Hello Everyone, Friday’s email is being sent Thursday evening, because nbn is being connected tomorrow morning, and…just in case there is a glitch…I thought I should send this out today.  If you didn’t receive it, you might wonder what had happened to me! I have attached the service and sermon, and a piece by Bill Pugh about Leighmoor UC. One of the suggested hymns is Amazing Grace. A powerful hymn. Most of us have heard the story of John Newton, the writer of the hymn.  His father was a sailor, and his mother died when he was just seven.  After only two years of schooling, he was sent to sea at the age of eleven.  At the age of twenty-two, he was captain of a ship engaged in the slave trade.  Three years later, he underwent a dramatic conversion to Christianity,  partly due to  reading Thomas a Kempis’s book The Imitation of Christ, and partly due to surviving a fierce storm.  It was a sense of deliverance from this storm that made him commit himself to Christ, and forsake the slave trade and the seafaring life.  He became friendly with John Wesley, and went on to study for the Anglican ministry.  When he was curate at Olney, he collaborated with the poet William Cowper, to produce a collection of hymns.  After his ministry at Olney, Newton spent his remaining 28 years as minister at St Mary Woolnoth Church in London.  By this time he had established a strong friendship with William Wilberforce and other political leaders engaged in the crusade for the abolition of the slave trade.  The year of Newton’s death, 1807, was the same year that the British Parliament finally abolished slavery throughout its domain.  I remember watching the powerful movie about William Wilberforce called ‘Amazing Grace’, a number of years ago (2006), and seeing him meet a very old Newton. Newton continue preaching until his death at the age of 82.  Not long before he died, a spokesman from the church asked him if he had considered retirement because of his failing eyesight, health and memory.  Newton replied: “What, shall the old African blasphemer stop while he can still speak?” (in other words, “No!”) I wonder if the spokesperson from the church had drawn the short straw?  I think I would have trembled a little! In the small cemetery in the parish churchyard in Olney, stands a tombstone with this inscription:  ‘John Newton, clerk, once an infidel and Libertine, a servant of slavers in Africa, was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the Faith he had long laboured to destroy.’ A powerful testament to the ability to change, to repent, to God’s grace.  Apparently Newton was a wonderful pastoral minister, often preaching, using his life story.  He also wrote the fabulous hymn Glorious things of you are spoken. Now this is a very long-winded introduction to this youtube clip of Amazing Grace: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-8fWHjfUl4 The band is the Turner Brown Band, composed of several Americans and several Australians.  I have been fortunate enough to see them twice, the last time was just up the road at The Caravan Club, which used to be part of the Clayton Bowls Club (I think the concert was about two years ago).  They are an incredible band, playing what is known as ‘sacred steel.’ Sacred Steel is a musical style and African-American gospel tradition that developed in a group of Pentecostal churches in the 1930s. The lap steel guitar is used instead of the traditional organ for the church music. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpVyq8y7Qao The clip above is of a bishop (yes, he is a minister, he is the senior pastor of Overcoming Church Bible proof Ministries, so theology is quite a bit different from the Uniting Church!)-gosh, maybe Tony is learning steel guitar during lockdown, look what could happen! I don’t think I have asked for your favourite pieces of music/songs?  If I have and I have forgotten-then you may have too!  I love blues music-it is about emotion, being at the bottom, soul music really.  What about your favourite type of music, or a particular song?  I know I have asked about favourite hymns, but what about other music? Well,  time for notices.  Robyn had a birthday this week: “Happy birthday, Robyn!”  I think I heard somewhere that Leighmoor UC has cake for morning tea to celebrate birthdays?  How many cakes will you have to celebrate all the birthdays that happened during lockdown when we finally are back worshipping face to face! My David is improving.  He is now back to driving to the Epworth three times a week for dialysis.  Still on crutches and physiotherapy phone calls. I spoke to Russell  this week.  His daughter Robyn is staying there, until tomorrow evening.  This evening I spoke to Joan, home from hospital. It will be a slow recovery for her.  Robyn will let me know how they are going, as it is hard for Russell to hear on the landline. A book I was reading talked about trying to avoid using the words ‘should’ and ‘must.’  I agree-I bristle a bit when I hear ‘You must…’ The writer says: ‘If you wish to make someone feel guilty or inferior, try saying “You should.” Also lethal are “You must…” or “You need to…”or “You have no other choice but…”   Perhaps replace a ‘should’ or ‘must’ with “One possibility is…”or “you might consider this…”   Later, the writer concludes with this old saying: ‘Those who offer advice when advice is not requested, need advice.’ A couple of jokes-I am a bit behind.  I was trying to include a joke each week to make you smile: 1. Did you hear about the first restaurant to open on the moon? It had great food, but no atmosphere. 2. What did one ocean say to the other ocean? Nothing, it just waved. 3. Do you want to hear a construction joke? Sorry, I’m still working on it.

Hello Faith Pals, This image is a positive one, that reminds me that although we are going through tough times, we must still dance, still hope! Welcome to Monday, after some very exciting news!  Appointing a new minister is like getting a wonderful package/gift: the minister is what is in the wrapped box, but the congregation is the wrapping and the ribbon, so you are a gift to each other!  Sparkly too! Perhaps the box is the church building?  Perhaps I am getting too carried away? Anyway, today I thought I would forward you a picture of a sea turtle, to continue the theme of hope.  I have included the letter as well, because it gives interesting information about the hatchlings (and because it is a pdf and I can’t delete parts of it!)  One of our neighbour’s daughters was working as a volunteer at this organization in Malaysia, so that is how I learned about this work.  They buy up eggs, saving them from the food industry, and incubate them, and then release them into the ocean, to freedom.  They are near a resort, so tourists have been involved as well, but this involvement has been down because of covid. Last year we adopted a nest.  We had to give it a name, so we named it ‘Hope.’ This year, as you will see from the photo, that theme continues!  I have copied some information from the website: ‘The Organisation After Founder, Hayati Mokhtar, sought help from friends, WWF conservation specialists and Terengganu state government officials, the Lang Tengah Turtle Watch was born. With enthusiastic interest from local Malaysian volunteers and students from the Universities of Cambridge, Birmingham and University College London, by April 2013 the project was underway. Since the project began it has grown steadily; to date saving over 46,500 turtle eggs from being sold to the market and hosting in excess of 460 volunteers from 23 different nationalities. Volunteers on the beaches of Lang Tengah – an island off the East Coast of Malaysia – monitor turtle landings and save their eggs from poachers.  We are striving to protect what is evidently threatened, and to discover what other conservation issues lie hidden on the island. Our satellite programmes are bringing the local community to Turtle Bay, so they too can experience our project first-hand. Improvement of waste management on the island is now another key focus area for us.’ http://www.langtengahturtlewatch.org I find it interesting how and why people set up organizations/charities; isn’t it wonderful that people all over the world see a need and then work out what to do about it?  That is what we do in the church all the time, within our communities, and within the wider world.  We call it mission.  We call ourselves Christians…we could also call ourselves ‘the hopeful!’  We live, facing the light of the resurrection. This was my  first ‘feel good’ story for today. The second is about a young toddler, named Eleanor.  She has a rare life threatening illness called SMA (spinal muscular atrophy).  I met her aunt when she was putting leaflets in letterboxes.  They were raising funds to get a miracle drug, only available in America.  The good new this weekend is that they have been approved for special medical help in Sydney, so she has a chance of eventually leading a normal life.  I thought of this special loving aunt, doing the letterbox drop (I saw her on a number of days) doing what she could for little Eleanor-and, like the turtle story, it is a story of hope, of hearts being filled with hope, not giving up. ‘…so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints’-Ephesians 1: 18 Blessings and love, Barbara Allen Virus-free. www.avg.com

Hello Faith Pals, Welcome to sunny, windy Melbourne.  At least we have variety! Here is a beautiful piece of music-I keep forgetting to send it to you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYJCYr1I-Sk   Now, some news.  Alan  had his next bout of chemotherapy.  His psa has gone up (not too much) but will be carefully monitored during the coming weeks.  Alan has now taken up integrative medicine as well, concentrating on a special diet (lots of things he is not allowed to eat), which also includes times of eating/fasting. We wish Alan and Fredrica (companion on this journey too) well, as they take on another challenge. Sunday: voting day!  This is wonderful and exciting for Leighmoor UC!  Lots of work has gone on behind the scenes, with Synod, and then Presbytery and the Joint Nominating Committee.  It is a time of hope, and a time of prayer.  During these challenging times, things are having to be done differently.  Even so, please trust the process, trust God.  None of this has been taken lightly.  I always remember the first line of a book by Chaim Potok: ‘All beginnings are hard.’  Yes, even exciting ones.  Change can be frightening, making us anxious.  For those of us who are married…didn’t you feel a little anxious on your wedding day?  Or after having a baby?  Didn’t things (for the most part) work out? Choosing a new minister is a bit like an arranged marriage.  Being on the other side of the process, I have felt nervous before each new placement-BUT I have left each one with many blessings, having met (yet again), a wonderful part of God’s family. God is there with you during this, endeavouring to bring to you the right person for the next phase of your journey as ‘church’ at Leighmoor.  Every minister brings something different, something new, as does each congregation.  Yes, there will be times when you look back and say, “Oh but Peter would have done this…” or “Dev did this, why can’t we do that?”  Remember the Israelites complaining in the desert, having been brought out of from slavery…they look back, saying “Oh back in Egypt at least we had plenty to eat…” etc. (see Numbers 20: 3-5)  It is human nature-to look back, BUT our faces are on the front, WE ARE MEANT to look forward, not back.  Learn from the past, embrace its lessons, but don’t let it prevent you from enjoying the present, or from dreaming into the future. Charlotte Bronte put it this way: ‘I avoid looking forward or backward, and try to keep looking upward.’  (which is fine if she is not out walking!) Gosh…you are getting another sermon!  One of the many disappointments about being in lockdown and not able to meet for worship on Sunday, is that on Sunday October 4th it is the Feast of St Francis of Assisi/World Animal Day, and I was looking forward to a Blessing of the Animals service (I am sure Church Council would have agreed to it!)  Well, that isn’t going to happen, so, instead, I wonder if any of you have some stories or thoughts about your own pets, past or present you’d like to email me, or like to nominate your favourite bird/animal/ fish and why?  Then I will collate a page or two of them to accompany that week’s service/sermon. Which reminds me (and you will be pleased that we are NOT meeting…because I would be voicing my frustration at this in church)-Christmas goodies (ie food items) are now on the shelves in the supermarkets.  September 1 seems to be the day for this.  I have real concerns about this.  I know it is about making money etc but it is confusing for those who are not churched.  I know Hot Cross buns go on sale on Dec 27-we are losing our footing in the world.  What does it mean, to have Hot Cross buns available for half the year, and Christmas items for a third?  They lose their significance, their specialness, the religious association. This is probably one of the times when we can take a stand, and not be persuaded to eat mince pies before Christmas.  (and I am looking forward to sharing information about Christmas decorations/Christmas traditions as we get closer to Christmas.  Love Christmas.  One for now-mince pies…why do we have them?  There are a number of reasons, one being that they were originally oblong in shape, to represent the manger, the spices to remind us of the magi/wise men from the East). ‘Cherish all your happy moments: they make a fine cushion for old age.’-Christopher Morley.  I think we could say they make a soft cushion for lockdown! One quote to use to get you thinking about animals: ‘God made the cat in order that man might have the pleasure of caressing the lion.’-Fernand Mery.  (Just had to stop typing up this email to rescue one of our ‘lions’ who got stuck behind the couch!  She would not survive in the wild!) If I Had My Life To Live Over by Erma Bombeck If I Had My Life To Live Over……. I would have talked less and listened more. I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded. I would have eaten the popcorn in the ‘good’ living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace. I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth. I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed. I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage. I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about grass stains. I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life. I would have shared more of the

Hello Faith Pals, Welcome to the warmth of spring!  Some lovely blooms are in the garden, our pink carmelia bush is magnificent, displaying something of God’s grandeur. The angel Israfel is part of Islamic tradition. In Judaism and Christianity, he is commonly known as the archangel Raphael.  In 1831 Edgar Allen Poe wrote a poem called ‘Israfel:’ ‘If I could dwell where Israfel hath dwelt, and he where I, he might not sing so wildly well a mortal melody, while a bolder note than this might swell from my lyre within the sky.’ In Islam, this angel is thought to be the one who will blow his trumpet, from the holy rock in Jerusalem, on the Day of Resurrection. He is the angel of music, said to sing praises to God in thousands of languages.  In the mystical tradition of Sufism, the perfect human being is said to have a heart like Israfel’s. Israfel’s heartstrings are a lute, or a harp. What about your  heart?  I know some of you have had stents etc inserted. What sounds do our hearts sing or make?  Sweetness, or sadness/lament? Do our strings need tuning?  What do we need to do to tune our heart strings, so they sing praises to God and are light and full of zest and life?  Do we need to have more joy in our lives?  I know these are challenging times, but we can choose our responses. Perhaps we need to think back to a wonderful memory or two.  Maybe a special birthday.   When I was a child, my mother would make me an ice-cream birthday cake.  Birthday parties were great fun, with games like pin the tail on the donkey, hide and seek, musical chairs.   I couldn’t sleep the night before my birthday.  Do you have a fond memory of a particular birthday? In some traditions, tomorrow (8th September) is celebrated as the birthday of the Virgin Mary.  If you need a reason to celebrate, why not do something special in her honour, tomorrow?  Maybe sing out loud the hymn:  ‘Tell out my soul.’  In our Protestant tradition, we remember Mary for her willingness to say “yes.” For her bravery  and courage.  For giving birth to Jesus, and for being a loving parent. A good thing for us to reflect on, to pray about. Are we willing to do what God requires of us? We each have a part or role to play. Other ways to play lightly on our heart strings is to balance sad/tough news about covid-19, with the positives we can gather from this experience.  Some of you are  already doing this.  I know Sarah Simko is keeping an ‘isolation diary’ and  wondered if some of you are also making notes/keeping a record of this unique experience in which we find ourselves ?  If, as someone discussed with me the other day, it is a little like the movie Ground Hog Day (the movie was repeating the same day over and over again…until it got better/lessons were learned…Bill Murray became a nicer, generous, compassionate person) in that some days may seem the same…BUT THEY NEVER ARE!  We each have the power to make them different, and to change our attitude too.  I am not advocating that we become naive,  but we can use this time well to tally up lessons learned.  Some of these might include: -the importance of family -blessed with a phone/computer -being able to sit in my garden -having hot and cold running water -reading a particular book I have wanted to for years -noticing the small things of life-the bees, bird song -enjoying hearing children out riding their bikes -becoming more patient -including  politicians in our daily prayers (who would want their jobs?  Oh I do feel sorry for them). What helps you?  Some laughter?  Some perspective? I find that if I get stuck, I grab a Christmas book, or a children’s picture book,for a quick read. The Gospels are good too! Or a cuppa in the garden. This too will pass. I couldn’t resist ending with the following! Now, according to Edward Hays, September 10 is ‘Iron Retirement Feast, or Liberation Day, 1954’.  Before the 1950s, it was necessary to spend up to 20 hours a week ironing-shirts, skirts, tablecloths, bed linen.  Then a new age arrived, with the invention of synthetic fabrics, the ‘wash and wear’ era. So, Hays wants to know, where have those 20 extra/free hours a week  gone? He wants to know who stole your free time, your 20 hours or so?  I confess, I don’t iron much-that is my bit for the environment!  When we lived in Canberra, and our son was young, a friend from Melbourne would visit several times a year.  Our son loved to watch our friend use our iron (she is keen on ironing) as he rarely saw us use it!  The iron still doesn’t get out much-sometimes I think I hear it and my swim suit lament their years stuck in the cupboard! They have become good friends. This photo is from a youtube segment ‘ How to iron a shirt.’ I won’t need to watch it, so have saved some myself several minutes! ‘I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.’ -Psalm 9:1-2 Blessings and love Barbara Virus-free. www.avg.com

Hello Everyone, I hope you are all chugging along!  You are all doing so well in this time of lockdown.  If nothing else…it is teaching us the virtue of patience! Priya sent me an email about the deaths of the disciples.  I will include it now: ‘Hi Barbara, Got this yesterday. I never knew this.   HOW EACH OF THE DISCIPLES DIED   1      MATTHEW Suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia, killed by a sword wound.   2      MARK Died in Alexandria, Egypt, after being dragged by horses through the streets until he was dead.   3      LUKE Was hanged in Greece as a result of his tremendous preaching to the lost.   4      JOHN Faced martyrdom when he was boiled in huge Basin of Boiling Oil during a wave of persecution in Rome However , he was miraculously delivered from death. John was then sentenced to the mines on the prison Island of Patmos. He wrote his prophetic Book of Revelation on Patmos. The apostle John was later freed and returned to serve as Bishop of Edessa in modern  Turkey. He died as an old man the only apostle to die peacefully.   5      PETER He was crucified upside down on an X – shaped cross. According to church tradition it was because he told his tormentors that he felt unworthy to die in the same way that Jesus Christ had died.   6      JAMES The leader of the church in Jerusalem, was thrown over a hundred feet down from the southeast pinnacle of the Temple when he refused to deny his faith in Christ. When they discovered that he survived the fall, his enemies  beat James to death with a fuller’s club. *This was the same pinnacle where Satan had taken Jesus during the Temptation.   7 JAMES (the son of Zebedee) Was a fisherman by trade when Jesus called him to a lifetime of ministry. As a strong leader of the church, James was beheaded at Jerusalem. The Roman officer who guarded James watched amazed as James defended his faith at his trial Later the officer walked beside James to the place of execution. Overcome by  conviction, he declared his new faith to the judge and knelt beside James to accept beheading as a Christian.   8   BARTHOLOMEW Also known as Nathaniel was a missionary to Asia. He witnessed for our Lord in present day Turkey. Bartholomew was martyred for his preaching in Armenia where he was  flayed to death by a whip.   9    ANDREW Was crucified on an  X shaped cross in Patras, Greece. After being whipped severely by seven soldiers they tied his body to the cross with cords to prolong his agony. His followers reported that,  when he was led toward the cross , Andrew saluted it in these words :  “ I have long desired and expected this happy hour. The cross has been consecrated by the body of Christ hanging on it” He continued to preach to his tormentors for two days until he expired.   10   THOMAS Was stabbed with a spear in India during one of his missionary trips to establish the church in the Sub- continent.   11    JUDE Was killed with arrows when he refused to deny his faith in Christ.   12  MATTHIAS The apostle chosen to replace the traitor Judas Iscariot, was stoned and then beheaded.   13   PAUL Was tortured and then beheaded by the evil Emperor Nero at Rome in A.D.67  Paul endured a lengthy imprisonment, which allowed him to write his many epistles to churches he  had formed throughout the Roman Empire. These letters , which taught many of the foundational Doctrines of Christianity , form a large portion of the New Testament.’ Thank you Priya. There are different accounts re how some of them died, https://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1-300/whatever-happened-to-the-twelve-apostles-11629558.html there are a number of different legends, stories, but I suppose the most important thing to remember is that they were prepared to die for their faith.  The Bible only tells of the death of two: Judas Iscariot, and James the brother of John, killed by King Herod, by a sword (Acts 12:2). The disciples/apostles were the first in a long line to be tortured/die, persecuted because they followed Christ.   We are lucky in this country, but in some parts of the world, Christians still have to hide their beliefs from the authorities.  Priya wanted to know why the deaths of the apostles isn’t common knowledge.  I think it is to do with the Protestant tradition-we don’t tend to dwell on bloodshed, or focus on the actual events of martyrdom. It doesn’t mean it doesn’t come up (such as on St Andrew’s Day (30th November) but it hasn’t been a focus.  When we talk about the persecution of Christians, and martyrdom, we include the apostles in that list. This contribution came in from Peter Campbell, from Heatherton-Dingley: Good morning Barbara. I copied this off Facebook, so I can’t verify any of it as truth, but it’s still a nice story. What Love means to 4-8 year old kids?? Slow down for three minutes to read this. A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, ‘What does love mean?’ The answers they got were broader, deeper, and more profound than anyone could have ever imagined ! ‘When my grandmother got arthritis , she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore.. So my grandfather does it for her all the time , even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love.’ Rebecca- age 8 ‘When someone loves you , the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.’ Billy – age 4 ‘Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.’ Karl – age 5 ‘Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give

Hello Faith Pals, Tomorrow is the first day of Spring!  Bit chilly this morning, but isn’t it lovely seeing the flowers in the garden.  Some of our hardy purple irises have made their way through the ground. Purple irises are a  symbol of royalty.  Irises are also connected to  stories of gods and legends/myths. The word comes from the Greek word for ‘rainbow’ (to signify the many colours it can be, and for its role in Greek mythology). According to legend, the name ‘iris’ is derived from Eiris, the Greek goddess, whose role was being messenger between the gods in heaven and the creatures on earth.  When the colorful lines of the rainbow turned up, the goddess was on her way to earth to convey a message, the rainbow being the colourful robe of Eiris. Purple irises were planted over the graves of women to summon Eiris to guide the dead in their journey. This idea of the rainbow is very different from our own understanding of the rainbow,  a reminder of God’s covenant with us. In ancient Egyptian times, the iris was regarded as a symbol of wisdom, faith, and valor. Sometimes an iris was placed on the sceptre of the Egyptian kings, and is even chiseled on the brow of the Sphinx.  During the Middle Ages, the meaning of irises became linked to the French monarchy, and the Fleur-de-lis became the recognized national symbol of France. For many years, irises were used in perfume, and as medicinal remedies. In Chinese culture the iris is regarded as a summer spirit, because its petals, moving in the wind, resemble butterfly wings. The iris has a place in Christianity too, because the iris is linked to the Virgin Mary. It is said that the sword-like appearance of its leaves resembles the sword of grief that ripped at Mary’s heart when Jesus was crucified. Throughout its history, the hardy iris has come to mean faith, hope, and wisdom.  Some of us associate the iris with Vincent Van Gogh: His painting Irises held the record for the most expensive artwork in 1987, when it sold for $53.9 million (US). The painting was among nearly 130 artworks Van Gogh completed during his stay in an asylum at Saint-Remy, the year before he died. It was the first painting Van Gogh started after arriving at the asylum. The flowers were growing in a garden in the small outdoor area where the artist was allowed to stroll and sit. Well, there you have it!  I would hand you all a fresh purple iris if I could!   I give God credit for its beauty, and we could  ‘Christianize’ it further by looking at its purple colour, knowing we follow Christ the King.  We, as his children, are royal too.  (Having just found out there is a Siberian iris called the ‘Shaker’s Prayer’-we could say that this is truly a flower associated with religion, as well as with mythology/legend/history!) ‘For flowers that bloom about our feet, Father, we thank Thee. For tender grass so fresh, so sweet, Father, we thank Thee. For the song of bird and hum of bee, For all things fair we hear or see, Father in heaven, we thank Thee. For blue of stream and blue of sky, Father, we thank Thee. For pleasant shade of branches high, Father, we thank Thee. For fragrant air and cooling breeze, For beauty of the blooming trees, Father in heaven, we thank Thee. For this new morning with its light, Father, we thank Thee. For rest and shelter of the night, Father, we thank Thee For health and food, for love and friends, For everything Thy goodness sends, Father in heaven, we thank Thee.’ (Emerson) Gosh, I had much more to say, but will hold those things over until Friday.  I’ll just leave you in the garden! Blessings and love Barbara