The River up Yonder

for 24 September 2023

What’s your vision of eternity? Pearly white gates? Everything bright and shiny? Lots of clouds and angel wings? I realise many of us would’ve moved beyond the common stereotypes but then what is the vision for our futures? I like what C.S. Lewis writes in the his final Narnia book “The Last Battle” where the Pevensie kids go “further up and further in” and discover that instead of eternal life being more like wispy spirits from a fantasy movie it’s more real and vibrant than ever before with more colours and more things like apples tasting even more real and delicious. 
 
In the last chapters of Revelation (21 and 22) we get a magnificent vision of eternal life, a new heaven and a new earth and a new city paved with gold. In the middle of the city is a river with a description of this river of life remarkably similar to that which we have been exploring together from Ezekiel 47. It even has “leaves for healing”. The most remarkable thing about the vision is that Jesus dwells there full of light. In the end, it’s all about relationship with Jesus.
 
“All their life in this world and all their adventures had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.”  ? C.S. Lewis, The Last Battle
 
This Sunday we explore this vision of going “up yonder”. We will do it with the help of the Young Adelaide Voices First Concert Choir who will be joined at some point by our own choir. It should be a wonderful service that you can’t help but want to praise God.
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A Note on the Voice

As we lead up to the referendum on the Voice, I would like to reiterate the message I announced at church last month. The view of the BCUC Church Council and staff team is that this is an important issue and we encourage people to prayerfully listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit to discern your best wisdom as to how you will vote. We will not be encouraging either a yes or no position. I personally can see and hear valid and wise arguments for both positions. The Uniting Church in Australia has an intrinsic mission as to the reconciliation of all things through Christ (2 Cor 5:18), as such there has always been a desire for deep relationship with First Nations peoples. This has been lived out in many ways and specifically through its relationship with UAICC (United Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress). At BCUC we have been fostering a relationship with Pastor Julia at Oodnadatta and through Salisbury and Port Augusta Congress congregations. The national and state bodies of the UCA (Assembly and Synod) and a number of other UCA congregations are strongly encouraging a Yes vote and have produced much material and opportunities that encourage and inform this position. Much of this material can be found in the weekly emails from Synod or Assembly and the New Times publications. The BCUC Cares team have carefully selected a number of materials to help inform the congregation (printed and in these emails). We have a wonderfully broad church at BCUC with a range of opinions. I trust we can use our peacemaker skills that Jesus equips us with and have fruitful discussion about this topic without imposing either a personal or corporate ‘yes’ or ‘no’ position. The available letter from the moderator on this topic affirms this position that BCUC holds. 

Your brother in Christ,
 
Benji

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