Of all the words that Jesus spoke, the ones most commonly repeated by his followers are the prayer that begins, "Our Father". Jesus took a big gamble when he spoke of our Father in heaven. God is beyond gender, neither male nor female. God is beyond our imagination. God is spirit, with no human body, so in calling God male or female we are projecting our own human notions into the immortal and invisble.

Moreover if we have bad associations or memories of either father or mother, we risk contaminating our idea of God with them. That is where Jesus took the gamble. Those who have known a father as a tyrant, drunk, abusive or absent, may have negative responses to "Our Father in heaven". If Jesus had spoken of "Our Mother in heaven", he would have run a simialr risk.

I wait quietly for God's touch in my heart.
In that is my strength and my salvation.
Remembering that touch I am free.
The day's events do not shake me.
I am often besieged, from within and without by forces that would topple me -
Doubts, difficulties, enemies, depressions, my own double-mindedness.
I wait quietly for God's touch in my heart -
In that touch I know my strength and my salvation.

Put your trust in God.
Pour out your heart and find refuge,
for people, leaders and nations are all temporal.
Idolising wealth is foolish.
Our education and good deeds take us only so far.
When God speaks in our hearts -
that is what gives life its shine.
It opens us to love and helps us to be loving.
Therefore I wait quietly for God's touch in my heart.

Psalm 62
From Psalms for a New World, Christine Robinson http://doubterpsalms.blogspot.com

On 13th April we joined with other churches in Hobsons Bay down at the Williamstown Festival.

We wanted to bless our community by providing childrens' activities for free.  Just about everything else for children at the festival came with a hefty fee (particulalrly if you have a few kids!).