Pastoral Letter 231
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.
The Acting President of the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East Rev. Dr. Paul Haidostian has written about the situation in the Middle East and in particular Lebanon asking for prayers.
“For nearly a year, we have been anxiously witnessing new wars and atrocities in and around Gaza, extending to the West Bank and the borders of Lebanon. In the past eight days, however, the conflict has escalated deeper into Lebanon, even reaching parts of Beirut. Minute by minute, we receive breaking news of new incidents or bombings—some minor, others devastating. The death toll of the week has reached 700, with thousands more injured. In one tragic event, 1,500 people lost their eyesight completely. The tragedy continues, with more than half of the casualties being civilians, including many women and children.
Over the past week, in addition to the bombing of dozens of towns in southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley has experienced regular attacks, as have the southern suburbs of Beirut and some Christian populated mountain areas like Upper Jbeil. Incidents involving Walkie-Talkies and Pagers have occurred even near us in the city. Currently, the airport is only being used by Middle East Airlines, and while local traffic remains manageable, and most shops are open, extreme anxiety is the feeling throughout the country. The Armenian Evangelical Churches has begun hosting some displaced (non-Armenian) families from southern Lebanon at their church campsite, KCHAG, and more are expected in the coming days. A notable development is the influx of residents from southern and eastern Lebanon seeking refuge in areas considered safer or predominantly Christian. Tens of thousands have already taken shelter in schools and other institutions, including in parts of Beirut. These displaced families will need support, and in addition to some government agencies, numerous NGOs and religious organizations are stepping in to assist”.
The UCA Assembly President, Rev. Charissa Suli, has issued a statement for the situation of Lebanon, Israel and Palestine and has announced a week of prayer in all Uniting churches from Sunday 29 September to the 5th of October. Attached you will find the statement.
Please pray! Pray for peace to prevail in the region and people are safe.
Last Sunday, the Presbytery Chairman, Rev. Keith Garner, and his dear wife, Carol, worshiped with us and delivered the message titled “The Ingredients of a Healthy Church”. He offered to us four ingredients of a healthy church: A church that is energised by faith, a church facing outwards to the world, a church that dares to do things differently and a church must be focused – not frenetic. He concluded saying that healthy churches take seriously being at the heart of their community and make a difference in the community. After the service we had a good time for fellowship during Morning Tea.
I will be on leave 14-23 October to attend the AMAA Annual meeting in Montreal, Canada. On Sunday 20 October 2024 we will join the Crows Nest Uniting Church for Sunday morning worship at 10:00 am. As the minister Michael Thomas is on leave, Bob Minton is taking the Service.
John Flynn Service will be Combined Service with Lane Cove and held on Sundy 27 October at 9:30 am at St. Columba’s. We will have with us as guest speaker Mr. Rob Floyd the National Director of Frontier Services. Following the Service, we will have Morning Tea, as well as the Great Outback Fundraiser BBQ at 12 noon.
If you are not able to join us for worship tomorrow, please light a candle and worship with us following the attached Order of Service.
Here are some prayer points for this week:
- Pray with all the congregations of the Uniting Church for Lebanon, Israel and Palestine as requested by the UCA President Rev. Charissa Suli.
- Pray for the sick, the poor, the homeless, refugees and those who feel lonely are under the pressure of financial burdens. And please continue to pray for Virginia.
- Pray for our future plans as we continue our conversation with Lane Cove Uniting with the Presbytery.
In Christ
Krikor
You can download UCA President’s Statements and request for prayer for Lebanon by clicking the link below.
MESSAGE
The Power of Faithful Prayer
James 5:13-20
The story is told of a time when a great Scotch preacher prayed in the morning service for rain. As he went to church in the afternoon his daughter said: “Here is the umbrella, Papa”. “What do we need it for?” he asked. “You prayed for rain this morning. Don’t you expect God to send it?” his daughter replied.
They carried the umbrella, and while they came home, they were glad to take shelter under it from the drenching storm. Such should be our faith when we pray, just like that little child’s – with no doubt, and expecting an answer.
If we need something we should be ready to make our petition to God with a great expectation. Prayer is part and parcel of our daily spiritual life, a means to approach God to ask for forgiveness, seek help and request certain things we need in life, like, care, protection, healing, safety, knowledge, wisdom, strength, daily bread and many more blessings
Prayer is simply a communication with the man upstairs. The omnipotent God, who is in control, will provide us with our needs according to His will.
Someone has written: “Prayer is the simplest of acts. It is simply speaking to God. It needs neither learning nor wisdom nor book knowledge to begin it. It needs nothing but heart and will. The weakest infant can cry when he is hungry. The poorest beggar can hold out his hands for alms and does not wait to find words. The most ignored man will find something to say to God, if he only has a mind. “
Charles Spurgeon, often referred to as the Prince of Preachers, was a Reformed Baptist pastor and preacher has said: “Prayers are the believer’s weapons of war. When the battle is too hard for us, we call in our great ally, who, as it were lies in ambush until faith gives the signal by crying out, ARISE o LORD!“
Prayer is means to go to God with our request and petitions. But who has to pray?
According to our reading the one who is in trouble and the one who is happy. Prayer is not only for difficult times, but for all times good and bad.
James returns to where he began. In chapter 1 James speaks of the hard times we all face and our need for perseverance. This comes as we pray. Verse 5 says: “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask [that is pray] God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to them.”
Prayer is the proper use for our tongues, not judgmental attitudes of hurtful attacks on our sisters and brothers in Christ. When we pray, we don’t need to use complicated vocabulary or lengthy sentences, but rather simply say what we have in our hearts, because God knows even before we ask. All we have to do is open our hearts and say what we have. But we should remember that not all our prayers are answered, and James tells us the reason is our motives as we ask.
Now, in these last verses, James underscores how prayer is appropriate in all of life’s situations.
Prayer is appropriate when we’re face trouble. It is appropriate when our soul is well. It is appropriate when we are ill and even when we confess and seek repentance. Prayer, for one another, is always a good thing.
Those last few verses are meant to be illustrative of the larger lesson. We can take three things away from these verses.
1. Prayer is active
It’s not easy to pray. It’s easy to say words but it is not easy to pray and believe. Jesus was confronted by Satan when He was praying and fasting in the wilderness. It was not easy for Him.
This is because active prayer isn’t about us but about God’s Kingdom. It lines us up with God’s agenda and desires. It puts us on the front line of being available to God for whatever the Holy Spirit wants from us.
The pastor tells how active prayer broke into his life during a prayer time on a college campus. He says:
“As we shared prayer requests, my friend said their ministry needed a computer, and I said I’d pray for him. I started praying that God would provide a computer, and then I felt as if God interrupted me. It’s hard to describe the tone I heard from God. It was stern but not unkind. It was as if the Holy Spirit whispered these words in my spirit: Why are you asking Me? You’re the one with the extra computer!
So, I quit praying midsentence and decided to do something about it. I told my friend I had a computer that I wanted to give him. And I became the answer to my own prayer. Why ask God to do something for us when it is within our power to do something about it ourselves?”
Prayer shouldn’t be just words we recite, but parallel with our prayers there should be action. Prayer should be at work, similar to the expression we use for our faith: “Faith at work”, based on James 2:14-26. James says that our faith is a dead faith without our deeds. Similarly, prayer is just words, if we who pray, don’t take action and do something about it.
2. Prayer is a family thing
Since creation God’s intention was for us is to live in community with Him and one another without the death sentence of sin. Even after man committed sin, God called Abraham, made him a nation and formed “People of Israel” and He came to earth as the Son, called a group of disciples to follow Him. He prayed that we might “be one” and in the aftermath of Pentecost the church met together and shared their resources.
Our culture has placed a high value on individuality and a supposedly right to privacy. In fact, the Bible seems to promote the exact opposite. We are accountable to one another. Our lives reflect on the Body of Christ.
God calls us to be different, the Body of Christ, those who follow Jesus as the boss of their lives, experiences life within a context of fellowship, community and corporate responsibility. This is why no healthy Christian exists who is not part of a local body of other Christ followers. If you amputate any part of your body and set it alone for a year it would no longer be a part of your body.
The two illustrations James uses underscore this truth. Illness and the need for confession of sin are community occurrences, saying: “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective”.
3. Prayer is a powerful thing
Healing is wonderful. But it’s not the oil or hands but prayer that heals. Prayer makes the difference. Anointing and laying hands are important only in so much that they are outward signs of the prayer going forth. Jesus makes that clear that sin and illness are not a natural link. But that doesn’t mean it is never linked. We can think of times in our own lives when our sins have caused us to become sick or have caused others to become ill.
For this reason, James tells us that mutual confession is part of the process of healing for those who follow Jesus. This goes beyond difficult for it invades the most private parts of our lives. It is more than airing our dirty laundry, it is “confess and pray” for one another. Why? As we confess and pray, we are humbled. Our own lives are laid bare, and we know we are in no position to judge others. We know the reality of the sin of others because of the sin in our own lives. Notice how healing is directly linked to this confessing and prayer.
I am not sure if James is talking about the elders being the righteous ones or someone else with a mature faith. All I know is that there is something about their prayer life that lets you know you are in the presence of God. Thus, the great news for us is that “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” God works through those who are righteous to bring healing to those who are ill as well as forgiveness.
Let me quickly say something about praying and healing. God does not heal everyone we pray for, and it has little to do with the amount of our prayers, our belief that God can heal or the sorrow we feel when we think of losing that person. Healing takes place in God’s timing and in God’s way.
We know our motives are biased as we pray for healing for someone we love. And it should be, because we love that person. We don’t want to lose him/her. We don’t want to be alone. We don’t want to hurt. God does reach down, suspends the natural order of things and brings about extraordinary healing. Doctors tell that the longer they practice medicine the more they believe in miracles.
God also uses the normal means of healing our bodies. Doctors, surgery, chemo and the rest have the ability to help our body heal and God uses those gifts. But God also heals those who know Christ by calling them home. By the way, that is the only healing that is permanent and everlasting.
As you pray this week recognize how you might be the answer to someone’s prayer. Don’t isolate yourself but become aware of what it means for you to reside, continually within a group of people who call themselves a family. In this way, be humble and recognize how much you need to rely on others.
Lastly, don’t be afraid of the power that God may give you as you pray. Pray with boldness, pray faithfully, know that the power of your prayer will let God’s Spirit shape you into the image of Jesus Christ.
Amen!