N A TIO N A L M A G A ZIN E O F THE L U THE RA N C HU RC H O F A U STRA LIA
N OVEMBER 2020
‘In all things God works for the good of those who love him.’ RO MA NS 8:2 8
VOL 54 N10
Print Post Approved PP100003514
God can bring
good things from bad times
LUTHERAN
CHURCH OF AUSTRALIA
Backing a shore thing! On a shore break from an annual houseboat trip, three ‘world leaders’ put aside any political differences to meet upstream from Blanchetown in the South Australian Riverland and check out our favourite church magazine. From left, they are Paul Schenscher, Graham Henschke and Mark Herrmann, all from St John’s Lutheran Church Naracoorte in SA’s SouthEast. The photo was by taken by fellow St John’s member Errol Schenscher.
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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DESIGN & PRINT
Most treasured Bible text: Romans 5:8 ‘But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.’
Design & Layout Elysia McEwen Printer Openbook Howden
Charity Sipendi
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Most treasured Bible text: Jeremiah 29:11
Accountant and a busy mother of three children ‘I have plans for you, to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for.’
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LUTHERAN
CHURCH OF AUSTRALIA 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.
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The Lutheran N OV E M B E R 2 0 2 0
Hans Hornscheidt Bethlehem Lutheran Church Morley WA Retired international banker Most treasured Bible text: Isaiah 43:11 ‘I alone am the Lord, the only one who can save you.’
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November Special features EDITOR'S
let ter
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As Christians, we know – and Scripture reminds us – that God can bring blessings out of bad situations, even if we don’t always recognise them right away. Sometimes these blessings follow quickly after a tragedy or heartbreaking event, as God moves people to bring love to life for those who are hurting. What results can leave us in awe of his wisdom, power and heart for his people.
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He suffers with us and knows our greatest fears. This intimate relationship between Father and children is, as the beloved hymn calls it ‘blessed assurance’, even when our pain is beyond what we think we can bear. Sometimes the good emanating from something terrible may take years – and many seemingly unanswered prayers – to materialise, as God’s will unfolds, in his time. In Genesis we read of the blessings he brought out of Joseph’s betrayal by his brothers – and you can delve more into that in this month’s Bible study on page 11. I’ve experienced this goodness after tragedy or hardship personally. Having lost my dad as a child, I gained a wonderful step-father and siblings after my mum remarried. And, through times of job insecurity, God opened my eyes to his path for me. In this edition we are privileged to share stories from around our church about God’s remarkable goodness and faithfulness. These offer a small insight into how he can use us to further his kingdom, bringing blessings from even the most trying times, or in the face of the biggest disappointments. We also bring back some popular sections, including Go and Grow, which this month features wonderful resources for Advent and Christmas. And, mindful of your responses to our subscriber survey (see page 24), 24), we are retaining Church@Home devotional materials, as you’ve told us they are a treasured inclusion, even for those who’ve been able to return to face-to-face worship.
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Embracing change for his kingdom
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Christ’s love knows no borders
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Regulars Heartland
There have been many examples of God’s grace and mercy in this difficult past 12 months. In the generosity and compassion shown to shattered people by their neighbours, churches and the wider public, after lives, homes and livelihoods were razed by bushfires, we have seen the very nature of God. In the connections made with and care provided for those suffering and isolated by the global devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic, we experience the very touch of God – even as we keep physical distance from each other.
Blessed beyond belief
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13
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Dwelling in God’s word
11
Go and Grow
13
Church@Home
17
Reel Life
21
The inside story
23
Going GREYT!
26
Directory
28
Your voice
28
Prayer calendar
30
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26 *Sudoku will return next issue.
I pray that in these pages we all see evidence of the hope that only Jesus offers to replenish our souls when hardship leaves us ‘running on empty’ – and the blessings he showers on us and through us, even in the darkest days.
Lisa
Our cover: Photo © Amy Dahlenburg www.amydeephotography.com
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
RE V JOHN HENDERSON
Bishop Lutheran Church of Australia
WHAT’S IN OUR NAME? THE CALL TO SHARE THE GOOD NE WS ‘This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe’ (Romans 3:22 NIV). During my school years in Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra, people would sometimes ask me about my ‘religion’. Their frequent response to hearing ‘Lutheran’ was, ‘Is that a sect?’ Admitting to being Lutheran was a quick way to lose friends. For compulsory Religious Education, the list of denominations would be exhausted by the time I got to put my hand up. What, indeed, is ‘Lutheran’? Why use the name of a 16th-century Saxon monk of whom most Aussies and Kiwis have never heard? And even if they’ve heard, they hardly care – unless, that is, they are already inside the smallish Lutheran bubble.
LUTH ERANS ARE AT TH EI R VERY BEST W H EN TH EY RESPO N D TO GOD’S CALL TO GO I NTO TH E WORLD TO SHARE TH E GOOD N EWS OF TH E KI NG DO M . 4
The Lutheran N OV E M B E R 2 0 2 0
The names of many churches are pretty obvious. Roman Catholic is the Roman branch of the catholic (universal) church. Orthodox is Trinitarian Christian. Anglicanism originated in the British Isles. Uniting Church and Churches of Christ are straightforward, as is Salvation Army. Baptist is a reference to believer-baptism, Presbyterian to church governance by presbyters (elders). Methodism began with a practical ‘method’ of evangelism. ‘Lutheran’, however, was first used as an insult during a religious debate in 1519. Luther didn’t like the name, but it stuck. He wrote in 1522, ‘I ask that my name be left silent and people not call themselves Lutheran, but rather Christians’. So that was one down for Luther and one up for popular opinion! It goes to show that Lutherans do not accept something as true just because Luther said it. For truth, we turn to Scripture. In 1528, seemingly having given up on the name issue, the reformer wrote, ‘Luther himself will not be Lutheran if he does not purely teach the holy Scripture’. We Lutherans do have a bias about holy Scripture: we read it through a Christ-centred lens. We believe that we are saved only by God’s grace and only through faith in Jesus Christ. A famous Reformation painting shows Luther preaching to the congregation: his left hand on the Bible and his right hand
pointing to the crucified Christ, whose cross stands front and centre. The early Lutherans were reformers, not separatists. They retained baptism, holy communion, the ecumenical creeds, the liturgy and the seasons. They didn’t smash statues or whitewash walls. They kept the crucifix as a symbol of the crucified Christ. Their protest was against spiritual abuse. Other things they left alone, unless they obscured the gospel. Today we are still passionate about faith, anchored in the truth of Scripture and the centrality of Jesus. In that sense we are evangelical, a name we used for ourselves until recently. It comes from ‘evangel’, meaning ‘good news’ or ‘gospel’. The good news of God’s love for us in his Son, Jesus Christ our Saviour, is at the centre of everything we believe and teach as Lutherans. Lutherans are at their very best when they respond to God’s call to go into the world to share the good news of the kingdom. We have all we need – God’s word, baptism, and holy communion. Just as sauce does not stay in the bottle but must be poured out to add its special flavour, so God has placed us in the world to be poured out in his service, pointing people to Christ as the Saviour of the world. That, in the end, is what it is to be truly Lutheran.
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