Articles
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- Written by: Dale
- Category: Weekly Reflections
Our Saviour is the Lord
Did you listen to the Queen’s Christmas Message? For some people this is a must. For others, “What message?” This year the Queen seemed to strengthen the way she expresses her Christian faith. It is a wonderful example of plain English conveying profound truths for ordinary minds.
How about this from the end of the speech?
“Finding hope in adversity is one of the themes of Christmas. Jesus was born into a world full of fear. The angels came to frightened shepherds with hope in their voices: 'Fear not', they urged, 'we bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
'For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Saviour who is Christ the Lord.'
Although we are capable of great acts of kindness, history teaches us that we sometimes need saving from ourselves - from our recklessness or our greed.
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- Written by: Dale
- Category: Weekly Reflections
Back with God?
Jesus was born during the reign of Caesar Augustus, the greatest ruler Rome had seen up to that time, and maybe the greatest until Constantine in the 4th century. He was so respected for unifying and prospering the Republic that in 27 BC he was given the title Augustus by the Senate. “Augustus” meant he was revered as “something more than human”. Revered and worshipped.
The Romans were happy to declare that some of their Emperors were divine (usually they acknowledged the divinity after his death). The idea of a human who had gained some kind of divine power or status was quite acceptable and helped focus their devotion to the state as well as to the person concerned.
Some people are happy to think of Jesus in that way.
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- Written by: Dale
- Category: Weekly Reflections
Christmas in the Shopping Centre?
All Saints Anglican Church in Jakarta is running a Christmas Scavenger hunt, under the auspices of one of the local glossy magazines. The objective of the scavenger hunt is to find the shopping mall in Jakarta with the most images and displays of the story of the birth of Christ. The winning entry will get a prize and the mall itself will get the All Saints Christmas Star award 2011. There will also be a prize for the entry showing the shopping mall with the least number of images of a Christian Christmas in their public spaces and the most outrageous images of the modern secular Christmas. The winning mall in this category will get the All Saints Christmas Razza Award. So church members are out with their cameras to submit their entries. You can even follow it on Facebook (search for "All Saints Christmas Scavenger Hunt 2011").
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- Written by: Dale
- Category: Weekly Reflections
Do we need clergy?
So what is the use of another member of the clergy? The pomp and spectacle of an ordination service may lead us to think it is a splendid thing. As long as the priests can do something like it out in the parishes, of course.
But only if you are distracted by the spectacle. The ordination service contains weighty charges and promises. It sets some of the people apart for a particular role. While at one level their job appears to be focussed on church services, they are actually commissioned to the ministry of word and sacraments. They are set aside to be able to lead, teach, train, equip all the believers for the work of ministry. Their work is directed to what was once called the “invisible church” as well as to the visible church. Article 19 defines the visible church – the one anyone can turn up to. The invisible church is the one known only to God. It is made up of those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
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- Written by: Dale
- Category: Weekly Reflections
Do we really need more priests?
So what is the use of another member of the clergy? Do we really need more priests? If you go to one of those splendid ornate ordinations and like the pageant you could think this must be a good thing. Entertaining, mysterious, arcane, out of the ordinary. A bread and circuses kind of thing. As long as the priests continue the pageant and entertainment for the masses out in the parishes, of course.
But only if you are distracted by “the show”. Hidden in the show were secret codes that designated some of these people as members of a high-level training team. Kind of under-cover agents. Subversives really. While at one level they appear to be actors in an old religious play, they are actually a decentralised band of recruiters and trainers for a hidden organisation. The ultimate “invisible family” you could say.
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- Written by: Dale
- Category: Weekly Reflections
Where do little prayers come from?
Such a little prayer and such a big project. We were reading about Nehemiah. King Artaxerxes’ cup-bearer, or drinks-waiter we could say. Although part of his job was to make sure that the King didn’t get poisoned. That’s the scary part of the job. One day the King asked what was troubling him. Suddenly he had a chance to tell the King what was on his mind.
So he “prayed to the God of heaven”. A short hurried prayer. And the King listened. And gave him permission ( and letters, and soldiers and food) to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild its walls.
And when he got there the others who had arrived before him worked with him. An amazing cooperative effort. Different families rebuilt different parts of the wall. Admittedly some built the wall in front of where their house was. But they did build. Some built large segments – one family built 500 metres of wall!
And not without opposition and harassment. But Nehemiah persisted. And succeeded. All resulting from a little prayer.
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- Written by: Dale
- Category: Weekly Reflections
Ordination to what?
In two weeks Nicholas will be ordained as a priest. He will join the group of elders or presbyters (the origin of the word “priest”) in the church who share with the bishop the ministry of Word and Sacrament.
Part of the old service included this exhortation:
You have heard, my brothers, in your private examination, in the sermon, and in the readings from holy scripture, how great is the dignity and importance of this office to which you are called. And now .again l exhort you, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you remember the dignity of the high office and charge to which you are called: that is to say, to be messengers, watchmen, and stewards of the Lord; to teach and forewarn, to feed and provide for the Lord's family; to seek for Christ's sheep who are scattered abroad, and for his children who are surrounded by temptation in this world, that they may be saved through Christ for ever. Have always therefore printed in your mind how great a treasure is committed to your care. For they are the-sheep of Christ, whom he bought with his death and for whom he shed his blood. The church and congregation whom you must serve is his bride and his body. ...