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Dear friends, it’s time to
“nail our colours to the mast”.
What does this mean to you?
Cast your mind back to
previous centuries, to the days of the tall ships sailing the oceans in
search of precious goods, transporting spices and other valuable produce to
markets in Europe. Cast your mind back to the days of piracy and war under
sail, where enemy ships masked their identity to steal in on vulnerable prey,
where a ship on the horizon had to be identified quickly as friend or foe.
This was a matter of life and death.
The strong and the noble
flew their colours of identification. They were ready and prepared for the
fight. Others sought to hide their identification, to run up a flag of
convenience - to fly whatever flag they thought would bring them the best
protection.
There came a time in
battle when a decision would be made. A decision to nail the colours to
the mast. The flag of identification could not come down, it was nailed
on. You lived or died under your colours.
At Festival Victoria 2005
Major General Michael Jeffery, the Governor-General of Australia nailed his colours to the mast
before a crowd of 27,000 people and the media. He declared his faith
openly, similarly to his address to the National Prayer Breakfast in Canberra
in 2003.
Here is a man able to
speak at a Jewish Synagogue, a Moslem meeting and a Christian festival on the
same day. A man who can respect the diversity of Australian life and treat
all people with dignity yet be unswerving in declaring his own personal faith
in Christ.
Here is his speech with
an editorial side bar highlighting the topics raised:
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The case for a master designer
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"I guess all of us at some stage in our
lives have lain out under the stars on a really clear night and, looking
up into the lovely constellations above, thought long and deeply about the
universe, its size and complexity, how it all happened and why?
As we contemplate the total order,
beauty and harmony of the universe, it seems to have all the hallmarks of
some greater being or force responsible for, and in total control of it.
In his essay on the "Origin of the
Universe", Professor Stephen Hawking concluded: "Although science may
solve the problem of how the universe began, it can not answer the
question: why does the universe bother to exist? Maybe only God can
answer that."
It was only in 1925 that Edwin Hubble
was able to prove the existence of galaxies using the then new 100-inch
telescope at Mount Wilson. Now we know our galaxy is one of thousands of
millions, all apparently rushing away from each other at tremendous speed.
About 1000 million galaxies can be photographed by the largest optical
telescopes. Others, much further away, can be observed by radio telescope.
And within the vast cosmos is tiny earth.
But as insignificant as earth appears
in the vastness of the universe, it does have a uniqueness that is not
readily apparent in any other part of the cosmos that we know of. And that
unique thing is the existence of living, breathing life. And the wonder of
our planet is that, notwithstanding the millions of different life forms
on it, there is one group that dominates over all others, and that, of
course, is the human species. |
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We are spiritual people |
But unlike plants and animals, whose
biological growth is guided and controlled by the laws of nature, man I
suggest has been given something else - a special quality, a divine spark
which makes us different, animates us and, I would suggest, underpins our
values.
It is, in other words, our spirit. We
should strive to let this spirit – this essence of good - "be itself", and
be the dominant influence of our lives.
However, the spirit is, I suspect, a
little bit like the small seed of a delicate flower, which when planted,
requires careful nurturing of the soil, watering, and removal of weeds,
before it will germinate and develop into a beautiful bloom. |
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The author of life |
The existence of this distinct human
spiritual dimension makes it impossible for me to believe that there can
be anything other than a great force at work, who endows us at birth with
our spirit and whom we call God.
But this spirit, like the flower seed,
needs nurturing from birth, at home, in our churches and places of
learning… |
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The gift of free will |
On earth we were given a Garden of Eden
- well it certainly started that way - where everything was plentiful -
food, water, clean air and the wherewithal to live well within that
environment. But in so doing, the creator didn’t program us to do
everything that is morally right. He gave us instead the freedom of choice
through which we become largely responsible for our own actions and the
results thereof, hopefully weighted towards good through our unique
spirituality. |
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The gift of moral law as the guide to
happiness |
But with that responsibility for making
the right choice – the moral choice – God did provide other practical
assistance to help us. The guidelines for a good or decent life are simply
and clearly expressed in the Ten Commandments - those fundamental laws of
personal and social cohesion given to Moses through God on Mount Sinai.
And when you think about it, their
validity, their strength, their simplicity, hold just as true today as
they did over thousands of years ago. And it is in the obedience to these
fundamental laws, that in the end largely decides whether we will be truly
happy or otherwise.
But, of course, being human, we
sometimes fail and have to pick ourselves up and try again. |
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The gift of Jesus Christ
His trial
death
atonement
resurrection
Response of faith |
To assist us further in our willing
obedience to God's universal laws, is the example given us by his Son,
Jesus Christ. His humble entry into the human race, his early childhood in
very ordinary circumstances preparing for his ministry. And then just
three short but incredible years of teaching, healing and leadership,
embracing a tiny area... followed by his trial in which he was found totally
innocent by Pilate, by Herod and by Pilate again.
Yet he accepted without bitterness,
without complaint, the mob's demand that he suffer that most excruciating
death of all, crucifixion as an innocent man, and in so doing to bear the
sins forever of all of us on earth, no matter what we have said or done.
And then to rise from the dead and make himself known to his disciples as
proof of his resurrection.
These are things - and in particular
the resurrection - that do require a deep and fundamental faith, a faith
encapsulating Christ's life and word that has been told to us for 2000
years in the most popular book of all time, a faith that billions have
believed in and continue so to do, a faith for which many thousands have
given their lives. |
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The need for faith today |
But, notwithstanding our innate
spirituality, Christ's unparalleled example of human love and the simple
guidelines given us for a fulfilling and enriched life, we are, I think,
losing our way in some respects.
In today's society, individual rights
are emphasised while personal responsibility is down-played. The result of
this imbalance can be seen all around us: high family break-up rates,
personal greed, drugs and violence.
Technology has enabled us to produce
more and better goods, but it has not necessarily improved the mental
wellbeing or the fundamental happiness of our families and communities.
Even though our knowledge of the
physical world has increased tremendously, many people remain out of touch
with life's spiritual dimension. |
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What is our purpose?
What is the basis of happiness? |
For our young people, this can pose a
fundamental problem of what it is they want to achieve on the magnificent
planet that has been provided for them.
If asked, most would probably say they
want a happy and fulfilling life.
But how is genuine happiness and
fulfilment attained? Some would say satisfaction of our material needs and
wants will get us there. But I suggest that something more is required -
namely, that a strong spiritual base and faith is essential for real
happiness. |
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Personal testimony |
No man is an island, and in times of
deep trouble and stress, human beings need to call on a well of deeper
understanding and support than perhaps is available in the increasingly
secular and material environment of today.
My sense of spirituality, my belief in
God, began when I was quite young - at home, then at Sunday school, school
and so on. But it was a general belief, not a committed certainty.
That came in Vietnam as a combat
soldier commanding 120 fine young Australians. It was in the daily
situation for 13 months, of knowing that at any time one's soldiers or
oneself might die or be badly wounded, that one really thought seriously
about the hereafter and genuinely prayed for help and guidance.
Some of my most intense moments
spiritually have been in the steamy heat of the jungle in Malaya, Borneo
and Vietnam, with the sentries posted, the cicadas chirruping, listening
to the quiet voice of our padre - invariably standing on an ammunition box
- before we went into action.
Then, after the violence and terror of
battle, the quiet aftermath, tending the wounded, praying with the padre
over our dead, and thanking God for our own survival.
Then writing to the parents, as a
commander has to do, almost always sitting alone in a little tent at
night, in the rain - wet, dirty, uncomfortable, tired and sad - to tell
those good people at home that their son had just been killed or wounded
and struggling to find the words to convey the sense of it all.
At that time, in particular, but also
in other difficult times of my life, I desperately needed something beyond
the presence and support of my soldiers to be with me, to help me - and
invariably that presence was the Lord. |
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God’s faithfulness
Invitation
Blessing |
He never failed to be there to give me
strength and hope. And he has continued to so throughout my life.
The incredible thing, the wonderful
thing is that he is there for all of us, if we but ask.
Thank you and God bless you all." |
The Governor-General has
modelled for us a capacity to publicly articulate his faith in a
multi-cultural society. He outlined his faith on a rationale basis and then
give his personal testimony. He was willing to go public when many in the
media espouse anti-Christian views.
Let us be garrisoned in our faith. Let us also
be warriors for Christ, able to take the heat and give a good account
for the faith that is within us:
“You are the light of the world. A city on a
hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a
bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the
house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may
see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matt 5:14-16). |
