St Paul's MU & Friends (Anglican Mothers Union Australia)We are a mission agency of the Anglican Church of Australia and part of the worldwide Mothers Union with links to 83 countries and over four million members who share one heartfelt vision - to bring about a world where God's love is shown through prayer and loving, respectful and flourishing relationships.
On July 30th 2023, St Paul's MU celebrated 70 years since the branch was commenced in 1953. |
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Thought for the Week from Mothers Union Australia
Sunday 12th November 2023 Challenging Domestic Abuse ‘Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute’ (Proverbs 31:8) There are many evils in domestic abuse and domestic violence. The very place which should be safe and encouraging becomes dangerous and fearful. It is very hard to talk about a personal experience of this problem with others. We should be aware that friends may suffer in this way and pray for them and listen to them and encourage them. But we should also support the moves of organisations like the Mothers Union as we speak out against abuse and violence in the public arena, confront it on behalf of those who suffer and provide practical help. Question for self: Am I a supportive person? Gracious Lord, as we pray for Mothers Union members across the world we again pray for marriages and relationships to be free from violence and abuse. Protect the victims and may they know that true comfort and justice comes from their Heavenly Father, their Shepherd who walks with them. Amen Thought for the Week from Mothers Union Australia Sunday 19th November 2023 Positive Gender Roles ‘Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good’ (1 Corinthians 12:7) Our personal gifts vary significantly. As I pray for my children and grandchildren, I can see them as individuals and I smile at their delightful differences. What should I pray for? I am thankful that in our world so many opportunities have arisen for both men and women and this needs to become normal. I don’t think I pray that they will all become doctors (though it would be good to have a doctor in the family!), I pray that they will take those varied gifts and use them with all their might for the good of others. Our Christian calling is love and I pray that they will always walk the path of love with the Lord Jesus who loves them. Question for self: What do I pray for young people? Merciful Lord, we pray for Muyinga in Burundi as members work towards peace and reconciliation and endeavour to find an effective way of addressing domestic violence and other family issues. They ask that we pray that the cycle and chain of violence in families be broken. Give thanks for the work of the Mothers Union in Bendigo as the whole diocese is getting involved with the 16 Days of Activism and MU is going to be providing prayer diaries for all parishes, as well as the Facebook campaign again through their Cathedral page. Amen Thought for the Week from Mothers Union Australia Sunday 26th November 2023 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence ‘Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good’ (Romans:12:9). I can still remember coming across a case of domestic violence in the Christian community I belonged to. I was shocked. It was not something that I personally grew up with, or even I had heard of. But that is part of evil – those who suffer do not wish to speak and those who perpetrate it often seem quite good citizens. Of course, as time has passed I have become aware of the extent of the pain, and that it does indeed occur in Christian homes. We do need to speak out against it and to offer our support to those who suffer. We must indeed stress that it is utterly alien to any concept of marriage approved by God and we must support those who suffer world-wide. Mothers Union is well-placed to be active in these matters and we are called to do so. Thought for self: Have I been silent too long? Almighty and everlasting God, we pray for gender justice throughout the world. We bring before you the nations of South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Sri Lanka and the UK and pray that you will equip the Mothers Union in each country as they speak out against gender-based violence. May they comfort the victims and point them to you, their true comforter. Amen Thought for the Week from Mothers Union Australia Sunday 3rd December 2023 God with us ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means “God with us”)’ (Matthew 1:23) We are comforted by the thought that God is with us when we go through troubles. But the reason why we can be so confident about this is that he is with us in an amazing and grace-filled way. He came among us ‘full of grace and truth’ in the person of his Word, his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He was one of us and he is one of us. He is our Saviour, our Advocate, our elder brother, our friend. He is Immanuel. Thought for self: Do I love Jesus? Gracious Lord, we pray for members in India especially in the Diocese of Cuttack that as they cope with poverty and human trafficking they will have the words to say that assures their neighbours and friends of you love for them and that Jesus is their true friend. Amen Thought for the Week from Mothers Union Australia Sunday 10th December 2023 Waiting with Anticipation ‘They tell us how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead – Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath’ (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10). During Advent we focus on the return of Jesus. He has promised to return, and his return will be the end of the old and the beginning of the new. In the midst of it there is judgement, for God is a just God and will bring all to account. But we have hope. Our Saviour rescues us because he has died for us. No wonder we sing, ‘Come thou long-expected Jesus’. Thought for self: Am I ready for the return of Jesus? God of the nations, there are so many struggles across the world, and we pray again for the Mothers Union members as they meet together in prayer bringing their requests to you. We pray for Lusaka in Zambia and for members as they seek to address the many issues that affect family life. Amen Thought for the Week from Mothers Union Australia Sunday 17th December 2023 Glad Tidings ‘She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins’ (Matthew 1:21) The birth of a new child always provokes the question of the name. Some choices are rather strange – or so it seems to me! Of course, most names have a meaning. The name of ‘Jesus’ was chosen for its meaning, namely ‘The Lord saves’. In Hebrew, the name is Joshua, and so reminds us of one of the great saviours of the Old Testament. Joshua saved God’s people from their enemies. Jesus was born to save us from our sins by dying for us on the cross. Question for self: Am I trusting Jesus to save me from my sins? Loving God, we thank you for the courage and faithfulness of members in South Sudan in the face of constant conflict. May they continue to persevere as they bring hope of your love to troubled families. Pray too, for the Diocese of the Murray in South Australia as they continue to run the Families Equip parenting program that those who come will learn of your love for them. Amen Thought for the Week from Mothers Union Australia Sunday 24th December 2023 Nativity ‘I bring you good news…’ (Luke 2:10) The good news of the birth of Jesus is the best news of all. God is not absent from us, but has come among us in the Person of his Son. No wonder the true experience of Christmas is joy! No wonder that some of the best Christian songs centre on Christmas. How strange it is that the world turns Christmas into materialism, the spending of money and the making of profits, which in the end yields no joy at all. But we have Jesus, the Saviour who brings the riches of life eternal. Question for self: What gives me joy at Christmas? We bring before you Heavenly Father, the many peoples who have had to leave their homeland due to war or persecution. May they find peace and security here in Australia as they struggle to cope withs many changes but above all may they find peace with you through Jesus. Amen Thought for the Week from Mothers Union Australia Sunday 31st December 2023 Satisfy Us ‘Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love’ (Psalm 90:14) And so, we come to the end of the year and the beginning of the new year. Psalm 90 is a wonderful gift from God for such a time as this. I love reading it and hope that you do also. It reminds us of our own frailty and the shortness of our lives. But it does so in contrast with the God for whom one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years but one day. He is eternal and awesome. But as well, he is love and meets us each morning until the end with his unfailing love. What a great God we have and what a wonderful hope lies before us. Question for self: Am I satisfied with the love of God? Gracious Heavenly Father, we thank you for the wonderful fellowship we share as members of Mothers Union worldwide. We thank you that we can bring all our requests to you. We pray that your name will be honoured and glorified so that men and women everywhere will turn to you, seek your forgiveness, and live for you. In Jesus’ name. Amen. AMUA Prayer and Spirituality Coordinator Christine Jensen OAM prayer@muaustralia.org.au |
