Jesus shares a perplexing parable about bridesmaids and oil lamps, where those with oil are called wise, and those without are considered foolish. As we explore this, we go in search of the good oil.
Sermon 9th November, 2008Â (pdf)
St. David’s Uniting Church, Oakleigh
Rev. Arnie Wierenga
On this All Saints Sunday we look at those who have shaped our own lives of faith and the legacy they have left us. From our gospel reading, Jesus urges people to follow those who practice what they preach, and then provides the ultimate focal point – God known through the teachings and actions of the Messiah.
We then reflect on what kind of legacy we will leave, as people who have the capacity to inspire others through our own journey of faith.
Sermon 2nd November, 2008Â (pdf)
St. David’s Uniting Church, Oakleigh
Rev. Arnie Wierenga
In today’s gospel story, Jesus reminds his antagonists that everything comes under the umbrella of God’s realm. If we are to give to God the things of God it impacts on how we are to live.
The people of the fledgling home-church in Thessalonica are praised by the apostle Paul for their courage and integrity despite living within a hostile culture. How do the things of God impact on you? What are the things you will be remembered for?
Sermon 19th October, 2008Â (pdf)
St. David’s Uniting Church, Oakleigh
Rev. Arnie Wierenga
When Moses was receiving the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai amongst thunder and lightning, the people of Israel feared God’s anger and judgement. We discover that the fear of God has nothing to do with being afraid in this way, and that the commandments themselves have a much greater story of God’s love and liberation at their heart, with an invitation for all to live in the rhythm of God’s ways.
Sermon 5th October, 2008Â (pdf)
St. David’s Uniting Church, Oakleigh
Rev. Arnie Wierenga
St Francis of Assisi is famous for many things. One of the precious things he reminds us is that animals are truly a blessing of God’s creation. As we celebrate the feast of St. Francis and the blessing of the animals, what follows is a heart-warming story about a dog who saved the life of a little girl earlier this year in Melbourne.
ROARY the Staffordshire bull terrier turned lifesaver when he saw a deadly brown snake rear to strike three-year-old Ebony Davis.
Roary jumped on the 1.5-metre snake, bit it and swung it clear of Ebony and her father in the backyard of their home.
But the family pet’s bravery almost cost its life.
As Roary held on, the snake bit him repeatedly on the flanks and one ear before breaking free and slithering under a shed.
Ebony’s father, Tim Davis, 38, said the dog “did a lap of honour around the yard, with his tail on high, and then he went in the house and collapsed”.
“As I wiped the venom off his body, his legs gave way and his head came down on the floor,” Mr Davis said. “There was no sign of life in him.”
Mr Davis put Roary on the front seat of his car and rushed the dog 10km to Kangaroo Flat Veterinary Centre, near his home at Lockwood in central Victoria.
“He was quite still and I kept stopping to breathe some air into his nose, but I was sure he was a goner,” Mr Davis said.
“When we got there, the vet told me how expensive the anti-venom was and how slim his chances were with so many bites.
“I said, ‘Money doesn’t matter; he’s saved my little girl’s life. Just get on with it’.
“A minute later, needles were hanging out of him everywhere.”
But 10-year-old Roary is a fighter and when the Sunday Herald Sun visited him at home two weeks after the attack, he was running in the yard like a puppy.
“I’ve had him since he was six weeks old,” said Tim’s partner and Ebony’s mother, Christine Martin, 29.
“I don’t know what I’d have done if we’d lost him.”
The only sign of Roary’s ordeal is some muscle wastage around his chest, but he is expected to recover.
About 200 people are expected to attend a Uniting Church forum at Darwin University this week to voice their concerns about the Federal Government’s intervention in remote communities.
The forum is being held on Tuesday, the same day the Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin is expected to be given the results of a review into the intervention.
A spokesman for the church’s Northern Synod, which covers the Northern Territory, the Kimberley region and northern South Australia, says many churchgoers with links to Aboriginal communities believe the emergency response is creating fear and confusion rather than hope for a better future.
The people of Israel struggle again in the wilderness – this time thirsty and in fear of their lives. As the Lord guides Moses to the rock that will spring forth water, we find that God has always been present.
While it is good to remember these stories and celebrate them, if God is always present then God is creating new stories of our own of God with us.
Sermon: September 28th, 2008Â (pdf)
St. David’s Uniting Church, Oakleigh
Rev. Arnie Wierenga
The people of Israel find themselves desperately in need of food in the wilderness. Their plight seems so dire that they have forgotten the stories of God being with them all through this journey towards the promised land. The story of God with us is vital because it is the ultimate story of meaning and purpose. In the case of the people of Israel, God gives them another chapter of meaning as God’s story keeps weaving itself into their own story.
Sermon September 21st, 2008Â (pdf)
St. David’s Uniting Church, Oakleigh
Rev. Arnie Wierenga
I’ve recently started a short course on the practice of mindfulness. Mindfulness is interesting because it is about training our minds to be alert to what is present and real.
There is a story that comes from India that speaks about how easy it is to trap a monkey. All that is needed is to put a banana inside a coconut with a hole big enough for the monkey to put its hand in. The monkey reaches inside the coconut for the banana, but cannot pull the banana out once it has grabbed it. Most monkeys, it seems, are so reluctant to let go of the banana that they are captured instead.
The human mind is like this, despite all of our intelligence. We try to hold onto things that are pleasant, and deny things that are not so agreeable. What mindfulness teaches is to be present to all things – good, bad and things in between. Our increased awareness of what is real means that we are more capable of enjoying the moments that are truly pleasant, and more able to cope with things that are difficult.
For the latest happenings from the Balkara Parish and the St. David’s Oakleigh congregation, check out our online copy of the July newsletter.
Parish News – September 2008Â (pdf 252kB)