Worship – Sunday 24 January – Day of Mourning – Aboriginal Sunday

The Sunday Service at St Luke’s Highton will be at 10am and we hope to Livestream to our Youtube channel
 
This is the Sunday (before Australia Day) where we join with our sister churches in a Day of Mourning to reflect on how God is calling us to respond to the ongoing challenges faced by our First Australians – the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
 
We’ll be using the Uniting Church Assembly resources, with more from Common Grace who have provided resources to churches and faith groups around Australia to share in Aboriginal Sunday.
The Preamble to the Constition of the UCA helps set our approach to relationships between First and Second Australians.
 
There is also a prayer service of reconciliation on Monday night (25th Jan) at 7:30pm – Victorian time – led by Aunty Jean Phillips – see www.commongrace.org.au/tunein  Some of us may gather at St Luke’s to participate.

Worship Online Sunday 8th November – Waiting, waiting…

Good morning friends, Grace and Peace to you.

Jesus often taught by telling parables … short stories containing a message that have a capacity to transform us …

Sometimes the meaning of a parable while confronting is pretty straight forward, think, for example, of the parable of the Good Samaritan …

But today we are going to look at a parable which is not so easy to interpret … the parable of the wise and foolish bridesmaids …

I am going to argue that at its heart the parable contains a counter-cultural message … that in God’s kingdom there is a place for waiting … faithful waiting

Remembrance Day this Wednesday

Paul reminded us that it will be Remembrance day this Wednesday.  The Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne is hosting a virtual service – details here

NAIDOC Week

A week of recognition and celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.  Here is a reflection on NAIDOC week 2020 written by  Alison Overeem of the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress in Tasmania:

NAIDOC Week Reflection

There are many events planned for NAIDOC week and you can find out more about them here:

NAIDOC Week Events

One of these events is the launch of a new song which you can listen to here:

And you might also enjoy this version of Amazing Grace by Paul Kelly and the late Gurrumil:

A blessing in the words of Archbishop Desmond Tutu:

Go in peace, and remember:

goodness is stronger than evil;

love is stronger than hate;

light is stronger than darkness;

life is stronger than death;

victory is ours

through Christ who loved us.

Amen.