Articles
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- Written by: Administrator
- Category: Weekly Reflections
Praying what?
The Anglican church in Perth has slowly begun to realise that it is in decline. There are many indicators. The increasing average age of the people who belong. The decline in attendance. The decline in giving overall. The increasing number of parishes that no longer give enough to pay a full-time rector.
There are, as you might expect, different responses to this realisation. Some probably don't see the problem as very urgent. Those in well-off parishes or ones where there is still a residual of strength from former days may be less concerned.
Some have tried to pitch their parish as a niche product, appealing to those who are prepared to travel to something they like. Others have tried to adapt what they do and say to a particular group or ideology in the community. Some have tried to use methods that they see have worked somewhere else. Others just keep going with what they have been doing for a long time, perhaps not knowing what else to do – or being unwilling to try.
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- Written by: Administrator
- Category: Weekly Reflections
He has left behind a blessing
Compressed into a few sentences is a heart-breaking tragedy that opens the book of Ruth. It is easy to think of this story as a beautiful romance. But it begins with drought, destitution, and a flight to a land with better opportunity for survival. Here are “economic” refugees. But not the greedy, or the opportunistic, but the needy. Elimelech migrates with his family to survive.
And then in the foreign land Elimelech dies. Naomi is a widow with two sons who marry local girls. It seems the migration process has reached the next stage. But then the sons die. Naomi's only family are the extended families of her daughters in law. All local Moabites. She is a foreigner, resident in Moab only ten years.
It is no wonder she wants people to call her by a new name. No longer Naomi (pleasant) but Mara (bitter). Tragedy upon tragedy. Grief upon grief. Sensibly she decides to return home. But she returns bitter and empty.
But with one of her daughters in law.
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- Written by: Dale
- Category: Weekly Reflections
Why change?
Andrew Beatty and his family spent five years or so living in a small village in East Java in the 1990s. He is an anthropologist who was interested in the ways different religious and cultural streams worked together. He was there at a very interesting time when traditional Javanese religion and folk Islam were being influenced by a new radical strain of Islam.
His book, called “A Shadow Falls in the Heart of Java”, traces the different currents and influences that changed a settled village into one that began to be disturbed and divided. His book provides a very insightful picture of the different religious and cultural streams in an ordinary village. Mysticism, old animism, Hindu stories and plays, Islamic devotions and religious structures, all weaving themselves together in the life of a village.
The changes were brought about by a stricter form of Islam. At least by people who thought Islam should be practised in a way that appeared closer to the traditions and writings. Beatty is clearly in favour of the old syncretism and its gentle village life. He seems afraid of what the new radicals will do to the village.
A sequel written twelve years later shows that not all the feared changes took place. The village was harder to change than was feared (or hoped for).
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- Written by: Administrator
- Category: Weekly Reflections
What to do?
Easter is over. The great story of death and resurrection has reached its climax. Seems a long time ago now. But it would be a mistake to think this was the end of the story. In fact it is only the middle of the story.
And the story gets even more interesting. Because it involves us. This may sound like bad news. Not all of us want to get too involved. Salvation and forgiveness are good. Heaven after death and answers to prayer are also good. But joining in Jesus' big kingdom plan might be a bit much.
“As the Father sent me, so I'm sending you.” He meant the twelve (or eleven), didn't he? Yes obviously. But later disciples like us too? Debatable. Not!
One of the most serious deficiencies (ie failures) in the modern church is not its confused views on morality and sexuality, as bad as that is. It is the lack of making disciples. The lack of telling people about repentance and forgiveness of sins.
Why is this?
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- Written by: Dale
- Category: Weekly Reflections
Fishers?
Fishing for people. It's an idea that fishers could understand. No longer looking for fish. Now looking for people. But for what purpose? Presumably not to kill and eat.
Fishing as part of Jesus' consortium. Looking for people to join him. Fish that would turn into fishers. Or farmers. Or lamps. Or salt – but not pillars of salt.
So many ways to picture what it means to follow Jesus. What would he say to the writer (the scribe)? To the teacher? To the engineer? To the nurse?
Of course fishing for people was not the only thing these fishers did. Some of them became famous writers. One in fact wrote some of the most profound books written in any language - ever.
All of them became speakers. Sometimes quietly in ones or twos and others to large crowds and powerful rulers.
But becoming fishers of people involved a few steps.
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- Written by: Dale
- Category: Weekly Reflections
Encouraging those in trouble
This week the Monday Bible Study group had a look at the first chapter of Revelation. They are a keen group, champing at the bit to get their teeth into this apparently complex book. Maybe later in the year we will do some studies in it.
The book certainly starts in a dramatic way. A very loud voice, sounding like a trumpet, tells John to write down what he sees and to send it to seven churches nearby. The voice is behind John, and he turns to see it. What he sees makes him fall down and pass out. At first he sees seven golden lamp holders. Probably tall ones. But in the middle of them he sees a human-like figure who is brilliantly and splendidly glorious. Frighteningly so. Dressed like some of the important people in the Old Testament and resembling some of the descriptions of God himself.
It turns out it is Jesus. Jesus unlike anyone had ever seen him. Maybe they got a hint of it on the mountain when he was transfigured and became blindingly white. But that was only a hint of this. This was truly splendid and scary. One of the things John saw was Jesus holding seven stars in his right hand.
We are told what the stars and the lamp-stands mean.
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- Written by: Dale
- Category: Weekly Reflections
Is Baptism any use?
If you can only do it once, can you be sure it worked? And how would you know if it worked? What are the signs that it worked?
It depends on what we think we are doing in baptism. Is the church doing something? Is the minister doing something? Is the person being baptised doing something? Is God doing something? Yes to all the above. But what?
The person being baptised is asking God for something. They are asking for what the baptism represents: cleansing from sin, and new life after burial. The washing with water represents clearly enough the request that God will wash away our sin. If we did the baptism properly we would put the person under the water - representing the death and burial of the old life- and raise them out of it representing new life with God. In this way they are asking God for a spiritual rebirth.
The minister is asking the person whether they really want to live for Christ: do they turn away from their sin, turn to Christ to serve him as his disciple, reject their old way of life. The person being baptised publicly declares their faith and intention to follow Christ.
The minister also prays on behalf of the church that God will answer the person’s requests.
The church welcomes the baptised person as a fellow member of the body of Christ.
And God?