Pastoral Letter 254

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

Grace and peace to you all. I hope all is well.

Last Sunday we celebrated Transfiguration of Jesus and journeyed with the disciples, Peter, John and James, to the top of Mount Hermon to share their experience they had as they went with Jesus away from the world where they were re-energized after seeing Jesus dazzled in white and two of the Old Testament prophets, Moses and Elijah, appeared. But then we came back with the disciples to the world with a life changing experience to participate in the His mission.

During the week we entered into the Lent season, starting with Ash Wednesday on the 5^th of March, which leads us to the Passion Week or Holy Week and Easter, when we will celebrate the victorious resurrection of Christ from the death. This Sunday is Lent 1 and we will remind ourselves that the 40 days of this important season is a time of self-denial and self-examination asking God to lead us with His Spirit to acknowledge God’s abundance and blessings to us and the willingness to share what we have with others. Next Sunday, Peter Hoare will bring the Sunday message, presenting his recent research about Buddhism and Christianity, based on a study that he recently completed. I have read his research paper, and I found it very interesting.

On Friday, 7 March 2025, we attend the World Day of Prayer, which was held at St. Aidan’s Anglican Church. This year the program was prepared by the women of Cook Island with the theme: “I made you wonderful”, based on Psalm 139: 1-18.  The local minister, Conor, spoke on the theme taking up three points: God knows us, He is with us and He has wonderfully made us. Following the service, morning tea was served and those who were present had a time of fellowship.

As I have said in my previous Pastoral Letter, my placement at Longueville will end on 31 May and the Service of Closure and Retirement will be held on Sunday 25 May 2025. Then from 1 June till the end of the year the Church Council and the Elders will organise the way ahead making sure that we will have our regular Sunday services and the programs running. To give more details and information, the Church Council and the Elders met on Wednesday and decided to invite you all to an Interim Congregational Meeting to be held on Sunday 23 March during Morning Tea. With two weeks’ notice I urge everyone to make an extra effort to come and join us to hear and know about our next steps after 31 May. If you have questions, please be ready to ask, making sure that with God’s help we will move forward keeping the faith.

We continue to pray for all those who need our care and prayers, remembering those who are facing many challenges, such as natural disasters, hunger, homelessness, uncertainties and so many other things. 

Please pray for Ned, who is still in the hospital. Adriene informed me that after having the procedure all the remaining test results came back good, no major issues with the instilling of three stents in his arteries. He is feeling weak but he is in good spirits. Please continue to pray for Virginia and Frank as well.

If you are not able to join us tomorrow, please light a candle and join us following the attached Order of Services.

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

Here are some prayer points for this week:

1. Pray the victims of the Queensland and Northern NSW cyclone. 

2. Pray for Ned who is still in hospital, but in good spirits.

3. Pray for Virginia as she is undergoing treatment for her cancer and trust God for His care.

4. Pray for trusting God and asking that He protect those who need protection.

5. Pray for the oppressed and those who suffer undergoing challenges of different kinds. 

6. Pray for the poor, the sick, the hungry, the struggling, the stressed and those who are less fortunate. 

In Christ Krikor 

MESSAGE

Sharing God’s Blessings with Others

Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Lent is one of the oldest traditions in the Christian Church, dating back to around 130 AD. The observation of Lent began as a time of penance, inspired by Jesus Christ’s 40-day fast in the desert, where He resisted Satan’s temptations. Initially, Lent started on a Sunday, but in AD 600, Pope Gregory the Great moved it to Wednesday—now known as Ash Wednesday. This change was made to ensure the 40 days of Lent were observed, excluding Sundays, which were considered feast days. Gregory, often called the father of medieval papacy, also introduced the tradition of marking people’s foreheads with ashes, symbolizing repentance and mortality with the words, “You are dust, and to dust you will return” (Gen 3:19).

Traditionally, Lent is a time when Christians are encouraged to give up something they enjoy as an act of self-denial. For example, people might give up things like chocolate, cake, cookies, coke, chips, candy, and cereal—often referred to as the “7 Cs.” However, the deeper purpose of Lent goes beyond that. Hence Lent is not about ‘giving up’, but of being ‘led by the Holy Spirit’. Yes, led by the Holy Spirit to do the right thing. It is about strengthening our relationship with God by following the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Lent isn’t merely about self-denial; it’s about being led by the Holy Spirit to recognize God’s blessings and to share them with others.

The same Holy Spirit that led Jesus into the wilderness for His 40-day temptation is the one guiding us today. The number 40 also connects to the 40 years the Israelites spent in the wilderness, being shaped into God’s people after their escape from Egypt. Just as Lent commemorates this season of spiritual preparation, it marks a journey toward Easter—a time to reflect, repent, and prepare for the resurrection of Christ.

The purpose of Lent is to prepare us for Easter through self-examination and penitence. It’s a time to reflect on our faith, and in our reading from Deuteronomy, we see Moses instructing the people of Israel to prepare themselves before entering the Promised Land. Similarly, Lent is a season of preparation for our own journey of faith, leading us to encounter Christ’s death and resurrection.

Lent calls us to submit to God’s will, even when the path may seem challenging. It’s an invitation to examine ourselves, acknowledging our need for God’s grace and recognizing any obstacles that hinder us from fully following Christ. We must ask ourselves: What do we need to give up in order to take up our cross and follow Him to the eternal promised land?

Lent is not only a time for giving up distractions, but also a time for getting up and following Jesus. As we reflect on Christ’s 40 days in the desert, we witness God’s plan of redemption unfolding. Lent prepares us for the Promised Land—salvation through repentance and faith in the Gospel. It is essential not to be tempted into thinking there’s any other way to return to God beyond repentance and faith.

In our modern world, temptations are abundant. Life without true repentance can feel hollow and vulnerable. The Bible urges us to follow the example of Jesus, who practiced self-denial and sacrifice.

1. Practice 40 days of self-denial

The Christian faith is supposed to be about imitating Jesus who said some radical things.

Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. (Luke 9: 22-24)

Jesus did fast and pray throughout His ministry. He did deny Himself; He did sacrifice all. We need to examine if we are imitating Him.

Would we be willing to go beyond the comfortable level of self-sacrifice we normally observe in order to more closely imitate Jesus and to prepare our heart for Easter?

Would we be willing to leave behind the everything and follow Him on this Lenten Journey.

2. Practice 40 days of self-examination

It is highly likely that our time of self-denial will result in some extra time on our hands. If we give up a number of indulgences, we will discover how much time we waste.

Would we be willing and ready to spend some more time in self-examination?

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? (2 Corinthians 13:5)

We need to spend time with God examining what manner of person we are!

No doubt, others look at our behaviour to see what is different in us. They measure our Christianity by the way we behave. But Christianity is about more than outward behaviour, it is about the condition of the heart. It is about the Christian Identity that each one of us possess.

Lent is a time for preparing our hearts for Easter, through reflection, repentance, and transformation. As we take this time to examine our own lives, we are reminded of God’s abundant blessings and His provision for us. With gratitude, we are called to share those blessings with others, especially the poor, homeless, and marginalized.

To deepen our reflection during Lent, consider these questions:

• How can we share God’s abundance and blessings, as seen in the way He sustained Jesus in the desert, with those in need?
• How do we best express God’s blessings in our lives?
• How can we share our resources with those who have little, especially those seeking refuge or safety?
• What does Lent remind us of, and how can it shape our personal and community actions?

As we journey through Lent, answering these questions will help us better understand its true meaning and strengthen our ability to share God’s blessings with others.

Amen!