Vol 49 No7 P209

NATIONAL MAGAZINE OF THE LUTHERAN CHURCH OF AUSTRALIA

MAY 2016

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Our straw bale

Genesis 2:15

Care for my

LESSONS OF

CREAT ION

EDITORIAL Editor Lisa McIntosh p 08 8267 7300 m 0409 281 703 e lisa.mcintosh@lca.org.auExecutive Editor Linda Macqueenp 08 8339 5178e linda.macqueen@lca.org.au

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The Lutheran informs the members of the LCA about the church’s teaching, life, mission and people, helping them to grow in faith and commitment to Jesus Christ. The Lutheran also provides a forum for a range of opinions, which do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editor or the policies of the Lutheran Church of Australia.

Lae, PNG

Teacher

Enjoys playing guitar, and making new friends

Fav text: Hebrews 11

Naomi Binora

People like YOU bring love to life

St Paul’s, Shepparton Vic

Retired

Enjoys walking, and spending time with family

Fav text: John 11:25

Our Saviour, Rochedale QldRetired

Enjoys travelling to Israel, and sampling a good Barossa redFav text: Romans 8:38,39

Surprise someone you know with their photo in The Lutheran. Send us a good-quality photo, their name and details (congregation, occupation, what they enjoy doing, favourite text) and your contact details.

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Rod Eime

LUTHERANCHURCHOF AUSTRALIA

LUTHERANCHURCHOF AUSTRALIA

Touching experienceDorothy Hamilton, a member at St John’s, Southgate, in Melbourne, turns 90 this year. A regular reader of The Lutheran, this photo shows Dorothy reading the magazine on her Braille Sense. The Braille Sense is the equivalent of a laptop computer, but the text is digitally converted to braille, enabling Dorothy to read by touch.

Photo: Eleanor Long

Send us a photograph featuring a recent copy of The Lutheran and you might see it here on page 2 of a future issue.

The Lutheran MAY 20162

Our cover: Lupins at Lake Tekapo, New Zealand.Photo: istock.com

Special features

Our straw bale castle

Lessons of creation

Working with the land

Caring for country

RegularsHeartland

Inside story

Go and Grow

Directory

Letters

Notices

Little church

World in brief

Reel life

Coffee break

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EDITOR'S Letter

I’ve often heard people say they feel closest to God in nature. Sleeping out under star-studded heavens; watching wrens dance along a bush path; climbing a mountain to discover a spectacular view; being hypnotised by waves lapping the seashore; and seeing the sky aflame at sunset are all awe-inspiring reminders of God’s greatness and boundless grace.

One of the best expressions I’ve read of this is a quote often credited to Martin Luther: ‘God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars’. Indeed he does.

In Genesis 2:15 God put Adam and Eve in the garden he had made to ‘work it and take care of it’ (NIV). Some translations say ‘keep’, ‘look after’, ‘watch over’ or ‘cultivate and guard’; others use the terms dress, tend, farm, till, maintain, and even serve.

In all translations though, God’s will is clear. His garden (the earth) is unique and precious and we are responsible for its wellbeing. Of course, God also told Adam and Eve to ‘Rule over … every living thing’ (Genesis 1:28).

I think there is plenty of evidence that humanity is keener on subjugating, rather than serving, God’s creation.

During a recent trip to South-East Asia, my niece made a video on a tiny island off the coast of Cambodia. There are no houses, no roads and this little pocket of paradise is home to just a handful of people. But what she filmed was shocking. Once pristine beaches are now strewn with junk - mainly plastic - that has washed ashore. This dumped plastic may take hundreds of years to break down. Meanwhile it will wreak havoc with the local environment, killing birds and marine life.

Why do we insist on treating God’s garden like a rubbish tip?

One theory from Norm Habel, the eco-theologian and chief editor of the international ecojustice scripture project The Earth Bible, is confronting but could well be on the mark: ‘We are all going to heaven, so to hell with Earth’.

So often we are lazy and selfish. It’s too convenient to simply consume, create waste and care little for the consequences.

But whether or not we believe our actions will harm, or even doom, God’s garden, surely we should give the planet the benefit of the doubt.

We can literally thank God that there are people committed to caring for creation in their own context. I have been challenged, encouraged and educated by reading the sample of stories shared over the following pages and I pray you will be, too. And let us know what you or people you know are doing to honour Genesis 2:15.

Lisa

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REV JOHN HENDERSONBishop Lutheran Church of Australia

‘Apollos and I are merely servants who helped you to have faith. It was the Lord who made it all happen.’ (1 Co 3:5 CEV)‘And the Gospel teaches that we have a gracious God…’ (Augsburg Confession Article 5 – The office of the ministry)The work of a modern pastor is the same work Jesus gave to his disciples: to spread the good news of God’s kingdom. Jesus himself founded the ministry into which today’s pastors are called and ordained.

That means a pastor has a very specific ‘toolkit’. We call it the ‘means of grace, that is, the preaching of the Gospel and the administering of the Sacraments…’ (Theses of Agreement 6.1) The touchstones of the New Testament ministry are God’s word (gospel), holy baptism, and holy communion. These remain constant among the trends and desires of the spirit of the age, the defining features of how and why we are still God’s people today. A pastor’s role is to use the means of grace as God intends them to be used, with grace, love, and inclusion.

Why should that be so? Why not pursue other dreams, other paths of salvation, and other ministries that seem more appealing and effective? The reason is simple yet profound. God graciously promises to create saving faith through these means – faith that is not reliant on our performance, personal holiness, or spiritual power; faith that isn’t victim to our failures and personal highs and lows. It is faith that believes in God’s constant saving work through Jesus Christ. As certain as gravity will pull you down to earth

Jesus himself founded the MINISTRY

into which today’s pastors are called and ORDAINED.

JESUS IS GOD'S LOVE. HE GIVES US NEW HEARTS -TO LAY ASIDE OUR OLD WAYS,TO BELIEVE AND FOLLOW HIM,TO LIVE WITH HIM EVERY DAY.

when you get out of bed in the morning, this faith will keep you grounded in God.

These days, unlike the days of Jesus, this ministry of the New Testament has become encased in an institution we call ‘church’, and along with that go certain structures, conditions, and cultural baggage. It is sensible to order the ministry, but we need to recognise these structures as the ‘extras’ they are. They are not the essence, the core of what makes us God’s church. They do not

create the ministry, they only support it.

In many ways today’s office of the ministry is completely counter cultural. It is in the world, but not of the world. Pastors won’t pick up their toolkit from the self-help shelf of a bookshop, following the latest spiritual expert, or running a google search. The pastoral toolkit is gifted directly by the Lord of the church, who makes sure all who work for him have what they need for ministry.

That’s what we mean when we say that the word and sacraments are the ‘means of grace’. They are the Holy Spirit’s own tools for us to use. They promise the presence of the living Jesus. He has never left his people. He is here among us.

The ministry of the New Testament doesn’t come from us or the church, but from Christ. He calls his ministers. They serve him by bearing his gifts for the world, inviting sinners into the mystery of the crucified and risen Lord, wrapping them in the unexpected embrace of our loving Father (Luke 15:20). By his love he rescues us (eg Rom 10:8-17). The tools of the Spirit, faithfully administered, set us free to live once more.

And that’s why the LCA has pastors.

heartlandMINISTRY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT

The Lutheran MAY 20164

by LARA LANG

Our straw bale

Rather than worrying what the house they have bui l t wi l l do for their socia l stand ing or local real estate values, one Adelaide fami ly has placed more importance on the impact i t wi l l have on the environment for fut ure generat ions. A home is a place to retreat to and recharge from the stresses of the world; a space in which it is safe and comfortable for a family to grow. Darryl Kerrigan, a character from the 1997 hit Australian comedy movie The Castle, was ‘living’ proof of the old saying that ‘A man's home is his castle’. This past year my family helped design and build our own house, so we could have our own special place to call our ‘castle’.

My husband Benno and I knew we wanted something that encapsulated our values and was an expression of who we are. We wanted a house that was comfortable, light-filled, and sensibly constructed to make careful use of resources. Our Christian belief in being good stewards of the earth's resources helped inform our choice of building material.

In nature, nutrients are recycled through organisms and waste materials are reused – like food scraps being composted and returned to the soil to grow new plants to feed us. We chose to build our walls out of another compostable waste material: straw bales.

CASTLE

The Lang family lives in suburban Adelaide and are members at Pasadena Lutheran Church. Lara works as a high school teacher inspiring the next generation

of scientists and is mum to two children, Hugo and Sveta, who love playing outdoors.

You can see Lara and Benno’s house featured in the 'Care of Creation' video: https://youtu.be/Je2v1hwhgbE

Our Christian belief in being

GOOD STEWARDS of the earth's

resources helped inform our choice of building material.

Lara Lang’s TIPS FOR FAMILIES1. Reduce meat and dairy

consumpt ion or go vegan: The food we eat has a huge impact on our carbon footprint, and reducing consumption of animal products is an easy way to make a significant reduction in personal greenhouse gas emissions.

2. Embrace a minimalist lifestyle: Reduce your consumption of things, buy second hand or share items – the less stuff, the less energy and resources expended.

3. Reuse, recycle and compost: Avoid sending rubbish to landfill and close the cycle of resources/nutrients.

4. Reduce packaging: Buy food without packaging or food with packaging that can be composted or recycled.

5. Grow your own food or make meals from scratch: Learn to appreciate the effort, time, resources, water and energy that go into your food.

Straw is a waste product from the harvest of grain heads (in the particular example of our house, of wheat). Straw is biodegradable, and if we ever demolish our house, the walls can be returned to the earth by composting them down. Straw is also a readily available and locally sourced material that is easy to work with.

Another consideration for us was having a house that did not require much energy (that is, electricity) to run. We wanted a house that was filled with natural light and could maintain a comfortable temperature year-round, with little additional heating or cooling from air conditioners.

Coincidentally, rendered straw bale walls have very good insulation properties. Straw bale walls have an insulation R value of around 8-10, compared with standard new-build wall insulation, which is R2-3. Houses with high insulation properties should stay cool in summer and warm in winter, making for more comfortable living and reduced heating and cooling costs.

We also selected economical LED lights throughout the house that require little electricity to run; a heat pump hot water system that extracts heat from the air to warm the water; and an electric induction cooktop that directly heats the metal cookware so less heat is lost through radiation. All of these

decisions were made to reduce our use of the God-given resources this earth has to offer; to conserve what is available so our children in the future have access to those resources, too.

In addition, we installed a 5.1 kilowatt solar photovoltaic system on our north-facing roof and an 18,000 litre rainwater tank. We feel it is important that we can harvest and use our own rainwater, rather than depleting the resources of the River Murray and our reservoirs, given that we live in the dry state of South Australia.

We enjoy producing our own electricity from our solar panels, as it means we personally require less coal and gas to be burnt in power stations. That, in turn, means less carbon dioxide emissions going into the atmosphere due to our activities, and hopefully our personal impact on global warming is less.

Our house features big windows facing north in every room to capture light and heat from the sun. It has narrow windows along the south side to capture breezes for cross-ventilation and cooling the house down. This careful design contributes to making the house more comfortable as it is able to harness the wind and the sun to maintain a relatively constant temperature year-round.

We are grateful to God for the earth's bountiful resources, but also mindful of conserving those resources and avoiding overindulgence by being careful stewards. This sentiment is hopefully evident in our home.

We purposefully try to act, care for and tend God's earth, showing our love and appreciation for his creation by being more mindful and economical in our use of resources, while celebrating all the bountiful riches of living in a modern society. Our castle is our very own straw bale home!

The Lutheran MAY 20166

Heidi Rose is the marketing and publicity coordinator for Faith Lutheran College, Plainland, Queensland.

by HEIDI ROSE

WATERWISE AWARD FOR FAITH COLLEGE

BUSH WISDOM CHANGES LIVES

When i t comes to caring for God’s creat ion, i t seems some of the youngest members of our LCA communi ty can teach the rest of us a lesson or two. As they learn, students in many parts of the Lutheran Educat ion Australia system are working to protect and preserve our environment as a unique, delicate and precious, God-given gif t. Here is just a sample of their stories.

The children who attend Tanunda Lutheran Early Learning Centre (ELC) in SA’s Barossa Valley may be only pre-school age but they already are gaining knowledge to last a lifetime.

The ELC, which is a part of Tanunda Lutheran School, has the ultimate outdoor classroom within its site and Director Marie Hage says it is changing young lives. What was once just vacant land bordering the North Para River is now a bush block full of life, learning and play opportunities.

About a hectare in size, the block is located at the back of the joint property and has been revegetated by the ELC team, with the support of parents, friends, government grants, local service groups and businesses.

Along with a focus on sustainability and care for God’s creation woven through the curriculum, Marie says visiting the bush block at least twice a week has a huge effect on students.

‘We find that it affects the children cognitively, socially and spiritually and it promotes deep thinking’, she says of the bush block, which is shared with the primary school. ‘Every area of curriculum can be addressed in that bush block and many children blossom in that environment.’

Faith Lutheran College, Plainland, in South East Queensland, has been crowned the winner of the Best Waterwise Garden category in the Lockyer Valley Regional Council’s Garden Competition. Showcasing the work of groundsmen Nigel Klinge, Anton Lehmann and Darren Jamieson and project manager Tom Kenny, the college was able to display drought resistance initiatives to ensure its grounds remain green in spite of consistently dry weather conditions.

Faith also took out second place in the Schools and Childcare section of the awards.

The college uses recycled water and run-off from drains and dams, along with plants that require little watering or maintenance as part of its commitment to environmental sustainability.

Darren Jamieson says ‘staying abreast of the latest innovations in gardening, and researching the best plants to use in our soil conditions and that are native to the area, help to make the grounds that much easier to care for and maintain’. ‘It is lovely to see our students sitting under our beautiful shady trees and on our lawns, knowing that we have grown these ourselves during tough weather conditions’, he said.

TANUNDA LUTHERAN EARLY LEARNING CENTRETANUNDA SA

FAITH LUTHERAN

COLLEGE

PLAINLAND QLD

Faith College project manager Tom

Kenny and gardener Darren Jamieson

with the Lockyer Valley Regional

Council’s Garden Competition awards.

Children care for gardens (above) at the ELC as

part of a focus on sustainability and environment.

They also learn and explore in their own bush

block (left), which is home to a variety of birds.

A subsequent focus on birds by the students will

culminate in an art exhibition at the end of the

year at the Barossa Regional Gallery.

What response will most teenagers give when asked to clean up their room? If you are a parent or a caregiver, you probably already know the answer to this question. Whether it’s because they don’t see the mess, whether they are purposefully disobedient, or whether they are purely lazy, it is a rare thing for a young person to respond positively to what seems a reasonable request. In the end it can be a matter of having to close the bedroom door.

While teenagers mostly grow out of a bad attitude toward the living space they are supposed to be responsible for, we all carry similar attitudes to the bigger living space we call Earth.

Ever since the creation of the world and humanity within it, there has been a call to all those made in God’s image to take a different attitude. In the beginning

by ALBERT GASTGOD’S CALL STILL STANDSGod created the world and invited us to take good care of it (Genesis 2:15), as a poignant and powerful testimony to the amazing partnership formed between God and us.

Our track record since then, however, has been less than impressive. Sadly, I wonder how often God might have preferred to have simply shut the ‘bedroom door’, in response to our own bad attitudes, laziness and disobedience.

I recently watched a documentary on a well-known music festival in the United Kingdom, a three-day event that gathered tens of thousands of people under the banner and sponsorship of Greenpeace. The irony of those supporting one of the world’s most enduring environmental organisations was staggering, as the cameras

unveiled an ocean of garbage and filth, left behind after the festival.

This image of selfishness is our collective struggle too, as humanity continues to miss the mark when it comes to our roles as Earth-citizens. Our mutual ability to mess up God’s creation is all part of the story of sin. Thankfully, God’s patience with us allows his call in Genesis to remain as relevant as ever, especially in the 21st century. As Christians we are invited to take a lead in God’s commission, and we have license to teach younger generations to be empowered and equipped to bring change in keeping with God’s vision for the world he made.

Reverend Albert Gast is Pastor at Cornerstone College, in Mount Barker, South Australia.

TEACHER T IPS ON SUSTAINABIL ITY‘The biggest goal in schools for sustainability should be to use everything at school and have minimal to no waste’ says Renae Hampel, Sustainability Coordinator at Good Shepherd Lutheran School, Angaston SA. • Encourage plastic-free lunch

boxes. • Use paper and green waste

to make mulch. • Use food scraps in a Bokashi

bin (the liquid can be used in the garden).

• Discuss how to minimise paper use as staff and students.

• Do a waste audit to work out how to minimise waste or reuse it at the school.

• If recycling, go and visit a recycling place so children know why it’s important to wash containers and why they shouldn’t put certain things in the bin.

• Start a student sustainability group to look at ways the school can be more sustainable.

• Have children monitor electrical use. They can brainstorm ways to save electricity and monitor the use to see if it is making a difference.

• Plant more native trees and bushes to encourage native animals.

WHAT ‘GOD’S LITTLE HELPERS’ SAYI enjoyed getting ideas for Eden and what we

should put in it. I wanted to put in a little wooden house with seats and a bee hotel. – Ti l ly

I liked checking the electricity and trying to come up with ways to save electricity. – Tom

I enjoyed making the puppet video to teach the students about how to use the bins. – Courtney

I liked going to the GLH meetings and talking about what we are going to do next to help the

environment. – Georgia

I had fun thinking about what we can put in the nature areas. – Thomas

If we don't look after the environment it can die and animals can die if they don't have trees and

plants. – Angela

Don't use a lot of plastic because it takes up a lot of room in the world. It can kill animals and can

take a long time to break down. – Jemima

We need to look after the environment because native plants can do special things and bring

wildlife to them. – Ri ley

Good Shepherd students

get to work planting in

EDEN. Weeding the site is

another task the children

help with.

EDEN IN THE MAKING

GOOD SHEPHERD LUTHERAN SCHOOLANGASTON SA

EDEN – or Explore Discover Engage with Nature – is a precious patch of land with a creek at the back of Good Shepherd Lutheran School at Angaston in SA’s Barossa Valley.

A few years back it was slated to become a hockey field. But, with the urging of parents and staff, new principal Anne Marschall looked into the concept of nature play, and possibilities for the school’s ‘wasteland’ opened up.

The students are involved with the development of EDEN, too, coming up with the name and ideas for the space, including a maze, an outdoor classroom, a giant sandpit, a tunnel, a fire pit, and plants to attract native birds and butterflies.

Anne says being a Christian school gives EDEN extra relevance: ‘There is an aspect there of caring for God’s creation and stewardship, using what we’ve got wisely’.

The school also has a group of 10 students who are particularly committed to EDEN and the environment. God’s Little Helpers looks at a range of sustainability practices, including how much plastic is used and how the school community can save electricity.

At the beginning of formal ceremonies at Cornerstone College at Mount Barker in the Adelaide Hills, the following statement is read: ‘God created the world. God created Australia. God created the land on which he placed Cornerstone College. We acknowledge that today we are meeting on the traditional land of the Peramangk people and we respect their spiritual relationship with the land’.

We are so blessed at Cornerstone to have such a beautiful campus, including a creek, healthy 200-year-old red gum trees, and expanses of native bush and open space. In acknowledging God as creator, and the Peramangk as the traditional custodians of this land, a small group of staff came to realise we had a responsibility to care for the natural environment and to share the experience with others. And so our journey towards sustainability began.

With support from management, other staff, students, parents and local community associations, we have made significant progress. The concept of sustainability is now integrated into the curriculum in subjects such as science, geography, English, mathematics, art, Christian Living and also through things such as the use of recycling bins around the school and compostable packaging in the canteen.

In the past 14 years we have established an Environmental Education Centre which is used for lessons and community meetings/workshops. We also have a propagation shed to germinate and grow native plant species for our wetland and woodland. And, thanks to the support of the Mount Barker Council, the school has a series of wetland ponds and linear trails which are all accessible to the public. Students have contributed through the construction and installation of nesting boxes, seating and bird hides. They have planted more than 25,000 native plants with many as part of National Tree Day, thereby improving the biodiversity of our school grounds.

We know that by helping others understand how ‘environmentally gifted’ we are and by providing a means for them to actively care for God’s creation, we are also caring for each other. There is a much bigger picture beyond our vision, based on our relationship with creation and our Creator God.

Studying God’s creation is an important part of learning at Faith Lutheran College, Redlands, Queensland.

The junior school at the co-educational Prep to Year 12 campus located in the South East of the state has a specialist teacher and classroom for science across the P-4 range. The science program follows the Australian Curriculum, covering biology, chemistry, earth sciences and physics.

First term is dedicated to biology, with students learning about God’s wonderful creations in the animal and plant kingdoms. The children are taught the particular needs of living creatures and how habitats can be damaged.

The Year 1s have set up a worm farm, guided by the local council. The Year 4 students can now use the

Faith Year 1 student Jaxon Kruger prepares

to use a microscope.

Above: Cornerstone students can be

involved in environmental programs such

as Waterwatch. Below: Year 7 students

prepare for planting.

Dr Jacqui Castorina is a teacher at Faith Lutheran College, Redlands.

Tony Egan and Mary Butler are Sustainability Education Coordinators and Adam Yeager is College Chaplain at Cornerstone College, SA.

by JACQUI CASTORINA

by TONY EGAN, MARY BUTLER & ADAM YEAGER

WONDERS OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS

NATURE’S CLASSROOM

FAITH LUTHERAN

COLLEGE

REDLANDS SA

CORNERSTONE COLLEGEMT BARKER SA

‘worm tea’ on their herb garden. In second term students study chemistry. Year 4s consider how the properties of materials affect pollution. Year 3s explore how changes between solid and liquid can help to recycle materials, while Prep students learn the benefits of recycling clothes, and helping others like Jesus did.

Year 2s study the water cycle in Term 3, including how water is recycled through God’s natural filtration system. The students learn how important it is to keep waterways clean, and are taught that fertilisers and plastics can pollute the ocean and harm wildlife.

By making our students aware how easy it can be to care for God’s amazing world, hopefully we can work together to ensure its prosperity.

The Lutheran MAY 2016 9