Sunday 16 Nov 2008Entrusted with God given talents One of my interests is the etymology or origin of words. I was therefore interested when I looked up the origin of the word ‘talent’ in the Shorter Oxford Dictionary this week to discover that it is defined as a “mental endowment, natural ability (from the parable of the talents, Matt 25:14-30)….. a power or ability of mind or body viewed as something divinely entrusted to a person for use and improvement.” The origin of the word in its current usage actually originates from Jesus’ story. In Jesus’ time ‘talent’ was a measure of money within the Roman Empire, with one talent roughly equivalent to 10,000 days of work by a labourer! However, because of the power of Jesus’ story-telling, a new meaning was coined for the word in our language to describe human abilities or endowment. In the story each person is given talents (money) according to their ability in order that they might put them to work. Against this background the inference is clear for ourselves in our own time that God has entrusted us with special gifts to be utilized in service with and toward others. It is a humbling but wonderful thought that each of us has something to offer for the well-being of others and in God’s service. It is therefore important that we do not hide our gifts away or doubt ourselves and what we have to offer, or metaphorically bury our talents in the ground. I wonder what my and your specific gifts might be that we can offer to the life and mission of Canberra City Uniting Church and the community it serves. May we all use our God-given gifts. Sunday 2 Nov 2008“ ...... by a great cloud of witnesses" His name was Keith Perrin. You won’t know him, but I knew him. He was a dairy farmer on the Rushworth road just south of Stanhope. Occasionally we would see him in town or in his gumboots at the saleyards and Dad would yarn with him and he’d tousle my hair. He had a round friendly face with wispy blond hair and strong but gentle hands attached to arms that seemed like tree trunks to an impressionable young child. He’d served up in the Islands during the war, I was told, but a spirit of happy serenity now seemed to be Mr Perrin’s constant companion. You won’t know him, but I knew him. Mr Perrin was my Sunday School teacher, and a lay preacher in our church. I am reminded of Mr Perrin because today is set aside in the tradition of the Church as All Saints Day to remember all the 'saints' who have served it well. Indeed, as the Good Book says: 'We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses.“ No doubt we all have our own ‘saints’ to remember; people who, at some point in our lives, left their indelible mark on us or have influenced how we now view or respond to life. They may not be ‘important people’, as society measures people’s importance, but for us they will always hold a special place or memory in our hearts. I recall the words of Nathan Soderblom (1866-1931) who once observed: “Saints are those who by their life and work make it clear and plain that God lives.” What a wonderful statement. Saints are not necessarily people who are able to teach or preach about God but rather, through the simple example of their lives, offer an experience and awareness of God. So today I will give thanks for Keith Perrin who helped make Christ present to a small boy before he was fully able to understand. I also encourage you today to remember at least one of the ‘saints’ for you who has had an influence on your life and relationship with God. Yes, we are all surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. Sunday 26 Oct 2008Celebrating our culturally diverse Uniting Church This morning we welcome to Canberra City Uniting Church participants in the Cross-cultural/Multicultural Gathering, hosted by the NSW Board of Mission, at Greenhills conference centre this weekend. It has been a wonderful opportunity to renew old friendships as together participants explored what it means to be at mission in an increasingly multicultural Australian society. It is now well over 20 years since the Fourth Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia declared the Church to be a “multicultural church”. In its 1985 statement the Assembly affirmed “our membership comprises people of many races, cultures and languages (and) …..seeks to be open to changes that the Holy Spirit will bring to the church because of the creative contributions of people of different racial and cultural groups to its life.” As I prepared for this morning’s service I recalled some of the many friends I have made in the Uniting Church who have ‘crossed over’ from one culture to another in migrating to Australia – whether by choice or as refugees - and have made a wonderful contribution to the life of the church and the wider Australian community. There have been so many, but I will mention just one, the Rev Haloti Faupula who was my colleague in ministry in Dee Why Uniting Church. Haloti became not only a friend but mentor and had a profound influence on my life. Every Tuesday morning at 10.00 am –except once when the Wallabies were touring Britain and Haloti stayed up late to watch the game and slept in – we would meet ostensibly to plan the parish program for the coming week, but in reality did so just to enjoy one another’s company and to discuss the Bible readings for the coming Sunday. Although our interpretation of the Scriptures was essentially the same, nonetheless our differing cultural backgrounds brought slightly different experience and insight to our conversations. We have come a long way since 1985 but there are still challenges ahead as we seek to be Christ’s church in a culturally diverse Australia. But as we face those challenges may we always be open to the “creative contributions” that our cultural diversity offers us, and give thanks for the gift of one another in our fellowship with Christ. Sunday 19 Oct 2008A world of interrelated wholeness Last Monday afternoon at 4.30 pm I gathered with a large number of other people at Commonwealth Place on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin to witness the raising of the Tongan flag, symbolising the commencement of the High Commission of the Kingdom of Tonga in Australia. In welcoming the new High Commissioner, Crown Prince Tupouto’a-Lavaka, and the establishment of the Commission, Hon. Stephen Smith, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, emphasised that the real strength of relations between countries lies in the exchange of peoples from each culture, enriching the life of the other. He observed that Australia and Tonga have long enjoyed a close relationship, with approximately 7500 Tongan born people in Australia having made their mark in the arts, academia, business and sports. In the midst of the ceremony a dramatic broiling thunderstorm rolled in over the hills to the south drenching participants, guests and dignitaries alike, but not dampening the spirits of anyone. Instead it seemed to have the effect of bonding all those present in a joyous shared moment. As we stood for the playing of the national anthems of both countries, I once again became aware of the bonds of common humanity that unite us all; of the world that God has created in its interrelated wholeness, and entrusted to all of us. We have much to celebrate and give thanks for in this culturally diverse nation of ours. In this context, next Sunday at Canberra City we will be having a combined service to host some 30 participants attending a multicultural/cross cultural gathering hosted by the NSW Synod at the Greenhills Conference Centre. Details of the conference and our special service are provided elsewhere in Connections this morning, but it will provide a wonderful opportunity to explore and experience what it means to be involved in ‘crossing over’ cultural boundaries. In doing so we not only deepen our awareness of others’ life experiences but also of our one interrelated wholeness in God’s creation and our common humanity. Sunday 12 Oct 2008Philippi Over the last four weeks our Epistle readings in the lectionary have come from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the fledgling church in the Macedonian city of Philippi. It is obvious from his writing the young Christian community has a special place in Paul’s heart. It is believed Paul was in prison in Ephesus when he wrote to the church to offer them encouragement and hope. Founded in the mid-fourth century BCE by Philip II, father of Alexander the Great, by Paul’s day Philippi was a distinctively Roman city. It was here in 42BCE Mark Antony defeated Brutus and Cassius, Caesar’s assassins. Later, Emperor Augustus established a military colony and settled it with Roman veterans from Italy. As a consequence, the fledgling Christian community created by Paul in Philippi was almost entirely Gentile, there being no record of a Jewish synagogue in the city which, itself, is unusual. Another interesting feature of the church in Philippi are the important roles played by women, some specifically named, especially Lydia. We know from other sources, however, that women were accorded a prominent place in the social life of Macedonia. My purpose in providing this background to Paul’s letter to the Philippians is to remind us that the epistles are not some abstract timeless theological statement or teaching, but have a context and immediate purpose. The letters deal with real life issues confronting a Christian community within their own time and place. And the enduring significance of these letters is that, for whatever reason, Paul’s responses to the issues/needs of these early communities still speak to succeeding generations and contexts. Although the context may differ, nonetheless the apostles’ writings, including those of Paul, have something significant to say to the Uniting Church congregations of Canberra City and To e Talatalanoa. Let us then take seriously the unique context in which we live and are challenged to share the Gospel, seeking to interpret what the apostles have to offer us through the Scriptures within our own time and place: October 2008 in this well informed and culturally diverse community in Australia’s national capital and wider world in which we live. | 
