Pastoral Letter 35

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

I hope you are doing fine. I am sure you are having some relief with the COVID restrictions easing and providing us the chance to move around more freely and enjoy more outings. Victoria had the first few days in two months without total lockdown.

God willing, we are looking forward to 22 November as we plan to resume our services as a trial and formally start worshiping together on St. Andrew’s Day, 29 November, inviting our neighbours to join us. The Church Elders and Council will meet on Wednesday 4 November and work on the COVID-safety plan and make all the necessary arrangements and precautions. I urge you to pray hard for this to happen by the grace of God. These two services will be followed through December Advent season taking us to Christmas and New Year. We will keep you posted. In the meantime, please join the other members tomorrow morning in worship, following the Order of Service, please light a candle, have a piece of bread and a small cup of wine or juice. Some of the hymns are Mark’s suggestions. The hymn before the Communion is “There is a Quiet Place Near to the Heart of God” comes to us from Fresno, courtesy of Rev. Nerses. I hope you enjoy listening/singing along. Our dear friend Bob Minton has sent a short reflection “Martin Luther – The Protestant Reformation” to be shared. Thanks, Bob, for this reflection.

As we have informed you earlier, we are not going to have our AGM, which we used to have in late October or early November. You should have received by now four reports: Council’s, Elders’, Treasurer’s and mine. These reports are for your information and approval. If you have any matter that you would have brought to the AGM, we kindly ask you to let Penny, Chris or myself know about it.

I have good news to share with you at this time. Recently, Lane Cove Council had opened the opportunity for a local organisation to apply for a grant through the Sustainability Small Grant Program. With the help of Wendy and Stan, I prepared the application, and applied for a grant at the end of September. The application was for the installation of new 16.5KW Solar Panels on the hall roof. Last Monday morning, we received the news that our application was approved for $5000. Based on the Council regulations, there will be a brief period of public comments and then the funds will be released to implement the project. We are sure that we will have financial substantial savings.

My heart continues to ache after four weeks of intense war in Artsakh, resulting in more than 1000 young Armenian military being martyred, heavy bombardment on civilians, churches, hospitals, schools and homes; the recent being the new built Maternity Hospital. Armenians continue to do all they can to raise awareness within the international community and demand their governments to condemn the aggression against the people of Artsakh and Armenia. Last Saturday, Australian Armenians marched in the CBD under pouring rain. The march started from ABC studios in Ultimo and finished at Martin Place near Channel 7 with 500 marching. The police had limited the numbers for the COVID safety. But we had a barrage of cars covered with big Armenian flags. Sadly, the coverage by the media wasn’t as generous as we had anticipated. The march was followed by a Telethon Fundraising held on Sunday afternoon.  The Australian Armenian community with joint effort raised more than 2.6 million dollars for the much-needed humanitarian relief fund. We will be grateful for all those who like to donate. You can make your donation through the AMAA.

Please remember in your prayers Jan Cartwright and the family as they mourn the loss of her brother Garth Thomas, who passed away on Wednesday 21 October.

Continue to pray and remember the following points in your prayers:

1. Pray for Armenia and Artsakh.

2. Pray for world peace and ask for God’s blessings.

3. Pray for Jan and the Thomas and Cartwright families.

Krikor

Martin Luther

The Protestant Reformation

Yesterday, the 31^st October, was of course Halloween, but also marked the 503rd anniversary of, arguably, one of the most important events in church history: The Protestant Reformation.

On October 31, 1517, a man named Martin Luther nailed a piece of paper to the doors of the Wittenberg Castle church in what is now the nation of Germany. He may not have realized it then, but this piece of paper—his 95 Theses—was about to change the course of church history around the world.

Reflecting back upon this period, Luther wrote that he had been wrestling with one particular phrase in the first chapter of the Book of Romans for quite some time: “The righteousness of God.” With great candour, he admitted in his writings that, “Not only did I not love, but I actually hated the righteousness of God who punishes sinners.” Despite his life as a faithful monk, devoted to piety, Luther could never see himself as anything but a sinner before the throne of God. Every religious observance and obedience failed to satisfy a righteous God.

Throughout this turmoil, Luther comments that he never left Paul’s writings in Romans, desiring to know what Paul meant by “the righteous shall live by faith.” Meditating day and night on Romans 1:17, Luther slowly came to appreciate their theological meaning and application: “There I began to understand that the righteousness of God is that by which the righteous lives by a gift of God, namely faith.”

Luther writes of this joyous moment when the veil lifted from his eyes: “The merciful God justifies us by faith.” This conclusion echoed across Europe and has continued to reverberate into the sanctuaries of churches around the world ever since. What we take for granted today, that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone, to a man like Luther, living in his context, it certainly was not.

The Fallacy of ‘Earning’ Forgiveness

While the Medieval Church had its share of problems, Luther’s 95 Theses focused primarily on one major grievance: indulgences.

While we think of “indulgence” as overflowing bowls of ice cream or decadent slices of cake, indulgence in Luther’s setting referred to a system of payments made to the church for the pardon of sins. In essence, believers saw the indulgence system as counter-scriptural in emphasising earning forgiveness of sins rather than by faith.

To Luther this was an affront to the gospel and he directed his anger at men like Johann Tetzel, Germany’s commissioner of indulgences. Tetzel’s role was to travel the countryside selling forgiveness. He is well known for his repetition of the warm medieval tune, “As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from Purgatory springs.”

Tetzel’s peddling of a false gospel represented one of the lowest points of the church and thankfully today most Christians, regardless of where they fall on the denominational spectrum, reject this heresy.

In this we owe a debt to Luther and it’s why we celebrate the Reformation’s 503^rd anniversary today.

We must never lose sight that forgiveness comes to us only through relationship with God, not a donation deposit.

Therefore, as we celebrate the 503rd anniversary of the Reformation today, here are some things we should keep in mind:

Firstly, we should seek to celebrate the very thing Luther first feared: the righteousness of God.

In Romans 5:1, Paul tells us that we “have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” because we have been made righteous through his faithfulness combined with our faith. We do not have to be afraid or cower in fear of God. Instead, we can approach the throne of grace with confidence in the forgiveness we have received in Christ.

Secondly, for those of us who feel like we are living in bondage and finding ourselves stuck on the good-works treadmill, start where Luther started.

Look at Romans 1 and particularly verse 17. There, Paul speaks of the gift of forgiveness that has been offered to those who believe. As we read, we can seek to understand the magnitude of this gift and allow the Holy Spirit to speak the same words to us that Jesus said aloud as he gave his life on the cross: “It is finished.”

Thirdly and finally, while certainly a time of celebration and remembrance, this anniversary of the Reformation should also be a time of careful reflection.

The Church (of which we are part) is largely united now on the principal of salvation by grace through faith alone. Yet, we continue to divide in a multitude of other ways.

These risks minimise the importance of unity to God. We are the Body of Christ, who together share the same Lord, faith, and baptism. Instead of trying to find ways to separate, label, and segment ourselves, we need to work instead to make a way for greater unity within the Church.

In a culture that persistently hammers on the need to earn, we need to remember the theme of what Luther hammered on the door: the righteous shall live by faith. Christians of all denominational backgrounds and traditions can come together in celebration of our shared salvation in Jesus—by faith alone, through grace alone.

AMEN!

Bob Minton

We Are the Saints

Matthew 5:1-12

Today is All Saints Sunday. A day to remember those who have died and have left a hole in our lives. But what makes a person a saint?

We think of people. People for whom special days, hospitals and churches are named after. We might think of more recent people – people who have made significant contributions to our world, Martin Luther, Dietrich Bonhoeffer. We might think of Mother Theresa of Calcutta. We might even include a grandmother or grandfather, aunt or uncle. Or even the fallen young martyrs to protect the land.

A bishop of Sweden once said: “Saints are those who make it easier for us to believe in God.”

If we look in scriptures for people whom we might consider saints, we might include in our list King David. He wrote so many wonderful Psalms that still give us hope today. He was a powerful leader of his people, leading them to follow the God of Israel, holding in front of them the covenant and promises of God. But we would also need to remember the incident with Bathsheba, the lust and adultery that lead to murder. The idea of a saint takes on a new dimension.

We might think of Rahab, the prostitute in Jericho who helped the people of Israel take possession of the Promised Land. She is declared as faithful for her trust in God. She is mentioned over and over again whenever the writers of Scripture want an example of faithfulness.

We might think of Peter, the faithful disciple, even with his ups and downs, his declarations of faith and his betrayals. He was the one who declared: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” but also “I do not know him.”

We might think of people on the list of those mentioned in Hebrews 11.

Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, Samuel, and the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel. And of course, the Disciples, Paul, and the women.

Who are the saints? A saint is one declared a saint by God. A saint is one given the inheritance promised in Ephesians when we were “marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit.” A saint’s identity is assured by God through baptism and this identity cannot be changed or lost.

We are declared saints; we are invited to live our lives in response to that fact. In Ephesians, Paul declares who they are and encourages them to live accordingly, even though we get the impression that he is a little disappointed in the fruits of their sainthood to this point. He speaks in past tense as he talks of God’s realities for them, “who were the first to set our hope in Christ”, ’we were marked with the promised Holy Spirit. And he speaks in the future tense of his hopes that God “may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him.”

A saint is one who is faithful in all circumstances, one whose identity is not shaken by the daily circumstances, the ups and downs of life.

Today’s gospel lesson is the Beatitudes. Jesus is declaring what is according to God’s order in spite of whatever conditions in which they might find themselves. “Yours is the kingdom of God” so you are blessed even if you are poor. “Yours is the kingdom of God, so blessed are you if you weep now, for you will laugh. Yours is the kingdom of God, and your trust is in the Son of Man so blessed are you even if people hate you, exclude or persecute you on my behalf.” The Beatitudes praise those who will be fulfilled in their whole being. Discomfort and pain only reinforce for the children of God that the Kingdom which is promised is not yet here. We long for the kingdom and are reminded daily that it is not yet here.

Jesus declares “woe” to those who claim self-sufficiency, to those whose circumstances would suggest that they have made it, that they do not need God in any way. Those who are tied to the order of this world because they are “full” or laughing or are spoken well of, according to the measures of this world. Jesus says they have had their reward. But it is not the reward of living in relation to God and in line with God’s purpose for their lives.

Blessed are those who recognise their identity as a child of God, as a saint, declared so by God and seek to live in that relationship even if we are not always successful. Blessed are those to whom painful and difficult things happen, when they know that God does not fail them in such difficulty but rather finds them in their pain and gives them hope.

Woes are promised today to all of us who are well off, respected, and secure, not simply because we have such security and respect, but because it inevitably binds us, with an almost irresistible power, to this age and the culture of how things are. The Beatitudes are promised today to all of us today, not simply because we are lacking, or are mourning, but because the very fact of our lacks and sorrows may turn us away from things as they are, toward the Kingdom of God for which we pray. “Thy kingdom come” takes us urgency and new longing. We weep for those who are ill because we know life is not complete, we are poor because we have heard of the immeasurable riches of which Jesus speaks and we know we do not have them today.

When you let God determine who you are, you will be greatly blessed. Who we are has been already determined – we are children of God, we are saints. When you let your poverty, your hunger, your sadness, and your lack of popularity be the final word about the meaning and significance of your life, you will indeed be in hopelessness and despair. But when you let the Kingdom of God have the final word about the meaning and significance of your life, you will have true joy. What Jesus is saying is that you are free not to give the world that much control over you.

We are saints, that fact is made real in baptism. A saint is not someone who by his or her own reason and strength has achieved greatness. Rather, a saint is someone whom God has declared a saint by His grace in Baptism. When we are baptised into Jesus Christ, we are given a brand-new perspective on reality – a reality quite different than the reality of the world. The world tells us that only the rich, the self-satisfied, the happy, and the popular are those who are blessed. “Nonsense!” replies Jesus, “You are blessed because I say you are blessed. You are blessed no matter what external conditions prevail in your life, because it is God, and not the world, with the final word about who you really are.” You are baptised, you are saints, may your life reflect this reality.

That is the good news we share this day with all the saints on earth and all the saints in heaven, with all the saints who have gone before us and all the saints who will come after us. We rejoice this day in the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. We rejoice that God has called us to sainthood and for having given us a totally new way of looking at life, a way which turns out, in fact, to be the only way there is.

Paul says: “Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel”. Eph. 6:18-19

Tradition teaches us to pray to the saints or in the name of the saints asking God’s help in hard times. For many centuries the Catholic and Oriental churches kept this tradition and expected the faithful to raise their prayers in the name of the saints. This means that the church accepted the saints as intercessors near God.

We are fortunate that in the English language there is a clear distinction between the words Holy and Saint.

We should realise that the word saint is used for the believers, who are the members of the body of Christ; hence the members of the church. In the Bible we find the following verses:

“Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing”. Psalm 34:9

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints”. Psalm 116:15.

“On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them”. Acts 26:10

“And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will”. Romans 8:27

“Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests”. Eph. 6:18

Therefore, all the believers, the real Christians and all those who confess Jesus Christ as their Saviour are Saints. Those who are saved by the precious blood of Jesus, are saints. We are the Saints.

Therefore, today is our day.

If the saints are men and women, therefore it is only appropriate to pray for them and not to them. Being human beings, they have their needs and we have to share with them and practice hospitality, as the Apostle says. If we pray for them asking God’s blessing, presence and the power of the Spirit, it means that we fulfil our responsibility. We have to pray for each other.

We are the saints and God requires from us to pray for each other, for our needs.

This is what God wants from us. When we do this then we will be always blessed.

Amen!

Krikor