CHRISTIAN kindness needed to extend beyond our community to people fleeing hardship in other countries, Anglican worshippers were told at Christmas services.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Father Scott Lowrey, of the Anglican Parish of Warrnambool’s Christ Church, said his sermons at the four Christmas Eve and Christmas Day masses aimed to encourage people to be good Christians on a local and national scale.
“The gift of Jesus draws us away from being self-centred and self-interested,” Father Lowrey said.
“We should be expressing kindness and compassion to those in our community … and seek to alleviate the difficulties of those in our community.”
He said good Christians should extend that kindness to those fleeing hardships and seeking asylum in our country. “We need to be generous as a nation to refugees and those in detention centres,” Father Lowery said.
“Australians (traditionally) have been compassionate to people coming to this great nation.”
St John’s Presbyterian Church Minister Ben Johnson said the Christmas sermon focused on the unplanned nature of the birth of Jesus, while reflecting on the past year.
“We’re looking at it from a human perspective ... here we have a young couple pregnant before marriage, giving birth in a manger ... it’s very unplanned,” Mr Johnson said.
“What we’re hoping is that people will take away more about their relationship with our creator.”