12th July 2020
We just want to acknowledge how hard another lockdown feels for many of us. The world felt as if it was just opening up again when suddenly we found out we would all have to enter a strict lockdown again. Be gentle with yourselves and those around you as we all navigate these strange times.
You don’t have to use all your time “productively”. Do not worry if you haven’t scrubbed your whole house, planted a whole new garden or learnt to bake the perfect sourdough. Sometimes getting through each day and caring for those around us is more than enough.
While lockdown can feel tiring, scary and hard, God is still with us. In the midst of it all the kingdom is still breaking in. God is in the messiness and the mundane. I wonder where God is for you at the moment in this lockdown? For me, Teash, I have been finding God and comfort in cat cuddles, the perfect cup of tea, gathering around the dinner table with those I live with and regular calls with my grandmother.
Please also know that if you are struggling, if you need someone to talk to or if you need some assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
This Sunday 12th July we will use Zoom for our morning service at 10am. There will be no one present at church, but we can all gather together online in the comfort and safety of our homes and in your pj’s if you wish.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81080146203?pwd=SjZ0b3Z4T0ZnZWRoODJZU2EwaE1IQT09
Meeting ID: 810 8014 6203
Password: 804492
Bible reading Romans 8:1-11 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+8%3A1-11&version=NIV
Joy in July
Yep, it sounds a bit kitsch and quite counterintuitive. After all, it’s mid-winter in Melbourne, we’re already carrying some loads from a tough year and COVID-19 cases have soared in the last 2 weeks necessitating suburbs re-entering lock-down. Jollying people into contrived joy is not what this church is about. And yet… there is a sense in which being people of the way of Jesus does change our perspective. Yes, we experience fear, frustration, fragility, weariness and grief… and that can evoke times of darkness within us. But those things need not define us. There is another narrative at work within the life of our faith community. God lives with us and among us and so forgiveness and compassion and hope and justice and kindness also weave through our life and service. We pray that Joy in July will not cheapen us but send us deeper into God’s love which is not derailed by anything that has been happening.
We’d like to invite someone to share their story on each Sunday in July. We’d also like to include stories in the weekly update and in video links. If you have a story that you’d like to tell, write or film, please get in touch with Teash at teash@stkildabaptist.org and she will find a way to help you share your story.
We are a community of people drawn together by the love and grace of God
exemplified for us in the life of Jesus.
We welcome everyone.
This includes people of all cultures, races, religions,
mental and physical capabilities, sexual orientation and gender identity.
We are committed to peace with justice, and the integrity of all creation.
