Pastor's Pen
Back to school…
25-01-2012This week school is back. How do I know? The summer breeze of driving to the office on open roads is over! Now it’s back to the crawl past schools as mothers in four-wheel-drives devolve their children onto hapless teachers for the day. When I was a boy we used to walk a (whole) kilometre to school. It seemed further at the time, but often was the most interesting time of the day as we explored new building sites on the estate, dropped in to Mrs King’s for a biscuit, threw stones at the rats down at the waterfall, explored Mr Pedder’s farm or stole apples from Painey’s orchard. Somehow the class room did not have the same attraction…
I was delighted to see the comments of some young people returning to school: “Year 11. Bring it on!” and “Year 12 will be grand!” Maybe it’s the computers that brighten their day or so many study options from which to choose. Or maybe it’s just getting back together with good friends. Whatever the reason, life goes on and we look forward to seeing our young people growing through life this year.
It is exciting to see so many young children running around our church complex and to think of the potential within our Youth Group. It must gladden the heart of every adult in our church to see this wonderful legacy of faith. We do well to encourage our younger ones, to pray for them and do everything we can to see them grow into maturity in Jesus Christ. Let’s also remember in prayer our children and youth leaders as they commence another year of service within the church. Together this will be a great year! Bring it on! Pastor Bob
The great land of Oz
19-01-2012On 26th January we celebrate Australia Day commemorating the arrival of white settlement in this land. In his remarkable book, “A Commonwealth of Thieves”, Thomas Keneally tells the story of the birth of this nation through the arrival of the First, Second and Third Fleets. Most of those sent to a land 17,000km from England were simply so impoverished by the class system they were forced into stealing in order to eat. Keneally tells of the horrors of the sea trips, with over 30% of the convicts on the Second Fleet dying due to poor care during the sea voyage. Nonetheless, the convicts, and later free settlers, most from the cities of Britain, tamed much of the ‘Sunburnt Country’ with its contrasting ‘droughts and flooding rains’.
Today we live in the finest country in the world. Our government has been built on Judaic-Christian principles, with equality for all citizens and we welcome those from other lands seeking a new life free of persecution and war. We may not always get things right but one need only travel abroad to realise how fortunate we are to live as we do. This week take some time to reflect on God’s goodness to us in this great land of Australia. So, let’s hear it, “Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi!”
Pastor Bob
TV Church?
11-01-2012I have recently heard a disturbing trend in the USA – many who claim a Christian faith are becoming addicted to ‘electronic’ church. The USA has almost 100 TV stations broadcasting exclusively Christian media. While this may seem at first a good thing, it seems to be producing a new type of Christian – one totally dependent on the medium of television to provide their ‘worship’ experience.
The problem is made worse as folk no longer venture out into the world of real people and things. ‘Live’ church cannot compete with the spectacular effects that vast amounts of TV money can provide. However, it is difficult to see the difference between an addiction for TV soaps and this new addiction as fact and fantasy narrows.
God encourages His children to remember we are part of a family. While it is not always easy to live together families enable growth as we share ideas and support one-another. We cannot make it on our own – we were made for one another (Eph 3:18; Heb 10:25). It may be easier to worship in the comfort of our living-rooms, but our community needs the Church to serve openly, encouraging one another and inviting people to Jesus by word and deed.
Pastor Bob