NATIONAL MAGAZINE OF THE LUTHERAN CHURCH OF AUSTRALIA
Print Post Approved PP100003514 VOL 47 NO 9
OCTOBER 2013
I will open my mouth with a parable: I will teach you lessons from the past— things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us. [Psalm 78:2,3] Vol 47 No9 P317
EDITOR/ADVERTISING phone 0427 827 441 email rosie.schefe@lca.org.au
SUBSCRIPTIONS phone 08 8360 7270 email lutheran.subs@lca.org.au
www.thelutheran.com.au We Love The Lutheran! As the magazine of the Lutheran Church of Australia (incorporating the Lutheran Church of New Zealand), The Lutheran informs the members of the LCA about the church’s teaching, life, mission and people, helping them to grow in faith and commitment to Jesus Christ. The Lutheran also provides a forum for a range of opinions, which do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editor or the policies of the Lutheran Church of Australia. The Lutheran is a member of the Australasian Religious Press Association and as such subscribes to its journalistic and editorial codes of conduct.
CONTACTS Acting Editor Rosie Schefe 197 Archer St, North Adelaide SA 5006 phone 0427 827 441 email rosie.schefe@lca.org.au Executive Editor Linda Macqueen 3 Orvieto St, Bridgewater SA 5155 phone 08 8339 5178 email linda.macqueen@lca.org.au National Magazine Committee Greg Hassold, Sarah Hoff-Zweck, Pastor Richard Schwedes, Heidi Smith
WE LOVE READING THE LUTHERAN IN CLASS! Seven Indonesian Lutheran pastors take a lively interest in the news from Down Under. They are in the middle of a week of English coaching, conversation and creative writing with some volunteer teachers from Adelaide. Left to right, meet pastors Situmeang, Sitompul, Aritonang, Situmorong, Sipahutar, Tambulan and Sihotang. Photo: Geoff Burger Send us a photograph featuring a recent copy of The Lutheran and you might see it here on page 2.
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People like you are salt in your world [ Matt 5:13 ]
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Lee-Anne Kupke
Guy Phillips (and Bella)
Laura Stiller
Zion, Walla Walla NSW Occupational therapist Enjoys listening to other people and reading Fav text: Psalm 18:1
Martin Luther, Burnie Tas Retired administrator Enjoys jazz, spending time with Bella and taking her to church, cooking and entertaining Fav text: John 3:16
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How do we learn to be a Christian, to live as Jesus taught? For me, large lessons came from my grandmothers. I didn’t know my dad’s father. He died before Mum and Dad were married. I did know—and adored—Mum’s father, but he died when I was eight. But I knew both of my grandmothers growing up, so I have many memories of them.
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22 A place called Dementia
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Both these women taught me about living out faith. Mum’s mother was in church almost every Sunday of her life, sitting in the same pew for as long as I can remember. Dad’s mother mightn’t have been in church so regularly—but when her reading lamp was on, her Bible was always open. They taught me that regardless of what was happening in my life, God would always be there. I didn’t need to look far, I could just step through those church doors or open that book and there he would be, waiting to speak with me. What a gift they passed to me.
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24 Facing the flood
COLUMNS 04 Heartland 08 Rhythms of Grace 11 Reel Life
Grandma was a strong, authoritarian presence. She always seemed to be working and didn’t like it if others (read grandchildren) were slacking off. So I was often on her wrong side. As I got older, I realised this was how her life had shaped her: that being born a farmer’s daughter, married at 18, becoming a mother at 19 and having seven children across 18 years, gave her little time for herself. She had to work hard for the family’s survival, and she did that for the whole of her life, pouring out her love for us through actions rather than words.
Grandma was an artist. Not with paint, but with wool and cotton. Every evening, after the dinner dishes were done and before the supper things came out, she sat in her chair under the lounge-room lamp and crocheted. She made countless jumpers, cardigans and rugs, but her true passion was delicate crocheted lacework. I remember her shiny steel needle flashing in the light as it dipped in and out, making lace appear from a ball of fine, creamcoloured thread. She crocheted until she couldn’t see well enough to do it anymore. Many people—not just family—were beneficiaries of her skill.
05 Wanted: the grandparents of our church 09 Pointing the way
Dad’s mother frightened me as a child. Always old to me, she was almost 70 when I was born. She lived to see her 90th birthday. When we went to stay on the farm, I often slept in the spare bed in her room. The room was always dark, blinds drawn 24 hours a day and only Grandma’s reading lamp on late at night, as she read her Bible and hymnbook.
Mum’s mother was different. She was more physically demonstrative, though not overly so. She was considerably younger than my other grandmother. I remember her laughing more too. Everything at her house happened in a routine. We said grace before and after every meal, and no-one left the house before the Lord’s Prayer at night. Everything had its place—and that place was neat and dusted.
FEATURES
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12 Little Church 13 Inside Story 16 Letters 17 Directory 18 Stepping Stones 20 Notices 21 Bookmarks 26 Heart and Home
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28 World in Brief 30 Coffee Break
For 40 years I have made an effort to do some physical activity every week. Not being sporty or athletic, in the early days I rode my pushbike instead of driving my car. Nowadays, I take the stairs instead of the escalator and visit the gym when I can. Lately I have noticed that the treadmill wears me out more quickly at a slower pace. I have less ability to increase weights and repetitions. Trying to accept the limitations of age, I filled out a health test on my health insurer’s website. The results were okay, but I still got a stern— and I felt, undeserved—lecture on my lifestyle choices. A human life only lasts so long and we run out of puff, but what about the church? We recently celebrated 175 years of Lutheranism in Australia. Are we feeling a bit wheezy? Has the LCA run out of puff? In reality we are comparative youngsters, since churches like the Armenian Orthodox can claim over 1700 continuous years—and they’re still here!
Ageing is a fact of life, and it changes our perspectives. Yesterday, when the world was young, people say there were youth everywhere. Those who remember those days were young themselves. That was their world. Postwar families were big. Children piled into the car and went along with their parents. Now most families are small and dualincome. They often struggle to find the time and the will to stay together. Single-person households have increased astronomically. Society has changed. Yet I notice something about our church that we often forget. Most Lutheran congregations, large or small, have a pretty good spread of generations. That’s not always typical of Australian and New Zealand churches. Some are missing whole generations. Among Lutherans, however, you will still regularly see children, parents and grandparents together. It’s not flashy, but it’s a valuable gift we should treasure. People are looking for that kind of connection in a fractured and lonely world. Right now we are experiencing generational turnover. It’s quite natural. This time, however, it involves those who were young 50 years ago. They can remember the LCA being born. It’s precious to them. Is the next generation worthy
of the gift? Will they remember the promises of God? Will they remain Lutheran, faithful to the word of God and the church’s confession? Will they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit to lead them into truth?
The church is called to die, giving itself sacrificially for the love of the world.
I know the church can look old and wheezy, but don’t be fooled. It’s very much alive. It’s God’s, and it’s yours, and it will be what you let it be. Don’t be afraid of appearances. The church is called to die, giving itself sacrificially for the love of the world. We only have it because God has raised us from the dead. The church and its people—you and I— live reliant on God’s love: dying and rising, giving and living, repenting and forgiving. Of course, we can’t rely on ourselves. We don’t have the puff. We can rely only on God, the source of life, who never gives up on us—ever.
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Every age has gifts we need, and every age has needs we gift.
Wanted: the grandparents of our church Photo: courtesy LCC(Qld)
by Serena Williams
School students and residents of Zion Lutheran Home join forces to bring old stories and new technology to life.
All generations of our church must come together to face the same challenge the Israelites faced when they crossed the River Jordan into the land of milk and honey, the first national Grow Ministries conference heard. Keynote speaker Rev Greg Priebbenow told participants that the church is in danger of losing our faithstories—and our children with them— in our land of milk, honey, internet and Sunday trading. Vol 47 No9 P321
Grow Ministries is the new identity of the Lutheran Church of Australia’s Board for Child, Youth & Family Ministry, which gathered delegates from around Australia in Brisbane early in September. Rev Priebbenow had participants read and meditate on Deuteronomy 6, with its detailed instructions on how to pass on the faith. ‘We need to get back to the way God instructed the Israelites to pass on the faith, through multi-generational festivals of remembrance, and by
sharing and being witnesses together’, Rev Priebbenow said. ‘When Jesus went to the temple as a twelve-year-old boy, he didn’t just go by himself. He went with his parents, and the whole family and village. It was a festival, an adventure. We need to make faith-life more of an adventure. ‘The church needs to apologise for saying to parents, “send your children to us and we’ll take care of the God stuff”’, Rev Priebbenow said. ‘We’ve got to help the parents make their homes The Lutheran October 2013
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Photo: Rachel Long
Research shows that each young person should have five non-parent adults as faith role models in their life John Larsen and his son Ewan are joined for some relaxing time out and a story by Heather Worley and Isobel at St Paul’s Nundah. a domestic expression of the church, where Jesus is talked about, followed and celebrated. Our whole church family needs to help them with that.’ The need to support families becomes even more critical as society faces ever-growing pressures: for example, from divorce, screen time, social media. The people who traditionally have been the story-tellers and the glue of family structure—the grandparents—are often far away or too busy themselves. ‘Our society is full of silos’, Rev Priebbenow told the conference. ‘There is only one place left where the generations can come together and that is church. That is one excellent thing we have.’ But too often, he said, churches reject that God-given opportunity to model worship to young ones. They model church on the world and turn themselves into ‘St Silo’s Lutheran Church’, where the generations are segregated off into aged-based ministry programs. ‘We need to get alongside parents. Research shows that each young person should have five non-parent adults as faith role models in their life’, he said. Rev Priebbenow said older people must overcome the idea that they need to be trendy to interact with young people in their church. 6
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‘It’s not about being trendy’, he said, ‘It’s about being yourself, and most of all it’s about being there. There’s a difference between engagement and entertainment. The world is going to do a much better job of entertaining than we ever can. As a church, we need to practise engagement.’ ‘In the future when your son asks you, “What is the meaning of the laws the Lord our God has commanded you?” tell him: “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand” (Deuteronomy 6:20)’ So we need to know our own faithstories. How has God interacted in your life? These are the stories you can tell when you are engaging young people and hearing their stories. Rev Priebbenow told how, as parish pastor at St Johns Bundaberg, Queensland, he and his teenage daughter had recently visited a woman whose house was devastated during the January floods. Church members were delivering care packages and other items to show they cared. ‘This woman told us that after visiting a local church to receive care and support she leaned back in her car, and, in the midst of all her sorrow, she felt the utter peace of the Lord come over her’, Pastor Priebbenow said.
When he looked at his daughter, he was struck by how moved she had been by both the woman’s story and the power of the ministry of those church workers. ‘Don’t be afraid to have the generations serve together’, Pastor Priebbenow said. ‘Young people love to serve and it is a great way to build God-centred relationships.’ He urged congregations to use all of the church’s seasons, festivals and work as ways to bring the generations together. ‘Look at the ways God commanded the Israelites to do it’, he said. ‘The Feast of the Tabernacles—imagine being a kid, and “Wow! We’re celebrating our God’s bringing us out of Egypt, and we get to live in tents!”’ ‘We need to make faith a worthy adventure through service, through doing meaningful things together, through going beyond ourselves to impact our communities in the name of Jesus.’ ‘Yes, there are challenges. Yes it will be difficult. That’s why we need to be intentional about it. That’s why we need to plan for it’, Rev Priebbenow said. Serena Williams is a part-time journalist/writer with LCA Communications and the LCA Queensland District. She lives in Brisbane and is a member of St Andrews Lutheran Church in the CBD. Vol 47 No9 P322
What are congregations doing? Bethany Tanunda, South Australia, runs a variety of activities for all age groups. One which tries to bring many age groups together is Simple Living, where older people teach families different life skills, such as pruning or jammaking. This is centred around the crops and the garden.
St Marks Mount Gravatt, Queensland, has started a homework club for young children and it is already overflowing. Meanwhile, their new 9am service (for Chinese people, but in English) has lots of young school-aged attendees, most of whom have never heard the gospel before.
At Zion Nundah, Queensland, children from a nearby school were brought in to teach older people how to use iPads. The project—This is Your Life—meant that a student was paired with an older person, who told the student their ‘life story’. In return, the student helped the older person put the story together onto a multi-media platform.
In Toowoomba, youth at Living Grace provide muchneeded assistance in writing risk-assessments and navigating IT minefields in order to ensure that ‘worthy adventures’ can proceed safely and legally. Their training came through Lutheran Youth of Queensland’s Elevation program. More information visit www.lyq.org.au
One mum’s story:
Recommended resources:
We’ve travelled the country for work, and been separated from our families for so long that sometimes, on hard days, when I see grandparents at the schoolyard picking up their grandchildren, I get goosebumps of envy.
Grow Ministries www.lcacyfm.org.au
Sometimes if I get sick at night, or can’t sleep, I’ll lie awake wondering who would pick up the kids for me? Will I be safe to drive my kids to school? My husband works long hours, is often away, and the kids’ grandparents are an eight-hour drive or two-hour flight away. One pair work and the other pair are frail.
Faith Inkubators Australia www.faithink.com.au
I try to teach my children about God, because God has got me through so many tough times. I’ve told them my faith-story but there are days when I’m so tired and grumpy I am fearful to think what my children see about God and Jesus when they look at me. If only there was a safe pair of hands nearby to help us along, and to help us up when we fall. Most times I know God is those safe hands, and that’s why we keep coming to church, but sometimes the shame of failure—those little failures too small and too frequent to list—keeps me away. Certainly it stops me asking for help. I know other parents who don’t go to church anymore for exactly those reasons, or because they feel judged by the ‘gatekeepers’—those who stare if they’re late or the children are noisy. Or because they’re simply so exhausted on Sundays that they can’t get out of bed, and it’s easier to let the kids watch telly while they sleep in. Pray for us. Help us. If you don’t help us pass on the faith, who will?
• For information about Taking Faith Home, Milestones Ministry and GIFT • Training information • Newsletter On Your Hearts download link • For information about BibleSong, Head to Heart, Faith Stepping Stones & Seasonals • Order FaithInk resources The First Third www.firstthird.org • For information on the Exemplary Youth Ministry Study Vibrant Faith www.vibrantfaith.org • Great resources • Faith Formation Learning exchange • Vibrant Faith at Home Sticky Faith www.stickyfaith.org Parenting Resources • Parent Further (US) www.parentfurther.com • Parenting Ideas Michael Grose (AUS) www.parentingideas.com.au • The Search Institute www.search-institute.org • The Parenting Place NZ www.theparentingplace.com Australian Church Resources www.acresources.com.au • To order the book: The Spirit and Culture of Youth Ministry These books are available at Koorong: • Sticky Faith (Powell/Clark) • The Family Bible Adventure kit (children’s ministry DVD & CD ROM The Good News) • Parenting Beyond Your Capacity (Reggie Joiner) • Think Orange (Reggie Joiner)
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God made flesh ‘Take and eat, the body of Christ, given for you’. Cannibalism? superstition? symbolism? The thought that we are eating someone has always been confronting, not just in today’s rationally oriented world, but from the church’s very beginning (John 6:60).
of
grace
In the ebb and flow of liturgy, God is at work, whether we hear him or not.
by Linards Jansons 8
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Yet these words express two fundamental realities about the way God relates to us: physically and freely. And it is particularly in holy communion that we see this, for there God meets us through the flesh of Jesus, and does so as a free gift. Let’s consider the first of these aspects, leaving the second for next month. God has always taken more interest in the physical world than we might imagine. Genesis describes the considerable involvement God has in the creative process before finally pronouncing his work ‘very good’ (Genesis 1:31). Then, as the Old Testament unfolds, God is never far from the flesh: in birth and death, farming and famine, sex, sickness and sacrifice, God is right there, intimately involved with his people’s spiritual and bodily existence. But in the New Testament God moves even closer to our flesh—by entering it! ‘The Word became flesh and dwelt among us’ (John 1:14). Throughout his public ministry, Jesus, the Incarnate One, attends to people’s bodily existence: healing them, releasing their flesh from malign spirits, feeding and eating with them, sometimes playing host and chef at the same time. And when he embarks upon his final act of healing and forgiving, this also takes place in the flesh: ‘He himself bore our sins in his body
on the tree’ (1 Peter 2:24). Yet flesh and death do not remain partners for long. By raising Jesus from the dead—physically—God has given the clearest indication ever that our bodies matter to him, that our flesh matters, in fact, that matter matters! Is it any surprise, then, that the pledge of our Lord’s ongoing presence and spiritual-yet-physical care takes place through one of the most common activities known to humans: a meal? In broken bread and outpoured wine, among guests gathered at a common table, God confirms his original word over all creation: ‘very good’. No wonder that for the early church, the communion meals spilled over into acts of common charity: succouring the sick, visiting the imprisoned, supporting the widow and orphan, and even caring for the bodies of the deceased. How significant, that the very same offerings providing bread for the sacrament would also be taken to the sick and suffering. While our contemporary communion practice remains somewhat distinct from the everyday meal, we do well not to forget the essential link between communion and charity. For our confession that ‘holy communion is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ ...’ is not simply a sacramental extra tacked on to our faith. Rather, this holy meal is just typical of the kind of God who becomes incarnate in Jesus, who gives himself to us physically, and who feeds us in order that we might nourish and bless God’s beloved creation. Rev Linards Jansons teaches Liturgy and Worship at Australian Lutheran College. Vol 47 No9 P324
Understanding where God is working—and joining him there— has been a revelation in community action for members of one congregation in Adelaide’s north.
Pointing the way The Upside Down Circus was born in 2010—an opportunity for families living in the northern suburbs of Adelaide to discover that Jesus turns our upside-down world the right way up. It grew out of a group of church leaders meeting regularly for lunch and prayer, led by the Rev Lindsay Mayes of Elizabeth Church of Christ. They felt that there was a need for somewhere for families to go that would cost very little (if anything), where the safety of children was a priority and, most importantly, where they could hear of Jesus’ love for them. In 2011, a handful of members of The Ark, Salisbury Lutheran Church, attended the first afternoon of Upside Down Circus 2, representing Mainly Music and Toolbox Parenting groups. We arrived early to set up our tents and were astonished to see hundreds Vol 47 No9 P325
of people queuing patiently outside the gates almost an hour before the event began. The Upside Down Circus was held on the reserve where big circuses set up for the holidays. But this circus was different. It was free. It was child-safe: all adults needed to be accompanied by a child (though unattended children were welcome), and it was put on by about 20 local churches. At the end of our first day we telephoned other members of The Ark asking for help for the next afternoon. Child-safe clearances made their registration as volunteers so easy! When we returned to church that weekend, we were all eager to tell of the good news: how thousands of children and their families had come to hear about Jesus. And how we believed our congregation could make a great contribution by joining with
by Julie Hahn
other churches in our area. It was an opportunity too good to miss. So, at the debriefing meeting for Upside Down Circus 2 our team representing Salisbury Lutheran Church apologised for being a bit slow in joining, but affirmed that we were keen to be involved for UDC3. The 2011 budget of about $15,000 barely covered costs. The organising team and volunteers were exhausted. But stories reached local churches in the next few weeks of teachers at government schools being asked about ‘this Jesus guy who we heard about at the circus’. We jumped in whole-heartedly for 2012. What a privilege! More than 50 of us joined as volunteers. Some went to the circus and helped out on craft stalls, by making balloon animals, face-painting, handing out ‘toolkits’ for parents, clowning, supervising The Lutheran October 2013
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the climbing wall and serving tea and coffee. Training was compulsory—and fun! There were lessons and practice sessions for everything. One potentially contentious area was addressed during training: how to share the Gospel. With many congregations and denominations involved, it was important that all volunteers gave the same message. Rather than an overzealous approach—or the opposite, a reluctant one—all volunteers were trained to write Jesus’ name on a piece of paper. Then they explained (using an X) that some people feel close to Jesus, while others feel they are further
It doesn’t matter where we are in relation to Jesus right now, we can get closer to him by just turning around to him from wherever we are … away because they’ve never heard about him, or haven’t got to know him, and that others have questions about him. The volunteers explained that it doesn’t matter where we are in relation to Jesus right now, we can get closer to him by just turning around to him from wherever we are. For 2012 a couple of members of the organising team wrote a full-colour cartoon book about the Upside Down Circus and a copy was placed in every show bag. The book also explained how we can get closer to Jesus from wherever we are. We knew that if it was God’s will, we needed to trust him to provide what was needed. Gifts exceeded the $30,000 we budgeted, and almost 300 10
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Families and fun go together at the many different activities and stalls. volunteers were registered and trained for the circus itself. People who weren’t available on the day helped to pack show bags, prepare craft materials, set up and pull down tents, distribute flyers and complete many other tasks. Other members got involved by bringing their own children, grandchildren or their neighbours. Between 28 and 35 congregations were involved in some way. And over the two afternoons, between 2.30 pm and 6.30 pm, 2000 children and 1100 adults came through the gates. Upside Down Circus coordinator Sarah Watson (employed by Elizabeth Church of Christ) wrote in a report: ‘One of the significant highlights of last year’s event was hearing volunteers from local churches expressing the thrill of partnering with the Holy Spirit in real life, missional conversations for the first time. ‘As they answered questions about Jesus and their faith they were encouraged in their own discipleship. So, in the same way that we hope the UDC will be the starting point for children and families as they take steps towards Jesus, we also hope that it will also be a starting point for people from local churches to gain a taste of mission and be inspired to take steps towards exploring and developing ongoing mission with children and families in their local contexts’, she wrote.
Sarah’s reflection is typical of the conversations we have had with the volunteers from our congregation. I remember one volunteer saying they were surprised that no one even really talked about which church they were from—because there was such a sense that everyone was on the same team, representing God and working together. I think this is also part of God’s design for the Upside Down Circus – it is a place where God’s name is made known in our community—not our own names. This way God gets the glory. Upside Down Circus 4 takes place on October 10 and 11, 2013 at Ridley Reserve, Elizabeth, South Australia. For more information visit
northernadelaideoutreach.org Julie Hahn BHSc describes herself as ‘a wife, mum and family encourager’. She and her family are members of The Ark Lutheran congregation in Salisbury, Adelaide. Vol 47 No9 P326
The choices we make Tim Winton enjoys iconic status in Australia as an author. His specialty, developed over decades of writing, is presenting us with the edges of suburban and country life which point towards central spiritual experiences. So when 18 leading filmmakers come together to turn a collection of his short stories into one cinematic experience, the result is as challenging as it is familiar. The Turning is based on the collection of short stories by the same name, published in 2005. It covers an immense amount of ground: from high-school escapism to the terrible betrayals which shape adult lives. Filmmakers include Cate Blanchett, Mia Wasikowska and David Wenham, as well as stars Rose Byrne, Hugo Weaving and Miranda Otto. But that only scratches the surface. These luminaries are surrounded by equally bright (but lesser known) lights who demonstrate the diversity of talent available Down Under. Each of The Turning’s 17 stories runs for a handful of minutes, introducing us to characters at every stage of life—aboriginal boys tipping over the edge of adolescence, teenage girls struggling with the title ‘damaged goods’, small town policemen burdened with bad choices, former football players wracked with guilt. What loosely unifies these stories is Winton’s fascination with moments of choice. The Turning opens with an animation by Marieka Walsh, depicting the revels of a beach bonfire party, based on TS Elliot’s poem Ash Wednesday. Winton uses its verses to preface his collection, and Colin Friels’ reading of the opening stanzas sets the spiritual tone of the stories to come: ‘Because I do not hope to turn again Because I do not hope Because I do not hope to turn Desiring this man’s gift and that man’s scope I no longer strive to strive towards such things …’
THE TURNING Rating: M Distributor: Madman Release date: September 2013
Though The Turning has as many perspectives as it has directors, several stories clearly convey Winton’s insight into the Christian walk. In the chapter that gives the film its name, we meet Raelene, who lives in White Caps Caravan Park with her daughters and violent husband, Max. One day her humdrum life brings her into contact with a new way of living. She meets Sherry and Dan, who seem able to face life without drinking. The pair are ‘born again’ Christians but have no pretensions to holiness. They’ve come away from the city because drawing close to God means drawing back from the sin that’s been wrecking their lives. But the loss isn’t something they regret: Raelene: What was this born again business like? What did it feel like? Sherry: It was like a hot knife going into me and I was butter—opening me up and there was hope and beauty where there was nothing before. The Turning is hard to watch at points because it provides honest insight into the pain hiding behind gleaming, double-brick and weatherboard exteriors. It has language, violence and sexual content, which mirror that sadness. However, it also has a good deal of hope in the possibility of change, and more than a few pictures that describe God’s role in the process. But even those pictures that don’t, do accept this basic Christian understanding: there is no redemption without repentance, no going forward without first turning around. The Lutheran October 2013
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