Australia's First Church Serviceon Sunday 3rd February 1788, the first Christian church service was held in Sydney | ||
For trhe Kingdom of God is justice and righteousness.
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A different perspective
Today marks the Anniversary of the First Church service held in Australia.
When I firsat read the text cited on the obliusque on the site up from Circular Quay
I was curious
When preaching to soldiers and convicts
settling in ito a new Colony
laying the foundations of a Colony
Why chose such a curious text?
Why ignore the hardship, the depravity, the social inequaliuties the oppression of the convicts and the disenfranshment of the Indigenous People?
Every year I preached a message of thanking God for His deliverance of the first fleet from the perils of the seas. That so few perished on the journey.
and gheard what I se as a fundamental weakness in evangelical theology of the day that is the prevailing view that if the poor were to experience their wrethedness they would come to salvation.
Why not the rich, the rulers in the establishment?
We are Grace Fellowship. We believe in fredom in Christ.
Today some have set aside this day for National Prayer and Fasting.
I'd like to see something more relective of Isaiah 58
to often prayers for the nation have not been prayers for the owners and Executives of corporations to be convicted of tax evasion and pay theirf fair share of tax.
Too often there has not been prayers to set the captives free Isaiah 61 v1 c
Rev Richard Johnstone, the Chaplain to the Colony didn't preach Isaiah 61 v 1 (d) “set the prisoners free” or not that we are aware
Where was his message to the Soldiers to be fair the exhortation not to be harsh?
Where was his comfort to the convicts to persevere? Or to sumbit to the soldiers authority unto the Lord? ( Colossians 3 v 23) and “ Col 4 v 1 “ Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, for you know you have a Master in heaven.”
My Great x approx 15 Great Grandfather is perported to have been Rev Martin Luther.
I am comfortable with that. I have oftren stood along “Here I stand”
I love to sing “A mighty fortress is our God”
but I differ from my ancerstor in that when the peasant masses realised they wewre not subject to the pope they rose up against those oppressing them my ancestor sadly sided with those who put down the uprising by force.
What is the message for us today?
Let us preach costly grace and mercy
We ought to be advocates for Indigenous people restoration We ought to be asdvoicates for those seeking assylum fly the planes new cities We ought to be defending min wages and housing a min wage can pay off. We ought to be denouncing sexual abuse in churches and anywhere and praying for healing for wounded sheep.
Let us give thanks to the Lord He is our deliverer. |
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Isaiah 61 "... to heal the broken hearted and set the captives free" Isaiah 58 the fast God desires. |