Amazed by a drip

Yesterday Jess & I went on a little lunchtime picnic to Parsley bay at Vaucluse on the southern shore of Sydney harbor.

As we went on a little wander, I found a small rock platform with a little drip falling into a small rock pool check out these amazing pics and the distortion made in the water.

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

Romans 1:20

Funny Christmas email

In this age of political correctness and the desire not to discriminate against anyone this email has been writtin by someone with a good sence of humor and too much spare time – have a laugh and de-stress, but dont take it too seriously!

Dear All,
Before we get down to the happy business of singing Christmas Carols this month, the following are some things to consider from an Elfin Safety point of view:-

Jingle Bells
Dashing through the snow
In a one horse open sleigh
O’er the fields we go
Laughing all the way

A risk assessment must be submitted before an open sleigh is considered safe for members of the public to travel on. The risk assessment must also consider whether it is appropriate to use only one horse for such a venture, particularly if passengers are of larger proportions. Please note, permission must be gained from landowners before entering their fields. To avoid offending those not participating in celebrations, we would request that laughter is moderate only and not loud enough to be considered a noise nuisance.

While Shepherds Watched
While shepherds watched
Their flocks by night
All seated on the ground
The angel of the Lord came down
And glory shone around

The union of Shepherd’s has complained that it breaches health and safety regulations to insist that shepherds watch their flocks without appropriate seating arrangements being provided, therefore benches, stools and orthopaedic chairs are now available. Shepherds have also requested that due to the inclement weather conditions at this time of year that they should watch their flocks via cctv cameras from centrally heated shepherd observation huts.
Please note, the angel of the lord is reminded that before shining his / her glory all around she / he must ascertain that all shepherds have been issued with glasses capable of filtering out the harmful effects of UVA, UVB and Glory.

Rudolph the red nosed reindeer
Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer
had a very shiny nose.
And if you ever saw him,
you would even say it glows.

You are advised that under the Equal Opportunities for All policy, it is inappropriate for persons to make comment with regard to the ruddiness of any part of Mr. R. Reindeer. Further to this, exclusion of Mr R Reindeer from the Reindeer Games will be considered discriminatory and disciplinary action will be taken against those found guilty of this offence. A full investigation will be implemented and sanctions – including suspension on full pay – will be considered whilst this investigation takes place.

Little Donkey
Little donkey, little donkey on the dusty road
Got to keep on plodding onwards with your precious load

The RSPCA have issued strict guidelines with regard to how heavy a load that a donkey of small stature is permitted to carry, also included in the guidelines is guidance regarding how often to feed the donkey and how many rest breaks are required over a four hour plodding period. Please note that due to the increased risk of pollution from the dusty road, Mary and Joseph are required to wear face masks to prevent inhalation of any airborne particles. The donkey has expressed his discomfort at being labelled ‘little’ and would prefer just to be simply referred to as Mr. Donkey. To comment upon his height or lack thereof may be considered an infringement of his equine rights.

We Three Kings
We three kings of Orient are
Bearing gifts we traverse afar
Field and fountain, moor and mountain
Following yonder star

Whilst the gift of gold is still considered acceptable – as it may be redeemed at a later date through such organisations as ‘cash for gold’ etc, gifts of frankincense and myrrh are not appropriate due to the potential risk of oils and fragrances causing allergic reactions. A suggested gift alternative would be to make a donation to a worthy cause in the recipients name or perhaps give a gift voucher.
We would not advise that the traversing kings rely on navigation by stars in order to reach their destinations and suggest the use of RAC routefinder or satellite navigation, which will provide the quickest route and advice regarding fuel consumption. Please note as per the guidelines from the RSPCA for Mr Donkey, the camels carrying the three kings of Orient will require regular food and rest breaks. Facemasks for the three kings are also advisable due to the likelihood of dust from the camels hooves.

Away in a Manger
Away in a Manger No Crib for a bed

That’s enough ….. Quick …. call the Social Services.

Ceasing Worship

I visited a church a few weeks back and it was a great experience, however I  left feeling that there was something lacking – that something didnt quite feel right about what had happened

It was an evangelical church, the Bible was read, the Gospel preached and applied in context.  I had no problem with any of this – it was great to see people being challenged by the word of God and shown that it has a very redy aplication to todays world.

The singing however left me feeling down and empty – upon much contemplation of why I realised that it was a very simple reason why – the band was too loud!  I’m not trying to say that you cant have loud music in church – dont get me wrong – I love the music to fill the whole church with praises to our God and Saviour!

My issue that I have was that as the band played and sung, you couldn’t hear anyone else in the church singing.  I couldnt even here the person beside me singing even though I could see there lips moving. 

What is the point of congregational singing, - which I believe is an important part in our church services, a way of together sharing as the people of God in praise and worshuip of our God – what is the point of it when you can no longer hear other people singing. It becomes a rock concert and not a part of congregational praise.

Please, turn the master volume down so that together, all the people of God can lift their voices and be heard as we give praise and honour to our God Almighty!

Rhys William Lowery

Hallelujah!

Praise God in His sanctuary.

Praise Him in His mighty heavens.

Praise Him for His powerful acts; praise Him for His abundant greatness.

Praise Him with trumpet blast; praise Him with harp and lyre.

Praise Him with tambourine and dance; praise Him with flute and strings.

Praise Him with resounding cymbals; praise Him with clashing cymbals.

Let everything that breathes praise the LORD.

Hallelujah!

Psalm 150

That sums up how I feel with the birth of my first child Rhys William.

There were minor complications, but thanks to God and modern medicine my wife and I have a beautiful son

Baptism

The Biblical command to baptise Christians is clear. Perhaps the most famous place in the Bible that we find this command is in Jesus words:

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18-20

There are many theological debates on Baptism which I will not go into instead, I’m going to raise a slightly more pragmatic issue on the same subject based mainly on my experience.

As a future Anglican Minister here in Sydney I will be bound by the 39 Articles or Religion which clearly endorse infant Baptism & I have no problem with this.  In An Australian Prayer Book (for the Anglican Church) we read:

 ‘Children are Baptised on the understanding that they will be brought up as faithful members of the church, to follow Christ … to be confirmed… when they are of age to take upon themselves the promises you are about to make on their behalf.

‘As they grow up they need encouragement, teaching and the help of a good example, so that they may learn to worship God, Pray to him, to put their faith and trust in him and to take their place in the life of the Church.’*

My big issue with infant Baptism however is the way that I have experienced them over the last 18 or so months.  Large service where 3 or 4 children are baptised together; probably going close t0 50 Children in the last 18 months.  The majority of parents bring their child to be baptised because in their limited affiliation to the church it is ‘the right thing to do’.  Probably only 5 of those families will come on a semi regular basis. 

I think this sort of service looses a lot of its meaning when done like this.  It’s no longer your special day for the parents or the child instead they have to share it with others.  On top of this, and I’m being pessimistic, most of those children will probably grow up not knowing the truth of the Gospel Message.  Their parents and God-parents will probably not fulfil the promises they made before the Church & before God.

That said, my wife & I have decided to get our child baptised.  Our Senior Minister  doesn’t want to lump us in with the rest – it will be our special day standing before our church family telling them that we do intend to raise our son knowing the message of Jesus death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins.

*An Australian Prayer Book, Sydney: Standing Committee of the General Synod of the Church of England in Australia (1978), 518.

Garden update

As some may know, I love gardening. coming into Summer I’ve got out into the garden and given the veggie patch some attention.

A few weeks back I pulled out all the weeds and the dying pees, dug in composted cow manure and planted a few tomato plants & a Capsicum,as well as sowed the seed for some  rocket, pak choi, carrots & spring onions.  The rocket and Pak Choi are both up and today I planted seed for baby beetroot, and snow peas as well as some sage as my sage plant kicked the bucket in the pot it was in.

When i came to the Basil pot I was amazed that there are a few plants that have survived winter (Basil normally dies in winter) and are starting to re-grow.  I put in a few seeds for the black basil that didn’t survive so in a month or so that will be growing again as well.

I cant wait to see the plants grow and taste their goodness in a few months time.

Sin & Salvation

I need to stop just thinking about last week’s Doctrine lecture at MTC and write something about it.  So here are a few Bible passages that think about Sin and what God has done for us.

 

“Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.  It will produce thorns and thistles for you and you will eat the plants of the field.  By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

Genesis 3:17-19 

 

 ”Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”

Isaiah 6:5

 

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 3:23

 

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.  Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.  But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

 Isaiah 53:3-5 

 

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.

Romans 5:6 

 

 

 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.  Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.  For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.  Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.  Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

Psalm 51:1-5 

Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD”– and you forgave the guilt of my sin.

Psalm 32:5

 

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Psalm 51:7 

 

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 Romans 6:22-23 

 

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions–it is by grace you have been saved.

 Ephesians2:4-5 

 

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behaviour.  But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation

Colossians 1:21-22 

 

 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are! 

1John 3:1

 

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”  He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”  Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”  He said to me: “It is done.  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.  To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.

 Revelation 21:3-6

 

There are many other verses, but i thought that this was a starting point to continue reflecting on what our saviour has done for us.

Paul & pastoral care

This morning at MTC I’ve been struck in a very certain way about Paul’s letters and his pastoral manner that is seen in them.  Paul does not hold back when he needs to chastise rebuke and correct.  Yet at the same time, even when he is about to tear someone to shreds, he will always praise God for that person and the grace that is shown by God.  Now these are some half baked thoughts that I will continue to think through and work out the way to apply them to my ministry, but I thought I’d put them out there.

 

In Chapel services here at College we have been reading through Paul’s letter to the Philippian church.  It was a church that, whilst it was not without issues, was going pretty strong when you compare this letter of Paul’s to many of his letters to other churches.  We see so many statements praising God for what he has done, for the continued faith of the believers and encouraging them to stand united in their faith.    Even the way that Paul thanks them for their gift (Ch4) while at the same time not putting any hint of guilt onto the church for not sending it earlier or pleading for more goes to demonstrate his genuine love and concern for the believes and his thankfulness to God for them.

At the same time however, it struck me the way Paul speaks to the church in Corinth concerning their tolerance of sinful deeds and the way they accept those who are unrepentant.  This really comes to the fray when he calls for the church to literally ‘drive out’ those who call themselves believes yet are sinning and unrepentant (5:13).  Paul calls for us not to put up anyone who calls themselves a Christian yet doesn’t act like one while at the same time withholding judgment over those who are outside of the body of believers.

This discussion in New Testament and the talk at Chapel lead me to think about the way that we today treat those to whom we have pastoral oversight.  I believe that all too often we don’t take seriously our role to encourage people and hold them accountable to the word of God as set out in the Bible.  We have become lax in our day to day oversight and only step in pastorally when there is a serious issue such as a death of a loved one or a birth or something similar.

I believe that as members of the Body of Christ and leaders of his Church we have a long way to go on truly caring for His flock in this respect.

Whats ahead

So i’m trying to be organised and plan ahead – something that I am not teribly well known for,  but i’m going to try and see what happens.  Keep an eye out eye out for these posts that are coming your way.

• As a result of looking at some of Pauls letters this morning in New Testament and MTC Chappel, I have been thinking about Paul and his method of pastural care.  when it comes i’m sure they will be half baked ideas needing more reflection, but there is definatly a post in that one.

 

•  My wife & I will become Parents in just under 4 weeks or so – I’m thinking through Baptism - to sprinkle as a baby or hold off till he has some sort of understanding about whats happening and why?

 

• I’m working on my next post on the ‘39 Articles of Religion’, thinking about the divinity and humanity of Jesus and why it is so important.

 

So thats the thoughts of my random mind at the moment – see you then.

Thankfulness

We had a cracking talk at Community Chappel at MTC yesterday on thankfulness, preached by Peter Brain, the Bishop of Armidale.

 It was a great encouragment and reminder that as Christians, if we really want to be seen in the world as being different, then we should be thankful.

Now i’m not saying that we should only be thankful for what Jesus has done on the cross for us, but thankful for the little things in life and the things that can seem an inconvenience.

The big challenge is to ensure that we are constantly thankful, perhaps the greatest example of this is the apostle Paul in his introduction to his letter to the church in Philippi. This is what he writes:

I thank my God every time I remember you.  In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,  being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me.

Philippians 1:3-7 

Paul is also thankful for the church in Corinth, a church that was divided and full of failures. 

What can you be thankful for?