Merredin Uniting Church

Texts: Isaiah 12:2-6, Philippians 4:4-7 & Luke 3:7-18

The season of Advent – the four Sundays before Christmas – begin the church year, which follows the life of Christ from the prophecies of His incarnation through to His Ascension. Ten days after the Ascension we celebrate Pentecost and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and then we are into the long and enduring season of the mission of the church.

The word “Advent” comes from the Latin Ad Ventus, meaning “to enter in” and during this season we remind ourselves time and again that the entry of Christ into His creation was no accident – it was the plan of God from the beginning. We look at the prophecies and we prepare ourselves that He may enter again at the fullness of time.

The four Sundays of Advent each focus on a particular aspect, or blessing, of the ministry of Jesus – Hope, Peace, Joy and Peace. Each of these are collective nouns, in a sense, for they summarize major consequences of the incarnation. Over the years the people of God, who love stories and concrete demonstrations, have added objects, demonstrations and stories to their celebrations – like the stained glass windows of the past and powerpoint presentations of today.

For Advent we have the picture of the wreath surrounding five candles. Each Sunday in Advent an additional candle is lit until on Christmas Day the fifth candle is lit and we have the blazing light of all five candles to mark the incarnation of God.

The candles have different colours – three are purple, one is pink and one is white. The purple candles mark the first, second and fourth Sundays of Hope, Peace and Love. Purple is the colour used to mark death and these three blessings of Hope, Peace and Love come to us through the death of Christ, and, indeed, through the death of self. The Hope of Salvation, the Peace which passes understanding and the Love of God are blessings which come through the Cross.

The white candle symbolizes new life and is thus kept for Christmas Day to remind us that Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us. He is born into creation to be the Saviour of the world, to announce the Kingdom come and to offer to us the gift of New Life in Him.

The pink, or rose-colored candle, is the odd one out. It symbolizes Joy. We light it on the third Sunday because the sequence of Hope, Peace, Joy and Love are also the sequence of Christ’s life and ministry. The Hope of His coming prophesied by Isaiah, Micah and others, the Peace of His arrival announced by the angels, the Joy that fills the earth at His birth and the Love which He demonstrates at the Cross. It is Rose-colored rather than purple, because the Joy that we know in Christ comes not in His death but in His resurrection. It is a sign of our new life in the Kingdom through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

The great focus of the Gospel, indeed, the summation of the message of Jesus is that the Kingdom is at hand. The Lord has entered creation to take hold of it, to re-direct it and to restore the relationship that was lost in the Garden of Eden.

So it’s a bit of a surprise that our Gospel reading for this day of Joy begins with John’s powerful accusation –

“You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?”

That’s not exactly an invitation to share in joy, is it?

Well, not quite – but it is a challenge to those who would grasp for the Joy which Christ offers without any repentance.

Inherent to the message of Advent, and indeed, to the whole Gospel, is the call to repentance.

We are a brood of vipers – a bunch of snakes. Without repentance we are still walking the devil’s way.

As we heard last week, without repentance we will not know peace. In Paul’s letter to the Church in Philippi he speaks of a peace which passes all understanding – this peace only comes when we turn around, give up the focus on our own selfish satisfactions and begin to walk in the way of the Lord. Then anxiety flees away, then gentleness comes, then the Lord is near to us.

And today, I tell you also, that you will not know Joy without repentance. When God is not your strength and your song, as Isaiah so aptly puts it, then you will not be able to come to the well of salvation to draw with joy the life-giving water. Without repentance, your strength is your own, you alone are the singer of the song – there is no orchestra of angels, your voice is flat. You continue to choose your own way, you continue to justify yourself and you will continue to fail.

“You brood of vipers!”  - That’s not nice is it, but John, and the One who sent him and the One whom He heralds is not given to niceties. A spade is a spade and a snake is a snake.

So what shall we do then?

Interesting question, and it is exactly the question which the crowd put to John when he challenged them about their lack of fruit. “What shall we do then?”

John’s answer is basic – The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and so also the one who has food.

But is it as simple as sharing your wealth?

I would say not, for a couple of reasons. First, it is about the fruit of your life and that’s God’s gift, not the outcome of your effort. For the fruit of the Spirit is love, JOY, peace, patience and so on. God’s fruit in our life is a consequence of grace not works – Paul says in Ephesians 2:8,9, “It is by grace that you are saved, not by works so that no-one can boast.”

The undeserved gift of God’s grace floods our life when we, by confession and repentance, remove the blockage of sin, selfishness and evil.

Think about it like this – if the pipe bringing water into your house were to become blocked, you would have no water to drink, to cook or to wash. Unless you did something about it you would die of thirst and you would begin to stink. You could go outside to get water from somewhere else; buy it from a shop, fetch some from a neighbor or something, but you’re going to get pretty tired of doing that. Eventually you will have to clean out the pipe. That’s what repentance is all about – it’s getting the pipes clean so that the water can flow. It’s getting our lives right so that the Holy Spirit can dwell within us.

So when John speaks about sharing your tunics and your food, it’s about a new heart which is no longer selfish – rather than simply emptying your wardrobe.

It is being set free from the rubbish in our life that blocks the flow of God’s Spirit.

When you can share what you have and find joy in doing that then you have found the secret of repentance.

When sharing is a duty or an obligation, it puts no joy in your heart, only a burden.

And when you give in a vain attempt to find joy you will find that burden so onerous that you cannot bear it for too long.

The other reasons why I say that simply sharing your wealth is no way to buy joy comes from the answers which John gives to the others who ask the same question – What shall we do?

The other groups are the “outsiders” in the world’s eyes – but not in the eyes of the Lord. The tax-collectors and the soldiers are treated by the insiders as outcasts, but for Jesus they are special, for they actually know what repentance means. Confronted by their sin, they are aghast, and they can easily walk away from that lost cause.

The others, the brood of vipers, the insiders, find repentance difficult, for they don’t think that they have done anything wrong. They have claimed a righteousness for themselves and confronted with the fact that their very SELF-righteousness is sin, they are appalled.

But they do not turn away in repentance, instead they try all the harder to justify themselves. And that’s hard work when the Bible tells us that there is no-one righteous, no, not even one.

So to the tax-collectors, John says, “Don’t collect any more than you are required to.”

And to the soldiers, he says, “Don’t extort money, and don’t accuse people falsely – be content with your pay.”

Both of these groups had special privileges in law – the tax-collector could collect as much as the market would bear, and any surplus over that which he was required to pay to the Roman government was effectively his only source of income. The sin of human greed made them want to charge as much tax as they could – John says, that to find the joy in the Kingdom of God, you need to put your greed to death – don’t take any more than is required. It’s not so much about being fair to the tax-payer as it is about living in the way that God intended – repent of your greed and you will find the fruit of joy.

The Roman soldier also has privileges within the law. His pay was little and the paymaster was far away in Rome, so he was allowed to exact fines from transgressors and to keep the money for himself. The principle was flawed, because again, the greed of men led to extortion and false accusations. John says, “Be content with your pay.” In other words, live within your means and don’t abuse a dubious privilege for your self-satisfaction. It’s not a good principle for Kingdom living – if you want to find the joy of your salvation within the privilege of God’s Kingdom, you must be satisfied with what you have – it is enough, don’t be greedy.

So what shall WE do as we prepare ourselves for the coming of the Righteous One?

We must look to Him for life and we will find Joy. He comes to baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire. With His winnowing fork, He will separate the wheat from the chaff and that which is worthless in our life He will burn up, and that which has value, He will bless with new life in the Spirit.

When we come to Him, acknowledging our weaknesses and failures, He will give grace in abundance. He will give to us to drink from the well of salvation, He will restore our soul, He will fill our lives with true JOY.

And He is coming again! Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus, come!

Hello all, here is the third Advent reading from church yesterday. It was read by the Marais family.

KOBUS – Last Sunday we lit the candle of Peace.  We light it and the candle of hope again as we remember that Christ, who was born in Bethlehem, will come again to judge the world and bring it everlasting peace. (Relight the candles of hope, and peace)

SAL – The third candle of Advent is the Candle of Joy.  When the angel Gabriel told Mary that a special child would be born to her she was filled with joy.  She sang a song that began with the words: “My soul magnifies the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my saviour.

FRANCOIS – Just as the birth of Jesus gave great joy to his mother, so his presence in the world gave joy to those who had none before.  He healed them and gave them hope and peace when they believed in him.  From hope, peace, and love grows joy.

SARITA – We light the candle of joy to remind us that when Jesus is born in us we have joy and that through him there will be everlasting joy on earth. (Light the Candle of Joy – PINK ONE)

PAUL – Joy is like a light shining in a dark place.  As we look at this candle we celebrate the joy we find in Jesus Christ.

KOBUS – Let us pray: Thank you God for the joy you give us.  We ask that as we wait for all your promises to come true, and for Christ to come again, that you would remain present with us.  Help us today, and everyday to worship you, to hear your word, and to do your will by sharing your joy with each other.  We ask it in the name of the one who was born in Bethlehem.  Amen.

May the Lord bless you as you worship Him today with joy and thanksgiving in your heart.

I can’t believe it but it was almost exactly a year ago that I received an invitation from the Pastoral and Placements Commission of the UCA asking me to consider a placement in the Eastern Wheatbelt. I still remember the utter surprise which came over me that day. It was totally unexpected and I had absolutely no idea where the Eastern Wheatbelt was, and Merredin, Mukinbudin, Bruce Rock and Southern Cross were just strange sounding names to me. I scrambled for a Google search, and then Margie and I, sat quietly and talked it through – was this really what we wanted to do, was this what the Lord wanted in our lives?

After being here for 4 months, I am sure that this is the right decision and that we are in the right place. I am truly excited about what the Lord intends for us as a couple and for us as a Parish over the next several years.

Next week Margie and I will celebrate 36 years of marriage. As I look back over those years I am amazed at where the Lord has taken us. Thirty six years ago I was not even a Christ Follower. Now I am crucified with Christ, and its no longer I that liveth, but Christ that liveth in me. We have three great children of whom we are very proud, they have married well themselves and are all committed Christ Followers too. We are immensely blessed by our two grand daughters, Rebecca and Isabella, and long for the day when we will be together as a family.

Back in South Africa we had a plan to buy a small farm once I retired and for the whole family to live and work together. Garth and Roxanne would run their computer business, Linda and Tegan would practice together as private midwives with a birthing clinic on the farm, Sven would establish a furniture factory and Quinten, who is a later addition (having married Tegan only 5 months ago) would have run a motor repair workshop. In the grand scheme of things, Margie and I would have sat back in our deck chairs and looked after the grandchildren. Oh, what it is to dream!

But dreams are good. We need to be looking forward to the next place where God is taking us. For me, life has always been an adventure and I have tagged along as a somewhat reluctant adventurer. But as I look back now, I see many ways in which the Lord provided and nurtured the adventure. When I told my brother that we were planning to move to Australia he said, “you were always the one to take the ‘dares’ in life.” I don’t really think that myself but I have enjoyed the ride and will continue to do so.

One of the things that convinced us to make the move to the Eastern Wheatbelt was the sense of excitement that we felt in this place from the very first. I am not entirely sure where this is taking us but I, and others, have an expectation that God is stirring up His Church in this area.

Some thoughts are beginning to formulate for next year. The first is to get at least twenty men to the Mighty Men’s Conference at the end of February. I attended the conferences in Greytown, on Angus Buchan’s farm, and have been amazed at the response of men to the simple message of salvation and right living which he brings. This will be Angus’ last Mighty Men Conference in Australia and he will hold the last one in South Africa in May. He has had a mighty impact and it must be our prayer that we, as men, will receive the baton which he passes on to us. Please tell Dave Quinn if you would like to attend – the cost is $110 per person.

And don’t forget the Kuca Camp for children the week after that. Lets get all our children and their friends off to Advent Park for the first weekend in March. Please give names to Lisa Arthur. We need to act now, because next year is almost upon us and before we know it February will be over.

I am also pondering Steve’s idea of an evening service/teaching time. It might be too radical to have that as a substitute for the morning service in Merredin but I would like to try to add an additional service on Sunday evenings. I see this as an opportunity to have some directed Bible teaching, training in Discipleship skills and most especially to build up our fellowship. I will give you more information as ideas develop in my mind. One of the thoughts that is presently foremost is to run a workshop which will allow us to know the gifting which God has given us for service in His Kingdom. That’s a good starting point. Other thoughts include The Marriage Course from Holy Trinity Brompton, Alpha (from HTB as well), and a Parenting Skills course. One course which had great impact in my previous congregation was a teaching on how to deal with damaged emotions from a Christian perspective.

Best wishes this week also to Steve & Tania Higgins, and Tobias and Roseline Vudzijena who celebrate marriage milestones. Well done! Also to Harry Townrow who celebrates his birthday on Tuesday. Betty let on that we might have cake with our morning tea.

God bless and love you all.

Hello all,

Just a reminder about our two Christmas services/events.

This Sunday evening we have the Christmas Carols at the Old Civic Bowling Club that is located on Throssell Road. There is a sausage sizzle at 6.30pm and the Carols start at 7.00pm. Please bring your own chair or blanket to sit on.

Our Christmas Day service will be held at 9.00am at our church. Visitors are more than welcome to come along. We would love have to you join us.

God’s Richest Blessings,

Dave Q

Hello all, here is the second Advent reading from yesterday. It was read by Matt and Beth.

MATTHEW – Last Sunday we lit the first candle in our Advent  Wreath, the Candle of Hope.  We light it again as we remember that Christ, who was born in Bethlehem, will come again to fulfil all of God’s promises to us. (relight the Candle of Hope)

BETH – The second candle of Advent is the Candle of Peace. Peace is a word that we hear a lot.  It is one of the things that we hope for.  Christ brought peace when he first came to us and he will bring everlasting peace when he comes again.

MATTHEW – The prophet Isaiah called Christ “the Prince of Peace”. When Jesus came he taught people the importance of being peace makers.  He said that those who make peace shall be called the children of God and the Bible teaches that we shall find peace through the repentance for our sin.

BETH – We light the candle of peace to remind us that Jesus is the Prince of Peace and that through him peace is found. (light the Candle of Peace)

BETH – Peace is like a light shining in a dark place.  As we look at this candle we celebrate the peace we find in Jesus Christ.

MATTHEW – Let us pray: Thank you God for the peace you give us. We ask that as we wait for all your promises to come true, and for Christ to come again, that you would remain present with us.  Help us today, and everyday to worship you, to hear your word, and to do your will by sharing your peace with each other.  We ask it in the name of the one who was born in Bethlehem.  Amen.