They have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb… Never again will they hunger or thirst; the sun will not beat down on them nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water,’ and ‘God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’ (Rev. 7:14b, 16,17)
This passage jumps out of the page at us in the 21st century because it tells us that in the end, God will take all things into himself and even go so far as to erase hunger, thirst, heat and pain. No matter how much we try to ignore these things, they are constants in our Western culture, but God draws the hungry and the thirsty and the overheated and the one driven mad by anguish and invites them to a place of serenity.
For the ancient Hebrew mind, they would recognise that this scripture is almost a direct quotation from the book of Isaiah which reminds the Israelites that even in exile, God will call them back – back home, where he comforts them, nourishes and sustains them and finally… takes away all their pain.
This week as we delve into the bedrock of the future beauty of God’s heavenly reign in the Lamb, we’re going to look at the scenery of heaven – and the furniture therein. As the people who have suffered greatly for their faith surround God’s throne and are overwhelmed with praise, how does this throne symbolically help us to see God’s kingship and kingdom.
God’s Peace,
Pr Reid Matthias
Bible Reading: Revelation 7:9-17
Podcasts of weekly messages are available at www.paravista.org.au
Prayer Request
Prayer requests are not included in the weekly news. If you would like to view the current requests refer to the email that alerted you to this weekly news. If you have a prayer request please email churchenquiries@paravista.org.au with your request.
Sympathies
We extend our sympathies and prayers of comfort for Mary Egyud and her family as they grieve the loss of her mother, Ana Kolar.
Monday Night Bread Roster
We are looking for volunteers to join the bread run on Monday evenings once every couple of months. The role involves collecting bread bags from the store room (this could be done on a Sunday), picking up bread from a bakery at Tea Tree Plaza at 5.50pm and bringing the bread back to the kitchen at Good Shep. If you are able to help please contact Anthea Courtney via the churchenquiries@paravista.org.au.
Congregation and School AGM’s
The AGM’s of the congregation and school will be held next Sunday May 19th at 12:30pm. The Maranatha Team will provide a soup lunch for sale after the second service. Information re the congregational meeting will be available this Sunday May 11th and emailed to members.
Main items for the congregational meeting:
• Presentation of 2018 audited accounts
• Report from Pastor Reid
• Election of SYNOD delegates
Support for Family Hub
Plant sale - the plant sale was a great success. The proceeds of the sale were $503. This was delivered to the Family Hub this week. It will be used to support their creche programme which was defunded last year by the government. The creche is essential as it enables the Hub to provide child care while parents attend courses. Thank you to Joan McCarthy for her organization of the stall, to all who helped on the stall and supported it by purchasing plants.
Food collection - thank you again for your very generous support of the food collection programme. It brought great joy to the workers at the Hub knowing there was support from our congregation as they often feel as though they are struggling alone. It also means they can continue to support the many families in need.
Date for your diary - fundraising for the Family Hub - Saturday August 17th a fun filled Karaoke night. More details to come.
Give Aways
As we continue to upgrade the play area we identify equipment that is no longer required. On several tables in the hall is equipment that is no longer required. If you would like any of these items, please write your name on the paper provided and place on the floor behind the tables with the tape provided. These will be displayed till next Sunday and then disposed.
Good Shepherd Community Library up and running again!
The library contains over 2,000 items – books, devotional material, Bible study resources, DVDs, CDs, Christian fiction, biographies and a variety of resources for children.
To search for resources on the digital catalogue, follow the instructions attached to the screen of the computer in the library.
To register as a borrower, if you have not already done so, write your name and contact details on a borrowing slip and place it in the box provided. These details will then be entered into the library computer programme and you will be able to borrow.
To borrow from the library, either follow the instructions on the borrowing slips provided, or use the computer and follow the instructions attached to the screen.
To return resources that have been borrowed, place them in the plastic RETURN ITEMS HERE crate in the library.
If you have any questions, write them on a piece of paper and place them in the borrowing slip box, or send an email to churchenquiries@paravista.org.au.
From the Office
Professional Standards Certificates
Thank you to the number of Good Shepherd community who completed professional standards training earlier this year. Your service and involvement in God’s work in our community ministries and your commitment to participating in the care and protection of all is particularly important and valued by us.
For those who completed the training, certificates are now available to collect from the church office.
Friends of Lutheran Archives (FoLA) with a difference!
Sunday 26th May, 2.00 pm at Bethlehem House in the city. Please note change of day and time. German cabinetmakers and their Australian heritage . As a keen collector of Barossa and other colonial furniture, Dr Jim Bertouch tells the story of local furniture makers, illustrating the native timbers, style, construction methods and traditional finishes used by German craftsmen to make their work so distinctive. All welcome, gold coin donation, supper.
“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”
1 Peter 5:10
