Ashmore Uniting Church in Ashmore, Queensland | Religious centre

Ashmore Uniting Church

Locality: Ashmore, Queensland

Phone: +61 7 5597 2429

Address: 144 Cotlew St 4214 Ashmore, QLD, Australia

Website: http://ashmoreuc.org.au/

Likes: 190

Add/Update information

Reviews

Tags

• Community organisation
• Christian church
• Religious organisation
• Religious centre

25.01.2022 Join me in praying for our Filipino brothers and sisters who have been hit hard by #TyphoonUlyssesPH.

25.01.2022 There are many good Advent reading series on Facebook. This one is done by a friend of mine in Melbourne. I might post a few more before we get to Christmas: (you can find this page and follow it for yourself if you want to: ) #AdventDay3: Tuesday, December 1: The shoot from Jesse, Isaiah 11:1-10 [https://tinyurl.com/hla9yu3](https://tinyurl.com/hla9yu3)... Greetings friends, following on from yesterday’s reading, the prophet Isaiah presents to King Ahaz a beautiful picture of God’s alternative kingdom, or shalom. This is in stark contrast to how Ahaz must have been feeling, staring at half empty wells. Isaiah announces that from the royal family tree of David’s father, Jesse, there will come a branch that will bear fruit (11:1). God will bless the nation’s leadership, and consequently the nation as a whole, with wisdom, discernment, courage, and righteousness (11:2-3). This promised righteous king will look first to justice for the poor and the powerless (11:4). The whole world will be at peace, even the animals, and the weakest in the community the child will be able to play with the most powerful of animals without fear of being hurt (11:6-8). Finally, there will no longer be violent oppression throughout the earth (11:9-10). This picture of Gods shalom, peace and flourishing helps us to imagine what a world could look like with God’s reign or as Jesus talked about later, the Kingdom of God, a world where justice, righteousness and peace rule. And it will all come from this shoot from Jessie. How different is this from the "peace" we read about in our news today, where "peace" can only come through the violence, as we see through our "war on terror". We hear of fear and hate, not peace and love. God's ways are so different to ours. How do we allow God’s peace to affect our own lives and through us, the lives of those around us? What does it mean for us to work towards shalom in a world where there are so much power and resources imbalances, where the most vulnerable often bear the brunt of exploitation and injustice? May we have God's eyes and heart to work for true peace in our world through God's Spirit today. A-men. (todays image is from a traditional Ethiopian nativity icon)

24.01.2022 Nearer to Us Than Breathing God, I look for you, but do not see you.... I feel for you, but you do not feel near. I listen for you, but hear only the noise of my thoughts. Where might I find you? How might I know you? Surely, you have answered these questions as Christ and Word. How easily I overlook and misunderstand your way. How simply I fail to comprehend your truth. Forgive me for my clouded thinking. You have promised that you are with us to the end of the age. Help me to find the faith to trust this. You are with us when two or three resolve our conflict in your name. Help me get over myself and find the will to practise this. When we feed the poor, you are present. When we satisfy the thirsty, you are present. When we welcome the stranger, you are present. When we clothe the impoverished, you are present. When we care for the sick, you are present. When we visit the imprisoned, you are present. For those you live in love, live in you and you in them, And we know love in that, as Christ, you laid your life down for us, So that in laying down our lives for others, we live your love. When we take pity on our fellow humans who are in need, and give of our material possessions, Then your love is alive in us. When we love our neighbour as ourselves, with all at our disposal, Then we love you as you have loved us, and you love is made complete in us. So, teach me the unreliability of my feelings, And how they are a poor gauge of your presence, For as so often I cannot see, hear or feel the sense of my own worth, How can it be that I could use such means to judge your nearness? Instead, lead me as the Spirit, to walk in faith, To love with all that I am, To find joy in all that I experience, To know peace in the promise of your presence To have patience in my rush to have things when I want them To use kindness as the foundation of my living To demonstrate goodness as a reflection of your glory, To be faithful in being one who bears your name and image To apply gentleness to each and every encounter with everybody, To practise self-control in every moment and every choice That I might be fruitful in my discipleship. God, are you not nearer to us than our breathing, For in you we live and move and have our being? May I come close to you, That I might find you close to me, This is what I pray. Amen. - Jon Humphries

24.01.2022 Let's share the wisdom of grandmothers!

23.01.2022 Hope for Today Today, God, Gift me with hope.... Remind me of it's presence and power. Remind me of the help that is at hand. Remind me of the things that I can hope in. Remind me of the hope I bring to others. Remind me of the work of hope that I can engage in. Remind me that you are with me as Christ and the Spirit. Remind me to hope, In which I pray. Amen. - Jon Humphries

23.01.2022 Jesus is alive in me!

23.01.2022 The one thing that matters.

22.01.2022 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, always give thanks for everything to God the Father. Ephesians 5:20

22.01.2022 Merry Christmas from all of us at Ashmore Uniting Church. We are very sorry that our Christmas Day service will not be public. We only have space for those who have pre-booked. Join us for post-Christmas worship every Sunday at 9am. ... These powerful words from my favourite Christmas Carol (Oh Holy Night) remind us of the radical agenda of Jesus, Emmanuel, God With Us. "Truly He taught us to love one another His law is love and His gospel is peace Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother And in His name all oppression shall cease." Have a peace filled Christmas and a revolutionary new year

22.01.2022 The short season of Advent starts on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day. Who wants to learn these words from Luke’s Gospel with me so that we know it by heart when Advent begins (and for the rest of our lives)? These words are traditionally called The Magnificat and are remembered as the song that the virgin Mary sang when she reflected on what her divine pregnancy means for our understanding of the nature of God. ... https://youtu.be/VvrJsy7xaXY (Here’s more about Advent if that’s what you’re interested in: https://www.crosswalk.com//chr/when-does-advent-start.html )

21.01.2022 The work of Christmas has begun. Join us at 9am on Sundays to learn more and to get involved!

21.01.2022 Getting Gritty God of gritty love and grace, Full of the power of patient, passionate perseverance, As you work to help the world,... and all of us who make it, be better, Help us build up our grit-strength Gritty determination Gritty resilience Gritty forgiveness of failure Gritty creativity for a better way. When we see the need to help others or to make something better, Help us to think that we might be the ones needed to get involved, That we might be the ones to try to make a difference, That if no-one is doing what should be done, Or if others need help in doing the right things, That we might realise why not us to be the ones to help? When we face discouragement, Or when things do not work out, Or when things get really hard, And we start to think that things can’t be done Help us gather with like-minded gritty people, That we might encourage and enhance what we might do. Help us change our mindset to one of hope and optimism, Seeing the possibility that with hard work and help, That things can be doable, Especially, with you to support and guide us. Let us take up your example of being Jesus, And take up our cross, Which is that gritty mission of hope, And join you in striving always towards better things. Hoping for grit, we pray. Amen. - Jon Humphries Photo: Soo Choo in KL

20.01.2022 Love is patient (1Corinthians 13:4)

20.01.2022 Augustine (AD 400) wondering out loud about the meaning of Christmas: "He lies in a manger but He holds the world in His hand; he is nourished at the breast but He feeds the angels; He is wrapped in swaddling clothes but He clothes us with immortality; ... He is suckled but is adored; He does not find room in the inn but He makes a temple for Himself in the hearts of believers. For Strength took on weakness that weakness might become strong. Therefore, let us marvel at rather than despise His human birth; from it let us learn the lowliness which such loftiness assumed for our sake. Then let us enkindle our love so that we may come to His eternal day." Augustine, Sermon 190, For the Feast of the Nativity.

20.01.2022 Welcome! We’re glad you’re joining us. Many of us will gather either here online or in person at our Church building on Sunday mornings. We will be broadcasting our service LIVE and recording it in case 9am on Sundays doesn't work for you. Please stay and join us! on Sunday morning (23rd August) from 9am:

19.01.2022 Ashmore Uniting Church IS open and following the Industry Covid-Safe plan for places of worship (attached). Please let us know if you plan on joining us at Ashmore for our 9am service as places are very limited. We will not be sitting or standing closer than 1.5m from each other. And singing will be kept to an absolute minimum :) Health advice... To prevent the spread of COVID-19: Stay home if you are sick If you have any COVID-19 symptoms, no matter how mild, get tested Stay 1.5 metres away from other peoplethink two big steps Wash your hands with soap and water, or hand sanitiser Leave a location if it is crowded. https://www.covid19.qld.gov.au//covid-safe-industry-plan-p

19.01.2022 Brokenly Whole Christ, Break us Christ, As individuals and as the Church,... Break open our hearts Break open our thinking Break down our habits Break down our faith Break down our preconceptions Break down our assumptions Break down our boundaries Break down our borders Break us from our status quo Break us from our spiritual addictions Break us from our empty religion Break us so that we might be made whole Break us so that we might be made whole Break us so that we might be made whole Break us so that in sharing our brokenness we might find compassion Break us so that in sharing our brokenness we might find connection Break us so that in sharing our brokenness we might find communion Break us for you were broken for us Break us for you were broken to share in our brokenness Break us, Christ, so that we might be made brokenly whole, Humbled and receptive to healing and transformation, Break us that we might learn your way And follow it in humble faith Brokenly we pray. Amen. - Prayer: Jon Humphries - Photo: Ralph Reilly Our lovely possum shows us how broken we are and how far we’ve fallen from the Garden of Eden. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Rom 8:19 The possum was evicted peacefully giving your Church Council a little more exercise than we usually get during a Council meeting.

18.01.2022 This Saturday is Earth Overshoot Day, the day when humanity’s demand for the Earth’s natural resources, such as water, fish, other living creatures and forests, exceeds what the Earth can renew in a year. Read how you can mark this day.

18.01.2022 Do you know any Queenslanders who would benefit from a weekly chat in their own language? Please help spread the word about our free I Speak Your Language progr...am so we can help our multicultural community members feel more connected and supported through COVID-19. For more info: https://bit.ly/2Fz5EHY We have almost 100 friendly volunteers ready and excited to make weekly phone calls for friendlly conversation in over 35 different languages!

18.01.2022 Peace be with you.

17.01.2022 Fearfully and wonderfully made. And so loved!

17.01.2022 Worship Jesus with us! Sundays at 9am at Ashmore There were 3 good arguments that Jesus was Black: 1. He called everyone brother... 2. He liked Gospel 3. He didn't get a fair trial But then there were 3 equally good arguments that Jesus was Jewish: 1. He went into His Father's business 2. He lived at home until he was 33 3. He was sure his Mother was a virgin and his Mother was sure He was God But then there were 3 equally good arguments that Jesus was Italian: 1. He talked with His hands 2. He had wine with His meals 3. He used olive oil But then there were 3 equally good arguments that Jesus was a Californian: 1. He never cut His hair 2. He walked around barefoot all the time 3. He started a new religion But then there were 3 equally good arguments that Jesus was an American Indian: 1. He was at peace with nature 2. He ate a lot of fish 3. He talked about the Great Spirit But then there were 3 equally good arguments that Jesus was Irish: 1. He never got married. 2. He was always telling stories. 3. He loved green pastures. But then there were 3 equally good arguments that Jesus was Mexican: 1. He treated his mama like she was a saint. 2. He always wore llantas and a serape. 3. He was a carpenter who could fix anything. But the most compelling evidence of all - 3 proofs that Jesus was a woman: 1. He fed a crowd at a moment's notice when there was virtually no food 2. He kept trying to get a message across to a bunch of men who just didn't get it 3. And even when He was dead, He had to get up because there was still work to do

17.01.2022 What is The Church in Australia? In Ashmore? Just a comfortable club? A revolutionary force? A source of enlightenment? A field-hospital in the spiritual battle for souls?... The history of The Church in the world shows that the followers of Jesus have made The Church into many different things in different ages and places: "In Israel, Jesus offered people an experience. The movement spread to Greece, where it became a philosophy. From there it found its way to Rome and Constantinople, where it became organized religion. As it found a home in Europe, it became a culture. Eventually it arrived in America, where it became a business.... In each iteration, it became above criticism, because it was the (only) philosophy, religion, culture, way of doing life. - Richard Rohr. I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below . . .

16.01.2022 Think you know the story?

16.01.2022 When they feel threatened, red pandas stand up and extend their claws to look bigger and more dangerous. Is it working? Your faith, then, does not rest on human wisdom but on God's power.... 1 Corinthians 2:5

16.01.2022 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. Love your neighbor as yourself. No other commandment is greater than these.

16.01.2022 Then Jesus told his disciples, If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

16.01.2022 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.... Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. Psalm 23, King James Bible (1611)

15.01.2022 Join us online! Any time in the next week https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftKUOo4OS9w

15.01.2022 The LORD is my shepherd.

13.01.2022 Repent and believe!

12.01.2022 What is your Father asking of you? This was the parable we looked at on Sunday: 28 ‘What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, Son, go and work today in the vineyard.... 29 ‘I will not, he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. 30 ‘Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, I will, sir, but he did not go. 31 ‘Which of the two did what his father wanted?’ ‘The first,’ they answered. Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him. (Matt 21:28-32)

12.01.2022 This is from a friend in the Northern hemisphere. God also uses sunlight and rain to demonstrate grace for those of us who don’t often have snow . . .

12.01.2022 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times? Jesus answered, I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven* times.

12.01.2022 Looking for something to do?

12.01.2022 Today’s study at @Ashmore Uniting Church: As Jesus was starting on his way again, a man ran up, knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to receive eternal life?" "Why do you call me good?" Jesus asked him. "No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not accuse anyone falsely; do not cheat; respect your father and your mother.'"... "Teacher," the man said, "ever since I was young, I have obeyed all these commandments." Jesus looked straight at him with love and said, "You need only one thing. Go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; then come and follow me." When the man heard this, gloom spread over his face, and he went away sad, because he was very rich. Jesus looked around at his disciples and said to them, "How hard it will be for rich people to enter the Kingdom of God!" The disciples were shocked at these words, but Jesus went on to say, "My children, how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God! It is much harder for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle." At this the disciples were completely amazed and asked one another, "Who, then, can be saved?" Jesus looked straight at them and answered, "This is impossible for human beings but not for God; everything is possible for God." Then Peter spoke up, "Look, we have left everything and followed you." "Yes," Jesus said to them, "and I tell you that those who leave home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and for the gospel, will receive much more in this present age. They will receive a hundred times more houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and fieldsand persecutions as well; and in the age to come they will receive eternal life. But many who are now first will be last, and many who are now last will be first." Mark 10:17-31

12.01.2022 Love Has Come (A Christmas Poem) Love has come with sweat and blood on trembling hands... born in a soiled stable. Love has come in a peasant girl another teenaged mum unwed, unlearned, bewildered. Love has come by way of Joseph’s hand dark and blistered red worked raw by hammers edge. Love has come a simple carpenter’s son held in scarred and muscled arm cradling hope and dread. Love has come in a shitty manger a throne to shame the proud but one that sets in motion love’s rebellion against the haters, against the takers, the revolution that finally turns the world around. Thanks Kristin Jack!

12.01.2022 Ashmore Uniting has always been a welcoming church . . .

11.01.2022 150 years and still praising God!

11.01.2022 How is the season of Advent for you?

10.01.2022 Even in the midst of this global crisis, it will be the small actions - acts of kindness, acts of faithfulness, that count in the long run.... Who are you nurturing? Who are you encouraging? Who are you investing in? #Alongsiders

09.01.2022 Preparing the way for the Lord.

09.01.2022 Earth's crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God, But only he who sees takes off his shoes

08.01.2022 Join us tomorrow morning! You can watch the service online THIS SUNDAY 6th September via the link on this page, or you can RSVP to let us know that you would like to join us in person at Ashmore Uniting Church NEXT Sunday 15th. Of course, we'll be broadcasting live next week as well :)

07.01.2022 Music Week This Friday 15th of October 930-1130am in the church hall.

07.01.2022 All things beautiful. There are times I feel dry, empty and disconnected to life and those around me. For inspiration I look to the satin bowerbird who collects blue objects to attract its mate to his intricately built nest. In a similar way I look around for blue objects of God’s love, beauty and goodness that are lying around everywhere and gather them together in my mind and heart. Whether it is in music, art, poetry, books, nature, science, sport and the everyday ordinary lives of others beauty and wonder. I can never generate God’s love on my own but I can make and cultivate a home for the One who is the source of life and love.

07.01.2022 Today is the beginning of Advent. Advent, meaning the coming, is a time when we wait expectantly. Christians began to celebrate it as a season during the fourth and fifth centuries. Like Mary, we celebrate the coming of the Christ child, what God has already done.... And we wait in expectation of the full coming of God’s reign on earth and for the return of Christ, what God will yet do. But this waiting is not a passive waiting. It is an active waiting. As any expectant mother knows, this waiting also involves preparation, exercise, nutrition, care, prayer, work; and birth involves pain, blood, tears, joy, release, community. It is called labor for a reason. Likewise, we are in a world pregnant with hope, and we live in the expectation of the coming of God’s kingdom on earth. As we wait, we also work, cry, pray, ache; we are the midwives of another world. [For some great Advent resources, check out brilliant project our friends started Advent Conspiracy. It's all about taking Christmas back as a season of compassion rather than consumption: www.adventconspiracy.org] (and thanks for the image Aaron Niequist!)

06.01.2022 Listen to God with a broken heart. He is not only the doctor who mends it, but also the father who wipes away the tears. Criss JamiListen to God with a broken heart. He is not only the doctor who mends it, but also the father who wipes away the tears. Criss Jami

06.01.2022 Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Philippians 2:12,13 NLT

06.01.2022 Love. The LORD Your God.

06.01.2022 Blessed are those who mourn. God will comfort them. Matthew 5:4

05.01.2022 If you want to save your own life, you will lose it; but if you lose your life for my sake, you will find it. Matt 16:25

05.01.2022 Knowing the end of the story doesn’t mean you can’t cry at the sad parts.

05.01.2022 We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love. 2 Corinthians 6:6 NLT

04.01.2022 Advent starts on Sunday 29th Are you getting ready?

04.01.2022 Coming to our church or a church near you?

03.01.2022 Have a restful weekend. Ashmore Uniting Church is meeting online if you’d like to join us. A few are gathering in person at the church as well but you must RSVP each week if you’d like to come so we can manage the numbers and not turn people away on Sunday morning.

02.01.2022 May God bless you!

02.01.2022 Thought & Verse for the Week: Do you know the famous prayer of St Francis of Assisi? Actually, it probably wasn’t him who wrote/prayed it, but one of his much later followers. But it is still a most beautiful & Jesus-like response to life: Lord, make me an instrument of your peace... Where there is hatred, let me sow love Where there is injury, pardon Where there is doubt, faith Where there is despair, hope Where there is darkness, light And where there is sadness, joy O Divine Master, grant that I may Not so much seek to be consoled as to console To be understood, as to understand To be loved, as to love For it is in giving that we receive And it's in pardoning that we are pardoned And it's in dying that we are born to Eternal Life. We look around the world & watch the news on TV or on-line and we see so many sad, confusing & fearful things going on. Many people feel anxious, angry or fearful and it’s been exacerbated by the COVID 19 crisis. In some parts of the world, terrible divisions have opened up between political groups who angrily blame each other for everything that is going wrong. In some places there’s a lot of hate going down. In the midst of all this, the value of truth is getting trampled on while rumour and conspiracy theories are flourishing and they are nearly always rumours & theories that increase the anger, confusion and fear going around. There could be no more urgent time for us to be praying & living the prayer of St Francis. As followers of Jesus we are called to ‘come in the opposite spirit’ to all the forces of destruction at work in the world. We never take on Our Enemy (or our enemies) by trying to use the same weapons or tactics they use. (If we do, the danger is we end up becoming exactly like those are fighting with). Instead, as the prayer says, we counter hate with love, injury with pardon, doubt with faith, despair with hope, darkness with light, and sadness with joy. Or as the apostle Paul puts it, after a passage (12:9-20) in which he has given the same advice as Francis: Let us never be overcome by evil, but let us overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21). If we can do this, in the end Jesus promises that we will gain real life, true life, abundant life.eternal life.

02.01.2022 Hoping Hope We look to you, God, for hope, For you are its source and bringer.... We look to you, God, for hope, For in our lives and times it is sorely needed. We look to you, God, for hope For it is ever needed in our sad fallenness. We look to you, God, for hope, For you are the one who leads us always towards better things. We look to you, God, for hope, For you are compassion and grace. We look to you, God, for hope, For you come to us as Christ, Immanuel - God with us. We look to you, God, for hope, For you are the way, the truth and the life. We look to you, God, for hope, For you awaken it in us and call us to live it into the world in your name. We look to you, God, for hope, And pray in hope for it to be real. Amen - Jon Humphries

02.01.2022 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.... Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV

01.01.2022 Reasons to invite your friends to consider joining our church

01.01.2022 Christmas is coming. Are you ready? Let’s prepare the way For the baby born to be king.