Keeping in Touch

KEEPING IN TOUCH

During a recent broadcast of Radio Australia’s Macca program, a listener rang in from Vanuatu. He was an Australian citizen who had worked in Vanuatu for years. Each Sunday he kept touch with home by listening to the program. There was a prospect that the Radio Australia service would soon conclude and he would keenly miss the program and Macca’s friendly voice.

Some years ago, my wife and I were commissioned to go to Nauru to assist the Congregational Church. Their pastor had died and the Church was in the hands of a lovely retired pastor who needed support. Apart from letters, and the occasional newspaper sent from home, we felt cut off from the daily news and contacts. The one program we could receive was on Radio Australia and we tuned in 15 minutes every day.

How important are ways of keeping in touch, a visit, a phone call, a letter? A greeting on your birthday. These days, a text message or email.

Keeping in touch with the Lord is important. Prayer, meditation worship, reading our Bibles. Sometimes he seems so far away. Is he listening to us, will he answer? How close is his listening ear? Isaiah’s vision has a wonderfully reassuring answer, for the faithful people of God and their prayers.

REFLECTION: They will be a people, Blessed by the Lord…Before they call I will answer, while they are still speaking I will hear (Isaiah 65:16, 24)

Bill Pugh FOND MEMORIES OF GRAIN BELT DAYS

I was a parsonage child. In my early days, Methodist ministers were moved every three or four years by the Conference Stationing Committee. Thus it was that my father was appointed to a little Mallee town called Rainbow in 1938.

The Mallee held no surprises or terrors for my parents as they were both brought up on Mallee farms. It was my delight to accompany my father to outlying churches which made up his Rainbow circuit.

Once a month, he preached first at Albacutya at 11am. We drove along the bank of Lake Alabacutya, noting that the farmers were cultivating this dry lake bed. After lunch with a farming family we made our way to Yaapeet for a 2pm service. Then it was on to Wheatlands for a 3:30pm service and finally home to Rainbow for the evening service.

It was very easy to become stuck in the sand on those back roads – and just as easy to be bogged in mud when there had been some rain! But how beautiful it was in the spring, and how terrifying it could become in drought when the north wind gathered up the soil from the paddocks and blackened the sky.

How wonderful and generous were the people my father ministered to in the Rainbow circuit!

Reflection:

Ye servants of God, Your Master proclaim, And publish abroad His wonderful name; The name all-victorious of Jesus extol; His kingdom is glorious, and rules over all. (Charles Wesley)

Joan Addinsall

Image: Daryl/Flickr THE PROMISE

Cast your nets out from the land, In your catch you’re sure to find. A scared truth that belongs to us I am woman, I am man.

Standing in the light of the Lord, Know this love will never betray, Open your mouths and speak the words; Start a bran nue dae.

It was a tear; a single drop that flooded all the lands, For the Lord’s people chose to forget how to hold each other’s hands.

I sent a sign, it is sent again; Seek its colour filled glow, Look to the skies, to the heavens above; Seek the glory of Noah’s rainbow.

Remember its promise, Cast your net, Be not surprised at what you’ll find; Faith, hope, love and strength; humankind combined.

Share this, my solemn decree, Whilst you cast your net upon the sea, Love one another as I love you, Take your neighbours hand.

Shepherd those in the greatest need, Their hunger we will feed. No more hate, no more despair In faith we will succeed.

The rainbow is our prayer; Through its spectacle find the ways. In love faith and hope we all will share, With this our rainbow stays. Reflection: “Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” (Genesis 9:16)

Russell Hawkins

OUR PLANET EARTH

How healthy is the world that our children and grandchildren live in?

While most world leaders try to agree to cut back on pollutants such as burning coal, what can you and I do in our small corner of our God-given world? Can we reduce our waste of discarded clothes and unwanted food and lower our consumption of commodities to what is needed rather than what we want?

Maybe we can be more discerning about the source of the products we acquire, having more regard for the workers who produced the articles, their conditions of employment, and how much exploitation exists in some countries.

Next time we consider an overseas holiday maybe we should be more concerned with how a particular country is standing in the eyes of the world about matters such as fairness to their less privileged, and how cooperative their government is in battling pollution and global warming.

Planting our own vegetables, shrubs and trees, and using a china mug instead of a plastic disposable container, are little ways we could lead by example to our grandchildren, who may just notice and learn from our actions.

Reflection:

God has given us a wonderful place to live our lives. Let us not lose the opportunity to pass on our corner of the world as a better place than how we found it. Be mindful of two quotes from Mother Teresa: “Live simply so others may simply live” and “Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies”.

Geoff Serpell

MORE THAN NAMES ON A ROLL

We have name tags at our church. They are there to help us in meeting, greeting and remembering.

Sometimes we lose them. Sometimes we forget to wear them. Some churches keep them at the church door, hopefully to be collected as we leave.

There are many ways we support our Christian family. We come to church regularly, give our offerings, take part in activities and help in many ways. But is that all there is to being a Christian?

Parents are amazed at the growth of their children. They grow so quickly that school uniforms don’t fit . A nightmare for families. Fortunately schools have uniform shops, where you can purchase perfectly good second hand blazers.

As Christians we need to keep growing, spiritually, to face the challenges of the world and to serve Jesus. It is more than being on a roll.

The writer of 2 Peter is aware of huge challenges facing the friends of Jesus. “Be on your guard, then, so that you will not be led away by the errors of lawless people and fall from your safe position. But continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 2: 17, 18).

Reflection: Growing in the likeness of Jesus, in graciousness and loving kindnesses, maturing in faith, as we witness, are important for our Christian development. We are more than names on a roll. We are called.

Bill Pugh