When we think about Christmas do we think first and foremost about joy? Because God sent his Son Jesus into the world to be with us and bring us his joy. He didn’t come merely to make us “happy” but to deal with all our miserable sin once and for all so that we can know God and experience his invincible, irrefutable joy.
As though a switch is turned on in a pitch-black room, God promised that one day a light would dawn and turn all darkness to light. In the birth of Jesus Christ, this light has dawned, and we can enjoy the light of the world in the birth of this promised child.
After King Ahaz hears about Assyria coming to attack his country, he starts running around in a panic. So God sends Isaiah and his son to remind Ahaz to trust in the Lord, like a tiny, dependent child. But after Ahaz refuses, God promises him a sign anyway: a child born of a virgin, named Immanuel, who would be “God with us,” ultimately fulfilled in the Christmas message, in the birth of Jesus Christ.
Mark Baddeley visits again to help us think through some of the hardest questions of faith: If God is in control, then why is there evil? Why do faithful people suffer?
Dr. Carolyn Russell visits us to help us understand the history of mental health, and some of the ways that we can seek to understand one another in the church, and to walk with others who struggle with their mental health.
God is in control of everything. It’s easy to say, but what it means and how we’re to live in light of this reality can be one of the biggest challenges of the Christian life. But in this talk, Mark Baddeley (lecturer of theology at Queensland Theological College) gives us a few tent-pegs to ground us in this reality and to help us live in relationship with a sovereign God.
Note: There are some audio issues in the second half of the talk, where the quality drops a bit. Apologies for any inconvenience.
Given that 45% of Australians will experience a mental health issue in their lifetime (and 1 in 5 Australian’s will face this every year), we think it’s crucial to discuss this topic within the life of the church. We hope that this special Holiday Panel will highlight some of the struggles and help us understand ways in which we can better care for ourselves and others.
Here are some great local resources mentioned near the end of the talk:
Phone Numbers:
Lifeline……13 11 14
Suicide Call Back Service……1300 65 94 67
Men’s Line……1300 78 99 78
Kids Helpline……1800 55 1800
Alcohol & Other Drug Hotline……1800 250 015
Parent-line……1300 30 1300
Online Resources:
Headtohealth.gov.au
Yourhealthinmind.org
headspace.org.au
Raisingchildren.net.au
Healthyfamilies.beyondblue.org.au
In our first talk on Pastoral Care, Dr. Carolyn shows us how all pastoral care finds its beginning in Master Care – that is, we look to our Heavenly Father as the source of all comfort and care in this world. From there, Carolyn builds upon portraits of pastoral care from figures in the Bible – like Jesus and Paul – as she fleshes out what it looks like to be a healthy community that is living within the boundaries that God has created for us while we care for one another.
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