A song for our time

Today we heard a sermon from Psalm 10 from Rev Dean Carroll. I was leading the service so was looking for songs that we could use that were appropriate. So I looked at the Scripture Index in the Rejoice songbook of Presbyterian Church of Victoria. We didn't sing the song, but I used these words as a benediction.

It is truly a song for our time.


In my hour of grief or need
When a friend is friend indeed,

Now, when Satan walks abroad,
Be not far from me, O Lord.

When the powers of evil ride
Through the world in open pride,
Flaunted sins and boasted shame
Bring contempt upon Your Name,
When the godless man is strong,
When his mouth is filled with wrong,
Bitterness, deceit and fraud,
Be not far from me, O Lord.

When the poor becomes his prey,
When the weak are led astray,
Right is wrong and truth is lies:
Then, O Lord our God, arise!

Timothy Dudley Smith – Rejoice 496

Weddings - commitment or entertainment?

I've reached that age where I can truly start saying, "Over my lifetime, I've seen these changes" and then talk about how things have changed over these years. There are many topics that would fit under that banner, but right now it is weddings that I have in mind.

Commitment

You see, when I was a lad, I went to a number of weddings at the church I attended with my family. I don't remember anyone telling me what these ceremonies were for, or what they represented, but it isn't hard to realise that at these times a young couple was committing themselves to each other for life. So, understandably, I grew up understanding that a wedding was a ceremony of commitment. This made perfect sense as my parents loved each other madly so the example of married life I saw as a boy was a very positive one. Committing yourself to one person for the rest of your life was, I assumed, what everyone did.

Then I got a bit older, started mixing with more people, and realised that not everyone had the same experience. That's not the point of this post, but just a reality of life.

Optional

When I left school and started work (I didn't go to university. There was such an era where this happened.) I was working with people who weren't married but were living with their partners. Or they had been living together for some years before getting married. This made no sense to me when I started to mix with these people.  After all, if you're going to build a life together and buy a house together, you are already making some significant commitments, so why not actually get married?

It seemed now that marriage was optional and the wedding was an unnecessary expense. Suddenly, or at least suddenly for me, people had to define why people should get married rather than justify not getting married, or 'living in sin' to use a phrase that you can't use anymore.

If a wedding just provided a piece of paper to show you were together, then no wonder people decided it wasn't worth the bother. For what it's worth, I think that is a terribly poor understanding of the wedding and that piece of paper. Suffice it to say that there was a period of time in the not too distant past when getting married was really seen as optional, and outside the church, it seemed undesired.

Then things changed.

Experience

Even those who had been living together for some years and who looked very settled, they still wanted a wedding. They didn't think the piece of paper mattered for their relationship, but they - and usually it was she - wanted the experience of the wedding. This makes sense. After all, don't most people grow up thinking about the possibilities of their own wedding when they attend the weddings of their friends? Don't we all, boys included, imagine the music that would be played, the place of the wedding, the fun of the day?

It was at this time that people were starting to spend massive amounts of money on their weddings. Houses were mortgaged and loans taken out to pay for the reception venue at ridiculous costs. Wedding cakes that would cost a week's wages were ordered and the fanciest stationery used for the invitations. People would approach ministers of big churches to use the building, not because they had any interest in the church and faith, but because it fitted with their childhood dreams. It was a fantasy wedding and some people would have it at any cost.

Movie makers knew this and were making movies like "The Wedding Planner", "Father of the Bride", and "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" to name a few.

Two things to note on this. One, while people would pay megabucks for reception venues and cake, they would often make just a small donation to the minster (sometimes me) even though I would invest a number of hours into the wedding. Not everyone, but a number. Two, it is tragic to see a huge amount of money spent on the wedding, and for that couple to end their relationship before the wedding is paid off.

Things have changed again.

Entertainment

In Australia, we can't get enough of weddings as entertainment. A royal wedding means every house in the country has a television showing this grand event. When it's something as special as that, I understand why people would watch it.

But our TV makers know we love a wedding and royal weddings only happen once every generation. So what to do? Well, they could have an agreement with some celebrants and film those weddings and the preparation that goes into such a ceremony of commitment, but why would we do that if we can find something better?

Australian TV makers know exactly what to do.

Create a wedding.

Create the experience for two which will become entertainment for the rest of the country.

And I'm ashamed to say, Australians love it. There are two shows on at the moment. "Married at First Sight" means two people agree to get married to someone they have never met before. In fact, the first time they do meet will be at the venue where the ceremony is held. In a country that rails against arranged marriages, there is a large degree of hypocrisy here and the producers and watchers of this trash should be aware of this.

The other show is called "Australia's Cheapest Weddings" and this is a title that has some potential. After all, you dont' really need to spend a year's wages on a wedding ceremony and reception and this show could possibly give some great tips on how to do this and how to do it well. A bit like pinterest. But the ads I've seen for this show instead reveal it to be "let's laugh at the poor people" rather than something more encouraging.

And before anyone says, "you shouldn't judge a show you haven't watched!" well, isn't that the point of advertising? Isn't the point of advertising to entice me into wanting to watch the show?

What is a wedding to you?

If a wedding is a ceremony of commitment, then I pray you will be well prepared for your wedding. Make the commitment, make the most of the experience, and then enjoy life together fully from there on.

But if you are just after the experience, be prepared to be disappointed. You will never look like William and Kate, and you will never have the trumpeters and roses that you dream about. Your dream will remain a dream.

If you think a wedding is just about entertainment - are you just a voyeur?

Australia, we can do better.

The pain of a plebiscite

Here in Australia, we have recently had a federal election. The two major parties made many promises on various issues, but one of the stand out differences in this election between the two parties was their stance on the seemingly vexed issue of Same-Sex Marriage (SSM). The Liberal/National Party Coalition have promised a plebiscite would be held if they won power. The Labor party promised that if they were elected they would bring something to parliament within 100 days to change the law.

The Coalition won the election - just - but they won. As such, it would seem appropriate that they be able to carry out the planned plebiscite. But it isn't going to be that simple. The Labor party have indicated that they aren't definite in supporting the legislation for the plebiscite. While they are free to determine what they will do, I think it is fair to raise the argument that the people have voted for the Labor party position and have not supported it enough to elect this group to lead our country. Perhaps then they should accept that they have been voted down and just get out of the way.

The Greens have also announced they will reject the plebiscite legislation. A group of independents - who have more power now - have announced that they will not support the plebiscite legislation. This will cause a huge problem for the Coalition. It will mean that if the Labor party and enough independents reject the plebiscite legislation, then it won't be held, and they are then forcing the Coalition to break an election promise. That's my understanding anyway.

Australian politics is a messy business.

There are, as I see it, three main reasons these parties want to reject a plebiscite. First, the cost. Second, the impact on society, or at least on sections of our society. Thirdly, it is a decision that could be resolved with a vote in parliament.

Strangely enough, I agree with them.

The Cost

Reports in the media suggest it will cost $160,000,000 to hold this plebiscite. The fact that a plebiscite is not a referendum and so doesn't commit the parliament to anything is relevant here. Some have described it as a hugely expensive opinion poll, and perhaps this is exactly what it would be. Could this money be better used? Probably. Do we have plenty of money to throw around? Well, the reports from the government in recent weeks suggest we don't - and there is much to say about the Coalition's apparent economic heritage being embarrassed, but that's another story.

So, if we could save $160 million, why wouldn't we?

The Impact

There is a fear, and I think it is fair, that if we do hold this plebiscite there will be sections of our community that will be pilloried, mocked, damaged and scared to speak out. The Greens have said:

 "We've listened to the LGBTIQ community, 85% of whom are opposed to a damaging and unnecessary plebiscite because of the harm that it would do."

taken from The Guardian

I agree. But not in the way the Greens intend. Our country has changed amazingly quickly on this issue. 25 years ago you could say you affirmed a traditional view of marriage without expecting much of a response. Today if you do that you are the one who will be pilloried mocked and, at times, abused for daring to say anything.

Will a plebiscite cause harm? Probably. But I think those who will be most mocked and harmed in the process are those who oppose any change in the marriage legislation rather than those who support it. (I might be about to find out.)

A Parliament Decision

Under Australian Law, it could be a simple vote in parliament to change the definition of marriage to open it to same-sex marriage alongside the historical and traditional man & woman view. So, along with the Greens and Labor and some independents, I'd be very happy for our parliament to take a vote.

But here's something to keep in mind. While a vote in parliament can change the definition (and it is changing the definition, not providing equality), a vote in parliament can also affirm the current legislation.

My call to Australia's Parliament. 

My call the the members of Australia's Parliament is this - put it to a vote. And show the courage to stand against the tide of media and loud social commentary and vote for the legislation to stay as it is.

And if that happens, then my call to the community of Australia is to let this issue drop so that, as many have argued, our parliament can deal with more important matters.

This is my call.

Riding motorbikes, not cheating death.

We've all done it. Whether driving a car or riding a motorbike, we've all done it. Done what? We've all had one of those situations where we did something wrong which could have ended badly but it didn't. It could be going through an orange traffic light and realising it was too late as you watched the light turn red. It could have been missing the stop sign and going straight through an intersection. It could be turning a corner with too much power and ending up on the wrong side of the road.

We've all done it.

And most times nothing happens.

But this year for too many people on bikes, something did happen, and when it happens on a bike it doesn't end well.

A couple of days ago three bike riders died in 12 hours in completely separate incidents in Victoria. I don't know what the circumstances were fully, but it would seem that in at least two of them, rider error meant a terrible outcome for the rider, their families, and for other road users. Motorcycle riders are too well represented in the road toll in Victoria this year. At least half of these were unlicensed or on a stolen bike or both. 

You can't just jump on a bike and believe you won't get hurt. You might. Or worse.

Now I know that most people don't ride motorbikes or scooters, at least not in Australia. The danger here is that those in cars can easily forget there are bike riders on the road just driving to work or to an event somewhere. Most of us aren't racing or trying to set a best time on a freeway or even chasing thrills. We're just riding.

Please keep an eye out for the riders.

Riders, be wise in how you ride. Are you wearing solid black? Why? Are you lane splitting above 30kmh? Then you are breaking the law, and scaring the bee-geebers out of everyone else. 

Here is my riding prayer:

Lord, give me the wisdom to ride safely, and the courage to ride confidently. Amen.

Worship in surprising places

I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I am a pastor. And I am stuck. There are things happening in the wider church to which I belong that are causing me great distress and heartache. Today as I look for something to help me through the turmoil, I turned to the Psalms. I chose Psalm 57 for no other reason than I remember someone referring to it recently. I can't remember who or why, but that doesn't matter.

I found here a repeated statement

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens: let your glory be over all the earth (57:5,11)

Most Christian people will read this and see it, rightly, as a declaration of praise and a prayer for God's glory to be seen. What surprises me, and possibly others, is the context in which this declaration of praise is made.

The Psalm opens with a plea for God to have mercy until the disaster has passed. And in verse 4 we read:

I am in the midst of lions;
I lie among ravenous beasts -
men whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.

My response at times like this that are described, indeed in times like those I am experiencing, is to do what the Psalmist does in verse 1 "take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed." His response at this time is so much better. His response is to worship.

Then he preaches to himself - a discipline all Christians should take up.

My heart is steadfast, O God
my heart is steadfast.
I will sing and make music.
Awake, my soul!

This is no 'self-talk' though. This isn't a writer trying to inspire and motivate himself to face an enemy, or to face a difficult task. This is a man who has seen what God has done in the past and is trusting that this same God will bring him through these difficulties, though they are enormous.

His confidence?

For great is your love reaching to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

 No wonder he can then say again

Be exalted O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth. 

 And if his love does reach to the heavens and his faithfulness to the skies, and if his glory can be over all the earth, then I can be very confident that his love, faithfulness, and glory can reach to me where I am.

Be exalted, O God.

Tonight I met the candidates.

Tonight I took the chance to attend a "Meet the Candidates" forum for the seat of Deakin. This was sponsored by the Australian Christian Lobby, and while the ACL have copped a bucket of criticism from some of my Christian friends, none of those concerns were evident tonight. Instead the ACL were able to lead this discussion in a way that was open and respectful and inclusive of all candidates, even those whose policies the ACL speak loudly against.

Which leads me to the outstanding aspect of tonight.

Respect.

Simple respect.

There are six candidates hoping to be our representative, and five of them were there tonight with representatives from Liberal, Labor, Greens, Family First, and Australian Christians. The member for the Animal Justice Party was unable to be there. Each was given five minutes to speak, and then there was a break to give attenders a chance to write some questions. Only a few of these questions were able to be put to the candidates due to the time and the number of questions.

I confess that I am not looking at this election with any great hope. I have no trust in either of the main parties - Liberal or Labor. The way the Liberal party have conducted themselves in the last three years has been a massive disappointment. The budget fiascos, terrible slogans, and then the change of leader/treasurer just made me sadder and sadder as the time has rolled on. As this election campaign has progressed, I found that the Labor party offered me a hope of something better, but that balloon has been well and truly popped. And I just can't vote for the Greens.

So I went tonight with a degree of cynicism.

But I have come away encouraged. As I heard these candidates speak, they spoke with great respect for each other. Even though there are significant differences of opinion and policy between some of them, they were able to speak about each other and these differences with respect. If only the leaders and front bench parliamentarians were like this. Maybe I would have more hope.

It didn't answer all my questions, and I'm still not sure which way to vote - and that's a longer discussion - but I am confident that whoever does win the seat of Deakin on Saturday we will have a strong representative for our community.

It's just a shame that their parties are rubbish.

Dark echoes

In 1997, for a whole lot of reasons that don't need reviving here, I found myself in a depressed state. It was painful and long lasting. 

But it is in my past.

Of Mostly.

I know I'm not the happiest of people in the world, and I would describe myself as melancholy, so the fact that I don't jump and clap every morning doesn't worry too much.

However, I do have periods of time when all clouds are lifted and I feel free - free to laugh, free to smile, free to enjoy life.

Today is not that day. 

There are no real reasons for this, although the lack of sunshine might have something to do with it. Some days are just filled with echoes from another time.

And I wait for it to pass.