by Anne Hansen

I really enjoy doing a jigsaw puzzle. All the pieces are emptied onto a folding table and then comes the sorting – putting colours together, finding the edge pieces and starting to put the outside border in place to then work towards the middle.

It takes effort, concentration, good lighting and a lot of time to finish a puzzle. Recently I did one with my mother. There were so many sky pieces that looked the same and that also seemed to match the water pieces. We had to look at them so carefully and make sure they were put in the right spot. I found a couple of pieces that were incorrect and that made finishing the puzzle impossible. Every piece had its own place from which to be a part of making up a beautiful picture.

SPIRITUAL LIFE CAN BE A PUZZLE TOO

With our spiritual life and that of our family, we tend to get the border happening – baptism, first communion and confirmation – but what about the middle? We may have trouble getting all the pieces in the right places, especially when other things distract us and take away our concentration.

I have even been tempted to give up on some puzzles, just like we may give up on feeding our spiritual life – reading the Bible daily, praying for others, worshipping with a fellowship of believers and serving others inside and outside of the church. Working as God wants them to, all these things together make a beautiful person complete and whole.

It’s not easy. In fact, it is easier to give up, but God encourages us to put in one piece at a time and gently guides us when something doesn’t quite fit.

Our lives are created as a puzzle and it takes a lifetime to complete, but we have to start somewhere.

RESOURCES TO ENCOURAGE GROWTH

Lutheran Tract Mission has many resources to grow your life and the lives of your family members and friends. Have a look at our website at www.ltm.org.au and choose ‘Find Resources’, then click on ‘Christian Growth’. You will find about 200 different tracts under this category to encourage you.

Grow your spiritual life one day at a time and encourage your friends to do the same. When you choose a tract to help you, grab another for a family member or friend. Time with God will grow your life into a beautiful picture – one piece at a time!

Anne Hansen is Lutheran Tract Mission Development Officer.

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by Neil Bergmann

Most governments committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the next decade and reaching net-zero by mid-century are also committed to protecting habitats for vulnerable species, and addressing pollution and waste management. Many individuals, families and companies are investigating how to reduce their environmental impact, too. Congregations also have a role to play in developing more sustainable communities. Here are some practical ideas for promoting creation care within your faith family. Each congregation will respond differently to its local needs.

WORSHIP

  • Have some sermons about creation, and about our stewardship of creation.
  • Include specific petitions in the prayer of the church celebrating God’s providential care for all creation and our role as stewards.
  • Decorate the church building with artworks that celebrate creation.
  • Have a service outside, surrounded by nature.
  • Plan to celebrate the Season of Creation in September 2023.

WASTE

  • Choose a sustainable alternative to single-use plastic communion cups. As well as reusable glass individual cups, biodegradable sugar-cane-based single-use cups can now be ordered from Australian Christian Resources (shopACR.com.au).
  • For morning teas and shared meals, move from single-use disposable plates, cutlery and cups to reusable ones.
  • Have the option of providing your weekly bulletin in email format as well as in paper form.
  • Compost food waste and ensure recyclables go into the right bin.

FOOD AND GARDENS

  • For morning teas and shared meals consider sustainable food choices using locally sourced ingredients.
  • Share homegrown fruit and vegetables amongst congregation members.
  • Set up a community garden that also collects community compostables.
  • Plant a native garden and set up some picnic areas for use by the whole community if you have enough space.

ENERGY AND TRANSPORT

  • Look to use energy-saving lights and appliances.
  • Consider solar panels on the church roof, or choose a GreenPower plan from your electricity retailer.
  • Consider ridesharing for trips to and from church.
  • Consider installing bike racks and electric vehicle charging points and encourage walking to church for those who are able and live nearby.
  • Replace some meetings with online ones, especially if people travel far to attend.

GETTING YOUR CHURCH ORGANISED

  • Establish a creation care committee and develop a plan suiting your community’s interests and abilities.
  • Involve young people in the congregation, in your wider family and the local community. They have passion, energy, and ideas.
  • Do a sustainability audit.
  • Host a community creation-based film night.
  • Consider applying for a Five Leaf EcoAward – their Basic Certificate provides an easy framework for more sustainable congregations. (The awards are an Australian ecumenical environmental change program specifically designed for churches and religious organisations.)
  • Contact Lutheran Earth Care (lecanz@lca.org.au) – we’d be happy to help.

Neil Bergmann is the Chair of Lutheran Earth Care Australia and New Zealand.

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The LCA Yearbook will no longer be published. The decision has been reached for a number of reasons, including:

  • the potential for the personal information of pastors, other church workers and volunteers to be inappropriately used
  • related to the above, the church’s inability to ensure compliance with statutory privacy legislation and policies
  • its questionable usefulness, as the Yearbook data invariably becomes out of date even before it is published
  • the high staff resource cost required to produce it.

While it is recognised that some people will miss having a physical LCA database, it should be noted that everyone with access to the LAMP2 online database will find essential information about congregations and church workers on that.

In addition, contact details for congregations and their worship service times and locations will be readily available via the LCA website from early 2023.

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With the doors of the church being opened online and digital mission and ministry opportunities growing, LCANZ Local Mission is hosting an online Digital Mission and Ministry Forum next month.

Designed to help support, inspire and connect people serving in this area of mission and ministry, the forum on 5 November will include presentations and discussions on the opportunities, challenges and supports available to help you and the people in your church. Keynote session topics will include Digital Evangelism, Digital Discipleship and Opportunities in Digital Mission and Ministry, while there will be panel discussions on the topics: digital word and sacrament ministry, digital tech possibilities and what’s happening in digital mission and ministry in the LCANZ and what are we learning?

Speakers will include LCANZ pastor Rev Dr Tim Stringer, CV Global’s Director of Innovation Stuart Cranney, Greg Murray of Alpha Australia and Glenice Hartwich of St John’s Lutheran Church Unley in South Australia.

For more information, including registration details, go to www.lca.org.au/local-mission 

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Strengthening our relationship with God

Even though COVID-19 restrictions have eased in Australia and New Zealand, some members are still missing out on worship with their local congregations due to being unwell or caring for those who are. However, these devotional pages are not just for those unable to get to church. We can all benefit from reading or hearing some encouraging words and experiencing a sense of God’s closeness during the week as well as at Sunday worship. Nurturing our faith at home through regular devotions strengthens our relationship with God. We pray that you will be blessed by the devotional materials here and in the Church@Home resources collection online at www.lca.org.au/churchhome

Lisa 

John 16:22
So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.

DEVOTIONS FOR HOME WORSHIP

These reflections are adapted from a collection of devotions written for our LCANZ family and friends to help us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus no matter what we face. You can find these and many others on the LCA website at www.lca.org.au/daily-devotion and you can subscribe to receive them daily via email by clicking on the link on that same page.

When blessings become god by Eden Bishop

Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress (Judges 10:14).

Read Judges 10:6–16.

We rely on many things to provide us with ‘blessings’. These can include our own abilities, money, family and hobbies. Yet, these things are gifts from God, not things that provide us with blessings. And, if we aren’t careful, these things can start to take over all our spare time, and we can begin to give them credit for our happiness.

The Israelites worshipped other gods, falsely believing this would lead to more blessings than simply relying on the one true God. It had quite the opposite effect, bringing suffering and misery because it cut them off from God, the one true source of all blessings. This failure becomes quite apparent in their distress: the false gods cannot save them, and they must turn to God for deliverance.

In this text, we can hear God’s exasperation with his people, just like an exasperated parent. God was the one who brought the Israelites out of Egypt and provided for them in the desert, yet the Israelites continuously turned to other gods for provision. God’s response highlights how false these other gods are – we trust them to bring us good things, so why don’t we trust them to provide deliverance? Why do we call on God only in times of distress? The false gods can’t actually save us, which reveals how they also fail to provide us with good things. It is God who blesses and delivers.

This text also highlights God’s great love for us. Despite his exasperation, he still had mercy on them and delivered the Israelites when they turned back to him. God is forgiving and truly loves his people. God wants to provide for us.

Dear Heavenly Father, we are sorry for the times we have turned to false gods, such as our possessions and hobbies, to bring us happiness. Please forgive us for failing to trust in you to provide us with blessings. Thank you for your mercy. Amen.

Holy glasses by Annie Duarte

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell (Matthew 10:28).

Read Matthew 10:24–39.

Do you have the lens of eternity? A heavenly lens is just one of many gifts you receive as a Christ-follower. When you put these special glasses on, you can see things as they ought to be. As much as the Father reveals, you can see what is happening behind the scenes.

With the lens of eternity, you are given a filter for what is important. You can look at a desert and witness springs bursting forth. You can look at dry bones and see that flesh will return to them. You can carry an umbrella during a drought in faith. You can face the bitterness of death and loss with the hope of the resurrection.

This anointed lens of eternity also empowers you to sift through deception and discern what is true, what aligns with God’s word. You can see the brokenness of a heart though it is disguised in the defences of harsh language or violent behaviour. You can see the loneliness and longing buried beneath a mask of aloofness. You can see a rotten core inside of a shiny, attractive exterior.

This is the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

The same holy perspective is necessary when you face opposition and adversity especially because of your faith. I have heard it said that fear is having faith in the wrong kingdom. To fear humans – and those who kill the body but not the soul – is to have more confidence in their ability to destroy than in God’s ability to save and redeem.

You are running the marathon, bound for eternity! Place your faith in the one who can actually impact eternity, the one who has won it for you – Jesus. Slip on your lenses of eternity to see things as he sees them. Don’t waste your time and energy fearing people or fretting about earthly problems when the victory has already been won.

The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. Amen.

PRAYER

LORD JESUS THINK ON ME       

Lord Jesus, think on me,
and purge away my sin;
from earthbound passions
set me free,
and make me pure within.

Lord Jesus, think on me
by care and woe oppressed;
let me your loving servant be,
and taste your promised rest.

Lord Jesus, think on me,
amid the bitter strife;
through all my pain and misery
become my health and life.

Lord Jesus, think on me,
that, when the trial is past,
I may your radiant glory see,
and share your joy at last.

– Synesius of Cyrene, (373-414AD). Translated by Allen William Chatfield.
Sourced from justprayer.org

Matthew 10:30,31
Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid.

Being prepared for an unknown deadline by Pastor Steve Liersch

It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. He will dress himself to serve, make them recline at the table and wait on them (Luke 12:37).

Read Luke 12:32–40.

Recently, my wife and I went away with friends for the weekend, sharing our return time with one of our children still at home. We had discussed coming home on Monday evening, but around 2.00pm on Sunday, we received a call ‘just checking’ to see if it was Sunday or Monday we were returning as a small number of tasks hadn’t yet been completed. For example, bringing in the washing and vacuuming the floors.

Mild panic can set in when we know we haven’t achieved all that must be done by a given deadline. Distractions abound these days – especially social media time lost, not to mention TV, friends and hobbies, along with the busyness of life. Sometimes the essentials of life can be left to the last minute, and for some, this can also include giving appropriate attention to spiritual and eternal needs.

When Jesus reminds his disciples and us that we must be ready for his return, being watchful, dressed and expectant, he is forewarning us (and the world for that matter) that he will return. He wants to find us ready and waiting for the blessings he has in store for us eternally. Only God knows when that ‘deadline’ will eventuate, and so these words help prepare us to be recipients of his grace.

There’s also something wonderful in the image of Jesus dressed to serve us in heaven, blessing us with his heavenly banquet at the table he has prepared for us.

How well prepared are you to meet Jesus should this life’s deadline come tomorrow?

Heavenly Father, thank you for your willingness to give us a place in your kingdom. Help me treasure what this world can’t provide, namely your Son Jesus as our Lord, Saviour and Servant King. Prepare my life with your Spirit and word every day. Amen.

It is time that nations honour Jesus by Craig Heidenreich

And they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles (Isaiah 66:19b).

Read Isaiah 66:18–23.

I suspect that most of us reading this today are not Jews. That means you are numbered (with me) among the Gentiles referred to in this passage.

The Lord uses Isaiah to open up some new thinking for the Israelites and begin shifting their focus to his greater purpose – to ‘win the Gentiles’. God had spoken to Abraham many centuries before, saying, ‘all the nations will be blessed through you’, but the Israelites had become habitually focused on themselves.

Thank God for the prophetic insight given to Isaiah and for men like Paul who understood that the Jews were God’s chosen people – to be priests to the nations, not just to themselves.

Most of us are old enough to have seen a dramatic shift in the ethnic mix of Australia and New Zealand over the past few decades. Are we seeing an outworking of these verses in Isaiah? Are we in a time when God is choosing to declare his glory among the Gentiles? Last time I checked, God uses his people to declare his glory!

In Exodus 33, Moses asked the Lord, ‘show me your glory’, and he responded by saying, ‘I myself will make all my “goodness” pass before you’.

Perhaps we are to show the goodness of God to newcomers in our midst so that they get to see his glory. Surely the gospel is good news and unique among the messages of the world religions. People should have the opportunity to taste it.

Lord, help me lift my eyes above my own situation and show your goodness to others who have come from afar. May we come to your holy mountain together. Amen.

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Going GREYT! 1 Peter 4:10

In Going GREYT! we feature stories of some of our ‘more experienced’ people within the LCA, who have been called to make a positive contribution in their retirement. We pray their examples of service will be an inspiration and encouragement to us all as we look to be Christ’s hands and feet wherever we are, with whatever gifts and opportunities we’ve been given.

by Helen Brinkman

When John Belani arrived as a young single man in an Austrian refugee camp in 1957, he was seeking a life of adventure in the Congo.

At 23, the cabinet maker had left his homeland of Slovakia and knew no-one in the camp of 2000 people. He was set on migrating to the central African nation in search of rainforest hunter-gatherer people (pygmies) and wild animals.

However, the sound of hymns coming from a nearby hall led him not only to his future wife, but an unexpected change in plans.

‘I was walking through the camp and heard singing at a church service, led by a pastor from Slovakia who was preaching in Hungarian’, recalls the Victorian octogenarian.

‘After the service, there was a young girl and we met. She wanted to go to Australia, but I wanted to go to Congo. I was a silly young man looking for adventure.

‘No-one could convince me otherwise, and I didn’t know whether I should follow my brain or my heart.’

That lovely ‘young girl’ was Anna, who was from a town 25km from John’s hometown, who would become his wife and life-long companion – in Australia.

‘I thank God every day that he brought me to this lucky country through my wife’, says John, who’s now 87.

The Lutheran World Federation sponsored the pair to travel from Austria to Australia by ship in January 1959.

Their first stop was the Bonegilla Migrant Centre near Wodonga in Victoria, where they stayed for several weeks, awaiting the start of the Mildura grape harvest.

On their third day there, the camp chaplain organised for John and Anna to be married at the Lutheran church in nearby Albury, New South Wales, lending them a small van. The entire wedding party squeezed in for the trip.

After the grape picking season, they settled in Melbourne, welcomed by the local Slovakian community, and John went back to his trade as a cabinet maker.

Instead of pygmies and wild animals, they found peace and freedom.

But they certainly haven’t missed out on adventure!

They have made mission trips to Papua New Guinea and South Sudan.

‘My wife and I love to travel and have been truly blessed to be able to see many places where we have had the opportunity to serve our Lord by sharing our time, talents, and resources’, John says.

Their year in PNG in 1962–1963 was a personal favourite. Sparked by an article in their church paper calling for builders to volunteer their time to teach the locals the trade, John and Anna journeyed to the island of Siassi, also known as Umboi, off the coast from Papua New Guinea’s second biggest city of Lae. There, they built a classroom, house and dormitory for the local high school.

Two trips to South Sudan in 2007 and 2010 also remain close to their hearts, where they were moved by faith to plant a Lutheran church, school and orphanage, which they still support.

John still recalls his most dangerous activity during his African travels – taking a dip in the crocodile-infested River Nile. He couldn’t resist the lure of the mighty river he’d heard of all his life! He emerged unscathed.

‘We thank God every day we have been blessed with good health’, John says.

‘God blesses us with more than we need, many times more, and we’re just giving it back to those who need it.’

Just after his 80th Birthday, John was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for his services to his local Laverton community. This includes co-founding the Good News Lutheran College in Tarneit, Melbourne’s west, and the Slovak Social Club in Laverton.

John also donated land to build the Christ the Lord Slovak Lutheran Church in Laverton in 1974, where the pair still worships. They’ve been active members since, coordinating a monthly lunch and fellowship group for pensioners for almost 40 years.

John still works four days a week in his Laverton construction company with son Joe. He spends Thursdays with Anna and works in his garden, tending his vegetables.

‘Family is my single-greatest passion, and I am humbled to share my table at our weekly family dinner with my children, grandchildren and now also my grandchildren’s partners’, he says. ‘Together we pray and give thanks for our time. Lively conversations covering many and varied topics are keeping my mind active and connected across the generations.’

Reflecting on his life, he adds: ‘I strongly believed God had a plan for us. Philippians 4:19 tells me that God knows me, he knows me as a sinner and he tells me that I am his and he is mine, there can be no closer relationship.

‘And whatever I need he will provide. Nothing and nobody can upset me because God is with me, he is guiding me, and he will provide for me and everybody despite our sins.’

Helen Brinkman 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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Lutheran Super members can look forward to some exciting retirement benefits as a result of the superannuation fund’s decision to merge into the Mercer Super Trust via a successor fund transfer later this year.

That’s the view of Lutheran Super Chair John Grocke, who said the move would broaden services, options and support for members of the $700m-plus not-for-profit fund, which was established by the Lutheran Church of Australia in 1987 to enable church employees to plan for their retirement. Any LCANZ member was able to choose Lutheran Super as their superannuation fund from July 2019, when it became a public-offer fund.

Mr Grocke said the merger, which was announced in August by Mercer Super and Lutheran Super, was in the best financial interests of Lutheran Super’s 5,600 members, including more than 340 pensioners.

‘From the outset, we have sought a merger partner that could deliver the best retirement outcome possible for our members’, Mr Grocke said.

‘Following a rigorous process, we’re pleased to have chosen the Mercer Super Trust, where our members will access a wider range of services, options and personalised support to get the most out of their super or pension. Importantly, the merger will ensure that members continue to benefit from our tailored balanced investment option as well as other characteristics of the existing plan.’

Lutheran Super’s Balanced Growth (MySuper) option has performed strongly against its peers over the past five years. It continues to exceed the MySuper median as of June 2022 reporting.

In October 2021, it was named as one of the Top 10 growth funds by Australian online investment advisor Stockspot. It will continue as the MySuper option for Lutheran Super members in the Mercer Super Trust.

‘From strong investment performance to competitive fees, we’re proud of what we have achieved on behalf of our members over the years’, Mr Grocke said. ‘We know that our members’ best interests will continue to be protected as they join Mercer Super.’

Mercer Super Chief Executive Officer Tim Barber said the firm, which has provided administration, investment management and consulting services for Lutheran Super over many years, looked forward to continuing its service to members.

‘Mercer is proud of its long-term partnership with Lutheran Super’, he said. ‘We know well the deep commitment they have to helping their members enjoy a healthy retirement, and we look forward to welcoming them to Mercer Super.

The successor fund transfer is expected to take place in the final quarter of 2022.

The Mercer Super Trust currently manages more than $30 billion in funds and leverages the scale of Mercer globally, which has US$346 billion in assets under management. Upon completion of the Lutheran Super successor fund transfer and the recently announced successor fund transfer of BT Super, the Mercer Super Trust will have more than $65 billion in funds under management.

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When 24 young Lutherans gathered in Adelaide for the LCANZ’s Young Adult Forum last month, their sense of hope for their church’s future inspired presenters and participants alike.

Aged between 18 and 26 and representing rural and city congregations from across Australia, forum participants heard about and discussed key issues facing the church and gained a deeper insight into how the church functions.

The event was also an opportunity for LCANZ leaders to hear the needs and thoughts of our young people,

Facilitated by Grow Ministries, the forum also included sessions about worship, the work of the LCANZ in local and international mission, ministry support and public theology, issues to be discussed at next year’s Convention of General Synod and conversation time with Bishop Paul Smith.

Grow Ministries Director Jodi Brook said being among the young adult participants was ‘a blessing’. ‘To listen to the passion that they have for their church, to see their understanding of how the church functions grow and to be inspired by the hope, generosity and positivity which they spoke about the church was such a blessing’, she said.

Bishop Paul said while discussion tables during the forum each included a church leader to guide conversation among the young adults, ‘they really didn’t need the guide’. ‘Each time the groups were assigned a task, they launched into discussion and collaboration with passion and pastoral support for one another’, he said.

‘It was a joy to serve with them. They will certainly be praying for their church.’

Participant John Hillier from South Australia said he ‘gained a sense of hope about a wide range of things’ at the forum. ‘It was good to hear the wisdom and experiences of others’, he said. ‘It took a lot of the sourness I had when I think about the future of the church. It was great to see that our church has many people who are aware of the challenges we face. To me, it was a good reminder that no matter what happens, the church can and will prevail.’

Other participants also said they were encouraged to do more in their home congregations and communities, thanks to their experiences at the forum. Stephanie Swift, from Western Australia, said, ‘I am feeling encouraged to find ways to serve my congregation, such as joining a committee or starting a small group’, while Queensland participant Christian Hansen said: ‘I think being enthusiastically involved in the body of the church is something I’m looking forward to doing more of.’

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More than 100 artists from three Australian states have shared their creativity and talent through this year’s second annual LCANZ Churchwide Simultaneous Art Exhibition under the theme ‘Free Indeed’.

People who took part in the 2022 exhibition ranged from small children at Lutheran playgroups, school students and youth groups, to congregation members, school staff and parents and people in aged-care communities, with the eldest artist involved being 98, organiser Libby Krahling said.

Coordinated and facilitated by LCA Visual Arts, which is part of the Commission on Worship, the event this year featured seven exhibitions and workshops held across August. These were based in Rochedale in Queensland, Port Macquarie and Sydney in New South Wales, and Nuriootpa, Mount Torrens, North Adelaide and Aberfoyle Park in South Australia. The exhibition theme was based on John 8:36: ‘So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed!’

While there were fewer exhibitions staged than for last year’s inaugural event, Libby said that ‘some participating schools and congregations used the event resources to run workshops and to minister to groups within their communities’.

‘Across all the exhibitions we saw a huge variety of media, including paintings, drawings, cartooning, lino-cuts and other print-making, photography, textile art, crochet and knitting, 3D installations and sculptures, woodwork, metal work and floral art’, she said. ‘LCA Visual Arts are planning to reveal the 2023 theme soon, so keep your eyes peeled for announcements.’

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