Australia's First Church Service

on Sunday 3rd February 1788, the first Christian church service was held in Sydney

For trhe Kingdom of God

is

justice

and righteousness.

 

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?

 

    1. I saw it was approprioate to give thanks to God

      v8 “you have delivered my soul from death.”

      v1 “I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice”

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.

 

  

    1. I attended the 225th Anniversary service

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?

 

  1. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God for Hios deliverance

    that He has answered our prayers

    that captives have been set free

    that our nation has minoim wages,.

    Free education and Medicare with Health Funds

    we have the vote and can stand for office.

  2. Let us pray for the poor

    the marginalised

    the abused violance or sexual abuse

    the exploited and oppressed

Let us preach costly grace and mercy

 

    1. It is for the Holy Spirit to convict us of our sin

      that we as sinners would repent and find forgiveness and new life.

    2. That we in the Church should have a prophetic voice to the community.

    3. Repentance begins in the House of Faith.

 

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.