Pastoral Letter 39

Dear Members of St. Andrew’s Uniting Church, Friends and Adherents,

Grace and peace to you all.

I hope that last Sunday was a special day for those who were able to join our Sunday Service, when we reopened our church doors for worship after eight long months. It was our first service, as a trial and I believe it went well because we were well organised. Naturally, last Sunday’s Service seemed to us to be a little strange, compared to what we used to do before COVID. We will do much better this Sunday when we will formally start worshiping together. We have invited our neighbours by dropping Invitation Notes in the mailboxes to join us to celebrate St. Andrew’s Day, as well as the first Sunday in Advent. We will have a COVID-safe Morning Tea. If you will not be able to come, please join us at by following the Order of Service, and please light a candle.

The church premises are being cleaned and sanitised weekly, on Saturdays, ready for use on Sundays. Until such time be aware that upon arrival, the door rosters will check your temperature and register your name and details, as required by the government. Hymn Books will not be handed to you and you are required to sit on the allocated seats. The seats that are marked by stickers are the ones not to be used. You will not find Bibles on the pews. We are not allowed to sing in a large group, so we will sing alternate verses of the hymns in groups of five. Mark will be playing some of the hymns on the organ and some hymns will be played as videos on the screen. The same will apply for responsive readings. After the service, the people rostered on duty will clean the church and wipe the seats, door handles and those areas where we have touched.

As we are coming to the end of the year and Christmas, we are doing our traditional Exodus Foundation Christmas Appeal. By clicking the website link below, you can see the complete list of Christmas food and gift collection.The Foundation will be happy to accept new toys, gifts and food as per the suggested list: Christmas puddings, UHT custard mince pies, bon bons and serviettes, potato chips (large packets), sweets, tea/coffee, fish and meat (ring pull cans only), beans and spaghetti (ring pull cans only) and cups of noodles. Another option is a store gift card.

On the right-hand side check ‘give hope’ for the complete list.

So, please bring your gifts tomorrow. The collected non-perishable food and the gifts will be collected during the week.

As I have informed you earlier, our Sustainability Grant Application to the Lane Cove Council was approved four weeks ago and now the four weeks of public notice have lapsed. The person in charge has informed us that we will receive the grant check early next week. This means we will commence the project soon and the new solar panels will be installed on the roof. This will be a good early Christmas gift. Thanks to the local Council and thanks to God.

In the meantime, please continue to pray, remembering those who need our care, support and love.

Here are some prayer points for this week:

1. Pray for our Service tomorrow as well as the services during the Advent and Christmas Season.

2. Pray for Armenia and Artsakh. Though the conflict is stopped, there are many unresolved issues.

2. Pray for world peace and ask for God’s blessings.

Krikor

Andrew! The Evangelist Apostle

John 1:35-42

St. Andrew’s Day is celebrated each year on the 30^th of November and is Scotland’s national day.

St. Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland, as well as several other countries including Greece, Romania, Russia and Ukraine.

As we celebrate St. Andrew’s Day today it is appropriate to look at the Apostle himself. He is rarely mentioned in the Bible in the order of the disciples. He does not have a primary state in the accounts of the gospels. He has not written a gospel, or an epistle and he has not done any big act in our human standards. He is mentioned as the brother of Peter.

Two brothers of totally different personalities and characters. Peter was known as the impulsive and fiery disciple, while Andrew was more practical. Peter was easily tempered, while Andrew was cautious and reserved. Peter was always in a leading act, while Andrew was more of a follower. We don’t see Andrew restless or agitated. He did not step down from the boat and attempt to walk on the water, he did not rebuke his teacher, and he did not cut the ear of the temple guard and did not cause three thousand people to repent with his sermon.

But it is worthwhile to note that every time we hear about him in the gospels, we see that he leads someone to Jesus.

First, he brings his brother Simon/Peter to Jesus. Then he brings a young boy to Jesus who had five loaves and two fish, which were the food to be fed to the five thousand, and also with Phillip he leads a group of Greeks to Jesus.

Therefore, Andrew was a great apostle. Without him, we would not have heard about Peter, the first preacher after the Ascension and the Pentecost and the author of epistles. The five thousand would have been left hungry and the group of the Greeks would have never seen Jesus.

Legend tells us that the northern part of the Black Sea had been his missionary field, for that he had been declared to be Russia’s national saint. And as we have said earlier, the patron saint of Scotland.

Andrew did not have any special talent. But within his capacity, he did his duty for the work of God. He worked silently and led people to Christ. He, with a humble, calm and modest spirit, being loyal to his call became an obedient and courageous witness for Christ. Andrew was like the humble preachers who did not serve in luxurious temples with the intention of being glorified, but they preached the salvation gospel to outcasts and to those who are thirsty for the light of the truth and those who need love and care.

One of the most basic duties of a Christian is to present Christ to others. The Apostle Paul in his letter written to the Romans says: “How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:14 and 17).

Who is going to present Christ to the world? The unbelievers, the followers of cults, the atheist? Or we, the church and its members. The Church is the body of Christ and we are its members. Being the members of His body, we have a holy duty to present Him to the entire world.

We may not be well known theologians, writers and preachers, but we can still silently lead one or a few to Christ with a spirit of servanthood, humility and with loving words. The church, with all its members, should be witnessing disciples, knowing their duty and leading people to Christ.

To do the work of God it is not necessary to be talented like Paul or Peter; it is enough to be like Andrew. One who knows his duty well.

Today we need Andrews.

During the centuries many believers faithfully have followed the example of Andrew and they have not considered the Gospel shameful. They have left their comfort zone; their home and have gone out to lead the lost to the glorious light. Paul says: “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes”.

Those Andrews have served as preachers, evangelists, teachers, educators and faithful servants of the Lord Jesus.

Come let us testify as a faithful disciple.

It is good to celebrate St. Andrew’s Day today with a special service and a Morning Tea to follow. But it’s not what we only ought to do. We should lift our cross and follow our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and learn from the good example of St. Andrew, let us be like him and do our part for God’s glory.

When Jesus ascended to heaven after his mission on earth, the angels asked him: “Did you accomplish your task?”

“Yes, all is finished”, the Lord replied.

“We have a second question”, said the angels. “Has the whole world heard of you?”

“No”, said Jesus.

The angels next asked: “Then what is your plan?”

Jesus said: “I have left twelve men and some other followers to carry the message to the whole world”.

The angels looked at him and asked: “What is your Plan B?”

Friends, there is no Plan B. Jesus desires to reach the world through men and women like Andrew, you and me.

I pray that we learn from the example of St. Andrew and be ready to serve faithfully our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ with a humble spirit.

Hope for God’s People

Is. 64:1-9    Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19    1 Cor. 1:3-9

What is hope and what it does?

Hope keeps us going and positive expectations pull us forward. On a day-to-day basis, where life is mostly lived, these expectations are often tied to circumstances.

Our satisfaction always has an “if”:

If I had the day off tomorrow…

If I could sleep late in the morning…

If I had a week’s vacation…

If a big raise would come through…

If I could get out of this job into a new career…

We tend to hinge our happiness on developments that are both out of our reach and doomed to disappoint when they arrive. Take time off, proves to be a mixture of joy and turmoil, like the rest of life. That big raise evaporates into the family budget. The new career eventually becomes just another job.

We place our hopes on things that are too temporary to meet our true needs and too shallow to touch the root of our dissatisfaction and unhappiness. Our lives are thus driven by misdirected hopes and dragged down by restlessness and frustration.

But we don’t have to let circumstances define our joy or fruitfulness. If we think about the time when we trusted God for salvation, and when we’ve trusted Him on matters big or small. Sensing His reality and His presence, maybe we have tasted a satisfaction and a settled rest that are more constant than temporary situations. These experiences grow from a hope that is deep and unchanging.

We all experience a certain restlessness in life. We find ourselves reaching for more, whether that “more” be purchasing something new, such as home or car, personal achievement, pleasure, happiness or success in reaching a milestone. But bring our restlessness to God. Direct our restless seeking toward Him, making Psalm 62 your testimony:

My soul finds rest in God alone…

My hope comes from him…

Trust in him at all times…

Though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them.

When God becomes the focus of our seeking, our satisfaction is no longer an “if”. All His promises, all His love ever wanted for us, all He is, has come to us in Jesus Christ. As we look to Him and trust Him, He becomes our happiness and our hope.

Only Jesus Christ brings rich and satisfying contentment.

That is or should be our promise at this Advent season as we look forward to the birth of Christ, our Lord and Saviour.

Remember what Paul said: “God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful”.

The author of the Psalm 80, Asaph, pleads to God seeking His help to restore and save the people. In this beautiful Psalm three times he says the following words:

“Restore us, O God; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saves”.

This is a plea that comes from the heart, a plea on behalf of the people, God’s people. It is clear that the people have willingly strayed and drifted away from God, not once, not twice, but so many times. And yet, God so many times have come and rescued them. Asaph clearly mentioned and states the actions God has done for many years. He has given them food (bread) to eat, water to drink, delivered them from Egypt, and opened the sea, and so on.

And now once again they have disobeyed Him, ignored Him and committed sin.

And Isaiah remembers the time when God came down on the mountain and made covenant with them, full of many promises on condition that they obey His commandments. But clearly, they have forgotten the requirements to be the blessed people of God.

And the prophet, like the psalm writer, pleads to God to take His people into His hands, as the potter takes the clay, gives shape and turns into something new and beautiful. So, he prays and says: “Oh, look upon us, we pray, foe we are all your people”.

This gives hope to the lost people, to those who have gone astray.

We ask the question:

Did God hear the prayers of the prophet and many others?

Yes, He did. He fulfilled His promise of Salvation. He revealed what He had planned many years ago. He kept His promise, and He did by humbling Himself and came to His people through His son. That’s the hope the people had or should have now.

If God makes a promise, He surely keeps it. And He did.

Today as we start the Advent Season and prepare ourselves for the coming of the Lord, let us have hope and turn to our God, who loves, forgives, protects, saves and is always with us no matter what.

In the coming four weeks we are going to reflect again on what God did out of His great love. He so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son and whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

When God gave or sent His Son, it was not just to protect the people, give them food and water, ease their pain and heal their sicknesses; but rather God came to give them life and more life, abundantly. The Gospel tells us that Jesus gives eternal life, which is life here in this world and beyond. Life, which is not just temporary, it is for ever and ever; a life which is full of joy, happiness and blessings. It is eternity.

To look for all these great things to happen and the blessed promise to come, we need to hope for that. It is hope that brings all these into reality. Without hope, we don’t have a chance to be delighted in all the promises that has given to us through His word.

We are God’s people. We are the new Israel, God’s chosen people. Christ is our King and Lord, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. He is our Saviour and our redeemer. He is the One promised to come; and He did. We celebrate His birth every year and feel the joy of the festive season.

Let’s not forget that He is the most important thing at this season. He is the One. He is the Hope. He is our Hope.

Amen.