Waranga Uniting Churches

Colbinabbin, Murchison, Rushworth, Tatura

FAITH | HOPE | MEANING | GRACE | COMMUNITY

A reversal of Values

Sunday 20th October.

Streaming from Rushworth, and on Zoom at Colbinabbin, Murchison, Tatura, and for folk at home.

This Sunday, we gather around a pivotal moment in the Gospel of Mark. Jesus, for the third time, foretells his death and resurrection, and it’s here that two of his closest disciples—James and John—approach with a bold request: “Grant us to sit at your right and left in your glory.” Instead of a rebuke, Jesus offers a profound challenge: “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”

3d cute people cooperative help and escape

This interaction stirs frustration among the other disciples, exposing their own desires for status. But Jesus, as always, seizes the opportunity to turn expectations upside down. He reveals that greatness in God’s kingdom is not about power or position but about servanthood. The first must become last. The leader must become a servant. This reversal of values is grounded in Jesus’ own life: the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve—and to give his life as a ransom for many.

As we worship today, we ask: What does this message mean for us? How are we called to drink the cup Jesus offers, not seeking status but embracing the life of servanthood and sacrifice? May this time of worship help us open our hearts to the challenging and transformative way of Jesus.

The service will be streaming from Rushworth, led by Heather Woodman. Join us as we share, sing, pray and reflect together on these stories and open our hearts to the ways God is at work, transforming our lives and the world around us. And remember the most important things in the world are not things at all; they are love, hope, joy, grace, faith, peace, perseverance, and friendship!

The live Zoom “room” will be open for you to log-in to from 9.00am.  Log-in, chat to others, be the church!

Click on the link below to join the Waranga Cluster Zoom Church Service or watch it on Facebook.
Click the link to join Zoom Meeting
The link above should work without the need for a password, but if it doesn’t you can use the meeting id and password below.
Meeting ID: 932 9667 8964
Password: 491339
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Watch the recorded service later

Facebook records the service and it will be available to watch later or share with others in your family and friendship circle.

 

Rather stay anonymous?

We understand that you may prefer to remain anonymous.  It may have been a while since you went to church, maybe you’ve never been to church and are just curious. We understand that you don’t want to be hassled just because you were curious.

If you want to remain anonymous there are four ways you can do it.

  • Choose the “Join without video” option. You will be able to see, hear (and talk if you want to)
  • Your name also appears in the bottom left of their picture in Zoom. This name will be the one you entered at sign-up. At any time in the meeting you can right-mouse click on your name and change or delete it.
  • You can choose to attend via the Livestream option.
  • You can watch the recorded service later on the website

Our church needs your support.

Please consider donating your offering online via the button below
or by direct bank transfer:

Account name:
Waranga Uniting Churches.

Bendigo Bank:
BSB 633-000
Account No:162 446 371.


About us

The Waranga Uniting Churches comprise congregations from the towns of Colbinabbin, Murchison, Rushworth, and Tatura.
You are welcome to join us at any of our worship services or activities.

Many faces… Many places… Many forms
Our congregations throughout the district are caring communities to which all people can belong.
Some of our congregations may be a tiny community of a dozen people, but they are warm vibrant and alive.
They have many faces. There are older people and young, families and single people, people of one culture or many.

While our congregations can be different, each aims to embrace all people… to unite them with each other and with God. This is expressed in part by our having an open table for Holy Communion, to which all baptised people are invited, welcoming children for baptism and being willing to marry those who are divorced.

We are by no means perfect, but we know that God loves us as we are and as we grow. Our congregations are communities in which people seek to follow Jesus, learn about God, share their faith, care for each other, serve the local community, and seek to live faithfully and with real joy. This is the kind of engaging church to which we belong.

Quixote Thinking Blog

Quixote Thinking “sees things different” I live my life by it 

Carry that weight

Carry that weight

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In the bustling narratives of the Gospels, particularly the Gospel of Mark, we encounter a Jesus who is always on the move, always in a hurry. The term "immediately" or "straight away" appears with striking frequency in Mark's account, especially in the first chapter...

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"When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging!" This age-old adage speaks to our instinctual behaviour in challenging situations, however, it seems that many people have adopted a different approach, akin to a scene from The Simpsons. In an episode of “The...

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Don Quixote is a character in a novel by Miguel de Cervantes, first published in 1605. In the “real world” of La Mancha, Spain, Quixote is known as Alonso Quijano, a thin country gentleman, familiar to all as kind and friendly. He lives with his daughter and two servants. As a gentleman, he spends time studying medieval romance stories, full of knights, chivalry, castles, and jousts. This all goes to his head to the point where he goes crazy and actually starts outfitting himself as a knight. He believes that he has been called by voices to change the world and right all wrongs.

At this point in the story, art imitates life and life imitates art as the innkeeper doubles as a duke of a castle who dubs Don Quixote officially as “knight,” and a peasant girl at the inn becomes the princess and lady love for our knight errant. Don Quixote then goes out to fight perceived foes, both real and imagined in the name of his ladylove who stands for purity and perfection. Don Quixote has selective vision of the real world. Windmills are giant brutes, sheep are attacking armies, and slaves are oppressed gentlemen. Quixote is an idealist seeing things through rose-colored glasses at times. He fights impossible symbolic battles while the rest of the world says it can’t be done and mocks him for trying. It is ironic that a crazy man is showing humanity the “right way” to live. This character has survived the centuries demonstrating his universal appeal to all. Don Quixote is something of a Jesus figure, who saw meaning and purpose beyond the surface but endured mockery and humiliation from the crowd. This “fight for the right without question”, having moments of clarity in a sea of confusion and a belief in the transformative power of a crazy vision is what the essence of Quixote Thinking.