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Sunday 19th July: Online Worship – Spiritual resources in the time of COVID-19 “Grace”

Friends greetings!

Grace and peace be with you.

We are truly known by God from the top of our heads to the tip of our toes … there is not a thought we have ever had that is not known to God …

And rather than this being something to fear … this is so liberating!

God knows us, loves us, accepts us … as we really are!  There is an old word for this, Grace!  Grace… Undeserved favour.

Thanks to Nilu and Sahar for helping out with readings and prayers this week!

You can watch the service here:

If you are after some more listening music, you might enjoy this offering “Shelter me” from “Spiritu”:

Those of us in the areas of Victoria that are not at level 3 restrictions want to assure those of you who are that you are very much in our thoughts and prayers.

Go forth into the world in peace;

be of good courage;

hold fast that which is good;

render to no one evil for evil;

strengthen the faint-hearted;

support the weak;

help the afflicted;

honour all people;

love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

 

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Messy Church this Friday 17th July

Hi Messy Church Friends!

 

Our next Messy Church Zoom will be 4:30pm Friday 17th July- put it on the calendar! The story we will be reading is Jonah and the Whale.

You can read it in the Old Testament part of the Bible. The book of Jonah is small enough to read the whole story if you would like, or you might have a story book about it.

Some fun things are happening during our actual Messy Church Zoom Meeting- including catching up and seeing all our friends!

Some things to have ready for our craft:

*Before our meeting could you print out the attached drawing of Jonah praying inside a whale?

Jonah 1

*Find an empty shoe box, or recycled box or piece of paper to make an underwater scene you can put your decorated Jonah and the whale in

*maybe a torch to shine in your box when we show everyone – you might have some of these kind of lights to stick inside your box:

 

Here’s a quick little video on making a diorama which might give you some ideas:

*coloured pencils, textas, glue sticks, scissors. You could also cut out pictures of fish, seaweed or shells to decorate your underwater scene – let your imagination go wild!

*dancing and singing too!

We can’t wait to share together with you the story of Jonah and the Whale and what it means for us in today’s world.  Teens and adults might like to take a look at this overview of Jonah ahead of time:

We miss you, we hope you’re well and safe, and we look forward to seeing you again on Friday July 19th  at 4:30pm.

Love from St Luke’s Messy Church: Barbara, Shaghek, Paul, Judy, Jean and Robyn

 

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Sunday 12th July: Online Worship – Spiritual resources in the time of COVID-19

Dear friends,

Recent events have demonstrated clearly that COVID-19 is an aggressive virus which will not be easily thwarted.  As a people of faith, we have resources to support us through these days.

In our last worship video we reflected on the hope Jesus offers, summarised in the words of the great invitation   “Come to me all you that are weary and carrying heavy burdens and I will give you rest.”

Today we will be exploring some more resources of the faith.

As part of this we will hear from Rhonda Dingle who will offer some guidance for stilling our souls and minds … and opening ourselves to God.

For singing this week, Beth recommends “Great is Thy Faithfulness” – you might enjoy singing along with this gently acoustic version from Maranatha Music:

To learn more about Christian Meditation, Rhonda recommends

“Mindfulness and Christian Meditation” by Tim Stead

available through The Wellspring Centre in Ashburton and also Book Depository.

Big thanks to our helpers this week:

Rhonda Dingle, Western Heights UC (Being Still segment)

Shaghek Qassabyan (Bible Readings)

Abigail and Zoe Hodge McAvaney (Prayers)

 

 

May the grace of Christ attend you,

the love of God surround you,

and the Holy Spirit keep you,

this day and forever.

Amen.

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Winter lights for Dark nights in July

We’ve hunted teddy bears and drawn rainbows – now that long winter nights are here, what better time to bust out the Christmas lights to bring a bit of joy and show our support for everyone working to keep our community safe. You could string up a heart, a rainbow, or a message of love and light – use your imagination!

Light up the dark nights with hope at your house

Take a photo of your lights and send them to info@stlukesuca.org.au – get your street involved and let’s share hope in Highton!

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Sunday 5th July: Online Worship – The Great Invitation

Photo credit: Inzmam Khan https://www.pexels.com/@inzmam-khan-368018

Dear Friends,

Matthew 11: 28 … which is sometimes called “The great invitation” contains a hope-filled message for our time.

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

Jesus invites us to come to him because he is here for us’ Come to him and not to those who actually pile up the burdens, who add to the worries.

Jesus says, “Come to me, all you that are weary and carrying heavy burdens…” In other words, we don’t have to come to Jesus when we have it all sorted out, when we have got our religion right, our faith right, when we are in great shape … No … Jesus invites us to come as we are right now … with all our baggage … all our fears and anxieties … all our limitations and sins … all that ails us …

Jesus says, “… I will give you rest …”

This rest is more than a break from work and activity, the Greek word that is translated “rest” is “anapausis” and evokes the experience of weary travellers finding an oasis in the desert.

  “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

Surely a word for our time.

Paul.

 

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Sunday 28th June: Online Worship – Jesus was a refugee

A special welcome to the members of the Belmont Congregation of the Uniting Church who are sharing with us this week and next week, while Rev. Ikani Vaitohi is enjoying a couple of weeks of very well-deserved leave.

We are reflecting this week on the experience of refugees, asylum seekers, displaced persons, migrants … those who have left their places of birth and set out on journeys to new lands.

As part of this service you will hear the story of Shoghig Araboglian and her family.  We are very grateful to Shoghig for sharing her story so that we can all grow in our understanding.

Thanks to Sue, Shoghig, Marina and Shaghek for helping to present worship today.   Thanks also to The String Contingent for granting permission to use their evocative music in today’s video presentation – an amazing and generous group of musicians, some of whom have spent time in Afghanistan teaching music at the Afghan National Institute of Music in 2016.

For a song today you might enjoy this version of “The Blessing” sung by people from churches all over Australia, including some Uniting Churches and some Geelong churches – an ecumenical project!

If you would like to hear more stories from refugees in Australia, see these stories recommended by the Refugee Council of Australia:

 

Some local folk who have attended the Sacred Edge Festival in the past will recognise Mariam Issa, a “festival favourite” introducing a Global Storytelling night for Refugee Week 2020:

You might like to make this your “Family Movie night” this week!

And:

May the grace of Christ attend you,

the love of God surround you,

and the Holy Spirit keep you,

this day and forever.

Amen.

 

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Uniting Food for Families

As the ripples of COVID-19 restrictions continue to be felt in our community, Uniting’s Emergency Assistance pantries are experiencing higher demand.  Now that we no longer gather each Sunday in person, the number of food donations to Uniting from St. Luke’s is dropping.

But!  You can still help!

The church office is open between 10am and 12 noon on Tuesdays and Fridays to receive donations in our trolley – these are take to Uniting by Jean Daw who is a regular volunteer there.

Jean has advised that the following items are currently needed:

  • Tinned Peas and Carrots
  • Laundry liquid or powder
  • Toothpaste
  • Rice
  • Cooking oil – 500ml sized bottle

The regular list of items for you to add to your shopping includes:

  • Pasta, rice and noodles
  • Flour, polenta and couscous
  • Tinned tomatoes, pasta sauces
  • Beans, chickpeas and lentils
  • Tinned tuna, salmon and ham
  • Soups, curries and vegetables
  • Baby food, nappies and formula
  • Spreads – e.g. jam, Vegemite
  • Long life milk and cheese
  • Tea, coffee, Milo and sugar
  • Stir fry sauces and soy sauce
  • Coconut milk and coconut cream
  • Breakfast cereal and muesli bars
  • Toothpaste and toothbrushes
  • Shampoo, conditioner and soap

Please remember to:

  • Give undamaged, packaged items
  • Check the expiry date
  • Make sure food is sealed
  • Make sure the label is visible
  • Get friends and family involved
  • Share on social media
  • Check drop off locations

Your donation of a few items from your weekly shopping makes a huge impact on our ability to help people in need – thanks for your support!

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June edition of Crosslight available online

Synod Communications team is continuing to produce Crosslight, however while the current lockdowns are in place, it will only be available online, as either a “flip book” (which can be read on screen) or as a printable PDF. The June “Flip book”edition is available at:

https://issuu.com/ ucavictas/docs/2020cross_06june

We hope to resume publishing the printed version of Crosslight for the next edition in August. News and feature stories are posted to Crosslight’s website on a regular basis available at: www.crosslight.org.au