“Gentle Jesus meek and mild, look upon a little child” – this well-known children’s hymn, sometimes used as a prayer, seems very fitting during the Advent season because as we approach Christmas, the model of gentleness takes centre stage. Jesus’ humble birth in a manger amidst the busy town of Bethlehem exemplifies the gentle nature of our God. Here our Lord is born in the humblest of places – an animal shelter no less – who would suspect?
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In our October Bible study Sal Huckel referred to the fruit of the Spirit as a bunch of grapes. Another way to look at the fruit of the Spirit is like a mandarin or orange. Both fruits have an outer skin. It is only as you delve underneath the skin that you can see, or discern, the different segments of the fruit. To really enjoy the orange or mandarin you need to eat all of it. So, today we look at the fruit of “gentleness”.
Read the Pastor Peter Klemm’s full Bible Study …
Lutheran Women of Queensland retreat and Convention was held on 19 –21 May 2023 at Maroochy Waterfront Camp & Conference Centre, Maroochydore. Our theme throughout the weekend was Courage to tell our story, 1 Corinthians 16:13. Long-lasting Wondrous Quality-time or Love Wondrously Qualified were just two acronyms that could be used to describe our first ever combined LWQ Retreat/Convention. Sincere thanks and gratitude to the Legendary Welcoming Quirkiness of the West Moreton Zone for the …
Fruits of the Spirit The Fruit of the Holy Spirit is a biblical term that sums up nine attributes of a person or community living in accord with the Holy Spirit, according to of the Epistle of Paul to the Galatians: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful …
My health problems started when I was six weeks old with severe eczema, followed by asthma. In the 1950s, there was no prednisolone creams for eczema nor “puffers” for asthma. I wore bandages day and night, which had to be washed and reused many times. I would, on occasions, have my hands tied to the sides of my bed, to stop me from scratching myself and prevent the open wounds getting infected. I also had …
A cool yet sunny morning on Saturday 20 May could not dampen the spirits of those attending the 56th Convention of the Lutheran Women of Victoria and Tasmania (LWVT). It was hosted by Trinity Lutheran Church in Warrnambool and catered for by the parish ladies from Warrnambool, Ayrford, and Hawkesdale. The theme for Convention was Patient Endurance from Revelation 13:10b. Greeting everyone in the foyer was a stunning flower arrangement in autumnal colours of orange, …
Held on 26 and 27 July 2023 in North Adelaide, SA, the meeting was attended by five LWA Executive members, two Spiritual Advisers, and two State Executive members each from Qld, NSW/ACT, Vic/Tas, WA and SA-NT. President, Grace Kroehn welcomed everyone present. Pastor John Gerhardy then commenced the first day with a devotion “Jesus Christ is our true Rock”, based on Psalm 40:1-5. David Altus, SA-NT bishop, welcomed the interstate visitors to SA. He gave …
Image: Confirmation at Hope Vale in July 2023 National NAIDOC week for 2023 took place from 2–9 July. The theme for its celebration this year was For Our Elders. The emphasis was that across every generation of indigenous communities, our Elders have played, and continue to play, an important role and a prominent place in our communities and families. They are cultural knowledge holders, trailblazers, nurturers, advocates, teachers, survivors, leaders, hard workers, and our loved …
Faithfulness
Driving home after celebrating the beginning of another new year, I was surprised at how quiet and uneventful the streets of our little town were. It was relatively early for New Year’s Eve, around 12:30 am, the night was calm, the air crisp. Having just welcomed in 2023 and thinking about what the year ahead may bring, I noticed a movement to the left of my vision. There he was making a surprise appearance, entering unannounced, a huge grey kangaroo heading like a moth toward my headlights. It all appeared like slow motion – him bounding, my reacting as I slammed my foot hard against the brake. I managed to miss him; I don’t know how but I do know his fur polished my fender! Talk about a jolt to the new year! It crossed my mind; could this be a sign that 2023 would be a year of near misses!
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Chasing Rainbows
In 1996 the Britpop band “Shed Seven” sang a song I loved, called “Chasing Rainbows”. I remembered that song a while ago, when noticing rainbows and looking for them in “rainbow weather” became something that we derived great encouragement from as a family in a time of trials. Before I go any further, I want to explore what the rainbow means to us when we see it. Then we will then explore how it can enrich our study of faithfulness as a fruit of the Spirit.
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In keeping with our Fruits of the Spirit theme and fruits mentioned in the Bible, we are supplying a recipe using the fruit featured each issue. Grapes Leaving fruits out to dry in the sun and air is one of the oldest methods of preserving food. Raisins and dried fruits are simple, wholesome foods, grown by nature and “made” by people basically the same way for thousands of years. The story is told that the …
Main Picture: Girls’ dormitory at Stang Girls’ School Lae – Morobe Province Greetings in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ from the coordinator, the staff, the teachers, and the board of the four Women’s Ministerial Training Schools (Wokmeri Trening Skuls) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea (ELC-PNG): Baitabag Wokmeri Training School in Madang District of Madang Province; Stang Wokmeri Training School in Yabem District of Markham District of Morobe Province; Sattleberg …