by Maria Rudolph
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Read James 3:1–12
I grew up in Germany, with today being St Nicholas Day. Now, it is my children’s turn to clean their shoes on the eve of 6 December and place them neatly outside their bedroom door. When they awake, they will find small goodies in their shoes - lollies, nuts and gifts. St Nicholas Day is a joyful event of giving and receiving.
Nicholas was the 4th-century bishop of Myra, located in modern-day Türkiye (Turkey). The stories surrounding his generous giving and godly conduct have somehow taken on a life of their own and curiously culminated in the modern-day creation of Santa Claus. While this is a far cry from the original person of Bishop Nicholas, it serves as yet another reminder of God, the giver of all things. St Nicholas is credited with this quote - ‘The giver of every good and perfect gift has called upon us to mimic God’s giving, by grace, through faith, and this is not of ourselves.’
How blessed we are with godly quotes from him and many other faithful Christians throughout the ages. How blessed we are with Scripture verses full of wisdom said and recorded by the people of old. Yet an observation and warning from St James in his epistle is true for all of them and us - ‘Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be’ (James 3:10). Even well-quoted people do not always use their tongues appropriately.
We already focus on giving gifts and sharing kind actions during this Advent season. But let us also focus on our tongues. Martin Luther instructs us in his Small Catechism on the eighth commandment:
Do not give false testimony. What does this mean? We should honour and love God and so we should not tell lies about other people, give their secrets away, talk about them behind their back, or damage their reputation in any way. Instead, we should speak up for them, say only good things about them, and explain their actions in the kindest way.
It takes effort to use our tongues appropriately, but with a focus on the giver of every good and perfect gift, we are on the right track. Let us all challenge ourselves to take note of our tongue and pray daily that we may use it solely for blessing.
Holy Spirit, living water, we need your help and guidance. We do not want to be a spring from which fresh and saltwater flow simultaneously. But we trip up and fail. Fill us with your living water so our cup overflows into our lives and the people around us from the spring of life inside us. Store the fruit of your Spirit in our hearts abundantly, so our mouth speaks of what our hearts are full of. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Maria is overjoyed to be a candidate for ordination as a pastor of the LCANZ while serving the St Johns Perth congregation and supporting the ministry of her pastor husband, Michael, at Concordia Duncraig congregation in Western Australia. They are parents to three children who are busy with primary and secondary schooling. Maria also serves the church as a member of the Commission on Theology and Inter-Church Relations.
God’s words – our lives
by Colleen Fitzpatrick
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Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants (Deuteronomy 32:2).
Read Deuteronomy 32:1,2,45–47
Moses is addressing the children of Israel just prior to his death. He stresses the importance of the people’s commitment to the Lord in worship and in obedience to the law. Moses’ teaching is to be like rain, encouraging growth in new grass and young plants.
One of my favourite odours is that of petrichor – the smell that fills the air when rain hits the dry ground. In my mind, the teaching that the writer of Deuteronomy refers to is falling like rain – and like the beautiful odour of petrichor, the aroma of Christ fills the earth. ‘For we are like a sweet-smelling incense offered by Christ to God, which spreads among those who are being saved and those who are being lost’ (2 Corinthians 2:15).
Many of us have experienced the devastation that drought can cause. Devastation that causes heartache and can result in the loss of home and livelihood – sometimes it is the loss of a property that has been part of family history for generations. We know what it is like when there is no rain.
Over the past year, many have also experienced the destruction and challenges that come from too much rain, as floods wash everything away, leaving heartbreak and devastation behind. For some, the floods returned.
Thankfully, Jesus’ death and resurrection have taken away the condemnation of the Old Testament law. That way has been replaced by the importance of faith in God and love towards one another. We don’t have to be frightened of a harsh God who thunders down at us when we offend him. Rather, we have a Comforter who loves us and is with us always.
In the following chapter, we read: ‘The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms’ (Deuteronomy 33:27a). These are the words that fall like gentle rain on one’s soul when things go wrong; the words of a God to whom we can be totally committed in worship and obedience and whose loving and everlasting arms are always there for us.
God, our refuge and our strength, thank you that your loving arms are always there for us. Help us remember this, be committed to you in our worship and obedient to your law of love in our lives each day. Amen.
Colleen Fitzpatrick is retired and lives in Adelaide. She enjoys reading, writing and drinking coffee with her husband, John, and their friends. Colleen and John enjoy regular fitness classes, particularly when they include opportunities to throw frisbees.
Consider the hollyhocks
by Colleen Fitzpatrick
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Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop – a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown (Matthew 13:8).
Read Matthew 13:1–9,18–23
Today’s reading reminds me of a picture that I have seen many times illustrating this story. It is of a man resting a basket on his hip. He is walking along a path and throwing seeds onto the ground. It’s quite a contrast to the large machinery used on farms these days, in which our paddocks are vast and trees are removed. Land is used efficiently, with efforts to ensure plenty of good soil is available for crops to thrive and for machinery to access it as it ploughs, sows and reaps.
I used to admire hollyhocks in other people’s gardens. Then some seeds arrived in our yard, and I welcomed the hollyhocks as they grew and flowered, bringing colour and height into our garden.
Hollyhocks have a very efficient seeding habit – all of those pretty flowers end up as seed pods, and hey presto! We now have hollyhocks popping up and growing throughout our backyard. They are growing in the lawn, in cracks in the cement – wherever they land, they seem to grow. I’ve also seen how they grow taller with the more rain we have.
The hollyhocks spread despite my lack of dedication to gardening. They arrived through no effort on my behalf – maybe through the good graces of a passing bird or a wind over which there is no control.
The seeds grow where they land – even when the environment provides minimal space or food. They adapt to their situation and grow, producing flowers and more seeds. Do you see the connection?
The spread of God’s word does not rely on my efforts. The Holy Spirit moves without any direction from me or you, working in people’s hearts and bringing them closer to God. Maybe our role is to encourage the spread of God’s word and of the good news of the gospel, which is a bit like a gardener preparing soil, fertilising, providing water in the dry season and doing everything to encourage plants to grow – rather than pulling them out of the ground or mowing over them, which may happen in our garden from time to time.
Holy Spirit, help us to do what we can to help – not hinder – the work that you do. Thank you for not being solely reliant on our efforts to bring God’s love to life. Amen.
Colleen Fitzpatrick is retired and lives in Adelaide. She enjoys reading, writing and drinking coffee with her husband, John, and their friends. Colleen and John enjoy regular fitness classes, particularly when they include opportunities to throw frisbees.
Great invitation
by Greg Fowler
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Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full’ (Luke 14:23).
Read Luke 14:15–23
I love receiving invitations to special events. In the electronic age, it’s delightful to get a paper invitation in an envelope. It says that the event is special and my attendance means something.
In the Parable of the Great Banquet, Jesus tells of the greatest invitation. A master prepares a lavish feast, but the originally invited guests make a series of trivial excuses – a new field, some oxen, a recent marriage. Rather than cancelling the celebration, the master’s response is breathtakingly expansive. He first sends his servant into the streets to bring in the poor and broken, and then issues a final, urgent command: ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full’ (Luke 14:23).
This verse reveals the relentless, pursuing nature of God’s grace. The ‘roads and country lanes’ represent the margins of society, those who feel entirely outside the boundaries of religious or social acceptance. The master’s instruction to ‘compel’ them is striking. The original writer does not mean physical coercion or force, but rather a passionate, persuasive urgency. It is the kind of love that refuses to take ‘I’m not good enough’ or ‘I don’t belong’ for an answer.
God’s heart is not satisfied with a partially empty banquet hall. He desires a full house. The gospel is not merely a passive, polite offer; it is an active, relentless pursuit. The king of the universe is passionately committed to ensuring that every seat at his table is occupied by those who will experience his lavish, transforming grace.
God is calling us to the roads and country lanes of our own lives. Who is the coworker who feels like an outsider? Or the neighbour going through a silent crisis? The estranged family member who believes they have blown their chance at redemption? We testify to the grace that lovingly, persistently and warmly invites them to come in. Praise God for his relentless grace.
Lord, give me your heart for the lost and the hesitant. Forgive my comfort and complacency. Make me a bold, persuasive agent of your grace, actively inviting others to the abundant feast of your love, so that your house may be full. 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.