COLLEGE CHAPLAIN
Sharing Together at Christmas
There have been lots of opportunities recently for the Gospel to be shared at the College as we head into the Christmas season. Below are three brief snapshots of the final leg of Gospel work in 2020.
Two Ways to Live
Over Terms 3-4, our student Christian group, Tracwork, has been learning a simple visual overview of the Gospel entitled, Two Ways to Live. This has been a valuable experience for students to sharpen their understanding of their own faith and consider how to respond to questions and challenges from others as they explain the truth about Jesus.
The training culminated in a demonstration of Two Ways to Live outside the Dr Ian Grant Library using bottle tops generously donated to us by Riverina Fresh. Students set up the bottle caps and then invited passersby to be guided through the six box story of the Christian faith. A Zooper Dooper awaited them at the end, and many positive conversations around the Gospel were had. It was an encouragement to the staff involved to be able to step back and witness the students take the lead in sharing the Gospel at The Riverina Anglican College.
Vital Signs
As our short series in James 4-5 has reiterated, God is merciful and just, and these are both vital signs of God’s comforting character. We’ll happily be comforted by God’s mercy, but his justice doesn’t always sound so enticing. However, as we reflected upon James 5:1-6 recently, we found that we all need God’s justice, especially as we head into the Christmas season. Below is an excerpt from that talk:
I’m not embarrassed about bits of the Bible that speak about God’s judgment because they are actually pledges from a loving God to an oppressed world that he is coming to bring the justice we can’t. The justice that Jesus felt at the cross that crushed his body unto death. The justice that pumped his body back to life again, and the justice that Jesus will display when he returns here in his body.
So that’s the comfort that God’s judgment brings for the future, but it is also a comfort now, because we don’t have to despair about the injustice in our world, feeling like we can’t make a difference and just thinking, ’what’s the point? the problem is too big’.
Do I think that if we fill every single one of those tubs to the brim for Anglicare that we will end poverty in Wagga? Of course not. Will we need to do it again next Christmas? Of course we will. Jesus himself said that this side of heaven we will always have the poor with us. But because I know that only God will end injustice I am freed now to act justly, to love mercy without having to despair at how insurmountable the task might be.
Because we can be judged as free in Jesus, we are freed not to judge our world, but to serve it freely, knowing that justice is coming. So please give freely this Christmas, please do justice and bring comfort.
Our final Principal’s Assembly for the year was also interrupted by St. James himself, who somehow defied the limitations of time and space to appear in my office to remind us of his words from James 4:13-17 about the randomness of life. James reminded us not to be puffed up with arrogance about our plans, but to commit them to the will of the Lord, knowing that his will is clear: Love God and love your neighbour.
Anglicare Food and Toys
Anglicare is arriving this afternoon to collect the goods donated by students over the last month. Forty hampers of goods have been prepared, which is not only a testimony to the generosity of our community but also of God’s common grace to us all that in such a year of lack and restriction we have still been provided with an abundance to share.
My every blessing to your family as you reflect on the wonder of Christ sharing our feeble flesh at Christmas that his flesh might be broken to share God’s rich mercy with us at Easter!
Gareth Tyndall | College Chaplain