It was a pleasure this morning to attend the National Prayer Breakfast in the Great Hall of Parliament house with 500 others as well as key national leaders.
This was the 30th National Prayer Breakfast event and it celebrated the influence that people of Christian faith are making in our nation. It highlighted the best of Christian leadership and the ability of political leadership to put aside partisan politics for a morning.
The breakfast was co-hosted by Senator Amanda Stoker (Liberal Qld) and Luke Gosling (ALP member for Solomon NT). Speaking this morning was both PM Scott Morrison and opposition leader Anthony Albanese. There was a wide range of dignitaries and PMs as part of the crowd who filled the Great Hall.
Prayer, said Morrison, was a reminder of the humanity and vulnerability of every politician.
Key speaker for the morning was Governor-General The Hon. David Hurley. His address was marked by humour, wisdom as well as a clear and unapologetic Christian message. As part of his address, Hurley outlined a summary of world affairs he picked up on a visit to the United States. The global state of affairs was summarised with the acronym VUCA: Volatility, Uncertainly, Complexity and Ambiguity.
Hurley outlined the response that the Bible and Christian faith has to VUCA: that is stability, certainty, simplicity and clarity. Hurley called on the nation to reflect the scriptural values of justice, fairness, tolerance and helpfulness. For all levels of our community to deliver these values we will need to live out the teaching of Jesus, the place to start is to become a servant, he said.
PM Scott Morrison followed Hurley and focused in part on the need for prayer. Morrison used his time to launch a new small book “Amen – A history of prayers in Parliament”. Prayer, said Morrison, was a reminder of the humanity and vulnerability of every politician.
Opposition leader Albanese thanked all involved and reinforced the important place the National Prayer Breakfast had in the life of parliament.
In a world where politics has become toxic and social commentary typified by obnoxious vitriol, this event was good for the soul. Here are key leaders within our nation stopping to pray together, recognising the need for humility and their fragility before God and being willing to state publicly that Christian faith matters in our society. You may not read about this is the mainstream media, but this was a significant gathering.
Karl Faase – CEO Olive Tree Media, Chair of BGEA & Samaritans Purse Boards Australia.
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