Liz’s opening prayer drew on an experience of a ‘thin place’ on a high mountain in Korea. As part of the prayer, we sang some lines from ‘How Great Thou Art’ unaccompanied. Lovely.

Then the story of Jesus’ transfiguration on the mountain, appearing to the disciples with Moses and Elijah, and their response – wanting to hold onto the moment, not quite understanding the mystery, transfigured themselves by the appearance of God among them.

Rod shared more of the story of the climb up that hill in Korea – it really was a very long climb – and invited us to think about our ‘thin places’, the places it feels easier to be aware of, close to, God. The Tasmanian mountains, under the gum tree in our back yard, under the stars … there are many places we find ourselves closer to God, touched by the Sacred more deeply and profoundly than ordinarily.

Rod’s reflection began with the story of St Patrick encountering God in the thin place of the Irish fields, then wove through the encounter of the disciples with Jesus on that mountain and our lives – theophanies being less about the event and more about what God says to us through the encounter, and our response. To finish, a challenge: yes, we encounter and listen to God in the thin places, but will we also seek God and listen for God among the poor, the hungry, those who are also seeking Love and Hope?

We sang the song Liz & I introduced earlier, prayed for our elders our world and ourselves, and were sent out into the world with God.

What a joy to share worship with our dear friends Rod and Liz – thank you.

A friend sent me this article, which is a wonderful reflection to begin the season of waiting and contemplation, approaching the cross once again through the story of Jesus.

There is a healing that comes when we are able to get up off the floor, having been knocked down by life’s challenges, illnesses and injuries.

Who are prophets in our time?

Does God speak prophetic words through those not named or called as ‘prophets’?

What is prophecy?

Prophets see and name what is, and what will follow as consequences of our actions. They name for us the possibilities of hope and redemption if we change our harmful ways. Prophets of God call us back to God. God will speak through those who are called as prophets, but also through others.

In our times, Martin Luther King Jr & Archbiship Desmond Tutu have acted out of faith in God and called people to envision and to realise dreams for equality in their communities. Greenpeace and Sea Shepherds have acted out of a commitment to creation and called people to envision and realise dreams for the protection of our earth.

We who follow God listen for God’s call, however it may come. And we may also be called to speak God’ call into God’s Way of Love.

Rev Geoff Bridge picked up the story of Jesus in Mark this Sunday, 5 February. Here’s part of his reflection:

(Mark 1:16-18) ‘Jesus recruits some likely lads … with whom he shares this good news and expects them to share it with all and sundry. They were invited to become fishers of men. I decided I didn’t much like that image … partly because of the sexist language, but also because it implies trapping of people.
I agree with Paul in Thessolonians: ‘We are not in the business of ensnaring people.’ A more contemporary image, and one consistent with the Jesus story might be that the nets could become networks.  So we see Jesus networking with Simon and Andrew, James and John. This network included many, many more – and many women – Mary and Martha, Mary of Magdalla, Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Susanna (Luke 8). Jesus and his friends create a network of love throughout all Galilee.
So much so, we hear in Mark 1:45, ‘Jesus went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news, and as a result he could no longer enter a town … yet the people still came to him from everywhere.’
You and I have been included in this network of love.  It’s pretty clear what is required of us!
Note – so far in the story, none of this has happened in a holy place – sanctuary, temple, church – Jesus is baptised in a river, he spends time in a desert, he befriends fishermen by a lake.
The good news is meant to be lived out in our ordinary day to day lives!’

Jesus has called us, God affirms us, the Spirit leads us – to spread the good news, which is ‘a great affirmation of you and me, of those we love, even of those we love to hate, and affirmation of the world and all creatures.’

The stories were of Jonah, and of the two sets of brothers called from their fishing to follow Jesus (Mark 1).

Jonah is called to bring a message of love to people who are the enemies of his people – and because he can’t bring himself to obey this call, Jonah runs away. are there times we have been called to forgive, to love those who have hurt us, and we don’t think we will be able to do it?

James and John leave their family behind – or do they? how might our love for our family expand to love for the broader family of humanity?

We lit candles for our young people who were confirmed in the park two weeks ago, and prayed for Kirsty who is moving interstate for study.

The challenge to us is this: will we stand outside, run away from, the call of God to love, no matter how difficult or challenging or uncomfortable; or will we follow God’s way of love putting ourselves last in order to seek the best for ourselves – for each other, together?

The stories for today were of Samuel hearing God calling, but needing Eli to help him recognise the voice of God; Jesus calling Philip and Nathaniel; and Paul’s words to the Corinthians on the Holy Spirit dwelling within us.

It was really interesting to take the idea I had as I wrote the SeasonsFUSION worship outline in late 2010 and see how it would work with our community. So we invited people to write their name on a piece of paper and put it in a basket as they arrived (with the stewards joking it was a raffle for who would lead worship next week!). We’re not usually terribly prompt in getting started with our worship gatherings, and we were a little later even this morning, to give the last few arrivals a chance to include their names in the basket.

We don’t often do a procession (often as people are gathering, I wander among them in my alb & stole, greeting people, meeting visitors, catching up on how people are); I think singing ‘O God we call’ as the worship leader and I walked down the aisle worked alright – we were celebrating communion, and when the children are in Sunday School we have had them bring the elements to the table with the offering as they return for communion, so processing the elements in with the candle and the names worked well I think.

We had people stand as their names were called out – seemed to spark a little interest as it was something a bit different. And we had the call to worship spoken by four voices from where they were standing – calling from among the community. I liked that.

The opening prayer was another moment, like at Advent 2, when we had shared some struggles of the community, and some joys, and the words felt like just the right words for the moment. Again, it was extra special for me that these words were ‘my’ words for my people. Thank you to Seasons for offering me these moments.

I told the story of Samuel – I felt we might have been a bit ‘drama-ed’ out after Christmas, we’re a small congregation, so we didn’t use the drama from the materials, but the kids seemed to really like the chance to decorate the picture of the Temple where Samuel slept.

In the reflection, I posed questions of what is God calling us to, and how do we discern it is God – we shared together for 5 or 10 mins in smaller groups, and some of what we shared was that God calls us in various ways, with feelings, through the story of Jesus, and personally, intimately; and that we know a call is of God when we feel at peace, ‘right’ about a decision, we can look back and see that God was present with us, or look in the moment for confirmation of decisions by the path we choose continuing to lead us on.

Some thoughts that shaped my reflection are on my blog from yesterday. I drew on Paul’s letter to finish, with the reminder that God calls each of us individually but not for our own sake.

As you listen for God’s voice and discern with others the leading of the Spirit, what – who – are you called to be in the body of Christ? How does the Holy Spirit dwell within you and gift you for your fullness of being, and for the health and wholeness of the Body, the community?

Photo: Tim Lee

This Sunday we joined with Blackwood Uniting Church to gather for worship in Belair National Park. The two communities have a long history of partnering in God’s mission in this part of the world, and it’s great to be able to celebrate this relationship when we can by worshipping together. It does mean that we close our doors for one Sunday, though we would hope that visitors would join us in the park.

We had an extra special reason for celebrating the relationship between these two Uniting Church communities this week, as three young women were confirmed. The official name for this ritual is the reaffirmation of baptism called confirmation – it’s an opportunity for older children, youth or adults who were baptised as infants to make the claims of commitment to following God in Christ that their parents made on their behalf. Ministry with youth and young adults is shared by Blackwood and Belair Uniting Churches, with Blackwood taking the lead with YAG for high school aged youth, and Belair taking the lead with Spirited Conversations for young adults. The three young women who were confirmed had participated in either one or both of these groups.

Leanne Jenski and I plotted three sessions for conversation with the confirmees, one of which was an afternoon retreat at Stillpoint Spirituality Centre, and was the highlight of our preparation for confirmation. During the sessions, we gave thanks for the faith of our parents, families and church communities, and the way they had guided us, carried us, and made space for us to put our own feet on the path of Christian living. We explored some history of the Uniting Church, and came to appreciate this expression of the Body of Christ with its inclusivity and justice, and sense of being people on the way more than being an institution. We encountered the Biblical story, learnt more about how it all fits together, and were delighted to discover how much we already know, and to name what we want to explore next in the Sacred text of our tradition.

Photo: Adele Walker

On Sunday, then, after hearing the story of John the Baptiser & the baptism of Jesus, these young women responded to some questions, publicly making a commitment to following the Way of Christ, to breaking bread, and praying with the community of faith.

Photo: Tim Lee

Then we all remembered our baptism, reaffirmed our commitment to God’s Way of Love, and to living in community together. I particularly enjoyed the flicking of water over the people that is part of this ritual of remembering our baptism – though some of the fun was taken out of it by the rain, which had already made us all quite wet!

Despite the rain and cooler temperature, it was a moving celebration of God, creation, and our place in the Body of Christ.

So a young shepherd gathers us, the angel calls us to worship (and then we sing Angels from the realms of glory); Joseph leads us in a prayer of thanks, the inn keeper’s wife welcomes us and leads a prayer of confession; the young shepherd asks Joseph to please tell the story now, and Joseph begins, with the Inn Keeper’s wife taking over before the young shepherd tells their part of the story and Mary ‘ponders these things’.

A townsperson is reminded of a prayer / poem (psalm) from the Jewish tradition, and the angel (aka minister, Rev Sarah, in alb & angel wings!) invites the people to ponder what difference this story will make in our living?

This story of God seeing those who are forgotten by the world and long for hope, and coming among us. This story of God hearing the cries of those who suffer and yearn for peace, and coming among us. This story of God remembering God’s promises and restoring joy, coming among us. This story of God’s heart breaking out of love for all creation and wanting to restore relationship – and so coming among us.

The story we celebrate today is a story of profound love, deep hope, lasting peace – and exuberant joy! Can we hear this story and not be changed? Can we sing Joy to the world and not live joyfully? Can we sing of peace and still instigate conflict? Can we welcome the light of Christ among us and then hide it under a table, in a corner, keep it to ourselves??

What difference does this story make for you?

How will you respond with your living, through your relationships with the world?

Mary led our prayers for others, and we left on the wings of angels singing Hark the Herald Angels sing.

I hope the people enjoyed this telling of, this entering into, the story of the birth of Christ, as much as I did. And almost no one gathered would have known they were my words … my secret (until now) delight.

At this candlelight service, I was the musician, leading not with my voice this time, but with my clarinet. Peter, Margaret & David led the prayers and readings and reflections, and invited us to light candles from the Christ candle, lit now at Christmas, lit in the centre of the Advent candles of our waiting now over.

As we approached the story, we reflected on the image ‘Face to Face’ from the SeasonsFUSION materials, finding a place of anxiety, a place of love, within its colours and shapes. Michael Leunig says there is only fear and love at the heart of human emotion and motivation. I remember telling the story of one of John’s letters a couple of months ago, in which he says that ‘perfect’ (or complete, whole) love casts out fear. We heard the story of the birth of Christ, in which the invitation to participate in God’s Way of Love might be met with fear, or with love.

How will we respond?

They crafted a wonderful storytelling occasion, through acting and song. The tree who wanted to point to the sky realises that dream holding the messiah who is crucified then rises from death, and the tree who wants to carry kings on high seas realises that dream when the messiah stills the storm on the lake of Galilee standing on its beams.

As we sang well loved Christmas carols of angels and shepherds and Mary’s child, the third tree realises its dream of carrying great riches – as a manger holding this precious baby, God come among us as a human being.

There was humour as the woodcutters’ saws tickled the knees of the trees; poignancy as the first tree held the arms of Jesus; and, I hope, joy at the telling of this story again, as we invited the light of Christ to transform our lives and our world once more.

We also unveiled the banner the children have made through Advent: