I have a hunch. That hunch is that the people reading this Easter message are deeply involved in leading communities of faith through their personal and communal discipleship experiences of Holy Week – Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. There are so many opportunities in this week for us to dive deeper into this most central, this most transformational of weeks. If my hunch is right, you’re likely to already be well and truly into the shaping of experiences for others. Worship services. Public events. Communal meals and remembrances. Bible Studies. All kinds of moments carefully curated to encourage God’s people to turn their ears, their eyes, their hearts and their lives once more to what God is doing in and through the story of Jesus, especially in the historical events and theological significance of this week.

“𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨𝙩, 𝙄 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙄 𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨.”

- 𝙈𝙪𝙝𝙖𝙢𝙢𝙖𝙙 𝘼𝙡𝙞.

Dear friends,

“Kindness, kindness, kindness. I want to make a New year’s prayer, not a resolution. I’m praying for courage.”

Susan Sontag

A new year brings a sense of a fresh start. A promise of newness and possibility. Perhaps that’s the reason around the common practice of setting ‘New Year Resolutions.’ This year I’m going to… take better care of my health… read more books… make better choices for the sake of the world and climate change… etc. January 1st brings the opportunity for beginning again, and somehow it seems that the expectation is that things will be different in this new year. Better somehow.

Dear friends,

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…

In him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it…

The Word became flesh and lived among us.

John 1:1, 4-5, 14

I am not ready for Christmas. This has nothing to do with organising family and food or buying presents or setting up a nativity scene or Christmas tree. It has to do with a spiritual sense of unreadiness.

"It is an honour and privilege to present Sydney Presbytery’s Annual Report for the financial year 2020-2021. This is a brief summation and glimpse of the enormous task and missional work that has continued to take place during these challenging times as we seek to live our purpose in ‘Leading the Church to Life’ (our mission) and ‘Thriving, well-resourced, missional churches’ (our passion)!"

- Rev. Vini Ravetali, Chair of Sydney Presbytery

Dear friends,

Sometimes the strength within you is not a big fiery flame for all to see,

it is just a tiny spark that whispers ever so softly:

“You got this. Keep going.”

Anonymous.

Talking with a colleague early this week, I observed that one of the things I feel this pandemic has ‘taken away’ is the ebb and flow of the liturgical year. I have been used to intense seasons, like Lent and Easter, Advent and Christmas, and somewhat quieter seasons like Ordinary Time (which is anything but ordinary). However, since early last year it seems like it has been ‘on the go’ all the time, with the pace gradually ramping up. And sometimes not so gradually! The battle to keep being creative, to keep being present, to keep on ‘doing’ is taking its toll.

Dear friends,

“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.”

Jesus. John 3:8

This seems to capture the essence of the last two years — an invisible force has ‘blown’ through the world. We cannot tell where it is coming from, nor can we say where it is going. But we hear its sound: fear, anxiety, stress, grief, restriction. And also love, care, hope, community, connection.

Presenting the 2021 edition of CSU Magazine! A collection of creative works by members of Christian Students Uniting

Dear friends,

When something is important enough,

you do it even if the odds are not in your favour.

Elon Musk

A very long time ago it seems, I attended a workshop that engaged a process to help each person discern where God might be calling them to serve. It was called Discover Your Ministry. I was young, with a young family. I just knew that God was calling me to stay at home with my children, to be their full-time caregiver. It is probably one of the biggest understatements to say I was stunned when I discerned God was calling me into ordained ministry. It was nowhere on my radar. In fact, it was one of the two things I had long said to God that I wouldn’t do! 

Dear friends,

If you can’t fly, then run.

If you can’t run, then walk.

If you can’t walk, then crawl,

but by all means, keep moving.

Martin Luther King Jr.

 There seems so much excitement around as NSW begins to loosen restrictions and allow some greater freedoms for people. There is also a lot of anxiety and fear, as well as some people wondering what all the fuss is about. As I read the news, I see articles about “Freedom Day,” and “what it will look like when Sydney emerges from lockdown,” and so on. Reading deeper, it doesn’t take much time before it becomes apparent that people view “freedom” very differently. For some, it is all tied up in ‘what I can do,’ and for others, it seems to be more about ‘how do we navigate this new post-pandemic landscape together.’ For many it will be a mixture of both, and probably much more.