31 Oct Don’t miss out!
As I announced at Care & Share the other day, “The Prodigal has returned!” again 😉
My trip was great, but I’m certainly glad to be home again. So let’s get stuck into what we’re looking forward to this coming weekend so you don’t miss out!
As always, let’s do this in order…
- Zoom Bible Study Catch-up – we’ll re-cap the Reformation…John 8:31-36 & Proverbs 3:5-12. Here’s the question, “What’s best about a life of truth?”
Friday 1st November 2024 @ 1:00 p.m.
Join Zoom Meeting — https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83006349720 — Meeting ID: 830 0634 9720 - Sunday 3rd November is Giving Beyond Ourselves Sunday for Red Frogs. Red Frogs provides safe alternatives & some sense of safety for schoolies week celebrations across Australia. This is a very worthy effort. As always…be generous!
- Sunday 3rd November – Living Water Church Picnic at the Botanic Gardens immediately following worship. Think how much fun you’re going to have riding the little trains!!!! We’ll head over immediately after worship and ride the trains & have lunch. Remember to wear closed-toe shoes. The good volunteers from the Model Train Society don’t want to have to go find a lost toe somewhere along the track. Apologies for being graphic…but they really don’t! This is another great opportunity to bring a friend with you!
- Looking ahead to Christmas…yes I said Christmas:
Christmas Eve is Tuesday, 24th December – Worship will most likely be at 7:00 p.m. Ask Liz or Philippa how you can help out!
Christmas Day is Wednesday, 25th December – Worship will most likely be at 9:00 a.m. A few more hands here too would be great! Talk to Liz and Philippa.
- And I don’t know about you…but I’ve already started looking at 2025:
The last Sunday of 2024 is 29th December & the first Sunday of 2025 is 5th January…if you’re around between those two Sundays, I’m wondering if a few of us can get together to pray for all that God has given us in 2024 & to be ready to receive & share his gifts in 2025. I’d like us to start a pattern of praying ourselves into each new season. Talk to me and we’ll work something out.
My big disappointment in my trip to Texas was that the US is deep into an incredibly & increasingly ugly election season. There are lots of races across the country, even though the Presidential race grabs most of the attention. What struck me, more even than the venomous nature of the campaigning for President, was the outright lying about candidates and their positions. The accusations didn’t even make sense and were easily disprovable…but there they were in speech after speech, interview after interview, TV ad upon TV ad…
I mentioned a few weeks back that Hannah Arendt, Jewish/German historian & philosopher, noted that the point of lying like this isn’t that people believe the lies (that’s just a bonus if people do) but that they stop believing in anything, and once that takes place they can be manipulated into doing anything. I’m not confident about the “peaceful transition of power” in the aftermath of this election. My gut sense is that the viciousness of the campaign & the maliciousness of the lies is designed to create an atmosphere where post-election violence is the expectation not the exception. Everyone I talked to had a similar sense…We’ve already seen two attempted assassination attempts on former President Trump…I truly pray that there are cooler heads that prevail and in four years’ time this is just a bad memory that gives way to a better season.
In that context I take Jesus’ promise seriously:
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” – John 14:27
We are not, from any leader, party, platform, or project, going to have a peace that matches what Christ alone can provide. Come what may, here, there, or anywhere in between, Christ’s peace alone restores & rebuilds what we destroy. His peace lasts longer than any election cycle or party’s promises. His peace sustains when it seems all else collapses.
Let’s hold on to that in every season,
See y’all Sunday!
John
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