M A G A Z I N E O F T H E LUT H E R A N C H URC H O F A US T R A LI A & N E W Z E AL A N D
FEBRUARY 2022
Thank you
AND GOD BLESS
Get to know
VOL 56 No 1
Print Post Approved PP100003514
OUR NEW BISHOP eryone v e r fo y ‘Pra uthority.’ a in is o wh H 1 T IM O T
Y 2 :2
Christian
L EADERSHIP
LUTHERAN
CHURCH OF AUSTRALIA
EDITORIAL
Editor Lisa McIntosh p 08 8267 7300 m 0409 281 703 e lisa.mcintosh@lca.org.au Executive Editor Linda Macqueen p 08 8267 7300 e linda.macqueen@lca.org.au
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Keeping up with what’s happening The Lutheran’s Lutheran’s digital edition enabled Job Thiele, 12, to spend time during school holidays catching up on stories from around the LCANZ, while keeping an eye on the cricket and the family dog, Billie. Job is a member at Seaford Lutheran Church in South Australia. His dad, Bob, took the photo.
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People like YOU bring love to life Fay Klinge Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Noosa Qld
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‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.’
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The Lutheran informs the members of the LCANZ 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 and New Zealand.
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Most treasured Bible text: Philippians 4:6
Stephen Kroker St Pauls Lutheran Church Glenelg SA Australian Lutheran World Service Operations Support Manager Most treasured Bible text: Mathew 7:7 ‘Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.’
Heather Grealy St Johns Lutheran Church Wodonga Vic Church secretary-receptionist, grandma Most treasured Bible text: Ecclesiastes 3:1–8 ‘For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.’
Let the light of someone you know shine through their photo being featured in The Lutheran and LCA Facebook. With their permission, send us a good quality photo, their name and details (congregation, occupation, what they enjoy doing, most treasured text in these difficult times) and your contact details.
February Special features EDITOR'S
let ter
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Over summer the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to dominate the news in Australia and New Zealand, as cases, hospitalisations and deaths attributed to the virus have escalated dramatically in some places. We had hoped 2022 would be different – safer and less stressful than the past two years. And perhaps it yet will be. But for now, things remain uncertain.
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At times like this, we crave wisdom and reassurance from our leaders in government, health, business and the church. It’s a difficult time for those making decisions, impacting lives and livelihoods. They need our prayers, as encouraged by St Paul in 1 Timothy 2:1,2. But what makes a great leader? Commanding respect by decisive actions or forthright words? Being consultative and willing to delegate and trust those in their charge? Is the best leader someone who can enact a plan, bringing their team along with them? We expect a lot of our leaders. We demand that our political leaders deliver prosperity, security and opportunity. We call for the axing of our sporting leaders if they and their teams don’t win premierships, series and championships. We believe our church leaders should oversee our return to the so-called glory days or enact whatever changes we deem necessary to move forward.
Willing, dedicated and gifted to serve
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We thank God for your servant-leadership
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Retiring bishop: My hopes for the church
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Meet our new pastors
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Serving to lead others to Christ
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God is at work … even in a pandemic
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Regulars
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But what Jesus asks of all leaders though is both far simpler and far more difficult. He says that to lead, to be first, to be great, we must be servants (Matthew 20:26, Mark 9:35 and 10:43).
This year, there are leadership changes in the LCANZ, so we thought it was appropriate to focus on this topic and to thank God for raising up leaders for each new season. The church welcomes its incoming bishop, Pastor Paul Smith, who will be installed to this leadership role later this month, and we farewell his predecessor Pastor John Henderson. You’ll hear from them both in the following pages, including through Bishop Paul’s first monthly column for us.
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And we expect them all to be perfect, without a character blemish or skeleton in the closet. We stand ready to judge them harshly.
Jesus’ model of servant-leadership is the ultimate template for Christian leaders.
Get to know our new bishop
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Because we bear your name: Bishop Paul’s letter
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Dwelling in God’s word
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Go and Grow
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Church@Home
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The inside story
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Your voice
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Sudoku
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Directory
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Prayer calendar
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You’ll also meet members of the General Church Board and learn more about this crucial governance body of skilled, gifted and committed volunteer leaders. And we’ll also introduce you to the newest pastors of the LCANZ as they begin their parish ministries. And, along with a Bible study on the theme, our devotional and prayer pages are back this year, in addition to news, views and information about resources and events. Thanks so much for your support. God bless,
Lisa
PS. Our popular column ‘Going GREYT’ will return next month.
Our cover: Incoming LCANZ Bishop Paul Smith and his wife Heidi Inset: Retired LCANZ Bishop, Pastor John Henderson, and his wife Valmai The Lutheran F E B R UA RY 2 0 2 2
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Because we bear your name
BISHOP PAUL’S LE T TER RE V PAUL SMITH Bishop, Lutheran Church of Australia and New Zealand
Because we bear your name. I share these words with you, as a prayer for our journey together as people of the Lutheran Church of Australia and New Zealand.
Fourthly, the song is so very hopeful about the presence of the Lord at work in and through us as we bear the Lord’s name.
For the coming years of my service as bishop, I would like to use these words as the title for my column in The Lutheran. Lutheran.
Finally, there is something of the song that is deeply meaningful to me personally. It is something that is significant in my story as one who did not grow up in the Lutheran Church. (Actually, I did not grow up with any Christian church participation.) When I was enrolled at St Peters Lutheran College in Indooroopilly, Queensland, for Year 11 in 1978, my English teacher was a college chaplain, Pastor John Kleinig. We called him ‘PK’ at the time. PK not only taught me in the English classroom but, in 1979, taught me and three other students in confirmation classes and I was subsequently confirmed by PK that year.
Why these words? Many people would recognise these words as the refrain from the song, ‘Lord Jesus, we belong to you’. This Australian Lutheran song was published as number 292 in the All Together Everybody songbook. The words are written by our Australian Lutheran theologian Dr John Kleinig, and put to music by another Australian Lutheran theologian, songwriter, Dr Robin Mann.
I ALSO WANT TO On his website, Robin tells the story, Dr Kleinig later became a lecturer at ‘Dr John Kleinig, lecturer at Luther ENCOU RAG E YOU ... Luther Seminary in Adelaide where Seminary in Adelaide, preached at I was studying. In 1988, he kindly took TO ANTICI PATE OU R the monthly student service at part in my ordination at Bethlehem St Stephen's in October 1985. He LORD’S DELIG HT TO Lutheran Church in Adelaide. not only prepared a sermon on Mark BE AT WORK I N AN D At that same time, I was experiencing 9:38–50 but also this powerful set of a profound influence from Robin lyrics for which I wrote the melody TH ROUG H EACH OF US , Mann’s song writing. Much of the way ... The text from Mark seems like a AS WE ‘ BEAR H IS NAM E’. that I speak of the work of our Lord collection of disconnected teachings, Jesus in his life and his death and his but John wove these together resurrection for our salvation has been beautifully under the theme spelled formed by the language that Robin has taught me in his out in verse 41, “Anyone who gives you a cup of water in many songs used for worship and devotion in our church. my name because you belong to Christ”.’ Let me give a brief explanation as to why I have chosen the refrain from Dr Kleinig’s song as the title for my regular articles to you. Firstly, the song is a prayer to our Lord Jesus, in whom we live and move and have our very being. Secondly, the song is wonderfully evangelical. Each verse is caught up in our Christian witness and service in the world, as we serve each other and the world around us in the name of the risen Lord. Thirdly, the song is filled with the language of ‘us’ and ‘we’. Our Lord has gathered us through the waters of baptism to be with and for each other.
So, with these words from ‘Because we bear your name’, I gladly acknowledge with gratitude the witness of both doctors, Kleinig and Mann, in my journey as a Christian. I also want to encourage you, the members of our church, to anticipate our Lord’s delight to be at work in and through each of us, as we ‘bear his name’. ‘Help us receive each other, Lord, for you receive the least of us, and come to us in them – because we bear your name.’ Your fellow in Christ,
Paul
Lord Jesus, we
live in us, we live in you; work for you – because we bear your name
you
we live and
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belong to you,
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