Church News

Locum Letter – 7th January 2018

Christmas celebrates the coming of Christ to Israel. Epiphany the coming of Christ for all humanity. In some countries Epiphany is seen as more significant than Christmas and based on the arrival of the Magi from the east and their gift giving it is the time to exchange presents. It is I think sad that in Australia we tend to wrap up Christmas at the end of Boxing Day and move quickly to the long summer holidays. I am not suggesting we abandon the holiday but rather take a little more time to celebrate Christmas.

The three Magi we are told have a knowledge of astronomy as well as a bit of magic about them for frankincense and myrrh were used in spells and the word for wise men can also mean magician. Their humility and recognition of the Christ child stands in stark contrast to King Herod. Herod was a Jew but he refused to recognise Jesus. Instead he had all the male children under the age of two killed at the time of the birth of Jesus to protect his authority and power. This contrasts with the Magi the outsiders who find Jesus and humbly bow before him.

This poses for us a question for consideration. We Christians are supposed to know about Jesus and the call of discipleship but how often do we find ourselves being reminded from those outside the Church and faith when we fall short and fail to practice what we believe.

Epiphany invites us to overcome our prejudices and stereotypes and to be open to all people. Epiphany invites us to engage with the mystery of God for our time and place.

Happy Epiphany and New Year to all.

Shalom

Ray

 

Locum Letter 31st December 2017

Locum letter 31st December 2017

I hope you all had a very happy Christmas and continue to
enjoy the holiday season that follows.

On Boxing Day our son Tim, his wife Loubna and grand daughter Sarah arrived for three weeks from London. This is the first time the three grandchildren have been together, and they have each been watching and engaging with each other in different and friendly ways.

In our Australian context with warm and hot weather at this time of the year, the holiday season provides families and friends with opportunities to get together and
enjoy each other’s company. It is a time for reflection and preparation for the coming year and the making of new year resolutions.

In today’s Gospel the parents of the infant Jesus bring him to Jerusalem to fulfil the ritual according to the law of Moses of purification. Simeon and Anna model faithful Israelites who through their faith journey recognize the Child as the fulfilment of God’s promise. They give witness to Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary and the Shepherds in recognising the salvation promised is at hand.

On Wednesday we observed the Feast of the Holy Innocents remembering the slaughter of innocent children by Herod following the birth of Jesus. He was threatened and acted to eliminate any challenge to his power.

Today children across the world are murdered, threatened and abused because of the actions of evil regimes and power hungry governments and individuals.
I urge you to recognise the plight of children and commit yourself to safety of children and to preserve for them a healthy and prosperous future.

Shalom
Ray

The Reverend Canon Dr. Ray Cleary – Sermon for Advent 4

Advent 4 2017

Can you remember in your life a moment or occasion, a revelation, a life-changing event, a kind of moment after which life is never the same again? An AHA moment. I recall one of those moments, and there have been a few of them, when my life and the life of my family changed forever. I had been struggling with faith, or perhaps the Church, disillusioned and aggrieved at the Church’s response to matters of poverty, its inertia on many social and ethical issues of the day and the appearance that it always sided with those in authority. I had never had a conversion as my evangelical colleague ‘s claim. I have never doubted the existence of God although my knowledge and relationship with God has changed over the years and I feel is still changing.

As I was walking with our young children along the beach at Lorne one cold winter’s day, winter is always the best time at Lorne, no crowds, I suddenly said to myself out loud, ok God you win and I lose. I had thought of the possibility of Ordination for some years but my state of mind about the institution called the Church was not too appealing. If anything I was too radical for the Church. I have not always been very good as “simply towing the official line” if I believe it to be wrong and obeying authority for the sake of it. A rebellious steak still surfaces from time to time.

This Lorne moment was a profound moment for me along with my marriage, the birth of our children and now Grandchildren. We have as a family been richly favoured.

What have been your life changing experiences? The time when you were confident that you have made the right choice about your career or life long partner, or the death of a loved one or when listening to music, viewing art or simply being a friend to another. These are all life changing experiences, some immensely good for us and others that challenge who we are and what we believe. Sometimes we run away from such experiences or pretend they do not exist, while others we embrace with enthusiasm.

In today’s Gospel we read and hear of a momentous change event that must have been startling, unbelievable, astonishing, surprising and frightening to a young 15-16 year old girl. Mary lacks all the credentials that most human beings think important for anyone making such a dramatic change in history. What qualifications did Mary have for the task. Indeed almost everything is against her: age, inexperience, gender, material possessions and powerlessness. I wonder what Mary was doing at the time the angel Gabriel appeared to her.

Perhaps she was doing the household duties, fetching water, and thinking about her forthcoming marriage to Joseph, praying or scrubbing the floor? There is no mention in Luke’s Gospel as why Mary has been chosen to be the mother of Jesus. More is said about Joseph {he is of the house of David}. Even in the case of Zechariah and Elizabeth Luke explains that they are righteous and blameless. A word is not spoken about the virtues or vices of Mary. This of course is precisely the point. God chooses and Mary does not earn or deserve to be the mother of Jesus any more than any other woman.

Mary as we have just heard receives a shattering and awe inspiring moment. This is a moment that will change her life and the world forever. Her child would be different. I know from the birth of our own children and now grandchildren that we hope for normal healthy children and so do all parents. Mary on the other hand is not only to give birth by the Holy Spirit but her child is to be different. Her first reaction to this news is caution, silence and puzzlement. As we read in the Gospel, “She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean.”

Mary’s life would never be the same as it is with us when we have a life changing experience. How much Mary understood of what happened at the time is unclear but she does come to the realization that God is at work here and commits herself to be the voice and parent of this child Jesus. Her words in the Magnificent, {the song of Mary} as I said last week are revolutionary and challenges all that corrupts and exploits God’s world.

Mary’s world was turned upside down in a moment. She would never be the same. Her story gives her a unique place in history. But the story is much more than history. It is historic.

Mary’s role in the story of Jesus is sadly often sentimentalized and ignored. She is a mother yes but much more. She sings a song of God proclaiming God and sees hope and aspiration not in celebrities, power brokers, bullies and oppressors, not in the rich or rich places but in the God who turns the world upside down by filling those who are hungry for grace and peace and sending the rich and complacent away empty.

Some of my own experiences in my work at Anglicare occurred when I heard and listened to the stories of children and young people and the darkest periods of their life and the change in their lives by love, care and the attention of Foster parents form good families. The light shines in the darkest places when we embrace the light.

I suggest the world needs to hear Mary’s song, perhaps more than ever, as we are a world obsessed with materialism, wealth accumulation and self-interest.

The question for us today and not only us but for all those rushing around at this time of the year is, are we willing, even able to allow God to transform our lives and the lives of those around us, even for a minute.

Amen

The Reverend Canon Dr. Ray Cleary – Sermon for Christmas Day

Christmas 2017

There is often a contrast, a difference between words spoken, ideas expressed and the experience each of us feel and see in the world around us. The message of Christmas is no exception. Expressions of hope to be found in words of ‘peace and goodwill to all’ are too often blemished by acts of war, terrorism, abuse of power, ignorance, self-interest and greed. The words we express at Christmas of peace and goodwill do not necessarily reflect our actions, policies or lives day by day. Our highest ideals of a safe, secure and compassionate community often destroyed by acts of vandalism, aggression and greed. Once again we have seen the tragedy of innocent lives injured with the act of a delusional and drug affected driver on Thursday evening in the city centre. The drowning of a father rescuing his two children from the sea at Skynes creek is another reminder of tragedy at Christmas time. Then there are the road accidents that change the lives of families and individuals forever and the over consumption of alcohol that brings other tragedies.

Families under siege or persecution are unlikely to experience Christmas as a happy and joyous occasion if their very life, their identity and sense of belonging is under threat, and their homes or place are being vilified or destroyed. Others for whom life is an ongoing struggle are pressured into purchasing gifts for their children and others they cannot afford out of guilt. We can only ponder on how asylum seekers and refuges across the Globe are experiencing the season if any, with a sense of joy and peace at this time. The plight of the women of Sudan living in refugee camps in Uganda with the murder of their husbands, and new born children is a chilling reminder to us all of the fragility of the global human family. Of course this is a reflection not only of others but the Church also. Over and over again I have been told stories of people hurt by the actions and words of the church and who see little substance to words of love and forgiveness.

The starkness of this statement will be seen this year in the celebrations of Christmas in Bethlehem the birthplace of Jesus, where the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine shatters the message of hope proclaimed in the Christ child.

Likewise a parent who has lost a child or who has experienced personal hurt during the year may feel apprehensive or ambivalent about the Christmas season.

At home here in Australia, as in many other parts of the world Christmas celebrations this year will be muted by the threats of war, and unrest in many parts of the globe. Some municipal Councils have decided to ignore Christmas, although still have parties for their staff. Others will experience little joy due to homelessness, family violence and loneliness. During my time at Anglicare Foster children who went home at Christmas often returned early, and were distressed by what they experienced and saw at home.

Christmas however has the capacity and the potential to be a change experience and to be a time for the celebration of the potential of the human family to live in harmony and to pursue justice. This claim is at the heart of the religious message of Christmas, but it equally applies to a multicultural celebration of the season. Luke reminds us that the God of the universe snuck into world as a baby, not arriving in power and beauty but in poverty. He came for the life of all not just the religious and compliant.

Christmas condemns all acts of terrorism. Christmas denounces all misuse of power and greed. Christmas is more than family celebrations and the buy at all costs marketing we have experienced over the past few weeks. It is not only about giving but also receiving. Christmas seeks to offer a way forward, a challenging and radical way forward that acknowledges our capacity for evil and yet abounds in hope.

In the birth of the Christ child God enters fully into the created world and challenges the powers that seek to destroy and exploit. To acknowledge such a faith commitment is to commit all of us to the discovery of God in human lives often in the places we least expect to find him.

This Christmas the question each of us should ask ourselves is ‘who is the victim and who the perpetrator of poverty, hunger and homelessness’? How have we as Christians contributed to people turning their back on God and faith? How may we make amends? A close examination of the answers is likely to be both disturbing and challenging. The answers are likely to challenge our talk, our judgements, and moralising about others.

Christmas is more than tinsel, parties and family gatherings. Christmas seeks to restore hope and proclaims peace as possible. The infant child of Bethlehem symbolises the potential of every new child to act and live according to the words of the prophet Micah, “to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God”.

So be it this Christmas.