Pastoral Letter 169

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

Grace and Peace to you all from our Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

I hope you are all doing well.

Last Sunday we celebrated Trinity Sunday, which is the first Sunday after Pentecost. We reflected on the doctrine of the Trinity, which is not easy to fully grasp and understand how the Triune God works as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. But I hope and believe that every time we think and reflect on the subject, we learn something new and add it on our knowledge of the truth. This Sunday, the second Sunday after Pentecost, we continue to follow the church calendar which will take us through the next post-Pentecost months up to the Sunday known as Christ the King Sunday, the Sunday before the Advent Season.

We are glad that Mark and Barabara are back safely from their long trip to USA. We have missed Mark’s music on Sundays during the last two months but we survived using tracks and YouTube videos to help us sing the hymns and have music for reflection and meditation times during the Sunday Services. Let’s enjoy again the Pipe Organ music this Sunday and the rest of the year.

On 25 June, Lane Cove Uniting folks will join us to have our Combined Service on the occasion of the UCA Anniversary. Please plan to be here, as we welcome our guests and celebrate with them and give thanks for the 46 years of Uniting Church service for the glory of God. I will prepare the Service, LCU new Chaplain Liam McKenna will preach, Rick and I will lead. Following the service, we will have a Morning Tea and a time of fellowship with our sisters and brothers from Lane Cove Uniting.

If you will not be able to be with us tomorrow morning Worship Service, please light a candle, and join us following the attached Order of Service.

Be safe and well, continue to pray, remembering those who need care, support and love. Please let me know if you or anyone else has prayer points.

Here are some prayer points for this week:

1. Pray for lasting peace in Ukraine, Sudan, Armenia and Artsakh.
2. Pray for persecuted people, abused, terrorised and facing hardship.
3. Pray for travellers, wherever they may be, to have safe trip.
4. Pray for the poor, the sick, the vulnerable, the struggling and the stressed.
5. Pray for those who are unwell and struggling with different kinds of medical issues.
6. Pray for those who are facing natural disasters causing death, loss and pain.
7. Pray for world peace and ask for God’s blessings.
8. Pray for Ned and Adrienne, as Ned’s sister Berjouhie is not well and in hospital, as well as Adrienne’s nephew in USA has been diagnosed with deadly cancer.
9. Pray for Bruce West, as he is been treated in hospital with some medical issues.
10. Pray for our coming Combined Service with LCU.

Please let me know if you or anyone else has prayer points.

Best Regards,

Krikor

MESSAGE

The Call

Genesis 12:1-9 and Matthew 9:9-13

God through the ages of time has called people to follow Him. To follow Him into a life of righteousness, adventure and victory. We have many examples in both the Old and the New Testaments. From the beginning God has called people to Him; individuals, men and women, to do certain things from a very simple act to a great responsibility of leading a nation. These calls were such, as helping or feeding someone or leading a nation out of bondage or being a king of the nation.

Our first reading this morning is about a man by the name of Abram/Abraham. Abram means “Exalted Father” and Abraham means “Father of Many”. And the second reading is about a man by the name of Matthew, which means “Gift of God”.

Both were called by God – each in a little different but mainly in the same way. The common thing in the two callings was leaving what they were doing or where they were living and accept what God called them to go or do.

God calls us as well and our call is basically to follow Jesus. But each one of us has a little different and to do different things, but mainly the same call.

Let’s look at the calls of Abraham and Matthew and our calling this morning:

1. We are called out of God’s Mercy and Love

First, we should acknowledge that neither Abram and Matthew nor any of us for that matter are called because we are worthy or holy. We are like all human beings, fallen and imperfect. We have our weaknesses and shortfalls. Even if we try to be good and well behaved, usually we fail and sometimes choose the bad instead of the good, do or say the wrong things or the words, instead of doing the right things or saying the right things. We are all sinners as Paul said: “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” (Rom. 3:23)

The truth is that we are called because of God’s love and mercy. Though we are not perfect and always don’t do the good or the right thing, God is perfect and good, and He cares for us; He loves us and gives the best to us, even if we do not deserve it. He is love and because of His love and mercy, He calls us to do the right thing and be worthy of His grace and blessing.

In Ephesians 2:1-10 Paul makes it clear that because of God’s great love for us and being rich in mercy, makes us alive with Christ even when we are dead in transgressions and that by grace we have been saved. So, because of God’s love and mercy we have been saved, God calls us in that same love and mercy to be His children and do what we ought to do.

2. Our call is Simple and Clear – Follow Me

For Abram it meant leaving Ur of the Chaldees and following the Lord all the way to the Holy Land. It meant placing everything in God’s hands and depending on God to reveal to him where he was to live and how he was to live. We are not sure, but we can guess that Abram was doing well and living a good and settled life. When His father Terah, decided to leave Ur with his family to move to Canaan and he came to Haran, he settled there and lived 205 years and died in Haran. Ur and Haran was Abram’s homeland, it was his country.

Matthew’s call was a little different. It came while he was busy collecting taxes for the Roman government. Matthew tells us that Jesus walked by his tax station and invited him to become one of His disciples. Jesus invited Matthew to step away from his job and begin to follow Him all over Israel sharing the Good News of Salvation, instead of collecting taxes for the Roman rulers and be hated by the people.

Now, those around Matthew didn’t see him as a person worthy to follow Jesus. He was seen as a horrible and awful person. He was seen as an unfaithful Jew collaborating with the Romans. He was working for the very people that had not only enslaved God’s people but were stealing from them by over taxing them.

In Jesus’ day, the majority of Jews, classified tax collectors alongside murders, thieves, and prostitutes. The Pharisees and Scribes would not even accept their charitable gifts. They were considered unclean and filthy. Even tax collectors’ family members and friends rejected them considering their job shameful, disgraceful and dishonourable.

Both Abram’s and Mathew’s calls were simple and clear – Follow Me. Leave what you are doing or where you have been settled for a long time and I will show you where to go.

Our call is just as simple – Follow Me. It doesn’t matter how we once believed or what we were doing. It doesn’t matter if we were raised in a home that prayed three times a day or a home where God was never mentioned. It doesn’t matter if our homes were cluttered with many different things instead of Christian spirituality and atmosphere. None of those matters – what matters is what we do when we hear The Call – God’s call, who says – Follow Me.

Matthew left his tax booth, most tempting and well gained job and followed Jesus. Abram picked up his tents and began to move towards the Promised Land.

Surely Matthew’s leaving caused quite a stir for the community, who though were paying their taxes reluctantly, now asked the question: “Who do I pay my taxes to now?” “Where in the world is he going?” “Who leaves such a profitable job and goes after a Rabbi?”

Surely Abram’s abrupt decision to pack and leave his country to go to the unknown place, caused quite a stir. Probably his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot asked: “Are you sure you want to leave?” “Do you know where we are going?” “Do you know what we will be doing?”

These and similar question naturally comes to mind when there is a sudden decision to leave one place and go somewhere else. I think that is one reason why Jesus told the disciples to pray saying: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread ….”

Most of us would like to have God give us a detailed plan of what He want us to do and what He want to do in our lives. In Matthew’s and Abram’s case was, leave what you were doing and where you were living, and I will show you the way and what to do. To do this, we need faith.

Our call is a walk of faith. It is a walk where God is in control. It is a walk where we listen and obey. It is a walk where the Lord promises us that if we follow Him, He will lead us – He will be with us unto the end of the age. He will lead us through the power, presence, and infilling of His Holy Spirit.

We learn that following the Lord can lead us down a lot of different paths, working with all kinds of various people and we may even find ourselves moving, taking on new jobs, new positions and making new friends.

Matthew the Tax Collector became friends with Simon the Fisherman and Simon the Zealot.

Mary Magdalene, the one-time prostitute filled with demons became friends with Nicodemus the highly trusted Pharisee and religious ruler.

David the shepherd boy became friends with Jonathan the prince of Israel and then he became the King of Israel.

We never know where God is going to take us, who He is going to bring across our path and how those God led relationships will help both us and them.

3. Our Call is Transforming and Empowering

When we are called by the Lord something supernatural happens.

Jesus said to Nicodemus: “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” (John 3:5-6)

Jesus said to His disciples: “When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own, he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking what is mine and making it known to you.” (John 16:13-14)

The Apostle Paul was inspired to write these words: “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you shall not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” (Gal. 5:16) “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” (Gal 5:25)

As we hear all those words, we can hear the word Spirit being used over and over again. Pentecost was a supernatural event where the Holy Spirit came and infilled the Early Church? (Acts 2)

We believe in God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We believe in Heaven and in Heavenly Beings. We believe that the Holy Spirit can fill us with His Power and Presence, and we believe that there are times that angels have watched over us, revealed things to us and for some of us have walked alongside of us.

One of the greatest things about accepting Jesus’ call is how it transforms us, empowers us and allows us to experience life on a whole new level.

The Simon that was afraid of the Pharisees and Scribes became the Simon Peter that stood up to Caesar and gave his life for his faith.

The John Mark that ran away and whom the Apostle Paul wanted to leave behind for not being ready to accept the challenge, ended up writing the first Gospel and becoming one of the early bishops and leaders in the Church of Alexandria.

All it takes is for a person willing to follow Jesus doing his or her best to live out a life of obedience and faith.

All it takes is for us to allow God to work with us and in us and through us like He did with Abraham and Matthew:

Each one answered God’s call with a – Yes – left behind a life of sin and guilt, followed God wherever He led them, and allowed God’s Holy Spirit to transform them continually throughout their lives.

Each one made mistakes, took back steps, advanced forward and became the people God had called them to become and became a blessing to those that they met.

Abraham as the Father of the Faithful.

Matthew with His Gospel that shares so much about Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection.

Who knows how much God has worked through us and will continue to work through us? We never know how God is going to use us as individuals or as a group of followers. Whose life will be touched by our prayers, sharing, caring, faithfulness, service and the words of encouragement we share?

We are all called to simply say “Yes” to Jesus and follow Him.

We are challenged to respond to that call and continue to respond to that call and to make a difference in our lives, in the lives of our families and in the lives of those around us.

Amen!