A few random thoughts about the media

I flipped on the television on Boxing Day. The presenters on our national broadcaster’s morning show were discussing the fact that many people in Australia do not celebrate Christmas, as they are of faiths other than Christianity or of no faith at all. They stated that many people chose to take advantage of the holiday to go to the beach or local parks and have picnics and play cricket.

I wonder why it was deemed necessary to make such remarks. From memory I don’t recall hearing the same thing during Ramadan or Buddha’s birthday or Chinese New Year. These festivals are duly mentioned respectfully in the media. Why is it that anything Christian is automatically reason for the media, the ABC in particular to be scornful and negative?

Our western civilisation is built upon Christian values. Our system of law derives from canonical law. The values that we hold dear are delineated in scripture- the equality of all men, honesty in business dealings, consideration for our neighbours, faithfulness in marriage. We temper justice with mercy.  We seek forgiveness and reconciliation rather than vengeance.

Anyone who states that all religions are harmful and much the same would do well to seriously research the tenets of the major faiths. There are major differences between them.

Which of course is why Christians are singled out for ridicule. If you abuse and mock Christianity, the worst thing that’s going to happen to you is that you will be prayed for. People are free to adopt or discard Christianity without ramifications. And Christians believe that all people are of one blood (Acts 17:26) made in the image of God, so do not regard anyone of another ethnicity or religion as in any way inferior.

So the next time that the media decides to rubbish the Christian faith, especially at times that are of deep significance to Christians such as Christmas or Easter, I would question what their agenda is and why the same deference is not accorded to Christianity as they seem able to do to other faiths.

  

Merry Christmas

There is no snow here,
no frosty night
But in the blistering heat we celebrate
that Christ
is far more than traditions
and tinsel
and caroling and gourmet food
for all around the world
in wintry depths of snow
and broad savannahs
from pole to pole, on sea, in skies
in furthest lands
the Lord of hosts
the Saviour of the world
the babe of Bethlehem
is risen,
to rule and reign
our Saviour,  glorious King.

To everyone who has been a part of this blog over the last year, may you have a blessed and happy Christmas with family and friends and may God fill your heart with His peace and hope throughout 2015. with love from Jo xx

flowering gums, Christmas eve 2014

Shepherds

Not for the likes of us

Warm beds, fine clothes, good food.

Dirty and poor

We walk the night watches on thorny ground

With sheep, those dumb creatures

Like as not to wander

Bleating and fooling each other

Still

With a certain affection

We tend the fires

Keep them safe from prowling wolves

and thieves

Night after night, monotonous year after year

Nobody turns an eye

to the likes of us

Yet we too have our talents-

Scouring the nostrils of newly-born lambs until

they heave with the breath of life

Watching the skies

Telling the seasons

Knowing when

the rains will begin and end
and the fresh green shoots will pierce
the thirsty ground
Relating the stories of old

that our fathers told each other

Then, one beauteous night

One dazzling star

So unlike any other

Who would believe

that angels sang around us

And we followed

There, to a lonely stable

To a baby born a king,

Glorious, wonderful,

A story for our children’s children,

Praise Him

because He came

for the likes of us.

Wise Men

To this end, we had been searching

Many a decade long

Feeling inside an unknown emptiness

We named it not, but knew

It travelled beside us many a dusty road

Where lights of taverns, games of chance

and richest banquets set before us

did not satisfy

And all the wells of knowledge could not slake

this thirst

A memory lost in time, so long ago

We clutched and guessed at meaning

Hope flickering like the last breath

of wintry night on candlelight

And we, the three

Wise or foolish, who could say

Waited, watched

and in one glorious burst of light,

Followed.

Jo Collett 04/12/14

Summer of tears instead of cricket

Rest in peace Phillip Hughes
with sincere sympathy, thoughts and prayers to your family, friends and fellow players.

Aussies love our cricket. One of the first presents a baby boy is likely to receive is a miniature cricket bat. Favourite childhood memories might well revolve around games in the local park, or on the beach, with boys and girls of all ages and sizes yelling “Howzat!” and dreaming of one day wearing a baggy green cap. Our heroes include Allan Border and Steve Waugh and “the Don” - the immortal Sir Donald Bradman, whom, legend tells, spent his boyhood honing his skills by hitting a cricket ball against a wall with a cricket stump.
In the long hot Australian summertime, cricket keeps us sane, a glorious distraction, the white clad players the epitome of coolness under pressure. Strangers meeting for a brief time will ask, “how’s the cricket going today, have you heard?” Cricket is noted for its fair play and sportsmanship. Anything else is "just not cricket."
No family barbeque is quite complete without somebody grabbing a bat and encouraging everyone from grandparents to toddlers and the family dog to run off the effects of over-indulgence. What an anticlimax Boxing Day would be if it weren’t for the chance to relax, eat leftovers and enjoy the traditional Boxing Day Test.
But this season is unlike any other.
We learned that life can change in a moment, in a single, heart-wrenching freak accident.
All over Australia people are standing their cricket bats and caps outside their doors, a tribute of love and respect and solidarity.
In a little while, we’ll pick them up again and play cricket with the kids and watch the Poms battle for the Ashes and shout “Howzat!” – because we know that these are the times that make memories and our kids deserve that.
For anyone who needed reminding, we learned this week to treasure those we love.

The Gospel / How do I become a Christian?

(This post is reprinted periodically)

The Gospel

In the beginning, God, (God the Father, Jesus Christ his only Son and the Holy Spirit), created the heavens and the earth and everything in it, including the first man, Adam and the first woman, Eve. God created humans to live in relationship with Him, but gave them free will to either obey Him or be disobedient. Satan, the devil, whom the Bible identifies as a fallen angel, tempted Eve to sin by disobeying God and she in turn tempted Adam to also disobey God. For their disobedience Adam and Eve were cast away from God’s presence and the wonderful life God had created for them and through them all their descendents were destined to be born sinful.

Yet throughout history there have been men and women who sought after God. Humanity became so depraved that God destroyed the earth with a global flood, but saved Noah and his family. Through Abraham God established the nation of Israel, who would be God’s favoured people. Moses, Abraham’s descendent, led the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt and received the Ten Commandments and many laws of conduct. Because of the sinful nature of man, these laws were not kept, and a system of animal sacrifices was instituted to make atonement for the sins of the people. However, the people both individually and as a nation continued in a cycle of falling away from God and returning to Him.

During the history of the nation of Israel there were prophets who foretold that a Saviour would be born, to save humanity from its sinfulness. Their prophecies were fulfilled when Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem. Jesus is the only Son of God. He was sent to this earth and lived amongst us as a human, without losing His divine nature. In all things Jesus honoured and obeyed His Father, God. During His ministry on earth, Jesus performed many miracles and taught us regarding God’s nature and way of living. He was tempted by Satan but was without sin. He travelled with a group of disciples who were the foundation of the church – God’s people on earth.

In the same way that animals had been sacrificed to make atonement for man’s sin, it was the purpose of God to send Jesus to earth to become a total sacrifice, once and for all time, for fallen humanity. As was His destiny, Jesus was arrested, tried for heresy and crucified on a hill outside Jerusalem called Calvary. At the time of Christ’s death the curtain in the Jewish temple was torn apart, symbolising that the old system of God only being able to be approached by certain people and in certain places, was finished.

Now all could come into right relationship with God through the shed blood of Jesus, by committing their lives to Him in repentance and faith.

The Bible tells us that Jesus descended into hell and has total dominion over Satan and evil. On the third day Christ rose from the dead and appeared to his disciples and many others on earth. He gave his disciples the “great commission” to go into all nations and preach the gospel. Forty days after his resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven.

After Jesus ascended to heaven, God sent the Holy Spirit to the earth at Pentecost (ten days after Jesus’ ascension). The Holy Spirit is not only alive in the world, but indwells in those who have committed themselves wholly to God and gives such attributes as comfort, counsel, power and discernment. God's temple is now not a building, but the people in whom His spirit dwells. In the same way the church is not a building but the body of Christian believers on earth.

The Bible tells of spiritual battles between good and evil in both earthly and heavenly realms. It includes indications of great tribulation yet to come. We are told that Christ will return to this earth, the second coming, when He will defeat the evil forces raging in the world and will judge the living and the dead.

We who have committed our lives to Christ still struggle in our humanity with temptation to sin, and must choose daily to live in obedience to His will. We grow in our faith through prayer, study and reflection of God’s word, the Bible; and by meeting regularly in fellowship with other Christians.

All this is a fairly factual summary of some of the content of the Bible. But most of all, our lives as Christians are lives that are transformed. We know a love that surpasses anything. We know a deep joy within our spirits springing from God's Holy Spirit within us. We know a power beyond ourselves which touches others and transforms them too. We have a confidence that even when life is difficult and deeply sad and broken and disappointing, we have a relationship which sustains and comforts and gives us hope. God is faithful and He has the best in store. Christianity is not a killjoy set of rules which will spoil your fun. It's the most fantastic life you could ever hope to imagine....and then some more.

How do I become a Christian?

The Bible tells us that there is only one way to relationship with God and that is through Jesus Christ:

"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)

“Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”. (John 14:5-6)

To become a Christian, you need to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He died on the cross to honour God and for the forgiveness of sin and that He rose again and ascended to His Father God.

You also need to admit or confess that you are a sinner in need of God’s forgiveness through Christ. This is known as repentance. Repentance involves confessing that we have done wrong, saying sorry to God and committing to living a life in obedience to God's ways. Becoming a Christian does not make you suddenly perfect. We all still struggle with temptations and failures in this earthly life and continually need God's grace and forgiveness. Repentance does mean that we look to God for wisdom and guidance to resist temptation.

You then need to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. Just as a wedding ceremony begins a marriage, so a prayer of confession and faith can begin, but is just the beginning, of a relationship with God. An ongoing relationship includes learning about God through Bible study; baptism, conversations with God through prayer, and encouragement through Christian fellowship in a caring church.

The following is a prayer which could be used to begin this relationship. You may wish to pray it alone, personally, or you may wish to discuss your decision with a Christian friend or pastor first to fully understand:

Dear Heavenly Father God,

I come before You acknowledging You as the only one God- Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Thank You for revealing Yourself to me. Thank You, Father God, for sending Your only Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross, honouring You and making a way for sinful people to come back into relationship with You. I acknowledge that I am a sinner. Please forgive my sin and cleanse me I pray. I receive Jesus Christ into my life to be my Lord and Saviour for the rest of my days. May You give me strength through the power of the Holy Spirit to live my life as a Christian. I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour. Amen

May God bless you with an ever-increasing knowledge of His wonderful presence and endless love as you continue to seek and serve Him.

Ephesians 3:14-20 :

^"For this reason I kneel before the Father,  from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.  I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,  and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen

Don't refuse Him!

"See to it that you do not refuse Him who speaks" Hebrews 12: 25

God, the gentlest of Fathers and gentlemen, does not force His presence on anyone. He waits to be invited into our lives. He's created not a race of robots, but men and women with free will, to commit themselves to loving and obeying His ways, and thus living a life of joy and purpose; or deciding to follow his or her own sinful nature, being our own god and living a life which leads to decay and death. There is no greater decision that anyone will make in their earthly life than to accept or refuse the loving Heavenly Father who created them.

A prayer of repentance and faith in Jesus Christ is the first step to becoming a Christian. Periodically I republish an outline of the Gospel and How Do I become a Christian? on this blog. If you are not already a Christian, I hope that you will read and consider these articles.

There are many websites on the internet which will help to explain what it means to be a Christian e.g. christianity.com and christianity.net.au and I recommend listening to Ravi Zacharias on YouTube if you would like to hear some pertinent Christian discussion on a range of topical issues, including why Christianity is different to all other religions.

This life is short in the light of eternity. Our brief lives here will end, and those of us who persevere in our faith until the end look forward to what is described in Hebrews 22:

"You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel."