The Spirit of Our Nation

Each year on January 26 we celebrate the work of our unsung heroes, those Australians who devote themselves to serving others, people from all walks of life who embody the Australian Spirit. It is good that we do that as a nation. It helps us to stop and consider all the good things done by many good Australians during the year or past years. There are too many negative events splashed about in the media, so it is very wholesome and healing to our souls for Good News to take precedence.

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The news heading “The Spirit of a Nation” was used in a local paper’s story about Australia Day. This prompted Peter to compare this with the Holy Spirit. He is at present reading a Bible commentary: Together into Life - A Pastoral Commentary on the Gospel According to John, by Fr. John McKinnon, and had been reading about the Spirit of Christ.

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A fundamentalist understanding of Jesus’ statement, “no one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6), has become the motivation and permission for much insensitivity and aggression on the part of the Christian Church worldwide.

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The issue is more complex and involves the work of the Spirit of Christ in people’s hearts and lives. For the writer of John, this was how he saw it, that God could only be known through faith in Jesus. This theological issue remains hotly contested. Over the changing history of the world, culture has also changed and relies heavily on the work of the Spirit of God to lead in understanding for peace of mind and heart, including how to apply the Scriptures’ truth.

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It is clearly presumption to assume that people without knowledge or commitment to Jesus have been deprived of the possibility of eternity with God, even thought Jesus’ death and resurrection two millennia ago opens the way for it.

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It is certainly Spirit-led and a blessing of service to share stories of healing and freedom found through faith in Jesus with those who have not known him. But at the same time this must always be done with sensitive respect, motivated by love and genuine interest in the other’s story. The Spirit will guide in God’s love and wisdom because human comprehension in this matter of human salvation is very incomplete and always a work in progress.

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In so many ways the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Australia have to be one and the same personality of love and service. We are a nation celebrating the work of the Holy Spirit through the humble hands of all who courageously serve life, and all generations are represented here. We have good reason to celebrate and crow about God’s goodness towards our nation in moments such as these. 
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