There are legitimate reasons why many people feel they cannot support the celebration of Australia Day on 26 January, the anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet in Sydney Cove.

They have to do not only with the devastation experienced by indigenous people following European colonisation – dispossession of lands, mass slaughter, epidemics of illness and the spread of alcohol – but the continuing disparity in education and health outcomes, for example, between indigenous and non-indigenous people, and the widespread ignorance of indigenous history and experience.

There is so much of Australia to give thanks for, to celebrate and to enjoy, but there is no ‘day’ over which the long shadow of sin and selfishness and greed and violence is not cast.

Any celebration of Australia – or any nation or culture – must reckon with historical and present-day expressions of rejection of God and neglect of people.

The suggestion that Australia Day celebrations should begin with a time of mourning in acknowledgement of the suffering caused to indigenous people through European settlement reflects the Christian pattern of frank admission or confession of sin, humbly and thankfully recognising that the gospel of Jesus offers a way of forgiveness, reconciliation and transforming hope.

It is right to celebrate Australia and to give thanks to God for our country and to pray that we may be a blessing to others; but such a celebration is hollow and self-serving if it fails to acknowledge the sins of our nation and history.

We will love Australia best when we live with another ‘day’, the date of which has been fixed by God, foremost in our minds:

God commands all people everywhere to repent, for he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead. Acts 17:30b-31

KANISHKA RAFFEL, Dean of Sydney.

(This is an edited version of an article by Kanishka Raffel that originally appeared as ‘From the Dean’ at St Andrew’s Cathedral, Sydney. Photo by Campbelltown City Council via Flickr.com)

In this time of national disaster, it’s very important that we pray for the many people who serve us in our emergency services and other associated organisations. To help you pray, here is the prayer I wrote for our Tuesday ‘Bushfire Emergency Prayer Service’:

Heavenly Father, we bring before you the many people who lead and serve in our emergency services, and ask that you would protect and strengthen them in this time of crisis.

We pray for the members of the Ambulance service, who render help to firefighters and victims, and for the health and medical staff who provide first aid and long-term care.

We pray for the volunteers in the Rural Fire Service, who continue to battle tirelessly and sacrificially, and for Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons, who with his team, has showed such leadership in keeping everyone informed and safe, as he manages this disaster.

We pray for the police force, and their assistance in helping evacuate and direct traffic and respond to incidents, as well as maintain law and order in this challenging time.

We pray for the defence force, who have supported all agencies from air, land and sea in many roles and capabilities.

We pray for NSW Fire and Rescue, who battle to protect and save people, animals and buildings, and for their executive management team and incident controllers.

We pray for those in the National Parks and Wildlife Service who help care for animals and assist with fighting fires.

We pray for the SES workers who restore safety to communities and clear hazardous debris.

We pray for the forestry corporation, fighting fires and managing millions of hectares of state forest.

We pray for the many people who have pushed for donations and have given time, equipment and money to assist those in need.

We pray for the many people who work behind the scenes in communication centres, who have the difficult job of determining where valuable resources need to go.

We pray for the people who update apps, warning and Facebook pages, and for the people in the media, who together work to keep information coming in times of need.

We thank you for the service of all who have travelled afar from interstate and from Canada, the USA, New Zealand, to assist us in this time of disaster.

We pray also for our Prime Minister, our Premier, our Mayor, and for all those who serve with them at this time, as they make important decisions to coordinate the firefighting and relief efforts.

And we also pray for the family and friends of all firefighters who have to say ‘farewell’ with fear and pride to a loved one, and hold down the fort while they are gone.

We pray for protection and strength for all who lead and serve us in this bushfire emergency.

In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

JODIE McNEILL

(Photo credit: ‘Highway Patrol Images’ via Flickr.com)

Whilst New Year’s Day is just the same as any of the other 365 days of the year, there is something cleansing and healing about starting afresh on ‘Day One’.

It gives us a chance to try and begin a new, good habit, or maybe try and stop an old, bad habit.

As we start the new year, we can forgive ourselves for unhealthy and unwise living, and permit ourselves to wipe the slate clean in our frequently-failed attempts at doing life ‘right’.

When Jesus spoke to a man called Nicodemus, he offered the man a fresh start when he invited him to be ‘born again’.

We’ve heard that expression so many times that we don’t notice how strange and odd it is for a fully-grown person to experience the journey of a brand-newborn child.

So he said to Jesus, “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” (John 3:4)

Jesus replied by explaining how it is possible to have this fresh start in life, and then he shared with Nicodemus the Bible’s most famous verse:

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Eternal life comes from being born again, and the way to be born again is to believe in Jesus who died for us.

If you want a true, fresh start in 2020, then say “sorry” to Jesus for rejecting him, and turn to him and tell him you trust him as your king.

Because whether or not you eat less sugar or walk more steps, the most important New Year’s Resolution for every person is to be born again.

Is it time for you to have a genuine, fresh start?

JODIE McNEILL

(Photo credit: John Mayer via Flickr)

As yuletide arrives in full force, we receive a fresh reminder that food and festivities go together like pork and crackling… or turkey and stuffing!

It’s hard to imagine Christmas without excesses of fancy fare, with plates full of food to enjoy.

At a recent event at which I was saying ‘grace’, I thanked God for creating food with such a variety of tastes to enjoy.

Like so many aspects of his creation, God could have given us limited colours or sounds or smells… but instead he lavishly poured out for us a smorgasbord of sensory experiences.

Yet whilst there is pleasure in fine food, the greatest joy is the experience of eating with others, in the same time and place, enjoying a break from the busyness of life to share a meal.

It should come as no surprise for us to note how many times Jesus ate meals with his disciples.

Throughout the New Testament he ‘broke bread’ with people, marking out moments in time when he would make an announcement or share a significant occasion together.

The most famous meal of the Bible was the Lord’s Supper, which was based on the second-most famous meal of the Bible, the Passover.

These meals recounted extraordinary moments of salvation, which found full fulfilment in Jesus’ resurrection from the tomb.

Meals were a special time to be absorbed in a moment of remembrance, and to enjoy a multi-sensory experience of food and fellowship, in the framework of faith.

As you enjoy the season of festal food, give thanks to God for the joy of experiencing the wonder of his lavish creation… but above all, for the greatest gift of Christmas, the birth of a son who would die for our salvation.

JODIE McNEILL

(Photo credit Ruth Hartnum via Flickr.com)

One of the great joys of church is standing with others from all ages and stages to sing together songs that remind us of the wonderful things that God has done for us and to help us trust in the awesome promises that he has made to us.

That’s why it’s so important that we sing the best possible songs when we gather together.

When I choose songs for church, I try to pick songs that people like to sing!

Some songs are really hard to sing because the tune is complicated, or there’s a jump from the lowest to the highest note that is too large, or maybe the high notes are just too high!

But since it’s also important that the words work well, a good rule of thumb from Bob Kauflin is to determine if the song would ‘work’ if, for some reason, we had to simply read the words and not sing them.

In other words, is it a song that has a depth and beauty to it, even when there is no tune or accompaniment?

Ultimately, as people who love to know God deeply and truly, we want to make sure that the words go ‘with the grain’ of the teaching and the vibe of the Bible.

Good songs will help us grow in our Biblical knowledge of God, and reframe our minds in such a way that we see the world through God’s eyes.

And when a song works well, then it is a beautiful gift from God to help stir up in us a powerful emotion of joy, thankfulness, passion, and sometimes even repentance as “the word of Christ dwells richly among us” as we “sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. ” (Colossians 3:16)

JODIE McNEILL

(Photo credit: michael_swan via Flickr.com)