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In my first year of high school, Australia converted to decimal currency and Simon and Garfunkel released the song, “I am a rock”. While everyone in Australia was working together to adjust to the new currency the song spoke of going it alone. “I am a rock. I am an island.”
It’s a sad song about being hurt and withdrawing into isolation in order to avoid any more pain.
We’ve had some experiences of isolation this year and depending on our nature we’ve either enjoyed or hated those times.
Our God is into community. God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit exist in a divine community of love and because we’re made in the image of God we’re also made for community.
The Christian faith in particular and life in general aren’t meant to be solo adventures. Even those with an introverted nature need others. We all need community.
Paul describes the community in terms of a body with many different and varied parts in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12. The different parts of the body need each other and when they work together the body functions properly.
The beauty of this image and situation is found in the love and support we give and receive in the community. There are times when we desperately need the support of a loving community and there are times when we provide the support to members of the community.
This ‘strange’ year has highlighted the need for community. We need to care for each other and look out for each other.
It’s great to know God is always doing his best for us. It’s also clear our sisters and brothers are gifts from God. God often helps us through the community. God bless you with all the help you need and with all the strength you need to help others.
Jesus as judge
by Greg Fowler
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Then Jesus began to denounce the towns in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent (Matthew 11:20).
Read Matthew 11:20–24
What an uncomfortable text. Jesus delivers a sobering warning to the towns of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum. These were the very places where he performed most of his miracles, yet he pronounces woe upon them because they did not repent. Scripture is consistent in its witness; Jesus is our Lord who rules with grace. He is also the judge. While faith in Christ gives us security, Jesus as judge doesn’t sit well with us.
This passage highlights a profound spiritual truth: privilege brings responsibility. These towns had front-row seats to the kingdom of God, but familiarity bred complacency. They enjoyed the multiplied bread, the physical healing and the spectacle, but they refused the transformation of their hearts. They mistook God’s patience for permission to remain unchanged. They refused the invitation of grace offered by God in their midst.
Let’s not get too self-righteous. We may not have walked the dusty roads of Galilee; however, we possess the complete Word of God, the indwelling Holy Spirit, the real presence of Jesus in the sacrament and a lifetime of answered prayers. We, too, can take God for granted. We can grow spiritually numb, treating God’s daily mercies as entitlements.
How are our hearts? Are we taking God’s blessings for granted? We dare not let familiarity with God’s presence and blessing harden our hearts. The overwhelming grace offered to us by our loving God is the start of a renewed life. The joy of unconditional love is reason for praise and witness. May we live in your will.
Lord, forgive me for the times I have taken your grace for granted. Soften my heart. Keep me from spiritual complacency, and help me to respond to your daily mercies with repentance and deep, abiding gratitude. Amen.
Pastor Greg lives in beautiful Redland Bay with his wife, Connie, where they enjoy the beaches, weather and outdoor lifestyle of south Brisbane. He serves as the college pastor at Faith Lutheran College, Redlands.
Peace
by Greg Fowler
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
They will beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks … (Micah 4:3b).
Read Micah 4:1–4
In Micah 4:3, the prophet paints a breathtaking picture of God’s ultimate kingdom: ‘They will beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.’ This powerful imagery speaks of radical, divine transformation. God takes instruments of destruction and repurposes them for cultivation and life.
While this prophecy points to a future of global peace, it also holds a profound mirror to our personal lives today. We may not wield literal swords, but we often carry weapons that do just as much damage. A sharp tongue, a defensive attitude, a lingering grudge, or the relentless need to be ‘right’ in an argument are all weapons we use to protect ourselves or strike at others. Who among us hasn’t struck out at another, driven by our own hurt?
God’s invitation to us is to surrender these weapons. He wants to take our defensiveness and forge it into patience. He wants to melt down our harsh words and reshape them into encouragement. When we allow the Holy Spirit to work in our hearts, he transforms our relational battlefields into gardens of grace.
So, what swords are we carrying? Is it a resentment toward a family member? A critical spirit at work? Unsettled energy that often comes out as anger? We can lay that down; we can ask God to help us repurpose that energy into a ‘ploughshare’ – an intentional action that cultivates peace, such as offering encouragement, extending forgiveness or choosing to listen rather than retaliate.
Lord, forgive me for the ways I wield my words and attitudes like weapons. Transform my heart. Take my sharp edges and shape them into tools of your peace, love and restoration. Help me to live the grace you give me. Amen.
Pastor Greg lives in beautiful Redland Bay with his wife, Connie, where they enjoy the beaches, weather and outdoor lifestyle of south Brisbane. He serves as the college pastor at Faith Lutheran College, Redlands.
Rest
by Greg Fowler
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light (Matthew 11:28,30).
Read Matthew 11:16–19,25–30
We live in a culture that glorifies busyness. We often wear our exhaustion like a badge of honour, juggling careers, family obligations and endless digital notifications until our souls feel heavy and frayed.
Into this chaos, Jesus extends a radical, countercultural invitation: ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light’ (Matthew 11:28,30).
In the ancient world, a yoke was a wooden frame joining two oxen to pull a heavy load. Typically, a young, inexperienced ox was yoked with a mature, stronger one. The older ox bore the majority of the weight and dictated the pace.
When Jesus invites us to take his yoke, he isn’t offering a life of zero responsibility. He is offering a divine partnership; he steps into the yoke with us, bearing the crushing weight of our obligations, anxiety, guilt and need for control.
What burden are we carrying? Are we carrying the weight of others’ opinions, financial worry or the pressure to be perfect? Tell it to Jesus. Be yoked to him while we uncouple from the world’s frantic pace. We do not have to hustle to prove our worth; our value is already securely anchored in Christ.
Let’s step into his rhythm. Spend time with Jesus in word and prayer. Speak to him about where we can surrender control and actively ask him to carry that load with us.
True rest isn’t found in an empty calendar, but in a surrendered heart full of grace.
Lord, I am weary from trying to do it all alone. I surrender my heavy burdens to you today. Teach me your gentle, humble rhythm and give my soul true, lasting rest. Amen.
Pastor Greg lives in beautiful Redland Bay with his wife, Connie, where they enjoy the beaches, weather and outdoor lifestyle of south Brisbane. He serves as the college pastor at Faith Lutheran College, Redlands.