This last Sunday in October is traditionally a day to remember the apostle Jude, after whom our church is named. Actually, there were two Judes in Jesus’ inner circle, the apostle named Judas son of James (not Judas Iscariot) (Luke 6:16; John 14:22) and Jesus’ brother Jude (Matthew 13:55), who also wrote the short New Testament letter of Jude. Not a lot of detail is recorded about either of these men, but Jude’s letter is a firm warning to stay to true to Christ, ending with the wonderful encouragement that God is “able to keep us from falling”. We can depend on his strength.
It has often been mentioned to me that, in some circles, Jude is regarded as the “patron saint of lost causes”. I have never bothered to look into the background of this. It seems to me that lost causes (and don’t we all feel like one from time to time!) should direct their cries for help straight to Jesus himself. In today’s sermon on Luke 19, we meet Zacchaeus, a man who was a lost cause in many ways, but who was completely changed by his encounter with the Lord.
Over the next two weeks, we will be doing Operation Christmas Child. This is a great opportunity to share the love of Christ with children overseas who will not have nearly as many Christmas presents as most kids in Randwick. The idea is to fill a shoebox with gifts and bring it back here for collection. Please collect a shoebox and a brochure, which provides information on what to put in the box, how to label it. Please follow the instructions. Don’t seal the box. And if you can, provide a donation for transport costs. The info is all in the brochure. The time frame is tight this year: boxes need to be in by Sunday 8th November.
In brief:
- Simply Christianity is on again in November. It’s a great introduction or refresher to the gospel. Please come along and invite a friend. See inside for more details.
- We have a guest preacher coming next Sunday, Mark Landrum from Christian Witness to Israel. I am looking forward to hearing him.