THE LUTHERAN September 2016 by Lutheran Church of Australia

N A TIO N A L M A G A ZIN E O F THE L U THE R A N C HU RC H O F A U STRA LIA

SEPTEMBER 2016

Learning

WITH, not FOR the kids

FROM THE

YOUNG ONES

PARTNERSHIP

STARTS AT BIRTH

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Let the little CHILDREN

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LUTHERAN

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EDITORIAL Editor Lisa McIntosh p 08 8267 7300 m 0409 281 703 e lisa.mcintosh@lca.org.au

Faith family reunion For 27 years former members of St Andrew Lutheran Church Nightcliff in Darwin have been meeting annually in SA. This year the group, which also includes former members of the St Andrew junior campus of Good Shepherd Lutheran College community and friends, was photographed near Overland Corner in the Riverland. Back row, left to right: Masoud Mahmood, Garry

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OF AUSTRALIA The Lutheran informs the members of the LCA about the churchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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.

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SEPTEMBER

Special features EDITOR'S

Letter

As I write, the Olympics are on in Rio and it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement. Having a team of refugee athletes competing under the Olympic flag is extra special, especially when you consider what these people have gone through, often as young children (see World in Brief, page 26). Most children in Australia and New Zealand have led very different lives to the people they see competing for the Refugee Olympic Team. I’m reminded of a day 16 years ago when my niece Jessie, then six, got home after church and was itching to phone me to pass on all the latest results and medal tallies from the Sydney Olympic Games. She was excited to share what she had seen and learnt. However, her father told her she’d have to wait as I would still be at church. Surprised by this news, she coolly asked: ‘Is Lisa a Christian?’

Hmm, I clearly wasn’t doing a very good job as her godmother. We chuckle about it these days, but it is a reminder that we are called to share faith with children – not just adults. We know little children are very precious to Jesus – and an example to us. In the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus says: ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these’. In Mark and Luke he also says: ‘Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it’ (Mark 10:15 and Luke 18:17). When I studied journalism we were taught to write for an average reading age of 11. This was not because 11-year-olds were the first family members to rush out to the front lawn to collect the paper each day. The aim was to effectively communicate the news of the day in language most people could understand.

Our news of the day as Christians is the good news of salvation that is ours to share. We are all God’s children, treasured and loved, regardless of age. So, how do we most effectively share this good news with children and grow in faith with them? In the following pages, you will read of some of the ways people in our LCA are working to reach, serve and engage the little ones. After all, this isn’t a one-way street. Children have so much to teach us – if we let them – about faith and love.

Partnership starts at birth

With, not for the kids

Joy in our common faith

Are your neighbours being served?

Learning from the young ones

Regulars Heartland

Little church

Reel life

Go and Grow

Inside story

World in brief

Notices

Directory

Your voice (Letters)

Coffee break

For while Olympians need to rely on their training, talent and tenacity to strive for gold, for Christians there’s nothing we can do to earn a spot on top of the dais. Faith is all we need. Being on Jesus team, under the banner of the cross, is the only way, as he has already won the ultimate prize of eternal life for us.

Lisa Our cover: Main

image iStock

JES U S I S G OD'S LOVE. HE G IVES U S NE W HE ARTS TO L AY AS IDE O UR OL D WAYS, TO B EL IE VE AND FOL LOW HIM, TO L IVE WI T H HIM E VERY DAY.

heartland

REV JOHN HENDERSON

Bishop Lutheran Church of Australia

PR AYER MAKES A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE Being a dairy farmer can be tough: milking twice a day, poor seasons, low prices, government regulations, running a business, and the thousand and one complexities of modern farming. I know several dairy farmers. I am the first to admit that I don’t really know what their life is like. So when I got a letter recently asking for special prayers for dairy farmers, it started me thinking. Surely, I thought, many people know better than I do what it’s like. They would know just the kind of prayers farmers need.

people of God, government, society, people in need, the environment, human labour, and the needs of the local congregation. It begins and ends with the reason we pray: that our hope and faith is in God and we look forward to our eternal destiny in him. Most of us are familiar with this way of praying from the service orders in our hymnbooks and LCA online worship resources. Our pastors have the task of helping the church to pray. We needn’t repeat the exact same words week in and week out, and petitions for local and other needs should be included.

Have you ever thought about that as a reason for going to church – to make a difference through praying together?

I started thinking about prayer itself, particularly the prayer life of our congregations. Solidarity with the world in which we live, including the dairy farmers, is an essential part of Christian mission. Prayer expresses that solidarity. We care about the suffering of the world. We do not rise above the world in judgement, but we live within it, sharing in its pain, loss and agony of soul. We know its pain, and we cry to God for help, for ourselves, and for those who cannot cry out on their own.

The Christian congregation has the great responsibility to help others and many opportunities to do so. The ministry of public prayer is something we can all be part of every week. Have you ever thought about that as a reason for going to church – to make a difference through praying together? The Prayer of the Church forms part of our worship services. It has a distinct structure, as we pray for the whole church, the spreading of the gospel, the

The Lutheran SEPTEMBER 2016

The Prayer of the Church constantly reminds us that prayer is about more than our own needs. Like Abraham, who stood before God and pleaded for Sodom, we too plead for our world (Genesis 18:21-32). As God loves the world (John 3:16), through faith we join him in that love. As Jesus prayed for the whole people of God, we also remember to pray for all believers, joining him in his mission to the world. I encourage all our congregations to pray for the world like this every week. It makes a real difference, since we know that God answers prayer (1 John 5:15). If you are a worship leader or serve on the prayer roster of your local congregation, you can help us all make that difference. Together, in the Prayer of the Church, we bring the needs of our world, including dairy farmers, refugees, oppressed people, and creation – wherever there is need of new life, hope and healing.

P I H S R E N T R A P S T R A T S H T R I B AT by KEREN LOFFLER

Churches are recognising the importance of partnering with parents and resourcing faith in the home, as well as the vital role intergenerational relationships and participation in a church community play in growing faith in children. The Lutheran congregation at St Paul’s, Box Hill, in Melbourne is implementing strategies to walk alongside families as they learn about God’s grace and Jesus’ love for them. The partnership with the child and their family starts at their birth and baptism. At St Paul’s, new babies are welcomed through our cradle roll with a card and gift. From the time of the child’s baptism we assign congregational sponsors to welcome the family, pray for them, walk with them on their faith journey, make contact on baptismal anniversaries and present a ‘faith chest’ (pictured below). Faith chests include articles such as bunny rugs and baptismal cloths made and embroidered by members of St Paul’s, a photo book, tracts and other items, and are a place to store reminders of the baptism. They were introduced in 2002 as a way of linking more closely with those who are baptised into God’s family and become part of our local church family. These are another way of encouraging the family and stressing our involvement in this amazing event.

Following the baptism the family is let know about available resources and ministry opportunities they will be invited to over the years. This includes a first baptism anniversary milestone, when the children gather with family, godparents and congregational sponsors to share memories of the baptism day, celebrate and learn about some of the resources for faith at home. Baptism birthdays are celebrated with a card and tract sent each year – one girl was so grateful to receive hers she made a thank you card. Children and parents/carers are invited annually to take part in our Milestones Ministry (similar to Grow Ministries ‘Faith Trail’). These include steps such as first communion and receiving a Bible, as well as beginning school and prayer. During worship the child is blessed and presented with a handmade milestone pebble. The pebbles remind the family of the event and encourage further discussion at home – one family has displayed their collection of pebbles on a board at home, and are thrilled when they can add a new one. We then have a teaching session in which families explore the topic with activities and discussion. Participation in intergenerational worship is valued at St Paul’s, with children welcomed with toy bags and activity sheets related to each week’s Bible readings. We have members present children’s addresses

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Digital space is a way to make faith resources available to families anywhere, anytime. I was inspired by John Roberto at a 21st Century Faith Formation conference to set up a website and Facebook group to support our Child and Family Ministry. On the website we include the weekly Taking Faith Home, a monthly calendar and ideas to develop the faith-forming processes of caring conversation, reading the Bible, prayer, ritual and tradition, and serving others. The resources are changed to tie in with the seasons of the church.

and children can also serve as acolytes. The Creative Worship Team seeks to consider the needs of children and families in worship, especially during church festivals and seasons. Churches Each Sunday morning we have a time of children’s ministry called FISH. FISH stands for Families Integrating Sundays and Home, implementing the vision of the child, youth and family team linking what happens in worship on a Sunday with supporting families in their faith journey throughout the week.

Our Milestones Ministry is supported online too, extending the teaching into the home and making it accessible to families who might not be able to attend worship.

are one of the few places in which people can PARTICIPATE in intergenerational worship, learning, faith sharing and service.

As peer relationships are important for faith growth, the children are in age-based groups at this time, and we seek to model faith practices that can be repeated at home, using the FAITH5 as a basis for the gathering. GIFT (Generations in Faith Together) events are held once a term, and these aim to engage all ages in activities to share faith and build intergenerational relationships. Through these events we learn about the church year and seasons, rituals and traditions of our Christian faith, and serve others.

Research shows a vital element in developing a faith that ‘sticks’ is a warm and supportive relationship with parents and grandparents, and so the website includes parenting resources and ideas for grandparents in encouraging faith growth. Everyone in the congregation benefits when we include children in all aspects of faith practices and support parents and families in their role as faith nurturers.

As researcher, writer, and professor of practical theology Joyce Ann Mercer says: ‘The best curriculum for forming children, youth, and anyone else in Christian faith is guided participation in a community of practice where people are vibrantly, passionately risking themselves together in lives of faith in a world crying out for the love of Christ.’

Grow Ministries provides many resources and suggestions for activities. We incorporate craft activities, questions to begin conversations about faith with others, a quiet corner (for reading or videos), simple tactile activities for young children, cooking/decorating, a service activity, and show hospitality with a morning tea. Many of the activities are designed to be continued at home. Communities of multiple generations are increasingly rare, as it becomes less common for people to access extended family networks. Churches are one of the few places in which people can participate in intergenerational worship, learning, faith sharing and service.

Keren Loffler is Coordinator of Child and Family Ministry at St Paul’s Lutheran Church, Box Hill, in suburban Melbourne.

Taking part in a Box Hill GIFT event.

by MATT THIELE

The best ministry we do FOR CHIL DREN is when w e do ministry WITH THEM .

WITH, not FOR the kids 1

Not our future

Not just Sunday school

Not ministering 'to' them

Not apart

One of the craziest things about Lutheran Christians is that we baptise children! We don’t ask whether they comprehend. We don’t wait for them to be worthy. We just welcome them because Jesus welcomed them (Mark 10:13-16). When we do this absurd act we show that God’s grace is for all and is not dependent on our maturity. But in baptising children we also make another audacious statement. By baptising children we declare that they are NOT the church of the future. They are members of the body of Christ right now (Gal 3:26). Good children’s ministry doesn’t see them as ‘potential’ for the future, but as disciples now. So the prayers, worship life and service of children are valid, vital and important for us all – right now (Ps 8:2)! Guess what most people say when I ask them what their church does for children. They name something like Sunday school or kids’ talks. But sometimes these things get in the way. By communicating that ‘this bit is for the kids’, we may unintentionally tell children that the other stuff is not for them. We may actually be communicating that the rest of worship and community life is not so much for them. Even worse, we may actually assume that elements like kids’ talks or Sunday school are the main thing. But what really makes the greatest difference for children is being noticed, known and cared for by adults. We could have no Sunday school, kids’ club, kids’ talks or anything formal. But if each adult genuinely listened and built real relationships with children, we would have an incredible life-changing children’s ministry (Ps 78:6, Col 3:16). When I was seven, my dad was the ‘Superman’ of home repairs. On Saturdays Dad would mend the neighbour’s air-conditioner or spend half the day fixing an old person’s blocked toilet. He helped everyone. And here’s the big thing. He took me along as his trade-assistant. I didn’t watch, I worked! That’s how to do good children’s ministry. Don’t make them observers. Involve them as participants. The best ministry we do for children is when we do ministry with them. It might be including them as you serve communion on Sunday, or taking them with you as you drop off groceries to someone in need, but whatever it is, we need to do it with them, not to them. What does happiness mean to you? Young people tend to think in terms of excitement. But older generations might think of happiness more in terms of contentment. The gospel of Jesus encompasses both excitement (1 Cor 2:4) and contentment (John 14:27) all at once. Only together can older and younger Christians reflect the fullness of the gospel. We play different roles but we need each other. The best ministries to young people include many generations together, because when generations come together then we truly reflect the beautiful, diverse, crazy body of Christ!

Pastor Matt Thiele shepherds the flock at Immanuel Lutheran Church at Buderim on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.

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JOY in our common faith

by ELIZABETH DELANEY

As part of the lead-up to the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017, an ecumenical working party of Lutherans and Catholics has been planning a program of projects and events to jointly commemorate the occasion. One is a series of articles, written by Lutheran and Catholic authors from around Australia, to be published in both Lutheran and Catholic publications. The fourth piece in our series of six is by Sister Elizabeth Delaney, a Sister of the Good Samaritan of the Order of St Benedict and General Secretary of the National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA).

Why do I find joy in our shared faith? It is not so much the statement of faith but the journey to this day that encourages and gives me hope. Glimpses of the way ahead for our churches deepen this hope. ‘When the Western Church divided at the time of the Protestant Reformation the understanding of the doctrine of justification was at the heart of the separation.’ So begins the 1998 document Justification, A Common Statement of the Australian The way we have Lutheran-Roman Catholic Dialogue. The Joint Declaration travelled so far gives on the Doctrine of Justification by the Lutheran World Federation me joy in the belief and the Catholic Church, signed God s ’ Holy Spirit is on 29 October 1999, echoed this. These documents illustrate guiding our churches. the journey our churches have travelled. I am an enthusiast rather than a scholar of ecumenism, and so it is the ecumenical statements in these documents which cause my spirit to leap. The quote often attributed to Spanish poet Antonio Machado that ‘We make the path by walking’ comes to mind. The Joint Declaration exemplifies this principle. For while the participants understood they had taken some steps, they knew more were to come: ‘[The Declaration] does not cover all that either church teaches about justification’. The Australian statement also recognises the need for further discussion and elucidation, reminding us this growth is the work of the

The Lutheran SEPTEMBER 2016

Spirit: ‘It is our prayer that the Holy Spirit will continue to lead and guide us into an ever fuller understanding of this central truth of the gospel’. I frequently look back, recognising new learning, often from mistakes. I love to see a similar learning in theological understanding – not just for myself, but for my church and all our churches. The participants in the international dialogue affirmed the Declaration was ‘shaped by the conviction that in their respective histories our churches have come to new insights’. Receptive ecumenism provides a wonderful framework for our churches to continue to discover new insights. Following the signing of the Joint Declaration in 1999, on 23 July 2006 the Methodist World Council affirmed the Declaration with a Statement of Association. At the NCCA Forum in Brisbane in 2007, one of the church leaders commented, ‘Perhaps our church might consider associating with the Declaration’. May many church leaders take such steps! We offer together…, we have been able to do behind this apparent difference … we have come to see … we recognise …. How frequently the pronoun ‘we’ is used in the Common Statement. And each use is deliberate. May we, urged on by God’s Holy Spirit, broaden its use. The way we have travelled so far gives me joy in the belief God’s Holy Spirit is guiding our churches together along a wonderful path! b e th E liz a ey De la n

Are your neighbours being served? by ANDREA CROSS

This year is a special one for our Longest Lutheran Lunch – 2016 is the 50th birthday of the Lutheran Church of Australia. And what better way to thank God for 50 years of blessing than by reaching out to others with his love. This year our Longest Lutheran Lunch theme is ‘Sharing the Gift of Service’. The 50.500 committee asked me to develop a ‘recipe book’ to inspire people in congregations, schools and aged-care communities to share the gift of service through their Longest Lutheran Lunch in 2016. I reflected on the task and sought God’s direction, but there was not a glimmer of an idea in my head. I reached for my laptop and asked the internet. This is what appeared on the screen: ‘What do you want to do before you die?’ I discovered that a Presbyterian congregation in the US had created a simple project by constructing a wall coated in chalkboard paint with the phrase ‘Before I die I would like to …’ on it. They provided chalk and invited the community to share responses, launching the project with a community lunch. And there was my link – they launched it with a lunch! Lacey Rudolph, Dalton Cross, Dusty Cross and Jemima Olsten with baby daughter Romy demonstrate an idea for an act of service – helping a local agricultural society set up for the town’s annual show, with a lunch to follow for committee members. If your congregation has links to a local service or interest group, could you get a team together to hold a working bee for members and then serve them lunch afterwards? Another act of service could be to help the group clean up after an event such as a country show, a scout jamboree, a bowling club tournament, a school fete or a car club rally.

Andrea Cross is Coordinator of Longest Lutheran Lunch. To discover Andrea’s 20 Acts of Service lunch ideas, visit www.longestlutheranlunch.org.au and click on Lunch Ideas, or visit the Longest Lutheran Lunch Facebook page. Jot down some ideas that might work at your place, bounce around some lunch-withservice ideas, and register your lunch event on the website – and help other congregations find inspiration for their own community service ideas. You can also contact Andrea on 0400 425 254.

www.50500.lca.org.au

This idea morphed into my 20 Top Tips of Service for the Longest Lutheran Lunch 2016. Your lunch (or dinner or breakfast) can take whatever form you like. It doesn’t have to be held on 31 October or the closest day to Reformation Sunday. Just make it an event that shares the gift of service.

FOUR TOP WAYS TO SERVE Backyard Blitz Picnic Allocate helpers to make a picnic lunch for volunteers working on someone’s backyard. Once lunch is served, sit with the residents and the volunteers and enjoy a picnic together which provides everyone with enough energy to finish the job!

Student-free Day Brunch Offer to provide brunch for teachers on a student-free day at your local school. Cook a barbecue of eggand-bacon muffins, and serve some slices, fresh fruit, juice, tea and coffee. Watch the teachers interact with the visitors and each other. It’s a real staff morale booster!

Meals on Wheels

– Longest Lutheran Lunch style Cook up a storm in your church kitchen for the elderly, someone who is recently home from hospital, a newly engaged couple, a young family, or anyone else who may enjoy being treated to some home-cooking. It is such a blessing to receive the gift of a meal at your doorstep. Stay a while and chat if it suits.

Clean-up Community Lunch On a beautiful day, spring-clean your church while playing gospel songs loudly enough for neighbours to hear. Finish with a barbecue lunch and invite anyone who’s walking past to stay for a bite to eat.

During this synodical term, 2015–2018, the LCA/NZ reaches two significant milestones: in 2016 the LCA’s 50th birthday; and in 2017 the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. 50.500 faith.freedom.future invites us to celebrate and commemorate these special anniversaries – with thanks to God for his past blessings, and in the sure hope and confidence that he is building the LCA/NZ for the future.