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211

Faith shapes our intercultural relationships

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by James Winderlich

The eighth commandment instructs us that what we believe and say about other people, how we represent them, matters to God. This instruction includes how we represent people’s cultural diversity.

St Peter understood this and said, ‘I now realise how true it is that God does not show favouritism but accepts people from every nation who fear him and do what is right’ (Acts 10:34,35 NRSV).

Faith in Jesus Christ shapes and guides our relationships in the LCANZ. Our biblical and theological tradition brings an extreme richness to our perspectives concerning cultural diversity because they are grounded in Jesus’ service to us and all people. Our intercultural relationships are inspired, Spirit-in-breathed, by the God who plants and nurtures Christ-given life among diverse people. This is evident over and over in the LCANZ’s historical and contemporary stories.

EARLY CHURCH HIGHLIGHTS OUR CALL

The book of Acts provides ample evidence of how God reversed the effects of Babel (Genesis 11) to unite diverse people. In Acts 1:8 that vision is clearly stated, ‘You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth’.

The Apostles needed to leave Jerusalem for the message and gift of life in Jesus Christ to reach Samaria and the ends of the earth. Leaving Jerusalem, with all of its cultural and social privileges, also meant leaving behind what Jesus’ followers feared and resented most in people whom they had come to regard as their foreign ‘others’.

In Acts 8 this vision takes shape, especially as it happened against the background of Saul’s culture-preserving persecution of Jesus’ followers. But the Holy Spirit transformed St Peter’s cultural perspectives when he was welcomed and embraced by the gentile Cornelius and his household (Acts 10).

PREPARING PEOPLE TO SERVE IN DIVERSE SETTINGS

Australian Lutheran College (ALC) works with the LCANZ in its many culturally diverse ministry contexts. ALC prepares and supports pastors and lay workers from diverse cultural backgrounds to serve in equally culturally diverse Lutheran congregations across the whole church. The college provides training for Indigenous Australian pastors and evangelists by sending teaching staff to Australia’s western desert communities, and the college works with the LCANZ’s partners in Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Malaysia and other Asia-Pacific communities to prepare people for serving communities from within their own culture.

Cultural diversity should never lead us to bear false witness and in doing so sin against people. Instead, the Holy Spirit calls us to leave, to give up the things that we fear in people so that the gospel of Jesus Christ might be heard and received in its richness, fulness and life. Australian Lutheran College partners with the LCANZ in that mission.

Would you like us to support you as you seek to serve culturally diverse people in your own contexts? Contact us via email at enquiries@alc.edu.au and ask for that help.

Pastor James Winderlich is Principal of Australian Lutheran College.

212

The best message in times of crisis

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by Richard Fox

Why do bad things happen? And where is God in times of suffering? During a crisis these may be familiar questions. And these are the types of topics that Lutheran Media’s Messages of Hope address.

Listener Kathleen heard Messages of Hope about crisis on her local radio station and wanted to know more about how God helps in times of suffering. So, she got in touch: ‘I wanted to speak to you about “Why do bad things happen? Courage during difficult times”. I was after a couple of copies please if you’ve got them.’ You can listen to the radio message Kathleen listened to at www.messagesofhope.org.au/crisis

You can order the booklet or download an electronic version at
www.messagesofhope.org.au/bad-things-happen

There are videos and other podcasts about crisis and suffering too at
www.messagesofhope.org.au

POSTCARDS OF HOPE

Lutheran Media also offers free postcards of hope to be enjoyed and shared. Maria and her young daughter appreciated this wonderful yet simple way to share the hope of Jesus Christ. Maria says: ‘My nine-year-old set up her new bookshelf and loves this card so much it became a main feature! Thanks for spreading hope.’

To order postcards, go to the website: www.lutheranmedia.org.au/postcards or call 1800 353 350.

Pastor Richard Fox is Director of Lutheran Media.

213

Church@Home March 2022

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

Encouragement along our faith journey

With many people facing uncertainty, loss, or grief two years into the COVID pandemic, we can all benefit from encouraging words, uplifting Scripture and a sense of God’s closeness. Nurturing our faith at home through regular devotions can help strengthen our relationship with Jesus. 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

Isaiah 41:13
I am the Lord your God. I am holding your hand, so don’t be afraid. I am here to help 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 the full versions of these and others on the LCA website at www.lca.org.au/daily-devotion

Structures or relationships? by Pastor Peter Bean

As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his followers said to him, ‘Look, Teacher! How beautiful the buildings are!’ (Mark 13:1).

Read Mark 13:1–8.

Perhaps you have visited some of the cathedrals of Europe, or possibly, like me, each year watching the Tour De France, you become mesmerised by the ancient monasteries, basilicas and churches. They are indeed beautiful. The stonework is often amazing. I usually wonder how they managed to construct these buildings without modern equipment. Marvels of the modern world!

This follower obviously thought the same of the temple in Jesus’ time. And perhaps rightly so. The temple was, after all, where God resided and where the high priest encountered him. Why would it not consist of beautiful buildings?

Yet Jesus was not interested in or impressed by this sort of beauty. He focused on the beauty inside a person. Jesus was not interested in God being confined to a particular place. In fact, as The Message version of John 1:14 puts it, God has moved into the neighbourhood! That’s Jesus. His focus is on people, on relationships.

Buildings have their place and serve their purpose. If they reflect the glory of God in their design and structure, that is even better. But they will rot; they will eventually fall down or be replaced.

Jesus’ relationship with us is constant; it is secure. We could even say it is beautiful.

Jesus’ love for us will continue no matter what wars, earthquakes or famines come. Our reality is to walk and live in that relationship; allow the love of Jesus to permeate our lives; live in the gifts of grace and forgiveness; and gain our security from a God who became a human being in Jesus Christ, who lives in and with us wherever we are.

Value your churches; admire the cathedrals; praise God for the human effort that went into glorifying God in these buildings. But above all that, value the presence of Jesus in your heart. Allow the Holy Spirit to enable you to see God’s beauty everywhere.

Thank you, God, for the gift of beauty. Thank you for loving us, for gifting us grace and forgiveness. Help us to live as your people wherever we may be. Amen.

By force or by grace? by Pastor Reid Matthias

The kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence and violent people have been raiding it (Matthew 11:12b).

Read Matthew 11:11–15.

I stare incredulously at the news.

Every day, serious broadcasters stare with sombre eyes towards a teleprompter reminding us that the world is not a safe place. Around every corner, danger sneaks into the night like a thief, waiting to steal our most prized possessions: our wealth, health, time and reputations. Thus, we isolate ourselves behind closed doors to avoid the violence that the broadcasters so quickly warn us about.

Contemporary culture is fuelled by pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony and sloth. This endless machine of sin promotes violence against the very things of God. In our context, we tend to think this violence is the media attacking Christian worship services or Christian freedoms. No, I believe this violence against the kingdom of heaven has more to do with what Jesus considers important – the foils of those seven deadly sins: faith, hope and love.

Today, we are still distracted by the powerful. Jesus wanted people to understand the Messiah would be about the blind receiving sight, the unhearing receiving the sound of music. Those paralysed can now move, those cast out are now included, and those who were dead can live again. And most blessedly, the poor (not just financially) can receive the greatest news of all (Matthew 11:4,5).

That the Messiah, Jesus Christ, had come to deliver them from the power and violence aimed against the kingdom of heaven was the greatest gift of all.

John the Baptist railed against the violence of the unjust against the kingdom of heaven. He was the prophet who pointed all people to Jesus, even those who would commit violence against him. Now John, the last of the prophets, points us towards Jesus. His words capture our imagination.

Jesus Christ has come, and though the world seeks violence against faith, hope and love, he has already won the war.

I pray that you will encounter the one John the Baptist pointed to, Jesus, the Messiah.

Holy Jesus, protect me from the violence of the world and help me be brave in standing up for those who need to see you. Amen.

PRAYER

HYMN OF THE LIFE-GIVING CROSS
O Christ our God
Ceaselessly we worship
Before your cross
That gives us life;
And praise your resurrection,
When on that third day
You made anew
Our failing nature
Showing us so clearly
The way back to heaven.
For you alone are good,
The Lover of humankind.

– John Damascus (676–749 AD), from justprayer.org

Psalm 34:8
Find out for yourself how good the Lord is. Happy are those who find safety with him.

How do you look from a distance? by Kathy Matuschka

Though the Lord is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly; but the proud, he knows them from afar (Psalm 138:6).

Read Psalm 138.

Picture this. God (as a person – we call this anthropomorphism), standing up the road, noticing someone in the distance coming towards him. God can tell by this person’s silhouette that they are haughty – proud, overconfident in their own abilities, judgemental of others.

Haughty people can be quite easily spotted by their body language … although, people who are using bravado to cover up for their insecurities can come across the same way.

Another time it can be difficult to spot haughtiness is when it’s yourself since you can’t see yourself from up the road! Sometimes, I am most likely to be haughty in my work within the church. As I start to see the fruit of my labour, I can hold too tightly onto God’s mission and claim it as my own. When I get on the treadmill of investing too much time and energy in ‘the cause’ instead of resting in God’s grace and God’s provision, haughtiness overtakes me. Then I hurt myself and others.

We all do it, and God continues to forgive our pridefulness and restore us.

It is time to let go and remember it is by God’s authority – and not our own – that God’s work is done. In trust and hope, we are invited to pray with the psalmist (verse 8) …

Your love, Lord, endures forever – do not abandon the work of your hands. Forgive my pride and help me grow to trust you more deeply. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Beautiful feet by Ruth Olsen

Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame (Romans 10:11).

Read Romans 10:11–17.

Have you ever felt embarrassed or shamed for trusting someone or something? I imagine this has happened to everyone at some point, also because that is how our spiritual enemy likes to work – shutting us down. After all, he specialises in accusing the followers of Jesus (see Revelation 12:9–11) – or anyone, really.

Each of us may face attempts to shame or embarrass us for being a follower of Jesus. Maybe those doing so are testing us to see how we will respond. Perhaps they have a genuine question they don’t know how to ask or who to ask. How we answer them can be a turning point for them.

The verses preceding today’s reading speak of believing with your heart and confessing with your mouth whom you believe, speaking of trusting Jesus (Romans 10:6–10). This contrasts with the efforts of the Jews (Israel) to get right with God, keeping the law instead of trusting in him. Taking God at his word and trusting him in and through Jesus is a ‘stumbling stone’ to fallen human nature that says, ‘I’ll do it my way’. But God’s ways of our being made right with him are not by our efforts or works, but by our trusting the one he has sent to us (Romans 9:30–10:10; John 6:29). As Isaiah wrote: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed”’ (Isaiah 28:16).

Is the message of Jesus a ‘stumbling stone’ to us also? Or do we believe that Jesus is the precious cornerstone and sure foundation, totally reliable and trustworthy – because of who he is and not because of what we are like? And are we willing for the Holy Spirit to lead us in sharing that message and thereby have ‘beautiful feet’?

Holy Spirit, help us do the ‘sweet swap’ and leave our embarrassment and shame at the cross of Jesus in exchange for courageous love. Embed it in our hearts that ‘anyone who trusts in Jesus will never be put to shame’. Bless you! Amen.

214

Finding a gift in the wood

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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

One of the first wood carvings Albert Noll ever created was a carved wooden message: ‘Blessed by the grace of God’.

It was two years ago, just before turning 90, that Albert tried out the scroll saw at his local men’s shed at Waikerie in South Australia’s Riverland.

The sawn message has not only remained a favourite carving, but its creation instilled in him a passion for this new hobby.

It’s also turned into an unexpected fundraiser for Australian Lutheran World Service (ALWS).

Faced with requests to sell his carvings, most of which are Christian-themed wooden ornaments, 92-year-old Albert felt uncomfortable making money from his hobby. So, he decided to direct the funds towards something else that has always brought him joy – raising money for ALWS.

A couple of hundred carvings later and he’s already raised more than $800 from giving his wares to friends and local groups in return for a donation.

Albert’s farming background means he’s always been good with his hands, turning odds and ends from the shed into useful fixes.

He used the shed men’s scroll saw to make name tags out of wood for everyone attending his 90th birthday in January 2020.

‘Then I bought my own scroll saw and that’s when I started making my crosses and religious signs, seeking inspiration from books’, Albert says.

Albert has been inspired by his love of wood – sourcing a range of wood including walnut, mallee, redgum or black oak so hard it breaks a lot of saw blades!

‘I was walking through the property of a friend, Graham Smith, when we found a whole acacia wattle tree that I’ve cut into timber with a band saw 10 to 15 millimetres wide’, recalls Albert. That’s become the fodder for much of his wood carving to date.

‘I can look at a piece of wood and image something into it’, he says. ‘One of my favourite ones is a dove cut out overlayed into the top of a cross – it involves two different coloured pieces of wood.’

It usually takes Albert just as long to finish a piece as it does to cut it, the finishing work including sanding the piece smooth and varnishing it with four coats of varnish. Some pieces take him only a few hours in total, while others require many hours of work. ‘If I charged an hourly rate, ALWS would be the richer’, he says cheekily.

‘It’s just an offshoot of what I have done all my life. If we were farming and something broke, you just went and you made it. I have made some weird and wonderful pieces of machinery!’

He gets requests from people for his wooden creations and a popular one is a carving of a man in an outside lounge chair saying: ‘It’s not my problem, retired’. But most are Christian ornaments.

And, as a longtime supporter of ALWS, he’s pleased his handiwork can support the mission of the LCA’s overseas aid and development agency to bring love to life for people hurt by poverty, injustice and crisis.

Albert’s also been shaped by a strong faith nurtured in the congregation he’s been a member of since birth in 1930 – Bethlehem Lutheran Church at Murbko, about halfway between Morgan and Blanchetown on the eastern side of the River Murray.

The little white stone church at Murbko was built with hand-cut Murray cliff stone on land which was donated by his great-grandfather, Christian August Noll, in 1904.

Christian Noll was also the first person buried in the nearby church cemetery in 1906.

Albert and his wife of 66 years, Gladys, drive a round trip of 70km, past two other Lutheran churches, to worship at Murbko each Sunday, in a parish led by Pastor Peter Traeger, who also serves three other congregations in the region.

There may only be 10 members at Bethlehem now, ‘but we still manage to make our local budget’, says Albert, who is congregational treasurer and chairman, as well as curator of the church cemetery. He’s giving up his second stint as chairman at this year’s annual general meeting.

He’ll keep up his treasurer duties, assisted by the clever spreadsheets set up by their daughter Meredith, a retired accountant, to assist his task.

Albert and Gladys, 88, feel blessed that they remain living independently and still both drive. Their faith has supported them through tough times, including the loss of two of their three children in separate car accidents.

Crafting wood has been a comfort and solace in these past few years.

‘Six years ago, it was confirmed that I have Parkinson’s. It was diagnosed so early that I can manage it well’, Albert says. ‘I can still get a glass of port up to my lips without spilling it.

‘If I keep myself busy with the woodwork it helps every time. It keeps my brain busy and my hands busy.’

And, as Gladys says: ‘A lot of love goes into it’.

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 

215

Lutherans honoured in Australia Day awards

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Long-time Lutheran Archives volunteer researcher Dr Lois Zweck is among LCANZ members honoured in the Australia Day 2022 Honours list.

A volunteer transcriber, translator and research assistant at Lutheran Archives since 1992, Lois is a member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church Adelaide. She was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for her service to community history.

Mr Robert (Rob) Krause, who has served the LCANZ as a volunteer at congregational, district and churchwide levels for more than 60 years, also received an OAM for service to the community of Marburg, a rural town in the Ipswich area between Brisbane and Toowoomba in southern Queensland.

A joint winner of the History Council of South Australia’s Life-Long History Achievement Award in 2017, Lois has been a Lutheran Archives advisory committee member since 1998 and a committee member of the Friends of Lutheran Archives (FoLA) since 1992. She served as chair of FoLA from 1995 to 2014 and was made a life member of the group in 2014. She is a founding committee member of the community history collaborative German Heritage Research Group,

Lois’s work at Lutheran Archives includes transcribing and translating the Kurrentschrift German handwritten script, which is a feature of many records of early Lutheran history in Australia.

Lutheran Archives Director Rachel Kuchel said she was ‘thrilled’ that Lois – a ‘researcher extraordinaire’ – and her service and contribution to community and Lutheran church history had been recognised through the award.

‘Lois has an eye for detail, an incredible memory, and will follow all avenues to pursue a record and discover what it can tell us about our church’, Rachel said. ‘Her truly special talent, however, is to inspire other people to explore one’s congregation story or one’s personal connection to our collective church story.’

Former director Lyall Kupke, who served in the LCA role from 1995 to 2014, said Lois ‘gives her help freely and with much enthusiasm’. ‘With her expert knowledge of German and the old German script, and her excellent knowledge of the history of the Lutheran church in Australia, Lois is a most valuable support to the staff at Lutheran Archives and also to researchers’, he said.

Lois, however, said she was ‘shocked’ to receive the award and almost deleted the initial email notifying her of the honour.

‘When I got the first email about it, my cursor was hovering over the delete rubbish bin, thinking it was a scam’, she said. ‘I was shocked of course because you look at people who have spent lives in really significant causes who receive awards, but then I guess you realise that this cause is a significant one. You have to realise that dedicating some of your time and some of your efforts to something like history is considered valuable by the wider community.’

A member at St Matthews Lutheran Church Rosewood, Queensland, Rob Krause has given many years of service to Lutheran youth, schools, his home congregation and the Marburg Show Society, as well as to other community organisations.

Rob said it was ‘quite a surprise’ to receive a call from the Governor-General’s office about his award.

‘It was certainly an initial surprise, but it was then a bit of a thrilling feeling to think that you’re on the list for Australia Day’, he said.

Rob was inspired to volunteer in his youth days by the preaching of Pastor (later Dr and LCA President) Les Grope, on the story of Ezekiel’s reluctant service and God’s promise to help him.

‘There have been many times when matters have been difficult, but I have seen the hand of God help in many ways in youth, school and church activities’, Rob said.

A former LCA General Synod and Queensland District Synod delegate, Rob was a planning committee member for Faith Lutheran College Plainland and served on its college council from 1999 to 2009.

He was also a member of the board of Bethany Lutheran Primary School Raceview for more than a decade and has previously served as chair of his congregation. A former state secretary of Lutheran Youth of Queensland, Rob was also involved with the establishment of Luther Heights Youth Camp at Coolum Beach on the Sunshine Coast in the late 1950s.

His community roles have included being a former treasurer of the Marburg Rural Fire Brigade and serving as Marburg Show Society President from 2006 to 2017. A society member since 1964, he was made a life member in 1994.

The congratulations of the church are offered to these recipients and any other members honoured with awards.

216

PNG synod an ‘overwhelming experience’

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by Murray and Tracy Smith

Attending the recent opening ceremony of the 33rd Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea (ELC-PNG) was an overwhelming experience – but not because it lasted approximately six hours or because there were an estimated 10,000 people present.

Instead, what made this event overwhelming was that for the duration those attending celebrated being together, renewed friendships, created new ones and prepared delegates for the important business of the church for the next two years.

The procession around the athletics track of Port Moresby’s Sir John Guise Stadium began at 9am on 9 January and featured almost 1000 people. The line behind ELC-PNG Bishop Dr Jack Urame included church administration staff, international guests, pastors and delegates. Many delegates were making their first visit to Port Moresby, so the atmosphere was electrifying.

Dance or ‘singsing’ groups introduced the national flag-raising with the national anthem, which was followed by Bishop Urame’s opening speech, greetings from guests of the Bavarian Lutheran Church and the LCANZ, and the appearance of Papua New Guinea’s Lutheran Governor-General, the Hon Sir Bob Dadae. A further highlight of the ceremony was the ordination of the first pastor from the Central (Port Moresby) District.

Dancing and singing continued throughout the day. The first break came after the day’s proceedings, when we were ushered into a room where guests and members of the church administration were offered a feast of pork, chicken, fish, sweet potato, taro, sago slab, cooked banana, greens and tropical fruits.

ELC-PNG church business was conducted over the following four days, with the synod theme – ‘As for my family and me, we will serve the Lord’ from Joshua 24:15b – featuring strongly throughout. Each day opened with worship or ‘Lotu’, including a half-hour Bible study. The ELC-PNG’s 17 districts each presented a report of its projects and activities.

Synod business was interrupted by the appearance of PNG Prime Minister James Marape, who gave an inspirational Christian message.

Church issues were dealt with by committees, which broke into small groups taking time in discussion before each presenting reports with recommendations to the synod.

Final reports were presented to the synod on 15 January and the synod convention concluded with a divine service including holy communion for 1000 people.

The closing ceremony included more ‘singsing’, an address by the Governor-General, closing remarks by Bishop Urame and a ceremonial passing of the synod shield from the current host district to the next synod host. After the formalities, we once again retired to the ‘feast’ room to share a final meal.

The next couple of days saw many visitors return home to all parts of PNG. It was truly an amazing experience.

Pastor Murray Smith is serving as an LCA missionary lecturer at the ELC-PNG’s Senior Flierl Seminary at Logaweng, PNG. He and his wife Tracy attended the ELC-PNG’s Synod 2022 as guests of the PNG church.

217

Old traditions, new music: singing the best of both worlds

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by Rosie Schefe

For centuries Christian bishops have been commissioning new music, both for worship and bringing the church together in celebration of God’s gifts to us. Newly installed Bishop of the Lutheran Church of Australia and New Zealand, Pastor Paul Smith, is no different.

Late last year Bishop Paul approached his friend and colleague, Bishop of the Lutheran Church of New Zealand Mark Whitfield, to write a new setting for Psalm 37, to be sung at Bishop Paul’s installation on 20 February.

This setting for soloist, piano or organ and congregation is responsive, with the congregation reminding church leaders to ‘Commit your way to the Lord, trust in him and he will act’. It includes a descant and instrumental line which picks up on the musical theme of Lord, Take My Hand and Lead Me (Lutheran Hymnal with Supplement 301) – a favourite hymn for Bishop Paul.

‘It’s my way of adding something personal and tangible to it for Paul’, Bishop Mark says.

Better known musically in the LCANZ as an organist and composer, Bishop Mark has been writing psalm settings and other liturgical music for almost 35 years – since his days leading the choir at the then Luther Seminary, now Australian Lutheran College. Much of his composition since has been for choirs, including his latest work, first performed in the Wellington Cathedral of St Paul, New Zealand on Advent Sunday last year.

The 25-member Anglican choir, of which Bishop Mark has been a member for about 14 years, sang the work within its annual Advent procession service. ‘I have written a lot of music, but to have this incredible choir perform my music is a real joy and blessing’, he says.

The piece is a new setting of two well-known hymn texts into what Bishop Mark describes as an ‘Advent-Christmas song’. O Come, O Come – Behold a Rose is Growing focuses on Isaiah’s prophecies foretelling the Messiah, combining lyric couplets from both hymns (LHS2 and LHS622).

‘The O Come sections contain musical nods to the melodies of both carols, while the Behold couplets are set to completely new music’, Bishop Mark says.

Although written specifically for this choir and cathedral, the piece is scored for four parts, with as many as six parts in places, and can be performed in different ways.

‘We are very lucky to have Mark in the choir and have performed works of his before, so I knew it was going to be lovely’, Wellington Cathedral Director of Music Michael Stewart says. ‘I was intrigued by the marrying of the two Advent texts … I knew it would be a very appropriate work to feature. This is a beautiful Advent work that deserves to be heard widely.’

‘I love writing music liturgically for the setting of local congregations – just occasionally I get a big break,’ Bishop Mark says, adding that this piece eventually may be made available by a European publisher who published two of his earlier works.

Rosie Schefe is Lutheran Church of New Zealand District Administrator and former editor of The Lutheran.

218

Lutherans honoured in Australia Day awards

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Long-time Lutheran Archives volunteer researcher Dr Lois Zweck and Rob Krause, who has served the church as a volunteer at congregational, district and churchwide levels for more than 60 years, are among LCANZ members honoured in the Australia Day 2022 Honours list.

219

Finding a gift in the wood

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One of the first wood carvings Albert Noll ever created was a carved wooden message: ‘Blessed by the grace of God’. The sawn message has not only remained a favourite carving, but its creation instilled in him a passion for this new hobby.

220

Editor’s letter

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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.

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.

And we expect them all to be perfect, without a character blemish or skeleton in the closet. We stand ready to judge them harshly.

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).

Jesus’ model of servant-leadership is the ultimate template for Christian leaders.

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.

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.