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CARING AS CHRIST
Luke
12:32-34
Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your
Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Sell your possessions and give alms. Make
purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an
unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes
near and no moth destroys.
For where you treasure is, there your heart will be
also.
Luke
12:35-38
Be dressed for action and
have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting
for their master to return from the wedding banquet,
so that they may open the door for him as soon as he
comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves
whom the master finds alert when comes; truly I tell
you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down
to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes
during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and
finds them so, blessed are those slaves.
Luke
12:39-40
But know this: if the owner
of the house had known at what hour the thief was
coming, he would not have let his house be broken
into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is
coming at an unexpected hour.
Did you know . . .?
. . . that the Op Shop has been
operating since 1987. It began its life in the foyer
on Friday and Saturday mornings. The cottage came
along in 1998. The Op Shop is staffed by
volunteers, not all of whom are members of our
church.
This is a much needed outreach to the community in
which we live by the Body of Christ at St Thomas’.
. . . that the Men’s Group has
been meeting since 1999. Although the women of
the congregation tease them mercilessly about
“secret men’s business”, this is a strong fellowship
that is valued highly by all who participate in it.
All the males in the congregation (and their
friends) are welcome each 1st Saturday of the month
at 9.00am.
. . . that there are many ways
in which you can participate in the worship life and
mission of our congregation.
Assistance is always needed to clean the building,
providing hospitality by serving morning tea,
greeting people at the door on Sunday, volunteering
in the Op Shop, joining the choir or offering to
serve on the Church Council; the list goes on.
Why not consider what you can do to support your
congregation. Just ask!
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CARING FOR CHRIST
Luke
13:10-13
Now he was teaching in one of
the synagogues on the Sabbath. And just then there
appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her
for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite
unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he
called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free
from your ailment.” When he laid his hands on her,
immediately she stood up straight and began praising
God.
Luke
13:14-16
But the leader of the
synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the
Sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, “There are six
days on which work ought to be done; come on those
days and be cured, and not on the Sabbath day.” But
the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites!
Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or
his donkey from the
manger, and lead it away to give it water? And ought
not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan
bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this
bondage on the Sabbath day?
Luke
13:17
When he said this, all his
opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd
was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he
was doing.
Think about this . . .
. . . it was once stated that
the church is the only organisation that is in
existence for the benefit of its members. Members of
the church - the body of Christ - in response to
their call to discipleship, should always think
about how they could help others.
. . . in this 24 / 7 world in
which we live, it is difficult to find a Sabbath day
(a day of rest). It is becoming more difficult
for some people to come to church on a Sunday
morning. How many more people could we assist
if we held worship services at other times?
. . . the
ministry of Jesus was subversive in that it was
counter to the accepted forms of ministry of the
time. How can we be radical in the way that we show
Christ’s face to our community?
. . . the Uniting Church in
Australia has a strong commitment to Social Justice
and the Environment. There are dedicated units as
part of the Synod of Victoria and Tasmania working
on these issues. How could our congregation
utilise this work of our church in the
Craigieburn community
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CARING WITH CHRI ST
Luke
14:25-27
Now large crowds were
travelling with him; and he turned and said to them,
"whoever comes to me and does not hate father and
mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters,
yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.
Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me
cannot be my disciple".
Luke
14:28-32
For which of you, intending to build a tower, does
not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see
whether he has enough to complete it? Other wise,
when he has laid a foundation and is not able to
finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him
saying, ‘this fellow began to build and was not able
to finish.’ or what king, going out to wage war
against another king, will not sit down first and
consider whether he is able with ten thousand to
oppose the one who comes against him with twenty
thousand? If he cannot, then, while the other is
still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for
the terms of peace.
Luke
14:33
So therefore, none of you can
become my disciple if you do not give up all your
possessions.
What if . . .
. . . all members of our
congregation committed themselves to being part of
the mission of our church. Just imagine what we
could achieve with the valuable contribution of so
many diverse, loving and creative gifts from God
Discipleship is demanding,
delightful and determined. If you follow Jesus, come
with all you are and all you have.
. . . all members of our
congregation committed themselves to come together
in fellowship at regular intervals. This would
achieve the flow on effect of everyone knowing each
other better, of caring for each other, in nurturing
the faith of others and in encouraging each other in
service to our community.
The
call to discipleship is an invitation to engagement
in radically inclusive love, living from the life of
the God of love and living with solidarity with all
who share that love.
. . . all members of
our congregation committed themselves to be part of
a prayer chain; actively praying for the needs of
our community, the work of the wider church, the
mission of our own congregation and for each other.
It is
not just about me, or about you; it is about
us and about them.
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we commit our time, talent and resources?