Pastoral Letter 8

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

Grace, Peace and Love to you all in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

It has been almost seven weeks of not having our regular services in our beautiful church sanctuary, with our organ music and angelic choir. But we look forward with hope and anticipation that soon we will be able to return there.

As I have mentioned in my previous Pastoral Letter, although we have some good news here in our country compared to others,  we still have a long way to go, we are still in the dark tunnel, but we have great hopes that we will have light on the other side.

As I write this eighth pastoral letter, I have the hope and the confidence that soon things will start easing, giving us more flexibility to move around. For sure our government and the leaders will make wise decisions and lead the way to the brighter future. There are talks about June to be the time to start opening up, which will give us the joy and pleasure to celebrate together. But in the meantime, we need to be a little bit more patient and continue to pray and seek God’s protection and care.

So again, with this email and the attached Order of Service, I ask you to follow the Order on Sunday morning at 9:30 am as you have done in the previous weeks, by reading the script, the Prayers, Responsive Reading, Bible Readings and sing the hymns and think about all those who are worshiping with you at the same time. I am attaching the hymns in music and video format, to make it easy for you to sing along.  And another final one, courtesy of Jan Cartwright, to listen at the end and enjoy. Thanks Jan. Just double click on the attached file and your computer will do the rest.

Ruth has sent me another beautiful piece of music that I am happy to share with you next Sunday. If you find something to share, please send it through. Also, if you have any news to share and if you have any special hymns in mind, please let me know to include it in the Order of Service.

Please remember to make your offering, which is one of the best ways to express your gratitude and thanks to God for keeping you safe and being with you in this very challenging time, as day by day, week by week it is becoming more difficult. As suggested earlier, you can either bring them with you when we recommence for our worship in the church, or otherwise make a direct deposit to the church account. I know some have already done that so thanks to you all.

I am grateful to all of you for your wonderful words and beautiful messages that keep coming, which encourages me and assures me that we are together in these challenging times. Your prayers and support mean a lot to me, and I keep doing my best as we move forward together through these uncharted territories. Please keep writing and keep communicating with each other, with calls and keep everyone informed with any new developments that happen with you, your family or any congregation member that you know is having any problems.

Keep on praying and leave everything in the hands of our great God, who is our refuge and strength.

I would like to conclude this letter with good news from overseas. Our friend Mr Arayik Harutyunyan, the then State Minister of Artsakh Republic when he organised a banquet for the Armenia Tour group in 2018, registered a great victory in the recent presidential elections held last week. Two days ago, I sent an official congratulatory letter on behalf the Armenian Missionary Association of Australia and all the supporters, which includes our church, to the newly elected president His Excellency Mr. Harutyunyan. The letter was published in the Artsakh Press the same day. I hope during our next trip we will have the privilege to meet with him again and maybe enjoy his warm hospitality.

 

Krikor

Your Minister

 

Message Summary

It Is True! Christ is Indeed Risen

Luke 24:13-35

Two weeks have passed since we celebrated the glorious resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. This year’s Easter celebration was perhaps one of the strangest we’ve had in our lifetime. Instead of gathering in the church sanctuary with more attendance than any usual Sunday, with family and friends joining us, pockets full of chocolates and a smile on their faces, we did our Easter worship service in our homes. We celebrated in a different way, we read the Easter message, pondered on it, reflected, prayed, and sang the Easter hymns. We hoped that soon we will join together for worship and with joy have fellowship with each other.

But here we are, still worshiping on our own in our rooms with those who are with us. The news seems to be optimistic that soon things will start to ease and change, and we will return to normal slowly, step by step. We have so many things to do, so many events that were planned, but we were forced to postpone. Here at St. Andrew’s, we had planned our services, Bible Studies, Time4U, Movie/Pizza Nights, Combined Services, Marketing Morning, Fashion Parade and St. Andrew’s Day at the end of November. Some of us would have had just another week before going to Armenia next Sunday evening on the 3^rd of May for our fourth annual trip, anticipating having a great time and shaking the hand of a new president of the Artsakh Republic, our dear friend.

But everything is still in the air. We follow the news expecting more encouraging updates and sometimes we do not want to listen anymore. We want to hear and see good news in the headlines.

Now suppose you were in Jerusalem A.D. 30. You purchased the Jerusalem Daily News, like today’s Daily Telegraph or Sydney Morning Herald, the edition is labelled: “Breaking News!”

The startling big type headline reads: “Nazarene’s Tomb found Empty.”

One of the column captions with big bold letters catches your eye: “Death Now Vanquished!” Reports people of the way.

Another headline reads: “Body Stolen” reports Pilate’s soldiers.

Or maybe you read something like this: “It is True! Jesus is Risen”

Chapter 24 in the Gospel of Luke would make a great news story. In this chapter verses 1-7 is the account of the resurrection of Jesus and the verses 13-34 is the Walk to Emmaus, when Jesus joins two of His disciples (not necessarily from the 12 or at that time the 11) as they were walking on the way.

The stories go like this:

– Two disciples are walking 7 miles back home to Emmaus from Jerusalem.

– Jesus joins them in their walk.

– But they do not recognise him. Maybe they are too preoccupied with their shattered dreams and disappointment to recognise Him. The last time they saw Him was when His lifeless body was being taken down from the cross and to the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea.

– Jesus joined them as they walked and asked: “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” In another words: “You seem to be in a deep conversation about something; what are you concerned about?”

– They stopped walking and one of the disciples replied: “Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there these days?”

In another words: “Haven’t you heard; you must be the only one who hasn’t heard what just happened in Jerusalem?”

– “What things?” Jesus asked. And that brought up a remarkably interesting discussion between the three, that went on until even later when they sat for dinner. A discussion so deep that they didn’t even realise that Jesus was with them all that time.

Let’s look to the following three points in Luke 24:19-24:

I.  The Story

– If there is no resurrection. And if it is not true.

The two disciples had great hopes that Jesus was their long-expected Messiah. “We had thought he was the Messiah, who was supposed to redeem Israel. But he was arrested and crucified. This is the third day. His body is missing, but no one knows where the body went”.

Many people today are still living as if this was the end of the story. The body is still missing. The story went out that during the night the disciples stole the body of Jesus to make up the story that Jesus had risen from the dead just as He had said.

People are still living as if the Body of Jesus is still missing. Jesus was born, arrested, crucified, dead and buried, end of story.

There is a simple beauty in this Easter story we have read today about Jesus and two of his followers on the road to Emmaus.

It shows us the great contrasts which were so much a part of that resurrection experience.

Those followers of Jesus – and all who loved Him faced a sunset on that fateful Friday. The sun went down on all their hopes and dreams.

Aren’t you glad the Bible story does not end with Good Friday with the crucifixion and the death of Jesus? It continues to the Easter morning and tells His triumphant resurrection from the dead. That should give us hope, that there is a life after death, there is hope and eternity, when everything will be full of everlasting blessings.

This should encourage us to see a brighter future and good days that will come, even today as we are still facing the horror of the pandemic. So, the story should not be; If there is no resurrection and if it is not true, because the story continues and goes on …

II.  The Rest of the Story

– There Is Resurrection. It is true.

The Biblical account does not end with verse 24 of Luke chapter 24. It gives the rest of the story in verses 25-27

Wouldn’t you have wanted to have been on that walk to Emmaus with Jesus? Jesus Himself leads the discussion in a mobile Bible Study form. He taught them that Christ the Messiah was a fulfilment of prophecy. The prophecy stated: “Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter His glory.” Verse 26

Verse 27 “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.”

Luke 24:28-32 – As they sat down to eat, the disciples recognised Jesus. Jesus the guest became the host and broke the bread. As he broke the bread the two disciples may have seen the nail marks in his hands.

They recognised the risen Lord. It is true! He is alive!

Whenever there is recognition of love, there is joy. Cleopas and his companion made a marvellous discovery that evening in their home. They recognised the risen Lord. They recognised that He was with them. And this recognition brought joy to their lives.

We cannot make many promises but, there is one promise of which we should be absolutely positive. When we reach that point where we recognise God’s love in Jesus Christ, we will be filled with an inner sense of happiness and peace.

The disciples reflected on their walk with Jesus: “Were not our hearts burning within us while he walked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” Verse 32

I am sure that we had some of our dreams shattered. Things we had hoped for that did not materialise. Let us talk with Jesus. Let us ask Him to sit down with us and study. Let us search the Scriptures until we find God’s answer. Our hearts will feel warm.

Luke 24:33-34 – The two disciples recognised Jesus and had a complete turnaround in their attitude and outlook. They had smiles on their faces and received a new energy and their gloom was transformed into excitement and joy, because He had risen.

In a church’s Easter pageant, there was a scene where a large cardboard box was used for the tomb. There was a boy inside the box playing the part of the angel. At one point he was to say, “He is not here. He has risen. Come see the place where he lay.” But he forgot his line. Nevertheless, with all the earnestness he could muster, he yelled out “He ain’t here. He’s gone!”

Because Jesus rose from the dead, we have the church. The message the Apostle Paul gave to the early church is our message today. I Corinthians 15:3-11

The resurrection of Jesus announces that where sin thrived, grace did much more thrive. Easter announces that righteousness, decency, and kindness are stronger than sin, human corruption, and violence.

The tomb is not only empty, but Jesus is alive. As we walk the road of this life Jesus will join us and walk by our side. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us.

– Take a walk with Jesus.

– Listen to Him.

– He has risen from the dead.

– Because Jesus loves you, face tomorrow with much more hope and be a witness to the Risen Lord.

– It is true. Indeed, He is risen, and He is here with us.

 

Please pray with me the following beautiful prayer:

 

PRAYER

Life-Giving God, we praise You for the mysterious creation that You formed by the Word

in the air shimmering early morning,

in the middle of the day,

in the days of stormy weather,

in the flapping flight of migrating birds,

in the flower blossoming on a bush walk trail,

in the sunset after a long day and

in the stream of shining stars.

And we give thanks to You, Lord, that we are the final piece of Your creation, in which we are to be fruitful, increase, overcome hostility toward and live in harmony with Your creation.

We ask You Lord, to provide us Your wisdom and knowledge, perseverance and courage, and Your everlasting love so that we continue to live within Your divine providence.

Direction-Giving God, We believe that You have supported us in following the way that You show us.
Even as we follow You, we continue to make mistakes, we fail to love, and yet come back to You, as who we are.

We cannot thank You enough for being our company in our journey.

We ask you Lord, as you appeared to the Emmaus disciples, please appear to us and show us Your merciful presence again so that we have our hearts burning within us and help us to say: “Indeed. It is true! Jesus is alive”.

Hope-Giving God, we thank You for giving the Emmaus disciples who had lost their way a brand-new start, planting a seed holding their future, and setting the direction to continue their journey.

We ask you Lord, for the salvation of souls, that we offer ourselves, with our all hearts, to ease our neighbour’s hurt, sorrow and suffering.

We pray that You empower and provide support to those living at the margins of our community, settling in this new country, living and overcoming hard language and cultural barriers, experiencing discrimination.

Give them peace and hope through Your Risen Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

We pray this in His name.

Amen.