Thoughts and prayers Australian style

Warrigal

Warrigal

SF VIP
Location
Sydney, Australia
The Covid19 situation has closed all churches in Australia and we have been forced to look to modern technology to offer spiritual support to one another. I have yet to work out exactly how I can reliably access our new online services but I have discovered a couple of short videos of what we call Prayers of the People that are part of each Sunday's worship service.

My church is Revesby Uniting Church and it is a denomination akin to Canada's United Church. Our congregation is small and rather elderly and many are now isolated because of the virus. I offer these two short prayers (Lent 4 and Lent 5) to anyone who is feeling alone and isolated at this time. May they bring a few moments of calm and reflection to anyone in need of reassurance that even when apart, we are never alone in this world.

https://www.facebook.com/revesbyuniting/videos/

PS I've placed this in General Discussion because I cannot find a section where Religion is indicated. Hope this is OK. SeaBreeze, please move if appropriate.

Edit - For anyone interested is looking at a full service use the link below. It was filmed in the gazebo behind our church that is adjacent to our aged care units. This is last week's service, Lent 4, and has been produced by a few congregation members who are all required to exercise physical distancing.

http://revesbyuniting.org/?sermons=...4JzOcWvIGUTSyicPqOVvi8nK6kd0Lmnx5kSE-JZ3BJugU
 

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Three cheers (spoken behind a mask) for Australian wisdom. There are online options for services here in the U.S. Thanks for sharing your links!
 
At this time of social isolation I offer these links to anyone missing the opportunity to participate in Easter services. People who do not attend church, who are of a different faith or of none may nonetheless find the links interesting in that they are radically different to what we have come to expect as the norm.

Today is Easter Sunday in Sydney and I have been watching the Easter suite of services that my congregation has prepared for us to be able to reflect on the meaning of Jesus' death and resurrection as described in the scriptures.

The online offerings have been prepared by our minister, Rev Michael Barnes and members of a family who live just down the road from me. In that respect it is very personal to me but more than that, the reflections and services are very different to our usual services at this time of year.

Usually we have a Tenebrae service on Thursday night where we gather at table eating food and chatting to one another. The church is illuminated only by the candles on the table and what follows is a series of readings about the events in the Garden of Gethsemane and Jesus' trial before Pilate. After each reading one candle is extinguished and we pause to reflect on the reading. With each reading, the church becomes a little darker and when the final candle is extinguished we sit in utter darkness and, when ready, we each leave silently to go home without the usual fellowship.

Thursday's online service dispenses with the usual readings and is a series of reflections and pauses and the visual image is of just one candle. In the background there is meditative music of eastern origin. It begins thus

This is a hard night. A night of swords and chains and hatred and violence. This is the last night of Jesus’ life- a life given for others, and in the end, a life taken by others. Tonight we, like Jesus, sit in silence and contemplate love and hatred, welcome and rejection, joy and fear. Tonight we remember Jesus, the light of the world, still shining bright in a night of darkness and despair.
Click to expand...

If this is of interest to you, click here - http://revesbyuniting.org/sermons/april-9-2020/

On Good Friday it is traditional to gather in a building decorated for mourning. There are no flowers and the cross is often draped with black cloth. The communion table is laid with rough hessian and the atmosphere is sombre. The readings and hymns refer to the crucifixion of Jesus.

This online service is quite different. Rev Michael talks about the funeral of Jesus. It was filmed inside our empty church building. There are no hymns. It is a very interesting approach and worth some time to listen.

http://revesbyuniting.org/sermons/april-10-2020/

On Easter Sunday it is customary at Revesby for the church building to be a venue for celebration. We decorate the communion table with gold cloth and fresh flowers and new candles are brought in. The wall hanging has just one word in gold letters - Gloria. Children are present and there are chocolate eggs for all.

Again, the online service couldn't be more different. It takes place in the gazebo at the back of the church and the message is challenging because it is anything but traditional. Rev Michael is wearing an open neck shirt with Santa motifs. In the background we can hear the sound of children from the child care centre on an Easter egg hunt but we cannot see them.

http://revesbyuniting.org/sermons/april-12-2020/
 

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