John 17:16-23; Revelation 21:3-5

Last Sunday, our worship looked a little different. We gathered “cafe-style,” sharing tables, morning tea, and conversation. As we sat together, we engaged in a creative exercise—thinking deeply about the logo and the meaning behind the name of our church. It was a fitting way to mark the 49th anniversary of the Uniting Church in Australia.

In our reflection, we were reminded of why we hold so firmly to our name. We are the Uniting Church, not the “United” Church. In history, the term “United” often refers to an event in the past—a contract signed, a merger finalized, a box checked. But we intentionally use the present participle, “Uniting.” We believe that the act of becoming one is not a historical milestone we reached in 1977; it is a living, breathing movement of the Holy Spirit that is happening right now, and will continue to happen for generations to come.

In John 17, Jesus prays for his followers: “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.” Jesus does not pray for a static achievement. He prays for a divine reflection of the relationship between the Father and the Son—a dynamic, sacrificial, and ongoing union. To be “Uniting” is to participate in that very prayer every single day. It means we are a church that refuses to settle, because God is still drawing us together and moving us forward.

As we celebrate 49 years, we are not looking back at a finished product. We are looking forward. We admit that we are still a work in progress. We are still learning how to be one across our differences, still learning how to listen to one another, and still learning how to be the hands and feet of Christ in a divided world.

To be the Uniting Church is to accept the invitation to keep becoming:

• Becoming one in our hearts, so we may love without conditions.
• Becoming one in our mission, so we may serve our neighbors with shared purpose.
• Becoming one in our witness, so the world might see a glimpse of the new heaven and new earth in our midst.

Today, let us celebrate the journey we have walked so far. But more importantly, let us commit ourselves again to the road ahead. May we continue to be a people in motion—always Uniting, always reforming, and always moving closer to the heart of God, who makes all things new. No matter how old or young we are, no matter how long we’ve been churchgoers, we are simply God’s children. We are in the making.

Matthew 9:35-38; 10:1-8

To truly understand the depth of the meaning of the reading in Matthew this morning, I’d like you to pay a careful attention to these two words: ‘Compassion’ and ‘Shepherd’. While we often think of ‘Compassion’ as simply ‘feeling with’ someone, the roots of the word suggest something much deeper.

The English word ‘compassion’ comes from the Latin cum (with) and passi (to suffer). At its core, when you feel compassion toward someone, it literally means ‘you are suffering with them’. It isn’t just a passive emotion or a gentle feeling in the heart; it is a profound identification with the pain of someone else.

This is perfectly captured in today’s Matthew’s Gospel 9:36 by the Greek word used for ‘compassion’, “splanchnizomai”. This word refers to one’s inward parts—the viscera, the internal organs in your body. It describes a reaction so intense that it is felt in the gut. This word does not merely describe a mental decision to be kind or a third-party observation of someone’s pain. When Jesus saw the crowds, His compassion was much like an internal physical ache.

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Genesis 12:1-9

Today, we are looking at one of the most critical moments in human history—the day God called a man named Abram. Up until this point in Genesis, humanity had wandered far from God, culminating in the proud of Babel Tower. But in Genesis 12, God changes His strategy. Instead of addressing the whole world at once, He handpicks one man, and as the result, that one man’s life would never be the same.

If there is one thing the Bible teaches us, it is this: God rarely does His greatest work within our comfort zones. Because He is still deeply committed to working through us, He quite often begins by disrupting our comfort zones.

“If God is an all-powerful, all-knowing god, why couldn’t He accomplish His purposes in our lives anywhere—whether we are in a place of comfort or a place of challenge?” we might ask.

I believe God shakes up our comfort zones to pull us away from relying on familiar routines and move us toward total trust in His guidance and provision. Of course, we don’t like it—and frankly, neither did Abram. If we stay too long within our comfort zones, leaning entirely on our own resources, habits, and sense of security, we start to believe we are the ones calling the shots. We might think that we don’t need anyone’s help, and sadly, that often includes God.

Today’s story begins with a staggering command by God: “Abram! Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.”

Think about what God was asking. Your country, your close relatives, your parents and siblings are your safety net, your financial security and identity. When God asked Abram to leave, he didn’t give him a destination! He just said, “Just go and I will show you later.”

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Matthew 28:16-20 Genesis 1:26-28; 2:1-4.

Some people do not really enjoy doctrinal teachings. They think they are boring and do not understand or relate to them. As a matter of fact, theology is nothing more than what you think about God. If someone shouts that he doesn’t believe in God, then, that is his theology. He is expressing his thought about God, that he doesn’t think exist in his world. Whether they believe or don’t believe, they all point to one thing. Is God real or not?

We, as a Uniting Church, honour the lectionary readings and the seasons of the church year because those lectionary readings and the church calendar have been carefully and practically organised based on the three-year basis and they all point to one thing: ‘God lives in your life’.

Today is Trinity Sunday. Matthew gospel reading today is often called ‘the final commission’, which means there would be no more commission other than this that Jesus has given us. It reads, “Go to all peoples everywhere and make them my followers. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to keep and practice everything I have commanded you.”

Trinity is about God in three persons–Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Do we fully understand this wonderful doctrine? Someone once asked Mrs. Albert Einstein if she understood her husband’s theory of relativity. “No”, she said, “but I know my husband.”

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John 17:1-11, 1 Peter 4:12-14

Every year, a local community garden invited the neighbourhood to plant a plot. Early in the spring, the registration line was always out the door. People arrived with bright visions of the harvest— tomatoes, lettuce, and strawberries. They happily signed up, dreaming of the abundance they would soon take home to their dinner tables.

For the first few weeks, the garden was full of laughter and excitement. But as the season deepened, the reality of the garden shifted. The scorching summer sun arrived. Weeds began to choke the soil, requiring backbreaking work on hands and knees for hours.

Slowly, the garden grew quiet. Many who had joyfully signed up for the harvest stopped showing up when the dirt got under their fingernails and the heat became uncomfortable. They loved the concept of the harvest, but they were entirely unprepared for the cost of cultivation.

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