An Icy Merry Christmas from the Berthons!

Merry Christmas from a very chilly Breckenridge, Colorado!

Lyndy's sister flew us and Lyndy's family over to the USA for Christmas. It is very cold here. The maximum was -13°C today for a lovely sunny day!

On the way Lyndy's sister wanted us to see Las Vagas and the Grand Canyon so we did!

Lyndy has been doing well after her operation last month. The pain had settled down a few weeks after the operation. However, there have been some minor complications in the last few days and so she is less than 100%. This, combined with less oxygen here at the high altitude (here its 2,926m, Mount Kosciuszko is 2,228 metres), has meant taking things gently.

Aaron is having a good time with the cousins on Lyndy's side of the family (and enjoying the snow) and is looking forward to seeing the Berthon cousins in Sydney on the way back to Ngukurr from here.

I am blown away by the Rocky Mountains scenery and the snow (fallen and falling)! It snowed when growing up in Canberra but I don't think I have ever seen big snow flakes falling like these or the thickness of light fluffy ground snow like it is here!

Lots of love,

Peter, Lyndy and Aaron.

Did Jesus make us Fat and Greedy?

There is a very interesting article in today's SMH from Elizabeth Farrelly. Elizabeth is one of my favorite issues commentators in Sydney. Though sometimes falling into sweeping generalizations, she regularly makes sensible and many times profound reflections on Sydney culture and people. Her book "Blubberland ~ The dangers of happiness" is well worth reading.


Today's article "Did Jesus make us fat and greedy?" is provocative and interesting. She makes the typical swipe at the prosperity Gospel prevalent in some Churches in the West. She hypothesizes on whether Christianity is the root of western capitalism. She then has a look at 2 hunger strikers and their fight for a better world. But it is her conclusion that I found most thought provoking.

"So me, I'm hoping the Jews are right and that the messiah is still en route."

This statement made me sad. That an intelligent commentator would make this reflection on Jesus Christ in a city with such a rich Christian Heritage, where there are 100's of faithful churches and thousands of Christians living and proclaiming Christ. It would be easy to say that it is the 'world' fault or she is a pagan - arguing that they are blind or selfish or .... But reading the article carefully we cannot argue this. Behind Farrelly's provocative humour is a valid point - the Messiah we proclaim and live for is not clear, nor appealing. Our Jesus gets mixed up with self seeking hedonism. Our Jesus gets mixed up in strange and sometimes horrible politics. Our Jesus appears to have little to say to the poor, the climate, the minorities. So at Christmas - Farrelly sadly declares - I hope the Messiah is still coming because the one she sees in us is not a valid messiah.

For us who love and follow Jesus - we know the true Messiah has come. Our failures do not change the fact that Jesus Christ is the King, the Saviour, the Hope of this world, the hope of all people. So how do we respond? One thought - It would be wonderful if by the end of 2010 Farrelly can say that the real Jesus is thoroughly different to what she expected - He is enthralling, challenging, an answer to the world - because she sees it in the people who follow him. The not only proclaim salvation, forgiveness of sins - they live a new life - a life that is shaped by our certain future - when Jesus will rule with justice and mercy over a redeemed new creation.

645 News Dec 23 (Final for 2009)

Christmas @ NAC
Christmas Eve: Thursday 5pm - Service for kids and families (bring your neighbours, cousins) - food, carols, the real treasure of Christmas Day: Friday 9am (NAC), 9:30 (WHAC) - a celebration of Jesus' birth for all ages.

645 over Summer
Every Sunday till Jan 24 we are meeting at 6pm. We will sing, pray, read and chat with lots of people from NAC.


Launch 2010
Early Bird CLOSES JANUARY 17 (Save $15).
Give forms + $$ to Louise at Church in Summer or drop into the Office. Download Form HERE

Connect Groups 2010
Thanks to all hwo have told us your thoughts on groups for 2010. if you still have not done this then email (sarah@nac.asn.au) ASAP. New DRAFT groups will be posted on line for review and discussion in late January.


Blogs posted recently
RevWrites - Being Intentional in 2010
Love this City Photo's


645 EVENTS
All major events for 2010 will be posted on Facebook in January. No Facebook? Let us know and we will email you.

Some Xmas Humour

RevWrites- Dec 20

It is the Sunday before Christmas. This will be the last RevWrites until next year as we normally have a generic bulletin over the holidays because the staff are away/beach mission/camps/Summer School or a combination of these and other things.

So what’s happening next year? 2010 will continue The Makeover. All small group leaders will be getting together for a weekend at the end of February to plan how all every member of a small group can be intentionally discipled. The leaders will be developing a plan for every individual in their group and for the group as a whole.

2010 will be the year we focus on intentionality. Why are we doing that? One big reason – Jesus is coming back to judge the whole world. Jesus came the first Christmas Day. He will return as he promised at the time appointed by the Father. On that day we want every member of our church to be ready to be presented to him.

We want you to be ready to be presented to God. If you were going to meet the Prime Minster you would get ready to be presented to him. If you were going to meet the Queen you would get ready to be presented to her. You are going to be presented to God and we want you to be ready.

The apostle Paul writes a bit about this in Colossians 1:

24 Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness 26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

28 We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. 29 To this end I labour, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.

This is about the church (verse 24).

Ministers have the responsibility to present the word of God to church members (verse 25).

The mystery of the gospel has now been made known to every Christian (verse 26).

The gospel is for every nation and people group (verse 27).

Ministers and leaders proclaim Christ and disciple church members in order to present them to Christ (verse 28).

Leaders work hard, enabled by God’s great power, to present every person to God (verse 29). Our vision for NAC is that on the day of Jesus’ return every member will be ready to be presented to God. 2010 will help us all move towards that goal.

Robyn and I wish you all a joyous Christmas.

645 News Dec 19

Story of Jesus: Luke's Gospel
This Sunday we finish the year in one of the most famous chapters of the whole Bible - Luke 15. The Lost Sons, The Lost Coin, and the Lost Sheep. Have a read in readiness for this Sunday.

645 Sunset Picnic
This Sunday 645 will meet outside in the backyard. We will be eating dinner in Connect Groups. Please bring food and drink to share. Also bring something to sit on. After this Sunday we will meet at 6pm during the next 4 weeks.

Connect Groups 2010
The 645 community meets weekly to connect with other adults and God. They are the real engine of the 645 community. We want all adults to be involved in a group in 2010. If you have not filled out the Survey for 2010 - please do it this Sunday

Blogs posted recently
Love this City Photo's
Refugee Weekend
RevWrites - The Pledge
The 2010 Pledge - questions answered

645 EVENTS
All 645 Events info is on Facebook. Please click here to access. No Facebook? Let us know and we will email you.

RevWrites- Dec 13

Thank you to everyone who filled in a Financial Pledge form. I am still processing them and this will continue to take a little while as we moved to the Central Coast last week and Robyn’s dad moves this week. It’s been a week of moving experiences (dad joke!).

We have moved eight times since we were married and living in Thomas Street has been the longest we’ve lived anywhere together. Moving house is a very stressful experience. It’s rated up there with losing your job and loss of a family member.

We appreciate all those who are praying for us at this time. Please continue to, asking our Father for great patience with each other.

Moving is also a great opportunity to talk with people. We’ve met the bloke across the road, a retiree, and the lady next door, a school teacher. She has already told me she’s an atheist, a very determined one at that, so please pray for her as we continue to be her neighbours, asking our Father to soften her heart to the gospel. Pray also for us, that we might be good neighbours.

One good thing about living on the Central Coast is there’s a really good church to recommend to our neighbours. It’s just like living in Northmead really. To be able to recommend a church without any reservations is a great joy. It’s also a thing to thank God for.

A church like NAC, or the one up here, is not all that common. Two things stand out about NAC and both were very obvious at the Confirmation Service last week. First, the Bible is central to our lives. We really care about what God has said.

The Confirmees told us of their confidence in the facts of Christianity, which they got from the Bible. They told us of the significance to them of the death of Jesus which they get from the Bible. Along with the other members of NAC they are concerned to live out what the Bible says. It shapes our values and our lives.

The second thing that stands out about NAC is we care about other people. We care about each other. When one suffers we all suffer. When one rejoices, we all rejoice. (At least within our own congregations – which are much more like the New Testament has in view when it talks about churches.)

We don’t exist for our own benefit but rather for the benefit of the lost as well as the good of each other. Some of us are shy and some are outgoing but all of us care about lost people. We express that care in many ways. And those I’ve spoken to who are shy wish they were more outgoing so they might tell more people about Jesus. (Christmas is coming!)

Moving house is a moving experience. It’s also very stressful. Processing Pledge Forms is also a moving experience as I see how committed financially members of NAC are to the work of their church here and around the world.

It’s always a moving experience to see what God continues to do among us at NAC. But the most moving experience of all is to remember that “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (Christmas is coming!)

Neil

645 News Dec 9

Story of Jesus: Luke's Gospel
What does it mean to be a disciple of God? In Luke 14 Jesus has many conversations about this question. Jesus says some very challenging things. Have a read and ponder this week. We will be reading and thinking about what Jesus says in Luke 14 this Sunday night

Connect Groups 2010
The 645 community meets weekly to connect with other adults and God. They are the real engine of the 645 community. We want all adults to be involved in a group in 2010. please fill out the survey in Connect Groups this week. Or talk to Sarah Macken on Sunday.


NAC Clean-up (THIS SATURDAY)
We are giving our Church a Christmas Clean this Saturday. Please turn up and serve with your hands and feet. Come for an hour or all day!!


Confirmation Photo's
17 of our 645 Youth + Young Adults were confirmed last Thursday. Have a look at the photo's HERE. Talk to the Confirmees about their testimony's. List is HERE


200 Words on Serving at the Refugee Weekend
A few members of 645 served at the Refugee weekend a couple of weeks ago. Have a read of what happened HERE. We will be hearing more and praying for refugees and the Jones' this Sunday


Blogs posted this week
RevWrites (Neil on Confirmation)
Love this City Photo's
NAC Giving - message from wardens
The 2010 Pledge - questions answered

645 EVENTS
All 645 Events info is on Facebook. Please click here to access. No Facebook? Let us know and we will email you.

Confirmation

200 words on... serving at the African Refugee weekend

I can't imagine how hard it would be as a refugee - to adjust to a completely different culture with so many challenges. I overheard some kids mocking one of the girls as they found out she was an 11 year old in Year 2 at school.

Being at the weekend away was a privilege to be able to serve God in this way and show the refugee kids the love of Christ. It was such a joy to meet these kids as it was them who showed love to me. From the moment I arrived I was welcomed with smiling faces. They literally latched onto me and excitedly tried to get to know me.

The real highlight for me was being able to see the Sudanese family I met during Project M. I was able to catch up with them (we bonded over hair extensions) and in the afternoon I took one of the girls out canoeing which was lovely. These kids really just need someone to love them and continue to show love to them and it was very encouraging to see International Teams doing God's work in this.

I encourage all 645ers to consider getting involved in the future.

Ruth Colman

Love This City

645 News (Dec 3)

Story of Jesus: Luke's Gospel
This week Jesus has a heated discussion with some complainers. He challenges them to see what God is doing!! Read ahead - Luke 13:1-9. Ponder what Jesus is saying. Pray for George and your community as we prepare for Sunday

Hippie Conversation Hour
This Sunday Josh and Naomi Pryde are coming to 645. They have a wonderful story and a wonderful dream for India and its Spiritual Seekers. Conversation hour will start 15 minutes after the end of the service (done by 9:30pm). More info HERE.

Love this City
It was a wonderful afternoon in the sun with our neighbourhood. If you were there - post a thought about the afternoon on facebook. Not there, then ask your friends what happened. We have some more ways to love our city coming up. Photo's up here

Confirmation - TONIGHT
17 of our 645 Youth + Young Adults are standing up + proclaiming that Jesus is their Lord + Saviour TONIGHT. Come along to stand with them. Click here to find out who they are.


The Pledge - Questions Answered
A few members of 645 asked Questions about Stewardship and the Pledge. James Lewis answered them Here. Have a read



NAC Giving - Message from Wardens
Click HERE to read the Financial update for NAC. Please carefully and generously consider your giving.



Blogs posted this week
RevWrites (Neil on Sharing the Love)
RevWrites (Neil on Confirmation)
645 Rosters (version 3)



645 EVENTS
All 645 Events info is on Facebook. Please click here to access. No Facebook? Let us know and we will email you.

RevWrites- Dec 6

Confirmation was on Thursday night. Seventeen young people publically testified to their faith in Christ and his sacrifice for them. Mostly they confirmed for themselves promises made on their behalf at their baptism.

Of course, Confirmation isn’t in the Bible. It’s one of those ceremonies that people have developed to help in our relationship with God.

Traditionally Confirmation is a service where young adults take on for themselves the promises made at the baptism. It comes from a time when most children of Christians were baptised as infants. At infant baptism parents and God-parents make promises on behalf of infants. As a minister I am able to baptise an infant because I hear them make promises through others.

Infant baptism also reflect the deeply developed covenant theology of the Bible. God works through covenants with people. These covenants, like the ones to Adam and Abraham, catch up other people, like their descendants, under the terms of the covenant.

The children of Christian parents are “covered” by the covenant God has established with the parents. Of course, children can grow up and renounce that covenant, just as their parents can renounce that covenant at any time. But until they are old enough to make serious decisions for themselves, children of Christian parents enjoy the status of children of God because of the faith of their parents.

Some of our young people were baptised as adults and immediately confirmed. This is somewhat unnecessary as they’ve made the same promises already as adults. But this “hiccup” in our man-made systems simply show that times have changed. Nowadays, many people are not baptised as infants and our system hasn’t changed along with this. So we need to change our systems in this area too.

Nevertheless, Confirmation is a great opportunity for a couple of reasons. First, it gives us a chance to discuss with people the basis of their faith in Christ. This helps them clarify their understanding of key Biblical ideas.

Secondly, it’s a great opportunity for people to publically declare their confidence in Christ.

I remember when I decided to follow Christ as a teenager. The very next Sunday my minister had me up in front of the entire church confessing my new-found and very babyish faith. It was very scary. But my minister knew what was good for me.

One problem was that I didn’t have any “official” reason to invite others along for that occasion. They had to wait until my Confirmation a few weeks later. Our confirmees all had a great opportunity last Thursday night. Please remember to pray for them and any non-Christian friends/family they brought along.

Neil

The Pledge: Stewardship, guilt and trusting God

So last week was pledge Sunday. How did you feel about it? Confused, guilty, pressured, encouraged or awkward. Those range of reactions are normal in churches. I think one of the reasons is that pledging is so unfamiliar to us. So it can feel like a fundraising drive or the dreaded cold call from one of the countless charities. Perhaps you’ve had a bad experience of giving to church in the past. Some churches seem to do almost nothing else but talk about money. Others seem to be careless and irresponsible with the money given to the budget. So I want to write a bit more about this issue to clear up our confusions and challenge our false views.

Think stewardship not obligation or guilt.

As we seek to worship God in every part of our lives, one of the things we need to do is think critically and carefully about our culture. For us to just passively absorb the values and trends in our culture is to follow the path of idolatry not true worship. So we need to wrestle with how deeply materialistic and selfish our culture is. This is the air that we breathe. We see in the fact that none of us think we’re rich. I don’t think I’m rich. You don’t think you’re rich. But we are. We are in the top 5% of wealth in the world. But we take all that for granted. Studies have been done that say no matter how much money you have, you will always think ‘if I could just have 10% more then I’d would be comfortable’. This means that the person who has 10% more than you, thinks that they need 10% to be comfortable! Do you see what’s going on? Because we’re so materialistic, we always expand our spending and expectations to our current income. We can never be content because we keep on looking for just a bit more to be happy. This is linked to our second blind spot . We think ‘it’s all mine…I worked for it, I earned it…it’s all mine’. We become selfish and self absorbed with our stuff.

The Biblical view is very different. Have a look at Deuteronomy 8:17-18, Psalm 50:10, Haggai 2:8 and James 1:16-18. They very bluntly and powerfully tell us that everything belongs to God. Everything is not mine or yours but God’s. Now God is not stingy or reluctant but he’s a generous giver. He gives us good things to enjoy and use wisely. This is stewardship. God entrusts life, abilities, resources, time and money to us to use wisely for his glory. Now if you don’t really get this then you operate in the land of confusion and guilt with your giving. Let’s unpack this.

1. Asking for a pledge doesn’t fit with trusting in God’s provision

Sometimes we feel like the whole idea of pledges and budgeting don’t fit with trusting in God to provide for us. If we trust that God provides, then we should simply pray and remind people to be generous. I feel like this incorrectly separates life and spirituality. It might be that we say budgets are the realm of business not churches. Or it might be that we think ‘my giving is my private affair’. But this separates our life into personal private spiritual things and public secular things. The Bible calls us to worship God with every part of our lives. The whole point of stewardship is that God calls us to live, serve, and give wisely in this world. The book of proverbs is full of insights and wisdom about the bits and pieces of life. For us to pledge our giving and seek to budget accordingly is not opposed to trusting in God’s provision. It’s simply seeking to be wise with what God gives us.

2. Asking for a pledge is using a guilt trip to get people to give more

I think this is a common reaction to giving appeals or calls to pledge our giving. Perhaps it’s understandable given the frequent calls on our money from charities and good causes. However, when people feel this way it’s a tragedy. The first thing I need to say is ‘be careful not to transfer your feelings onto others’. Let me explain. Because we’re all basically self-absorbed we assume that our feelings are the most important. So if I feel angry about something, I want everyone else to be angry. This is how factions develop in churches. We try to gather around us people who feel the same way as us. It’s the same with giving. If I feel guilty or ‘guilt tripped’ into giving then I assume everyone else should feel that way too. But let me be clear about this. If I feel guilty about my giving then, it most likely has nothing to do with a pledge or giving appeal. It’s more likely a problem with my own insecurities or struggles. This relates to the second thing. You see, if we’d sprung the pledge on 645 without any notice, then that would have been a guilt trip. But we were very careful at 645 to place the pledge within a larger context of stewardship. We gave people a month to think, pray, talk, and get advice. We offered a budgeting seminar. So if you’ve taken that approach and you know you’re being wise and generous then there’s no need for guilt or embarrassment. What you give is irrelevant. What matters are you being wise and generous.

This is stewardship. This is worship.

James