Weekly worship

Uniting Church - 'New Life' Robina, Queensland

The contrast could hardly have been more stark. From a country congregation of thirty or so to a city church with hundreds (best guess 3-400) is a significant jump in numbers and culture.
The presentation was polished, songs and music contemporary, and the venue modern and purpose built. Those present spanned the ages, with what appeared to be a reasonable balance of age groups, all dressed in neat and casual attire. Sadly my first thought was of my church, the Salvos. Experiencing and sharing in worship here gave me a sense that somehow we salvos had been caught in a time warp!

With a simple an uncluttered order of service we moved easily to the message, that was the focal point of the service. The preacher, the lead minister of the church, continued a series on the Sermon on the Mount (we must have got week 2).

His clear message left me reflecting on Matthew 5:4 'Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted'
Taking the translation of mourning as 'grief' it was suggested that followers of Christ should:

• grieve over sins grip on us personally - as seen in the sinful actions and attitudes that surface repeatedly in our own lives (Rom 7:21,24)

• grieve over sin's curse over the world (Ps 119:136) - as seen by us all on the nightly news with war, violence, greed and selfishness featuring prominently. The death of the unborn (the easy acceptance and condoning of abortion) came in for a deserved 'special mention' here

• grieve over death and the bondage of decay - and the condition of our world.

While what we experience now is not the end of the story, because there is victory and renewal through Christ.

On a personal level I have continued to be challenged about the things over which I grieve... do my own tendencies to think/do wrongly AND the bad stuff I see and hear about each day, or have I become so desensitized to sin and its impact that I just accept it as 'normal'.

Just where is the balance between caring and being concerned about the bad stuff that happens, and being able to experience "life in all its fullness"? Perhaps the balance lies in being committed to dealing with the cause of that grief of pain.