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Is your Synod delegate registered?

Has your Synod delegate registered to attend the online sessions of General Synod, 1-2 October? You can check if they have here: www.generalsynod.lca.org.au/delegates/

Delegates need to register so that they can receive a link which will allow them to access the online sessions and to fully participate.

Non-delegate online visitors will be able to view the sessions, too. Look out in LCA eNews in September for instructions on how to do this.

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Church@Home September 2021

CHURCH@HOME www.lca.org.au/churchhome

Resources to strengthen and nurture faith

Regular devotions can be a great foundation for our home-worship life. They can help nurture our faith and even that of our families, as they strengthen our relationship with Jesus, increase our trust in God and our openness to the call of his Spirit. We pray that you will receive blessings from the devotional materials here and in the Church@Home resources collection collated and shared on the special webpage at www.lca.org.au/churchhome. There are also other faith-building and practical resources available through this webpage. If you have internet access and a printer, why not print some and mail or deliver them to those who may otherwise miss out?

– Lisa

Psalm 34:10b  

Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

DEVOTIONS FOR HOME WORSHIP

These reflections are from a collection of devotions written for our LCANZ family and friends to help us to keep our eyes on Jesus. They can be used by families, small groups and individuals as part of daily faith practice. You can find these and more on the LCA website at www.lca.org.au/daily-devotion

Land of plenty by Colleen Fitzpatrick

‘For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land’ (Deuteronomy 8:7a).

Read Deuteronomy 8:1–10.

Many of us can trace back to when our family arrived on this good land. They came for a variety of reasons. Some were seeking religious or political freedom; others came for safety or economic security. Many have found it to be a good land indeed.

Before our arrival, the First Nations people nurtured the land and lived well on it. They had looked after the ‘flowing streams with springs and underground waters’. Their needs were simple, and they lacked nothing.

The arrival of European settlers upset the established order. New ways of managing the land were implemented, and the iron and copper and other minerals in the stones and hills were harvested to fill pockets. People ate their fill, but did they remember to bless the Lord for the good land he gave?

The richness of the land has diminished; the rivers and underground waters have been drained, and God’s commandments are no longer guiding the lives of many.

I wonder what God is thinking about us now. We are constantly hearing about extreme weather events and natural disasters – heatwaves, floods, bushfires, mudslides, mouse plagues and, of course, the pandemic. Species of animals and plants are in danger of being lost forever.

On the one hand, some people are earning more and more – eye-watering numbers of dollars which can never be spent. On the other hand, many people do not have enough money to pay for food and shelter.

Rather than wallow in a sea of depression and pessimism, let’s be positive! We can walk gently on the earth, and if we each do our bit to be good stewards of the earth, we can make a difference. And as we do that, let’s bless the Lord our God for bringing us to this good land while remembering that it is God’s good land – not ours.

Creator God, you made the world and all that is in it, and you saw that it was good. Forgive us for when we have taken the land for granted and have used it to serve our own purposes. Help us to be better caretakers so that it is sustained into the future. Amen.

Direct access by Verena Johnson

‘Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die’ (Deuteronomy 18:16b).

Read Deuteronomy 18:15–22.

How sad that the Israelites did not want to hear from God directly or see the fire of his great presence because of their fear.

They asked for a mediator to stand between them and God. As a result of their request, they had a whole series of mediators throughout their history, starting with Moses and followed by a stream of prophets, priests, judges and kings. The Israelites did not listen to God themselves; they relied on ‘mediators’ to tell them what God said.

Many of these ‘mediators’ honoured God, listened to him and spoke the words he put in their mouths, even though the people didn’t always listen or like what they had to say.

However, many more did not. They spoke words in God’s name that he hadn’t said, or even worse, they spoke things in the name of other gods. They often said what people wanted to hear rather than what people needed to hear. This is where the whole arrangement went downhill.

Thank God that Jesus came as the ultimate mediator between God and us and gave his life so we could have direct access to God again.

We don’t have to rely on mediators anymore. We can speak to God directly and hear what he has to say to us any time we want. We can read his word and listen to the Holy Spirit as he speaks into our hearts and lives. We can talk with God in prayer and listen to what he has to say to us.

God wants us to be with him with no-one else between us. He invites us into a close and intimate one-on-one relationship with him.

The problem is people haven’t changed. We are no different to the Israelites. Sometimes our fears get in the way of our relationship with God, and we don’t always listen to or like what he has to say.

But he is always there, loving us, forgiving us, inviting us and calling us to be with him. He has so much he wants to say to us if only we are listening.

Loving God, thank you for inviting us into an intimate relationship with you. Open our spiritual ears to hear you when you speak to us. Open our hearts and minds to receive what you have to say to us. Amen.

PRAYER 

A Mourner’s Prayer

Lord God,
Without your promise
I could not endure this sorrow.
Only the promise of your presence
Enables me to carry on in these lonely times.
Only your grace preserves me as I mourn.
Do not let me mourn without hope!
You have taken care of me in the past,
Now let me be carried in your mercy.
Give me the grace to come to you,
And find rest for my soul.
In Christ’s name.
Amen.

– Adapted from the Lutheran Book
of Prayer (1951), from justprayer.org

2 Thessalonians 3:3

But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.

Generosity instead of greed by Pastor Peter Bean

‘Then Jesus said to them, “Be careful and guard against all kinds of greed. Life is not measured by how much one owns”’ (Luke 12:15).

Read Luke 12:13–21.

We might not say we are greedy, but it seems that greed can be present in all sorts of ways.

While money or possessions may be the obvious culprits, greed can spill across into other areas. It is good to examine our conscience in all areas.

If we find we are greedy in any area, what should we do? The obvious is to confess and change our ways.  But if I may be so bold, I would like to suggest that the best way to overcome greed is to be generous! In fact, be over-generous.

I might be even bolder and say that most reading this could say, ‘I have enough good things stored to last for many years’ (verse 19). (There will be exceptions; I acknowledge that. If you are struggling, seek help through financial counsellors or similar.) But the reality is, most of us have enough and more than enough.

Years ago, in a poem titled ‘Enough’, I wrote these words:

When we who have too much
Recognise enough is enough
Maybe those who have too little
Will edge closer
Towards our enough.

Our generosity enables others to live. It expands our hearts. It responds to the generous and loving God revealed throughout Scripture. By being generous, we live in the image of God. By being generous, we have life. We can enjoy it abundantly and enable others to have life (in what to them is probably abundance).

The antidote to greed, excessive wealth and too many possessions is living in the grace of our generous God and sharing that grace in whatever way we can.

Generous One, I thank you for all that you give me. Help me to reflect your generous heart in all I do and have. Amen.

Do we underestimate God? by Pastor Glenn Crouch

‘“The days are coming”, declares the Lord, “when I will fulfil the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah”’ (Jeremiah 33:14).

Read Jeremiah 33:14–18.

In this passage, Jeremiah looks forward to the coming of our Lord Jesus – Israel’s promised Messiah. The prophet tells us that this is God’s promise, his plan for the salvation of Israel. In this, we see how great is our God – his blessings not only come to Israel but overflow to the whole world. Yes, Jesus, the son of David, will fulfil this promise, but we also see so much more revealed at the end of verse 16, ‘The Lord Our Righteous Saviour’. The Messiah will be the salvation of the world!

Do you underestimate the Lord God? Is his arm too short to reach you? Is he unable to hear you? To see you? No! Our God is one who blesses so greatly that the blessings overflow.

In Jeremiah’s time, what was left of Israel – the people of Judah – was taken by Babylon. The kingship was lost. Jerusalem was lost. The temple was destroyed. Israel (like us) had not been faithful. But we see here that God promises restoration; he promises salvation. Not because Israel deserves it, but because he is gracious. He is so gracious that the Messiah who will save Israel also saves you and me! The Messiah is our Lord Jesus, who saves us through his death and resurrection!

We often feel when things go so horribly wrong that God has abandoned us.

Scripture shows us that while we may move away from him, he doesn’t give up on us. It is easy to grab hold of our righteous Saviour when we realise that he has already got us firmly in his grasp.

Gracious God, thank you for never giving up on me. Thank you for sending your dear Son to live, die and rise again for me. Help me to see that you are with me – in the bad times and the good times. Amem.

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Prayer calendar – October dates

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Sharing the love and Joy of music

by Helen Beringen

Joy Mules was about three years old when she caught the music bug. In around 1938, the brass bands parading through the streets of Tanunda, in South Australia’s Barossa Valley, drew her away from her mother’s side to march off with one of them.

And just like the German heritage of that annual brass band competition, her rich music heritage was founded in the Lutheran Church.

The eldest of five children, Joy began learning to play the piano at eight years old and by 14 she was playing for Sunday school at the Berri-Renmark Parish in South Australia’s Riverland.

Her pastor, Ern Stolz, encouraged her to take a turn to play for the worship service, a gift she has continued to share for the past 70 years.

Now turning 86 this month, Joy is still on the organ roster at St John’s congregation Unley, where she has worshipped since moving to Adelaide from the Riverland two years ago.

Whether it’s organ music for worship services, piano accompaniment for choirs, or singing, music continues to be the lifeblood flowing through Joy’s veins.

Her early music experiences included singing at a naturalisation ceremony in front of Sir Alexander Downer, then High Commissioner of Australia; to an audience of 3000 at the Brisbane Town Hall as part of a youth convention; and being in 15 Riverland Musical Society productions over 50 years.

Born in Berri in 1935, Joy grew up Glossop and was cutting apricots on the family property by the age of five.

Her interest in music was also a family affair, as the wider family had lovely singing voices and would gather monthly on a Sunday night for singsongs, she recalls.

Joy even met her husband Jim through music, at a local fundraising dance where she was making sandwiches in the kitchen for supper, as her father thought that, at 16, she was too young to attend. Jim ended up dancing her down the aisle in 1958.

‘We moved to Barmera to a fruit property where we raised our son Peter, and our two daughters Jenny and Angela, all of whom have done us proud’, Joy says. The family has now grown to include five grandchildren.

Music sustained Joy through the tough years of bringing up a family and fruit picking and pruning on the property with Jim.

Joy continued to share her musical talents in her church and community until retiring from the farm at age 70, after her husband’s passing.

‘I had to keep serving the Lord no matter what stage of life I was in’, she says. ‘I need to continue doing what I can while I can, that’s keeping me going.’

Joy has volunteered for most of her life, influenced by Christian parents. She was even her congregational delegate at the LCA’s General Synod in 1976 – four years before women received the right to vote at Synod, so she was only granted observer status.

Her church life has been full, with commitments including Sunday school teaching, church council membership and serving as chairperson. Her volunteer efforts in the broader Riverland community, which spanned sport and the arts, were recognised by an Australia Day honour in 2018 when she was named ‘Citizen of the Year’ by the Berri Barmera Council, which she describes as a ‘humbling privilege’.

That same philosophy led Joy to volunteer to raise funds to support refugee children to go to school through the Australian Lutheran World Service Walk My Way fundraiser through the town and countryside of SA’s Barossa Valley on 1 May this year.

Walking from Nuriootpa to Tanunda, Joy was the oldest registered participant, raising enough money to send almost seven refugee children to school.

Despite not being a regular walker, Joy covered just over nine kilometres, not including her training sessions with daughter Angela, who accompanied her on the walk.

‘I was halfway, and I suddenly thought, “God, please give me strength”, and he did’, Joy recalls.

That same strength still sees her on the church roster for readings, flowers and organ at St John’s Unley, as well as volunteering her time to play the piano for residents at the nearby Fullarton Lutheran Homes fortnightly and hymns in the chapel once a month.

Her husband once asked her when she was going to retire from playing the organ. Her response: ‘I’m not going to retire, why would I? God has given me this talent.’

‘I have had a few challenges throughout my journey through life and have only managed them because of my faith in my Lord and Saviour’, she says. ‘Faith is my second name.’

How fitting then, that her favourite Psalm 23 is one she’s sung at many special occasions including weddings and funerals. It is an ongoing reminder of his guidance throughout her life.

‘I always ask God to guide my fingers to play for his glory.’

Helen Beringen is a Brisbane-based writer who is inspired by the many GREYT people who serve tirelessly and humbly in our community. By sharing stories of how God shines his light through his people, she hopes others are encouraged to explore how they can use their gifts to share his light in the world.

Know of any other GREYT stories in your local community? Email the editor lisa.mcintosh@lca.org.au  

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Directory – September

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Page 2 – September 2021

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Your love comes to life

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Is this your new watering hole?

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Thank you!

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A shepherd’s path

by Lisa McIntosh

Each year in The Lutheran, we introduce the wider church to the newest pastors of the LCANZ, including sharing a bit about their work and family backgrounds and their call to the ordained ministry. It is both amazing and encouraging to learn of the many different paths our shepherds have taken to get where they are today. No two are exactly alike. And God uses their experiences for his kingdom as they serve in our congregations, schools, care settings, or district or churchwide ministries.

Among the ranks of serving pastors in the LCANZ are former funeral directors and footy umpires, fast-food outlet managers and farmers, taxi (and bus) drivers and teachers, economists and engineers, scientists, business bankers, finance and IT industry specialists, medical doctors and defence force personnel, cleaners, counsellors and copywriters, retail managers and sales staff, and even a prize-winning livestock photographer. And the list goes on.

But what do these ‘former lives’ mean for present-day ministries? Do any of the skills learnt behind a fast-food or shop counter, or on a tractor, in a laboratory, factory or classroom really translate into a parish setting?

Rev Dr Dan Mueller, who has served the Walla Walla Lutheran Parish in New South Wales since 2017, thinks so. A former software engineer and research scientist who worked in the Netherlands for several years, Pastor Dan believes there are two aspects from his ‘previous life’ that God continues to use in his ministry. ‘Firstly, I always had a desire to help and heal people. This is why I specialised in medical computing’, he says. ‘In particular, I designed algorithms and wrote software used by doctors in hospitals to diagnose and treat various medical conditions including cancer. This desire to help remains in my pastoral ministry. Now I help by speaking God’s gospel word of comfort; now I heal with water, bread and wine.

‘Secondly, my time living abroad and travelling, has shown me the diversity of God’s wonderful creation. It was a thrill to meet people with vastly different stories from my own. Each culture, each person, each story, enables us as individuals and as a church collective to hear, see, know, experience God more fully.’

Pastor Matt Bishop’s own experience backs up the idea that God can use any work or vocational journey to grow his kingdom. Pastor Matt, who currently serves at Blair Athol in South Australia and was ordained in 2015, was an Economic Policy Advisor with the Commonwealth Treasury, worked in the Australian Government’s Department of Finance, was deployed to the Papua New Guinea Treasury, and managed a McDonald’s franchise and served as a kitchen hand with the fast-food giant.

‘I don’t think too much is wasted, right down to being able to use my previous “Maccas” experience to place 24 pancakes expertly on a barbecue hotplate at the local high school breakfast club our (former) congregation ran in Morley Western Australia’, he said. ‘My research and policy development skills, and my God-given inquiring mind, continue to find all sorts of applications.’

With Pastor Peter Klemm’s call to the ministry taking more than 20 years to come to fruition, he also had plenty of time to explore different occupations. Pastor Peter, who serves at Cummins on SA’s Eyre Peninsula, was a farmhand on his family’s farm after leaving school, next headed to Central Australia to work at the Finke River Mission store at Hermannsburg/Ntaria, then worked in roles including tyre-fitter, delivery driver and selling batteries, stockfeed, petrol, hardware and paint, as well as quoting jobs for tradesmen for HR Sanders in Clare in SA’s Mid-North.

Pastor Peter believes that his previous roles have helped him to be able to relate to people from all walks of life and ‘to always lean on God in all things’.

‘I believe God has placed me into ministry after moulding me over a number of years’, he says. ‘God has given me a pastoral heart, a thirst to know more about him, a willingness to listen to other people and a yearning to visit people, whether on the tractor or header, in aged-care facilities, or their homes.’

Pastor Peter Heintze also comes from a rural background and says he spent 34 years ‘wandering in the wilderness’ before studying for the ministry and being ordained in 2017.

‘God was preparing me for something that I did not think I was capable of, or even worthy’, says Pastor Peter, who serves at Coonalpyn in SA’s South-East. ‘What amazes me is how God uses our journeys through someone like me, who did not like school, left as soon as I could to work on the family farm for 20 years, which I did not like, but I did learn a lot.’

As well as having been a primary producer for two decades, Pastor Peter worked as a cleaner, a school handyman and tutor, a Community Development Employment Projects supervisor, a mining laboratory soil sampler, a Big W warehouse employee, a Centrelink work supervisor, a painter/renovator and in water compliance.

‘The different occupations, the diverse range of people I worked with, the people skills I acquired, the life experiences gained, the myriad of role models, and the power of the Holy Spirit helped to prepare me for the ordained ministry’, he says.

Another pastor who spent many years of his pre-ministry life in his family’s business is Darryl Shoesmith, who serves at Christchurch in New Zealand.

Pastor Darryl, who previously studied at Queensland Agricultural College in Gatton, worked at the college as a vet’s assistant for a year while undertaking an honours endorsement in wildlife management. The following year though, he was employed at the family firearms shop as a retail assistant.

A love of the craftsmanship of firearms and their history led to study in gunsmithing in the US in 1982 and, after returning to Australia and Shoesmith Firearms, he worked as an employee for several years and then managed the business until 2008 when he retired early.

While Pastor Darryl had given thought to studying for the ministry earlier, it was only in his fourth year of retirement, after discussions with the pastor taking his father’s funeral, that he pursued his new vocation.

And he believes his customer-service background has helped prepare him for serving a parish. ‘Dealing with, speaking with, getting to know, so many different types of people on a day-to-day basis is a good grounding because it is not just about them, but is good for knowing yourself’, he says.

Pastor Joseph Theodorsen also had customer or client-focused roles before studying for the ministry and being installed to serve Top End Lutheran Parish Northern Territory earlier this year. After attending school in Western Australia, he was a service station attendant then manager, a clerk, a recruitment consultant, a Bachelor of Education student and taxi driver who had explored the option of becoming a Specific Ministry Pastor at his home church of Geraldton before moving to Adelaide to attend Australian Lutheran College to study to become a General Ministry Pastor.

‘There are many ways God had planned for me to grow as his servant through the various roles I had before the ordained ministry’, he says. ‘Many of them were customer or client-focused, and a desire to help people was always very strong for me. Also, the wide range of people that I would interact with through these roles, particularly as a taxi driver and at the service station, was great preparation for the ministry. To have had such a large amount of experience with people from all walks of life helps in many ways.’

Like the other pastors who’ve shared their reflections here, South African-born Roelof Buitendag didn’t start out wanting to be a pastor. After a move to Australia and studies in psychology and science, his main role was as a sleep scientist, but he had also worked in casual jobs as a shop hand at a convenience store in West End, Queensland, in a bagel shop, as a bartender, hotel cleaner, sales attendant and paint mixer with Dulux Paints, bricky’s labourer, and a youth coordinator.

Pastor Roelof, who serves at Ipspwich Queensland, believes God’s will for our lives is often only ‘revealed as we walk on that journey’. ‘Everything beforehand has helped me relate to people and hopefully helped me communicate the reality and truth of the God of the Bible into the utmost needs of people’, he says.

 

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