It’s hard to work out what to write in my final news sheet article as we farewell you this weekend after our ten years serving at Jamberoo Anglican Church.

I trust the Lord will give me the right words to speak in my final sermon and in our speeches after dinner, but for now, I thought I’d take some inspiration from the closing words of the Apostle Paul as he wrote to the Christians in Philippi, from chapter 4:

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:8-9)

These words beautifully sum up the sentiment of a man who sought for his flock to be focused on what matters most.

Paul wanted his church at Philippi to focus on things that are “excellent and worthy of praise.”

As we approach change and uncertainty, we can easily be distracted by worldly matters, and drift into worldly behaviour.

But instead, let us keep imitating the Apostle, who imitated Christ Jesus.

As we look to the future, let us fix our thoughts on Christ and live lives that truly follow his example, so that in doing, we will have with us the God of peace, himself.

What’s more, we will experience the peace of God, “which exceeds anything we can understand”, knowing for certain that “his peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7)

JODIE McNEILL

It has been said that most people don’t like change. I know I don’t! I like the familiarity of routine and structure.
Change makes us uncomfortable because of the unknown. Change is generally viewed from a negative perspective and some changes are more difficult to bear than others.

Embracing change can be a scary concept, but it can also strengthen our faith.

Change shakes us up, pushes us out of our comfort zones, and challenges us to grow. But during that, it also offers us a unique opportunity to deepen our faith.

At Jamberoo Anglican, we are heading into a period of change with Jodie and Mandy heading off to the exciting world of GAFCON.
For most of us, this will be a difficult change.

Change often requires us to let go of what we know, to make space for what could be.
It’s a process of surrendering, of trusting that there’s a greater plan at work.
And our faith can provide the strength and courage we need for this process.
Change challenges us, but it also encourages us to lean more heavily on our faith. It pushes us to seek answers, to pray more earnestly, and to dive deeper into our beliefs.
It’s during these times of change that we should find ourselves turning to our faith for guidance and comfort.
Embracing change is an opportunity for spiritual growth.

Sometimes, the shared experience of change can bring us closer to others.
It can be comforting to reach out to others who are facing the same changes. To share our fears, hopes and questions.
As we head into this time of change, we can lean on each other with understanding and support.

As we face this change together, we can be comforted by knowing this is an opportunity for new blessings, both for us at church and for Jodie and Mandy as they also leave the familiar for amazing new opportunities.

We can be comforted by remembering that it’s not an end.
It’s the beginning of something new.

Sandee Batelic

Genesis 1-3 contains some of the most powerful and amazing stories of the Old Testament, and possibly even the whole Bible as we see the power of God as he creates the universe!

Right from the very beginning, we see the mind-blowing character of God.

The Genesis creation story is a story that is so familiar to us. We hear over and over again “And God said’ ‘And God said’ ‘And God said’.

However, how often do we stop to reflect on this? To consider the magnitude and awesomeness of God.

God is so powerful that when he spoke, creation happened! When he speaks, light comes where there was only darkness before. When he speaks, creatures start crawling.
This is the power of God’s word.

How amazing to think that God spoke everything into existence out of nothing.

Everything except for humanity.

When God made man there was something very personal and intimate that took place.

From the earth, God created man with His own hands, in His own image.

Nothing else in all of creation carries the privilege of being created in the image of the Creator God.
Creation is a clear and compelling depiction of the undeniable and unconditional love of God. We were intimately made to be the image-bearers of the One True God.

In these first few chapters of the Bible we learn that God is good.
He is thoughtful and caring and kind and generous. He loves his creation – He gives us good gifts. He gives us community. He provides for our needs. He gives us life and blessings. He delights in us. He shows amazing grace and mercy to us.
He has a plan and provides a Saviour in Jesus, who is the image of the invisible God, the only one who perfectly reflects all of God’s attributes and fulfills His will.

As we enter the busy Christmas season let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfector of our faith.

Sandee Batelic

These verses are a cornerstone of biblical wisdom literature, offering profound guidance on how to navigate life with faith and reliance on God – teaching us to trust in the Lord wholeheartedly and refrain from relying solely on our own human understanding.
To trust in the Lord with all our heart means to place our confidence in His character and promises.
It requires us to believe that God is good, loving, and faithful, even when we don’t fully understand His ways. This kind of trust is rooted in a personal relationship with God, nurtured through prayer, reading Scripture, and experiencing His faithfulness in our lives.
Next, we are instructed to “lean not on your own understanding.”
Human understanding is limited and often flawed. Our perspectives are shaped by our experiences, emotions, and biases, which can lead us astray. This is why the Bible warns us against relying solely on our own reasoning.
Leaning not on our own understanding means acknowledging our limitations and seeking God’s wisdom instead.
The third part of the verse requires us to “in all your ways submit to him.”
Submission to God involves recognising His authority and allowing His will to influence every aspect of our lives. Submitting to God in all our ways means seeking His guidance in both major life decisions and daily choices, knowing that our actions reflect our faith. 
The final part of the verse promises that “he will make your paths straight.”
This is a reassurance that when we trust in God, lean on His understanding, and submit to His will, He will guide us and direct our steps.
This doesn’t mean that life will be free from challenges or that we will never face difficulties. However, it does mean that God will provide us with the direction and strength we need.

As we grow in our trust and reliance on God, allowing Proverbs 3:5-6 to guide our daily lives, we will experience the peace and direction that comes from living in alignment with God’s will.

Sandee Batelic

Prayer is vitally important in the life of a Christian.

When we pray, we are opening our hearts to God and He is able to work in us and through us which helps us to grow in our relationship with God.

And God calls us to pray …‘in every situation’ (Phil 4:6), ‘without ceasing’ (1 Thess 5:17) and without giving up (Luke 18:1). Your heavenly Father wants you to talk to Him – regularly, continually and persistently.

If you have joined us for church over the past couple of weeks you would have heard about prayer buddies!

Prayer buddies is an idea we are trialling this term where, if you would like to participate, you select a random person or family and pray for them over the whole term. You can contact your prayer buddy to let them know you are praying for them and to ask what they might like you to pray for.

How good is this! Each of us praying for 10 weeks for one another as a church family – all generations across all services joyfully praying for each other.
This opportunity presents us with a powerful way of loving one another that is not a lot of work but can yield big rewards. And if this trial is successful and continues, over the course of time we will have prayed for many different people who are part of our church family. So good!

There are so many benefits we can gain from participating in prayer buddies.

Having a prayer buddy encourages you to pray!

It gives you the opportunity to serve and support another member of your church family and also to be supported in prayer yourself.

It is a powerful way to bear one another’s burdens (Gal 6:2-5), to build one another up (1 Thess 5:11) and encourage each other (Heb 10:24-25).

It will help to build relationships.

And it will help us gain confidence in our own prayer life.

If you haven’t already, can I encourage you to join in the prayer buddy ministry this term.

Sandee Batelic