Dear friends of BCUC,There’s been a lot happening in the world lately. As I write this, it is an official Day of Mourning for the victims of the Bondi shootings. There is great concern, and much commentary, about whether we are living through the collapse of the current rules-based world order. It seems that today’s Western society is becoming even more polarised, to the point of violence. We need to rediscover the art of having loving disagreement.Then we have the annual, and often confused, observance of Australia Day. The Uniting Church Assembly asks churches to remember the Sunday prior as a Day of Mourning, to stand in solidarity with Australia’s First Peoples whose pain is real. Are we to see 26 January through the lens of celebration—giving thanks for the many blessings we have in contemporary Australia—or through the lens of colonial invasion and the ongoing oppression of First Peoples? As a follower of Jesus, my heart is predisposed to find joy and give thanks in all circumstances, while also seeking justice and compassion for those who are oppressed and hurting.It’s also the last weekend before children return to school, which brings its own mix of emotions and preparations.Through all that is going on, I find the closing words of the second letter of Peter helpful. He is writing in the context of Jesus’ second coming and the day of the Lord, when the heavens will be set on fire and the elements will melt away. How are we to live until then? Peter draws us back to living out of our values, focusing not so much on the wider problems of the world, but on how we behave in the here and now: “Make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.” And finally, “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).This Sunday, despite all that is happening in the world, I’d like us to focus on what it means to “grow in grace.” That certainly sounds like something I’d like to do—and it might even change the world along the way.See you Sunday.Your brother in Christ,Benji