Pastoral Letter 224
Dear Members of St. Andrew’s Uniting Church, Friends and Adherents,
Grace and peace to you all in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Someone asked me what I am going to do if I go home this evening, am I going to put my feet up and rest? I answered: “I have still to write and send around this week’s Pastoral Letter”. She said: “Make it short”. And I said: “Surely, it will be ‘Short and sweet’”.
So, here it is!
Today was a special and great day for St. Andrew’s family. Once again, we showed who we are, people of resilience and strength, regardless our age and numbers. Early morning everything was ready and set, and many were waiting outside the War Memorial Hall to come in for great bargains. From the moment the doors were opened, people came in continuously till 1:00 pm with the smells of the Kebab inviting them. The sales were good, and the result was more than what we were hoping for. The total figure reflecting on the paper is $11,000 and I guessing the final figure to be $12,000 as weare expecting more money to come in. This is the result of our efforts put together, as we work in unity, and it is the result of people power. We are grateful to God that Virginia was with us for some time during the Market. We expressed our thanks and gratitude for the 30 plus years when she used to organise the Market Morning. Thanks Virginia.
I hope we all have a good rest overnight and make an extra effort to come tomorrow morning to worship God. If you are not able to join us for worship, please light a candle, have a small roll of bread and a small cup of wine and worship with us following to the attached Order of Service.
Here are some prayer points for this week:
- Pray for the sick, the poor, the homeless, refugees and those who feel lonely.
- Pray for those who are under the pressure of financial burdens and struggling to make ends meet.
- Pray for world peace, especially for the Middle East, Palestine, Israel and Lebanon.
- Pray for the days ahead and the guidance of the Presbytery leaders for the future of our church.
Best Regards
In Christ
Krikor
MESSAGE
Unity in Christ – People Power
Ephesians 4:2-6
We believe we are one body in Christ. Paul wrote in Galatians 3:28 – “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Why would Paul write it that way?
Because, in his day Jews didn’t eat with Greeks. Slaves didn’t mingle with free people. And men and women… well, they were men and women. They’re different from each other.
Paul’s point is that each of these groups – Greeks and Jews; Slaves and Free; Men and Women – were all different from one another.
But in Christ – once they’d been baptized into Christ, once they’d become part of the Christ’s church – they all became one body.
We are one body working together to share the love of Jesus with others.
And why are we one body?
Because that’s how God wants it. How He wants us to be.
Paul says in Ephesians 4:2-6: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit— just as you were called to one hope when you were called—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”
If we are going to belong to God, we have to be one body.
And if the church is going to be that one body for Him, then the church has got to belong to God.
The word “unity” shows up as part of three other common words:
1. Comm-unity
2. Imm-unity
3. Opport-unity
1. When we are one body in Christ… we have community because we commune with each other.
In fact, we do something in those lines: Communion.
We come together as one body at this table. And when we come around this table, we are one in Christ.
At that point we are in a comm-UNITY.
2. When we are one body in Christ, we have an imm-UNITY.
We are immunized from something.
What does being in one body immunize us from?
From those things that could harm us.
Selfishness. Hatred. Intolerance. Narrow-mindedness. Prejudice. Bias. etc
The Bible repeatedly tells us that we not only have “one faith, one Lord and one baptism” but we also have one Law that Jesus expects us to obey.
Jesus said: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34
In the next verse Jesus said: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35
And if you don’t love one another, then you are not part of the body because Jesus said people will know you are His disciples if you love one another.
3. When we are one body in Christ, we have an opport-UNITY.
You see, the world is used to hatred and selfishness and racism and intolerance. It happens all the time.
But when the world sees a church that actually loves each other.
When the world sees a church where folks actually enjoy being with each other.
The world becomes amazed. They don’t understand that. And they can even become jealous of that. And that is what gives us our opportunity.
It becomes our opportunity to tell the people about the love we have for each other and the love we all have from Christ.
We are ONE church.
A black preacher has said: “There’s no such thing for me as a black church. There’s no such thing for me as a white church. The church doesn’t have no colour. The only colour the church is red, because of the blood of Jesus Christ.”
Now, that was well said. But I don’t think he took it far enough.
I believe it is better to say:
“There’s no such thing for God as a black church or a white church, or a brown church, or a yellow church.
The church only has one colour – Red. Red for the blood of Jesus.”
We are one church. But we can’t belong to that one church until we belong to Jesus. That’s why the church invites people to come to Jesus.
The lyrics of the well-known song says:
“They’ll Know We Are Christians”
We are one in the Spirit; we are one in the Lord; (2)
And we pray that all unity may one day be restored.
Chorus
And they’ll know we are Christians by our love by our love;
Yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.
We will walk with each other; we will walk hand in hand; (2)
And together we’ll spread the news That God is in our land.
We will work with each other; we will work side by side; (2)
And we’ll guard each man’s dignity and save each man’s pride.
All praise to the Father, from whom all things come;
And all praise to Christ Jesus His only Son;
And all praise to the Spirit Who makes us one.
If the church is a Unity in Christ or is united in everything, then it reflects a community of faith and a people of power, against whom nothing can stand, not even the Evil one.
Let Christ keep us united as we have been for so many years and we will see that even those things that seem impossible, will be possible by the grace of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen!