1st April, 2012 Passion Sunday Last Sunday in Lent
Palm Sunday Liturgy of the Passion
Sentence
At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:10-11
Collect
God of all, You gave Your only-begotten Son to take the form of a servant, and to be obedient to death even the death on a cross; give us the same mind that was in Christ Jesus, that, sharing His humility, we may come to be with Him in His glory, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God now and for ever.
Amen
Old Testament Lesson Isaiah 50: 4 – 9a
The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word. Morning by morning he wakens-- wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught. The Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I did not turn backward. I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I did not hide my face from insult and spitting. The Lord GOD helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame; he who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who are my adversaries? Let them confront me. It is the Lord GOD who helps me; who will declare me guilty? All of them will wear out like a garment; the moth will eat them up.
Psalm 31: 9 – 18
Have mercy upon me O Lord, for I am in trouble: my eyes waste away for grief, my throat also and my inward parts
For my life wears out in sorrow, and my years with sighing: my strength fails me in my affliction and my bones are consumed
I am become the scorn of my enemies: and my neighbours wag their heads in derision
I am a thing of horror to my friends: and those that see me in the street shrink from me
I am forgotten like one dead and out of mind: I have become a broken vessel.
For I hear the whispering of many: and fear is on every side
While they plot together against me: and scheme to take away my life
But in You, Lord, have I put my trust: I have said, ‘You are my God.’
All my days are in Your hand: O deliver me from the power of my enemies, and from my persecutors
Make Your face to shine upon Your servant: and save me for Your mercy’s sake
Epistle Philippians 2: 5 – 11
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death-- even death on a cross.
Therefore God also highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
GOSPEL Mark 14: 1 – 15
It was two days before the Passover and the festival of Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill Jesus; for they said, "Not during the festival, or there may be a riot among the people."
While he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment of nard, and she broke open the jar and poured the ointment on his head. But some were there who said to one another in anger, "Why was the ointment wasted in this way? For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor." And they scolded her. But Jesus said, "Let her alone; why do you trouble her? She has performed a good service for me. For you always have the poor with you, and you can show kindness to them whenever you wish; but you will not always have me. She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for its burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her."
Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. When they heard it, they were greatly pleased, and promised to give him money. So he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.
On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, his disciples said to him, “Where do you want us to go and make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?" So he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, "Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him, and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, 'The Teacher asks, Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?' He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there." So the disciples set out and went to the city, and found everything as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover meal.
When it was evening, he came with the twelve. And when they had taken their places and were eating, Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me." They began to be distressed and to say to him one after another, "Surely, not I?" He said to them, "It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the bowl with me. For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born." While they were eating, he took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to them, and said, "Take; this is my body." Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, and all of them drank from it. He said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly I tell you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."
When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. And Jesus said to them, "You will all become deserters; for it is written, 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.' But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee." Peter said to him, "Even though all become deserters, I will not." Jesus said to him, "Truly I tell you, this day, this very night, before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times." But he said vehemently, "Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you." And all of them said the same.
They went to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." He took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be distressed and agitated. And said to them, "I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and keep awake." And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. He said, "Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want." He came and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep awake one hour? Keep awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words.
© New Revised Standard Version of the Bible
Copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the
Churches of Christ in the USA, and used by permission. All rights reserved
NOTES ON THE READINGS
Old Testament Lesson
One can almost feel the struggle in these words, of one fighting against both evil and the thought of surrendering to it! You may well know the difficulty of holding out against what you know to be false and evil, if you have been in a similar position yourself. But notice also the intense determination to remain true whatever contrary pressure is exerted.
These Servant Songs began life as an exploration by the prophet as to the reason, real reason for Israel’s existence. (Sadly, Israel never seems to have understood them so!) As the exploration continued, so did the narrowing of the framework – it became obvious to Isaiah that only part of Israel, then a smaller part, until finally it devolved to a single person. We see that Person to be Jesus. (Mind you, the whole importance still remains that the people of God are called to, even required to operate in ths same sort of way.)
If you are game enough to see it, the People of God, of whatever age, are called to attest to a completely different way of operating in order that reconciliation can occur, life become more true and just, and that potential for people, life and history can unfold in the direction it was designed to move. If you find that to be an enormous scope, then take time to absorb it – this is quite some of what the Gospel is all about, and has always been on about.
Psalm
And how does a person who is in the straits as mentioned above? This old psalmist has quite something of the answer. Yes, it is one hell of a struggle to remain true; and it can be done only in the strength of the Father.
Epistle
Goodness, do you want all this all over again? I find this one of the most highly significant passages in the New Testament, yet it tends to be a delight for Christians, who manage to miss the major point of the whole thing! This is considered to be one of the earliest hymns of the Christian Church and it encapsulates the main focus of the Faith. If you have never travelled this path before, please sit down, hold your breath and be stunned.
The story of the Fall (Genesis 3) is not just there to prove you to be a sinner: the Creation Stories are in fact the Biblical answer as to what has gone wrong in life and in human relationships. It has nothing to do with apples or even other fruit. It has everything to do with our individual and corporate demand to be considered top dog. Power games, the determination to rule everyone around us. Refusal to be creature and demand to be creator. And that is where all the screw up in life stems from.
This passage in Philippians compares and contrasts the roles, if you will, of Adam (representative human) and Jesus. The former grasps for divinity; the latter does not, but is content to serve. Not only does Jesus defeat Adam but is also the example par excellence of how to live in this distorted and unhappy world. Yes, exemplar, for He calls those who follow Him to operate with the same mind.
If you wish to follow this up further, may I suggest that you look up diowillochra.org.au and find the Sermon Archives and go back a few years in my list.
GOSPEL
There is rarely any sermon on Passion Sunday, but the reading of the Passion Narrative as considerable length. In Mark’s narrative, one can see fairly clearly the contrast between the Servant of the Lord, and His antagonists, especially in the light of today’s absolutely stunning Epistle.
SERMON NOTES
There has been quite a lot of comment recently about the veracity or otherwise of the Biblical record, both Old Testament and New. What follows is not so much a defence against such comments, but a series of thoughts to keep it all in perspective.
I imagine that most people are well aware of the extent to which Biblical criticism has taken place over the past 250 years or so, partly no doubt as a result of the Enlightenment so called in Europe. While much of that attention had been very negative – and sometimes quite correct! – it has also been very helpful in getting to the reality of which the Judaic and Christian Faiths has been expressing. Charles Darwin set the cat among the pigeons for many people over the 150 years or so since his ‘Origin’ emerged, whilst the reality was that it forced the Church to see that the Creation stories are not and never were intended to be seen as history, but like the Aboriginal Dreamtime stories, were and are theological views of humanity and our tendency to rather egotistic actions.
What has occurred over that long period of critical analysis, is a sort of series of cycles of examination of the Faith, sometimes damaging and later correcting with adjustment of understanding along the way, There is nothing all that terribly new about this – it is the process used by ancient Israel in their search for understanding the meaning of life .... and of God.
What I would emphasise this morning, as you ponder the readings offered, is to focus on the Epistle, for it underlines the basic point and purpose of the Faith: and that has nothing to do with any life after this, but is directed to the modus operandi for living here and now.
This passage from Philippians, as has been mentioned often, is regarded by many scholars as one of the original Christian hymns, sung at worship in the early Church. Whether that is so or not is of less importance than what is being said. For this passage offers a stark and strong contrast between the ‘normal’ human way of operating, which brings such tension and strife to ordinary living, with that mode both positted and lived out by Jesus. In other words, here is the Christian answer to that most intractable human problem for here and now. And the question is whether one will remain ‘adamic’ or chose to follow Christ.
If you find this hard to follow, then I ask you to read the passage again, asking the question who – in Biblical literature – did regard equality with God something to be grasped? The answer to that is quite obvious and unquestioned – in Genesis 3, it was Adam. Not some person from a distant and unchangeable past, but representative humanity, you and me and everyone else who has ever or shall ever live on this planet. Here is the archetypal control freak, egotist, ‘blow you, Jack I’m all right’ who operates on the proposition that I will try and find any means whereby I can ensure that you fulfill my expectations of you.
No one needs much in the way of searching to see how remarkably true to the ‘human condition’ stemmed from the ideas and visions of whoever first told this tale to explain the great problem. As I often say to fundamentalists who demand a literal faith in the Creation sagas, first no self-respecting Jewish person to my knowledge has ever viewed the stories thus. The other thing I offer is that when understood Biblically, one does not need to defend these tales, but rather defend oneself against the clear and valid truth of them
So the basic question of the Faith is, who will you be? A follower of Adam and continue the rot, or choose to follow Christ, Who offers nor power and strength, but service and assistance. One needs only to read back into the Old Testament prophets, especially Isaiah, to see that as the Hebrew Faith evolved, even those ancients saw the direction that needs to be travelled, as the Servant Songs in particular illustrate.
This has some fascinating answers for those who reject the Faith incidentally. As I have often said to those denying the validity of Christianity – Judaism also come to that! - = that when one can deny the validity of service of others, of truth and integrity and compassion and justice, then one can deny the validity of the Faith once delivered.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Newsletter
Sunday 1st April, 2012
Sixth Sunday in Lent
WELCOME to Holy Innocents—we hope you enjoy this time of prayer as we reflect on Scripture together and celebrate the Eucharist. Breakfast is available in the Hall after the 8 am service and morning tea after the 10 am. All are welcome. Sunday School will be in recess during the School holidays ……
Collect for Lent VI
God of all, You gave Your only-begotten Son to take the form of a servant, and to be obedient even to death on a cross; give us the same mind that was in Christ Jesus, that, sharing in His humility, we may come to be with Him in His glory, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
TODAY’S READINGS read by Neil T
Readings Isaiah 50:4—9a and Philippians 2: 5—11
GOSPEL Mark 1: 1—39
Fr Ron’s Notes available at http://www.anglican-belair.blogspot.com/
PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE led by Warren
We pray for those in need: Ron Teague, Peter Little, Jenny Jeffrey, Dorothy Furnival, the Swaby family , Lynda Knight, Dianne Cordes. Ivanka Cosic, Jim (fighting cancer;) Jake and Gail. Hazel Looney, Tommy Ferguson, Judith Manning, Valda Seith
Barb Capon and Sid Sweet
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Angus Bruce, Paul Hilbig
HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
YEAR’S MIND— Jeannie Moffatt (2008), Audrey Windram (1999) Ronald Dickson (2010) William Spencer (1996)
PREPARATION FOR NEXT SUNDAY - Easter read by Paul H (8) and Max A (10)
Readings Acts 10: 34—43 and 1 Corinthians 15: 1—11
GOSPEK John 20: 1—18
REGULAR GROUPS AND BOOKINGS
PRAYER CIRCLE meets noon on the 2nd Tuesday each month at 36 Penno Parade North
BIBLE STUDY 10am Wednesdays at Pressley’s
THURSDAY 9.30am Eucharist
SINGING GROUP Meets after the 10am service each Sunday. All singers welcome
MOTHERS’ UNION - meets third Thursdays each month at 2.00pm
Flinders Medical Centre — Helpers
Easter Day 8th April is our day to visit the Flinders Medical Centre wards and take patients to the chapel service. We need your help. Please be at the chapel by 10am. Phone Jean Fordham for details. Phone no. 8278 2837. Other dates for 2012 Sunday 8th July Sunday 14th October Mark your diaries please.
HELPLINE
Part of being a Christian community is the support offered to each other in times of need. We offer short-term delivery of food where needed, local transport, phone calls, and other types of assistance. Call Iris Downes on 8278 3260 and Marlene Dixon on 8278 8568..
POWERPOINT ROSTER –
Next Sunday Don Caddy or Cynthia Macintosh
Sunday after Jill Hilbig or Barb Capon
READER- AND INTERCESSOR ROSTER
Next Sunday Reader Neil T Intercessor Warren
Sunday after Reader Paul H & Max A Intercessor ********
SANCTUARY ROSTER
Next week Flowers Sue D-T Brass Bonney Tomlinson
Cleaning Susan Lee
Bonney Tomlinson would be glad to hear from anyone who has spare plastic mugs, suitable for use for children and their Milo at morning tea after Church. She would be grateful for any contributions.
Mark your diary please ......
(a) Wedding May 5 Private function in Hall May 6
(b) St John's drama production in hall afternoon and evening of May 31 and June 1
(c) St John's Exams 17-20 July and 29/10-14/11
Lenten Envelopes for ABM: Many parishioners received 'gold envelopes' for their Lenten Offerings last Sunday. For those who missed out, gold envelopes are still available on the table in the foyer.
The Flea Market – 19th May YOU can help make this a successful event…..it is planned to keep the Flea Market / Jumble Sale to a manageable level with stalls mainly occupying the hall.
ATTENTION SIDESPEOPLE
The key to the safe has been damaged and thus it was unable to be used to open or close the safe. One of the teeth on the key has been broken off. A replacement key has now been attached to the key ring. However, to prevent this happening in the future please ensure that the door is closed firmly with all items placed well back in the safe. Turn the handle to horizontal and then GENTLY turn the key to securely lock the safe. When unlocking the safe, the door requires a sharp tug to open. Please do not force the key in the lock. If you encounter any difficulty, please seek assistance. Many thanks again for your work as sidespeople and hopefully the above instructions will make your job easier.
Special Note: A strong capable father of two requires work to support his children—willing to do gardening, cleaning or anything. Phone Yvonne Myers on 8278 6297
RONBLOG …… on today’s Old Testament
One can almost feel the struggle in these words, of one fighting against both evil and the thought of surrendering to it! You may well know the difficulty of holding out against what you know to be false and evil, if you have been in a similar position yourself. But notice also the intense determination to remain true whatever contrary pressure is exerted.
These Servant Songs began life as the exploration by the prophet as to the reason, real reason for Israel’s existence in the face of the horror of the Exile into Babylon (587 BC). Sadly, from what I understand, the Jews never seem to have understood them so! As the exploration continued, so did the narrowing of the framework – it became obvious to Isaiah that only part of Israel, then a smaller committed part, until finally it devolved to a single person. We see that Person to be Jesus. Mind you, the whole importance still remains that the people of God are called to, even required to operate in ths same sort of way.
If you are game enough to see it, the People of God, of whatever age, are called to attest to a completely different way of operating in order that reconciliation can occur, life become more true and just, and that potential for people, life and history can unfold in the direction it was designed to move. If you find that to be an enormous scope, then take time to absorb it – this is quite some of what the Gospel is all about, and has always been on about.
Holy Week and Easter Services
TODAY , Palm Sunday, 8:00AM and 10:00AM , with a Palm Procession at 10:00AM.
April 5, Maundy Thursday, 7:30PM when we remember the Last Supper
April 6, Good Friday,
Stations of the Cross for Children at 9:30AM,
Traditional Good Friday Service at 10:45AM.
April 8 Easter
Lighting of the paschal candle and Eucharist, beginning at 6:00AM,
Traditional Eucharist 8:00AM
Contemporary Eucharist at 10:00AM.
**********************************************************************************************************************************
Items for the Newsletter need to be sent to Fr. Ron at 8298 7160 or ronpkeynes@internode.on.net by Tuesday afternoon
Sixth Sunday in Lent
WELCOME to Holy Innocents—we hope you enjoy this time of prayer as we reflect on Scripture together and celebrate the Eucharist. Breakfast is available in the Hall after the 8 am service and morning tea after the 10 am. All are welcome. Sunday School will be in recess during the School holidays ……
Collect for Lent VI
God of all, You gave Your only-begotten Son to take the form of a servant, and to be obedient even to death on a cross; give us the same mind that was in Christ Jesus, that, sharing in His humility, we may come to be with Him in His glory, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
TODAY’S READINGS read by Neil T
Readings Isaiah 50:4—9a and Philippians 2: 5—11
GOSPEL Mark 1: 1—39
Fr Ron’s Notes available at http://www.anglican-belair.blogspot.com/
PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE led by Warren
We pray for those in need: Ron Teague, Peter Little, Jenny Jeffrey, Dorothy Furnival, the Swaby family , Lynda Knight, Dianne Cordes. Ivanka Cosic, Jim (fighting cancer;) Jake and Gail. Hazel Looney, Tommy Ferguson, Judith Manning, Valda Seith
Barb Capon and Sid Sweet
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Angus Bruce, Paul Hilbig
HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
YEAR’S MIND— Jeannie Moffatt (2008), Audrey Windram (1999) Ronald Dickson (2010) William Spencer (1996)
PREPARATION FOR NEXT SUNDAY - Easter read by Paul H (8) and Max A (10)
Readings Acts 10: 34—43 and 1 Corinthians 15: 1—11
GOSPEK John 20: 1—18
REGULAR GROUPS AND BOOKINGS
PRAYER CIRCLE meets noon on the 2nd Tuesday each month at 36 Penno Parade North
BIBLE STUDY 10am Wednesdays at Pressley’s
THURSDAY 9.30am Eucharist
SINGING GROUP Meets after the 10am service each Sunday. All singers welcome
MOTHERS’ UNION - meets third Thursdays each month at 2.00pm
Flinders Medical Centre — Helpers
Easter Day 8th April is our day to visit the Flinders Medical Centre wards and take patients to the chapel service. We need your help. Please be at the chapel by 10am. Phone Jean Fordham for details. Phone no. 8278 2837. Other dates for 2012 Sunday 8th July Sunday 14th October Mark your diaries please.
HELPLINE
Part of being a Christian community is the support offered to each other in times of need. We offer short-term delivery of food where needed, local transport, phone calls, and other types of assistance. Call Iris Downes on 8278 3260 and Marlene Dixon on 8278 8568..
POWERPOINT ROSTER –
Next Sunday Don Caddy or Cynthia Macintosh
Sunday after Jill Hilbig or Barb Capon
READER- AND INTERCESSOR ROSTER
Next Sunday Reader Neil T Intercessor Warren
Sunday after Reader Paul H & Max A Intercessor ********
SANCTUARY ROSTER
Next week Flowers Sue D-T Brass Bonney Tomlinson
Cleaning Susan Lee
Bonney Tomlinson would be glad to hear from anyone who has spare plastic mugs, suitable for use for children and their Milo at morning tea after Church. She would be grateful for any contributions.
Mark your diary please ......
(a) Wedding May 5 Private function in Hall May 6
(b) St John's drama production in hall afternoon and evening of May 31 and June 1
(c) St John's Exams 17-20 July and 29/10-14/11
Lenten Envelopes for ABM: Many parishioners received 'gold envelopes' for their Lenten Offerings last Sunday. For those who missed out, gold envelopes are still available on the table in the foyer.
The Flea Market – 19th May YOU can help make this a successful event…..it is planned to keep the Flea Market / Jumble Sale to a manageable level with stalls mainly occupying the hall.
ATTENTION SIDESPEOPLE
The key to the safe has been damaged and thus it was unable to be used to open or close the safe. One of the teeth on the key has been broken off. A replacement key has now been attached to the key ring. However, to prevent this happening in the future please ensure that the door is closed firmly with all items placed well back in the safe. Turn the handle to horizontal and then GENTLY turn the key to securely lock the safe. When unlocking the safe, the door requires a sharp tug to open. Please do not force the key in the lock. If you encounter any difficulty, please seek assistance. Many thanks again for your work as sidespeople and hopefully the above instructions will make your job easier.
Special Note: A strong capable father of two requires work to support his children—willing to do gardening, cleaning or anything. Phone Yvonne Myers on 8278 6297
RONBLOG …… on today’s Old Testament
One can almost feel the struggle in these words, of one fighting against both evil and the thought of surrendering to it! You may well know the difficulty of holding out against what you know to be false and evil, if you have been in a similar position yourself. But notice also the intense determination to remain true whatever contrary pressure is exerted.
These Servant Songs began life as the exploration by the prophet as to the reason, real reason for Israel’s existence in the face of the horror of the Exile into Babylon (587 BC). Sadly, from what I understand, the Jews never seem to have understood them so! As the exploration continued, so did the narrowing of the framework – it became obvious to Isaiah that only part of Israel, then a smaller committed part, until finally it devolved to a single person. We see that Person to be Jesus. Mind you, the whole importance still remains that the people of God are called to, even required to operate in ths same sort of way.
If you are game enough to see it, the People of God, of whatever age, are called to attest to a completely different way of operating in order that reconciliation can occur, life become more true and just, and that potential for people, life and history can unfold in the direction it was designed to move. If you find that to be an enormous scope, then take time to absorb it – this is quite some of what the Gospel is all about, and has always been on about.
Holy Week and Easter Services
TODAY , Palm Sunday, 8:00AM and 10:00AM , with a Palm Procession at 10:00AM.
April 5, Maundy Thursday, 7:30PM when we remember the Last Supper
April 6, Good Friday,
Stations of the Cross for Children at 9:30AM,
Traditional Good Friday Service at 10:45AM.
April 8 Easter
Lighting of the paschal candle and Eucharist, beginning at 6:00AM,
Traditional Eucharist 8:00AM
Contemporary Eucharist at 10:00AM.
**********************************************************************************************************************************
Items for the Newsletter need to be sent to Fr. Ron at 8298 7160 or ronpkeynes@internode.on.net by Tuesday afternoon
Friday, March 23, 2012
RonBlog
Sunday 25th March, 2012 Fifth Sunday in Lent
Sentence
‘This is the covenant that I will make with them’ says the Lord; ‘I will put My law within them and I will write it on their hearts, and I will be their God and they shall be My people.’ Jeremiah 31:33
Collect
O God our Redeemer, in our weakness we have failed to be Your messengers of forgiveness and hope: renew us by Your Spirit that we may follow Your commands and proclaim Your reign of love; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God now and for ever. Amen
Old Testament Lesson Jeremiah 31: 31 – 34
The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt--a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD.
But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, "Know the LORD," for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.
Psalm 119: 9 - 16
How shall the young keep their path pure: unless they hold to Your word?
I have sought You with my whole heart: let me not stray from Your commandments
I have treasured Your words in my heart: that I might not sin against You
Blessed are You, Lord God: O teach me Your statutes
With my lips I have been telling: all the judgements of Your mouth
And I find more joy in the way of Your commands: than in all manner of riches
I will meditate on Your precepts: and give heed to Your ways
For my delight is wholly in Your statutes: and I will not forget Your word.
Epistle Hebrews 5: 5 – 14
Christ did not glorify Himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the One Who said to Him, "You are my Son, today I have begotten You"; as He says also in another place, "You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek."
In the days of His flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the One Who was able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered; and having been made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him, having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. About this we have much to say that is hard to explain, since you have become dull in understanding. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic elements of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food; for everyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is unskilled in the word of righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, for those whose faculties have been trained by practice to distinguish good from evil.
GOSPEL John 12: 20 – 33
Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honour.
"Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say--'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, "An angel has spoken to him." Jesus answered, "This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.
© New Revised Standard Version of the Bible
Copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the
Churches of Christ in the USA, and used by permission. All rights reserved
NOTES ON THE READINGS
Old Testament
Far. far too often, the perception is expressed by Christians that the Old Testament is all about judgement and the New is about love. Nothing, absolutely nothing could be further from the truth. It comes as some surprise whenever I ask people to see the vast development, evolution if you will, of the understanding of God, life and relationships over the historical period between Abraham and Jesus. With the emergence of that remarkable line of OT prophets, much of this process took place over a period of some centuries. Sadly, not many of the ordinary people of Israel seemed very aware of that progress.
Jeremiah and Ezekiel in particular illustrated their understanding of God changing people from the inside. This passage is a promise and Ezekiel enunciated both the need and the process. Take a long deep breath and see that the Holy Spirit was at work as much in Old Testament as in the New. On top of that, the prophets were aware of the need of profound change, conversion if you will, if people were to be true to the Faith, to God and to each other. Mind you, there will ever be those who consider themselves well ahead of the mob when in fact they have made it clear that they are way off beam, on a false track.
Psalm
It is a pity that many of today’s young parents do not follow the admonition and experience of today’s psalmist. It may sound a little like boredom incorporated but the reality is very different.
Epistle
Dear old Melchizedek. If you are mystified by all this, then I suggest you read Genesis 14:18ff and Psalm 110:4. The connection is that of king/priest who was superior to either rank in Abrahamic and David’s times. Jesus is declared the ultimate priest/king. If you wish to explore this further, I suggest that you obtain a good Bible Dictionary and peruse it. Do not be surprised if you find yourself a little bemused. (It is not unlike the business of the snake on the pole last week!)
GOSPEL
Come on a small journey with me if you would. Notice that John records this conversation with Greeks, Gentiles, nobodies as far as Jewry was concerned. Surprise No 1. Then comes the second surprise which while somewhat shattering is also somewhat common in the Gospels. Jesus took those questioning Greeks far further into His confidence than He could take Jews, or even the Twelve. How easily we all become somewhat blindfolded by what we assume, and so miss what really is the real agenda. Now would you please read through the Gospel again and catch the nuances?
NOTES FOR A SERMON
The Season of Lent – as it follows the steps of Jesus in His testing before the start of His public ministry, - focusses on the seriousness of the business of discipleship, not just for Jesus but for all of His followers of what age, or time, or place. In the light of that emphasis, perhaps these readings come with rather greater impact, as well they should. In our worship, the readings are these for us to listen to the Father, to understand what issues are put into focus, and then to ponder our response. In other words, ‘For the word of the Lord Thanks be to God.’ And we certainly do need to listen and respond positively.
I mention in the notes above that there is no great distinction between Old Testament and New, but a growing, developing, evolving faith being presented. Sadly, much of the growth and development shows up more in the prophets than in anyone else. That should be of no surprise: the Faith is ever the focus of far lesser numbers than one might hope for, not just because we are human, but because not a lot of humans take much notice of significant and serious issues.
For instance, it becomes so terribly clear and obvious, as one reads through the prophets that remarkably few people respond positively. I guess it is a bit like the story of the Flood. Myth it might be, but it does illustrate the capacity of humans to avoid anything even slightly challenging or uncomfortable. So it was in Jeremiah’s time, and he posited the need for change to come at a rather deeper human level. ’I will write it on their hearts’ is a quite well-known text, but it has to be said that the process is easier talked about than accomplished. On the other hand, that dear old psalmist, whatever age his contribution stemmed from, had a very clear picture of what needed to happen and at what depth personally. No one can legislate for response to truth, nor even demand it with any great hope of success. It must be the considered and committed response of each individual. Jeremiah was well aware of that. So is our Heavenly Father.
One of the great and disturbing factors in Jesus’ ministry was the extent to which people quite outside the Faith, quite beyond the pale, seemed to have a far clearer, truer picture of the faith reality than those who were Jewish adherents. Here, blow me down, are Greeks, nobodies and outsiders, who should have been totally ignorant of the direction of the Faith let alone its content, being if not initiated, then at least trusted with – some very powerful information. Here is no info for some spiritual elite; here is core material that Jesus had been conveying in so many different ways, but had fallen on deaf ears. Yet these ‘outcasts’ understood and responded. I am often surprised at the extent to which apparently ‘godless’ people are not only aware of the point and purpose of the Faith but live it.
And it is to those ‘outsiders’ who hear the voice of God, so to speak, when He guarantees the veracity of Jesus’ ministry and direction. Surely, that should make us all sit up and listen!
Sentence
‘This is the covenant that I will make with them’ says the Lord; ‘I will put My law within them and I will write it on their hearts, and I will be their God and they shall be My people.’ Jeremiah 31:33
Collect
O God our Redeemer, in our weakness we have failed to be Your messengers of forgiveness and hope: renew us by Your Spirit that we may follow Your commands and proclaim Your reign of love; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God now and for ever. Amen
Old Testament Lesson Jeremiah 31: 31 – 34
The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt--a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD.
But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, "Know the LORD," for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.
Psalm 119: 9 - 16
How shall the young keep their path pure: unless they hold to Your word?
I have sought You with my whole heart: let me not stray from Your commandments
I have treasured Your words in my heart: that I might not sin against You
Blessed are You, Lord God: O teach me Your statutes
With my lips I have been telling: all the judgements of Your mouth
And I find more joy in the way of Your commands: than in all manner of riches
I will meditate on Your precepts: and give heed to Your ways
For my delight is wholly in Your statutes: and I will not forget Your word.
Epistle Hebrews 5: 5 – 14
Christ did not glorify Himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the One Who said to Him, "You are my Son, today I have begotten You"; as He says also in another place, "You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek."
In the days of His flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the One Who was able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered; and having been made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him, having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. About this we have much to say that is hard to explain, since you have become dull in understanding. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic elements of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food; for everyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is unskilled in the word of righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, for those whose faculties have been trained by practice to distinguish good from evil.
GOSPEL John 12: 20 – 33
Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honour.
"Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say--'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, "An angel has spoken to him." Jesus answered, "This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.
© New Revised Standard Version of the Bible
Copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the
Churches of Christ in the USA, and used by permission. All rights reserved
NOTES ON THE READINGS
Old Testament
Far. far too often, the perception is expressed by Christians that the Old Testament is all about judgement and the New is about love. Nothing, absolutely nothing could be further from the truth. It comes as some surprise whenever I ask people to see the vast development, evolution if you will, of the understanding of God, life and relationships over the historical period between Abraham and Jesus. With the emergence of that remarkable line of OT prophets, much of this process took place over a period of some centuries. Sadly, not many of the ordinary people of Israel seemed very aware of that progress.
Jeremiah and Ezekiel in particular illustrated their understanding of God changing people from the inside. This passage is a promise and Ezekiel enunciated both the need and the process. Take a long deep breath and see that the Holy Spirit was at work as much in Old Testament as in the New. On top of that, the prophets were aware of the need of profound change, conversion if you will, if people were to be true to the Faith, to God and to each other. Mind you, there will ever be those who consider themselves well ahead of the mob when in fact they have made it clear that they are way off beam, on a false track.
Psalm
It is a pity that many of today’s young parents do not follow the admonition and experience of today’s psalmist. It may sound a little like boredom incorporated but the reality is very different.
Epistle
Dear old Melchizedek. If you are mystified by all this, then I suggest you read Genesis 14:18ff and Psalm 110:4. The connection is that of king/priest who was superior to either rank in Abrahamic and David’s times. Jesus is declared the ultimate priest/king. If you wish to explore this further, I suggest that you obtain a good Bible Dictionary and peruse it. Do not be surprised if you find yourself a little bemused. (It is not unlike the business of the snake on the pole last week!)
GOSPEL
Come on a small journey with me if you would. Notice that John records this conversation with Greeks, Gentiles, nobodies as far as Jewry was concerned. Surprise No 1. Then comes the second surprise which while somewhat shattering is also somewhat common in the Gospels. Jesus took those questioning Greeks far further into His confidence than He could take Jews, or even the Twelve. How easily we all become somewhat blindfolded by what we assume, and so miss what really is the real agenda. Now would you please read through the Gospel again and catch the nuances?
NOTES FOR A SERMON
The Season of Lent – as it follows the steps of Jesus in His testing before the start of His public ministry, - focusses on the seriousness of the business of discipleship, not just for Jesus but for all of His followers of what age, or time, or place. In the light of that emphasis, perhaps these readings come with rather greater impact, as well they should. In our worship, the readings are these for us to listen to the Father, to understand what issues are put into focus, and then to ponder our response. In other words, ‘For the word of the Lord Thanks be to God.’ And we certainly do need to listen and respond positively.
I mention in the notes above that there is no great distinction between Old Testament and New, but a growing, developing, evolving faith being presented. Sadly, much of the growth and development shows up more in the prophets than in anyone else. That should be of no surprise: the Faith is ever the focus of far lesser numbers than one might hope for, not just because we are human, but because not a lot of humans take much notice of significant and serious issues.
For instance, it becomes so terribly clear and obvious, as one reads through the prophets that remarkably few people respond positively. I guess it is a bit like the story of the Flood. Myth it might be, but it does illustrate the capacity of humans to avoid anything even slightly challenging or uncomfortable. So it was in Jeremiah’s time, and he posited the need for change to come at a rather deeper human level. ’I will write it on their hearts’ is a quite well-known text, but it has to be said that the process is easier talked about than accomplished. On the other hand, that dear old psalmist, whatever age his contribution stemmed from, had a very clear picture of what needed to happen and at what depth personally. No one can legislate for response to truth, nor even demand it with any great hope of success. It must be the considered and committed response of each individual. Jeremiah was well aware of that. So is our Heavenly Father.
One of the great and disturbing factors in Jesus’ ministry was the extent to which people quite outside the Faith, quite beyond the pale, seemed to have a far clearer, truer picture of the faith reality than those who were Jewish adherents. Here, blow me down, are Greeks, nobodies and outsiders, who should have been totally ignorant of the direction of the Faith let alone its content, being if not initiated, then at least trusted with – some very powerful information. Here is no info for some spiritual elite; here is core material that Jesus had been conveying in so many different ways, but had fallen on deaf ears. Yet these ‘outcasts’ understood and responded. I am often surprised at the extent to which apparently ‘godless’ people are not only aware of the point and purpose of the Faith but live it.
And it is to those ‘outsiders’ who hear the voice of God, so to speak, when He guarantees the veracity of Jesus’ ministry and direction. Surely, that should make us all sit up and listen!
Newsletter
Sunday 25th March, 2012
Fifth Sunday in Lent
WELCOME to Holy Innocents—we hope you enjoy this time of prayer as we reflect on Scripture together and celebrate the Eucharist. Breakfast is available in the Hall after the 8 am service and morning tea after the 10 am. All are welcome. Sunday School is in action until the School holidays.
Collect for Lent V
O God, our Redeemer, in our weakness we have failed to be Your messengers of forgiveness and hope: renew us by your Holy Spirit, that we may follow Your commands and proclaim Your reign of love; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
TODAY’S READINGS
Readings Jeremiah 31: 31—34 & Hebrews 5: 5—14
GOSPEL John 12: 20—33
Fr Ron’s Notes available at http://www.anglican-belair.blogspot.com/
PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE led by Sue D-T
We pray for those in need: Ron Teague, Peter Little, Jenny Jeffrey, Dorothy Furnival, the Swaby family , Lynda Knight, Dianne Cordes. Ivanka Cosic, Jim (fighting cancer;) Jake and Gail. Hazel Looney, Tommy Ferguson, Judith Manning and Valda Seith.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Marlene Dixon, Tommy Ferguson, Valda & Wolf Seith
HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
YEAR’S MIND— Evelyn Halstead (1997) Betty Haines (2006)
PREPARATION FOR NEXT SUNDAY - Lent VI
Readings Isaiah 50:4—9a and Philippians 2: 5—11
GOSPEL Mark 1: 1—39
REGULAR GROUPS AND BOOKINGS
PRAYER CIRCLE meets noon on the 2nd Tuesday each month at 36 Penno Parade North
BIBLE STUDY 10am Wednesdays at Pressley’s
THURSDAY 9.30am Eucharist
SINGING GROUP Meets after the 10am service each Sunday. All singers welcome
MOTHERS’ UNION - meets third Thursdays each month at 2.00pm
Flinders Medical Centre — Helpers
Easter Day 8th April is our day to visit the Flinders Medical Centre wards and take patients to the chapel service. We need your help. Please be at the chapel by 10am. Phone Jean Fordham for details. Phone no. 8278 2837.
Other dates for 2012 Sunday 8th July Sunday 14th October Mark your diaries please.
HELPLINE
Part of being a Christian community is the support offered to each other in times of need. We offer short-term delivery of food where needed, local transport, phone calls, and other types of assistance. Call Iris Downes on 8278 3260 and Marlene Dixon on 8278 8568..
POWERPOINT ROSTER –
Next Sunday Trevor Tregenza or Joy Campbell
Sunday after Don Caddy or Cynthia Macintosh
READER- AND INTERCESSOR ROSTER
Next Sunday Reader Neil T Intercessor Warren
Sunday after Reader Paul H & Max A Intercessor ********
SANCTUARY ROSTER
Next week Flowers Anna Kelly (no flowers)
Brass Joan Durdin Cleaning Group 3
Mark your diary please ......
(a) The Parish Annual Vestry Meeting follows the 10am Service TODAY
(b) Wedding May 5 Private function in Hall May 6
(c) St John's drama production in hall afternoon and evening of May 31 and June 1
(d) St John's Exams 17-20 July and 29/10-14/11
Lenten Envelopes for ABM: Many parishioners received 'gold envelopes' for their Lenten Offerings last Sunday. For those who missed out, gold envelopes are still available on the table in the foyer.
Faith of the Elders
The ‘Faith of the Elders’ Exhibition will be opened by Bishop Tom Harris today at 5pm with wine and nibbles. The church will be a gallery for the evening as we display photographic portraits of 12 of our ‘elders’ alongside their stories of faith and connection with the church. It’ll be a combination of faith, art, local history and celebration.
Bible study/discussion for young adults.
Stephen will be running a Bible Study/discussion group for the young adults in our congregation. We want to support these fantastic young people as they grow in faith. Please pray for the group as they meet on Sunday evenings.
The Flea Market – 19th May YOU can help make this a successful event…..it is planned to keep the Flea Market / Jumble Sale to a manageable level with stalls mainly occupying the hall.
Warren is still looking for assistance for the Children’s Good Friday Service at 9.00am. The Stations of the Cross service needs adult helpers—more info from Fr. Warren.
ATTENTION SIDESPEOPLE - from Yvonne
The key to the safe has been damaged and thus it was unable to be used to open or close the safe. A replacement key has now been attached to the key ring. However, to prevent this happening in the future please ensure that the door is closed firmly with all items placed well back in the safe. Turn the handle to horizontal and then GENTLY turn the key to securely lock the safe. When unlocking the safe, the door requires a sharp tug to open. Please do not force the key in the lock. If you encounter any difficulty, please seek assistance. Many thanks again for your work as sidespeople and hopefully the above instructions will make your job easier.
Special Note: A strong capable father of two requires work to support his children—willing to do gardening, cleaning or anything. Phone Yvonne Myers on 8278 6297
The Sacred Garden - Stations of the Cross
This afternoon from 2.45pm, parishioners of Woodville, Croydon-Woodville Gardens and Parkside, as well as any others who wish to attend, will be spending time walking the Stations of the Cross, in prayer, at the Sacred Garden, St Paul's Monastery, 15 Cross Road, Glen Osmond. The service, lasts about 45 minutes, will commence at 3.00pm . As is usual for this service we are all asked to arrive and depart quietly leaving behind only our cares and our generous donations to help maintain this beautiful garden. There is no need to RSVP unless anyone wants to, in which case my phone number is 0418 152554. Pam Judge Woodville
RONBLOG …… on today’s Readings
The Season of Lent – as it follows the steps of Jesus in His testing before the start of His public ministry, - focusses on the seriousness of the business of discipleship, not just for Jesus but for all of His followers of whatever age, or time, or place. In the light of that emphasis, perhaps these readings come with rather greater impact, as well they should. In our worship, the readings are there for us to listen to the Father, to understand what issues are put into focus, and then to ponder our response.
One of the great and disturbing factors in Jesus’ ministry was the extent to which people quite outside the Faith, quite beyond the pale, seemed to have a far clearer, truer picture of the faith reality than those who were Jewish adherents. Here, blow me down, are Greeks, nobodies and outsiders, who should have been totally ignorant of the direction of the Faith let alone its content,. Jesus’ response was to welcome them and take them on from where they were, so to speak. He trusted them with some very powerful information. Here is no info for some spiritual elite; here is core material that Jesus had been conveying in so many different ways, but had fallen on deaf ears even with the Twelve. Yet these ‘outcasts’ understood and responded.
I am often surprised at the extent to which apparently ‘godless’ people are not only aware of the point and purpose of the Faith but live it.
Items for the Newsletter need to be sent to Fr. Ron at 8298 7160 or ronpkeynes@internode.on.net by Tuesday afternoon please …….
Fifth Sunday in Lent
WELCOME to Holy Innocents—we hope you enjoy this time of prayer as we reflect on Scripture together and celebrate the Eucharist. Breakfast is available in the Hall after the 8 am service and morning tea after the 10 am. All are welcome. Sunday School is in action until the School holidays.
Collect for Lent V
O God, our Redeemer, in our weakness we have failed to be Your messengers of forgiveness and hope: renew us by your Holy Spirit, that we may follow Your commands and proclaim Your reign of love; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
TODAY’S READINGS
Readings Jeremiah 31: 31—34 & Hebrews 5: 5—14
GOSPEL John 12: 20—33
Fr Ron’s Notes available at http://www.anglican-belair.blogspot.com/
PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE led by Sue D-T
We pray for those in need: Ron Teague, Peter Little, Jenny Jeffrey, Dorothy Furnival, the Swaby family , Lynda Knight, Dianne Cordes. Ivanka Cosic, Jim (fighting cancer;) Jake and Gail. Hazel Looney, Tommy Ferguson, Judith Manning and Valda Seith.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Marlene Dixon, Tommy Ferguson, Valda & Wolf Seith
HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
YEAR’S MIND— Evelyn Halstead (1997) Betty Haines (2006)
PREPARATION FOR NEXT SUNDAY - Lent VI
Readings Isaiah 50:4—9a and Philippians 2: 5—11
GOSPEL Mark 1: 1—39
REGULAR GROUPS AND BOOKINGS
PRAYER CIRCLE meets noon on the 2nd Tuesday each month at 36 Penno Parade North
BIBLE STUDY 10am Wednesdays at Pressley’s
THURSDAY 9.30am Eucharist
SINGING GROUP Meets after the 10am service each Sunday. All singers welcome
MOTHERS’ UNION - meets third Thursdays each month at 2.00pm
Flinders Medical Centre — Helpers
Easter Day 8th April is our day to visit the Flinders Medical Centre wards and take patients to the chapel service. We need your help. Please be at the chapel by 10am. Phone Jean Fordham for details. Phone no. 8278 2837.
Other dates for 2012 Sunday 8th July Sunday 14th October Mark your diaries please.
HELPLINE
Part of being a Christian community is the support offered to each other in times of need. We offer short-term delivery of food where needed, local transport, phone calls, and other types of assistance. Call Iris Downes on 8278 3260 and Marlene Dixon on 8278 8568..
POWERPOINT ROSTER –
Next Sunday Trevor Tregenza or Joy Campbell
Sunday after Don Caddy or Cynthia Macintosh
READER- AND INTERCESSOR ROSTER
Next Sunday Reader Neil T Intercessor Warren
Sunday after Reader Paul H & Max A Intercessor ********
SANCTUARY ROSTER
Next week Flowers Anna Kelly (no flowers)
Brass Joan Durdin Cleaning Group 3
Mark your diary please ......
(a) The Parish Annual Vestry Meeting follows the 10am Service TODAY
(b) Wedding May 5 Private function in Hall May 6
(c) St John's drama production in hall afternoon and evening of May 31 and June 1
(d) St John's Exams 17-20 July and 29/10-14/11
Lenten Envelopes for ABM: Many parishioners received 'gold envelopes' for their Lenten Offerings last Sunday. For those who missed out, gold envelopes are still available on the table in the foyer.
Faith of the Elders
The ‘Faith of the Elders’ Exhibition will be opened by Bishop Tom Harris today at 5pm with wine and nibbles. The church will be a gallery for the evening as we display photographic portraits of 12 of our ‘elders’ alongside their stories of faith and connection with the church. It’ll be a combination of faith, art, local history and celebration.
Bible study/discussion for young adults.
Stephen will be running a Bible Study/discussion group for the young adults in our congregation. We want to support these fantastic young people as they grow in faith. Please pray for the group as they meet on Sunday evenings.
The Flea Market – 19th May YOU can help make this a successful event…..it is planned to keep the Flea Market / Jumble Sale to a manageable level with stalls mainly occupying the hall.
Warren is still looking for assistance for the Children’s Good Friday Service at 9.00am. The Stations of the Cross service needs adult helpers—more info from Fr. Warren.
ATTENTION SIDESPEOPLE - from Yvonne
The key to the safe has been damaged and thus it was unable to be used to open or close the safe. A replacement key has now been attached to the key ring. However, to prevent this happening in the future please ensure that the door is closed firmly with all items placed well back in the safe. Turn the handle to horizontal and then GENTLY turn the key to securely lock the safe. When unlocking the safe, the door requires a sharp tug to open. Please do not force the key in the lock. If you encounter any difficulty, please seek assistance. Many thanks again for your work as sidespeople and hopefully the above instructions will make your job easier.
Special Note: A strong capable father of two requires work to support his children—willing to do gardening, cleaning or anything. Phone Yvonne Myers on 8278 6297
The Sacred Garden - Stations of the Cross
This afternoon from 2.45pm, parishioners of Woodville, Croydon-Woodville Gardens and Parkside, as well as any others who wish to attend, will be spending time walking the Stations of the Cross, in prayer, at the Sacred Garden, St Paul's Monastery, 15 Cross Road, Glen Osmond. The service, lasts about 45 minutes, will commence at 3.00pm . As is usual for this service we are all asked to arrive and depart quietly leaving behind only our cares and our generous donations to help maintain this beautiful garden. There is no need to RSVP unless anyone wants to, in which case my phone number is 0418 152554. Pam Judge Woodville
RONBLOG …… on today’s Readings
The Season of Lent – as it follows the steps of Jesus in His testing before the start of His public ministry, - focusses on the seriousness of the business of discipleship, not just for Jesus but for all of His followers of whatever age, or time, or place. In the light of that emphasis, perhaps these readings come with rather greater impact, as well they should. In our worship, the readings are there for us to listen to the Father, to understand what issues are put into focus, and then to ponder our response.
One of the great and disturbing factors in Jesus’ ministry was the extent to which people quite outside the Faith, quite beyond the pale, seemed to have a far clearer, truer picture of the faith reality than those who were Jewish adherents. Here, blow me down, are Greeks, nobodies and outsiders, who should have been totally ignorant of the direction of the Faith let alone its content,. Jesus’ response was to welcome them and take them on from where they were, so to speak. He trusted them with some very powerful information. Here is no info for some spiritual elite; here is core material that Jesus had been conveying in so many different ways, but had fallen on deaf ears even with the Twelve. Yet these ‘outcasts’ understood and responded.
I am often surprised at the extent to which apparently ‘godless’ people are not only aware of the point and purpose of the Faith but live it.
Items for the Newsletter need to be sent to Fr. Ron at 8298 7160 or ronpkeynes@internode.on.net by Tuesday afternoon please …….
Friday, March 16, 2012
RonBlog
Sunday 18th March, 2011 Fourth Sunday in Lent
Sentence
The Son of Man must be lifted up that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.
John 3: 14
Collect
Almighty God, in Christ You make all things new: transform the poverty of our nature by the riches of Your grace, and in the renewal of our lives, make known Your Heavenly glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
Old Testament Lesson Numbers 21: 4 – 9
From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way. The people spoke against God and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food." Then the LORD sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned by speaking against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD to take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live." So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.
Psalm 107: 1 – 3 & 17 - 22
O give thanks to the Lord for He is good: for His loving mercy is for ever
Let the Lord’s redeemed say so: whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy
And gathered in from every land, from the east and from the west: from the north and from the south
But the merciful goodness of the Lord endures for ever and ever toward those who fear Him: and His righteousness upon their children’s children.
Upon those who keep His covenant: and remembers His commandments to do them
The Lord has established His throne in heaven: and His kingdom rules over all
Praise the Lord, all you His angels, you that excel in strength: you who fulfill His word and obey the voice of His commandments
Praise the Lord, all you His hosts: His servants who do His will
Praise the Lord, all His works, in all places of His dominion: praise the Lord O my soul!
Epistle Ephesians 2: 1 – 10
You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else.
But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved-- and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God-- not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.
GOSPEL John 3: 14 – 21
Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. "Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God."
© New Revised Standard Version of the Bible
Copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the
Churches of Christ in the USA, and used by permission. All rights reserved
NOTES ON THE READINGS
Old Testament
I wonder how imaginative you are as this passage unfolds. It may all seems just a little too twee and ‘magical’ at first glance, but think about it a moment or two. Whatever else one says about this passage there seems to be a remarkable insight into the issue at hand; that somehow, somewhere, the cause of the problem contains in it the remedy as well. If that sounds a little over the top, then switch to today’s Gospel from John, for there the imagery is repeated. In other words, evil – at the Cross- is overcome, not by destroying evil people, but by showing up evil to be what it is. There at the Cross no imaginary ‘satan’ is at work, but sheer, bloody-minded, egocentric human beings, displaying their evil for all the world to see. And the divine response is to absorb and defeat evil. Not the evil-doers. Were that the case, we would all be dead, wouldn’t you say?
Psalm
Knowing this Psalm I was a little surprised that relevant (to me) verses are left out. Mind you, that may well be because those who chose the portions for the lectionary are asking us to think along the lines mentioned above. This ancient psalmist points to the remedy, not the cause.
Epistle
Never lose sight, in this fairly popular passage, that the Gospel is never a matter of sitting on your spiritual bottoms and leaving all in God’s hands. Yes, it is a matter of faith, which ought to be translated faithfulness I suspect. The Greek-English lexicon establishes that. Mind you, this remains a matter of seeing what God has done in Christ, and embracing it not as an escape but as a pattern of life that is well worth following. In fact, the lesson of the Cross is not something limited to ‘what Jesus has done for us,’ but the approach to life to which He calls us to follow. We are to be agents of reconciliation in the same pattern as that very risky one of the Cross.
Not too many Christians ever seem to catch sight of that, which partly explains why the Gospel tends to be derided.
Gospel
It must be a nuisance to many, but I remain convinced that this most familiar passage from John 3 has been misunderstood to the detriment of the Gospel and to people’s response to it. The conventional perception tends to reduce the Gospel to some sort of escape from a future hell, rather than – as mentioned above – a far more Biblical and effective answer to the human dilemma of conflict, sin and pointlessness. More may well be said about this later. For instance, the well-known ‘shall not perish’ has no connection to any hell of punishment, but rather the very Biblical business of being involved, so to speak, in the Gehenna imagery. Gehenna is not the place of torment, but the rubbish bin, the waste depot, where useless bits and pieces are put because there is no further point purpose or use for them. Sure, fire tends to be present at rubbish tips (or used to be) but that is incidental, not obligatory. What the Gospel does it to offer to all humans, regardless of time, place, culture or history, is purpose, value, direction and worth. In fact, I have long been convinced, but have difficulty convincing others, that rather a great deal of today’s epidemic of depression stems from precisely this lack of purpose and value that so permeates our society. It is tragic that young people in particular, seem to strive to be someone other than they are, because they see no value in themselves.
NOTES FOR A SERMON
It is a long time ago now, but in the early years of my pilgrimage as a Christian, I recall feeling more than a little superior to first century Christians, at the sight of St. Paul exhorting them about such things as ‘the ruler of the power of the air’ and all that jazz. It was quite similar to the general attitude then to the Old Testament references to worship of idols, as we wondered, tittering behind our hands, how anyone anywhere could waste time and effort ‘bowing down to gods of gold and silver and wood!’ Surely people thought deeper than that!
However, the more you live and grow, develop and observe, the more it becomes obvious that regardless of the time in history or the place on the planet, those old practices are reverted to, even if the ways and means are expressed a little differently. Idols in particular are very much the current fad, though the images may be different. Cars and homes and status replace the figurines; but the focus is very much on ego, self. And the ‘ruler of the power of the air’ translates quite easily and clearly to ‘the spirit of the age,’ which is just as focussed inward to what I want and how can I get it ..... and why not now!!!?
There is no vast gap between people of Old and New Testament times and now, except the capacity to reach towards those selfish goals are more available to a far wider audience, or at least that is the case in our Australian scene. Failure to recognize such issues – and the damage they cause – is part of the reason for the Faith being castigated as irrelevant, and that is a false assessment very widely accepted.
You may well think that I am being very negative – especially in an age that is determined to be positive! That maybe the case, but my other issue with today is that one is supposed to be so very positive even when the evidence points to a rather more serious situation. In other words, I have difficulty with people who hold on tightly to froth and bubble when it is so very obvious that it will all crumble and disappear in our very hands ere long. So when I see the Sentence for today and the combination of readings apart from the Old Testament, my concern meter rises. Why? Because for so long and so often I hear preachers preaching and people ‘understanding’ a gospel of most shallow roots and of lack of veracity.
Please remember that I have spent the past 50 years in ministry, and the last 10 of those as Chaplain to a prison. And in both areas I have encountered people whose perceptions of the Gospel is that the Lord has done it all for them, and they need only to wait for their future in Heaven. With almost little or no real response from them, this gospel of free grace translates into the so-called ‘free dinner,’ – which I imagine is why everyone determines to be so positive. It must drive this Lord of ours quite mad!
John 3:16 tends to be the cause of much of this laxity. And today’s Epistle, lightly but incorrectly understood, is not a lot of help. Neither John nor Paul is talking light-heartedly, and that needs to be taken into account.
Can we go back to the OT Lesson for a start? Before you write it off as some sort of strange aberration, give a bit of thought to what is being conveyed, Here is a sort of overall scenario where the People of God get their knickers in a knot over something they ought not to have done but they have, and the consequences are severe. In a somewhat strange scenario, they are attacked by snakes (very much the biblical image of evil, of course) and many die. But there is a remedy. In Australian parlance, the remedy is ‘the hair of the dog that bit you,’ – in this case, something of an appeal to the source of the problem.
Equate that with the Cross: there, evil is defeated not by the destruction of the evildoers, for that would be to add to the evil if you think that through. Evil is defeated by Jesus drawing the sting of evil, showing it up for what it is, and offering people the choice to follow evil -- or to reject evil and follow good. It is important to notice that Jesus defeats evil by showing it up for what it is. Those who determined to destroy Jesus and do so, become clear adherents of evil and the lie – and Jesus shows, through Cross and resurrection, that evil does not need to have the final say.
To receive the Gospel is not to have it all done for you, but you have to make the choice to follow and to make that choice real. I find an awful lot of people convinced that they are ‘born again’ when the evidence of their lives and attitudes make that a very open question indeed. Christians are not called to be perfect: they are called to be fair dinkum.
Sentence
The Son of Man must be lifted up that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.
John 3: 14
Collect
Almighty God, in Christ You make all things new: transform the poverty of our nature by the riches of Your grace, and in the renewal of our lives, make known Your Heavenly glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
Old Testament Lesson Numbers 21: 4 – 9
From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way. The people spoke against God and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food." Then the LORD sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned by speaking against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD to take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live." So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.
Psalm 107: 1 – 3 & 17 - 22
O give thanks to the Lord for He is good: for His loving mercy is for ever
Let the Lord’s redeemed say so: whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy
And gathered in from every land, from the east and from the west: from the north and from the south
But the merciful goodness of the Lord endures for ever and ever toward those who fear Him: and His righteousness upon their children’s children.
Upon those who keep His covenant: and remembers His commandments to do them
The Lord has established His throne in heaven: and His kingdom rules over all
Praise the Lord, all you His angels, you that excel in strength: you who fulfill His word and obey the voice of His commandments
Praise the Lord, all you His hosts: His servants who do His will
Praise the Lord, all His works, in all places of His dominion: praise the Lord O my soul!
Epistle Ephesians 2: 1 – 10
You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else.
But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved-- and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God-- not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.
GOSPEL John 3: 14 – 21
Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. "Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God."
© New Revised Standard Version of the Bible
Copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the
Churches of Christ in the USA, and used by permission. All rights reserved
NOTES ON THE READINGS
Old Testament
I wonder how imaginative you are as this passage unfolds. It may all seems just a little too twee and ‘magical’ at first glance, but think about it a moment or two. Whatever else one says about this passage there seems to be a remarkable insight into the issue at hand; that somehow, somewhere, the cause of the problem contains in it the remedy as well. If that sounds a little over the top, then switch to today’s Gospel from John, for there the imagery is repeated. In other words, evil – at the Cross- is overcome, not by destroying evil people, but by showing up evil to be what it is. There at the Cross no imaginary ‘satan’ is at work, but sheer, bloody-minded, egocentric human beings, displaying their evil for all the world to see. And the divine response is to absorb and defeat evil. Not the evil-doers. Were that the case, we would all be dead, wouldn’t you say?
Psalm
Knowing this Psalm I was a little surprised that relevant (to me) verses are left out. Mind you, that may well be because those who chose the portions for the lectionary are asking us to think along the lines mentioned above. This ancient psalmist points to the remedy, not the cause.
Epistle
Never lose sight, in this fairly popular passage, that the Gospel is never a matter of sitting on your spiritual bottoms and leaving all in God’s hands. Yes, it is a matter of faith, which ought to be translated faithfulness I suspect. The Greek-English lexicon establishes that. Mind you, this remains a matter of seeing what God has done in Christ, and embracing it not as an escape but as a pattern of life that is well worth following. In fact, the lesson of the Cross is not something limited to ‘what Jesus has done for us,’ but the approach to life to which He calls us to follow. We are to be agents of reconciliation in the same pattern as that very risky one of the Cross.
Not too many Christians ever seem to catch sight of that, which partly explains why the Gospel tends to be derided.
Gospel
It must be a nuisance to many, but I remain convinced that this most familiar passage from John 3 has been misunderstood to the detriment of the Gospel and to people’s response to it. The conventional perception tends to reduce the Gospel to some sort of escape from a future hell, rather than – as mentioned above – a far more Biblical and effective answer to the human dilemma of conflict, sin and pointlessness. More may well be said about this later. For instance, the well-known ‘shall not perish’ has no connection to any hell of punishment, but rather the very Biblical business of being involved, so to speak, in the Gehenna imagery. Gehenna is not the place of torment, but the rubbish bin, the waste depot, where useless bits and pieces are put because there is no further point purpose or use for them. Sure, fire tends to be present at rubbish tips (or used to be) but that is incidental, not obligatory. What the Gospel does it to offer to all humans, regardless of time, place, culture or history, is purpose, value, direction and worth. In fact, I have long been convinced, but have difficulty convincing others, that rather a great deal of today’s epidemic of depression stems from precisely this lack of purpose and value that so permeates our society. It is tragic that young people in particular, seem to strive to be someone other than they are, because they see no value in themselves.
NOTES FOR A SERMON
It is a long time ago now, but in the early years of my pilgrimage as a Christian, I recall feeling more than a little superior to first century Christians, at the sight of St. Paul exhorting them about such things as ‘the ruler of the power of the air’ and all that jazz. It was quite similar to the general attitude then to the Old Testament references to worship of idols, as we wondered, tittering behind our hands, how anyone anywhere could waste time and effort ‘bowing down to gods of gold and silver and wood!’ Surely people thought deeper than that!
However, the more you live and grow, develop and observe, the more it becomes obvious that regardless of the time in history or the place on the planet, those old practices are reverted to, even if the ways and means are expressed a little differently. Idols in particular are very much the current fad, though the images may be different. Cars and homes and status replace the figurines; but the focus is very much on ego, self. And the ‘ruler of the power of the air’ translates quite easily and clearly to ‘the spirit of the age,’ which is just as focussed inward to what I want and how can I get it ..... and why not now!!!?
There is no vast gap between people of Old and New Testament times and now, except the capacity to reach towards those selfish goals are more available to a far wider audience, or at least that is the case in our Australian scene. Failure to recognize such issues – and the damage they cause – is part of the reason for the Faith being castigated as irrelevant, and that is a false assessment very widely accepted.
You may well think that I am being very negative – especially in an age that is determined to be positive! That maybe the case, but my other issue with today is that one is supposed to be so very positive even when the evidence points to a rather more serious situation. In other words, I have difficulty with people who hold on tightly to froth and bubble when it is so very obvious that it will all crumble and disappear in our very hands ere long. So when I see the Sentence for today and the combination of readings apart from the Old Testament, my concern meter rises. Why? Because for so long and so often I hear preachers preaching and people ‘understanding’ a gospel of most shallow roots and of lack of veracity.
Please remember that I have spent the past 50 years in ministry, and the last 10 of those as Chaplain to a prison. And in both areas I have encountered people whose perceptions of the Gospel is that the Lord has done it all for them, and they need only to wait for their future in Heaven. With almost little or no real response from them, this gospel of free grace translates into the so-called ‘free dinner,’ – which I imagine is why everyone determines to be so positive. It must drive this Lord of ours quite mad!
John 3:16 tends to be the cause of much of this laxity. And today’s Epistle, lightly but incorrectly understood, is not a lot of help. Neither John nor Paul is talking light-heartedly, and that needs to be taken into account.
Can we go back to the OT Lesson for a start? Before you write it off as some sort of strange aberration, give a bit of thought to what is being conveyed, Here is a sort of overall scenario where the People of God get their knickers in a knot over something they ought not to have done but they have, and the consequences are severe. In a somewhat strange scenario, they are attacked by snakes (very much the biblical image of evil, of course) and many die. But there is a remedy. In Australian parlance, the remedy is ‘the hair of the dog that bit you,’ – in this case, something of an appeal to the source of the problem.
Equate that with the Cross: there, evil is defeated not by the destruction of the evildoers, for that would be to add to the evil if you think that through. Evil is defeated by Jesus drawing the sting of evil, showing it up for what it is, and offering people the choice to follow evil -- or to reject evil and follow good. It is important to notice that Jesus defeats evil by showing it up for what it is. Those who determined to destroy Jesus and do so, become clear adherents of evil and the lie – and Jesus shows, through Cross and resurrection, that evil does not need to have the final say.
To receive the Gospel is not to have it all done for you, but you have to make the choice to follow and to make that choice real. I find an awful lot of people convinced that they are ‘born again’ when the evidence of their lives and attitudes make that a very open question indeed. Christians are not called to be perfect: they are called to be fair dinkum.
Newsletter
Sunday 18th March, 2012
Fourth Sunday in Lent
Mothering Sunday
WELCOME to Holy Innocents—we hope you enjoy this time of prayer as we reflect on Scripture together and celebrate the Eucharist. Breakfast is available in the Hall after the 8 am service and morning tea after the 10 am. All are welcome. Sunday School is in action …..
Collect for Lent IV
Everlasting God in Whom we live and move and have our being, You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You: give us purity of heart and strength of purpose, that no selfish passion may hinder us from knowing Your will, no weakness prevent us from doing it; that in Your light we may see light, and in Your service find perfect freedom; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
TODAY’S READINGS read by Hal S-C
Readings Numbers 21: 4—9 and Ephesians 2: 1—10
GOSPEL John 3: 14—21
Fr Ron’s Notes available at http://www.anglican-belair.blogspot.com/
PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE led by Sue D-T
We pray for those in need: Ron Teague, Peter Little, Jenny Jeffrey, Dorothy Furnival, the Swaby family, Lynda Knight, Dianne Cordes. Ivanka Cosic, Jim (fighting cancer;) Jake and Gail. Michelle post op in NY, Eddie Barber, Hazel Looney, Tommy Ferguson, and Judith Manning.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Kumiko Araki, Barbara Corbett
HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY Iris & Eric Downes
YEAR’S MIND— Shirley Marston (2005) Anne Martin (1999) Edwina Christie (2000)
Harold Crouch (2009)
PREPARATION FOR NEXT SUNDAY Lent V
Readings Jeremiah 31: 31—34 & Hebrews 5: 5—14
GOSPEL John 12: 20—33
REGULAR GROUPS AND BOOKINGS
PRAYER CIRCLE meets noon on the 2nd Tuesday each month at 36 Penno Parade North
BIBLE STUDY 10am Wednesdays at Pressley’s
THURSDAY 9.30am Eucharist
SINGING GROUP Meets after the 10am service each Sunday. All singers welcome
MOTHERS’ UNION - meets third Thursdays each month at 2.00pm
HELPLINE
Part of being a Christian community is the support offered to each other in times of need. We offer short-term delivery of food where needed, local transport, phone calls, and other types of assistance. Call Iris Downes on 8278 3260 and Marlene Dixon on 8278 8568..
POWERPOINT ROSTER –
Next Sunday Craig Deane or Don Caddy
Sunday after Trevor Tregenza or Joy Campbell
READER- AND INTERCESSOR ROSTER
Next Sunday Reader n/a Intercessor Mary V
Sunday after Reader n/a Intercessor n/a
SANCTUARY ROSTER
Next week Flowers Noeleen Carter (no flowers)
Brass Margaret Carruthers Cleaning Susan Lee
Mark your diary please ......
(a) The Parish Annual Vestry Meeting on 25th March - reports due
(b) Wedding May 5 Private function in Hall May 6
(c) St John's drama production in hall afternoon and evening of May 31 and June 1
(d) St John's Exams 17-20 July and 29/10-14/11
Details of Lenten Studies with Warren
Thursday mornings 10.30am to 11.45am From 23rd Feb to 29 Mar (but not 15 Mar)
Sunday mornings 11.45am to 12.30pm in the Church starting 26 Feb
Monday evenings 7.45pm – 9.15pm at the Rectory, 12 Gulfview Road, Blackwood. Lenten Envelopes for ABM: Many parishioners received 'gold envelopes' for their Lenten Offerings last Sunday. For those who missed out, gold envelopes are still available on the table in the foyer.
Faith of the Elders
The ‘Faith of the Elders’ Exhibition will be opened by Bishop Tom Harris next Sunday at 5pm with wine and nibbles. The church will be a gallery for the evening as we display photographic portraits of 12 of our ‘elders’ alongside their stories of faith and connection with the church. It’ll be a combination of faith, art, local history and celebration.
Bible study/discussion for young adults.
Stephen will be running a Bible Study/discussion group for the young adults in our congregation. We’re wanting to support these fantastic young people as they grow in faith. Please pray for the group as they meet on Sunday evenings.
Information has just come to hand about the latest YOUTH THRIVE SERVICE to be held at Concordia College, 45 Cheltenham Street, Highgate on 23rd March at 7.00pm. Cost is $5 for supper.
For more detail contact Sam Bleby on sam.bleby@stmatts.asn.au
The Flea Market – 19th May YOU can help make this a successful event…..it is planned to keep the Flea Market / Jumble Sale to a manageable level with stalls mainly occupying the hall.
Warren is looking for assistance for the Children’s Good Friday Service at 9.00am. The Stations of the Cross service needs adult helpers—more info from Fr. Warren .
Special Note: A strong capable father of two requires work to support his children—willing to do gardening, cleaning or anything. Phone Yvonne Myers on 8278 6297
RONBLOG …… on today’s Readings
In the early years of my pilgrimage as a Christian, I recall feeling a little superior to first century Christians, when St. Paul exhorted the early Church about such things as ‘the ruler of the power of the air’ and all that jazz. It was quite similar to the general attitude then to the Old Testament references to worship of idols, as we wondered, tittering behind our hands, how anyone anywhere could waste time and effort ‘bowing down to gods of gold and silver and wood!’ Surely people thought deeper than that!
However, the more you live and grow, develop and observe, the more it becomes obvious that regardless of the time in history or the place on the planet, those old practices are reverted to, even if the ways and means are expressed a little differently. Idols in particular are very much the current fad in the 21st Century, though the focus may be different. Cars and homes and status replace the figurines; but the crux is very much on ego, self. And the ‘ruler of the power of the air’ translates quite easily and clearly to ‘the spirit of the age,’ which is just as focussed inward to what I want and how can I get it ..... and why not now!!!? NOW!
There is no vast gap between people of Old and New Testament times and now, except the capacity to reach towards those selfish goals are more available to a far wider audience, or at least that is the case in our Australian scene. Failure to recognize such issues – and the damage they cause – is part of the reason for the Faith being castigated as irrelevant, and that is a false assessment very widely accepted.
You may well think that I am being very negative – especially in an age that is determined to be positive! That maybe the case, but my other issue with today is that one is supposed to be so very positive even when the evidence points to a rather more serious situation. In other words, I have difficulty with people who hold on tightly to froth and bubble when it is so very obvious that it will all crumble and disappear in their very hands ere long. So when I see the Sentence for today and the combination of readings apart from the Old Testament, my concern meter rises. Why? Because for so long and so often I hear preachers preaching and people ‘understanding’ a gospel of most shallow roots and of lack of veracity. Folly is folly even if when it is elevated beyond its value.
Items for the Newsletter need to be sent to Fr. Ron at 8298 7160 or
ronpkeynes@internode.on.net by Tuesday afternoon please …….
Fourth Sunday in Lent
Mothering Sunday
WELCOME to Holy Innocents—we hope you enjoy this time of prayer as we reflect on Scripture together and celebrate the Eucharist. Breakfast is available in the Hall after the 8 am service and morning tea after the 10 am. All are welcome. Sunday School is in action …..
Collect for Lent IV
Everlasting God in Whom we live and move and have our being, You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You: give us purity of heart and strength of purpose, that no selfish passion may hinder us from knowing Your will, no weakness prevent us from doing it; that in Your light we may see light, and in Your service find perfect freedom; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
TODAY’S READINGS read by Hal S-C
Readings Numbers 21: 4—9 and Ephesians 2: 1—10
GOSPEL John 3: 14—21
Fr Ron’s Notes available at http://www.anglican-belair.blogspot.com/
PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE led by Sue D-T
We pray for those in need: Ron Teague, Peter Little, Jenny Jeffrey, Dorothy Furnival, the Swaby family, Lynda Knight, Dianne Cordes. Ivanka Cosic, Jim (fighting cancer;) Jake and Gail. Michelle post op in NY, Eddie Barber, Hazel Looney, Tommy Ferguson, and Judith Manning.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Kumiko Araki, Barbara Corbett
HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY Iris & Eric Downes
YEAR’S MIND— Shirley Marston (2005) Anne Martin (1999) Edwina Christie (2000)
Harold Crouch (2009)
PREPARATION FOR NEXT SUNDAY Lent V
Readings Jeremiah 31: 31—34 & Hebrews 5: 5—14
GOSPEL John 12: 20—33
REGULAR GROUPS AND BOOKINGS
PRAYER CIRCLE meets noon on the 2nd Tuesday each month at 36 Penno Parade North
BIBLE STUDY 10am Wednesdays at Pressley’s
THURSDAY 9.30am Eucharist
SINGING GROUP Meets after the 10am service each Sunday. All singers welcome
MOTHERS’ UNION - meets third Thursdays each month at 2.00pm
HELPLINE
Part of being a Christian community is the support offered to each other in times of need. We offer short-term delivery of food where needed, local transport, phone calls, and other types of assistance. Call Iris Downes on 8278 3260 and Marlene Dixon on 8278 8568..
POWERPOINT ROSTER –
Next Sunday Craig Deane or Don Caddy
Sunday after Trevor Tregenza or Joy Campbell
READER- AND INTERCESSOR ROSTER
Next Sunday Reader n/a Intercessor Mary V
Sunday after Reader n/a Intercessor n/a
SANCTUARY ROSTER
Next week Flowers Noeleen Carter (no flowers)
Brass Margaret Carruthers Cleaning Susan Lee
Mark your diary please ......
(a) The Parish Annual Vestry Meeting on 25th March - reports due
(b) Wedding May 5 Private function in Hall May 6
(c) St John's drama production in hall afternoon and evening of May 31 and June 1
(d) St John's Exams 17-20 July and 29/10-14/11
Details of Lenten Studies with Warren
Thursday mornings 10.30am to 11.45am From 23rd Feb to 29 Mar (but not 15 Mar)
Sunday mornings 11.45am to 12.30pm in the Church starting 26 Feb
Monday evenings 7.45pm – 9.15pm at the Rectory, 12 Gulfview Road, Blackwood. Lenten Envelopes for ABM: Many parishioners received 'gold envelopes' for their Lenten Offerings last Sunday. For those who missed out, gold envelopes are still available on the table in the foyer.
Faith of the Elders
The ‘Faith of the Elders’ Exhibition will be opened by Bishop Tom Harris next Sunday at 5pm with wine and nibbles. The church will be a gallery for the evening as we display photographic portraits of 12 of our ‘elders’ alongside their stories of faith and connection with the church. It’ll be a combination of faith, art, local history and celebration.
Bible study/discussion for young adults.
Stephen will be running a Bible Study/discussion group for the young adults in our congregation. We’re wanting to support these fantastic young people as they grow in faith. Please pray for the group as they meet on Sunday evenings.
Information has just come to hand about the latest YOUTH THRIVE SERVICE to be held at Concordia College, 45 Cheltenham Street, Highgate on 23rd March at 7.00pm. Cost is $5 for supper.
For more detail contact Sam Bleby on sam.bleby@stmatts.asn.au
The Flea Market – 19th May YOU can help make this a successful event…..it is planned to keep the Flea Market / Jumble Sale to a manageable level with stalls mainly occupying the hall.
Warren is looking for assistance for the Children’s Good Friday Service at 9.00am. The Stations of the Cross service needs adult helpers—more info from Fr. Warren .
Special Note: A strong capable father of two requires work to support his children—willing to do gardening, cleaning or anything. Phone Yvonne Myers on 8278 6297
RONBLOG …… on today’s Readings
In the early years of my pilgrimage as a Christian, I recall feeling a little superior to first century Christians, when St. Paul exhorted the early Church about such things as ‘the ruler of the power of the air’ and all that jazz. It was quite similar to the general attitude then to the Old Testament references to worship of idols, as we wondered, tittering behind our hands, how anyone anywhere could waste time and effort ‘bowing down to gods of gold and silver and wood!’ Surely people thought deeper than that!
However, the more you live and grow, develop and observe, the more it becomes obvious that regardless of the time in history or the place on the planet, those old practices are reverted to, even if the ways and means are expressed a little differently. Idols in particular are very much the current fad in the 21st Century, though the focus may be different. Cars and homes and status replace the figurines; but the crux is very much on ego, self. And the ‘ruler of the power of the air’ translates quite easily and clearly to ‘the spirit of the age,’ which is just as focussed inward to what I want and how can I get it ..... and why not now!!!? NOW!
There is no vast gap between people of Old and New Testament times and now, except the capacity to reach towards those selfish goals are more available to a far wider audience, or at least that is the case in our Australian scene. Failure to recognize such issues – and the damage they cause – is part of the reason for the Faith being castigated as irrelevant, and that is a false assessment very widely accepted.
You may well think that I am being very negative – especially in an age that is determined to be positive! That maybe the case, but my other issue with today is that one is supposed to be so very positive even when the evidence points to a rather more serious situation. In other words, I have difficulty with people who hold on tightly to froth and bubble when it is so very obvious that it will all crumble and disappear in their very hands ere long. So when I see the Sentence for today and the combination of readings apart from the Old Testament, my concern meter rises. Why? Because for so long and so often I hear preachers preaching and people ‘understanding’ a gospel of most shallow roots and of lack of veracity. Folly is folly even if when it is elevated beyond its value.
Items for the Newsletter need to be sent to Fr. Ron at 8298 7160 or
ronpkeynes@internode.on.net by Tuesday afternoon please …….
Friday, March 9, 2012
RonBlog
Sunday 11th March, 2012 Third Sunday of Lent
Sentence
God spoke these wards and said, “I am the Lord your God Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other Gods before Me. Exodus 20:1
Collect
Lord our God, by Your Holy Spirit write Your commandments upon our hearts and grant us the wisdom and power of the Cross so that, cleansed from greed and selfishness, we may become a living temple of Your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Old Testament Lesson Exodus 20: 1 – 17
Then God spoke all these words: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.
You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not acquit anyone who misuses his name. Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labour and do all your work. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God; you shall not do any work--you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and consecrated it.
Honour your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour. You shall not covet your neighbour’s house; you shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour.
Psalm 19
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament declares His handiwork
One day tells it to another: and night to night communicates knowledge
There is no speech or language: nor are their voices heard
Yet their sound has gone out through all the world: and their words to the ends of the earth
There He has pitched a tent for the sun: which comes out as a bridegroom from his chamber, and rejoices as a strong man to run his course
Its rising is at one end of the heavens, and its circuit to their farthest bound: and nothing is hid from its heat
The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul: the command of the Lord is true, and makes wise the simple
The precepts of the LORD are right, and rejoice the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, and gives light to the eyes
The fear of the LORD is clean, and endures forever: the judgements of the Lord are unchanging and righteous every one.
More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold: sweeter also than honey, than the honey that drips from the honeycomb
Moreover, by them is your servant taught: and in keeping them there is great reward.
Who can know their own unwitting sins?: O cleanse me from my secret faults.
Keep your servant also from presumptuous sins: lest they get the mastery over me: so I shall be clean and innocent of great offence.
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight: O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.
Epistle 1 Corinthians 1: 18 – 25
The message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart." Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength.
GOSPEL John 2:13 – 22
The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves "Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father's house a marketplace!"
His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for your house will consume me." The Jews then said to him, "What sign can you show us for doing this?" Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews then said, "This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?" But he was speaking of the temple of his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
© New Revised Standard Version of the Bible
Copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the
Churches of Christ in the USA, and used by permission. All rights reserved
NOTES ON THE READINGS ...........
Old Testament
Call me out-dated and old-fashioned if you will, but I find it rather sad that the Decalogue, these ancient Ten Commandments, are ignored, broken and despised by so many of our contemporaries. I doubt if anyone could really call me a wowser, nor even terribly religious (a term which I hate!) but am rather a Christian realist, and aware of the enormous value of this rune of words.
People familiar with these notes will know most of my illustrations on the issue: but it bears repetition that the present-day refusal – generally speaking – to take the slightest notice of these important rules, is leading and will almost certainly lead to the complete and utter breakdown of society. I kid you not.
In spite of screams to the opposite, the Judaic-Christian Faith is not about enduring present existence for the sake of some future bliss. The reality is that the Jewish faith stemmed from the increasing awareness that the real problem of life is here and now, has to do with human incorrigibility, and that there must be an answer somewhere. While it took a very long period of time, first to get past old religious baggage, and then to try out new theories and perceptions, the outcome has been remarkably solid and sound, and of course (a word to the sceptics) those ancient worthies took on board ideas and concepts of other people. (it surprises atheists and others that the emergence of Hebrew Faith – and Christian – parallels the emergence of science: first an idea then a theory and then a testing. Actually the process was Hebrews first and science later!)
So the Decalogue: the first few clauses underline the need for respect for God. If that is too much for unbelievers, then simply read ‘truth and justice’ for God. In other words, while we may be free to bugger around with the ancient verities, we are never free from the outcomes of our choices.
Parallel to that is respect for each other. Sure, the Commandments may seem a little marred by the apparent concern about wives being ‘property’ – but we have all moved forward from that! But just as the first section calls for respect for God, the second section concerns respect for each other. Sure, respect is something earned, not necessarily given, but if I do not respect me, that I am certainly not giving you any value either. And that leads to chaos very smartly.
Actually, you have your sermon already do you not?
Psalm
This is truly a magnificent psalm, and is one which every person could well ponder and value and respond to. When it comes to this cosmos in which we live, one has a choice: either it is random and meaningless, or it is as ‘cosmos’ suggests – has design and purpose. Choose chaos, and you must accept utter stupidity and purposelessness. I will stick with sense, thank you, for that is where most of the evidence points.
Epistle
What a significant passage is this! Jews seek signs and Greeks seek wisdom. And Paul requires his readers to consider the basis of their views of the Faith. It is something that each generation needs to consider and respond to, but there are traps along the way. The folly to which Paul refers lies most largely in the unexpected and apparently feeble approach of the Gospel to the human dilemma. Most humans respond with force to perceived problems, even though they are aware that force rarely (if ever!) achieves its purpose, but rather aggravates the issue.
However you respond to this passage, I suggest that you do so in the real world situation. Here is no holy talk but realism at its sharpest edge. You will be aware of the rather sad human capacity to avoid issues by what is presented as sense but tends to be obfuscation. (There is a rather vivid Aussie expletive if that is easier to understand.)
GOSPEL
In his own inimical way, John sets this incident at the start of Jesus’ ministry, rather than follow the Synoptists where it is placed on what we call Palm Sunday. That is no great matter – rather it is an emphasis of John’s.
As with each of the other readings for today, here the emphasis is on being true to reality and not avoiding issues. The Cleansing of the Temple is a powerful statement in the ministry of Jesus, Who was made very angry at the distortion of worship by the goings-on at the Temple. What was meant to be worship had become a money-making business, distorting completely the picture of what should have been going on. One does not readily algin this picture of the angry Jesus with the traditional picture, but it is as well to include it. Be angry and sin not is one of Paul’s words to people – and anger, after all, like pain from a wound, is there to make clear that there is something quite wrong taking place. Without such a warning, great damage could occur to a person before they were aware of it.
On that apparently enigmatic statement of Jesus about rebuilding the Temple, modern readers need to be quite aware of the rather fascinating Hebrew penchant for imaginative comments such as this. It is a wide-ranging sort of comment, having to do as much with the demise and rebirth of the ‘faith once delivered’ as it has to do with Jesus’ forthcoming experience of death and resurrection. Notice again if you will, that very Jewish penchant for signs. Those people were often demanding such ‘clear’ evidence from Jesus for His authority for saying or doing what He did. Mind you, in very typical style, said Jews either missed or avoided the very ‘signs’ that Jesus actually offered them. How often does dogma produce blindness in those who claim most to be adherents of a faith or ism?
Notes for a sermon
Have you ever wondered what are the categories for certainty you have for the faith you profess? I recall having great concerns for a then young Christian whose confessed grounds for faith lay on what she claimed to be miracle. Whilst she has gone on and grown in her faith long since then, I felt at the time how shaky was such a base for something so hugely important. Mind you, even as an adult her faith is (to my mind) tragically naive. Recent Catholic emphasis on Mary McKillop and her’ miracles’ is part of my same concern.
This will be a partly personal story, but as I have mentioned several times over recent years, it has always been a concern to me that my perception of the faith and my understanding of God needed to have such empirical evidence as to be able to stand up to the inquisition of people I met and wanted to know why I believe. (Mind you, I prefer ‘follow Christ’ to ‘believe’ as the latter tends to be read as simply a personal choice one makes.)
From early years, as a teenager (though we were not know as that back on those days,) I saw the need for a faith based on reality rather than froth and bubble. Yes, even then there were those who seemed satisfied with what appeared to me to be foundationless faith, and as you might imagine, most of those fell away as days weeks and months passed by. Trying to be true to conventional wisdom, I had the personal experience of someone who wanted to become a Christian. Following then conventional wisdom I ‘preached’ that gospel of sorts. It made sense to the person initially, but took only a few weeks for the whole thing to fade. Parable of the soils perhaps, but I doubt if, in reality, my efforts even reached first base.
The Judaic-Christian Faith is nothing if it is not solid, sound and down to earth. As I often say to people, this faith to which we are heir emerged, not because people went off into some sort of cloud-cuckoo land and mused, but because they faced life’s realities both good and bad, and found their understanding of life and others and God from the vicissitudes of ordinary existence. History was the great teacher; life as it panned out!
Oddly enough, as mentioned above, the search for truth among the Hebrews from Abraham on, was really quite similar to the search for truth that impels scientists to look past where they are. There are no tenets nor dogma in this Faith of ours, in spite of the attempts of leaders to instil them. In my view, as soon as dogmatics enter the fray, listening tends to go out the window.
For anyone who remains cynical, I offer the following suggestion: you may not be old enough to know that in times not all that distant past, one could be quite certain – in this country at least – that you could trust people around you. Perhaps not totally, for there are always those you do not know. But homes were not locked, and neighbours were neighbours, and in my grandparents’ day, one’s motor vehicle did not even have a key. There was either a switch or a handle to ‘wind up the old girl’ at some risk to your wrists. Also, I recall a day, coming home from High School [1948] and spending a penny to buy the evening paper, totally shocked, like everyone else, that a murder had been committed in Bankstown (NSW.)
Although it must be said that the number of Churchgoers then was relatively more than today, the general attitude and actions of people around were quite closely linked to the Ten Commandments. It was not a response of fear – of God or Hell, for back then both were questioned, even by me at early teenage. It was the simple recognition that the old Decalogue contained quite some fine sense and value, even if the occasional Commandment was looked at a little askance.
In those days, of course, community was a reality even in the big city. We knew the people around us (in fact 60 years later I emailed my brother to name the families around us for quite some distance, and we were kids then. Community! Today, our neighbours are either totally unknown or very tense in any contact or conversation. Respect has flown out the window, trust is dead as a dodo, and one needs to be totally sure that the house is locked and as impregnable as possible. Even the car has immobilisers. What an awful world in which to live.
It would take a very long sermon to provide all the evidence a person might need – but this scratches the surface in pointing towards both the validity of the Decalogue, the significance of the Faith, and its view of the importance of the right here and now.
Sentence
God spoke these wards and said, “I am the Lord your God Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other Gods before Me. Exodus 20:1
Collect
Lord our God, by Your Holy Spirit write Your commandments upon our hearts and grant us the wisdom and power of the Cross so that, cleansed from greed and selfishness, we may become a living temple of Your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Old Testament Lesson Exodus 20: 1 – 17
Then God spoke all these words: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.
You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not acquit anyone who misuses his name. Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labour and do all your work. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God; you shall not do any work--you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and consecrated it.
Honour your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour. You shall not covet your neighbour’s house; you shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour.
Psalm 19
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament declares His handiwork
One day tells it to another: and night to night communicates knowledge
There is no speech or language: nor are their voices heard
Yet their sound has gone out through all the world: and their words to the ends of the earth
There He has pitched a tent for the sun: which comes out as a bridegroom from his chamber, and rejoices as a strong man to run his course
Its rising is at one end of the heavens, and its circuit to their farthest bound: and nothing is hid from its heat
The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul: the command of the Lord is true, and makes wise the simple
The precepts of the LORD are right, and rejoice the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, and gives light to the eyes
The fear of the LORD is clean, and endures forever: the judgements of the Lord are unchanging and righteous every one.
More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold: sweeter also than honey, than the honey that drips from the honeycomb
Moreover, by them is your servant taught: and in keeping them there is great reward.
Who can know their own unwitting sins?: O cleanse me from my secret faults.
Keep your servant also from presumptuous sins: lest they get the mastery over me: so I shall be clean and innocent of great offence.
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight: O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.
Epistle 1 Corinthians 1: 18 – 25
The message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart." Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength.
GOSPEL John 2:13 – 22
The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves "Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father's house a marketplace!"
His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for your house will consume me." The Jews then said to him, "What sign can you show us for doing this?" Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews then said, "This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?" But he was speaking of the temple of his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
© New Revised Standard Version of the Bible
Copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the
Churches of Christ in the USA, and used by permission. All rights reserved
NOTES ON THE READINGS ...........
Old Testament
Call me out-dated and old-fashioned if you will, but I find it rather sad that the Decalogue, these ancient Ten Commandments, are ignored, broken and despised by so many of our contemporaries. I doubt if anyone could really call me a wowser, nor even terribly religious (a term which I hate!) but am rather a Christian realist, and aware of the enormous value of this rune of words.
People familiar with these notes will know most of my illustrations on the issue: but it bears repetition that the present-day refusal – generally speaking – to take the slightest notice of these important rules, is leading and will almost certainly lead to the complete and utter breakdown of society. I kid you not.
In spite of screams to the opposite, the Judaic-Christian Faith is not about enduring present existence for the sake of some future bliss. The reality is that the Jewish faith stemmed from the increasing awareness that the real problem of life is here and now, has to do with human incorrigibility, and that there must be an answer somewhere. While it took a very long period of time, first to get past old religious baggage, and then to try out new theories and perceptions, the outcome has been remarkably solid and sound, and of course (a word to the sceptics) those ancient worthies took on board ideas and concepts of other people. (it surprises atheists and others that the emergence of Hebrew Faith – and Christian – parallels the emergence of science: first an idea then a theory and then a testing. Actually the process was Hebrews first and science later!)
So the Decalogue: the first few clauses underline the need for respect for God. If that is too much for unbelievers, then simply read ‘truth and justice’ for God. In other words, while we may be free to bugger around with the ancient verities, we are never free from the outcomes of our choices.
Parallel to that is respect for each other. Sure, the Commandments may seem a little marred by the apparent concern about wives being ‘property’ – but we have all moved forward from that! But just as the first section calls for respect for God, the second section concerns respect for each other. Sure, respect is something earned, not necessarily given, but if I do not respect me, that I am certainly not giving you any value either. And that leads to chaos very smartly.
Actually, you have your sermon already do you not?
Psalm
This is truly a magnificent psalm, and is one which every person could well ponder and value and respond to. When it comes to this cosmos in which we live, one has a choice: either it is random and meaningless, or it is as ‘cosmos’ suggests – has design and purpose. Choose chaos, and you must accept utter stupidity and purposelessness. I will stick with sense, thank you, for that is where most of the evidence points.
Epistle
What a significant passage is this! Jews seek signs and Greeks seek wisdom. And Paul requires his readers to consider the basis of their views of the Faith. It is something that each generation needs to consider and respond to, but there are traps along the way. The folly to which Paul refers lies most largely in the unexpected and apparently feeble approach of the Gospel to the human dilemma. Most humans respond with force to perceived problems, even though they are aware that force rarely (if ever!) achieves its purpose, but rather aggravates the issue.
However you respond to this passage, I suggest that you do so in the real world situation. Here is no holy talk but realism at its sharpest edge. You will be aware of the rather sad human capacity to avoid issues by what is presented as sense but tends to be obfuscation. (There is a rather vivid Aussie expletive if that is easier to understand.)
GOSPEL
In his own inimical way, John sets this incident at the start of Jesus’ ministry, rather than follow the Synoptists where it is placed on what we call Palm Sunday. That is no great matter – rather it is an emphasis of John’s.
As with each of the other readings for today, here the emphasis is on being true to reality and not avoiding issues. The Cleansing of the Temple is a powerful statement in the ministry of Jesus, Who was made very angry at the distortion of worship by the goings-on at the Temple. What was meant to be worship had become a money-making business, distorting completely the picture of what should have been going on. One does not readily algin this picture of the angry Jesus with the traditional picture, but it is as well to include it. Be angry and sin not is one of Paul’s words to people – and anger, after all, like pain from a wound, is there to make clear that there is something quite wrong taking place. Without such a warning, great damage could occur to a person before they were aware of it.
On that apparently enigmatic statement of Jesus about rebuilding the Temple, modern readers need to be quite aware of the rather fascinating Hebrew penchant for imaginative comments such as this. It is a wide-ranging sort of comment, having to do as much with the demise and rebirth of the ‘faith once delivered’ as it has to do with Jesus’ forthcoming experience of death and resurrection. Notice again if you will, that very Jewish penchant for signs. Those people were often demanding such ‘clear’ evidence from Jesus for His authority for saying or doing what He did. Mind you, in very typical style, said Jews either missed or avoided the very ‘signs’ that Jesus actually offered them. How often does dogma produce blindness in those who claim most to be adherents of a faith or ism?
Notes for a sermon
Have you ever wondered what are the categories for certainty you have for the faith you profess? I recall having great concerns for a then young Christian whose confessed grounds for faith lay on what she claimed to be miracle. Whilst she has gone on and grown in her faith long since then, I felt at the time how shaky was such a base for something so hugely important. Mind you, even as an adult her faith is (to my mind) tragically naive. Recent Catholic emphasis on Mary McKillop and her’ miracles’ is part of my same concern.
This will be a partly personal story, but as I have mentioned several times over recent years, it has always been a concern to me that my perception of the faith and my understanding of God needed to have such empirical evidence as to be able to stand up to the inquisition of people I met and wanted to know why I believe. (Mind you, I prefer ‘follow Christ’ to ‘believe’ as the latter tends to be read as simply a personal choice one makes.)
From early years, as a teenager (though we were not know as that back on those days,) I saw the need for a faith based on reality rather than froth and bubble. Yes, even then there were those who seemed satisfied with what appeared to me to be foundationless faith, and as you might imagine, most of those fell away as days weeks and months passed by. Trying to be true to conventional wisdom, I had the personal experience of someone who wanted to become a Christian. Following then conventional wisdom I ‘preached’ that gospel of sorts. It made sense to the person initially, but took only a few weeks for the whole thing to fade. Parable of the soils perhaps, but I doubt if, in reality, my efforts even reached first base.
The Judaic-Christian Faith is nothing if it is not solid, sound and down to earth. As I often say to people, this faith to which we are heir emerged, not because people went off into some sort of cloud-cuckoo land and mused, but because they faced life’s realities both good and bad, and found their understanding of life and others and God from the vicissitudes of ordinary existence. History was the great teacher; life as it panned out!
Oddly enough, as mentioned above, the search for truth among the Hebrews from Abraham on, was really quite similar to the search for truth that impels scientists to look past where they are. There are no tenets nor dogma in this Faith of ours, in spite of the attempts of leaders to instil them. In my view, as soon as dogmatics enter the fray, listening tends to go out the window.
For anyone who remains cynical, I offer the following suggestion: you may not be old enough to know that in times not all that distant past, one could be quite certain – in this country at least – that you could trust people around you. Perhaps not totally, for there are always those you do not know. But homes were not locked, and neighbours were neighbours, and in my grandparents’ day, one’s motor vehicle did not even have a key. There was either a switch or a handle to ‘wind up the old girl’ at some risk to your wrists. Also, I recall a day, coming home from High School [1948] and spending a penny to buy the evening paper, totally shocked, like everyone else, that a murder had been committed in Bankstown (NSW.)
Although it must be said that the number of Churchgoers then was relatively more than today, the general attitude and actions of people around were quite closely linked to the Ten Commandments. It was not a response of fear – of God or Hell, for back then both were questioned, even by me at early teenage. It was the simple recognition that the old Decalogue contained quite some fine sense and value, even if the occasional Commandment was looked at a little askance.
In those days, of course, community was a reality even in the big city. We knew the people around us (in fact 60 years later I emailed my brother to name the families around us for quite some distance, and we were kids then. Community! Today, our neighbours are either totally unknown or very tense in any contact or conversation. Respect has flown out the window, trust is dead as a dodo, and one needs to be totally sure that the house is locked and as impregnable as possible. Even the car has immobilisers. What an awful world in which to live.
It would take a very long sermon to provide all the evidence a person might need – but this scratches the surface in pointing towards both the validity of the Decalogue, the significance of the Faith, and its view of the importance of the right here and now.
Newsletter
Sunday 11th March, 2012
Third Sunday in Lent
WELCOME to Holy Innocents—we hope you enjoy this time of prayer as we reflect on Scripture together and celebrate the Eucharist. Breakfast is available in the Hall after the 8 am service and morning tea after the 10 am. All are welcome. Sunday School is in action …..
Collect for Lent III
Lord our God, by Your Holy Spirit write Your commandments upon our hearts and grant us the wisdom and power of the cross, so that, cleansed from greed and selfishness, we may become a living temple of Your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
TODAY’S READINGS read by Arndrae L
Readings Exodus 20: 1—17 & 1 Cor. 1: 18—25
GOSPEL John 2: 13—22
Fr Ron’s Notes available at http://www.anglican-belair.blogspot.com/
PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE led by Ben L
We pray for those in need: Ron Teague, Peter Little, Jenny Jeffrey, Dorothy Furnival, the Swaby family , Lynda Knight, Dianne Cordes. Blake Vause. Ivanka Cosic, Jim (fighting cancer;) Jake and Gail. Michelle post op in NY, Eddie Barber and Judith Manning.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Rosemary Conlon, Brittany Luks, Emma Bruce, Maya Araki,
Heather Turner
HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
YEAR’S MIND— John Walder (1988) Jack Kelly (1999) Nicholas Baker (1995) Kathleen Stauner (1995)
PREPARATION FOR NEXT SUNDAY Lent IV
Readings Numbers 21: 4—9 and Ephesians 2: 1—10
GOSPEL John 3: 14—21
REGULAR GROUPS AND BOOKINGS
PRAYER CIRCLE meets noon on the 2nd Tuesday each month at 36 Penno Parade North
BIBLE STUDY 10am Wednesdays at Pressley’s
THURSDAY 9.30am Eucharist
SINGING GROUP Meets after the 10am service each Sunday. All singers welcome
MOTHERS’ UNION - meets third Thursdays each month March 15th at 2.00pm in the Germein Room. Guest Speaker is Carlien Walter, manager of the MU Centre and Bookshop. All are welcome. Margaret Pressley Group Leader
HELPLINE
Part of being a Christian community is the support offered to each other in times of need. We offer short-term delivery of food where needed, local transport, phone calls, and other types of assistance. Call Iris Downes on 8278 3260 and Marlene Dixon on 8278 8568..
POWERPOINT ROSTER –
Next Sunday Min Araki or Cynthia Macintosh
Sunday after Craig Deane or Don Caddy
READER- AND INTERCESSOR ROSTER
Next Sunday Reader Hal S-C Intercessor Sue D-T
Sunday after Reader ******** Intercessor Mary V
SANCTUARY ROSTER
Next week Flowers Iris Downes (no flowers)
Brass Rosemary Conlon Cleaning Group 2
Mark your diary please ......
(a) The Parish Annual Vestry Meeting on 25th March - reports due
(b) Wedding May 5 Private function in Hall May 6
(c) St John's drama production in hall afternoon and evening of May 31 and June 1
(d) St John's Exams 17-20 July and 29/10-14/11
Details of Lenten Studies with Warren
Thursday mornings 10.30am to 11.45am From 23rd Feb to 29 Mar (but not 15 Mar)
Sunday mornings 11.45am to 12.30pm in the Church starting 26 Feb
Monday evenings 7.45pm – 9.15pm at the Rectory, 12 Gulfview Road, Blackwood. Starts 27 Feb
Lenten Envelopes for ABM: Many parishioners received 'gold envelopes' for their Lenten Offerings last Sunday. For those who missed out, gold envelopes are still available on the table in the foyer.
Faith of the Elders
The ‘Faith of the Elders’ Exhibition will occur on Sunday the 25tth of March at 5pm with wine and nibbles and Bishop Tim Harris opening the event. The church will become a gallery for the evening as we display photographic portraits of 12 of our ‘elders’ alongside their stories of faith and connection with the church. It’ll be a combination of faith, art, local history and celebration. Another Holy Innocents activity designed to open our doors to the wider community.
Bible study/discussion for young adults.
Stephen will be running a Bible Study/discussion group for the young adults in our congregation. We’re wanting to support these fantastic young people as they grow in faith. Please pray for the group as they meet on Sunday evenings.
The Flea Market – 19th May 2012 How YOU can help make this a successful event…..it is planned to keep the Flea Market / Jumble Sale to a manageable level with stalls mainly occupying the hall.
1) Please save items for the stalls.
2) We will serve Morning Tea (our thanks to Greg) and Joy is willing to convene a cake stall. Our Green fingered Clare and Angus have offered to run a plant stall. Can you offer assistance with cakes, biscuits and help on the day??? Suitable items for a Raffle would be very welcome – perhaps we could sell tickets prior to the event!
3) If you have any suggestions at all please share them with us.
4) Please offer your help in whatever capacity to Yvonne Caddy or Graham Baines.
RONBLOG …… on today’s Readings
Call me old-fashioned if you will, but I find it rather sad that the Decalogue, these ancient Ten Commandments, are ignored, broken and despised by so many of our contemporaries. I doubt if anyone could really call me a wowser, nor even terribly religious (a term which I hate!) but i am rather a Christian realist, and aware of the enormous value of this rune of words. People familiar with these notes will know most of my illustrations on the issue: but it bears repetition that the present-day refusal – generally speaking – to take the slightest notice of these important rules, is leading and will almost certainly lead to the complete and utter breakdown of society. I kid you not.
In spite of screams to the opposite, the Judaic-Christian Faith is not about enduring present existence for the sake of some future bliss. The reality is that the Jewish faith stemmed from the increasing awareness that the real problem of life is here and now, has to do with human incorrigibility, and that there must be an answer somewhere. While it took a very long period of time, first to get past old religious baggage, and then to try out new theories and perceptions, the outcome has been remarkably solid and sound, and of course (a word to the sceptics) those ancient worthies took on board ideas and concepts of other people. (it surprises atheists and others that the emergence of Hebrew Faith – and Christian – parallels the emergence of science: first an idea then a theory and then a testing. Actually the process was Hebrews first and science later!)
So to the Decalogue: the first few clauses underline the need for respect for God. Parallel to that is respect for each other. Sure, the Commandments may seem a little marred by the apparent concern about wives being ‘property’ – but we have all moved forward from that! But if I do not respect me, that I am certainly not giving you any value either. And that leads to chaos very smartly.
It all comes back to the basics of treating each other with dignity, justice and truth, - each of which value is incontrovertible, but very sadly lacking in both public and private life.
Never, never be ashamed of the Gospel.
Items for the Newsletter need to be sent to Fr. Ron at 8298 7160 or ronpkeynes@internode.on.net by Tuesday afternoon please …….
Third Sunday in Lent
WELCOME to Holy Innocents—we hope you enjoy this time of prayer as we reflect on Scripture together and celebrate the Eucharist. Breakfast is available in the Hall after the 8 am service and morning tea after the 10 am. All are welcome. Sunday School is in action …..
Collect for Lent III
Lord our God, by Your Holy Spirit write Your commandments upon our hearts and grant us the wisdom and power of the cross, so that, cleansed from greed and selfishness, we may become a living temple of Your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
TODAY’S READINGS read by Arndrae L
Readings Exodus 20: 1—17 & 1 Cor. 1: 18—25
GOSPEL John 2: 13—22
Fr Ron’s Notes available at http://www.anglican-belair.blogspot.com/
PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE led by Ben L
We pray for those in need: Ron Teague, Peter Little, Jenny Jeffrey, Dorothy Furnival, the Swaby family , Lynda Knight, Dianne Cordes. Blake Vause. Ivanka Cosic, Jim (fighting cancer;) Jake and Gail. Michelle post op in NY, Eddie Barber and Judith Manning.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Rosemary Conlon, Brittany Luks, Emma Bruce, Maya Araki,
Heather Turner
HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
YEAR’S MIND— John Walder (1988) Jack Kelly (1999) Nicholas Baker (1995) Kathleen Stauner (1995)
PREPARATION FOR NEXT SUNDAY Lent IV
Readings Numbers 21: 4—9 and Ephesians 2: 1—10
GOSPEL John 3: 14—21
REGULAR GROUPS AND BOOKINGS
PRAYER CIRCLE meets noon on the 2nd Tuesday each month at 36 Penno Parade North
BIBLE STUDY 10am Wednesdays at Pressley’s
THURSDAY 9.30am Eucharist
SINGING GROUP Meets after the 10am service each Sunday. All singers welcome
MOTHERS’ UNION - meets third Thursdays each month March 15th at 2.00pm in the Germein Room. Guest Speaker is Carlien Walter, manager of the MU Centre and Bookshop. All are welcome. Margaret Pressley Group Leader
HELPLINE
Part of being a Christian community is the support offered to each other in times of need. We offer short-term delivery of food where needed, local transport, phone calls, and other types of assistance. Call Iris Downes on 8278 3260 and Marlene Dixon on 8278 8568..
POWERPOINT ROSTER –
Next Sunday Min Araki or Cynthia Macintosh
Sunday after Craig Deane or Don Caddy
READER- AND INTERCESSOR ROSTER
Next Sunday Reader Hal S-C Intercessor Sue D-T
Sunday after Reader ******** Intercessor Mary V
SANCTUARY ROSTER
Next week Flowers Iris Downes (no flowers)
Brass Rosemary Conlon Cleaning Group 2
Mark your diary please ......
(a) The Parish Annual Vestry Meeting on 25th March - reports due
(b) Wedding May 5 Private function in Hall May 6
(c) St John's drama production in hall afternoon and evening of May 31 and June 1
(d) St John's Exams 17-20 July and 29/10-14/11
Details of Lenten Studies with Warren
Thursday mornings 10.30am to 11.45am From 23rd Feb to 29 Mar (but not 15 Mar)
Sunday mornings 11.45am to 12.30pm in the Church starting 26 Feb
Monday evenings 7.45pm – 9.15pm at the Rectory, 12 Gulfview Road, Blackwood. Starts 27 Feb
Lenten Envelopes for ABM: Many parishioners received 'gold envelopes' for their Lenten Offerings last Sunday. For those who missed out, gold envelopes are still available on the table in the foyer.
Faith of the Elders
The ‘Faith of the Elders’ Exhibition will occur on Sunday the 25tth of March at 5pm with wine and nibbles and Bishop Tim Harris opening the event. The church will become a gallery for the evening as we display photographic portraits of 12 of our ‘elders’ alongside their stories of faith and connection with the church. It’ll be a combination of faith, art, local history and celebration. Another Holy Innocents activity designed to open our doors to the wider community.
Bible study/discussion for young adults.
Stephen will be running a Bible Study/discussion group for the young adults in our congregation. We’re wanting to support these fantastic young people as they grow in faith. Please pray for the group as they meet on Sunday evenings.
The Flea Market – 19th May 2012 How YOU can help make this a successful event…..it is planned to keep the Flea Market / Jumble Sale to a manageable level with stalls mainly occupying the hall.
1) Please save items for the stalls.
2) We will serve Morning Tea (our thanks to Greg) and Joy is willing to convene a cake stall. Our Green fingered Clare and Angus have offered to run a plant stall. Can you offer assistance with cakes, biscuits and help on the day??? Suitable items for a Raffle would be very welcome – perhaps we could sell tickets prior to the event!
3) If you have any suggestions at all please share them with us.
4) Please offer your help in whatever capacity to Yvonne Caddy or Graham Baines.
RONBLOG …… on today’s Readings
Call me old-fashioned if you will, but I find it rather sad that the Decalogue, these ancient Ten Commandments, are ignored, broken and despised by so many of our contemporaries. I doubt if anyone could really call me a wowser, nor even terribly religious (a term which I hate!) but i am rather a Christian realist, and aware of the enormous value of this rune of words. People familiar with these notes will know most of my illustrations on the issue: but it bears repetition that the present-day refusal – generally speaking – to take the slightest notice of these important rules, is leading and will almost certainly lead to the complete and utter breakdown of society. I kid you not.
In spite of screams to the opposite, the Judaic-Christian Faith is not about enduring present existence for the sake of some future bliss. The reality is that the Jewish faith stemmed from the increasing awareness that the real problem of life is here and now, has to do with human incorrigibility, and that there must be an answer somewhere. While it took a very long period of time, first to get past old religious baggage, and then to try out new theories and perceptions, the outcome has been remarkably solid and sound, and of course (a word to the sceptics) those ancient worthies took on board ideas and concepts of other people. (it surprises atheists and others that the emergence of Hebrew Faith – and Christian – parallels the emergence of science: first an idea then a theory and then a testing. Actually the process was Hebrews first and science later!)
So to the Decalogue: the first few clauses underline the need for respect for God. Parallel to that is respect for each other. Sure, the Commandments may seem a little marred by the apparent concern about wives being ‘property’ – but we have all moved forward from that! But if I do not respect me, that I am certainly not giving you any value either. And that leads to chaos very smartly.
It all comes back to the basics of treating each other with dignity, justice and truth, - each of which value is incontrovertible, but very sadly lacking in both public and private life.
Never, never be ashamed of the Gospel.
Items for the Newsletter need to be sent to Fr. Ron at 8298 7160 or ronpkeynes@internode.on.net by Tuesday afternoon please …….
Friday, March 2, 2012
RonBlog
Sunday 4th March, 2012 Second Sunday in Lent
Sentence
If you want to become a disciple of Christ, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Him.
Mark 8: 34
Collect
God of all times and places, in Jesus Christ Who was lifted up on the cross, You opened for us the path to eternal life; grant that we, being born of water and the Spirit, may joyfully serve You in newness of life and faithfully walk in Your holy ways, through Jesus Christ Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
Old Testament Lesson Genesis 17: 1 – 7 & 15 – 16
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said to him, "I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous."
Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, "As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram , but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.
God said to Abraham, "As for Sarah your wife, you shall not call her Sarai , but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her."
Psalm 22:24 – 32
O praise the Lord al you who fear Him: hold Him in honour O seed of Jacob, and let the seed of Israel stand in awe of Him
For He has not despised nor abhorred the poor man in his misery: nor did He hide His face from him, but heard him when he cried.
From You springs my praise in the great congregation: I will pay my vows in the sight of all who fear You
The meek shall eat of the sacrifice and be satisfied: and those who seek the Lord shall praise Him – may their hearts rejoice for ever.
Let all the gods of the earth remember and turn to the Lord: and let all families of the nations worship before Him
For the kingdom is the Lord’s: and He shall be ruler over the nations
How can those who sleep in the earth do Him homage: or those who descend to the dust bow down before Him?
But He has saved my life for Himself: and my posterity shall serve Him
This shall be told of my Lord to a future generation: and His righteousness declared to a people yet unborn, that He has done it.
Epistle Romans 4: 13 – 25
The promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation. For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, as it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations")- -in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.
Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become "the father of many nations," according to what was said, "So numerous shall your descendants be." He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. Therefore his faith "was reckoned to him as righteousness." Now the words, "it was reckoned to him," were written not for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.
GOSPEL Mark 8:31 – 38
Then Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! You are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things."
He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."
© New Revised Standard Version of the Bible
Copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the
Churches of Christ in the USA, and used by permission. All rights reserved
NOTES ON THE READINGS
Old Testament
I suspect that this part of the Abrahamic sagas is fairly well-known – although I have added footnotes to underline the differences in the name changes for Abram and his wife. The real point at issue, especially on this Second Sunday in Lent, is to focus on the difficulties of being discipled to JHWH.
One might expect that, Abram having given allegiance to God, He would ensure that life would follow a peaceful and untroubled pattern. That rather normal human perception runs against the Biblical grain, for things did not work out that way for Abraham any more than it does for us. Being disciple is not a recipe for safety but very much for challenge. This ‘religion’ is no hidey-hole.
On top of that, it would soon become very clear to anyone with an ounce of brain, that such an escapist religion would be utterly useless to anyone. The Hebrew faith from the outset was designed to provide a real and transparent response to the human dilemma. Human evil would never be overcome by avoiding the real issues. And never forget that, please. This Faith is to be lived out in the real world.
Psalm
Here is an interesting psalm – again fairly early in the history of Israel – that sees God as the answer for all humanity, if you take off blinkers to see it. This is not some sort of dogmatic statement, but rather the outcome of a conviction that stemmed from observation. The author was quite clear that a God and a Faith that held to the supreme value of justice and truth could never be overcome or outsmarted by anything lesser.
Epistle
For all those who find Paul’s writing rather hard to follow, please remember that he had been a Pharisee! That is not being rude. However if ever you have been in a position of discussing Old Testament passages with anyone Jewish, you will soon discover that there is a rather odd but great chasm of approach and understanding between you and them.
It may make life a little easier if, instead of ‘faith’ you read ‘faithfulness’ all may fall into place more readily. For purists, that does not revert to ‘salvation by works,’ for heaven’s sake. It does mean that – in Abraham’s case as in yours – there is a need to remain true to the choice to be disciple. I fool myself (only) if I claim discipleship but yet to do live it.
Gospel
And there you have it in spades. Even in Jesus’ case, had He not remained true to His calling as Son of Man, the entire Gospel would have been negated: in fact, it would have fallen to the ground totally. On top of that, going back to the notes on the Genesis reading, there would have been no impact or effect on the basic focus and issue of the Faith – that of a singular and entirely relevant response to the human dilemma. Thank God always for Jesus’ total commitment and persistence in the face of all manner of ugly reactions of people.
NOTES FOR A SERMON
I have to say that I am left wondering how long this Faith of ours will persist in this land – not because of the irrelevance of Christianity, but rather because of the increasing intensity of the cult of the ego that seems to be overtaking almost everything in our culture. Have you ever wondered the same thing?
This is not a response of despair, but it is a signal that there is a threat, not just to the Faith but indeed to our very culture and country. I suspect that it all began deep in the hearts of rather too many human beings. In the USA, it tends to be expressed as the ‘right to happiness’ – whatever that really means. It exploded onto the sporting scene with enormous payments to players in football, cricket and basketball. It continues with the obscene remunerations to big company CEOs, and expectations of everyone that their pockets will be filled. Perhaps the most sinister emergence is the cult of youth that demands everything at no cost, and the ugliest challenge of the terrorist – because there lies exactly that profound demand that others conform to the terrorist demand ... or dies. If you think that I exaggerate, then please stop and ponder a little more.
Whilst this is not the whole picture, I ask you to ponder the extent to which the Gospel which means so much to you actually looks like extreme folly to much of the rest of the world, and particularly to those who are young – or at least younger than many of us. Baby boomers are into the ego well enough: Gens X and Y tend to be almost embedded. Thankfully, that does not mean everyone, but it does encompass far too many.
Go back over today’s readings and look at all that is being said about choice and discipleship. For those who use it in worship, today’s Sentence for the day covers the whole gamut: Jesus said, if you want to become a disciple of Christ, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Me.
Now I have to admit that, in my childhood and youth, the value placed on this passage had to do with being holy, reading your Bible and saying your prayers, and bearing witness to Jesus in your life. All those decades ago, it must be said that far too few clergy, let alone people, saw past what was then called the ‘spiritual’ to see that the Faith has far more to say about life, attitudes and actions in the here and now. Then one ‘separated oneself’ from the worldly mob, and mentally cast them all out as infidels, somewhat in the way some Muslims do these days. We were not a pretty sight and of small value to anyone who did not speak out language, nor did they see past the growing boom times and high inflation. Thankfully, for most of us, those days are gone, but rather too much mystery remains for us as we try and offer a relevant faith in a decaying world. There is nothing new in the history of the Church; it is a pattern repeated often over the centuries. You just happen to be around in another one of these interesting and challenging times.
Take another long hard look at today’s readings if you will. Put yourself in the places of the various people involved in those readings. Like Abraham for instance. Should you wonder if old Abe persisted because of the promise of an extended family, then I suspect you miss the point. I have long considered that Abraham’s move from Ur of the Chaldees rested not upon some sort of selfish urging, but rather because he was searching for truth in faith and religion that would stand up to the exigencies of life. Reaching some level of certainty, he became aware that the direction he was looking was valid, even though at that stage it had not become either obvious or certain. This was a pilgrimage; Abraham was aware that what he was following remained quite different from the religion and philosophy he had left behind. While he still had lots of questions, he was also finding answers.
It may well surprise you that our Lord was no puppet on a string from God, and needed to find His answers in ways not different from you. Mind you, His hold on Scripture was rather different from His contemporaries in Judaism, particularly among those who were what may be called the professional religionists. They were so clearly hidebound and dogmatic, as religionists often become, mostly for the reason of ensuring their own power bases and positions. Tenet and dogma are rarely of much use to the searcher after truth in matters of faith. And nothing is different for searchers after truth in other fields of human endeavour, including science.
One of the great tragedies of human history, not only in matters of religion but most other fields, has been the extent to which people and history have been damaged by one-eyed and usually egocentric humans. There is nothing new about that! Look around and see the extent to which far too many people are bent out of shape in their attempt to conform to religious and theological follies of leaders. No denomination is exempt from the damage.
And there lies the reason for that clarion call from our Lord about being disciple. It is not a call to perfection, for Jesus of all people was and remains aware of the great capacity of us all to miss the mark. (You may well be aware of the fact that the New Testament word in Greek for ‘sin’ is hamartia. ‘And that word is not pejorative: it simply means ‘to have missed the mark.’ That does not reduce the damage – but it does indicate that we all have quite some way to go yet, me perhaps most of all.
So faithfulness in discipleship is the challenge before us all. And that means sticking by what we know to be true even if the rest of the world heads in opposing directions. Never lose sight of the fact that this Faith is designed to bring about reconciliation, not only between you and God, but between you and all other humans.
Sentence
If you want to become a disciple of Christ, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Him.
Mark 8: 34
Collect
God of all times and places, in Jesus Christ Who was lifted up on the cross, You opened for us the path to eternal life; grant that we, being born of water and the Spirit, may joyfully serve You in newness of life and faithfully walk in Your holy ways, through Jesus Christ Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
Old Testament Lesson Genesis 17: 1 – 7 & 15 – 16
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said to him, "I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous."
Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, "As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram , but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.
God said to Abraham, "As for Sarah your wife, you shall not call her Sarai , but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her."
Psalm 22:24 – 32
O praise the Lord al you who fear Him: hold Him in honour O seed of Jacob, and let the seed of Israel stand in awe of Him
For He has not despised nor abhorred the poor man in his misery: nor did He hide His face from him, but heard him when he cried.
From You springs my praise in the great congregation: I will pay my vows in the sight of all who fear You
The meek shall eat of the sacrifice and be satisfied: and those who seek the Lord shall praise Him – may their hearts rejoice for ever.
Let all the gods of the earth remember and turn to the Lord: and let all families of the nations worship before Him
For the kingdom is the Lord’s: and He shall be ruler over the nations
How can those who sleep in the earth do Him homage: or those who descend to the dust bow down before Him?
But He has saved my life for Himself: and my posterity shall serve Him
This shall be told of my Lord to a future generation: and His righteousness declared to a people yet unborn, that He has done it.
Epistle Romans 4: 13 – 25
The promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation. For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, as it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations")- -in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.
Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become "the father of many nations," according to what was said, "So numerous shall your descendants be." He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. Therefore his faith "was reckoned to him as righteousness." Now the words, "it was reckoned to him," were written not for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.
GOSPEL Mark 8:31 – 38
Then Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! You are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things."
He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."
© New Revised Standard Version of the Bible
Copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the
Churches of Christ in the USA, and used by permission. All rights reserved
NOTES ON THE READINGS
Old Testament
I suspect that this part of the Abrahamic sagas is fairly well-known – although I have added footnotes to underline the differences in the name changes for Abram and his wife. The real point at issue, especially on this Second Sunday in Lent, is to focus on the difficulties of being discipled to JHWH.
One might expect that, Abram having given allegiance to God, He would ensure that life would follow a peaceful and untroubled pattern. That rather normal human perception runs against the Biblical grain, for things did not work out that way for Abraham any more than it does for us. Being disciple is not a recipe for safety but very much for challenge. This ‘religion’ is no hidey-hole.
On top of that, it would soon become very clear to anyone with an ounce of brain, that such an escapist religion would be utterly useless to anyone. The Hebrew faith from the outset was designed to provide a real and transparent response to the human dilemma. Human evil would never be overcome by avoiding the real issues. And never forget that, please. This Faith is to be lived out in the real world.
Psalm
Here is an interesting psalm – again fairly early in the history of Israel – that sees God as the answer for all humanity, if you take off blinkers to see it. This is not some sort of dogmatic statement, but rather the outcome of a conviction that stemmed from observation. The author was quite clear that a God and a Faith that held to the supreme value of justice and truth could never be overcome or outsmarted by anything lesser.
Epistle
For all those who find Paul’s writing rather hard to follow, please remember that he had been a Pharisee! That is not being rude. However if ever you have been in a position of discussing Old Testament passages with anyone Jewish, you will soon discover that there is a rather odd but great chasm of approach and understanding between you and them.
It may make life a little easier if, instead of ‘faith’ you read ‘faithfulness’ all may fall into place more readily. For purists, that does not revert to ‘salvation by works,’ for heaven’s sake. It does mean that – in Abraham’s case as in yours – there is a need to remain true to the choice to be disciple. I fool myself (only) if I claim discipleship but yet to do live it.
Gospel
And there you have it in spades. Even in Jesus’ case, had He not remained true to His calling as Son of Man, the entire Gospel would have been negated: in fact, it would have fallen to the ground totally. On top of that, going back to the notes on the Genesis reading, there would have been no impact or effect on the basic focus and issue of the Faith – that of a singular and entirely relevant response to the human dilemma. Thank God always for Jesus’ total commitment and persistence in the face of all manner of ugly reactions of people.
NOTES FOR A SERMON
I have to say that I am left wondering how long this Faith of ours will persist in this land – not because of the irrelevance of Christianity, but rather because of the increasing intensity of the cult of the ego that seems to be overtaking almost everything in our culture. Have you ever wondered the same thing?
This is not a response of despair, but it is a signal that there is a threat, not just to the Faith but indeed to our very culture and country. I suspect that it all began deep in the hearts of rather too many human beings. In the USA, it tends to be expressed as the ‘right to happiness’ – whatever that really means. It exploded onto the sporting scene with enormous payments to players in football, cricket and basketball. It continues with the obscene remunerations to big company CEOs, and expectations of everyone that their pockets will be filled. Perhaps the most sinister emergence is the cult of youth that demands everything at no cost, and the ugliest challenge of the terrorist – because there lies exactly that profound demand that others conform to the terrorist demand ... or dies. If you think that I exaggerate, then please stop and ponder a little more.
Whilst this is not the whole picture, I ask you to ponder the extent to which the Gospel which means so much to you actually looks like extreme folly to much of the rest of the world, and particularly to those who are young – or at least younger than many of us. Baby boomers are into the ego well enough: Gens X and Y tend to be almost embedded. Thankfully, that does not mean everyone, but it does encompass far too many.
Go back over today’s readings and look at all that is being said about choice and discipleship. For those who use it in worship, today’s Sentence for the day covers the whole gamut: Jesus said, if you want to become a disciple of Christ, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Me.
Now I have to admit that, in my childhood and youth, the value placed on this passage had to do with being holy, reading your Bible and saying your prayers, and bearing witness to Jesus in your life. All those decades ago, it must be said that far too few clergy, let alone people, saw past what was then called the ‘spiritual’ to see that the Faith has far more to say about life, attitudes and actions in the here and now. Then one ‘separated oneself’ from the worldly mob, and mentally cast them all out as infidels, somewhat in the way some Muslims do these days. We were not a pretty sight and of small value to anyone who did not speak out language, nor did they see past the growing boom times and high inflation. Thankfully, for most of us, those days are gone, but rather too much mystery remains for us as we try and offer a relevant faith in a decaying world. There is nothing new in the history of the Church; it is a pattern repeated often over the centuries. You just happen to be around in another one of these interesting and challenging times.
Take another long hard look at today’s readings if you will. Put yourself in the places of the various people involved in those readings. Like Abraham for instance. Should you wonder if old Abe persisted because of the promise of an extended family, then I suspect you miss the point. I have long considered that Abraham’s move from Ur of the Chaldees rested not upon some sort of selfish urging, but rather because he was searching for truth in faith and religion that would stand up to the exigencies of life. Reaching some level of certainty, he became aware that the direction he was looking was valid, even though at that stage it had not become either obvious or certain. This was a pilgrimage; Abraham was aware that what he was following remained quite different from the religion and philosophy he had left behind. While he still had lots of questions, he was also finding answers.
It may well surprise you that our Lord was no puppet on a string from God, and needed to find His answers in ways not different from you. Mind you, His hold on Scripture was rather different from His contemporaries in Judaism, particularly among those who were what may be called the professional religionists. They were so clearly hidebound and dogmatic, as religionists often become, mostly for the reason of ensuring their own power bases and positions. Tenet and dogma are rarely of much use to the searcher after truth in matters of faith. And nothing is different for searchers after truth in other fields of human endeavour, including science.
One of the great tragedies of human history, not only in matters of religion but most other fields, has been the extent to which people and history have been damaged by one-eyed and usually egocentric humans. There is nothing new about that! Look around and see the extent to which far too many people are bent out of shape in their attempt to conform to religious and theological follies of leaders. No denomination is exempt from the damage.
And there lies the reason for that clarion call from our Lord about being disciple. It is not a call to perfection, for Jesus of all people was and remains aware of the great capacity of us all to miss the mark. (You may well be aware of the fact that the New Testament word in Greek for ‘sin’ is hamartia. ‘And that word is not pejorative: it simply means ‘to have missed the mark.’ That does not reduce the damage – but it does indicate that we all have quite some way to go yet, me perhaps most of all.
So faithfulness in discipleship is the challenge before us all. And that means sticking by what we know to be true even if the rest of the world heads in opposing directions. Never lose sight of the fact that this Faith is designed to bring about reconciliation, not only between you and God, but between you and all other humans.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)