‘Working together to proclaim the holy birth’

The St Matthew’s Anglican congregation in the outback Queensland town of Quilpie has just closed. There will be a sadness felt this Christmastime by the people of that parish, as they join with others who are not able to be in their familiar places for worship on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

In our Lutheran Church, we grieve with sisters and brothers in similar situations, such as the people of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in the South Australian town of Murbko, which also closed this year.

But the telling of the closing of the Anglican Church at Quilpie includes a little miracle of hopefulness. With the closing of St Matthew’s, the Roman Catholic parish of St Finbarr’s Quilpie, has welcomed their sisters and brothers of the Anglican community to use their Roman Catholic parish Church for Anglican services.

Australia has a unique and inspiring Christmas tradition of gathering across denominations for outdoor carols services. Many of our country towns see the annual collaboration of leaders of local Christian churches, to tell the gospel of Christmas. I was once in Canada over the Christmas season and learnt that these outdoor services are not popular when it is snowing and below zero degrees.

But here in New Zealand and Australia, we have this tradition of Christian churches working together to proclaim the holy birth.

In this ecumenical collaboration, we declare the promise recorded in the annual Christmas reading from Titus chapter 2, ‘For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all’. The Christmas good news is not the possession of any one Christian denomination. This is the message of God loving the world so much that he has sent his only Son.

At this Christmas time, let us take up the opportunity to encourage our friends and neighbours to worship the newborn king. Let us take the opportunity to contact that person who hasn’t been in worship for some time, to encourage them to join with us at the manger of the Lord.

Also, let us remember those who have closed their churches in recent times, that they would be found in a new place to receive the gospel.

Finally, let us join our voices with sisters and brothers of all Christian churches in all places, to sing ‘Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled’ for Christ’s sake through faith.

A holy and blessed Christmas to you and your loved ones.

In Christ,

Pastor Paul Smith

Churchwide Bishop Lutheran Church of Australia and New Zealand
Adelaide, 17 December 2024