12 December 20104

How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of the messenger who announces peace,
who brings good news,
who announces salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”

Isaiah 52:7 (NRSV)

Thank you to everyone who sent messages and told me of their prayers after my last Heartland eNews. These are deeply appreciated and most humbling.

I would normally have written another eNews before this, but that brief time out of action had a profound effect on my schedule, putting me behind in a number of things. There is a spiritual lesson in that somewhere. This is God’s church, not ours, and sometimes we just have to be willing to let Him take over.

Advent or Christmas?

Advent is probably one of the most difficult church seasons to keep. Circumstances constantly force us to make a choice – will it be Advent or will it be Christmas? Christmas usually wins out, because that’s what the majority want. Things like the school year, Carols by Candlelight, and end-of-year parties bring Christmas forward by many weeks. Why listen to John the Baptiser when you can have a party?

Should we fight this, or should we go with the flow? Does it even matter? Advent literally means ‘He comes’. As a season it opens a window on the end things and the coming (return) of Christ (called ‘eschatology’). This is a counter balance to our natural human self-obsession. We are not ultimately the centre of things – for that we must look to God. Advent readings link the promise of God (the coming Saviour) with the fulfilment of the promise (the return of the Saviour in glory).

Our generation likes to both have its cake and eat it. We want to have it all now (called ‘realised eschatology’). In a way that’s true – God has already saved us, and he has written our names in heaven. Right now, however, we live with the ‘now’ and the ‘not yet’. Losing Advent, and jumping straight to Christmas, makes us spiritually poorer. Advent provides a sense of direction and purpose. This is a Christ-centred universe, and all things find their purpose in him (Ephesians 1:11).

Advent is a circuit breaker, a God moment, reminding us who’s really in charge here. It carefully prepares us to welcome the Christ child of Christmas. The God who is coming is also the God who is with us, right here, right now. He is also the God who will be there, coming for us, at the end.

So yes, I think Advent does matter. God bless you in this season, as you prepare for the coming Christ.

LCA Ordinations

Worshippers packed Concordia College Chapel in Highgate, SA nearly to capacity last Sunday for the ordination of 6 new LCA pastors:

•  Tony Castle – to Gippsland Victoria
• Mark Gierus – to Mackay, Queensland
• Nich Kitchen – to North Tasmania
• Jaswanth Kukatlapalli – to Wodonga, Victoria
• Graham Pfeffer – to Biloela, Queensland
• Jason Pokela – to Esperance/Kalgoorlie-Boulder,  Western Australia

The weather was kind to us, hovering in the 20s, rather than the 40-degree temperatures experienced in some years. You will hear more about these new pastors and the events of the day in other LCA publications. The thanks of the church go to these men and their families, supporting congregations, individual supporters, and the staff of Australian Lutheran College for bringing them to this point. God is good to our church in the provision of gifted and humble men for the office of the public ministry of Word and Sacrament.

Income Protection Insurance – implications for you

I would normally leave these sorts of items to the LCA eNews, but this time I do want to draw something of a business nature to your attention.

There will be significant changes in Income Protection cover from 1 January 2015. These will affect everyone who has this type of insurance. There will be industry wide reductions in cover and a substantial increase in premiums.

Therefore, it is important that you carefully read any information provided by your insurer, and contact them as soon as possible, if you want to make changes.

In November, Lutheran Super sent all its members a letter and information sheet to explain these changes. Anecdotal evidence suggests that many people did not read this important correspondence closely. If that includes you, make sure go back, get it out, and read the detail ASAP. You should contact the Fund as soon as possible to make any changes. The new policy commences on 1 January 2015.

If you have cover arranged by Group Life Insurance Agencies, or another provider, make sure you check the details when you receive them.

Pastors please note: for some years now, the LCA has included Income Protection Insurance in your remuneration package. Therefore, unlike others, in 2015 the increase in Premiums will not directly hit you, but it will hit the LCA, since these premiums are covered by the national church. We will assess the ongoing viability of this component of your package for the future. Please carefully read the information provided by Lutheran Super to understand the changes in your cover.

If in doubt, please contact the Fund using the details provided on the letter.

Annual leave

One of the rules of the LCA is that each calendar year pastors acquire 4 weeks annual leave. The purpose of the leave is to enable them to be refreshed and ready for the demands of ministry. Therefore, this leave does not accrue, but is generally to be taken in the year in which it is due, or as close as possible. Pastors and their parishes should ensure that this happens. While we expect our pastors to work to the full extent of their ability, we also want them to be with us for the long haul, and not become burnt out by excessive demands or long hours.

For a bishop, the best time for such leave is over the December/January period, which is when I will be taking mine.

Your brother in Christ,
Pastor John Henderson
Bishop