Merredin Uniting Church

Today is Transfiguration Sunday. Its the last Sunday of the Epiphany Season and the Sunday before we begin the season of Lent. The Christian Year follows the life of Christ and reminds us, not only of His Life, but also that we are to follow in His Way and to know His Truth. So Advent was the start – the expectation of the coming of Christ; then Christmas, followed by Epiphany. The word means “manifestation” or “the sudden realization of a larger meaning of something”. It is usually used in the sense of the revelation of the meaning of Christ’s coming to us. The culmination of Epiphany is Transfiguration Sunday, when Jesus is “transfigured” on the mountain top – He becomes more than the disciples, or we, had ever realized. He is not only human, He is divine!

Lent is the preparation for Easter – usually a sombre time of reflection, prayer and fasting. However, it need not be so. The word “Lent” refers to the season of Spring which is a time of new growth. Then its Easter; and the celebration of Christ’s Death (for our salvation) and Resurrection (new beginnings). Pentecost, which is a season of harvest comes next; and the focus turns to the mission of the church. The last feast day is Christ the King, when, after the church has completed its mission, we celebrate the Lordship of Christ.

I have stood on the Mount of Transfiguration in Israel (Mount Tabor) looking over the Valley of Megiddo (Armageddon). Its probably not the mountain on which the Transfiguration took place, but there is a sense of Presence there. The disappointing thing was that a church has been built there with two towers, one for Moses and one for Elijah, with the church for Jesus in between. You will remember that it was the foolish offer of Peter to put up three shelters when Jesus was transfigured before them and they saw Moses and Elijah with Him. It really is so hard for us to grasp the “otherness” of Jesus – that He is God with us. One of the joys of the celebration of the Transfiguration, is that it does give us this glimpse into this other world where human and divine, flesh and spirit, dead and living meet. The Almighty has stood upon the earth, the Creator has entered into His creation – we are on Holy Ground!

At SNAC two weeks ago we were given opportunity to write some poetry beginning with the words, “When Christ shall come …” Here are the last set of poems:

When Christ shall come

His glory will shine

His peace will reign

His work will be done

When Christ shall come

We shall be set free

We shall be made whole

We shall have come home

When Christ shall come

He’ll be seen by everyone

Shouts of joy

for every girl and boy

In His own time

Everything will be just fine

So back to the Bible

Its for your survival

Dear Friends,

What heartache as we watch and listen to the devastation throughout Queensland, especially with the desperate stories of families who have lost loved ones, alongside the loss of pets, homes, businesses, belongings and so much more.

The enormity of this situation can be overwhelming. We try to remember that God is with us in this.

Rev Bruce Johnson, the Queensland Moderator, wrote to people after the first days of the flooding saying:

I have been greatly impressed with the way people from our churches are offering their skills and leadership in their respective communities. Their actions epitomise the desire of our Church to be ‘acting with love’, ‘living with hope’ and ‘witnessing in faith’. I want to thank and congratulate all who have been working so hard to express the love of Christ in these difficult situations.

Our WA Moderator, Rev Ken Williams, while currently on leave, has been in touch with the Queensland Moderator and sent the following message on behalf of the Uniting Church people of WA:

I know from some whom I met last week at NCYC that many of your members are and will be directly affected and many more will be assisting as they are able in the rescue and later in the recovery efforts.

I am sure I speak for all members of the Uniting Church in Western Australia in saying that we hold all who are grieving, all who are in fear, all who are suffering loss and all who are working to help in our most heartfelt prayers. And I know that Western Australians will be generous in their support of the financial appeals that have been announced.

The Uniting Church Assembly, in partnership with the Queensland Synod and Lifeline Queensland, has set up a Flood Appeal. The President of the Uniting Church, Rev Alistair Macrae, has written to all presbyteries to advise of this appeal, which will run nationally. Money donated will be directed to areas of most need across the north of Australia.

While our tears flow for the people of Queensland, we are also very mindful of the people of Gascoyne River, who are also experiencing devastating floods and a lot of loss. We have been in regular contact with John Tomkins, the Uniting Church’s pastoral worker in Carnarvon, who has been heavily involved in the evacuation and recovery efforts.

North West patrol ministers Rev Judy Knowling and Rev Lesley deGrussa Macaulay are supporting John on the ground, and will be doing patrol ministry around the Gascoyne area in the first week of February. However, this is dependent on roads being passable.

John will be monitoring the needs in the local area and would be grateful of any donations of monetary support.

The UnitingCare WA Forum, on behalf of our agencies (UnitingCare West, Good Samaritan Industries, Uniting Church Homes and UnitingCare Crossroads) has been in touch with UnitingCare Queensland and those managing the response to the Carnarvon flood to offer prayerful support and assistance.

Rev John Dunn, on behalf of the Forum, has assured them that if in the recovery phase they identify a need the agencies may be able to assist with, they will do everything possible to assist in finding the appropriate resources to help. Anne Cross, chief executive officer of UnitingCare Queensland has responded, “Thanks to you all for this prayerful support. I’ll be in touch again when we are through this immediate crisis period.”

Our land throws us many challenges through the summer months. As the people of the north of Australia battle rain and flood, the south is dry and facing continued fire risk. We also hold in our prayers the people of Waroona who have been impacted by fire over the past week.

We know that this summer season is not yet over, and pray for the safety of those living in fire risk areas.

I was inspired this week by a message from Rev Denise Savage, one of our First Third ministers, who is from Queensland and currently ‘holidaying’ there. Denise spoke of how the “tears, laughter and a rising sense of common identity” is what is holding people together in their time of fear and helplessness.

Denise also gave thanks that we live in a country where emergency services are so well co-ordinated and able to respond with such skill and dedication. Even in the midst of this experience, Denise was able to be mindful of places like Pakistan, where people have suffered such devastation with far greater consequences.

As we face our own need, may we stay mindful of the needs of our neighbours overseas.

Options for Financial Giving

The Uniting Church Flood Appeal is a national appeal which is direct money to areas of greatest need. Donations over $2 are tax deductible:

Donate online at http://ucfloodappeal.gofundraise.com.au/ or by phone on (07) 3250 1840.

Cheques can be sent to:          Uniting Church Flood Appeal
C/o- Lifeline Community Care Queensland
PO Box 491
Fortitude Valley QLD 4006

Funds directed to the WA Uniting Church Disaster Relief Fund are not tax deductible. This fund will be used to meet identified needs within Western Australia, either in Carnarvon or in Waroona as we receive further information. Call the Uniting Church Centre on 9260 9800.

Cheques can be sent to:          The Disaster Relief Fund
Uniting Church Synod of WA
GPO Box M952, Perth, WA, 6843

Ideas for prayers and worship resources will be made available on the Uniting Church’s Disaster Response website,www.wa.uca.org.au/disaster-response/

Together may we offer our prayers for all those who have lost so much. May they feel God’s comfort in the days ahead.

Sincerely

Kay Dowling

General Secretary

The Uniting Church National Assembly has launched a National Flood Appeal in cooperation with the Queensland Synod and Lifeline Queensland, to assist those affected by ongoing flooding in the state. Donations made over $2 are tax deductable. For more info or to donate visit http://ucfloodappeal.gofundraise.com.au/.

FOR MERREDIN FOLK ESPECIALLY

Toll IPEC who are located at Ron Batemans, have kindly offered their services for anyone who would like to donate any non perishable items which must be packaged accordingly, FREIGHT FREE for the flood victims in QLD. This is a great incentive for everyone to go through and have a clean out and kindly donate all the things they no longer need!!!

The Disaster Relief Fund is accepting donations to help people affected by disasters in Western Australia. Currently, the Gascoyne Region is experiencing flooding, and Lake Clifton is being affected by bushfires. For info on how to donate money to the Disaster Relief Fund call the Uniting Church Centre on 9260 9800 or visit http://www.wa.uca.org.au/disaster-response/the-disaster-relief-fund/.

(This is an article from our Pastor published in the Merredin Mercury – our local newspaper)

My journey into the Christian Faith started late in life. I did not come from a particularly Christian home and I could probably count on the fingers of one hand the number of times we ever went to church as a family – they were usually ceremonial occasions, a wedding, a funeral, a baptism. So entering the Christian ministry at the age of 43 was a clearly conscious decision. On my journey through the hippie era I had explored Buddhism, TM, Islam and what has now come to be termed “the New Age”. Christianity did not initially feature in my explorations because it was too “establishment”.

I have however become a passionate follower of Jesus, and I am entirely convinced of the truth of His claims and of the Bible as the account of God’s dealing with humankind. Despite the fact that I am a pastor of a Christian Church, I do not believe that the church, as organized religion, is doing full justice to the message of Christ. Somewhere along the line we have become so organized that we have despatched the real message to the outer fringe of our activities as Christians. It is still there – hidden quietly in hymns and rituals but lost in the forlorn attempts of the church to “justify itself” to a rational society (by, amongst other things, turning the Bible from a Journal of Faith into a Book of Rules). However I became a minister of the Gospel because I believe the good news and believe that the church is still the means that is intended to convey the message of Christ. We’ve just got to do it better.

I have just finished reading two books on faith in Australia. The first is by Tom Frame a former Bishop to the Australian Defence Force, entitled “Losing my Religion” and subtitled “Unbelief in Australia”. The other is “Australian Soul” by Gary Bouma. And interestingly both these books challenge the view that religious and spiritual life in Australia is in decline. Both argue that the perceived lack of spirituality amongst Australians (particularly the Second Peoples) derives from the fact that Australia has a unique spiritual history and that it is a false premise to measure religious life here in terms of models elsewhere in the world. I love that. I think that the church has, probably since around 300AD when Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire, defined itself by the wrong means. You cannot measure spirituality by parishes, steeples and church membership – you have to understand spirituality as the measure of the heart response to God and to our fellow human beings. This is the essence of the message of Jesus, and the church is beginning to discover it again.

Brian McLaren, who articulates the message of the “emerging church” in his book “A New Kind of Christianity” uses an Australian picture to illustrate this new paradigm in the understanding of Christian life. He says that in Australia the stations are so big that it is useless to try to build fences to keep the cattle inside. It is far better to sink a well, so that the cattle stay near to the water. For too long, the church has tried to build fences around the “truth” and so to define those who are “in” and those who are “out”. Instead we should live the gospel in such a way that people are drawn to it by their own conscious decision. Then the church will be the church that Jesus intended! Interestingly, though the churches in Merredin are all different, each one is doing just that – perhaps its because out here in the country, our values are measured differently. I would encourage you to visit one of the local churches and find that out for yourself.