Maughan Uniting Church

Bible Reading: Luke 13:1-7

In this story from Luke’s gospel, Jesus heals a woman who has been suffering from an illness that has kept her bent over for many years. But Jesus does this on the Sabbath in the Synagogue and incurs the wrath of the religious leaders.  This is a story of compassion and love.

As Christians we know that we can experience the compassion of God no matter what happens to us.  Like the woman in the story, when life just gets too hard and we are weighed down with worries and cares or sorrow, God is there, helping us, loving us, healing us  and straightening our backs so that we can carry the heavy loads that life sometimes gives to us.   God knows us intimately and is closer to us than we can possibly realise.  God sustains us and strengthens us and loves us as we go about the business of living.

As Christians we are also called to be God’s hands and feet in our part of the world.  Just as Jesus showed compassion to the woman in the story, so we too are called to show compassion to others.  We are called to be Jesus’ face, his hands and his feet in the world today.

Here is a modern story about compassion. Read the rest of this entry »

What is worship – what is true worship?   Is worship doing or being?  I believe that worship is our whole-selves, it is who we are 24/7, not the hour we put aside on a Sunday, or our good Samaritan works.  I think we can’t divide time into worship and non-worship time – it is just more or less intentional.

Maybe worship is a bit like the progression found in the Hokey-Pokey song: in the beginning one puts bits in and pull bits out, but later one sings about put a whole-self in!   How do you feel – are you at the stage where you put bits in and take it out, or are you ready to put your whole-self in?

Read the rest of this entry »

There is much talk these days about work life balance.  One father of young children said to me that his son is important.  He has a high level demanding job but he makes sure that he spends time with his four year old son.  When he talks about his son, his voice softens. He is very conscious of his responsibilities as a father.

Work life balance.  This is an important part of our lives in Australia, which is reported to be one of the busiest countries in the western world, where people work far longer hours than our European counterparts.  We need to think about a balance between our working lives and our lives with our families and our friends.  We are so busy earning a living, caring for our families, helping the children cope with their many activities and making a home.    What happens about our spirits in all this tearing around studying, making a living, caring for others, making ends meet?  Where does God fit in?

Read the rest of this entry »

Rev Liellie McLaughlin

^{John 17:20}

²⁰“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, ²¹that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

Het Boek

²⁰Wat Ik U vraag, is niet alleen voor hen. Het is ook voor de mensen die door hen in Mij zullen gaan geloven.

²¹Ik vraag U, Vader, of zij net zo één mogen zijn als U en Ik. U bent in Mij en Ik ben in U. Laat hen ook zo in Ons zijn. Dan zal de wereld geloven dat U Mij gestuurd hebt.

A Prayer by Matthew Henry:

Our Lord especially prayed, that all believers might be as one body under one head, animated by one soul, by their union with Christ and the Father in him, through the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. The more they dispute about lesser things, the more they throw doubts upon Christianity. Let us endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, praying that all believers may be more and more united in one mind and one judgment. Thus shall we convince the world of the truth and excellence of our religion, and find more sweet communion with God and his saints. (Jn 17:24-26)

Read the rest of this entry »

Bible reading: John 10:11-18

Rev Dr Elizabeth Vreugdenhil

So on Anzac Day, April 25 each year, we remember the fallen of all wars of this country and today in this church, we remember the people who have been harmed by wars beyond our own shores.

War is an atrocity, a terrible thing.  Yet even in the ugliest and most terrible circumstances we remember that God was there too in the courage, heroism and mateship of the service men and women.  Today thousands of people, many of them young, will have travelled to Turkey to join in the Dawn Service at Gallipoli.  They will be there to honour the sacrifice of young people like them, who died in that conflict.  I find that a very interesting phenomenon.  We live in a “me” generation society.  People are encouraged to look after number one – to look after themselves first and others second.   Yet right across the country and overseas in Gallipoli, many people have attended Dawn Services to honour the sacrifice that those soldiers made long ago.

Is there more to life in Australia than selfishness?

Read the rest of this entry »

The call

John 20:19-31

What happens ?

Who are we truly inside?   And how does our life experience shape who we are and what our call is?

Someone who was curious about life dedicated to God, asked a monk: ‘what do you do all day long in the monastery?’

And the wry answer came: ‘we stumble; we fall; we get up; we stumble; we fall; we get up!’

Read the rest of this entry »

Christ is Risen.  Christ is Risen Indeed.  All over the world these words are being said today.  Easter Sunday is the Celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  The whole of the Christian world rejoices.  Jesus is not dead.  He is alive!  Death is overcome.  It is transformed into life.   Evil is transformed into goodness and truth.  Hate is transformed into love.  The cross – an instrument of torture has been transformed into a symbol of glory. 

But our faith is not just about Resurrection joy.  Death and Resurrection go together.  The Death and Resurrection of Jesus is at the heart of the Christian faith and we believe it is a principle that is at the heart of the universe. 

Exactly how the resurrection happened is a mystery.  We have the stories in the bible, but scientifically, it is hard to explain.  The resurrection of Jesus Christ remains a mystery. 

How we understand the meaning of the resurrection is much more important.  We use metaphors of transformation to try and understand it.  For example, the resurrection flowers in the Northern Territory of Australia. Their seeds lie dormant in the outback desert for up to 10 years, but when the rain comes the seeds germinate and the whole desert is carpeted with little pink flowers.  Eggs and butterflies are also examples of nature’s amazing transformations from death to life. 

Read the rest of this entry »

Joshua 5: 9-12

2 Cor 5: 16 – 21

Luke 15: 1-3, 11b – 32

What do you hear when you listen to the story of the New Testament?  A farmer loses a sheep, persists in looking for it, and then rejoices when he finds the lost. 

The Old Testament reading tells of this threefold process: God’s people were fed on a daily basis as God had been the direct agent of the food source of the Hebrew people journeying to the Promised Land.  But now, this manna, freshly delivered at the door of the tent each morning, stopped.  The people had to come to terms with that change.  Their celebration of pass-over, eating roasted grains and unleavened bread, signalled a new beginning. The new beginning of actually living in the Promised Land!!!! The new beginning of celebration!?

In both readings we find a three step story which tell us significantly about

• LOSS,
• the response to the loss (or being lost) and
• the resolution when lost is FOUND – within the context of a Good Shepherd. 

Being lost or losing something precious may contain many layers of emotions and feelings: shock; disbelief; hurt.  Our response to this realisation may contain even more layers.  And the way the situation unfolds or resolves, may result in many more feelings or deep emotions which may eventually shape our identity.

Read the rest of this entry »

SCRIPTURE READINGS:

Isaiah 43:16-21

John 12:1-8

SERMON: The ABC of Holy conversations

What is conversation at its most basic level?  It is the exchange of meaning between one or more, or between us and God, or for people who love being with animals or in nature – there is conversation too.  Conversations may be filled with words, silences, spaces, or non verbal gestures – but all of these contain the potential to bring something new where two or more are gathered.

What is a holy conversation?  Maybe it could mean several things:  there is something profound which marks the presence of God; but maybe it could also mean holy, as in ‘not complete’, with a deep yearning for something to be ‘completed’. 

A holy conversation may contain the ABC: adoration of God; blessing for all present; and care – from one to another. 

Here is a simple story of a simple man, which tells of a holy story, pointing to God and of a holey story and indicating our human incompleteness. 

A farmer, walking alongside his wagon on the way to the market, discovered that he had forgotten his Bible or book of prayers for the journey.  He was distraught and prayed to God:  Please God, I am a simple man and I cannot remember any psalms or prayers – if I recite the ABC will you please put the letters in order to make them into worthy prayers? 

And the story goes that God loved the sincerity of the conversation.

That conversation was filled with the ABC of Adoration, Blessing and Care.

Read the rest of this entry »

Do you remember the words: ‘the devil made me do it’?  The phrase: ‘the devil made me do it’ were the words of the South African cricket captain – Hansie Cronje, who was found guilty of match-fixing.  Have you ever felt tempted to say words to that effect? 

What do you think when a person uses a phrase like that?  How much are you in control of what you do?  Who is to blame when things go wrong?  When you are tempted or tested, do you see it as a challenge or do you feel attacked??

Today we read about the temptation of Jesus and I wonder if you feel like the person who said: “I can say no to anything, except temptation!?”

The sermon today will address 3 things:

• How was Jesus tempted;
• how did Jesus respond?, and:
• how will we find hope?

How was Jesus tempted?

There are several points in the reading of today to serve as reminders that Jesus’ time in the dessert was challenging in several ways: on a physical level; an emotional level and on a political level.  

On a physical level, the length of time, forty days, being tempted by the devil, was a long time.  The place of temptation, the wilderness – a place of wild animals and isolation made it harder to endure; the time without food or company – all this was very tough for a human being,

On an emotional level: the timing of being tempted – one minute he is the beloved child of God; the next minute Jesus is an outcast!  

It does seem ironic that Jesus was tempted straight after he was baptised.  Imagine being affirmed; anointed; acknowledged and accepted by God, who said: you are my beloved child – and suddenly you are bewildered in the wilderness..! 

The joy in the heart of Jesus during the baptism, was now pushed aside by feelings of being lonely, cast aside and hungry!

On a political level: Some scholars think that the temptations from the devil were to foreshadow the political temptations Jesus would face:

• right after the miracle of the loaves and fish was performed, the hungry crowds wanted to make Jesus king – how tempting was that – a chance to achieve something meaningful?
• when Jesus cleansed the Temple, it could have been the perfect time for Jesus to start a political movement as he already had shored up enough political and moral support from the crowds – a moment of great possibilities!.
• the night at Gethsemane when Jesus mentioned that he could call on twelve legions of angels to stop his arrest – a holy war could have been initiated and a spectacular delivery would have been the talk of the town!

On which level do you cope best with temptation?  Do you go weak when you are physically stretched and your sense of comfort is challenged; is it tough when you feel emotionally down, or, is the time of temptation for you when great opportunities make you feel you can win every war?

Jesus was tempted in many ways – can you indentify some of the ways you have been tempted?

How did Jesus respond?

Read the rest of this entry »