God until we stop trying
to control and begin learning to walk humbly in God’s presence. But when we
practice doing justice and loving kindness and walking in humility, the Spirit
continues to work in our hearts, purifying us. And blessed are the pure in
heart, for they are seeing God.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i><o:p></o:p></span></p>Joanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05674868263535857401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984603332978797234.post-45547951100817147752020-08-28T18:38:00.004-07:002020-08-28T19:21:50.390-07:00John Wesley; Faith and Politics<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“How Far Is It the Duty of a
Christian Minister to Preach Politics?”</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> This was the title and the
question posed in a short essay written by the Rev. John Wesley in 1782. Like many people of his time John Wesley
appears to have still been a believer in the <i>“Divine Right of Kings”</i> at a time when England was steadily moving
into a state of Constitutional Monarchy.
In his sermon on Sunday 16<sup>th</sup> August, the Rev. John said; <i>“Unfortunately, he (Wesley) confines the
preaching of politics to defending the King, and the King’s ministers, against
slanders and lies”. <o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">History
is sometimes unkind to the memory of certain historic figures and poor old King
George 111 is one such maligned figure; with any mention of him quickly leading
to stories of his “madness” and the loss of the American Colonies after the War
of Independence from 1775 to 1783 during his reign. But George 111 was actually a much more
interesting King in changing times with problems like the threat of the
Jacobites and Bonny Prince Charlie and France eager to retaliate against Great
Britain following their defeat during the Seven Years' War. There were also various conflicts against
Napoleonic France which started in 1793 and led to the Battle of Waterloo in
1815.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In
1751 young George’s father died, making him the heir to his grandfather King
George 11 who died in 1760. George 111
was only 22 when he became King and he was the first of the Hanoverian kings to
be born in England and call English his first language, although he spoke
fluent German and also learned to speak French. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qb9jdeYx404/X0m5tiErHJI/AAAAAAAADBg/WinF7lyl37IsHYgP40vNm_CfE-V3r5X3QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1410/King%2BGeorge%2B111%2BCoronation.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="685" data-original-width="1410" height="249" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qb9jdeYx404/X0m5tiErHJI/AAAAAAAADBg/WinF7lyl37IsHYgP40vNm_CfE-V3r5X3QCLcBGAsYHQ/w512-h249/King%2BGeorge%2B111%2BCoronation.jpg" width="512" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18pt; text-align: justify;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">He
was one of Britain’s most cultured monarchs and he set a good example by loving
and respecting his wife and taking no mistress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>George 111 and his wife Charlotte had 15 children with 13 surviving into
adulthood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">George
111 seems to have shared some of the interests that inspired the Rev. John
Wesley and it is easy to understand that the King would have gained the
approval of Wesley.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The King started a
new royal collection of books and 65,000 of his books were later given to the
British Museum, as the King’s Library and the nucleus of a national library.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also had two other private book
collections at Windsor which indicate the diversity of the King’s interests,
like science, agriculture and farming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He was nicknamed <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Farmer George” </i>for
his great interest in agriculture. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>George 111 studied science as part of his
education and he had his own astronomical observatory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Science Museum now has a collection of
some of his scientific instruments on display.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>George 111 made accurate drawings and calculations of the Transit of
Venus across the Sun on 23<sup>rd</sup> June, 1769 and accurately forecast
further transits in 1874 and 2004. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">To
be fair, I should write something of the genetic illness called porphyria, long
thought to be the cause of the mental instability and blindness that increasingly
afflicted him with serious bouts of illness in 1788-89 and again in 1801.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was not until 1810 that King George 111
became permanently deranged and was declared mentally unfit to rule.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His eldest son – who later ruled in his own
right as George IV - acted as Prince Regent from 1811. As a result of new
studies of King George 111’s letters and analyses of language and style of
writing, there is growing belief the King may have been suffering from
hypomania which is now called bipolar disorder as far as I can work out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It appears that he was given arsenic poison
to “cure” him and that could have made his situation so much worse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am so glad that I live in the 21<sup>st</sup>
century aren’t you?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I
should return to the Rev. John’s thoughts about John Wesley’s essay;<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> “Three times in this short essay, he says
that the chief business of the clergy is to preach Christ, and Christ
crucified. That seems to sum up Wesley’s attitude toward the political system.
That attitude is almost a hands-off one. Don’t bother with politics, except to
set the record straight when people lie about the King or the King’s
ministers.” <o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Wesley did advise Methodist
voters about voting. He told them they should vote morally, that is, they
should not accept bribes or other favours in return for their votes. In
addition, he said, they should vote for the candidate that “loves God”. If
there were no candidate who loves God, then they should vote for the one who
supports King George. That’s a pretty direct statement, in terms of telling people
how to vote!”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">There
is no doubt that apart from basic moral advice, any advice on dealing with the
political system and voting offered by the Rev. John Wesley would indeed have
little relevance to the world today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
the world we live in today politics seem to be freely discussed and are no
longer considered “taboo” in polite society, but I still personally prefer to
refrain from serious political discussions because each person is entitled to
their own opinion and I would hate to restrict my list of dear friends to those
who vote the same way that I do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although
many people freely share their views, I would not even ask my children or
grandchildren about their political leanings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">As
I look back and consider the formation of my childhood impressions about the
social, political and religious issues of that time I realise that probably
most children of the forties and fifties were as confused and ill-informed as I
was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was still a great deal of
discussion about, and residual poverty and pain from “the depression” and “the
war”, although these two occurrences were never explained to young children at
the time - and of course - having been born during the war, I had no personal
memories to draw on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">History
seems to indicate that the decade before my birth was an age of confusing
attitudes about “patriotism”, fear of the development of a distinctly
Australian political identity, and a desperate clinging to the protection of
“the Mother Country”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As time passes and
Australians become more generations removed from British ties and begin to mix
with people of many other cultures these British traditions are perhaps harder
for younger people to fully understand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, when I consider that the largest proportion of both mine and my
husband’s great-grandparents were born in England, Scotland or Ireland this
loyalty was not surprising. I could only remember the Liberal Party being in
power and Robert Menzies being Australia’s Prime Minister (1949 to 1966) and he
and Britain’s Winston Churchill were highly regarded by my parents although
they never actually revealed their support in so many words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the passage of time most of us realise
that perhaps history is not always reliable! As some bright spark quoted; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“History is always written by the winners!”<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">However,
I will give the Rev. John Wesley the last word with a quote from a letter he
wrote on the 8<sup>th</sup> February 1772.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“I commend you for meddling with
points of controversy as little as possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is abundantly easier to lose our love in that rough field than to
find truth.” </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Although
I think I also need to point to the Rev. John’s summing up of John Wesley’s
thoughts; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“All through his life, Wesley
leaned on the biblical idea of obedience to the powers that be. See Romans 13
for an expression of this idea. Wesley would also warn us to be humble about
confusing our own political opinions with the will of God. And, incredibly
important for a time when only a small majority of eligible voters actually do
vote, Wesley would urge us to get to the polls! <o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Wesley would return us to
Jesus. The same Jesus who calls us to our true, ultimate, and permanent
citizenship. He makes that possible for us through his life, teaching, death,
resurrection, and continuing presence with us. Our true citizenship will be at
the heavenly banquet. The seating arrangements at the heavenly banquet are
going to be interesting. <o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The ticket into the heavenly
banquet is salvation, by grace, through faith. It is not connected to our
works, either good or bad. It is a free gift from God. The passport to heaven
is not something of this world. We receive it when we surrender to the love of
God and claim Jesus as Saviour.” </span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Joanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05674868263535857401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984603332978797234.post-78026713903974509622020-08-23T05:47:00.002-07:002020-08-23T05:50:51.242-07:00Thoughts upon God and Slavery<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">It
is true that some cruel forms of slavery still flourish in many places in the
“enlightened” world today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a
really hard thought for us to process in our democratic and comfortable society
isn’t it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is inconceivable to most
humans (we hope) that one person can own another person and be in total control
of their lives – or indeed, whether they live or die.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, when I consider slavery and it
becomes clear that historically many slave owners professed Christianity and some
even used quotes from the Bible as an “excuse” for their treatment of fellow
humans, I feel desperately ashamed of their behaviour and sad to know just how
many times over the centuries slavery has reared its ugliness and horror.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">On
Sunday 9<sup>th</sup> August the Rev. John told us that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Although the Rev. John Wesley claimed to have been opposed to slavery
from the first time, he heard of it, …we do not know with certainty when he
first heard of slavery. He might have come into contact with slaves in
England.”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">However,
we do know that; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“In 1736-7, Wesley
visited North America including Georgia, which was then a British colony, and
there he came into contact with enslaved people. This experience left him with
a loathing of slavery but at first, he felt unable to act on this.”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">In 1774, he wrote that tract called
"Thoughts on Slavery" that went into four editions in two years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In it, he attacked the Slave Trade and the
slave-trader with considerable passion and proposed a boycott of slave-produced
sugar and rum. In August 1787, he wrote to the Abolition Committee to express
his support.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1788, when the abolition
campaign was at its height, he preached a sermon in Bristol, one of the
foremost slave trading ports. In those days, an anti-slavery sermon could not
be preached without considerable personal risk to the preacher and a
disturbance broke out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He maintained an
interest in the abolition movement until he died.” </i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Although
John Wesley noted in his journal that he did not like a sentimental style of
writing, he seems to have written his <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Thoughts
on Slavery”</i> in a deliberately impassioned style in order to strengthen his
moral, religious and economic arguments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He made no apologies to those who are sensitive about the truths that he
has written.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has been credited with
being the first advocate for the abolition of slavery to make his arguments with
sentimental rhetoric, which became the model for the subsequent debates against
slavery.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Wesley
also famously said: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"Give liberty to
whom liberty is due, that is, to every child of man, to every partaker of human
nature. Let none serve you, but by his own act and deed, by his own voluntary
action. Away with all whips, all chains, all compulsion. Be gentle toward all
men; and see that you invariably do with everyone as you would he should do
unto you." <o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">It
is not easy reading, yet I feel compelled to share a few of John Wesley’s
“Thoughts on Slavery” – with apologies for this shocking content.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The problems of greed and the lack of
kindness, care, understanding and love have overwhelmed society and allowed
unbelievable evil to overcome good often throughout history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People like John and Charles Wesley, William
Wilberforce, John Newton, Lord Mansfield and many others were the right people
for their time and were willing to work together and be examples of the power
of working with the love of God as your strength.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On 22 May 1787, the first meeting of
the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Society for Effecting the
Abolition of the Slave Trade</i> took place, bringing like-minded British<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Quakers</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Anglicans</i> together in the same
organisation for the first time. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All the
Abolitionist organisations working to free the slaves in America and the
British and other colonies were making progress against the terrible problems of
greed, dependence on slaves and the cruelty it brought to hundreds of thousands
of the innocent victims were at last gaining momentum.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">In his booklet, John Wesley gave DETAILED information from various
sources about the orderly and calm nature and life of the inhabitants of the
coast of Africa from which huge numbers of native people were seized,
transported and sold as slaves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He noted
these details to quash the stories of the kidnappers that they were “saving”
them from a terrible environment where few could survive!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24pt; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2L5RKhgxUyg/X0Jk4cZa-_I/AAAAAAAADBE/AjOPn0L08bcnMaGaaZanr_Bb0-vcPbegACLcBGAsYHQ/s564/westp%2BThoughts%2Bon%2Bslaver%2BJohn%2BWesley%2Bpamphlet.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="344" height="564" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2L5RKhgxUyg/X0Jk4cZa-_I/AAAAAAAADBE/AjOPn0L08bcnMaGaaZanr_Bb0-vcPbegACLcBGAsYHQ/w344-h564/westp%2BThoughts%2Bon%2Bslaver%2BJohn%2BWesley%2Bpamphlet.jpg" width="344" /></a></div><span face="" style="color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face="" style="color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">“The <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Gold-Coast</span> and <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Slave-Coast</span>,
all who have seen it agree, is exceeding fruitful and pleasant, producing vast
quantities of rice and other grain, plenty of fruit and roots, palm-wine, and
oil, and fish in great abundance, with much tame and wild cattle. The very same
account is given us of the soil and produce of the kingdoms of <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Benin, Congo</span> and <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Angol</span>--From all which it appears,
That <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Guinea</span> in
general, far from being an horrid, dreary, barren country, is one of the most
fruitful, as well as the most pleasant countries in the known world. It is said
indeed to be unhealthy. And so it is to strangers, but perfectly healthy to the
native inhabitants.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face="" style="color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Such is the country from which the
negroes are brought. We come next to enquire, What sort of men they are, of
what temper and behaviour, not in our plantations, but in their native country.
And here likewise the surest way is to take our account from eye and ear
witnesses. Now those who have lived in the <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Senegal</span> country observe, it is inhabited by three nations,
the <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Jaloss, Fulis</span>,
and <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Mandingos</span>. The king of
the <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Jaloss</span> has under
him several ministers, who assist in the exercise of justice. The chief justice
goes in circuit through all his dominions, to hear complaints and determine
controversies. And the viceroy goes with him, to inspect the behaviour of
the <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Alkadi</span>, or Governor of
each village. <o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face="" style="color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Mandingos</span>, says Mons. <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Brue</span>, are rigid <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Mahometans</span>,
drinking neither wine nor brandy. They are industrious and laborious, keeping
their ground well cultivated, and breeding a good flock of cattle. Every town
has a governor, and he appoints the labour of the people. The men work the
ground designed for corn; the women and girls, the rice-ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He afterwards divides the corn and rice among
them: And decides all quarrels if any arise. All the Mahometan negroes
constantly go to public prayers thrice a day: there being a priest in every
village, who regularly calls them together: And so the reports of the
places and people go on.<a name="note1"></a><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face="" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">We have now seen, what kind of
country it is, from which the negroes are brought: And what sort of men (even
whitemen being the judges) they were in their own country. Enquire we, Thirdly,
In what manner are they generally procured, carried to, and treated in <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">America.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24pt; text-align: justify;"><i><span face="" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">First.</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face="" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"> In what manner are they procured?
Part of them by fraud. Captains of ships from time to time, have invited
negroes to come on board, and then carried them away. But far more have been
procured by force. The Christians landing upon their coasts, seized as many as
they found, men, women and children, and transported them to <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">America</span>. It was about 1551, that
the <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">English</span> began
trading to <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Guinea</span>: At
first, for gold and elephants teeth, but soon after, for men. In 1566,
Sir <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">John Hawkins</span> sailed
with two ships to Cape <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Verd</span>,
where he sent eighty men on shore to catch negroes. But the natives flying,
they fell farther down, and there set the men on shore, "to burn their
towns and take the inhabitants." But they met with such resistance, that
they had seven men killed, and took but ten negroes. So they went still farther
down, till having taken enough, they proceeded to the <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">West-Indies</span>, and sold them</span></i><span face="" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="https://docsouth.unc.edu/church/wesley/wesley.html#note2"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><sup><span color="" style="color: windowtext;">*</span></sup></i></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face="" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">It was some time before the <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Europeans</span> found a more
compendious way of procuring <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">African</span> slaves,
by prevailing upon them to make war upon each other, and to sell their
prisoners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Till then they seldom had any
wars: But were in general quiet and peaceable. But the white men first taught
them drunkenness and avarice, and then hired them to sell one another. Nay, by
this means, even their kings are induced to sell their own subjects.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face="" style="background: white; color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Such
is the manner wherein the Negroes are procured! Thus the Christians preach the
gospel to the heathens!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face="" style="color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face="" style="color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Thus they
are <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">procured</span>. But in what
numbers and in what manner are they carried to <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">America?</span>--Mr. <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Anderson</span> in
his History of trade and commerce, observes, "<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">England</span> supplies her American colonies with Negro slaves,
amounting in number to about an hundred thousand every year." That is, so
many are taken on board our ships; but at least ten thousand of them die in the
voyage: About a fourth part more die at the different Islands, in what is
called the Seasoning. So that at an average, in the passage and seasoning
together, thirty thousand die: That is, properly are murdered. O earth, O Sea,
cover not thou their blood!<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face="" style="color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">When they are
brought down to the shore in order to be sold, our surgeons thoroughly examine
them, and that quite naked, women and men, without any distinction: Those that
are approved are set on one side. In the mean time a burning iron, with the
arms or name of the Company, lies in the fire, with which they are marked on
the breast. Before they are put into the ships, their masters strip them of all
they have on their backs: So that they come on board stark naked, women as well
as men. It is common for several hundreds of them to be put on board one
vessel; where they are stowed together in as little room, as it is possible for
them to be crowded. It is easy to suppose what a condition they must soon be
in, between heat, thirst, and stench of various kinds. So that it is no wonder,
so many should die in the passage; but rather, that any survive it.<sup>” </sup></span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face="" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">I
will not burden you with the horrendous laws that John Wesley wrote about in
his Booklet – laws that were made for the punishments to be metered out to
slaves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, he did record; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“The author of the history of <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Jamaica</span>, wrote about the year 1740,
in his account of the sufferings of the negroes; The people of that island have
indeed the severest ways of punishing; no country exceeds them in a barbarous
treatment of their slaves, or in the cruel methods by which they are put to
death.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">The
Rev. John concluded his Sermon: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Slavery
continues to flourish in our world today. People who are hungry, homeless, or
otherwise vulnerable are lured into debt slavery because they are promised a
better life. Some of them are forced into prostitution. Some are forced
labourers. Some are illegal immigrants who pay large fees to an “agent,” who
smuggles them into a nation, and then keeps them in virtual slavery because of
the debts run up. Some are children sold as jockeys, as prostitutes, as
labourers. Some are farm labourers whose parents passed on debts to them and
they will, in turn, pass those debts on their children.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24pt; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span face="" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">“The greatest riches are
spiritual and moral.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And they are
produced by a Gospel-enlivened society organically rooted in stable marriages
and families, chastity, sobriety, self-denial, thrift, hard work and moral
responsibility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These virtues and
practices are rightly encouraged by churches, which are called to redeem the
fallen, and governments, which are responsible for public order.”</span></i><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span face="" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>Joanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05674868263535857401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984603332978797234.post-17660721140055049822020-08-13T19:06:00.017-07:002020-08-13T21:53:55.766-07:00Was John Wesley "The man who saved England"?<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 24pt; text-align: justify;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Late
in the year 2019 and before the arrival of the disruption to life in most
countries with the Covid 19 Pandemic early in 2020, a small group of our
Marsden Road church members had been involved in a study of a book called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“John Wesley for the 21<sup>st</sup>
Century”</i> by John O. Gooch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Rev.
John was asked if the Marsden Road Congregation could hold a series of services
and further studies, a family tea and other “old fashioned traditional” events
to remind us of the importance of community and spirituality of people who
claim to live as Christians. This was all planned for August 2020 as “Wesley
Weeks” and I suppose you could say that there was a yearning for the Wesley way
of the old Methodist Churches and perhaps a longing and a social need for a new
Revival.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DNGbn87-o48/XzX-o9GndCI/AAAAAAAAC_Q/iLY_4h5inTUM7m_BeL_sl0f3cW5-1wm6QCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/John%2BWesley%2Bfor%2B21st%2BCentury%2BCover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1331" height="262" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DNGbn87-o48/XzX-o9GndCI/AAAAAAAAC_Q/iLY_4h5inTUM7m_BeL_sl0f3cW5-1wm6QCLcBGAsYHQ/w170-h262/John%2BWesley%2Bfor%2B21st%2BCentury%2BCover.jpg" width="170" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Despite
the strict health rules and the constraints about meetings and gatherings as measures
to keep people in Australia as safe as possible, it can be said that, at
Marsden Road Church we are all living with these constraints as well as
possible. So we are proceeding with the <i>“Wesley Weeks”</i> plans with a few
necessary changes. The Rev. John is leading
five more weekly studies for those who are able to attend via “Zoom” and he
will be presenting specially focused sermons about John Wesley and some of his
social work, causes and beliefs. On
Sunday the 2<sup>nd</sup> August the Rev. John’s sermon focused on the life and
work of the Rev. John Wesley and his brother Charles, with special reference to
John’s particular interest in science, which was the topic of the study via
Zoom on the previous Wednesday evening. In this sermon, the Rev. John wrote; <i>“An insatiable reader, Wesley read
scientific works throughout his life, often from the back of his horse.” … “From
his own reading and the advice of others, he developed short lists of
scientific works for his correspondents, schools, and lay preachers. These
collections included older works by John Ray, Cotton Mather, and Jonathan
Edwards as well as current works by Benjamin Franklin, Charles Bonnet, John
Hutchinson, and Oliver Goldsmith. Wesley followed the debates that swirled
around the various interpretations of Newton's ideas.”</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">As
usual the sermons are available in full on the Marsden Road Church website each
week, so you can read them there. There
is also a wealth of information on the internet in the form of countless history
articles and many excellent YouTube videos, so I am wondering what path can we
follow for the weekly blogs? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">John
Wesley certainly spoke up and recorded his views clearly in all his writings
and 40,000 sermons which he is said to have preached - and his brother Charles
certainly gave us wonderful hymns to sing in praise of God. I wonder who among us doesn’t take a deep breath
and approach a Charles Wesley hymn with enthusiasm and a degree of
thoughtfulness?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Having
had only one attempt to ride a horse and having to retreat to have a long soak
in a hot bath because I could barely walk; I certainly admire John Wesley’s
determination and strength when I read that in all he travelled on horseback
for about 400,000 kilometres and used the time often to study and read.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today’s piece of trivia is the note I saw in
one article, that said John Wesley had <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Ridden
his horse to the moon.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">I
became interested in the Wesley family as a whole many years ago now, when I
became deeply involved in family history and I read notes written by ancestors
who had known my maternal GGG grandfather the Rev. John Mayor personally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was fascinated to learn that the Methodist
Church began in the heart of the Anglican Church and that some of my ancestors,
including the father of the Rev. John Mayor were buried in the non-conformist
Bunhill Fields Cemetery in London with the likes of Susanna Wesley, the mother
of John and Charles Wesley and many of the early Methodist ministers and
followers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24pt; text-align: justify;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8lZmpbTUhzA/XzYDMQ2QobI/AAAAAAAAC_c/bfAs4t8tvHogIeoRxdcZu2DNRT5cfAQNwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/Rev%2BJohn%2BMayor%2Byoung.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="900" height="328" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8lZmpbTUhzA/XzYDMQ2QobI/AAAAAAAAC_c/bfAs4t8tvHogIeoRxdcZu2DNRT5cfAQNwCLcBGAsYHQ/w246-h328/Rev%2BJohn%2BMayor%2Byoung.jpg" width="246" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A young follower of John Wesley - Rev John Mayor of Shawbury<br /></td></tr></tbody></table> where he served as Minister for 45 years<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">The
Rev. John Mayor entered Worcester College, Oxford in 1774 and was ordained
Deacon there in 1778.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He began his
ministry at Shawbury in Shropshire in June 1781 after what seems to have been a
period of unrest and youthful enthusiasm - perhaps in an area where the
“Methodist” Anglicans were not as well received.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He wrote that he was ordained as a Priest in
September 1779 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Where I had some blessed
seals to my ministry and violent opposition which ended in my quitting the
curacy in a years time, Michaelmas 1780.</i>” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has been written by his family that the Rev.
John Mayor was a great preacher and he was one of John Wesley's well known
adherents and he became a leader in the Nonconformist Revival. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His niece wrote of him; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“He was stirring up the Shrewsbury neighbourhood when Wesley was busy
in Devon.”</i> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In his will there is a
bequest to his son of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“my Psalter”</i>
and another book which were given to him by John Newton.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel this and some other more definite
clues, support the stories of his long friendships and involvement with people
who had been great workers and advocates for the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Wesley’s Revival”.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">The
World Book Encyclopaedia records; <i>“Methodism originated as a movement with
groups of students at Oxford University in the late 1720's. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They helped each other to be disciplined and
methodical in their study, spiritual devotions and practical good works.”</i> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has been well recorded that John Wesley and
his brother Charles preached in the open air and the crowds were very large as
they taught their listeners about <i>“personal faith and practical good”</i> and I
believe Oxford University students continued to nurture the future generations
of students to join in the revival.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When
John and Charles Wesley realised that they and the few enthusiastic clergy
working with them could not do all the work and provide all the spiritual
support needed; John Wesley began, from 1739 on, to evaluate and approve men who had not been ordained as “local preachers” - and this proved to one of the catalysts for
the growth of Methodism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Modern
History study for the Leaving Certificate in the 1950’s began with the French
Revolution and ended with the causes of World War 1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was captivated by all History, but then, I
was fortunate that a wonderful teacher made it into a fascinating worldwide
saga about the ways the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“age of
enlightenment” </i>and the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“twilight of
princes”</i> evolved; with reason replacing God as an explanation of the
world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With these changed religious and
philosophical thoughts, more popular and nonspiritual art, inventions that led
to innovations in trade, transport and technology and the huge social changes
of the ensuing Industrial Revolution, came the first stirrings of the age of
revolution of which the French Revolution in 1789 was only a part.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">The first Industrial Revolution began in
Britain after 1750 because the country was prepared financially and already had
solid financial institutions like a central bank in place to finance the new
factories, and the development of new technologies to work with iron and steam
power and other kinds of mass production.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The economic strength of Britain was sured-up through high taxes which
were also collected from the almost boundless British Empire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the majority of circumstances, with little regard for the workers - these
rapid changes were </span><span face="" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">made to the culture and life of
people who had worked on farms and in their homes and were forced to move into
new industrial towns and big cities in order to work long hours for low wages
and endure poor housing. However, a few mills belonged to benevolent men who provided housing, schools and medical care. The New Lanark Mill even had a school, a church and a Co-operative Store where prices were fair and the workers benefited from any profits. I wonder if the owners knew John Wesley? I am certainly sure they knew God!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j-KubHnLgEM/XzYNSD5QAwI/AAAAAAAAC_0/UFPuHmGurRUyKJdo2FE7ADIfEXcOz1pcACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/P1120793%2BNew%2BLanark%2BMills.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1537" data-original-width="2048" height="385" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j-KubHnLgEM/XzYNSD5QAwI/AAAAAAAAC_0/UFPuHmGurRUyKJdo2FE7ADIfEXcOz1pcACLcBGAsYHQ/w513-h385/P1120793%2BNew%2BLanark%2BMills.jpg" width="513" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24pt; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rEpFnLH7QMg/XzYPy03rpfI/AAAAAAAADAI/KkosB2HSQ8w9BjsEOaIfYPyP1dnBQ8W6wCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/P1120774%2B%2BThe%2BNew%2BLanark%2BMill.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="384" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rEpFnLH7QMg/XzYPy03rpfI/AAAAAAAADAI/KkosB2HSQ8w9BjsEOaIfYPyP1dnBQ8W6wCLcBGAsYHQ/w512-h384/P1120774%2B%2BThe%2BNew%2BLanark%2BMill.jpg" width="512" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MkCET8LG0Lc/XzYRd7cUgSI/AAAAAAAADAc/5hUktnqdf3kak4cAdIial7vqahr4lxYYACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/P1120780%2BSteam%2BEngine%2BNew%2BLanark.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="384" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MkCET8LG0Lc/XzYRd7cUgSI/AAAAAAAADAc/5hUktnqdf3kak4cAdIial7vqahr4lxYYACLcBGAsYHQ/w512-h384/P1120780%2BSteam%2BEngine%2BNew%2BLanark.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Lanark Cotton Mill was founded in 1785 and it is now a World Heritage Site<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">The
‘upper classes’ went ahead with the building of big new factories with
expensive machines that could make even bigger fortunes for them as they
exploited the poor British workers and foreign growers of spices, cotton and
rich silk fabrics and every kind of exotic thing from the Empire on which it
was claimed <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“the sun never sets.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Is it any wonder that the “lower
classes” were beginning to show dissatisfaction with their miserable lot and there
were rumblings of Revolution in Britain as well as in most of Europe?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John Wesley and his Revivalists taught and
encouraged their followers about the love of God, who could bring a better
world for everyone if only everyone would live the Christian life.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">There
are those who believe that John Wesley and his Methodist Revivalists saved Britain
from its own violent revolution by doing their best to bring hope into a
seemingly hopeless world by their spiritual and social revival, education of
the poor, the provision of food, clothing, fuel, medical help, tools and the
basic needs of life in those difficult times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They also clothed and fed prisoners and cared for the aged and helpless
in need. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At Oxford, John Wesley had
studied basic medicine and first aid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So
in 1746 he set up the first free medical dispensary for the poor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His passion for helping the poor and needy
was lived out by the Wesleys and their followers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John Wesley wrote and “lived” this statement;
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“We give to God not by giving it to the
church, but by giving it to the poor.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>He
personally helped in many ways and he gave all of his own money from his prolific
writing to help the poor; living only on his stipend of ₤28 per year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwjdD_JbOok" style="font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwjdD_JbOok</a> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“John Wesley the Man who saved England.”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you have access to a computer, tablet or
smartphone, and a spare half hour, you might find this YouTube video very
interesting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The speaker is Sydney Adventist
Pastor Gary Kent.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">I
have “reflected” for long enough today, so I will have to catch up with the
topic of slavery, that was the focus of the Rev. John’s service on Sunday 9<sup>th</sup>
August, during the next week. <o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Joanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05674868263535857401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984603332978797234.post-87977602607025444022020-07-30T20:25:00.007-07:002020-08-13T19:11:51.042-07:00Finding the Kingdom among the realities of your life<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Today Let's Picture the World
as an ungainly, promising mass of dough.”</span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> O.K. That’s different, I thought, as the Rev.
John started off his Reflection/Sermon on Sunday 26<sup>th</sup> July. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I
have been living in the world for more decades than I envisaged I may have
survived and I have never once in all that time imagined something as amazing,
mysterious and wonderful as God’s world; in such a colourless and heartless way. The world is sometimes a scary place,
sometimes a difficult place, and sometimes a sad place. I marvel at the miracles and the intricacy of
every plant, animal, element and design of God’s amazing creations – every
single day!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Often
my life is enriched by small unexpected moments of secret joy - moments to be
hoarded like a miser’s secret treasure - to be quietly relived and enjoyed
later, or to be hugged to my heart to bring warmth to the day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I
am not referring to those spectacular life changing and important moments like
leaving home to join my fiancé in church to marry; or like holding each of our
daughters in my arms shortly after the miracle of their birth; or even the look
of joy on my husband’s face as he held his first grandson in his arms. I am writing and thinking of those almost
unnoticed moments when small acts of love, thoughtfulness or kindness; or
moments of overwhelming and unexpected beauty creep into my heart and enrich my
life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">These
are magical moments; often known only to me and appreciated only by me. Do you remember such magical secret moments?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I
remember such a moment as I secretly observed the look of love on a new
mother’s face as she watched her Dad lean tenderly over her new son’s cot and
quietly study the miracle of six hour old grandson number three, oblivious to a
roomful of excited, noisy and unthinking relatives and friends who all seemed
to be talking at once with little regard for the tiredness of the new
mother. I am certain the baby, now a
young man, could never imagine just how much he was welcomed and loved at that
moment or how the three generations were secretly and momentarily linked. I am sure God saw that moment - and I saw it
too – just a secret moment in time!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The
Rev John, in speaking of what he called<i>
“the one liner parable of the yeast in the flour” </i>reminded us;<i> “We need to be patient and to exercise
discernment </i>(try judgement shrewdness or sensitivity) <i>if a lump of dough is ever to be bread for the world. </i>He continued;<i> “And we must exercise this same patience and discernment about the
universe. Life is something other than a
pile of flour and a bit of yeast. Life is an ungainly, promising mass of dough,
on its way to becoming abundant bread. Just as yeast permeates the entire lump,
so the kingdom is present everywhere, and everywhere it becomes <b>manifest</b> for those with eyes to see.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ytv2I51eFhA/XyONhsVeCmI/AAAAAAAAC-M/ALwyUfoMyLM7J4S1SgCMOTyIlmuzJSZkACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/P1120825%2Bcountry%2Bstore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="970" data-original-width="1247" height="496" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ytv2I51eFhA/XyONhsVeCmI/AAAAAAAAC-M/ALwyUfoMyLM7J4S1SgCMOTyIlmuzJSZkACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/P1120825%2Bcountry%2Bstore.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">At first I was surprised by the much repeated
use of the word <b>manifest</b> in this
sermon. It is a word which is not used
as often as it might be; so I wondered why the Rev. John liked it so much - and
I looked it up in several dictionaries. There are so many other words with a similar
meaning – he must have had a reason, I thought.
Synonyms given were; <i>o</i></span><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">bvious, clear, plain, apparent, evident, patent,
palpable, distinct, definite, blatant, overt, glaring, barefaced, explicit,
transparent, conspicuous, undisguised, unmistakable, unquestionable, undeniable,
noticeable, perceptible, visible, recognizable, observable.</span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"> All good words. I discovered the dictionary said; <i>“<span style="color: #3c4043;">A <b>manifestation</b> is
the public display of emotion or feeling, or something theoretical made
real. <b>Manifestation's</b> origins are in religion and
spirituality because if something spiritual becomes real, it is said to be
a <b>manifestation</b>.”</span></i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“The kingdom of heaven is like
yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of
it was leavened … Jesus wants us to glimpse the kingdom of heaven, that realm
where God’s sovereignty is recognised.” <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Sometimes
in the noise and clamour of a busy shopping centre or street a moment of God’s magic
is seen; everyone knows that young people who are in love walk hand in hand
through the streets and the shopping centres, but how much more beautiful is
the sight of an ancient Chinese man and his shuffling bandy legged wife holding
hands as they walk at a snail’s pace along the street? And why did the glimpse of an old man driving
carefully through the shopping centre in his electric wheelchair, with his wife
holding his hand as it rested on the armrest of his chair, bring tears of
happiness to my eyes? Because it is easy
to love when you are young - and it is easy to stay in love for a short time
when life is good; however, love that endures through time and life’s struggles
is much harder, and in the end much more worthwhile and beautiful. Yet it is a beauty not always noticed or
appreciated, especially by the starry eyed young lovers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">At
times music and coincidence have also brought magic into my day. I remember sitting with my husband in a small
hotel in France in 1964 and eating our first ever Continental breakfast of dry
bread rolls and coffee. It all seemed
foreign and unfriendly as the radio played in the background in the dining
room, and it was strangely unnerving to feel for the first time in our lives we
were unable to communicate – then suddenly Waltzing Matilda was being played on
the radio, and we heard and loved every single note as never before or since. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Sometimes
outside influences intervene to spoil breathtaking natural beauty. In a huge city like Sydney the cumulative
luminous effect of endless electrically lit suburbs, streets and houses
diminishes the rich velvet blackness of the night skies. How I gasped with wonder when we stopped
outside the small town of Benalla near the Victorian border to appreciate the
dark velvety sky splashed extravagantly with countless millions of stars not
visible anywhere near large cities. It
was a breathtakingly magical moment. How
can such nightly beauty be lost to untold millions every night? What a sad thing that is.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">As
a student and lover of history and architecture I should probably have
appreciated the grandeur and classical style of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome more
closely when I visited. However, instead
I was overcome with the magical effects of the light that shone through the
famous dome onto the high alter over the tomb of St. Peter. The lighting seemed symbolic and I could visualize
the Pope standing at the alter bathed in heavenly light - the true earthly
leader of his people. It was not until much
later that I discovered that the Pope is the only one who is allowed to speak
from the high alter. You can see from my
photo that I was not the only tourist to be enthralled by the divine light that
day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y7QHjF5cAhA/XyN861liKOI/AAAAAAAAC-A/Ghz-XsH0fjsN-m5c8c1VJY6HU3l9U0h7wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/St%2BPeters%2BBasilica%2Bp113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1095" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y7QHjF5cAhA/XyN861liKOI/AAAAAAAAC-A/Ghz-XsH0fjsN-m5c8c1VJY6HU3l9U0h7wCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/St%2BPeters%2BBasilica%2Bp113.jpg" width="438" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I
am grateful for the unexpected joys of daily life, and I hope I always remember
to take the time to appreciate all the magical moments that come my way. I will continue to find it difficult to
actually follow the Rev. John’s suggestion to <i>“Picture the world as an ungainly, promising mass of dough.”</i> But
yes; <i>“The parable about the yeast in the
flour does help us see something of the kingdom of heaven, that realm where
God’s sovereignty is recognized.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“And when you find the kingdom
among the realities of your life, nothing prevents you from finding this same
kingdom present as well in the circumstances around you, in the lives of other
people, and everywhere you choose to look.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 18.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“As it takes faith to believe
that bread will rise, so too, faith is necessary to see the kingdom <b>manifest </b>in the everyday and the
ordinary. We must exercise patience and discernment wherever God places us.
Then we will see that what seems like a dead lump is in fact bubbling with
divine life.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“So may each of us go forth
this week, and encounter places and people and circumstances, and look there
for the kingdom: not as distant, but near at hand; not as obvious, but hidden;
not as static, but alive and <b>becoming
manifest</b>; a kingdom making room for all of us.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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</div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“When we look for the kingdom,
then we find it present, abundantly present. And when we do, then we have more
reasons to give thanks than we ever expected.”</span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Joanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05674868263535857401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984603332978797234.post-43346386113701556372020-07-23T20:53:00.000-07:002020-07-23T20:53:50.766-07:00"Can we stamp out Darnel?" or "Gathering God's People"<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The
Rev. John called his Reflection/Sermon on Sunday 19<sup>th</sup> July, taken
from </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“Can
we stamp out Darnel” </b>or <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“Gathering
God’s People”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">He
indicated that he had some problems tracking down the exact meaning of the word
‘darnel’ when making preparations for the sermon - so of course I immediately
took my favourite dictionary down from the shelf, feeling confident of finding
a satisfactory answer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">We have a wonderful two volume
dictionary that my husband saved from the rubbish skip during an overzealous clean-out
at his place of work many years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This edition of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“</i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on
Historical Principles” </span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">– First Published in February 1933 and updated
and corrected many times was printed in 1975 so was probably not all that old
when it was randomly discarded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">This
book has been a great asset in transcribing old family wills and working out
the legal, property and other terms in common use in centuries passed, while
doing family and general history research.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We use it all the time; often comparing it with our Australian Macquarie
Dictionary which of course no Australian family should be without in their
home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x-TzWBNnn0Q/Xxo_ltmEalI/AAAAAAAAC8I/l67LcOUqpw4GDaZEI5yWdWAgcWndoKF2QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/P1090030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x-TzWBNnn0Q/Xxo_ltmEalI/AAAAAAAAC8I/l67LcOUqpw4GDaZEI5yWdWAgcWndoKF2QCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/P1090030.JPG" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Darnel</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> – 1. A deleterious
grass, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lolium temulentum</i>, which grows
as a weed among corn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also a book-name
of the genus <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lolium</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also Rye-grass is named and mention is made
of ‘cockle’ and ‘tares’ and of “Satan’s sowing of his errors and discords.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Upon going to Volume 2 I learned:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘Tare’ in early times was a name given to
some seeds of vetch which appeared as weeds in cornfields. ‘Tares’ are “waste
in goods” or “that which is burned” and tare weight is commonly used today
regarding packing and transporting goods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Having once again read the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Parable of the weeds”</i> during this week,
I was reminded of my fascination with the unexpected beauty of the seemingly
endless farms in France, where I took many photos of fields that seemed to have
the edges sprinkled with Flanders Poppies, field daisies, wild grasses of many
varieties and other obviously invading plants the farmer would have
resented.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, I found them randomly
beautiful and did not even think about the nuisance to the poor farmer as I took
my photos. Because I have never lived in a rural area or on a farm I think I
see things a little differently and I am actually so untrained on the subject
of farming I can barely recognise most of the crops enough to be sure if they
are corn or wheat or maize or almost any other crop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-icJ_ie-Krc0/XxpYHo4AOWI/AAAAAAAAC9E/9O8ZJyLpsSQhJGsn0ogNkcS_23072NcsgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/P1080966%2BVillage%2BBridge%2BHouse%2BCemetery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-icJ_ie-Krc0/XxpYHo4AOWI/AAAAAAAAC9E/9O8ZJyLpsSQhJGsn0ogNkcS_23072NcsgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/P1080966%2BVillage%2BBridge%2BHouse%2BCemetery.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bridge House Cemetery has just 43 graves and sits in farmland like many of the military cemeteries.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">In the three weeks my husband and I spent travelling
around France and Belgium in 2011, I was enchanted by the beauty and the tranquillity of
this country which we had visited only very briefly previously.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rural areas were scattered with villages
and small towns among what seemed to be endless farms; and it seemed that everywhere
there were beautifully kept military cemeteries dotted across the
landscape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But of course in reality in
1914, what we called the First World War, all too swiftly followed by the
Second World War, were just the latest in centuries of catastrophic wars that
created havoc and misery in almost every civilisation from the beginning of
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZXzv4Eidmzk/XxpQkLjjgQI/AAAAAAAAC8c/2p2vqB9uCF0fBA0f8M2TMmJrQstqeynWgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/P1090081%2BRemains%2Bof%2BD%2BDay%2BMulburrey%2BHarbours%2Bon%2BNormandy%2BBeach%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZXzv4Eidmzk/XxpQkLjjgQI/AAAAAAAAC8c/2p2vqB9uCF0fBA0f8M2TMmJrQstqeynWgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/P1090081%2BRemains%2Bof%2BD%2BDay%2BMulburrey%2BHarbours%2Bon%2BNormandy%2BBeach%2B1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From this farm at Arramanches near Omaha Beach the remains of the huge concrete Mulberry Harbours of D Day 1944 can still be seen in the water. Note the unwelcome but colourful weeds that have invaded the farmer's fields.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The core message for the day, this
last Sunday, was in fact very similar to our <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Parable of the Sower”</i> from the previous week, except for the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“enemy who came in the night”</i> who
obviously represents evil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This led me
to consider that if you ever needed to confirm that there has always been evil
in the world - war has been a constant source of discord and evil for countless
eons almost from the moment God created the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">So
perhaps it has always been that each generation fails to listen to the stories
and lessons from the past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pG7RXYYZA6I/XxpAQIO5DJI/AAAAAAAAC8Q/Q_HOa2mTHKkUdepHCnlI7qBvaL4Dy-CyQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Alexander%2Bthe%2BGreat.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="151" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pG7RXYYZA6I/XxpAQIO5DJI/AAAAAAAAC8Q/Q_HOa2mTHKkUdepHCnlI7qBvaL4Dy-CyQCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/Alexander%2Bthe%2BGreat.png" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alexander the Great?</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Ancient
and medieval history is filled with stories of barbarians whose whole existence
centred around endless battles and wars – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“and
what was so ‘great’ about Alexander?”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He lived just 33 years and his constant war mongering as the head of a
civilization much admired by historians and classic scholars led him to lure
many hundreds of thousands of soldiers to their death and encouraged those who
survived to rape, murder and pillage in the cities and towns that were taken in
battle? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Although
nobody knows the true number there are estimates of 9 million Christians,
Muslims and Jews dying in the 11 medieval Crusades – yet still the fighting
carries on in these regions in the 21<sup>st</sup> century.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In
Moscow in 1982 at an International Peace Conference the message of a survivor
of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on 6<sup>th</sup> August 1945 went largely
unheard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the bomb exploded some
2,000 feet above the centre of the city she was an ordinary schoolgirl
listening to an address by the headmistress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She told of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Heaven-splitting
flash and earth shaking roar which demolished the city in an instant … The
billowing clouds of smoke that brought sudden night … The fires which began all
over the city and joined up to make the city of Hiroshima an inferno.”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More than 200,000 men women and children
died.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In the
Memorial Peace Park in Hiroshima there is a stone chest that contains the names
of all those known to have been killed by the atomic blast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The inscription reads, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Let all the souls here rest in peace; for we shall not repeat the
evil.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Perhaps
we have not repeated that particular evil – but with the weapons we have today,
we might kill 500 million people and disfigure the earth for centuries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we visited the Farnborough Air Show in
September 1982 we saw many sophisticated war planes and weapons; and remember
this was just after the reality of the Falklands War; so we were aware that
these machines had recently been used “for real” against some of God’s people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I
remember having seen on television, great gatherings of people in Argentina,
praying to God for victory; and then seeing pictures of people in Britain
attending special services to ask for His blessing on them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Think how confused our children were!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Now
that I am older I worry that young people are not even interested in the
lessons of history - and often war is a theatre entertainment or a violent
video game, while for some a catastrophe is a broken finger nail or a beached
whale.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">The Rev. John
summarised points of the parable; </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">1. There is good and evil in the world.<br />
2. Bad things happen that are beyond our control.<br />
3. Jesus & God are aware of the evil deeds in our life and world.<br />
4. Jesus blames the bad deeds on the evil presence in the world.<br />
5. The farm in this parable is the world.<br />
6. Jesus is the sower.<br />
7. The good seed represents the good people in the kingdom or those in a
relationship with Christ.<br />
8. The darnel or evil ones will not be a part of the kingdom nor will they have
a relationship with Christ.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">When
we are tempted to judge and separate the good and bad, we need to back off and
remember that we are to love our neighbour. Without this love as the focus of
our lives, it is likely that we would be considered to be darnel - the weed
that Jesus intends to use for bonfires.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">I believe that while there is life we
can and should, continue to encourage and help those who may be considered by
much of society as ‘weeds’; and offer them a pathway into the way of life that
reflects the love of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Rev. John’s conclusion perhaps puts these
ideas in a better way for us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">“The
challenge is for each of us to live our lives as the good grain, the wheat, the
staff-of-life. Let us pray for the strength, faith, and concentration to allow
us to keep our course and to inspire others to join us. Let us pray that we are
enabled to share the good news of Christ. Who knows--we may stamp out the
darnel.”</span></i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Joanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05674868263535857401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984603332978797234.post-61674640702076291202020-07-16T01:52:00.003-07:002020-07-16T01:52:35.913-07:00The Responsibility of Hearing<br />
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The
Rev. John called his Reflection/Sermon on Sunday 12<sup>th</sup> July, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“The
Responsibility of Hearing”</i></b> and this seems to be a good way of looking
at and interpreting the parables from the Bible and their relevance in the 21<sup>st</sup>
Century; which may offer different paths of understanding to the culture and
lives of the original hearers of these lessons presented by Jesus in the 1<sup>st</sup>
Century.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After giving a brief summary of
the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Parable of the Sower</i>, the Rev.
John said; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Not all of the seed fell on
poor soil or poorly prepared ground. Some fell on good ground and brought forth
fruit. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In comparing this kind of soil to
the hearer, Jesus says it is a person who hears the word, understands, and
responds to that same word. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of us
hear, but it is important that we understand and respond in both word and
action also. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How important it is for
each of us to know our own hearts and our response to the gospel of Jesus?”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">For
those of us of a mature age, perhaps there is sometimes a sigh of resignation
when we realise that the theme of the day for our church service is one of the
well-known parables from the Bible that we have been hearing since we first
listened to them with the wonder of a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Once
upon a time”</i> story in Sunday School.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Since
that time we have probably heard dozens of interpretations of each parable at
different stages of our life and I suggest that our reactions may have changed
with our understanding as a child, a teenager, a young adult, a parent or a
more mature person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who among us could
not, as a child and a young person, see why the younger brother of the Prodigal
son was a bit miffed about the fuss and the welcome given to his returning
brother?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then as a parent, I must admit
that I could see that the father might have made things easier for his younger
son if he had included him in the whole situation and encouraged his
participation in the planning and the execution of the festivities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In
my life experience, I have found that a good teacher does not ram facts down
your throat, but presents the learner with the “tools” to listen, understand, interpret
and research how the information presented can help them to embrace the “big
picture” and discover the truth for themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a teacher, Jesus was surely
telling his stories to allow involvement and questioning among his listeners
and perhaps there were questions and discussions among the people who flocked
to hear these “lessons”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In
relation to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Parable of the Sower</i> -
or as the Rev. John suggested it could be called - <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">the Parable of the soils</i>; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“It
is the reaction of the soils and of the hearers, that makes the difference. </i>He
said; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“This is the important part of the
parable. The sower must possess the seed which is clearly the word of God … We
need to first experience the truth of the gospel in our own lives before we can
share it with others.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I
read an observation made by<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>M. – J.
Lagrange, who was an early 20<sup>th</sup> Century scholar of the New Testament,
in which he explained that “the parable” is not always clear, because <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“The purpose of a parable is to strike the
imagination, to pique the curiosity, to make the listener reflect and work to
arrive at the meaning, but only so that the lesson will be more deeply engraved
on the mind.” </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I like this idea
because we need to have a way of looking into the stories and finding that 21<sup>st</sup>
Century relevance we are seeking. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps this is why I sometimes like to look
at the possible meanings of any of the parables from a different point of
view.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In
my reflections on the Parable of the Sower I have come to sometimes random
conclusions like; It is perhaps part of God’s great plan that the birds who
swoop down and eat the seed that the sower has carelessly cast on paths or the
hard ground that will not sustain growth are really in need of that seed to
survive. Just last week I was overcome with joy when a small group of sparrows
swooped down onto the path I was walking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They trusted me and landed to retrieve some food from the debris broken
off the trees by the wind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t
remember when I last locally encountered sparrows or blue wrens, although they
were here in abundance 40 years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Surely God would be as thrilled as I was to know that his birds that are
struggling could find some food.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">So
if as it is implied in Jesus' story, the Word of God is the seed, and we are
the soil, doesn’t that mean that those people who may have been carelessly
planted among rocks or weeds may need our help to hear God’s word, or to live a
life that reflects God’s Love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In our
lives we have seen and heard of many wonderful stories and miracles that have
brought Faith and Trust and new life to people who may have been on the wrong
road with the wrong kind of friends who may have been harmful weeds or
thorns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I
had an uncle who was a Policeman in the area where my brothers and I grew up
and one day he came to my father and said; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“You
should stop your boys from keeping company with </i>(let’s call him) <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Fred” because he has been seen in the
company of known trouble-makers.”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Although Fred may not have been the first choice as a friend for his
sons, my father told them to be careful; but he told his brother that he was
pleased that his sons could recognise the good in Fred<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and he
said that he thought his boys could have a very positive influence on<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fred’s life. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fred’s father had died as a soldier in WW11
and the good people of Legacy and others were trying to help his widow - and set
his daughter and young son on the right path.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My brothers ignored the dubious “new” friends that had come into Fred’s
life as he left school at 15 and took a job in the Homebush Abattoirs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A combination of too much money for piece
work with an adult wage, together with a 3.00 pm finish to his working day
probably contributed to his falling in with the wrong crowd.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">My
brothers continued their friendship with Fred who was often to be found sitting
around our house and sharing family life with other “safe” friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After my younger brother died a few years ago,
another friend told me that he believed that Fred had benefited greatly from
having a stable and loyal friend like my brother.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tragically, when Fred was 19 he was killed in
a motor cycle accident – I have always been glad that he had been part of our
family and protected from “the thorns” of life by my brothers and their
friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I
can’t help seeing all gardens as places of hope - I feel we must always look
for tiny “plants” and “people at risk” and I thank God for all the wonderful
people who spend their lives improving the soil in the lives of those who have
problems in their way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Last
week I sat on our back steps in the warm winter sunshine and looked around at
the blue cloudless sky.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I saw the
elegant bare branches of the peach blossom trees with their promise of spring
buds beginning to swell; ready to burst into September flowers of exquisite
beauty.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
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mighty jacaranda tree with slightly yellowing leaves was giving an early sign
of the time in November when the almost bare silver branches will be laden with
purple flowers that will begin to fall gently and lay down a purple carpet
beneath the tree canopy and beyond.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">And
the Lorikeets will return to enjoy the abundance of flowers on the Grevillia in
the rockery during the summer months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
certainly need to look forward in hope as 2020 continues on its dreary and
worrying way!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">As
I looked around, I knew that the grass really needed to be mowed, but that must
now wait until spring delivers the riot of wild freesias which will spread their
joy throughout our back yard. Yes – those freesias really know how to bloom
where they were planted over many years by the vagaries of the wind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It
is wonderful to share with you the news that Margaret is finally home from
hospital and rehab and she sounded so much better and brighter when I spoke to
her yesterday.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Joanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05674868263535857401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984603332978797234.post-17867439692980362032020-07-10T06:24:00.001-07:002020-07-10T06:39:41.486-07:00"Come unto me - the Comfortable Words"<br />
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I
know that it is usually recommended to; “Start at the very beginning.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, the end of the Rev. John’s sermon on
Sunday 5<sup>th</sup> July offered such a succinct support of his theme; <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Come
to me”</i></b> that I feel I should quote his conclusion before trying to
express my thoughts and feelings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I
have said before; I am by no means a student of Theology; and the Bible passage
Matthew 11: 25-30 seems to have been vigorously discussed, investigated and
speculated upon by theologians through centuries of different translations and
philosophies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The
Rev. John said; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“The Comfortable Words, ‘Come
unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will refresh you,’ remind
us that God's incomparable, compassionate forgiveness is a gift that releases
us into life with God as responsible human beings who want to grow deeper in
love and joyful obedience. After all, we are called not only to find peace,
refreshment and rest for ourselves but also to live the kind of lives through
which others, too, find God's peace, God's refreshing grace, and the joy of
placing their lives in God's hands. AMEN.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Although
I do not recall having heard the term “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Comfortable
Words</i>” as part of my Anglican upbringing, I have always found great comfort
in the traditions of the invitation the Rev. John spoke of; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"Hear what our Lord Jesus Christ saith
to all that truly turn to him..."</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>and other often repeated and reassuring routines of church services.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do miss the regular saying of the “Nicene
Creed” which was always a comforting reminder of our Christian beliefs and
obligations in my earlier days and as part of the Communion Service in later
times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seems that these days “The
Creed” is usually only repeated as part of a service of baptism (and probably a
confirmation service if one was to be held) – while I can see that this is a
very important ritual of the baptism to remind us all what we are promising for
the life of the child I would still find comfort in its regular inclusion in
other services, because this would bring comfort and help the “church family”
to remember what is required of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Then looking around at their fellow worshipers, they would be reassured
that each person is surrounded by the love of God and God’s people. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Without
knowing of “Comfort Words” - I do remember a warm and comfortable feeling when
being given the assurance; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"Come
unto me all ye who travail and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>I really liked the word travail which has
among its synonyms; struggle, effort, toil, exertion and labour. The subtle
shades of meaning must be something of a nightmare for translators - and the
number of different versions of the Bible must be daunting to serious students
of theology. However, the Bible I was given for my Confirmation was the King
James Version and although probably not the easiest to unravel and understand,
I just loved the sounds of the words – they sounded like poetry to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When our first child was born she was given
“The Good News Bible” by her grandparents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The next version that seemed to become favoured was the New English
Bible which is still generally used in the Marsden Road Church in 2020.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">My
paternal Grandfather was born in 1878 in Goulburn, NSW.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was the youngest of ten children, six boys
and four girls and his mother died at the time of his birth, so he was brought
up by his father's recently married sister and her husband.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After his father died, he left school at the
age of fourteen and started work as a messenger boy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By then his foster parents had five children
of their own to care for, feed and educate and they were difficult times for
families in the inner suburbs of Sydney.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">My
Grandfather’s Uncle was very strict and insisted that he learn the Collect word
perfect each Sunday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If he could not say
it correctly his Uncle administered a "hiding" on Monday because; being
a God fearing man, he would not break the Sabbath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the punishment his cruel Uncle used a
rope soaked in a bucket of salt water and I suspect the good that may have come
from learning the Collect may well have been destroyed – and the lesson of the
Uncle’s pious respect for the Sabbath also lost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Although
he attended special church services like the Ordination of his son and perhaps went
sometimes to listen to him preach, I do not remember my grandfather attending
church until, in his mid 70s, he was confirmed by the Archbishop of Sydney at
St. Andrew’s Cathedral in the presence of his family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This really impressed me as an 11 or 12 year
old, but it impresses me more now that I am of a similar age. I hope this
indicated my grandfather’s forgiveness of his Uncle’s harsh “religious
training”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was my Grandfather and
Grandmother who willingly gave his Aunt a home for the last years of her life
and he always spoke of her with gratitude for her care of him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UXw8EZyn0ps/XwhqvOee09I/AAAAAAAAC58/0Nr-NPnWjRsMPplqgThRJW_5hKV5oRkCwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Ada%2BFrame%2B%2526%2BGarret%2BBeatty%2Blate%2B1930%2527s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="288" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UXw8EZyn0ps/XwhqvOee09I/AAAAAAAAC58/0Nr-NPnWjRsMPplqgThRJW_5hKV5oRkCwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Ada%2BFrame%2B%2526%2BGarret%2BBeatty%2Blate%2B1930%2527s.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Father's Parents in the late 1930s</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I
was never in any doubt that my grandfather believed in God because he always
showed great care and kindness to everyone and went out of his way to help
people in gentle thoughtful ways, despite his serious disability acquired at work
in September 1933. During the Great
Depression he was working as a wharf labourer and this meant that he had to
present himself at the wharves early each morning for "pick up" to
obtain work for the day. During those
times the lines of men formed before dawn down “The Hungry Mile” and times were
very hard. My Grandfather was injured
while he was down in the hold of a ship when a sling of timber fell on him
causing serious injuries that prevented him from ever working again because his
spine was fractured and his neck dislocated, leaving him in a precarious
condition. From then on he always wore a
heavy leather collar with three buckles at the back of his neck and a metal
support under his chin. This accident happened before the days of Workers’
Compensation, yet my gentle grandfather filled his life helping his family,
friends and neighbours. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OiDP5W42_t8/Xwhpf-SY4WI/AAAAAAAAC5w/QaKsLCr4zVEU2mxr9tzC7vpTjEpNpz1HACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/SCAN3822%2BHickson%2BRd%2BThe%2BHungry%2BMile%2BSydney%2Bc%2B1980.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1086" data-original-width="1600" height="433" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OiDP5W42_t8/Xwhpf-SY4WI/AAAAAAAAC5w/QaKsLCr4zVEU2mxr9tzC7vpTjEpNpz1HACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/SCAN3822%2BHickson%2BRd%2BThe%2BHungry%2BMile%2BSydney%2Bc%2B1980.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hickson Road - "The Hungry Mile" where wharf labourers lined up for work during the Great Depression</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">He
died when I was 15 and I still remember him with great fondness for his kindness,
his love and his great courage. However, one of the greatest memories of my
childhood is the ritual of his special good-bye each time we met.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
Grandfather would take me onto his knee, put his arm around me and look me in
the eye and bless me; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"May the Lord
bless you and keep you and give you health and strength to carry on."</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This may have seemed like a strange farewell
to a healthy little girl, but over the years the memory has indeed been very
comforting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The
Rev. John’s reflections on the “Comfort Words” and my memories of how it felt
to be blessed and comforted by being a part of comforting church services - and
my beautiful Grandfather, prompt me to say that “the church” ie. The people of
“the church” have a huge job to do at this difficult time to comfort those who
are lonely and those whose lives have been unexpectedly ‘turned upside
down’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">We
must also remember to comfort the comforters and remember that some people who
suffer may hide behind their busyness. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Joanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05674868263535857401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984603332978797234.post-35500303743468740942020-07-02T07:10:00.001-07:002020-07-02T07:37:35.505-07:00“Whom Ought I Welcome?” <br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">This
Sunday, the Rev. John’s sermon was focused on <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“Whom Ought I Welcome?”</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>–
Matthew 10:40-42 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Jesus said, ‘Whoever
welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent
me.’”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>A number of times during his
reflection, the Rev. John reminded us of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Our
obligations of welcome and hospitality; Such an understanding of hospitality,
of the obligation of welcome, dates back to well before the time of Jesus. It
was a matter of survival and community health which translated into the
religious understanding of what God wants of us. Where and how do we experience
such welcome today?”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">That
is indeed a BIG and difficult question!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of
course, the world is and has been ever changing and it becomes confusing and
sometimes unnecessarily guilt provoking if we try to judge everything and
everyone against a yardstick from a different time in history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I sometimes wonder how many of the modern
world problems which cause the most angst, are left over from the incredibly
tumultuous and war ravaged 20<sup>th</sup> century and are a direct result of
the loss of country, identity, customs and traditions and millions of lives?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>History shows us that almost every country
has at some time been invaded by bullies who have changed the way the ordinary
people can expect to live; and migration has been the pattern for thousands of
years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The
study of Ancient history in the first year of high school had already taught me
that one great Empire followed the other with monotonous and inexorable
regularity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even at the tender age of 12
it was obvious to me that greed, unrest, distrust and intolerance generally
resulted in the decline of an empire - and isn’t that still happening
today?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are certainly watching the
great “American Empire” appearing to self-destruct right before our eyes and some
are perhaps bemoaning our changed allegiance after the fall of the British
Empire of which many of us, our parents and our younger selves were so proud to
belong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now as a country and as
individuals we ask; should we blame or admire those who want to catch onto the
coat-tails of the movers and shakers of the emerging modern Chinese Empire?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Didn’t the 20<sup>th</sup> and early 21<sup>st</sup>
century teach us that Communism and Christianity often do not sit well
together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The
Dark Ages stretched in historical terms from Late Antiquity to the Early Middle
Ages or from 300 to 800 - when time morphed into the early Middle Ages – again
not a really happy time to be alive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
was recently fascinated to discover that historians today consider the use of
the term Dark Ages, implies a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“bad value
judgement”</i> because of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“negative
connotations”</i> of barbarity and intellectual deficit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Well,
historians can call it what they like - and it seems that the preferred term
today is “The Migration Period”- however it cannot be denied those days were
shrouded in darkness of many kinds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Surely I am not alone in thinking that this period of time - when an
estimated 100 million people died as the result of war, poverty and plague -
was indeed a dark time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Once
again we are watching huge “migrations” making a mockery of established borders
because of aggressive and violent invasions, poverty and famine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know about you, but I certainly
wonder what history will make of all these events.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are such diverse views on the morality
of almost every situation - whose history can possibly be “the truth”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whose “truth” is God’s truth?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Crusaders certainly didn’t emerge from
the early skirmishes with Islam looking too Godly and neither will we; if we
condemn any people without thought, acknowledgement, or the lessons of history tempered
with compassion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9BvjfP-Z3Es/Xv2vZhh3YhI/AAAAAAAAC4w/qey995crxVgaLM9QTmalLB6tfCXhvvchACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ConquestOfConstantinopleByTheCrusadersIn1204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="1024" height="398" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9BvjfP-Z3Es/Xv2vZhh3YhI/AAAAAAAAC4w/qey995crxVgaLM9QTmalLB6tfCXhvvchACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/ConquestOfConstantinopleByTheCrusadersIn1204.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Conquest of Constantinople by Crusaders in 1204 - A 15th Century Miniature painted by David Aubert (1449 - 79) <br />
Public Domain - Wikipedia </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Will
history offer apologies for the extreme violence of this century?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will we take on the burden of responsibility
for terrorism and extremism?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How can we
ever agree on who we should welcome into our country, community, church or
home?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I agree that successful
integration and diversity can bring strong new alliances and friendships, but I
believe that diversity both challenges and enriches us personally and as a
society; but above all my Christian values tell me that tolerance is the glue
that holds any society together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
order to keep this civilized and enlightened social order that we call society,
the enforcement of rules and laws must generally be seen to be the right
outcome to preserve the rights of the majority.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is in fact ironic, that the price for a person who exercises what
they may consider to be their personal freedom, in an anti-social way in a
“civilised” society, is often punishment by imprisonment, inflicted by that
same society.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">As
I grow older and observe the lies and the misinformation which have been
propagated as “history” and “truth” in my living memory, I struggle with the
probability that my experiences of the time I was alive will not be accurately
portrayed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I lived through the 60s; yet
my way of life and the life of all the people I knew, in no way resembled the
culture and the morality depicted as “normal”, which is now being passed on to
younger generations as fact.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, how
can it be that it is regularly reported in the media by financial experts that my
generation was blessed in easily being able to own their own home in Sydney,
when from our first pay packet, both my future husband and I saved very
carefully, making financial and social sacrifices in anticipation of a future
involving marriage and our personal responsibility for any future children. Our
home was modest, with no furniture except a new fridge and<span style="color: red;"> </span>mattress<span style="color: red;"> </span>on the floor
and some ancient borrowed wooden chairs, a discarded laminex table and borrowed
suitcases for our clothes. From our families we had collected an assortment of
old bedspreads, war surplus blankets and sheets to cover the large naked
picture windows so fashionable in the red texture brick dream home of the
1960’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were no fences, paths or
gardens in sight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">How
much of the recorded history and way of life of previous centuries accurately depicts
the truth I wonder?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Somehow as I grow
old enough to have lived through significant historical events and actually
been part of the history of more than half of the 20<sup>th</sup> century and
two decades of the 21<sup>st</sup> century, I begin to wonder if education and
science have now rendered history invalid and useless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before Columbus sailed to the New World did
anybody dispute the belief the world was flat?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I
am confused.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes it is easy for
Christians to feel confusion and guilt, especially as better education allows
everyone to have an opinion and certainly in democratic societies to express
our opinions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does it matter how much
new evidence has been “uncovered” - sometimes quite literally - about the Dark
Ages or Middle Ages, or any other time in history?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Surely
scientists can’t – and should not perpetuate theories like the flatness of the
earth when we have marvelled at pictures taken from space and which prove the
curvature of the earth!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thousands of
concepts like the forces of gravity which ensures that the water does not fall
into space from the oceans and rivers as the earth turns upside down; have all been
scientifically proved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, I can
still, in sheer wonder, marvel at God’s amazing “work”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I
believe that proven scientific knowledge is different to the recording of
events that we call history?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now this is
a really tricky question to which many might consider there is no<span style="color: red;"> </span>correct<span style="color: red;"> </span>answer!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Should anyone take it upon themselves to try
to change the history that has been recorded? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If there are important changes that can
correct mistakes in reporting, this could be a<span style="color: red;"> </span>reason<span style="color: red;"> </span>to make some authorised historical corrections; but
we cannot allow the modern opinions of the morality or even the harshness of
past events to allow history to be distorted to please the whims of the current
generations. Surely this can only lead to anarchy!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The
Rev John did in his thinking this morning put forward the challenge of who we
should welcome, in this whimsical manner:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Just so we get this straight:
whoever welcomes you welcomes Jesus, and whoever welcomes your friend or
neighbour or family member or work colleague or elected official or
mother-in-law or next door neighbour or chatty seat companion on an airplane or
the stall holder at the Farmers market or grocery checkout person or barber (if
you still use one) – </i>there was a slight chuckle here as he is not
over-endowed with hair!<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">) - <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>or the Startrack driver or the child who hit
your new car with a soccer ball … and so on and so forth … welcomes God?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>The Rev. John even suggested;<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> “We could have fun with this!”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“But would there ever be an
end to such a list of those who are welcome? If there is an end to such a list
of who is welcome, what does this mean? And if not, well - <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>what does that mean?” he asked.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Perhaps
there is no real answer to any of those hard questions, although we can
truthfully offer some positive answers to the Rev. John’s other question; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Where is our witness to welcoming others,
and thereby welcoming Jesus and the one who sent him?”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IefJhFDgnxA/Xv3mciQrmHI/AAAAAAAAC48/yeNS9TwkgAMIqIQcqk1Nr78IEENI5PqqACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Overall%2BView%2Bof%2BGroups%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="1600" height="313" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IefJhFDgnxA/Xv3mciQrmHI/AAAAAAAAC48/yeNS9TwkgAMIqIQcqk1Nr78IEENI5PqqACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Overall%2BView%2Bof%2BGroups%2B1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">A Quarterly Friendship Circle Morning Tea after Church on a Sunday Morning<br />Everyone is welcomed for a regular morning tea every Sunday <br />and anyone who has a Birthday ending in an 0 has a Birthday Cake</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Our
Marsden Road Church is a place where to my knowledge and experience over the
last 50 years, everyone has always been genuinely welcomed and been offered
hospitality and friendship; and this has always extended far beyond reasonable
expectations and has indeed reflected the love of God through the care of his
people. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During the months of the Covid
19 pandemic; although unable to offer traditional hospitality, it has been
remarkable the way so many church members have looked after the spiritual and
physical welfare of each person, specially caring for all those who are
isolated, ill or lonely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People have
been printing and delivering copies of the weekly orders of service,
newsletters and blogs to those without a computer and hundreds of phone calls
have been made by our caring congregation members. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 24.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I am pleased to say that our
friend Margaret and her husband are at this time the recipients of all manner
of hospitality as we all are when we are in hospital or sick at home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Meals, biscuits, phone calls, encouragement
and love are given, as Margaret continues to struggle through the aftermath of
two complicated surgeries, with another to come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I encourage all Margaret’s Blog followers to
continue to include her in their prayers of intercession.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UX2XzrSwSnU/Xv3oz6MW3PI/AAAAAAAAC5I/g7Q2xql6Lbg1ZkDHfGRu76IP_jOIztrbQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Marsden%2BRoad%2BAutumn%2BSolstice%2BNewcastle%2BOuting%2B-%2B22%2BMarch%2B2010%2Bin%2BEndeavour%2BCar%2BHMT2754%2Bto%2BMaitland%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UX2XzrSwSnU/Xv3oz6MW3PI/AAAAAAAAC5I/g7Q2xql6Lbg1ZkDHfGRu76IP_jOIztrbQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Marsden%2BRoad%2BAutumn%2BSolstice%2BNewcastle%2BOuting%2B-%2B22%2BMarch%2B2010%2Bin%2BEndeavour%2BCar%2BHMT2754%2Bto%2BMaitland%2B2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our special Solstice $2.50 Excursions for Seniors to see how far they can travel on trains, buses and ferries - and visit all kinds of interesting places are open to friends and family and everyone of any age is welcome - they just have to pay more! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<br />Joanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05674868263535857401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984603332978797234.post-65458191331750036602020-06-25T19:48:00.001-07:002020-06-25T19:55:47.729-07:00Let Nothing Disturb You<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Let<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Nothing Disturb You...,<o:p></o:p></i></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Let
nothing make you afraid,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">All
things are passing,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">God
never changes.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Patience
obtains all things.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Nothing
is lacking to the one who has God--<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">God
alone is enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I am sure we are all thanking the Rev. John for
the calming reassurance of these words on which he based his Reflection/Sermon on
Sunday 21<sup>st</sup> June. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">So far 2020 has been a very difficult and
tedious year for us all and our patience has been strained and our hearts
broken by the grief and the worry of trying to care for ourselves and those
that we love as we witness the misery and the death that confronts millions of
people around the world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VbPC6ZRUoOU/XvVK3nFCChI/AAAAAAAAC3c/ql6EoFrD0yYLq-8l-1Eay6MPD-yiHy4xQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Peter_Paul_Rubens_138%2BTeresa%2Bof%2BAvila.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="495" data-original-width="500" height="316" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VbPC6ZRUoOU/XvVK3nFCChI/AAAAAAAAC3c/ql6EoFrD0yYLq-8l-1Eay6MPD-yiHy4xQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Peter_Paul_Rubens_138%2BTeresa%2Bof%2BAvila.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Teresa - known as "Terasa of Avila - Painted by Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)<br />
(Wikipedia - photo of painting in Kunsthistorisches Museum)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The
Rev. John said; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“These words, from a
meditation titled "St. Teresa's bookmark," are a fine summary of
today's Scripture Readings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They all
speak to us, strangely enough, about the gift of patience. We are taught that
patience is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but it often feels like a
heavy burden. People in today's society mistake patience for submission in the
same way they mistake kindness for weakness -- and they walk all over you. But
as usual, we must look beyond the surface. God has a greater message in store.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some truly great people in the history of
Christianity have been "walked on" in this way, you see. Just as one
example, St. Teresa, known as Teresa of Avila, is world famous as a theologian,
reformer of the Carmelite Order, and spiritual advisor to the great medieval
Spanish mystic, St. John of the Cross. But Teresa's ministry was not well
received in the community that she loved. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her sisters had grown lax in faith and
practice, she called for reform, and their response was to throw her out of
convents that she herself had established.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">On one occasion, she was turned out at
night in the middle of a rainstorm. Dressed from head to toe in her coarse wool
habit, she got back into her donkey cart and was riding along when the wheel of
the cart hit a ditch and the cart turned over, dumping Teresa into the mud. She
sat there, in mud-soaked wool, looked up to heaven, and said, "Lord, if
this is the way you treat your friends, it's no wonder that you don't have
many."<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">On
sitting down to reflect on the Rev. John’s thoughts on Wednesday I found I
could really relate to St Teresa’s reactions when, as the last straw of a
really bad day, she had a little rant at God and a bit of a Spiritual meltdown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was one year about 53 years ago when,
like Queen Elizabeth said in 1992, my husband and I could have said it was an “annus
horribilis”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So many difficulties in one
year made us decide to dress up and go to a restaurant near Sydney Harbour for
dinner on New Year’s eve and begin the new year with optimism and a “bang”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the midnight countdown began I smiled in
anticipation of a much better and healthier year – then right on the stroke of
midnight a passing waiter spilled a glass of red wine all over me
as he rushed by to deliver it to another table! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I looked at my lovely white faux fur jacket
and my pretty dress and burst into tears as the cheering and the fireworks and
the kissing and hugging erupted all around us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Well next year will have to be
better I said as I mopped up the mess – this one certainly stayed difficult
right to the end!”</i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br /></i></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“But frustrated as she was, Teresa clung
to God. Her writings also lead us to suspect that she got a response from God
while sitting in that muddy ditch. One of her meditations on the Disciplines of
the Holy Spirit talks about how we must not be deceived by the appearance that
evil triumphs over good, for sometimes, as she wrote, "God uses the Devil
as a sharpening-stone for Christians.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Teresa
not only taught this lesson, she lived by it. She did not give up on God, even
when her sisters fought her every step of the way, going to priests and bishops
to make trouble for her.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">As a
child I thought it was really good the way my Roman Catholic friends could call
up a saint to help in a wide variety of inconvenient or difficult
circumstances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, at the same time
I soon discovered that although some of my friends always appealed to St
Anthony to find something they had lost, it was my experience that it was much
more fruitful to sit down and go back in my mind and work out where, when, why
or how, I may have mislaid the item which was missing, before systematically
searching thoroughly in all the possible places.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I
found it refreshingly different to focus on a traditionally Roman Catholic
Saint in our service this week, specially as a person with an Anglican
background. It is not that I have a problem with the recognition of many of the
saints whose biographies show amazing kindness and selfless lives as they
worked for the poor and lonely or the sick and homeless – it is just that I
think that like knighthoods, the Order of Australia, Victoria Crosses and
medals or other awards to recognize outstanding human beings, there are only a
chosen few who gain wide recognition as saints or heroes in many walks of life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">While
it is of course good for those people who are noticed or chosen and for those
who admire or love them; we all know that like the unnoticed sparrows, there
are countless “saints” and “heroes” as well as quiet and lonely people who will
never be noticed, except perhaps by God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ucUwh5c5Mwg/XvVfOH9XLuI/AAAAAAAAC3o/xU6DUvtlL4EHaPFu9sB9NWCNtVeJyficwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/This%2Bwork%2Bis%2Breleased%2Binto%2Bthe%2Bpublic%2Bdomain%2Bby%2Bits%2Bauthor%252C%2BBegoon.%2BThis%2Bapplies%2Bworldwide%2Bcropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1343" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ucUwh5c5Mwg/XvVfOH9XLuI/AAAAAAAAC3o/xU6DUvtlL4EHaPFu9sB9NWCNtVeJyficwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/This%2Bwork%2Bis%2Breleased%2Binto%2Bthe%2Bpublic%2Bdomain%2Bby%2Bits%2Bauthor%252C%2BBegoon.%2BThis%2Bapplies%2Bworldwide%2Bcropped.jpg" width="268" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">King George VI (Photo from Wikipedia)<br />
This work has been released into the public domain by its author Begoon.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">On
a night in February 1952 there was a news flash to report that King George V1
had died in his sleep. On that same
night in Sydney during a very fierce thunderstorm my grandfather’s sister Alice
also died in her sleep. Grand Auntie
Alice was 78 years old and lived with my grandparents for several years before
her death. She had lived most of her
life in the country, had never married and was quiet and reserved and walked
with a distinct limp because one leg was several inches shorter than the
other. I never knew anything about
Auntie Alice’s life except that she once told my brothers she had ridden a
penny-farthing bicycle as a young woman.
This had seemed most incredible to us because as well as being lame, she
was a very tiny woman. When she lived
with my grandmother and grandfather she cooked and cleaned for them and never
complained. I hardly ever remember her speaking,
but she was a gentle soul and was grateful to be “taken in” by her brother and
his wife.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The
death of the King of England was front-page news all over the world with blurry
radio photos showing the new Queen arriving home in London from Africa, and
pages of pictures of the old King’s life.
There were family photos and Pedigree charts and pictures of the life of
Queen Elizabeth 11 from the moment of her birth. Everyone had a story to tell about the Royal
Family. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Auntie
Alice died as quietly as she had lived without the world noticing that she had
even been here. Yet strangely, I have always remembered that she died the same
night as King George V1, and I think that at that time I realised for the first
time, that each life is different, yet every life is important.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I
have often thought of Auntie Alice as being one of the fallen sparrows noticed
only by God and I wish I could say that I had noticed her more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">So I
believe, that as Christians it is only right that each of us must do our part
to encourage and thank everyone who we notice being kind, thoughtful and caring
and that we look for something special to notice and appreciate in absolutely
everyone we meet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Life is very tough for
many people and it is a struggle just to keep going, but often others do not
notice their struggles and appreciate their amazing strength of character.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hence I love this final quote from the Rev.
John’s sermon; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Holy Scripture gives us lots of examples
to follow. The Bible tells the story of a God who recognizes the righteous
human, striving to do right in the midst of people who would do harm. Jesus
spoke of "sheep among wolves" and warned of the harm that comes from
people of ill will. But his warning is intended to teach us to handle our
problems with the patience of God and to trust in God's righteous outcome, for
"A disciple is not above the teacher." When we try to be like God,
giving people the chance to do what is right, God steps in at decisive moments
-- and miracles happen.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">So we
must all be patient for as long as it takes and keep praying and working
towards a special miracle to overcome the threat of this 2020 pandemic and for
the individual miracles of recovery and healing being brought about by God’s
hard-working and selfless “saints” throughout the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Joanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05674868263535857401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984603332978797234.post-89852684701139448302020-06-18T07:56:00.000-07:002020-06-18T08:04:29.188-07:00"We have so many ways of learning about God."<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I found myself completely in accord with the
Rev. John’s Reflection/Sermon last Sunday as I have found great depth and
reason in my personal reflection of many many unintended “Jesus movies”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“We
have so many ways of learning about God. We learn from Holy Scripture, of
course. We learn from our worship, from the seasons of the year and the glories
of nature, from one another, in our prayers. There is a way of watching movies
that can open our minds and hearts to God in ways more powerful than we might
imagine. When we see a movie strictly for entertainment, we've received our
money's worth, but when we watch the screen through the eyes of faith, God can
touch us in ways that are worth much more, ways that are surprising, even
transcendent. Ordinary, commercial films become "Jesus movies." Take
the film, The Green Mile, for instance.” <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I find that I am able to watch and find much to
reflect upon in such movies, sometimes watching them over and over again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The relatively new political correctness of the
random “judgements” of “history deniers” can only remove the opportunity for
reasonable people to learn from history and avoid repeating some serious
mistakes of the past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like “Gone with
the Wind” - “The Green Miles” could easily be included in the growing list of ‘inappropriate’
movies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Gone with the Wind” is</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> an enduring story full of life lessons,
laughter and tears.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is rich in
history, although offering a biased account of the American Civil War and
slavery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It paints a broad social
history from the perspective of the privileged residents of the Old South.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, from the moment I first read Margaret
Mitchell’s epic novel as a romantic 12 or 13 year old - at a time in my life when
I greedily devoured books with my entire being, I did not for even one moment,
form ideas of approval for any of the behaviour of the privileged people whose
lives were presented. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Although this Pulitzer Prize winning novel was
then just a page turning and exciting story that kept me reading until the
small hours of the morning; after the passage of almost 60 years of my own life
experience I understand so much more of those life lessons and the historical
and cultural significance that I imbibed as I read.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can remember lying outstretched on the
lounge room floor hoping that my mother would not wake up and discover I was
still reading.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She had no patience with
reading and would have spoilt the magic by nagging me off to bed with a guilty
feeling that I had once more wasted my time reading.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My dear mother thought that reading was only
a reward for having finished all the outstanding work still to be done.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">When my husband and I visited Atlanta, Savannah,
Charleston and other southern places in 1991, I re-lived some of the feelings
of romance and heroism of the Deep South that Margaret Mitchell lamented in her
story which has been called, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“The last
great posthumous victory of the Confederacy.”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we drove for many kilometres along a tree
lined road looking for our accommodation one hot summer evening the sight of
the Spanish Moss hanging in abundance from all the trees instantly transported my
mind to the Atlanta of Scarlett O’Hara and Melanie Hamilton. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YJTpVlT9XfI/Xut5lU87deI/AAAAAAAAC2Y/Cs3b3Q7l-VQaxGo7IXHA3CBTOeOSs0GZQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/SCAN3433%2B%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1323" data-original-width="1600" height="330" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YJTpVlT9XfI/Xut5lU87deI/AAAAAAAAC2Y/Cs3b3Q7l-VQaxGo7IXHA3CBTOeOSs0GZQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/SCAN3433%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">As we explored Atlanta during the next two days
we found Margaret Mitchell’s grave in the Oakland Cemetery; saw beautiful
antebellum mansions and visited the impressive Cyclorama and Civil War Museum
which houses the largest oil painting in the world. The painting is 42 feet tall, covers 16,000
square feet and has a 358 foot circumference.
We were told that laid flat, it would cover an entire football field. With an air of expectancy we were transported to
the Atlanta of 1864 and as we sat in rotating tiered seats, the Battle of
Atlanta unfolded all around us. In the
foreground of this huge panorama is a three dimensional diorama with scenery
and figures which blend with the painting to complete the reality experience. The canvas was commissioned in 1885 and was
painted by artists who visited the battlefields and listened to first hand
accounts of the battle. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Like most foreign tourists we went looking for
Auburn Street or “Sweet Auburn” to pay homage to the memory of Dr. Martin
Luther King Junior and visit his birthplace, his tomb and the Ebeneezer Baptist
Church where he was the pastor; following in the steps of his father and
grandfather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We discovered four city
blocks had effectively become a shrine to the man and his work; yet a white
woman we asked to give us directions when we were one block from Auburn Street,
literally turned her back on us and muttered, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“I wouldn’t know where that is.”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B62lbaGYjeg/Xut6AKFj_nI/AAAAAAAAC2g/A8vAmWg4dx8BH8AzhgpGllLWqBSOmLQCwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/SCAN3434%2B%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1058" data-original-width="1600" height="422" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B62lbaGYjeg/Xut6AKFj_nI/AAAAAAAAC2g/A8vAmWg4dx8BH8AzhgpGllLWqBSOmLQCwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/SCAN3434%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ebeneezer Baptist Church in Auburn Street, Atlanta</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">A few days later, as we watched a thoughtful
man slowly walk alone in the grounds of the Carter’s Grove Plantation in Virginia,
we wondered about the thoughts of this giant of a man, who just a few
generations ago, would have been a much prized plantation slave. As a white person I felt embarrassed that he
may indeed have been a descendant of some of the slaves who had worked this
plantation and lived in the slave quarters there. We had seen an archaeological dig in progress
in the mizzen heaps where the original slave quarters had stood and read some
of the documented evidence that the Carter’s Grove slaves were brought to America
from what we know today as Nigeria and Cameroon. Was he wondering how they must have
felt? Was he feeling their pain and was
he still feeling frustrated by the lack of equality he encountered in the south? Having read “Gone with the Wind” and seen the
movie, we could almost feel his pain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EHV8nfw8AeQ/Xut8MXyFt9I/AAAAAAAAC2s/wUL7X81tBxMgIAhtuE9nobjHKsUjdh17QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/SCAN3430%2B%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1057" data-original-width="1600" height="263" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EHV8nfw8AeQ/Xut8MXyFt9I/AAAAAAAAC2s/wUL7X81tBxMgIAhtuE9nobjHKsUjdh17QCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/SCAN3430%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Reconstruction of Carter's Grove Slave Quarters</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UT72r4SA5Xs/Xut8n1Jm2CI/AAAAAAAAC20/C8JEgT_IMpoHR-njCgTuxB2HBnFMazniQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/SCAN3432%2B%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UT72r4SA5Xs/Xut8n1Jm2CI/AAAAAAAAC20/C8JEgT_IMpoHR-njCgTuxB2HBnFMazniQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/SCAN3432%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carter's Grove Plantation on the northern bank of the James River near Williamsburg, Virginia <br />
was built in 1750 by Carter Burwell </td></tr>
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</o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">We discovered as we explored the historical,
cultural and architectural highlights in Williamsburg, Virginia; Charleston,
South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia that there was still a great division
between white Americans and African Americans as well as people from the north
and those from the south.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were
surprised to see many Confederate Flags; but perhaps we were most surprised by
the unfortunate gap that still existed between the very rich and the very poor -
and this gap existed in both the white and black communities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">We also discovered that the Civil War is still
extremely personal in the South and that the selfish flawed characters of
Scarlett and Rhett represented the people who adjusted and continued to
flourish in the changing order of things after such a comprehensive defeat;
while Ashley Wilkes and Melanie Hamilton embodied those who crumpled and lost
all when the old South was swept away as if <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Gone
with the Wind”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">When it was written this book may have been as
divisive as the Civil War itself; but it was one woman’s act of defiance after
history took the side of the Union while the people of the South did not really
concede defeat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ‘heroine’ Scarlett
O’Hara represents the fight that Southern women must have faced as they looked
towards a very different future and struggled to accept change. Some of the
characterisations were surely drawn from Margaret Mitchell’s own life
experiences - and that may be why her characters are so believable and
timeless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Born in November 1900, Margaret Mitchell grew
up listening to the war stories of old Confederate soldiers and she suffered
grief when her first love was killed at the end of the First World War.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shortly after this her mother died and it was
she who had to care for her father and brother.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Did she secretly wrestle against this responsibility as Scarlett did
after the death of her mother?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Margaret
was the first serious woman journalist for the Atlanta Journal and was said to
have had many suitors – does this sound like the independent Scarlett O’Hara?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Her first husband, Red Upshaw turned out to be
a bootlegger and an alcoholic – was he the foundation for the character of
Rhett Butler?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She married John Marsh in
1925 and remained married to him until she died as the result of being struck
by a car on an Atlanta Street in 1949.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Margaret
Mitchell once said in an interview that the theme of her novel was survival and
that in writing it she had looked at what it is that makes some people who seemed
brave and strong “go under” while others survive similar circumstances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She called this attribute “gumption”. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Was Margaret Mitchell demonstrating Scarlett’s
gumption by having her retreat to Tara to regroup each time she was faced with
intolerable odds?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or do you think it was
weakness and denial? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps even plain
selfishness?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I often use a paraphrase of the famous final
quote after a hard day when I feel unable to make any more decisions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you know me I may have said to you; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“I will go back to Tara and think about it
tomorrow!“ <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">As the Rev. John noted at the end of his sermon;
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“John Coffey, the Jesus figure in The
Green Mile is obvious; of course</i>.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However,
there are hundreds of movies, old and new, which can help us through our
reflections and respect for the past and willingness to learn in our quest to:
– <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“As 21<sup>st</sup> Century Apostles,
identify as people who strive to embody Jesus and to become daily more filled
with the love and grace of our Saviour.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></i>I believe we should not live with guilt about history – we cannot
change the past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, as Scarlett
O’Hara said; “After all - Tomorrow is another day!” God teaches us - if we live
well each day we can bring HOPE.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "franklinpro" , "franklinitcprolight" , "franklin gothic medium" , "franklin gothic" , "itc franklin gothic" , "apple sd gothic neo" , "myriad set pro" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica neue light" , "helvetica" , "arial" , "lucida grande" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></span>Joanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05674868263535857401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984603332978797234.post-19346681366659427102020-06-12T06:37:00.000-07:002020-06-12T07:40:50.319-07:00“Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty” <br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">When I was in primary school we attended “St. Anne’s” Anglican Church at
Strathfield which was rather a grand structure for our Sydney suburbs in the
early 1950s. To be quite truthful, it was not all that warm and welcoming for young
children – it seemed a bit “stuffy”, although in those times it was not usual
for services to focus on the children present.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">
</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">It was very early that I gave up trying to understand the difficult
sermons about Trinity Sunday, which heralded the long “ordinary time” in the
church year, when the colour green reappeared in the elaborate drapes and
cloths around the Sanctuary and the altar, to stay until Advent in November. </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v74Zc0rn7G8/XuOPCx2FNxI/AAAAAAAAC1w/Duqllnccc2QHQqyGj0d3-AQgUJh_d2swQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ann%2BShawbury%2BAlter%2BCross.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1197" data-original-width="1600" height="478" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v74Zc0rn7G8/XuOPCx2FNxI/AAAAAAAAC1w/Duqllnccc2QHQqyGj0d3-AQgUJh_d2swQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/ann%2BShawbury%2BAlter%2BCross.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When we visited the Church of St. Mary in Shawbury in Shropshire, the altar was dressed with green. <br />The Rev. John Mayor (my GG Grandfather) was the Vicar there for 45 years and it was there<br />that his son the Rev. Robert Mayor was born in 1791. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I loved the white and gold of Easter and Christmas,</span> the purple of Advent and Lent; and the red of Pentecost and these church
seasons were more interesting and even exciting for me. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a few years one of my older brothers met
a friend who had been to another local church that had a lively youth group, so
gradually the family drifted towards that church, which had a warm sense of
community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It
is only in the last decade that I have been pleased to hear that some of our Marsden
Road ministers continue to have feelings of concern about what the Rev. John this
Sunday called, “This anomaly of Trinity Sundays”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He said; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“It
is always a Sunday that has provided most clergy with anxiety or anguish or
consternation as they attempt to prepare a sermon on the Trinity that is not
boring or so full of theological jargon that parishioners will fall asleep. How
often have you heard clergy lament on having to preach on the Trinity? Well
today is no exception for me.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Yet,
although you can read the Rev. John’s entire sermon as you possibly have
already done – I think I should quote an entire long paragraph that I felt very
descriptive and thought provoking without causing disturbance of mind or
feelings of inadequacy in trying to understand theology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So here it is:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">People are not converted to
Jesus because we can articulate a theological doctrine,</span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">but because we can share our faith in very
human terms. Sharing how God has acted in our lives as creator/parent,
redeemer, brother, and empower spirit. Our God is a loving and generous God who
gives to us unconditionally. The God we worship is the God who created all of
us and accepts all of us as we are. God does not make mistakes. Understanding
God in this way gives us knew insight into loving and accepting others who are
different from us for we are all made in God's image. It is us, not God, who
has put limits and parameters on who is acceptable to God. Understanding God
this way also calls us to reach out and care for all of God's children
especially those who cannot care for themselves. Paul reminds us there are a
variety of gifts but one spirit. We are a variety of people in one Spirit. We
are called to live out and develop our gifts to the fullest. Our gifts are
complimentary to one another and there is no scale of 1-10 on the gifts of the
spirit.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Everyone
is making the most of a difficult situation and doing their best to keep in
touch and talk and listen to each other and lift the spirits of others;
especially the people who are unable to attend church online.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is sad that we are missing going to church
with the familiar surroundings and the opportunity to Worship together, however
the magic of “Zoom” manages to deliver the Sermon, the Prayers and the Bible
Readings quite satisfactorily and it is good to see the people sitting at their
computers making the best of the situation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This week the Rev. John tried out a computer “trick” which placed him
and his wife in front of a photo of the Marsden Road Church, which felt
familiar and “homely”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">However,
we are still missing the joy of singing the hymns and have tried looking and
listening to Youtube, which had some difficulties for a group situation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are now trying out having a pianist play
the piano in their home while we all mute our sound and sing to ourselves, but
somehow it just doesn’t give that wonderful sense of singing together, with the
benefits of the amazing acoustics of our little church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">So
on Sunday morning when I heard that we were to have the hymn <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty”</i>
which was written by Bishop Reginald Heber of Calcutta, I really longed for the
time we can all sing together in Praise once again. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I
have always been rather keen on Bishop Heber’s hymns and as a keen student of
history and family history the stories of the British in India and what I have
discovered of the dozens of my mother’s ancestors who went to India during many
decades of the 19<sup>th</sup> century for a wide variety of reasons - all of
which would probably be seen only in an unfavourable light by those today who
deny history - I have done quite a lot of reading and research. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My great great grandmother’s brother, the Rev.
Robert Mayor went with his new wife and two other missionaries from the CMS in
London, as the first missionaries to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“work
for ten years among the heathen”</i> in Galle in 1817 and I remember being
shocked when I read his memorial plaque in the church in England where he is
buried.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those were the exact words used.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was quite relieved to discover that he
was also a medical doctor who was said to have saved the sight of many of the
people he served.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Among
my reading I came across a letter written to Robert’s father by Bishop Heber:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“I arrived at this port five
weeks ago, in visiting the different parts of my great diocese; and had the
pleasure to be greeted, among those who first came off to our vessel, by your
son Robert, looking stout and well and very little altered from what he was
when I last saw him in England ….. Mrs Heber and I had the pleasure, in our
return from the North, of passing the best part of three days with him and Mrs,
Mayor, in their romantic abode at Baddagamma, where we also found his colleague
Mr. Ward, his wife and family, in perfect health and contented
cheerfulness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I consecrated their
church, which is really an extraordinary building, considering the place in
which, and the circumstances under which, it has been erected; and I also had
the happiness of administering confirmation and the Lord’s Supper to a small
but promising band of their converts and usual hearers; and I can truly say,
both for my wife and myself that we have never paid a visit which has
interested and impressed us more agreeably, from the good sense, good taste,
and right feeling, the concord, the zeal, and orderly and industrious piety,
which appeared to pervade both families and every part of their
establishment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mr Ward has in some
degree got the start in Cingalese studies, but the progress which both have
made in such a difficult language has been mentioned to me as highly honourable
to them; and Robert, from his medical skill, his truly masculine sense, his
bodily as well as mental energy, and his cheerfulness under difficulties, has
qualifications of the most valuable kind for the life which he has chosen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both of them are all in fact which you or I
could wish them; active zealous, well-informed, and orderly clergymen, devoted to
the instruction and help of their heathen neighbours; both enjoying a
favourable report, I think I may say without exception, from the governor,
public functionaries, and</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">in general from all the English in the
colony whom I have heard speak of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
cause of Christianity is, I hope, going on well here.”</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Bishop Heber’s once popular Mission Hymn, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“From Greenland’s Icy Mountains”, </i>has
been called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“A conspicuous example of
that fervent belief to convert the world to Christianity which led Heber and
others to lay down their lives in the mission field";</i> has been omitted
from some publications in the last 40 years for words that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Seem patronising and insensitive to other beliefs.”</i> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1925 Mahatma Gandhi expressed his offence
99 years after Bishop Heber’s death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
said that s</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">uch phrases as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Every prospect pleases and only man is
vile",</i> and the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"the heathen
in his blindness [bowing] down to wood and stone"</i>, implied assumptions
that were untrue in his experiences. Gandhi said; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"My own experience in my travels throughout India has been to the
contrary ... [Man] is not vile. He is as much a seeker after truth as you and I
are, possibly more so".</i></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Joanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05674868263535857401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984603332978797234.post-36479814520487683182020-06-04T01:41:00.000-07:002020-06-04T05:58:25.862-07:00Every person should be able to hear God's Word in his or her heart language.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">While
I was re-reading and contemplating the Rev. John’s sermon which looked at the
Pentecost story this Sunday; first from John 20: 19-23 and then from Acts 2:
1-21, I began to consider the wonderful possibilities and the difficulties that
could be overcome in the world today if we could indeed all communicate with
and understand everyone no matter what language was being spoken. I love what the Rev. John called, <i>“The stunningly powerful imagery of a raging
wind and flames of fire written by St. Paul in Acts”. </i>I continued to read
the sermon which you can read in full on the Marsden Road Church website. The Rev. John wrote; <i>“Filled with the Spirit of God, the disciples can now speak, preach,
teach, and communicate in such a way that they are understood by all sorts of
different people in many different languages. The power of God to recreate the
human community in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit breaks through the human
boundaries of language and culture.”</i> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3e_4l-7th2I/XtikNFDcfrI/AAAAAAAAC0M/HU4Y3FVWLL8Q1dpuhQ14cuMes1I4XamxgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/M%2BRd%2BChurch.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="675" height="425" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3e_4l-7th2I/XtikNFDcfrI/AAAAAAAAC0M/HU4Y3FVWLL8Q1dpuhQ14cuMes1I4XamxgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/M%2BRd%2BChurch.gif" style="cursor: move;" width="640" /></a></div>
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Marsden Road Uniting Church "dressed" for Pentecost Sunday</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">At
this point there was a “ping” on my computer to tell me I had a new email. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I
checked my email and discovered a message from a friend of more than 50 years
who lives and works in Cappadocia, Turkey to raise awareness of the ‘Love of
God and the joy of knowing Jesus’ in one of the places mentioned in the passage
in Acts 2: 1-21. How timely her message
was! Our friend had mentioned in her
email last month, that what she called <i>“The
Jesus film”,</i> was allowed to be shown on some Turkish secular TV channels
for the first time at Easter. Today she
told us that the film was viewed by around eight million people! Just consider for a moment that 99% of the
population of Turkey are non – Christian!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In her
email, our friend included a report made on April 21, 2020 from the “Christian
Newswire”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">"Amid strict coronavirus lockdowns,
millions of people across the Middle East and North Africa clamouring for a
spiritual and practical lifeline are finding help right in their own homes
through "living television."
In the region where Christianity began but is now a minority faith,
Christian satellite television broadcaster SAT-7 (</span></i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.sat7usa.org/"><i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">www.sat7usa.org</span></i></a></span><i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> ) has seen viewer numbers surge and
social media interest skyrocket since the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">"There's an explosion of spiritual
hunger across the Middle East and North Africa right now as people stuck at
home seek real hope and real answers," said Dr. Rex Rogers, president of
SAT-7 USA. SAT-7 continues to broadcast
shows 24/7 that present Christians as 'living epistles' who speak to people
where they are in life. "Millions
of people in countries like Iran, Iraq and Turkey are clamouring to see and
hear in their own language what it's like to be a follower of Jesus in a time
of crisis," Rogers said.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In coronavirus hotspot Turkey, where 99
percent of the population is non-Christian, more viewers have contacted the
SAT-7 TÜRK channel daily in the past few weeks than any day in the previous
five years since broadcasts began.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">"Coronavirus has locked people inside
their homes, but it's opening hearts to God," said Rogers. "Lockdown
and social isolation do not stop our unique satellite and online Christian
programs from reaching millions of adults and children where they live."<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Before
I finished reading our friend’s email I looked at the website for SAT-7
Christian TV and there was a statement on the HOME page that spells out their
goals:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #000099; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">MAKING THE GOSPEL AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND
NORTH AFRICA<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #000099; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Every person should be able to hear God's Word in his or her
heart language. SAT-7 Christian TV supports a growing Church in the Middle East
and North Africa, confident in Christian faith and witness, serving the
community and contributing to the good of society and culture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Our
friend’s email continued; <i>“I loved our
online Turkish fellowship time on Pentecost Sunday (on Zoom) and allowed my
imagination to carry me away a little the day after Pentecost, when suddenly,
there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty wind-storm, and it
filled the house where we were sitting.
Well! OK it was a day later but it was so stirring and such a privilege
and joy to be part of praying for the work of the Holy Spirit here in this
land, here in Cappadocia (see Acts 2:9...there were people from Cappadocia
there that day!!) ...such longing, such zeal, a fire in our bellies. We've just been at home in our "upper
rooms" with more time to pray. Now,
Lord, what will you do next?”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I’m so
glad that our friend’s email arrived at just the right moment so I could share
it with you all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I would also like to share an
experience that touched me many years ago on a train in Italy and on the Greek
Island of Corfu. Not all travel
experiences are entirely enjoyable at the time of the experience and it is
often lack of communication that creates and exacerbates problems. Almost 40 years ago my husband and I purchased
a train ticket from an agent in London for a reserved seat on a specific train,
to travel from Rome to Brindisi. The day
before we left Rome we went to the train station and checked the booking and
presented our ticket for confirmation. We
were assured everything was in order.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Our tickets were inspected a
number of times on the long journey across Italy from Rome to the coast and
down to the heel of “the boot”. It was
not however, until about the third pair of inspectors arrived that our tickets
created any undue interest and we first heard the words <i>“supplemento rapido”;</i> although after a bit of arm waving and
pointing we were left alone and the guards moved on muttering in Italian.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The mood changed at the next
stop when a new set of inspectors boarded the train. <i>“Supplemento rapido! Supplemento
rapido!”</i> shouted the first
inspector. <i>“I don’t understand – do you speak English?”</i> we asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Supplemento
rapido! Supplemento rapido!”</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">
shouted the second inspector even louder as he waved his arms furiously to make
us understand and held out a hand for some money. The inspectors continued to shout at us in
Italian that we didn’t understand, except for those now familiar words, <i>“Supplemento rapido”</i> repeated at ever
increasing intervals and ever increasing volume. We assumed they wanted extra money because
this train was a fast train. <i>“Does anyone on this train speak English?”</i>
my husband asked hopefully and in desperation.
One of the inspectors went off to try and find a translator. He returned with a Chinese gentleman in tow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Speak
English, speak English” </span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">the inspector told us pointing to his
would-be translator, and the hapless Chinese Italian tried unsuccessfully to
translate and communicate with us.
Somehow with all the shouting, and with Chinese Italian being translated
into Chinese English and then back to Chinese Italian it appeared that we were
arguing about a sum of 23,400 lire (₤10) which was about half the amount we had
paid for our two tickets.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The inspectors kept shouting
louder and louder and waved their arms at ever increasing intervals to make us understand
why we were expected to pay more money.
Soon a new word had entered the conversation – the inspectors were now
shouting <i>“Polizzi, Polizzi”</i> as they
continued to wave their arms about.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Tell
them to call the Polizzi !”</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> my husband finally told the Chinese
Italian. He felt reasonably sure that
the police would neither be called or be interested in such a trivial
matter. He was also absolutely convinced
the inspectors intended to pocket the money and keep it for themselves if we
paid. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The train continued to speed
towards Bari, the next big town along the Italian coast; and as we pulled into
the train station we saw no less than three police cars parked in a row along
the station platform with eight gun carrying Polizzi coming towards the train
to arrest us and drag us off to an Italian prison.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_sE5ipY_NO0/XtiwAEhVuzI/AAAAAAAAC0Y/NlZVX9xsPf8eevLXd4q78d8Gj93Y3IL0ACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Bari_Centrale_railway_station.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span original-title="" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span class="mw-mmv-author"><span style="color: #54595d; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Bari Centrale Railway Station photo by Chris0693</span></span><span class="mw-mmv-source-author"><span style="color: #54595d; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> - </span></span><span class="int-own-work"><span lang="EN" style="color: #54595d; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Own work</span> </span></span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Wikimedia Commons Licence </span></span></td></tr>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“I
think now is a good time to pay the Supplemento Rapido”</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> we
decided. <i>“O.K. I’ll pay the money, but I want a receipt”</i>, he told the
Chinese Italian as the Polizzi marched down the train corridor to arrest us. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“I
don’t believe I owe any money, but I’ll pay it if I get a receipt,”</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> my
husband told the police officers. Once
the money was paid, with a receipt duly issued, the Polizzi left the train and
it started on the last uneventful leg of the journey to Brindisi.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">As we enjoyed the tranquillity
and the backward charm of the little Island of Corfu the next day we came upon
a little old Greek woman wearing the typical black clothing of old Greek women
all over the world as she sold dolls to tourists. She spoke no English and we spoke no Greek,
yet quietly and easily we had a ‘conversation’. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Your
Bambino?”</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> she smiled as she handed me the traditional Greek doll I
had selected.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Yes”</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> I
answered as I paid her the money. <i>“She is nine years old”</i>; I told the
little old lady as I held up nine fingers; and she smiled again and made a sign
like an embrace to show she understood how much I loved my “bambino”, and we
parted in peace and with understanding.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I realised that in just two days we had enjoyed a lesson in international relations the world leaders could learn from; we had seen two ways of dealing with the difficulties of communication caused by a language barrier - the easy and effective way of the gentle smile and the soft voice, and the ineffectual way of bullying and shouting and shutting out understanding with noise and aggression. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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Joanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05674868263535857401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984603332978797234.post-73956019978221823472020-05-28T00:42:00.001-07:002020-05-28T00:42:54.962-07:00A Most Important Obscure Day<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Physical
Absence, Spiritual Presence – Acts 1:1-11.</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">
</span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First I must say that I am not a scientist,
so I really liked the Rev. John’s introduction to the topic of Ascension
Day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While writing for Margaret on her
blog, I am always aware that she is a scientist and does look at the world in a
scientific way and she is also a keen student of theology and a Lay Preacher;
while I am not at all qualified in either subject.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So when I reflect on religious topics I am generally
happy to pass over the really “hard bits” and take joy in the way I observe the
Love of God in and through others and feel the hand of God all around me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">This
week the Rev. John began his Sermon:<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> “Today
is one of those relatively obscure Christian holidays of which many are
unaware: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ascension Sunday</b>. This is
the day in the church calendar when we celebrate the ascension of Jesus Christ
into heaven. In all honesty, the ascension is a rather difficult idea for the
modern mind to handle. It’s the story of how Jesus went to the Mount of Olives
after his resurrection from the dead. There, according to the book of Acts,
Jesus literally flew off into heaven. “He was lifted up, and a cloud took him
out of their sight.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Of
course my practical side realizes that this is a hard scenario to accept and I
was delighted with the Rev. John’s suggestion; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“When contemporary people think of the ascension, it is a little hard
to imagine the Lord Jesus Christ flying off like a one-person space shuttle
into the skies.”<span style="color: red;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></i>I observed there were a few laughs at this idea that came
from the people watching the service with us on their computers; however, for
me it did serve to scream out the basic difficulties of always trying to relate
the old bible writings (even with a modern translation) to the world of today. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YNGQq8grjco/Xs8rsRZ6EdI/AAAAAAAACys/o5r4dMA6E7wukWM4033gLAGeKLXmF3KowCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Saint_Joseph_Catholic_Church_%2528Somerset%252C_Ohio%2529_-_stained_glass%252C_Ascension_of_Christ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1064" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YNGQq8grjco/Xs8rsRZ6EdI/AAAAAAAACys/o5r4dMA6E7wukWM4033gLAGeKLXmF3KowCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Saint_Joseph_Catholic_Church_%2528Somerset%252C_Ohio%2529_-_stained_glass%252C_Ascension_of_Christ.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ascension of Christ - Saint Joseph Catholic Church, Somerset, Ohio<br />
Author Nheyob - Creative Commons Attribution - Share Alike 4.0 International License</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">At that
point my mind immediately turned to the many ethereal images of the Ascension
of Jesus that I have, as a ‘romantic’ and an artist, greatly admired in stained
glass and paint - and I must confess the images never conjured up doubt or
controversy for me. Neither have I actually struggled with the scientific
definition of the cosmos </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">which now generally seems to refer
to; <i>“The idea of order which is always
present in the words universe
or world”</i>, although by definition - <i>“In biblical thought, of course, this
order is the result of God's activity”.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rev.
John then mentioned <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“scientific
reservation</i>s”<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>and the continuing
spiritual importance of the<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>Ascension
in our modern world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">On Ascension Sunday, we are called to
reassess our devotion to the church as the physical body of Christ still among
us. The risen Lord is not here; he has ascended. The body of Christ is very
much here, and the way we treat the church is the way we treat the risen Lord. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ascension Sunday reminds us that we are each,
individually, a part of Christ’s body. To honour the church as we honour Christ
is also to remember that in a powerful way, we are each a part of this body of
Christ.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">People of the Marsden Road Church congregation went away for “church
camps” during the 1970s and 1980’s, which was a time when there were many
families like ours with children over a variety of ages and this was a
wonderful time for everyone from the oldest to the youngest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all looked at ways to include everyone in
the fun and the religious instruction and often as an adult I loved the times
when a “light bulb” seemed to turn on during successful groups and services in
which everyone shared at the camps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And how we loved the singing at those weekend
camps!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RLATrXKy1U0/Xs84UC05nsI/AAAAAAAACy4/pJxNa-2VN3MA3D8T1NZEl1IfZaoo65BGQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/SCAN1459%2BChurch%2BCamp%2B1970s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1049" data-original-width="1600" height="418" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RLATrXKy1U0/Xs84UC05nsI/AAAAAAAACy4/pJxNa-2VN3MA3D8T1NZEl1IfZaoo65BGQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/SCAN1459%2BChurch%2BCamp%2B1970s.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Memories of a Marsden Road Church Camp in the 1970s </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Whenever I hear mention of the importance of each one of us in our role
as part of the body of Christ and what each of us can achieve as part of ‘the
Church’ if we all work together, I remember how at one camp, all the younger
children were called to the front and were each asked to try to pick up and
carry a tall strong young man from the ‘stage’ where he was lying on the floor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each of the children tried very hard and of
course could not even move him on their own, but when they were told to all
work together and share the weight by standing all around Craig, there was
great excitement and surprise at their success in carrying him away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I seem to remember there was also a mention
of the way tiny ants can all gather around and together lift a large piece of
food to take home to their nest to share.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Such a simple idea, but very effective and I suspect all the kids may,
like me, still remember the message they were given that day. This message as
the Rev. John said on Sunday morning was to; </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Remind
us</span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">that without our individual faithfulness
to our role in the church, the body of Christ is weakened and disabled.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Rev. John’s sermon today concluded <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“This
is a critical day in our personal and collective self-understanding. It is
significant that the risen Lord ascended into heaven. His ascension invites us
to relate to the church as we would to Christ. It reminds each of us of the
critical nature of our role in the body of Christ. It calls us to take up Jesus’
work on earth. This is a most important obscure day.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">When I
reflect on many religious concepts I wonder if it is perhaps easier for those
of us with less scientific or theological knowledge to accept our feelings and
instincts with less self-questioning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having
said that- </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It may seem surprising, to learn that I have in the
past thought and written some heavy questioning thoughts about the Genesis
story of Creation in the Bible, the Big Bang Theory and the Theory of
Evolution, some of which I will share with you. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">"In the beginning of creation
when God made heaven and the earth, the earth was without form and void, with
darkness over the face of the abyss, and a mighty wind that swept over the
surface of the waters."</span></i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> These words are the very beginning
of the Bible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chapter 1 of the book of
Genesis gives this version and goes on to describe events to the end of the
sixth day finishing; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“So it was; and God
saw all that he had made, and it was very good.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">So how did the world really begin?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The foremost scientific theory about the origin of the universe is The
Big Bang Theory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was surprised and
interested to learn that this widely accepted theory that the universe was
created sometime between 10 billion and 20 billion years ago from a cosmic
explosion that hurled matter in all directions was first proposed in 1927 by
Georges Lemaitre who was a Belgian priest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I typed “big bang theory” into Google, and after browsing items 1 - 10
of about 1,250,000 results to try and understand how a priest of all people,
put forward an evolutionary idea seemingly so in conflict with the Biblical
creation story in Genesis, I only became more fascinated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, I did learn that Lemaitre was one of
many scientists including Edwin Hubble who were also working on variations of
this theory at that time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Can we believe that the Big Bang was God’s first miracle?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can, but then I am not a scientist.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Before the Big Bang Theory there had
been Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, explained in 1859 in his work “On
the Origin of Species”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found there
are about 225,000 results for “Darwin's theory of evolution” on Google, but to
summarise his theory:-<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">1. Variation: There is variation in
every population.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">2. Competition: Organisms compete for
limited resources.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">3. Offspring: Organisms produce more
offspring than can survive.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">4. Genetics: Organisms pass genetic
traits on to their offspring.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">5. Natural Selection: Those organisms with the most beneficial traits
are more likely to survive and reproduce.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">If taken literally these ideas probably
created religious and moral dilemmas for people when they were first published
nearly 150 years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, today with
greatly increased knowledge and ability to act upon that knowledge, some of the
possibilities of interfering with the natural order of things are so horrific,
I am almost too scared to put them into print! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Yet I am asking such questions to promote serious
thinking about the behaviour of all humans and their often misplaced feelings
of entitlement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">1. To say there is Variation in every
population is an irrefutable statement. No problems there! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">2. Competition is a part of life; but
then, does greed creep in here – and does this give some humans ‘permission’ to
take more than their share – is it OK to let millions starve to death because
the world can’t support an ever increasing population?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is war then a legitimate way of competing for
limited resources?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">3. We can accept the fact that
turtles and other animals need to produce more offspring to ensure the survival
of the species, and we understand that other animals need to kill for
food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, we can’t accept the death
of human babies in the same way; it would seem to be against all we, as
civilised humans believe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">4. and 5. are very much related.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Should we be trying so hard to save the lives of humans with genetic
diseases that are weakening the human species?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Is keeping them alive and encouraging them to reproduce wrong?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is natural selection in fact God’s plan to
protect us from our own weakness?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Should
we encourage the survival of babies so immature that the only reasons for their
survival in such a damaged state are the needs of their parents?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can we be accused of playing God – and is
Darwin’s Theory perhaps an expression of part of God’s plan? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Now for another big question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What
is the difference between Scientists, Evolutionists and those who believe the
Genesis story?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is said that,
typically, scientists observe evidentiary data and then formulate their
conclusions, and evolutionists have formulated their conclusion and then look
for the missing data.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is my personal
understanding that believers in the Bible story can accept what they can’t
prove or see, and have a sense of wonder that can acknowledge miracles and
above all they have faith in God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I have faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am happy to gaze
into the heavens at night with millions of stars smudged across the sky - and
feel a thrill I cannot describe; I don’t need to know if there was a Big Bang –
I simply feel the truth of Psalm 19; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“The
heavens tell out the glory of God, the vault of heaven reveals his
handiwork.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One day speaks to another,
night with night shares its knowledge; and this without speech or language or
sound of any voice.”</i></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<br />Joanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05674868263535857401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984603332978797234.post-14651503979788198982020-05-21T07:10:00.000-07:002020-05-21T07:10:22.013-07:00"The Tapestry of Life"<br />
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">It could be
considered to be “by chance” that the church service last week (10<sup>th</sup>
May) inspired me to centre my reflections upon </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">the
expressive impact of hymns as an integral part of our Worship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, having followed those thoughts I was
stumped when considering a response to the Rev. John’s online service this week
in which his thoughtful sermon turned our minds to poetry in the Bible reading
from Acts 17; 22-31. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We know that many
of the hymns we love were written as poems before being put to music and
becoming hymns, so here I am sitting at my computer, wondering where will my
mind go from here?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Just one interesting thought to share here is the comparative ease
for most people to learn and remember the words of a song or a hymn, paralleled
with the difficulty for many in retaining in their brain the words of a poem ready
for instant recall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I was young I
was extremely lucky to be able to easily learn and recite the poems that I
loved - yet often by the time I had listened to my brother repeating the poems
he had to learn for homework, I would despair about his lack of progress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The difference here was that my brother did
not <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">feel</b> the poetry like I did and
his heart did not motivate the poetry “centre” of his mind to remember and love
the words of the poem. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">So for
him, learning poetry by rote, with no effort to demonstrate or teach the
relevance of the imagery of poetry was like saying dismissively to him that he
should <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘Find a bridge and get over it!’ </i><span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, my brother John
could discover what made anything work and he enjoyed working in the mechanical
and engineering fields his whole life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His
memory for details about the cars and trains he kept working perfectly and the
achievements and statistics of his competitive bicycle racing was
excellent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I soon learned that my
brother, like many others, had no wish or need to be able to recite the endless
verses of “The Highwayman” or “The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner”.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I have looked for ways to express why some of us turn to poetry
when we need to express deep or important thoughts and feelings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I certainly do not consider myself as a poet,
yet sometimes I feel compelled to disregard my lack of understanding of the
rules and approved techniques for writing genuine poems, to present my special thoughts
or feelings to a friend or someone who needs encouragement or consolation in
this very personal way. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In trying to answer this question of why poetry touches my heart,
I discovered t</span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">here are many very
satisfying definitions of what poetry is; however, I find that I can’t go past
the definition given by William Wordsworth who wrote; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes
its origin from emotion recollected in tranquillity".</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Just
think daffodils here!<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Thirty years ago a talented friend wanted to
share her love of stitching Tapestries with people who had not had the
opportunity to learn this craft, so she wrote and published a small book called
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Tapestry made Easy”,</i> which was
richly illustrated with photos of beautiful finished and framed Tapestries that
had been worked by herself, her mother, her father and even her husband. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her family had a small supper party to
“launch” the book and several families from Marsden Road Church and other special
friends attended the celebration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I had been seeing and admiring these
beautifully executed tapestry works hanging in our friend’s home for many
years; so I was inspired to write a poem to celebrate her achievement in
writing the book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although I am sure the
poem that I wrote breaks many “rules”, the imagery of one’s life as a finished tapestry
pleased me and was appreciated by my friend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Her father who was a perfect gentleman asked me if I would agree to the
poem being printed in his church’s magazine and of course I agreed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was later printed in a copy of the “Marsden
Missive”, so my apologies if you have already seen the poem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This has become the inspiration for my
personal “Tapestry Tales”, a collection of stories and anecdotes of my life and
my family, which have been written over a period of 20 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HfKnPcFN7P0/XsaIBd9JfJI/AAAAAAAACx4/DVUp_FiKZGE1DHEDz-qLcGfgekCzT9oHgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/img004%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1242" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HfKnPcFN7P0/XsaIBd9JfJI/AAAAAAAACx4/DVUp_FiKZGE1DHEDz-qLcGfgekCzT9oHgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/img004%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="310" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tapestries worked by Glenys Gillard<br />Photos by Dayen Grujovic</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The
Tapestry of Life<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></u></i></b></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Life is a tapestry worked over the years; <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It’s a blending of threads stitched with laughter and tears.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">By our Lord the pattern was printed and trammed -<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Much richer and fuller than man could have planned.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The technique and tension are for us to decide<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">and the standard of work is our personal pride.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">While enjoying support from our family and friends -<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">On our stitching and texture the canvas depends.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The rows that we work with painstaking care<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">may be less than perfect - we see here and there.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">With a little more Faith, more Hope and more Love,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">while asking for help from our dear Lord above<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">We’ll be shown the best way to choose the right threads;<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Sometimes with our hearts; and at times with our heads.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">We’ll learn new techniques to embellish our work;<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">and we’ll stitch through the rows where anxieties lurk,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">If we create a true Masterpiece - a real work of art<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It will prove that we’ve lived - of this life been a part.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">When our tapestry is finished and we reach the hour of death,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">We will meet the Master Planner as we draw our last short
breath,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Then for uneven or imperfect work, we surely won’t be blamed,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As in the memory of our loved ones - our tapestry is framed.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">This Sunday
morning (17<sup>th</sup> May) the Rev. John made reference to the way <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“St. Paul gives us a good example of the
productive process of building bridges because Christians are all, or should
all be, disciples.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>He reminded us
that, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Bearing witness and spreading the
Word is the business of every Christian and finding bridges between the
teaching of scripture and the outside culture is necessary to aid that
process.”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, perhaps as expressed in
the Rev John’s words<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> “In an age in which
the Bible is under fire, poetry might serve as a good place to build a helpful
bridge from the Bible to the surrounding culture of today.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<br />Joanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05674868263535857401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984603332978797234.post-71538643977660439542020-05-13T19:27:00.001-07:002020-05-13T19:32:12.541-07:00"How Great Thou Art"<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;">When I sat down at my computer to reflect on the Rev.
John’s Sunday online church service I clicked on a Youtube link for the first
hymn <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Tell out my Soul”</i> which was
written by Rev. Timothy Dudley-Smith who has been writing hymn texts for more
than 50 years, and still writes 6 or 8 new hymns each year. He has written over
430 published hymns and this is one of his hymns of adoration which always
stirs me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I listened, my mind immediately
turned to the expressive impact of hymns as part of Worship that has always
been for me important as a source of prayer, deep thought, comfort, assurance and
delight. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;">Church was always an important part of my family life and
upbringing as the daughter of an Anglican minister and his wife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My parents met as children at Sunday school
and church and my father’s “call” to the ministry came during the singing of
the wonderful hymn; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“When I survey the
Wondrous Cross”</i> when a visiting evangelical minister made a call for people
to come forward and give their life to God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So consequently, for me there was no amazing moment that I can recall
when God became the cornerstone of my life – and this has sometimes been a
cause of reflection about religion as sometimes an “accident of birth” versus
religion as a matter of choice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;">I have often found the stories of some of the writers of
our amazing and inspirational hymns to be some of the best life lessons when
looking for the “meaning of life.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;">My father’s ministry was diverse and his “parishioners”
during my childhood and youth were struggling farming families during his time
as a Bush Church Aid Chaplain when I was born in Victoria - and then as an army
and navy chaplain until I was an adult.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Although this meant that the people attending his service were sometimes
reluctant and less than receptive worshippers; my father and other chaplains
saw their wartime and service life as being <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Full
of opportunities for a Chaplain”.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;">In December 1943 my father joined with a fellow chaplain
with whom he had shared his ordination service 10 years earlier and in his
letter home he wrote; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Tonight Bill and I
combined in taking a service with an Infantry Battalion in an open clearing in
the jungle</i> (New Guinea).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The troops were drawn up on two sides and
the officers on the third side with the chaplains on the fourth side of the
square. The service concluded just as dusk was falling, with the singing of
“Abide with Me”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time 10 years ago we
were in a retreat together in preparation for our ordination.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a far cry from then to the jungle and
from those days of peace to these days of war.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You never know what lies ahead and we did not dream in our wildest
moments that we would even be chaplains in the army on active service in times
of war and that 10 years hence we would be combining for a service in the heart
of the jungle and with men who have been in action on the front line.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;">The piano in our home
was not played often, but my father would sometimes sit down for a while on
Sunday evenings and play “by ear” from his small repertoire of hymns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even today I can never hear <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“The day though gavest Lord is ended”</i> or
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Abide with me”</i> without returning in
my heart to those far off days and feeling myself standing by my father and
looking over his shoulder as we sang those hymns together. “Abide with me” is
for me a hymn of hope and supplication, while <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“The day though gavest Lord is ended”</i>, is more about hope,
thankfulness and benediction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;">If you have time on
your hands for reflection you may spend many happy hours wandering through the
pages of the website </span><a href="https://hymnary.org/"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;">https://hymnary.org/</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;">
where you can learn all about the hymns and their writers and the important
place they play in our Worship and become part of our life and our
understanding of God’s love and our opportunities to share that love..<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;">My
favourite hymn of all is, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“How Great Thou
Art”</i> and one memorable day in Norway I turned to my husband and began to softly
sing the words of this wonderful inspiring hymn and said; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Surely those words were written by someone who had stood on a mountain
peak in Norway!” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>Perhaps I was close
to the truth; because Carl Gustav Boberg (16 August 1859 – 7 January 1940) was
a Swedish poet, best known for writing the Swedish language poem of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"O Store Gud" (O great God)</i>
from which the English language hymn <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"How
Great Thou Art"</i> is derived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
hymn of adoration we sing today was translated from the Swedish poem in 1949 by
Stuart K. Hine who was born in 1899 in Great Britain. He and his wife were
missionaries in the Western Ukraine of Russia, where they evangelized as
Christian workers and singers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1931,
Stuart and his wife returned to Britain and conducted gospel campaigns
throughout Great Britain. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;">“O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;">Consider all the works Thy hands have
made,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;">……………<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;">When I look down from lofty mountain
grandeur,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;">And hear the brook and feel the gentle
breeze:<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;">Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to
Thee,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;">How great Thou art, how great Thou art!”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;">That
memorable day in 1982 we had travelled by tour bus through wild and spectacular
countryside on a road that constantly turned back on itself in a series of
sharp hair-pin bends; a journey not for the faint-hearted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the region known as Jotunheimen, or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Home of the Giants”</i> we made our way to
the top of Mount Dalsnibba where we were met by a fierce, cold inhospitable
wind and a view to take our breath away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We felt like we were in heaven with the world at our feet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;">Then
we moved on in the bus to the next vantage point and from there we could look
across at Mount Dalsnibba and down into the little town of Geiranger nestling
near its beautiful Fjord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were
standing in the clouds and for a few magical moments we had a clear view of the
fjord below with two luxurious ships at anchor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Suddenly a white blanket of cloud made it all disappear like the
theatrical magic of Brigadoon vanishing in the mists of time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;">When
we reached our hotel in Geiranger we set off for a walk in drizzly rain
following a very steep road to a beautiful little church perched precariously
on a ledge overlooking the fjord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Through the little churchyard we went, and out the gate, before
clamouring down the slopes and tracks to the path that followed the edge of the
fjord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was no longer raining and we
walked for at least an hour enjoying the grandeur of the snow-capped mountains
with countless waterfalls rushing down to the fjord that had been formed during
the ice-age when the valleys were scraped out by the ice and the sea came
in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The waterfalls thundered and foamed
over rocks and bushes until they tumbled into the fjord that was so deep and so
still they were stopped in their tracks and created hardly a ripple. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;">Following
along the path we experienced a peace and beauty impossible to describe in
words; it was felt as much as it was seen; then suddenly the silence was
shattered by the siren of one of the ships as it slipped out of the fjord
towards the open sea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Soon it was joined
by the other ship that almost mysteriously vanished as we walked around a bend on
our way back to the hotel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;">We
lingered again in the churchyard of the little church that clung to the steep
slope and I thought I could find no more beautiful place to be for all
eternity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were small flowers
growing wild among the grass between the gravestones and God’s hand was everywhere.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;">After
dinner we settled down in front of our window at 10.30pm to watch the coming of
twilight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The reflections of the quickly
moving clouds changed constantly in the deep still water of the fjord, and last
year’s snow glistened on the mountain peaks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Soon little farm houses and small villages turned on their lights in
expectation of a darkness that never really came.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;">Across
the fjord it looked like a twinkling star was moving back and forth across the
mountain between the trees as a lone car climbed the steep road with its dozens
of sharp hair-pin bends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sky changed
ever so slowly from a soft blue to a deeper velvety shade and our eyelids
became heavy so we left our twilight scene and went to sleep thinking of both the
magnitude and perfect detail of God’s Creation.</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Joanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05674868263535857401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984603332978797234.post-46900899805627943532020-05-07T03:06:00.000-07:002020-05-13T19:37:46.276-07:00 The Church is not a Building - You are the Church!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I
have been a bit disorganised in my thinking this week and perhaps there was a
little bit of creative avoidance as I pondered the theme of the online service
last Sunday. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Experience the Living Christ –
Acts 2.42-47<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The
Rev John said; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Give thanks for your
church and your place in it. There is no better place to find what you are
looking for, which is the touch of the “Master’s” hand in your life. I know
because I have experienced it. Thanks be to God for church!” … Ultimately the
Christian faith is about living in relationship and community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Easter legacy is the church of Jesus
Christ”.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Instead
of my heart hearing the strong messages about “The Good Shepherd” that should
have brought quiet assurance, I have been grappling for several days with the
whole idea of “the church”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Yet
here we all are not able to go to “the building” or even meet with “the
community of faith” and every day seems the same – a bit like that old movie “Ground
Hog Day”!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s enough to stop anyone in
their tracks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the endless talk of
being “locked down”, has been a feeling of loss about many aspects of our old
lives - yet being locked out of our churches has been something quite foreign
to us in our country where religious freedom is embraced.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">As
the cloud lifted in my mind I began to remember a familiar statement that I
really like; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“The church is not a
building – You are the Church”.</i> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At
Marsden Road Church we have used that phrase often in our invitations and
letterbox drop material.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">These
words in the Rev John’s Reflection can turn on a light for us all during these
dark days. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Come in, all who are tired
and thirsty. The Good Shepherd leads us to grassy meadows and restful waters.
Come in, all who are anxious and afraid. The Good Shepherd protects us and
leads us through dark valleys. Come in, all who are empty and exhausted. The
Good Shepherd fills our lives with goodness and faithful love. Come in, to be
refreshed, to rest, and to receive. The Good Shepherd has brought us here.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Whoever
would have imagined that almost everything we know would change so much almost
overnight and we would be required by law to draw back even from those we love
and deny them a hug or even a handshake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Of course it was important and just plain necessary, yet I found it
worrying to stand back and make no contact with the people in the church as we
“passed the Peace” that final Sunday in March when we were able to go to “the
church”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I
know a young woman who lives alone who rang her sister and asked if she could
drop by and hug her family’s dog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has
been reported that all the animals at the animal shelters have been “snapped
up” by people seeking company.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just
pray that these pets will all be loved and cared for when the world changes
again and their humans are no longer in need of their love and warmth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In
this current climate of sickness and death for many thousands of people around
the world there are huge health and financial worries; people are being almost
“held in custody” at home or in an hotel room or a nursing home or cruise ship
and it can be difficult for us to find our community, peace, joy or hope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jobs lost, shops closed, operations
cancelled, doctors unable to let patients into their surgery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At our doctor’s surgery, the doors were
locked and we were “told” via gestures to go walk down the driveway and
wait.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To our surprise the nurse emerged
and there on the driveway we were quickly given our annual flu vaccination and
the nurse immediately disappeared inside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Life
is confusing - even the politicians are agreeing with “those on the other side”
some of the time!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It
seems the world has almost stopped and there is no other news than the corona
virus – we see pictures of places like the Spanish Steps in Rome without a
single person in sight!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>London is
deserted along with every other tourist hot spot in the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is hard for our minds to process these
sights and accept the awful news that each morning 700 or 800 or more people
have died from COVID-19 in some countries in the world, in the short time since
we went to sleep last night.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">However,
that sense of community that is the church still shines through and we can see
and feel that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“The Christian faith is
about relationship, it is about love and compassion. In the midst of the
comings and goings of our lives, the risen Christ appears, community happens,
and the church takes shape.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It
has been on my daily walk every afternoon that I have found “the church” as I
have encountered much greater numbers of people who want to interact in some
small way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Families are out in huge
numbers every day; walking, riding bikes and scooters, walking dogs, laughing,
waving to strangers, and enjoying their restricted lives within the new
limitations and ever changing rules.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Now
I have found many new acquaintances and we look out for each other and say </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Hello, how are you today?” </i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Dalmar Heritage Drive is such a
wonderful place to walk with the huge 92 year old trees lining the driveway
like sentinels as they provide dappled shade and a safe place for children to
ride and play.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">About 18 years ago I
interviewed a lovely lady who was taken to live at Dalmar Childrens’ Home in
July 1928 and she told me that when she and her mother arrived, Hazelwood’s
Nursery people and some of the Dalmar boys were planting those “tiny trees”
along the Driveway.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ch_sTTpPEZg/XrPHfIRuWYI/AAAAAAAACu4/4NlCyndtdXACWpWAEs7ir5ewvvt2M1lswCEwYBhgL/s1600/Dalmar%2BChildren%2527s%2BHome%2BHeritage%2BDrive%2Bbefore%2Bdevelopment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1240" data-original-width="1600" height="492" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ch_sTTpPEZg/XrPHfIRuWYI/AAAAAAAACu4/4NlCyndtdXACWpWAEs7ir5ewvvt2M1lswCEwYBhgL/s640/Dalmar%2BChildren%2527s%2BHome%2BHeritage%2BDrive%2Bbefore%2Bdevelopment.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Dalmar Heritage Drive runs into a circular area in front of the original Dalmar Childrens' Home</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gj8_woeQags/XrPIM3leRvI/AAAAAAAACvA/cX65-8kcCx8BaAtgB0XUel9kaYiUONHnwCEwYBhgL/s1600/P1160045%2BDalmar%2BHouse.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1086" data-original-width="1600" height="434" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gj8_woeQags/XrPIM3leRvI/AAAAAAAACvA/cX65-8kcCx8BaAtgB0XUel9kaYiUONHnwCEwYBhgL/s640/P1160045%2BDalmar%2BHouse.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">It is a joy to "walk in the country" each day in 2020 and remember the children who found a good Christian Home there at Dalmar and were made welcome at the Marsden Road Church and Sunday School</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In
recent weeks, children have been drawing and writing in chalk on the Dalmar drive
and in a little lane nearby and one day as I walked I saw a lovely new
hopscotch game had been added to the Easter Bunnies, Easter Eggs, Mermaid and
writing of encouraging “wise sayings” on the drive and pathways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course I felt I just had to hop along as
well as I could and the kids all smiled at the old lady trying her best to
jump.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I said <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Oh dear! I can’t jump properly any more I am too old”</i> and one dear
little boy of around 7 or 8 very sincerely said; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“I am really sorry that you cannot jump anymore.” <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Yesterday
I discovered new messages in the lane after the rain had washed away the
originals; perhaps my favourite was; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“No
matter what people tell you words and ideas can change the world.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I
just love it as the kids sail past on their bikes and wave and smile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have a chance meeting almost every day with an
elderly Indian lady who wears beautiful bright flowing saris and talks on her
phone as she walks; but she always pauses in her conversation to say hullo as
she nods her head and smiles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">People
who walk dogs are often ready for a chat about their dog for a moment or two
and I sometimes wonder if all the dogs are wondering why they are suddenly
being expected to go for a long walk every day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There is one lady whose dog is usually stopped and refusing to move as I
pass and his owner is trying to coax him to move again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We always laugh as she tells me how many
times he has refused to move that day!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4jyPEQ9GU1E/XrPIcnrXqgI/AAAAAAAACvI/5BErDq6hHc84_3rGzYRr5iakb_hnYyp2wCEwYBhgL/s1600/P1160044%2BAlan%2BWalker%2BVillage.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1119" data-original-width="1600" height="446" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4jyPEQ9GU1E/XrPIcnrXqgI/AAAAAAAACvI/5BErDq6hHc84_3rGzYRr5iakb_hnYyp2wCEwYBhgL/s640/P1160044%2BAlan%2BWalker%2BVillage.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grimes Lane that runs between Alan Walker Village & Rayward Lodge</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">One
day as I walked along Grimes Lane, a walkway which runs between the Alan Walker
Village and the Raywood Lodge Nursing Home, I saw a heart-breaking sight as I
paused to say a little prayer for the people locked inside and restricted in
their visits and I noticed an elderly man standing on the highest piece of grass
he could find and straining to look through the window as he spoke on this
mobile phone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Inside there was a lady (almost
certainly his wife) talking on a telephone and waving to him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If a large family of Kookaburras in the
magnificent tall gum trees on the other side of the lane had not chosen that
very moment to join in laughter with other groups in trees in the surrounding
areas, I may well have cried.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead I
hoped that the laughter of the birds had brought comfort to them as it had to
me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I stopped and looked up and looked
around and was amazed by the perfection of the blue sky and the height and the
groupings of the trees - and then I moved on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
feel that I have been “going to church” on my walk every day and as the Rev
John has said; </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“So just pause and reflect
for a moment. Easter has come. The tomb has been emptied. The Lord has appeared
to his disciples, and the announcement has gone forth: “He is alive!” Jesus is
alive! Where do we find him for ourselves?”
</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Yes, perhaps sometimes it is harder to find Jesus than usual, but if
we listen and encourage each other things will improve in time. As the lovely children
wrote on the footpath;</span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">”It is the little
things that matter”</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> and </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“No rain no
flowers”</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> and </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“You are so lucky to be
YOU”.</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GQcXbo55Sxw/XrPSiVVSNeI/AAAAAAAACvs/1xweENd8_XQT7AvtpqUOyVLCu_c5W7hPACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/P1170762.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GQcXbo55Sxw/XrPSiVVSNeI/AAAAAAAACvs/1xweENd8_XQT7AvtpqUOyVLCu_c5W7hPACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/P1170762.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Joanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05674868263535857401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6984603332978797234.post-26654278143443945642020-04-27T06:37:00.000-07:002020-04-27T06:37:32.376-07:00The sun always shines, even on the darkest of days<br />
<h2 style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%;">Because the Rev John, and others from our
Marsden Road Church have been eager and worked hard for everyone to be able to
have access to a weekly church service, it is now posted in full on the Marsden
Road Website, with cross links to Rev John’s weekly blog and Margaret’s
“Reflections on Sunday Morning” blog, but even more importantly there is a
“team” of people who email, print, post or personally deliver both the church
service and the weekly newsletter to anyone who wants to receive it, in the
manner most appropriate to their needs or wishes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%;">For some weeks now the Rev John and his wife
Wendy have invited people to join them for a “virtual” and safe meeting in
their home, via the miracles of modern digital technology. This works well for those people who have a
computer or a device with the right program, a camera and a microphone and who
have already felt the need to have embraced a technology that the majority of
people today consider to be absolutely necessary. However, those who do not
need or choose to become involved in this different way of communicating can
remain fully involved in life. We must
be careful to remember that people who have not become too engrossed in the
“new” way of communicating online are often more observant and careful when
making “real” connections with other people. Personally, I feel it is well worth stopping often
and slowing down to listen, share and communicate in the old ways.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%;">Margaret has asked me to “mind” her blog while
she is recovering from her operations and I feel that in the present situation
when so much effort has already been put into making the Sunday Service
available to everyone, I might share some “Random Reflections” and thoughts provoked
by the Sunday service with her followers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%;">There are many people all over the world at the
moment who are struggling to cope with the situations they find themselves
having to face each day – who among us would have believed that we would be
faced with so much change, sadness and worry when we began to think about the
dawn of the year 2020?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%;"><i>We will need all our Faith in God to live by
that new “Easter Perspective” the Rev John spoke about on Sunday morning and to
“Dare” to “love one another deeply from the heart” (1 Peter Chapter 1 verse 22).</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%;">Yesterday morning I felt the impact of the <u>Call to Worship</u> very strongly as
my husband and I joined the Marsden Road Church Service via ZOOM (a new
computer program) as we sat in our pyjamas at the computer in our study. We don’t have a camera or a microphone on our
computer so the little screen that appeared with our name to show that we were
present was black & blank and we were unable to contribute to the
conversation! I was aware that, although there were about 20
familiar faces rolling across the top of the computer screen, there were many
dear people “missing” as the service was about to begin. It was a wonderfully comforting thought that
in other homes and retirement villages around the local suburbs some of those
“missing” people were also able to share in the service when they chose to do
so. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%;">As those of us with ZOOM “gathered” there was,
as is usual, a bit of friendly chatting before the Rev John called us to begin
the service. While listening to the
chatter we became aware of the friendship and phone calls that had been shared
among those of is “at church” and those friends not on our screens, yet in our
thoughts and prayers during the previous weeks. That was a really good feeling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Call
to Worship</span></u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%;">Walking
down the road of life, how often do we meet Christ in a stranger? Chances are
good we won’t recognize him, even though our hearts may burn within us. Chances
are even better he will move on to bless another unless we offer hospitality to
our fellow travellers. Walking down the road of life, look for Christ . . . and
be prepared to find him in a stranger.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%;">That has always been a concept that I love and
value! Have you ever felt
uncomfortable as you walked past a homeless person on the
steps of a grand city church; have you wondered was it God sitting on those steps dressed
in rags? Did God wonder why people went
inside to look for Him? Did he wonder
why we walked by without stopping to help?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%;">Have you ever felt that God “used” you when you
were able to help a lonely or worried person as you passed by? I believe God sometimes prods us and raises
our awareness to step up and engage with a stranger. Walking down the opposite side of a wide
corridor in a hospital I surprised myself when I saw a lady with her head down
and looking close to tears and without even consciously thinking, I found
myself stopping and gently asking; <i>“Do
you need a hug?” </i> She held out her
arms to me and sobbed. She told me she
had just learned that her mother would not be able to recover and was close to
death - I knew that God had given me the mission to comfort her before she went
out to her car to begin a lonely and sad drive home. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%;">In many ways the world has been turned upside
down by the overwhelming speed of the continuing development of digital
technology. In many ways it has also
become an impediment to actual communication which requires stopping to speak
and more importantly to listen to all the people we meet “walking down the road
of life”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">As Rev John stressed this morning, <i>“That is, we must put on our new Easter
glasses and live “as if” the world has more love than it does, “as if” there is
more hope than people are willing to embrace, “as if” the kingdom of God can
reign on the earth today.”</i> </span><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">Our Easter glasses also give us the holy
boldness to ask, “What if?” What if every child had a warm, safe place to
sleep? What if there was enough food for every person on this earth? What if we
all lived from a sense of abundance rather than scarcity? What if today all the
killing of all the wars stopped?”</span><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
</h2>
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<i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></i></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cx3sg7dNAyo/XqbSKqTkW2I/AAAAAAAACuE/fuAiC9qya3Yi4bIqCKQgIRCjeo46nyn_ACEwYBhgL/s1600/Clouds%2Bsilver%2Blining.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="440" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cx3sg7dNAyo/XqbSKqTkW2I/AAAAAAAACuE/fuAiC9qya3Yi4bIqCKQgIRCjeo46nyn_ACEwYBhgL/s400/Clouds%2Bsilver%2Blining.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #2f5597; font-family: "Black Chancery"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #2F5597; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: lumm=75000; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: accent5; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themeshade: 191;">The sun always
shines, even on the darkest of days</span></b><b><span style="color: #2f5597; font-family: "Arial Narrow",sans-serif; font-size: 24.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-effects-shadow-align: topleft; mso-effects-shadow-alpha: 40.0%; mso-effects-shadow-angledirection: 2700000; mso-effects-shadow-anglekx: 0; mso-effects-shadow-angleky: 0; mso-effects-shadow-color: black; mso-effects-shadow-dpidistance: 3.0pt; mso-effects-shadow-dpiradius: 4.0pt; mso-effects-shadow-pctsx: 100.0%; mso-effects-shadow-pctsy: 100.0%; mso-hansi-font-family: "Black Chancery"; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #2F5597; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: lumm=75000; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: accent5; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themeshade: 191;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">I feel that I am truly blessed that I can always “Look
for the Silver Linings” and see they are there somewhere, even on the darkest
of days. For me the sun is always
shining someplace. Sometimes I ask
myself why I have been so blessed and why I can hang on during a storm and wake
the next day ready to go on. I
understand and care deeply for those who are unable to wake each day with a
strong feeling of hope for the day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">It doesn’t seem fair when I see the struggles of others
and inexplicably; some who struggle the most, appear on the surface to have
“golden” lives. However, we can never
really know about the deepest troubles and the struggles, real or envisioned,
that plague the minds and lives of other people - even our closest friends and
sadly, sometimes family. Yet, some
people seem to have every reason in life to feel ignored or targeted by an
unconcerned society, or feel depressed and marginalized by circumstances not of
their own making. The fortunate ones
have a mystifying gift, which I can only think of as optimism. Some alternative
words for optimism are hopefulness, cheerfulness, sanguinity, confidence,
buoyancy and brightness. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">No wonder this gift allows people to go on and find those
silver linings and hopefully share them with those whose joys are lost in dark
clouds. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
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<b><span style='font-size:16.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Black Chancery"'>The
sun always shines, even after the darkest of days</span></b><b><span
style='font-size:24.0pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Arial Narrow",sans-serif;
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0'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
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<br />Joanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05674868263535857401noreply@blogger.com0