Hope in a world

of uncertainty

Happy Christmas from your Chaplain

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JAPAN’S TSUNAMI—MARCH

Large areas of Japan's northern Pacific coast were swamped by

a devastating tsunami, engulfing entire towns following a major

9.0 quake. The death toll reached 14,435. Major fears about

the Fukushima nuclear plant. Many thousands still homeless.

QUEENSLAND FLOODS

Hard to comprehend, but

the January floods hit so

many people with 14,000

homes flooded; many

injured and 30 folk dead,

thousands of businesses

affected; 75% of state

railway lines wrecked and

the repair bill is over $20

billion. Still recovering.

2011

A Year of Uncertainty and Struggle

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CHRISTCHURCH

EARTHQUAKES

February saw a

major quake in

Christchurch kill

181 people. The

famous cathedral

tower has also

collapsed. Since

then, over 4,000

aftershocks have

rattled the people.

It leaves you asking—

”Are we getting more earthquakes?”

We are.

Here is a graph of earthquakes

around our planet from 1973-2011.

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EGYPT CRISIS

President Mubarak's 30

year rule came to an end

after national protests

that saw many killed or

injured. Coptic Christians

are still being killed and

churches burnt down.

Are Egyptian people free?

LIBYA FREE OF A DICTATOR

Muammar Gaddafi was the dictator of Libya from 1969—under

his rule, many thousands died. In October, his rule ended. Libya

is one of the middle eastern nations in turmoil, meanwhile life

in Iraq and Afghanistan is tough—adding to refugee pressures.

ISSUES IN AUSTRALIA

The death of three ABC TV crew added to the emotional turmoil

many in the community feel. Rising electricity prices, disasters

and political tension leave people wondering, “What is going

to happen to me? I feel overwhelmed. I need some hope.”

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This Bible-based story

of HOPE is huge and

we need to go back

into the past to see

God at work in people.

This gives perspective

on how Jesus‟ birth is

relevant is to us. We

find vital keys to real

hope for our daily life.

The Word became

human and made

his home among

us. He was full

of unfailing love

and faithfulness.

And we have

seen his glory,

the glory of the

Father’s one and

only Son. John 1:14

In the darkness, we all need LIGHT.

DIRECTION out of the tension, pressure,

and stress of an uncertain world.

We need HOPE that is real, life-giving

and will not let us down for all eternity.

That hope is found in God becoming

man. God entered our world and

lived with us to become a LIVING HOPE.

Incredibly, hope took shape as a baby—JESUS CHRIST.

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Most couples want children—Abraham and Sarah thought God

had tricked them, as they had none. Imagine the emotional

roller coaster: an amazing promise from God, but nothing was

happening. They clung to hope and Sarah was well past the

age of childbearing when she became pregnant and Abraham

was 100 when his son Isaac was born. Sarah said, “God has

brought me laughter.” Genesis 21:6

THE PROMISE BECOMES REALITY

This Bible time-line starts with a hero

of the Jewish, Christian and Muslim

faiths: ABRAHAM. God made an extra-

ordinary promise to a bloke in his 70‟s,

who had no children!

“I will make you into a great nation and

I will bless you; I will make your name

great, and you will be a blessing. I will

bless those who bless you...all peoples

on earth will be blessed through you.”

Genesis 12:2,3

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Many years pass by.

Abraham‟s son Isaac becomes the father to twelve sons and

the tribe—now called the Hebrews—move to Egypt where they

multiply. The local people become threatened by this tribe of

Hebrews and force them into slavery. Kids are killed at birth.

It looks like God‟s promise to Abraham made 500 years ago

that “all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” is never

going to become reality. And then MOSES is born.

STORIES OF HOPE~OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD

Pov is a six year old girl in Cambodia. Her parents are poor rice

farmers in Viel Thom: a village of corrugated tin shacks that line

the dusty dirt track. The women of the village farm rice and

most of the men in her village are handicapped former soldiers.

Operation Christmas Child

is the program where we

take a shoe box, fill it with

„goodies‟ for kids and it

goes to village children.

8 million kids around the

world received shoe

boxes last year. We

can give a child hope.

To discover more of

this inspiring story,

phone 1800 684 300

or check the website.

Sophea Sem co-ordinates Cambodia‟s gift

program of hope. In 2010, Aussies gave

80,000 shoeboxes filled with toys, T-shirts,

undies, hygiene items, colouring pencils

to the children of Cambodia. Pov said,

“I‟ve never gotten a gift like this before.”

http://operationchristmaschild.org.au/

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Moses has an intriguing life for his first 80 years! Shortly after

his birth, his parents surrender him to the Egyptian leaders and

he grows up as a prince. During his first forty years, Moses

discovers he is part of the Hebrew tribe...then he sees how his

tribe are being brutally treated as slaves. He kills a man and

then flees to the desert when he fears his actions are exposed.

Over his next forty years,

Moses works as a shepherd

and then a remarkable

event occurs to this man

who thinks he is nothing.

He‟s with a flock of sheep

at Mt Sinai when he sees a

bush on fire, but it is not

burning up. He goes over

and gets a huge shock. The

bush talks to him!

God called to him. “Moses! Moses!” Moses said, “Here I am.”

“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for

the place where you are standing is holy ground….I have seen

the misery of my people in Egypt...I have come down to rescue

them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out

of that land into a good and spacious land...I am sending you

to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and

bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” And God said, “I will be with

you.” (Exodus 3:4-12) Imagine that it is you God says this to.

How would we respond to such an awesome request from God?

Moses lacked confidence and his

internal “self talk” was negative,

but God was true to his promise.

Pharaoh eventually relented and

let the people go—by now that

tribe was well over one million

people—into a new adventure.

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Moses takes the tribe to

the Red Sea—and God

opened it for them to

walk though (read this

story in Exodus 14). All

the Hebrews are safe.

God says, “Do not

be terrified; do not be

discouraged, for the

LORD your God will

be with you wherever

you go.” Joshua 1:9

Moses takes the people

through the desert. That

journey is via Mt Sinai

where they receive the

Ten Commandments—in

truth, God‟s wisdom for

healthy relationships

and a life of honouring

people. All who follow

God‟s ways discover it is

the best option for life.

The Hebrew tribe, led by

Joshua, cross into Israel

at the Jordan River and

take possession of that

land and become known

as the Jews.

This unprecedented miracle proves again God is faithful to his

promise, “I will be with you.” In uncertain times, when we can

feel overwhelmed, we take internal rest and confidence in what

Jesus says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my word will

never pass away.” (Matthew 24:35) He never abandons us.

In this world of

Who do we hold onto?

UNCERTAINTY

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STORIES OF HOPE~BRINGING HOPE IN ACTIONS

The Queensland floods saw an amazing

response from volunteers who continue

to help people with houses that were

flooded or damaged. That is real hope

lived though practical action.

People have gained hope as „tradies‟ donated their own time to

install gyprock walls; run new electrical wiring or install new

kitchen cupboards and bags of groceries were left. No charge.

In Sydney—where many are cynical of the Church—it‟s common

for Christians to help people in need. For example, every week,

hundreds of Hillsong church

volunteers visit residents in

some of the marginalised

neighbourhoods. People in

these areas face challenges

ranging from loneliness, to

crime and vandalism.

Street Teams give free help—

gardening, cleaning and

maintenance. Over time,

this builds friendship, hope

and healthy community.;

The Salvo‟s are another Christian group who bring hope to any

one in need, through practical actions. Within 24 hours of a

disaster, the Salvo‟s

are on the scene with

food, blankets, water

...and a hug. Aussies

know they can trust

them as they live love

to people in crisis.

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God promised Abraham: “All peoples on earth will be blessed

through you.” (Genesis 12:2,3). 1000 years later, one of his

descendants is a teenager called DAVID who rescues his nation.

Life is tough in Israel for the Jewish

people—an aggressive enemy poses

a threat to the nations survival. The

Jewish army is intimated by a giant

warrior called Goliath. The enemy

use his words to rob their hope.

Goliath is similar to an enemy we all face—a spiritual being the

Bible calls Satan. His nature is evil and he opposes God and love.

Satan intentionally places thoughts in our mind and spirit that

are destructive. Thoughts like betrayal, fear, doubt, deceit or

lust. These evil thoughts appear OK and attractive, but they are

always destructive and we‟ll always

loose if we believe Satan‟s lies.

Personal Reflection

What lies am I believing?

Think over the past few days

and reflect on what temptations

Satan has been feeding into

your mind and spirit.

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David became the king of Israel and wrote inspiring Psalms that

speak hope into our lives to this day. Twenty-six generations

later, his ancestor—a

man named Joseph

married Mary and

they had a baby they

name JESUS.

The promise God made

2000 years before Jesus‟

birth came down the

generations to its total

fulfilment in the super-

natural birth of a Saviour for everyone. Every person has worth.

David won‟t surrender to lies spoken

by Goliath. He comes to the battle,

refusing to allow fear to triumph.

“You come against me with sword,

spear and javelin, but I come

against you in the name of the Lord

Almighty...This day the Lord will

hand you over to me, and I’ll strike

you down.” (1 Samuel 17:45,46)

With a stone and a sling, David

what defeated Goliath.

The people celebrate as their

freedom and hope is restored.

They also discover that God is always bigger than evil and lies.

Once you choose hope

anything is possible

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Jesus‟ birth was predicted 250 years

after King David‟s life. The prophet

ISAIAH announces God‟s good news:

A child is born to us! A son is

given to us! And he will be our

ruler. He will be called, Wonderful

Counsellor, Mighty God, Eternal

Father, Prince of Peace. His royal

power will continue to grow; his

kingdom will always be at peace.

He will rule as King David's

successor, basing his power on

right and justice, from now until

the end of time. Isaiah 9:6,7

God often gives us good

news ahead of time, so we

have real hope to cling to.

The Jews needed hope: 64BC

saw the Roman army invade

Israel. Persecution, suffering

and the occupying army taking

what they wanted—women

included—became the „norm‟

for the Jewish people.

Finally...Good news announced

Around 5BC, God sent Gabriel—one of

the angels—to Nazareth, a town in

Israel. His message was for Mary: a

young woman promised in marriage

to Joseph—a descendant of King David.

The angel came to her and said,

“Peace be with you! The Lord is with

you and has greatly blessed you!”

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Mary was deeply troubled by the angel's message...The angel

said to her, “Don't be afraid, Mary; God has been gracious to

you. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you

will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son

of the Most High God. The Lord God will make him a king, and

his kingdom will never end!”

Luke 2:26-33

While Mary is emotionally adjusting to the angel‟s message that

she will be the mother of the Messiah—God become human—

her fiancée is having a serious internal dilemma. She tells him

of her pregnancy...he is terrified. In their culture, a virgin bride

is the only way to come to the altar. Joseph experienced a huge

anxiety attack about how to resolve an impossible dilemma.

Just imagine Mary as she

tells Joseph this incredible

revelation from God. In the

fullness of time, we see God

acting. The Creator chooses

to become human and to

experience everything we do.

What Joseph faced is an issue we all deal with. It‟s called “self

talk”. The internal messages that buzz around inside our head.

Joseph would have been wrestling with questions like, “What

have I done to deserve this?” or “It‟s just not fair God!”

Our self talk messages are

often negative internal chatter:

“I‟m slow.”

“It‟s hard for me to learn new

things.”

“I‟m losing it.”

“God doesn't love me.”

“My kids don‟t care about me.”

“My body won‟t do what I want

it to. What‟s the use of life?”

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I am a failure

Nobody loves me

I‟m not worth being saved

God causes my suffering

I must protect myself

I must always be in control

People say bad things about

me behind my back

Rituals keep bad luck away

My health is getting worse

I must help everyone I can

Bad things happen to me

God forgives me of all my

failures—1 John 1:9

Jesus loves me—Ephesians 1:4

Gift of eternal life—Romans 6:23

Jesus carries us though our

suffering—2 Corinthians 12:9

I am secure and accepted into

God‟s family—Ephesians 2:19

Jesus will never leave me, so

I can relax—Hebrews 13:5,6

God speaks grace, kindness

and love to me—Ephesians 2:7

Jesus gives peace—John 14:27

God is my strength—Psalm 29:11

My real security is being one of

God‟s precious children—John 1:12

Love removes fear—1 John 4:18

GOD HELPS TO CHANGE MY SELF TALK

Negative internal talk Positive internal talk

Jesus delights to set us free

of our negative self talk to

live in freedom and hope

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Long before God laid down earth's foundations, he had

us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to

be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he

decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ.

Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah...we're a free

people—free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all

our misdeeds. Abundantly free! It's in Christ that we find out

who we are and what we are living for. Ephesians 1:3-11

STORIES OF HOPE~DOUG EXPERIENCES JESUS’ LOVE

Doug is a bloke with a sad past. At just six years old, his dad

died and that left a huge hole in his heart. He grew up without a

healthy identity and went through jobs like water through your

fingers. He‟d last about two weeks with a girl and then get

bored. Life began to change when Doug became a Christian—he

began to hear a message of hope: Jesus loves me.

He met Jill and after a whirlwind romance of a few months, they

married. That was great, but Doug‟s heart was still a real mess.

In his early 40‟s, Doug headed to Africa to help the poor. While

there, God brought Damien into his life—he‟d discovered the

freedom we have in just letting

Jesus love us unconditionally.

The day came when Damien was

praying with Doug and he said, “I

think God wants me to pray for

you. Relax and let Jesus come.”

Next thing, Doug has a vision as

Jesus takes him back to that time

when as a six year old, his dad

dies. Pain long trapped erupts in

tears of release and then he hears

these words from Jesus, “I know

you. I treasure you. I love you.”

That experience transformed Doug—now he helps wounded

people to experience Jesus‟ deep love and affection for them.

Note—the names in this true story have been changed to guard identity.

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God's Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. She will bring a son to

birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus—

'God saves'—because he will save

his people from their sins."

Then Joseph woke up. He did

exactly what God's angel

commanded in the dream:

He married Mary. But he did not

consummate the marriage until

she had the baby. He named the

baby Jesus. Matthew 1:20-25

Joseph continued to follow all God

said to him through dreams in

the years ahead (see Matthew 2).

Joseph gained hope in resolving a dilemma

—”What do I do with a pregnant fiancée?”

God took the initiative and through a

dream, gave Joseph an amazing revelation.

God's angel spoke in the dream: "Joseph,

son of David, don't hesitate to get married.

Mary's pregnancy is Spirit-conceived.

HOPE HOLDS US

Jesus‟ birth led to God becoming

human. John‟s gospel says—

So the Word became human and

made his home among us. He was

full of unfailing love and faithfulness.

He came into the world he created.

To all who believed him and accepted

him, he gave the right to become

children of God. John 1:12-14

We are held in such arms of love

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A few years back, we said “sorry”

to the Aboriginal people of this

nation. I‟d like to say “sorry” to

every person who has been hurt by

religion. My wife and I have been

deeply wounded by religion, and

I‟ve met people who‟ve given up

on God as religion stole hope.

Even better, God went way beyond

a sincere “sorry” to hurting people.

As the cartoon illustrates, we

blokes get „knocked‟ for how

we act—and we men do make

some bad mistakes. Ouch!

Perhaps a greater shame is

the way we‟ve taken the love

Jesus has for every person

and turned it into religion.

We Aussies are right to run a

mile from religion—it is never

what our Father in heaven

wants for you and I.

You‟ve probably had some

experiences of religion. Its

focus is on using fear, guilt,

manipulation and empty

ritual to help us think we‟ve

done enough to make God

happy with us. Religion is

about structures that keep

us trapped in a box of doing

things for God, but it robs

all the joy from our life.

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Its night. Shepherds and sheep.

The sky fills with light and an angel

speaks: “Don’t be afraid! I bring you

good news that will bring great joy

to all people. The Saviour has been

born today in Bethlehem.”

An angel choir sing, “Peace on earth

to those with whom God is pleased.”

(Luke 2:10-14) Catch the hope and

truth—Jesus‟ birth brings joy as we

are invited to experience God‟s love.

STORIES OF HOPE~FREEDOM FROM RELIGION

Wayne Jacobsen was in Sydney recently

sharing life. His story is too familiar. He

grew up in the church and experienced

religion. Wayne notes, “To help me feel

loved, I was seeking approval from God

and other Christians by my religious

performance. It just hid the emptiness

in my heart.” Wayne spent 15 years as a

pastor of a church and was then betrayed

by his best friend. The pain crushed Wayne for two years.

Wayne discovered he‟d been trapped by the lie—”I tried to do

things to make God happy with me when I failed. But then I

blamed God for all my pain. Freedom

came when I discovered that Jesus

loves me—even on my worst days.

My life is being transformed as I live

in the love Jesus has for me. I don‟t

have to perform or live under fear.”

Discover more at www.lifestream.org

Enjoy the transitions free audio series.

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I don‟t know what YOU

are seeking to cope with

at this Christmas.

However, I do know

who has come to walk

with us through the

reality of all you face.

Jesus came and he

brings HOPE in situations

that look impossible.

The shepherds hurried to the village

and found Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus.

Luke tells us: The shepherds told

everyone what had happened and what

the angel had said to them about this

child...Mary kept all these things in her

heart and thought about them often.

The shepherds went back to their flocks,

glorifying and praising God for all they

had heard and seen. It was just as the

angel had told them. Luke 2:17-20

Imagine the shepherds as they chat together after the event. It

had been just another day, filled with boring routine, doing the

chores and being nagged about jobs still on the „to do‟ list. An

angel choir and a visit to a baby promised to be the Messiah

and Saviour brings hope to the shepherds. Everything changes.

Into the everyday routines and challenges of our life, God

comes and speaks HOPE to you and I. He does it through

becoming one with us—Jesus is God become fully human.

Jesus Christ brings hope to us through a relationship of love.

We imagine he‟ll look at our life and speak words of rejection,

but Jesus does what we don‟t expect: He loves you and I totally.

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The early months

were heart-wrenching.

Eloise slowly recovers

and Yoshi, Emma‟s

husband, juggles care

for her and visits to

Emma. However the

doctors say Emma is

„brain dead‟ and they

suggest its OK to turn

off life support. Yoshi

hangs to hope.

He begins to believe Eloise can help save her mum. He says,

“I honestly believe that there were only two people in this battle.

That was Emma, who was trying to pull herself through and

Eloise, who could probably pull her mother out.”

Every day, Yoshi brought Eloise to the hospital, so she could hold

and touch her mother. “I had to hope this little girl would help

me find my wife,” says Yoshi. At first, nothing happened.

On March 14, Emma De Silva

took her 19 day old daughter

Eloise for their daily walk. 300

metres from home, a car mounted

the curb: knocking Emma high

into the air and colliding with

Eloise, still in her pram.

The baby had a broken shoulder,

but doctors said Emma would

either die or live with brain

injuries for the rest of her life.

Doctors did not count on the

extraordinary connection between

mother and child. Hope gave life.

A BABY’S TOUCH BRINGS HOPE AND TRANSFORMATION

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And then, 84 days

after falling into a

comma, Emma woke

up—holding Eloise in

her arms. With tears

in his eyes, Yoshi tells

Melissa Doyle, during

a Sunday Night

interview, “To me,

that was a miracle.”

Brain injury specialist,

Dr Clayton King agrees

that Eloise saved her

mother‟s life.

Yoshi adds:

“That little girl has

saved two people—

Emma and me.”

In the months following Emma‟s

waking from her coma, at the

Ryde Royal Rehabilitation Centre,

Emma re-learns to walk.

Melissa Doyle sums up her

interview with a comment:

“Out of the darkness,

the old Emma is

shining though.”

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This inspiring story

carries a deeper message—

we all need HOPE.

Eloise brought real hope

to Emma and Yoshi.

2000 years ago, a baby

was born. He grew to be

a man who gave his life

as Saviour for you and I.

JESUS CHRIST brings

transforming hope, total

forgiveness, eternal life

and unconditional love

to each person who says

“I‟ll join God‟s family.”

HOPE is best found in a relationship

with Jesus Christ. He puts it well in

a famous verse from John 3:16,17

Where are you in the journey?

"This is how much God

loved the world: He

gave his Son, his one

and only Son. And this

is why: so that no one

need be destroyed; by

believing in him, anyone

can have a whole and

lasting life. God didn't

go to all the trouble of

sending his Son merely

to point an accusing

finger, telling the world

how bad it was. He

came to help, to put

the world right again.”

Yes, it‟s true. God is passionately in love with you!

Christmas is God acting to re-build a relationship with

you and I. Our choice—welcome God into our life.

Scripture quotations are taken from

The Holy Bible, New International Version ®

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society

Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright ©1993-2002.

Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group

Text: Ross Wakeley Note: If you found this booklet helpful,

Ross has written about twenty others on a range of life issues.

You can access them for free at http://wakeley.weebly.com