Foundation Stones

Rector's Weekly message 17 May 2009

Today [17 May 2009] we observe as Foundation Sunday, being the Sunday nearest to the anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone of the first stage of this building on May 18, 1910. The observation of the centenary of this event in one year's time will be a highlight of the Centenary Celebrations which begin with next Saturday evening's Cocktail Party in the Rectory, to which all members and friends of St Martin's are warmly invited. R.S.V.P.

Such dates must be kept in perspective. They are useful "hooks" to hang things on, opportunities to highlight our "core values", or the true Foundation Principles of a Christian church. So what should be uppermost in our minds as we observe 100 years of being the Anglican church in Killara?

i) We are people who hear the call to gather each Lord's Day in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in this place, Killara, to praise God, to hear his Word, to engage in ways to obey his Word, and to pray for his mercy on all our neighbours, especially those 'without hope and without God in this world'. The building we so love is merely a facility to promote this activity, and we must be careful to keep it in this perspective.

ii) As an aspect of our praise, we give thanks to God for all his blessings to us. Thanksgiving must be the keynote of our Centenary observances, not pride or self satisfaction. This is a matter of our hearts being right, as we so often pray "...cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy name".

iii) Do we love one another? Today's readings at 8.00 and 11.00 squarely put us on the spot. The evidence that we have the Holy Spirit and that we are living out our Baptism is our love of each other. The judgement we face will not be whether we have kept the church building and goods in good shape, but whether we have loved (and are loving) one another.

Do we love the lost? The physical reality of a church building in a particular place is a sign of the presence of a community of Christians in that place. What does the 'sign' of St Martin's mean in Killara? Is God's love for Christ, and his love for us, flowing from us to others? St. Martin's as a community of believers is still a work in progress, on these foundations, and with these building blocks.

Martin Robinson 17 May 2009