Tullamore has a Drought Support Team. If you or someone you know is experiencing stress because of the drought and would benefit from speaking to someone who as similar experience, please contact Heather Jones, Senior Peer Worker, Tullamore MPS, Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5pm, 6881 4000. After hours call the Mental Health Line 1800 011 511.

The Shed is open every second Thursday. Hours are 10am till 1pm. Entry fee is $2 at the Hall Supper Room. Everyone welcome to come in and have a chat. Activities available.

The Tullamore branch of the CWA will be having their meeting on Friday, April 26 at 10 am. Everyone welcome.

Claiming the day for the Biggest Morning Tea! The CWA and Day Care are hosting the Biggest Morning Tea this year on Wednesday, May 22 at 10am in the CWA Rooms. Entry will be $5 so come in and have a cuppa and a chat. Please bring a plate!

The Royal Far West will be having a street stall in Trundle on Thursday, April 18. Donations of cooked goods or plant cuttings would be much appreciated. Come along and get your last minute Easter seafood raffle tickets which will be drawn that day!

Trundle Community Day Care will be on again at the Trundle Services Citizens Club on Fridays 10am - 2pm for a gold coin donation.

19th April - NO DAY CARE Good Friday

26th April - ANZAC Activities and biscuits

Arts OutWest and Western NSW Health District invite artists from the Trundle area to Totally Trundle An Art Exhibition. Running from May 29 - August 12 at the Trundle MPS. All details and guidelines can be found at artsoutwest.org.au/totally-trundle/ or contact Arts OutWest Arts and Health CoOrdinator Christine McMillan on 0447 832 043.

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Easter messages from Reverend Brian Schmalkuche, Anglican Parish of Trundle...

21st April, 2019

Luke 24:1-12

Eternal Love

"But the disciples thought that what the women said was nonsense, and they did not believe them."

Along with the original disciples today, we have just so many who still think that Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Mary, mother of James, and the other women, saw was nonsense, and they don't believe them either.

The paradise gets under way, Jesus has to witness to His own truth. He remains steadfast in his trust of the Heavenly Father, in spite of the catcalls of his accusers, the silence of his absent friends, and the total disbelief of most people. He may have wondered where all the witnesses to truth had gone, and why they were so few in number when the authorities had come out in force. He may have wondered why he had ended up being pushed around so much for the sake of the Kingdom. He probably had his own questions about the worth of it all. He may have even doubted that the pain would ever go away.

But what we do know is that Jesus' unfailing witness to the truth marks his true kingship. Friends as his true followers, we will be judged on how we have witnessed to Christ's truth, Christ's love, and Christ's way. For a place in his Kingdom, we will be questioned on our own attitude and behaviour. We actually do not have to wait for that judgement to find out the questions we will be asked. When it comes to a place in His Kingdom, the interviews are already taking place as I speak. When our time comes for judgement, we shouldn't be surprised by familiar faces.

At Easter, we celebrate historical events that happened to real people at a real place and time. There are no comparable events in history.

The Apostles who were so afraid after the crucifixion finished up as martyrs for their faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

From this fairly wobbly beginning sprang the Christian Church, which today numbers over two billion people or members.

Christianity stands or falls on Jesus walking out of the tomb. Without that, Christianity should and would have failed. So friends, why did Jesus have to die and be resurrected? ---- ---- ---- ---- ------- He said the world was in chaos, and someone had to pay the ransom. He understood his own death as that ransom, for many.

Easter is the centre of our faith. The resurrection gives us an eternal perspective of death. The extraordinary power of the cross, still today, serves as the bridge between a broken people and God.

After the resurrection, the risen Jesus was seen by some, but not others. Some got the meaning of the resurrection and it changed their lives. Others were indifferent, or chose to ignore it. Still, today there are those even with the huge amount of evidence that has been accumulated, that find the challenge too confronting.

Millions of Christians will celebrate the resurrection this Easter as a simple, joyous act of faith.

If Easter means anything, it is that truth and love are eternal. We can nail Him to a tree, wrap him up in strips of cloth, seal him in a tomb, but he will rise again. Alleluia! Alleluia!

The centrepiece of Luke's account of the crucifixion is the salvation of one of the men crucified beside Jesus. He declared his own unworthiness and guilt, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom." This is all we have to convince people of to do today. I just love the simplicity of the man's request. I love even more the loving extravagance of Jesus' reply, "Truly I tell you, today, you will be with me in paradise." My Friends, Jesus says this to everyone this Easter - repent and enter into the amazing Kingdom of God; again I say, "Alleluia! Alleluia!"

AMEN Rev Brian Schmalkuche

7th April, 2019

John 12:1-8

The Way of Christ

Jesus said, "Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial."'

What horrors were heaped on the head of the Lord Jesus even in the depths of his humiliation? Mary certainly honoured him by anointing his feet at a dinner in Bethany, with Lazarus, Martha and herself.

Jesus had come up from the country, just six days before the Passover, and stayed with his good friends in Bethany. Jesus was obviously intending to celebrate this festival; we know this because he assigned the date of his arrival, six days before the Passover. This was a voluntary exposing of himself to the anger of his enemies. Now that his time was near, he came within their reach. Our Lord Jesus suffered willingly, his life was not forced from him. Rather, he submitted to his heavenly Father's will. Just as the power of his persecutors could not defeat him, so their subtlety (or lack of it) could not surprise him. Remember, there is always a time when we might run to save our own lives. There is also a time when we are called to risk our lives in the cause of God.

These dear friends, this family invited him to supper, because this was traditionally the main meal of the day. They did this as a sign of their respect for Jesus, and their gratitude to him for his friendship. A feast of this kind is made for friendship, and they did it so that they would be able to have conversation with him. This was going to be a time for fellowship and a final farewell.

It is, I believe, also very important that Lazarus was at the table. This proved the truth of him resurrected, as it would of Christ's, that there were those who "ate and drank with him." He sat at the table as a memorial of the miracle Christ had performed. Those whom Christ had raised up to the spiritual life, are seated together with him.

Mary's action of anointing Jesus feet was intended, no doubt, as a sign of her love for Jesus; a very generous love, a humble love, and a believing love. Her faith was working through this love. Her Faith was in Jesus as the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One. God's Anointed should always be our Anointed One. Let us all pour out on Him the perfume of our best love and devotion. The filling of the house with the pleasant fragrance of the perfume shows us that those who receive Christ into their hearts and homes bring the same fragrance to their lives.

The person who objected to Mary's generous, humble, believable love was Judas, the disciple. It is always so sad to see the life of religious faith discouraged by those who, according to their office, should help and encourage it.

Worldly wisdom criticises godly zeal. Those who pride themselves on their worldly political ways and undervalue others for their serious godliness, have more in them of the spirit of Judas than they want to be thought to have. Judas covers up his greed by inferring that it could have been donated to charity; the truth of the matter was that he would rather have had the value of the perfume in cash, to be put in the common purse, and then, he would have access to it. The love of money is theft in the heart, as much as anger and revenge are murder, committed in the heart.

Jesus says, "Let her alone", totally giving acceptance of her love and kindness, and stilling all opposition. He showed his acceptance of Mary's love and kindness; it was a sign of her goodwill. He showed he was pleased with it. Christ does not want those who sincerely want to please him censored or discouraged.

On the other hand, the Pharisees and Sadducees had been ineffective and unsuccessful in their attempts to undermine Jesus. They had done all they could to alienate the people from him. But people still came on-mass to see Jesus, whose name was very much exalted by his recent miracle of raising Lazarus. They came not to hear him, but to satisfy their curiosity by seeing him. They also came to see Lazarus and Christ together, which was a very inviting sight. Some people came to have their faith in Christ confirmed. Others only to satisfy their curiosity, so that they would be able to say they had seen a man who had been dead and buried, but who now lived again.

God wanted Lazarus to live by a miracle, and Jesus' enemies wanted him to die by malice. Lazarus had been singled out to be the object of their special hatred, because God had distinguished him by the sign of his special love.

We would have all thought, wouldn't we, that everyone would have been discussing how they could join in friendship with Lazarus and his family, and just how big the mediation of that family. They all could have reconciled themselves to this Jesus, whom they were persecuting.

Friends, let us all show Jesus love and kindness in all our dealings with people. Jesus illuminates all the dark scenes with the radiance of his great compassion. There is a marvellous lesson here for us! It is easy to condemn. The very act of condemning another involves sin. There surely is a time to correct. But there is an art in doing so. It consists in being totally kind and totally honest at the same time.

We must look to ourselves. We must be willing to extend to others the same compassion we would like to receive if we were involved in the same situation. There is no more important thing in life than to show compassion, love and kindness for a fellow human being.

AMEN

Rev. Brian Schmalkuche

31st March, 2016

The "Father's" Forgiveness

'The son said to him, '"Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son."'

Luke devotes a whole chapter of his Gospel to lost things; sheep, coins, a younger son, and a lost older son who actually stayed at home. It is interesting in passing that the older son parallels the attitude of the Pharisees, and the scribes towards sinners. He was critical and had no compassion towards the lost!

The great Father God of heaven is immensely concerned about lost people. He suffers like the shepherd with a lost sheep, like the woman with the lost coin, and most definitely like the father with the wayward, rebellious, ungrateful and very much lost son. God's heart just breaks because of the lostness of his people.

The Pharisees want Jesus to let the sinners stay lost. Why bother with the likes of them? The Pharisees, whose name means 'separated ones', see themselves as having no relationship with sinners. However, Jesus sees both groups as God's children - that is, children of the Heavenly Father, and therefore, brothers and sisters to each other. So rather than argue the point, Jesus tells this story about an earthly father who has two sons and over the course of the story, loses them both.

The younger son gets lost in a far country in the midst of much sin. The elder son gets lost at home through bitterness, anger, and greed. The younger son leaves home, but his journey leads to a place of hunger, of degradation and of possible death. He is in danger of dying far away from home, forgotten and forsaken. But he comes to his senses in a pig pen - when he realises that he doesn't belong there, but actually has a home to belong to. Of course, there is nothing like hunger to sharpen our senses of belonging! The prospect of regular square meals is enough to head him in the right direction, and he makes his journey home to his father with full speech and an empty stomach.

The father had granted the younger son the liberty to go to hell if he was determined to do so. In the mean time, he builds a stall and feeds a calf so that he will be prepared to provide a banquet feast should the son come to his senses and return home. All this time, the father has not accepted the loss of his son. His son being lost has not nullified their relationship. He is a father who stays on the lookout. Just like our heavenly Father who is always on the lookout for the return of his wayward children. Finally, he sees his son returning, and he is a long way off, he is moved with pity (as our Lord is moved with mercy) to run and meet him. When someone comes to meet you, our journey is always shorter. The father's love takes the initiative as our Lord Jesus Christ initiative is always taken. The father meets his youngest son with love (as God met his only Son!). He is extravagant with his love, and rather than listening to the full speech, he organises a grand feast to fill the son's empty stomach. After all is said and done, his son is found.

The highest happiness ever known is the joy and happiness of heaven over the safety of those who once were lost. God the Father rejoices over the salvation of every sinner that returns to Him.

The father goes out a second time to bring the eldest son in to the feast. But this son has a full stomach but a hardened heart. "All the years I have slaved for you." He is enslaved by his own sense of justice. He wants to maintain the estate without any obligation to his brother. He has no reach in him. In fact, he is like the "separated one" (the Pharisee) who refuses to recognise his brother and is content for him to stay lost! Unlike his father, he cannot surprise his brother with the quality of his mercy and love. His hard work has given him a hardened heart.

When we look at ourselves, I wonder - can we see some of each of the three characters in ourselves? There is the part of the father in us which has a good nose for the need for a celebration. There is the part (or was the part) of the younger son in us which wants to grab everything we can, and try everything we shouldn't. Then there is the part of the elder brother in us (that we wish we didn't recognise) which makes people aware of our own hard heartedness. All three characters have the potential to be in us, competing to shape our lives. During this Lent, let us pray that the father in each of us will not only be fit, but be willing to run for mercy and love. There are so many people out there who are still a long way off.

This parable is often called the "Parable of the Prodigal Son". I actually would like to rename it - "The Parable of the Waiting Father Who Lovingly Longs for the Return of a Foolish, Wayward, and Maybe Unworthy Son".

There are still many lost ones whom God yearns. We need to enter into God's sorrow and God's struggle to save them. We must also enter into our Heavenly Father's great joy over the salvation (the return) of those who have been lost.

Amen.

Rev. Brian Schmalkuche

24th March, 2019

Luke 13:1-9

Bearing Fruit (The parable of the unfruitful Fig Tree)

The gardener replied, "Sir, let the fig Tree alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good, but if not, you can cut it down."

Surely, this is an insight into the ministry of God; the one who pays attention, who is moved to save his people, and knows it doesn't happen quickly. Who stays constant in his love, patiently waiting for our hearts to turn to him. In Jesus, we can see those four truths; insight, attention, constancy, and patience, written in large letters! But, what about in ourselves? How do we pay attention to people's disinterest? Do we act on what we see or through prayer? Are we faithful to our claim to be Christian?

The God of heaven requires and expects fruit from those who have a place in HIS vineyard. It is not enough to produce leaves, (or to cry out, Lord! Lord!), or to produce blossom (flowers) to begin so well, and promise so much, but there must be real fruit. Our thoughts, words and actions must be according to the Gospel; that is light and love.

That the man had waited long, but was still disappointed, he believed it should just be written off. The gardener, and more importantly Jesus, did not agree, and told them so in a story.

A vineyard is a very special place, normally reserved for vines only. Yet in his parable, Jesus talks about this fig tree, which was planted in a vineyard. At that time, this was not unusual. Soil was so scarce that fruit trees were planted where ever there was space. We are dealing then with a tree planted in a very privileged place.

In the normal course of events, it takes three years for a fig tree to reach maturity. If by that time, it is not fruiting, it is not likely to fruit at all. This was the case with the tree that Jesus was talking about. For three years, the owner had been coming to it and finding it barren. He came to the conclusion that the tree was useless. It was nourishment (nurtured) from the ground, but not bearing fruit. It had to go! It was taking up valuable space. So he told his gardener to get rid of it.

In general, this parable teaches us about God's patience, which stretches out towards many people who enjoy the Gospel, but do not produce fruit from it. How many times in three years has God come to many of us seeking fruit but found none? This tree also was using soil that could have been fruitful, and was taking up space so it was actually causing harm to the productive plants around it. Those who do not do good commonly do harm by the influence of their bad example.

But the gardener, who had a great knowledge of fig trees, much insight, and was a very patient man, replied, "Sir, let the fig tree alone for one more year, until I dig around it, and put manure on it. If it bears fruit, well and good, but if not, then you can cut it down."

The owner of the vineyard agreed. The same Godly patience. We are not told what happened to the Fig Tree, but it doesn't matter. Jesus had made his point. Just as the gardener was patient with the fig tree, so God is with people making their way to the Lord.

This Parable has been also called the "Parable of the Second chance". God is patient and kind. Friends, the history of the Church is full of examples of metaphorically barren fig trees - that in time became fruitful; in other words, the wayward who repent and become earthly Saints are the fruit of God's patience.

So, I suppose what I am trying to say that in general terms, our prayers must need to be backed up by our endeavours. We must seek God's grace in all our prayers, with a humble resolution to do our Christian duty. The one looking after the vineyard committed himself to do his part, and this teaches us in our ministries to do ours!

Let us look at a few examples: Moses is a good example; as a young man, he killed another man. Yet, God didn't write him off. True, he had a fiery temper, and had done great wrong. But God knew there was good in him. He was that rare being -- the kind of man who couldn't stand idly by when he saw an injustice, or a crime happening. It was because of this quality that God chose him to lead the Israelites (God's people) out of slavery, to freedom.

Einstein was arguably the greatest mind of all time. Yet, he didn't begin to speak until he was 3 1/2 years old. His parents were so concerned about him that they consulted a doctor. Later, one of his teachers said to him, "You will never amount to anything." At this point in time, there were no signs of his future greatness. Some people develop slowly and late, but quite often are all the better for that.

What such people need is someone to believe in them, someone to have patience with them. Otherwise, a lot of talent will go down the drain. We tend to be harsh on others until we need a second chance ourselves. We must extend to others the kind of patience and leniency we would like for ourselves, and that we believe God offers.

This parable also makes it very clear that there is such a thing as a last chance. If people refuse chance after chance, the day finally comes, not when God has shut them out, but when they have, by deliberate choice. They shut themselves out.

"Sir, let the fig tree alone for one more year, until I dig around it, and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good, but if not, you can cut it down."

Friends, which of us would seriously want to be barren, when we might be fruitful? Many blessings.

AMEN.

10th March, 2019

Luke 4:1-15

Testing Times

"Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordon, and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.

"Do not put the Lord your God to the test."

At the heart of our Old Testament, there is a great story of liberation. How God intervened to free his people from slavery. The people were immigrants in Egypt, used as cheap labour, treated like slaves, and their numbers were controlled by the systematic killing of newborn male babies. In the story of the Exodus, the Jews still celebrate the momentous event of freedom from the Egyptians, and the beginning of their journey to the promised land. In today's reading, we heard how God's people, the people of Israel, always kept the good memory alive.

After they had been freed from slavery, the people of Israel had to face another problem, the wilderness. The new freedom came with some problems of its own, new pain. Some of them didn't think much of their escape that led them into a wilderness. Some actually preferred living as slaves under the Pharaoh's rule. They preferred the security that went with bondage to the pain and discomfort that came with their freedom. Their price for freedom was wondering in the wilderness.

During their forty years in the desert, the Israelite people were surely tested. They were often hungry, and wondered if God had forgotten them. They were divided in their hearts about God. They wanted to trust him, but their empty stomachs made them doubt. The promised land seemed far away, and their hunger was here and now. They were told there was a purpose in their hunger, "to make them understand that people do not live on bread alone, but ............ on everything that comes from the mouth of the Lord." The great commandment asked them to be wholehearted in their commitment to God.

It is against this background of Israel's testing in the desert that the story in today's Gospel is told. Jesus is the new Israel, he has spent forty days in the wilderness; he is hungry and is tested. And he is truly tested to see if he will keep the ancient law of his people to serve God with his whole heart, with his whole soul, and with his whole might.

Jesus had been led under a sense of divine (Godly) compulsion, to go into a solitary place that he might make some decisions about accomplishing his redemptive mission. It is highly possible that during the entire forty days in the desert, of his fasting he was tempted by Satan, and yet reading the account in today's Gospel, it appears to intensify at the end of his forty days of fasting. The Holy Spirit led our Lord into the desert that victory over Satan could be accomplished. For practical purposes, we need to recognise the significance of this period of solitude in the life of our Saviour.

It might not be possible for all of us to find a private place in the great outdoors for communion with God. Nevertheless, we all have the same need. In some manner, even in the middle of a crowd, we must draw aside to listen to what our Lord would say to us!

The successful general knows when not to fight as well as when and how to fight a battle. There comes a time when retreat is in reality a forward march. When life becomes difficult, we need to search for a quiet, private place so that we might make sure that our thoughts and values are blanced.

Many people look upon themselves as machines of constant motion. They do not recognise that the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. People need to be workers, but they must also rest if they are going to be effective workers. This was true for our Lord and for his disciples, and it is just as true for us today, maybe more so for those who live in an unbelievably busy world.

Jesus is tested to see if he is totally committed or not. Is he like Israel in the desert - half-hearted about God's plan? Can we be hungry and still trust God? Can follow God with our whole heart even when we are aware of the vacancy inside us? The Gospel tells us that Jesus is wholehearted in his commitment, and stays loyal to his heavenly Father's plan. When he preaches, Jesus sets great store by the undivided heart, "You must not set your hearts on things to eat and things to drink _______ set your hearts on (God's) Kingdom, and those other things will be given to you as well."

Jesus is also tempted to believe that he can serve God without pain. Do a swan dive from the parapet of the Temple and land without a scratch! The question is, can Jesus love God with his whole soul (even when his own life is in danger?) Will Jesus risk his life for the sake of his mission, or will he choose self-preservation? Can we love God even when our life is slipping away? Or when we have lost our grip?

Jesus' whole life answers YES to this question. He knows that loving God does not mean exemption from harm. He will teach us that we will be safe. In the end, Jesus own death on the cross proves that he loves more than life itself ----- when no angels will come to keep him from harm.

Finally, Jesus is tested about his attitude to power and wealth. To get power, will he go to any length? Will he love God with his whole might, with everything he is and has? Or will he grab for the kind of power and prestige that most people admire and envy? Will he base his kingdom on twelve fairly shaky apostles, or on that very firm ground that is God's real estate?

Jesus' whole life says "no" to that kind of power and authority. He will teach his own followers to avoid that kind of power, "You know that among the unbelievers the rulers stand over the people, and their great men make their authority felt. This is not to happen among us. No, anyone who wants to be great among us must be our servant." Jesus teaches that with his whole life, He is the Servant of God.

Jesus lives his whole earthly life facing real temptation, and that is a measure of his humanity. Let's ask ourselves how we face these temptations too. When times get tough (tuff?), and we are hungry and alone, do we still trust in our triune God? When our life just seems a great vacancy, do we still believe in the Heavenly Father who loves us? Are we willing to risk our needs for the sake of the Gospel, or do we settle for looking after just our own security? Do we make our authority felt so that people feel degraded, or are we real servers of others?

These are not easy questions. They were not easy for Jesus. That is why we as Christians need to use this period of Lent (40 Days) to let these questions reach us again so that by Easter Day we can proclaim with an undivided heart that Jesus is the Lord of our lives.

The temptations were no "once off" affair. Temptations are never over. They return at times when they are least expected. Temptation continued through Jesus' life as Satan tried in vain to undermine his mission. Even as he hung on the cross, we hear it again, "If you are the Messiah, come down from the cross and we will believe in you." All of you who are trying to live a good life can take heart. Resisting temptation was never easy for Jesus, nor will it be for us. But in Jesus, we have a brother who knows what we face up against. He forgives us and raises us up when we fall. He enables us to obey God's word, to trust him, and to worship him only!

Friends, let us turn to Jesus for the help we need to be victorious over evil.

Lord, we pray for each other, and for ourselves, that this Lent will teach us a spirit of self-denial, and move us to show more love and compassion to others. God of power and love, you have shown us that prayer, fasting and alms-giving are remedies for sin. Accept our humble admission of guilt, and when our conscience weighs us down, let your unfailing mercy raise us up. We ask this in Jesus' awesome name. AMEN.

Rev'd Brian Schmalkuche