Yesterday I heard a politician say Australians needed hope. He said we need to see light at the end of the tunnel that is not just “another train coming at us.” That image stayed with me as did a few others from this week and are cobbled together in today’s offering.
Peace,
Christine
Rev. Christine Gilbert Minister of the Word St Andrew's by the Sea Uniting Church 92 Jetty Road, Glenelg SA 5045 P: (08) 8295 1771 E: office@standrewsuc.org.au
Dear Friends,
As we’ve heard politicians say, “We’ve been here before. We know how to do it.” I trust the same applies to our worship in lockdown. I’ve attached a prayer guide for you to use at home.
Amidst the days of enforced quiet, I encourage each of us to make time to observe an intentional Sabbath this weekend and commend the attached resource for you. The stillness of Sabbath invites us to turn towards the Source of Life with full attention, to notice the goodness woven through our past into the presence, to give thanks and to be renewed with hope for the future.
May this be your experience as you give yourself to prayer.
Peace,
Christine
Rev. Christine Gilbert Minister of the Word St Andrew's by the Sea Uniting Church 92 Jetty Road, Glenelg SA 5045 P: (08) 8295 1771 E: office@standrewsuc.org.au
The Iona Community featured in our worship on Sunday. Today we receive a beautiful Iona prayer inspired by Ephesians 4:7-16. The pandemic has brought our mortality to the fore in many ways. This can be a source of anxiety but it also gives us the opportunity to consider deeply where our hope lies.
In Peace,
Christine
Rev. Christine Gilbert Minister of the Word St Andrew's by the Sea Uniting Church 92 Jetty Road, Glenelg SA 5045 P: (08) 8295 1771 E: office@standrewsuc.org.au
Hugh Mackay is an Australian social psychologist and the author of twenty-two books. His most recent book is called The Kindness Revolution: How we can restore hope, rebuild trust and inspire optimism and it is comprised of Mackay’s observations and reflections on the 2019 bushfire season and the 2020 pandemic experience.
Drawing on the universal human ties out of which Jesus lived according to last Sunday’s Gospel, Mackay writes the following.
In Peace,
Christine
Rev. Christine Gilbert Minister of the Word St Andrew's by the Sea Uniting Church 92 Jetty Road, Glenelg SA 5045 P: (08) 8295 1771 E: office@standrewsuc.org.au
This was the prayer offered during our Tuesday evening community meal for Holy Week. Thank you to all who volunteered for this 5th Tuesday of the month. It was a happy gathering that fed us body and soul.
Peace,
Christine