"Look to the rock from which you were cut and the quarry from which you were hewn."  Isaiah  Chapter 51 Verse 1

These words from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah were written to the Jews who had returned to a ruined city of Jerusalem after many years in exile in Babylon.  They found their city in ruins, the walls broken down.  They were faced with the immense task of re-building and re-establishing their homes as well as the city.  Formidable!

Their leaders were bewildered, and unsure.  The people were feeling despair.  Food was short, water scarce, and all infrastructure was broken or destroyed.  Religion was at a low ebb and they felt that God had deserted them, and they had forgotten God.

Isaiah reminds them of the "good old days" when food was plentiful, when the old folks sat under their fig trees and grape vines and their grand-children played in the streets; their houses were secure and the city walls kept out intruders and foreigners.

Some days we feel as though the word in which we live is like this.  Despair about financial failures, rising interest rates, political instability, the threat of terrorism, wars and upheaval all make us think back to our good old days when life was less complicated.

But, not for long!  We think a great deal about where we have come from and how much better things are today than those far off days when life was tough.

But, then think about the state of our cities and towns at night!  Think of the problems with young people (and some not so young) with drugs and alcohol.  Think of our old folks; think of the uncertainty of work; think of any number of social problems and we may begin to long for those good old days.

So what of the rock from which we were cut and the quarry from we were hewn?

What was that like?

Scratch practically anyone over fifty, and many younger than that, and I find them telling me about "when they went to Sunday School" or Mass or church.  They will tell me about great days in the Scouts, or YMCA or any number of activities which occupied leisure time.

Most of us were cut from homes which were hard working and full of responsibilities.  Most of us lived close to neighbours who supported each other in difficult times; we lived near or with grand-parents or uncles and aunts who influenced our lives; where our mothers were at home looking after us and our family, and many lived in close connection with our local churches, where other peoples' fathers, mothers, and grand-parents influenced the ways we thought.

So as we think about the past and the future of Kyneton, its prosperity and wealth, its economic growth and all those things, let us never forget the enduring aspects of our past which were the "quarry" from which our social life and the "rocks" from which our personal lives were cut.

Let us never forget the spiritual, social and personal wealth we still need and the responsibility we have to pass this on to those who come after us.  Older people have been labelled the greedy and selfish generation.  Let it not be said of us!

If we do neglect this, or fail to recognize its importance to the future of our families, our neighbours and our town we will neglect the future of our collective children in the next generations.

And the loss will be great!