Pastoral Letter 94
Dear Members of St. Andrew’s Uniting Church, Friends and Adherents,
Grace and peace to you all.
Last Sunday we celebrated St. Andrew’s Day as well as lit the first candle of Advent, the Candle of Hope, to look ahead with great hope and anticipation and prepare to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The worship service was well attended and almost all of the St. Andrews’ family members gathered with great joy to celebrate and worship. After the service we had the much-missed morning tea followed by a sausage sizzle. All present enjoyed the fellowship and had time to chat together in a warm atmosphere. The weather was perfect, no rain, no wind and some sun. In other words, it was a really enjoyable day of exchange and sharing.
As COVID restrictions ease, hoping that Omicron, the new variant, will not cause new restrictions, we look forward to a fantastic Advent and Christmas season. Next Sunday we will have our traditional Carols Service, singing more carols and reading the Scripture.
For any reason if you will not be able to come and join us tomorrow, please join us at home by following the Order of Service, have a small roll of bread and a small cup of wine or juice for communion and please light a candle.
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 unwrapped gifts and non-perishable food tomorrow and during the week. All gifts should be in by next Sunday 12 December.
The bimonthly Newsletter is ready for collection, which includes details and dates for the next couple of months.
We are planning to have a fellowship meal on the last Sunday of the year, 26 December. If you don’t have any family commitments, it will be good to sit together and share a meal, thanking God for being with us during the past two years as we faced the most challenging two years with the widespread pandemic. Hoping that Omicron, the new variant of the COVID, will not disrupt our programs, let’s keep on praying and seeking God’s blessing
In the meantime, please continue to pray, remembering those who need our care, support and love.
Here are some prayer points for this week:
- Pray for our Service tomorrow as well as the services during the Advent and Christmas Season.
- Pray for the poor, the sick, the vulnerable, the struggling and the stressed.
- Pray for world peace and ask for God’s blessings
Please let me know if you or anyone else has prayer points.
Krikor
MERSSAGE
The Way of the Lord – Path of Peace
Luke 1:68-79
Everyone looks for peace of mind which is one of the greatest blessings people can enjoy, and one of the most difficult to attain.
Peace of mind is not difficult because it is not available, it is difficult because people do not seek it in God’s way.
During Advent season we learn about four important themes which are great matters of the heart: Hope, Joy, Love and Peace.
Today we look to the first chapter in Luke’s Gospel, where we hear about finding Peace in God’s Path and to pray for it. The text for today concerns a Jewish priest and his wife in Judea who were excellent and godly examples, but their heartache was not being able to have children. They were well beyond the years when they could have children.
Entering the Holy of the Holies in the Temple was a lifetime privilege, because of the large number of priests and the system of choosing who will enter to light incense. So, that day it was a real privilege for Zechariah and his two assistants. As the custom was, Zachariah took a gold bowl full of incense, while one assistant took a silver spoon and scraped up some live burning coals from the altar into a fire pan. Then they entered the Holy Place – forbidden to all except the sons of Levi. On one side was the Menorah, on the other side the table of showbread. In front of them was the veil that separated the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place. In front of the veil was the golden altar of incense. One priest took away the coals from a former offering, the other assistant carefully placed the burning live coals evenly over the golden altar. Then the two assistants quietly left, and Zachariah was alone with the Lord.
He placed the incense on the coals, the perfume began to rise as a sign of the prayers ascending to God. Then a marvellous thing happened: there appeared Gabriel, the angel of God, who told him that his wife was going to have a baby – but Zachariah couldn’t believe it because it was physically impossible. Gabriel told him that he would name his baby ‘John’, and that since he did not believe, he would not be able to speak until the day this news took place. His wife, Elizabeth, did have a baby boy and Zechariah, who hadn’t spoken for 9 months, asked for a tablet and wrote “His name is John”.
When he did that, “Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God” and he offered up a song of praise – a song of prophecy – saying many things about how blessed he was, how wonderful God was, and how God always kept his promises.
Zechariah spoke of his son John and the Saviour who comes after John. Luke 1:76 “And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High, for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him” and he pointed the way to peace.
As we look to the final part of his song, we see three main points:
1. Knowledge of Salvation
“To give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins.” Vr. 77
The coming of Jesus is all about saving lost humanity. In Luke 19 is the story of Zaccheus, a short guy who climbed a tree to see Jesus. Jesus saw him and went to his house for a meal. The people said: “He has gone to stay with a sinful man”. But Jesus said: “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.”
A relationship with Jesus is about accepting the reality that He came, lived, died, and resurrected to bring salvation to a lost humanity. The issue at hand is the forgiveness of our sins. Everyone is a sinner – all of us fall short of God’s glory. But that’s not the end of our story if we don’t want it to be.
A man who called himself the ‘chief of sinners’ or ‘the head of all sinners’ recalled when he gave his life to Christ. His teacher said to him: “And now, why are you waiting? Get up, be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name” (Acts 22:16) and that’s what he did. Paul went on to plant many churches and wrote much of the New Testament that we read today by the power of the Holy Spirit. Forgiveness is about having the debts cleared, but also about establishing a relationship with God and with each other.
We read in Matthew that John the Baptist came to prepare the way of the Lord by giving the people knowledge of salvation and forgiveness. He preached in the Desert of Judea saying: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near”. He was the one who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make a straight path for him’”.
That’s the same message we need today to have peace in our hearts.
2. Light for Navigating the Darkness
“Because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death”. Vr 78-79a
The rising sun means the glory of the light that fills and brings joy to and gladdens this world.
We read in Malachi 4:2: “But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall”.
And we sing in one of the well known and loved carol:
O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep, the silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth, the everlasting light
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.
God’s mercy and compassion lead His attitude toward us. He knows that we live in the shadow of death and darkness. His plan: The rising sun from on high would visit us. Jesus is the light of the world, and as His followers so are we.
In this Christmas rush, how can we be lights to those who are hurting? By expressing care, loving the lost, giving that relieves hunger, and bringing joy to those who are hurting. Jesus is still the Dayspring that brings light and hope to the world, and one way He does that is through His church.
3. The Path of Peace – The Way of the Lord
“To guide our feet into the path of peace”. Vr 79
There is a pathway to peace, and it is to be found in following Jesus Christ.
Peace is not life without conflict, disappointment, or struggle – every human experiences those things. Peace is an inner serenity that comes with knowing that whatever happens, God is in control and our destiny is assured in the blood of Jesus. Whatever God does, is for our own good and if we walk with Christ, who is our only hope for salvation, the light that shines and shows us the way ahead and leads us to everything that means life.
The world would be a better place if everyone knew the peace of following Jesus Christ and following His path, the path of peace.
Zechariah’s name means “whom the Lord remembers”. The Lord remembered his pain, his service, his commitment and blessed him with a son like John the Baptist.
The Lord remembers us also. He sent His Son Jesus. To give us a knowledge of salvation. To Light the way in the darkness of life. To set our feet in the path of peace.
Are we praying for peace with God? We should be – and we should also follow the path to peace, the path of the Lord with God – Jesus Christ. Psalm 34:14 reads: “Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it”.
Peace of mind is one of the greatest blessings we can enjoy, and one of the most difficult to attain.
It is not difficult because it is not available, it is difficult because people do not seek it in God’s way and the path of peace.
Our aim and goal should be to walk on the path of peace and the way of the Lord. Amen!