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This resource is designed to help students and families understand the largely forgotten spirituality that is at the basis of Anzac Day commemorations which are held each year on 25th April.

Purpose

This lesson highlights several Christian elements that are foundational to Anzac Day commemorations (including the bugle calls, Rising Sun Badge and flag ceremony). It promotes the Ode of Remembrance along with the “Greater love” saying of Christ and the patriotic song God Bless Australia.

Preparation

Get ready to play these YouTube video clips:

Print Commemorating Anzac Day.

Print the Anzac Day crossword and obtain safety pins and sprigs of rosemary. During the lesson (or at another time) Anzac biscuits may be baked.

Activity

Give each person a sprig of rosemary and a safety pin, so it may be worn near the left shoulder. Run the two videos to provide historic and contemporary reflections on the Anzac tradition. Recite the “Greater love” statement of Christ, using the time-honoured King James Bible version:

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13)

Invite everyone to repeat that quotation, in turn (emphasising the tongue’s placement for “hath”). Recite the Ode of Remembrance (dating from WWI), then repeat it with everyone echoing each line:

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them. Lest we forget.

Highlight aspects from the resource: Commemorating Anzac Day.

Have someone read this statement using a loud and authoritative voice, as a prelude to inviting everyone to tackle the crossword - using a pencil to write in capital letters for maximum neatness:

Anzac Day is held on 25th April to honour all our military personnel. Among them was John Simpson, who (with his donkey) rescued wounded soldiers at Gallipoli (a battlefield in Turkey), exemplifying the “Greater love” words of Christ, recorded in the Gospel of John (the Fourth Gospel). Australian soldiers carry a rifle with a bayonet, and wear the slouch hat (decorated by emu feathers) with upturned brim affixed by the Rising Sun Badge (with the Crown of King Edward the Confessor on which is the cross). Anzac Day is highlighted by the wearing of sprigs of rosemary (a herb associated with remembrance), enjoying Anzac biscuits and watching the clash of AFL traditional rivals Essendon and Collingwood.

Baking and sharing Anzac biscuits

Families, schools, Sunday School groups, youth groups and churches may enjoy making Anzac biscuits (that originally were called Soldiers’ Biscuits), perhaps using the following recipe from Wikipedia, that reproduces an original recipe provided by Bob Lawson, an ANZAC present at the Gallipoli landing.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup each of plain flour, sugar, rolled oats, and coconut
  • 4 oz (butter
  • 1 tbls treacle (golden syrup)
  • 2 tbls boiling water
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate soda (add a little more water if mixture is too dry)

Method

  • Grease a biscuit tray and pre-heat oven to 180°C.
  • Combine the dry ingredients.
  • Melt together the butter and golden syrup.
  • Combine water and bicarbonate soda, and add to the butter mixture, mixing thoroughly.
  • Drop teaspoons of the mixture onto the tray, allowing room between each for expansion.
  • Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden.
  • Allow to cool on tray for a few minutes before transferring to cooling racks.

Makes about 35 biscuits.

A suggested Order of Proceedings for Anzac Day commemorations

Services at dawn [or mid-morning] traditionally commemorate Anzac Day using the following timings, depending on where the observers reside. These Dawn Service and mid-morning service timings relate to Adelaide, where the sun rises on Anzac Day at about 6:58 am:

6:30 [10:30] Lower the flag to "half - mast", followed by hymns, prayers and any reflection;
6:58 [10:58] Recite the Ode of Remembrance (with the last line echoed) as the sun rises;
6:59 [10:59] Play The Last Post bugle call - as the instruction to soldiers to sleep (at night or in death); 7:00 [11:00] Keep one minute of silence - denoting dead soldiers asleep;
7:01 [11:01] Play The Rouse bugle call, instructing soldiers to rise from sleep and death [raise the flag]; 7:02 [11:02] Quote the words "Lest we forget" (echoed by everyone present);
7:03 [11:03] Sing (or listen) to the playing of the National Anthems of Australia and New Zealand.

Sunrise times in Australian capital cities on Anzac Day 2020

6:58 Adelaide   6:10 Brisbane   6:35 Canberra   6:53 Darwin
6:54 Hobart   6:55 Melbourne   6:44 Perth   6:25 Sydney

The Order of Proceedings (above) can be adjusted to suit the timing of the sunrise Dawn service times depending on where you live.

See https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/australia

Franklin Graham

Franklin Graham has defended Samaritan’s Purse after LGBT activists criticised the ministry’s Christian-based response to the Covid-19 crisis.

Under his leadership, Samaritan’s Purseis running an emergency field hospital in New York’s Central Park.

But LGBT activists have criticised the ministry for requiring its members hold Christian views.

“It’s true, for 50 years, we have asked our paid staff to subscribe to a Statement of Faith—but we have never asked any of the millions of people we have served to subscribe to anything,” Graham said in a statement.

“In other words, as a religious charity, while we lawfully hire staff who share our Christian beliefs, we do not discriminate in who we serve.

“We have provided billions of dollars of medical care and supplies, food and water, and emergency shelter without any conditions whatsoever,” he said.

“Our Christian faith compels us—like the biblical Good Samaritan—to love and serve everyone in need, regardless of their faith or background.”

Graham said he did not mind opposition or criticism, but objected to harassment that diverted personnel from serving COVID-19 victims due to demands for documents and other information.

ducktales

In the latest attempt to normalise same-sex parent arrangement, Disney has featured a ‘gay’ dad duo on their animated XD series, DuckTales.

The animated show had previously hinted about character Violet’s gay dads, but the season three opener made it very clear. 

In the latest episode, it's revealed that Violet’s friend Lena has been adopted by Violet's two dads. The two gay characters are seen wearing shirts that read, "I'm With Dad" with arrows pointing at each other.

In one scene, Lena excitedly cheers for Violet, yelling, "That's my sister from a couple misters!" while their dads proudly clap at her side.  

The show’s co-executive producer Frank Angones lamented that the homosexual characters are not more prominent.

“Violet’s dads are present and show up but do not play a huge role in the story thus far.”

“…we had a lot of conversations about who Violet was and what her background was and came up with this fun notion of her too enthusiastic, overly supportive dads who love being dads.”

Writing on Tumblr earlier this month, Agones made it clear that the introduction of the characters was a step at breaking down “heteronormative” stereotypes and indicated more LGTBQ themes were on the way.

“We’ve done pretty well on racial diversity and representation of people with limb differences, but we really have not done enough relevant LGBTQ+ rep. We do have some themes and ideas coming up that address relevant LGBTQ+ narratives,” Agones said.

prostitution

Workers at a brothel in Melbourne have been charged with employing a child as a prostitute.

Police visited the premises in September 2019, located in Heidelberg West, and discovered that a minor was allegedly being paid as a prostitute.

The Daily Mail reported:

Two male workers, aged 32 and 60, and a woman, 50, from the brothel were arrested in October last year by the Victoria Police Sex Industry Coordination Unit.

The trio face a string of charges, including having a child over 18 months in a brothel, obtaining payment for sexual services provided by a child and allowing a child to take part in sex work.

The case will be next before the Melbourne Magistrates Court on April 22. 

williambarr

US Attorney-General Bill Barr has warned state and local governments about unjustly burdening churches during the coronavirus crisis.

“The United States Department of Justice will continue to ensure that religious freedom remains protected if any state or local government, in their response to COVID-19, singles out, targets, or discriminates against any house of worship for special restrictions,” said Barr.

“Even in times of emergency, when reasonable and temporary restrictions are placed on rights, the First Amendment and federal statutory law prohibit discrimination against religious institutions and religious believers.

“Government may not impose special restrictions on religious activity that do not also apply to similar nonreligious activity.

“For example, if a government allows movie theaters, restaurants, concert halls, and other comparable places of assembly to remain open and unrestricted, it may not order houses of worship to close, limit their congregation size, or otherwise impede religious gatherings.  Religious institutions must not be singled out for special burdens,” he added.

Barr said that the Department of Justice has filed a Statement of Interest in support of a church in Mississippi that held parking lot worship services. 

“The City of Greenville fined congregants $500 per person for attending these parking lot services – while permitting citizens to attend nearby drive-in restaurants, even with their windows open. The City appears to have thereby singled churches out as the only essential service (as designated by the state of Mississippi) that may not operate despite following all CDC and state recommendations regarding social distancing,” said Barr.

“As we explain in the Statement of Interest, where a state has not acted even-handedly, it must have a compelling reason to impose restrictions on places of worship and must ensure that those restrictions are narrowly tailored to advance its compelling interest.  While we believe that during this period there is a sufficient basis for the social distancing rules that have been put in place, the scope and justification of restrictions beyond that will have to be assessed based on the circumstances as they evolve.”

Barr said that religion and religious worship continue to be central to the lives of millions of Americans. 

“Religious communities have rallied to the critical need to protect the community from the spread of this disease by making services available online and in ways that otherwise comply with social distancing guidelines.”