RonBlog

Sunday 29th July, 2012 Ninth Sunday after Pentecost Sentence Jesus said, ‘I am the bread of life that came down from heaven; whoever eats of this bread will live forever, and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.’ John 6: 51 Collect Gracious God, You have placed in the hearts of all Your children, a longing for Your word and a hunger for Your truth; grant that we, believing in the One Whom You have sent, may know Him to be the true bread from heaven, and the food of eternal life, Jesus Christ our Lord, to Whom with You and the Holy Spirit be glory and honour for ever and ever. Amen Old Testament Lesson 2 Samuel 11: 1 – 15 In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab with his officers and all Israel with him; they ravaged the Ammonites, and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. It happened, late one afternoon, when David rose from his couch and was walking about on the roof of the king's house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; the woman was very beautiful. David sent someone to inquire about the woman. It was reported, "This is Bathsheba daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite." So David sent messengers to get her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she was purifying herself after her period.) Then she returned to her house. The woman conceived; and she sent and told David, "I am pregnant." So David sent word to Joab, "Send me Uriah the Hittite." And Joab sent Uriah to David. When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab and the people fared, and how the war was going. Then David said to Uriah, "Go down to your house, and wash your feet." Uriah went out of the king's house, and there followed him a present from the king. But Uriah slept at the entrance of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. When they told David, "Uriah did not go down to his house," David said to Uriah, "You have just come from a journey. Why did you not go down to your house?" Uriah said to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah remain in booths; and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field; shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do such a thing." Then David said to Uriah, "Remain here today also, and tomorrow I will send you back." So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day. On the next day, David invited him to eat and drink in his presence and made him drunk; and in the evening he went out to lie on his couch with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house. In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah. In the letter he wrote, "Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, so that he may be struck down and die." Psalm 14 Fools have said in their hearts ‘There is no God”: they have all become vile and abominable in their doings, there is not one that does good The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of Adam: to see if there were any who would act wisely and seek after God But they have all turned out of the way, they have all alike become corrupt: there is none that does good, no not one Are all evildoers devoid of understanding: who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not pray to the Lord? They shall be struck with terror: for God is with the company of the righteous Though they frustrate the poor in their hopes: surely the Lord is their refuge O that deliverance for Israel might come forth from Zion: when the Lord turns again the fortunes of His people, then shall Jacob rejoice and Israel shall be glad. Epistle Ephesians 3: 14 – 21 I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. GOSPEL John 6: 1 – 21 After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?" He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, "Six months' wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little." One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?" Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, "Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost." So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, "This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world." When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself. When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But he said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid." Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going. © 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 If you had wondered why last week’s Gospel from Mark omitted reference to the Feeding Sign, then your answer is here today, with John’s account of that event. Mind you, you are asked to notice that following Sundays provide further excerpts from John 6, which should result in quite something of a dilation of your views of Jesus, Eucharist and all sorts of things. Do not forget that you have been warned! Old Testament If you thought I was being rude, last week, with reference to King David, now you should see why I referred to propaganda! Now before you go too crook on David, remember that he was human like the rest of us, and that we are just as capable of sin as anyone, Christian or otherwise. This is not a pretty story, rendered even less pretty by the fact that poor old Uriah – cuckolded by his king, -- retained his sense of duty and integrity by refusing to go home to the little lady. This story is reputed to have evinced Psalm 51, a powerful penitential confession if ever there was one. If God could handle David’s misbehaviour, I suspect that He is able also to handle yours and mine. What a relief. Psalm Before you get too excited and charge every unbeliever with mortal sins, stop and see what is being said here, or by what is becoming evident in our own day and age and society. Read your newspapers and see how the reality is that (a) more and more people are rejecting any concept of God, or to put it another way, they are rejecting any concept of being responsible for acting with integrity and honesty with other people. In other words, the more I turn my back on (all that) God (represents,) the more I will turn my back on other people. If/when I choose to consider myself as the arbiter of right and wrong, truth and falsehood, the less you will show up in my value system. And you do not need your Bible or anything else to establish the reality of that now do you! Perhaps now some of us may be able to translate the Faith into terms that ordinary people can understand and recognize as valid. And that is something we have needed for quite a long time, is it not? Epistle Now I have to say that, in my experience with lots of Christians, such a passage as this tends to have lovely Christians getting that faraway look in their eyes, and becoming all holy and off the planet. The reality of what Paul points to is rather more substantial than that, and certainly more relevant. What Paul is expressing is oh! So very similar to what Jesus is on about in today’s Gospel. It has far more to do with the way a person operates because they have seen and understood what the Gospel is really on about, and that it provides significant bases for people in whatever culture to find reconciliation and purpose as humans in this somewhat crazy world GOSPEL You may be running intro difficulty right here and now, for what Chapter 6 has to say about Jesus, about the Faith, and about the Gospel, may be too much to take in one sitting. Not surprisingly, the Lectionary has us spreading Chapter 6 over several Sundays. First of all, I suggest that you forget about miracle. If we concentrate there, then we miss most of the point, purpose and direction of this incident. You are free to disagree with me, but wait till we have finished with this story, please. On top of that, please see that John describes this incident and others, not as ‘miracle’ but as sign. Just to be very naughty, I usually edit the NIV translation for its constant misuse of the Greek text. That translation shows up as ‘miraculous sign’ where the Greek text has but sign. The first thing to notice is the fine print, so to speak, in John’s Gospel. The first is that after crossing the sea (Red Sea?) and climbing a mountain (Sinai) there is the feeding sign. Go back to the Exodus and recall the escape from Egypt, the encounters of Mount Sinai, and the manna and quail. What was going on there? And that is the salvation of Israel, in escape from slavery, and the sustenance offered them by God, not only in the food available but also in the Decalogue, the Ten Commandments. Once that is absorbed, then try contrasting what happened here in the Gospel: in Horeb there was only just enough for the given day; and here there was stuff left over in droves. So now one can see that John is offering a comparison and contrast between Moses and Jesus. Please stop and realize that, in such a conservative religion as Judaism, such a process would hardly be at all welcome. So the outcome for those present had two prongs, so to speak: on the one hand there were those who saw Jesus as a prophet . Now that was progress of a sort. On the other hand some wanted to push Jesus into being king! And that was a step rather retrograde. They were looking for a messiah-like person who would simply be there to meed their needs, without effort or involvement from them. Small wonder then that Jesus disappeared from that scene. So here we have an interesting cameo of different people’s responses to Jesus’ ministry. And it will ever be the same. Even in this day and age there are those who look to God to solve all their issues, including praying for parking places or other minimally important issues. God is not some sort of miracle worker for anyone, least of all modern-day people, even Christians. But what He does have to offer to those who are looking to matters more important and valuable for everyone, is – in answer to John’s Prologue in his Gospel, - the Word, the Logos, the Reason for Existence and the Purpose in life. And when Jesus talked about the bread He offers is His flesh, then He is pointing to a way of life utterly contrary to that of Adam, do you see! NOTES FOR A SERMON (I do not know if the notes above offer sufficient material to create a sermon. On the off-chance that they do not, I will provide something here.) I recall, on my first Sunday in a new parish, having this Gospel on which to preach, and asking the small congregation to put aside for a while, the very idea of miracle, on the grounds that to do otherwise was to miss almost the entire point of the episode. By saying that, I was asking people to realize that when we think ‘miracle,’ we tend to see such things as way outside our capabilities, and so dismiss any further thought from our minds. And that outcome is tragically common...... What Jesus was (trying to) clarify to people, was His place in the economy of God, in the development of the Faith and in the direction that the Father was getting people to see. Here, in other words, was He Who is far greater than Moses and the prophets (a lesson that the Transfiguration was teaching) and yet very much in the mould and direction of that earlier faith. As the notes above indicate, Jesus, by His very actions more than His words, was pointing people to the source of their faith and life and sustenance, by reiterating something that their heilesgeschichte (their holy history) had underlined for them for millennia. Perhaps one of the things that meant many people failed to appreciate the story was the very familiarity that leads to contempt, as the saying goes. However, Jesus was never one to give up trying to get the message across, and here He was asking people to see that what He had to offer was something that even left Moses’ contribution somewhat in the shade. If one ponders the Sinai story, one is left with the rather short-sighted perception that the manna and quail thing was simply a matter of keeping the people fed and living. However, both the feeding there and the Law from the mountain was pointing to matters rather more significant. This worship of JHWH was not simply a matter of staying alive, but of having what was necessary to sustain life at its rather more full and complete. For instance, in spite of St. Paul’s constant tirade against the Law there is always great need for life to have shape to it, a possibility out of range when there are no boundaries. Ask any teenager, especially those who complain about restraints of any sort, that no restraints result in complete lack of direction for life and complete lack of value(s). My own kids would complain about ‘rules,’ but – in later years, expressed appreciation that they had something solid against which to kick There were two different directions to which people tried to move, in response to this sign from Jesus; the first was to see Jesus as prophet (in a sort of a way), who would do everything necessary for them to have a sedentary and easy life. The second option was to make Jesus King, which meant much the same – life without responsibilities, which after a moment’s thought, should have had them see that this would lead to a very rapid decline in life and life-style. That has never been the goal or telos of the Faith, Hebrew or Christian! Once the story is seen in such a light as this, there is a far greater impact from the story on each reader and hearer. First it becomes obvious that belief in Jesus does not point to some sort of relaxation into a nirvana of doubtful value. It does point to the challenge to follow in a direction that calls for both hard decisions and for continual growth and maturity – both of which are hardly popular directions these days. While it may be anticipating a little, what will follow in successive weeks, as John 6 is further explored, is – surprise, surprise, - that John follows up with Jesus’ own words about Eucharist, bread and wine, and His own self-giving for the life of the world. I recall being quite shocked when the Eucharist aspects of the story became laid open for me. Up till then I could see rather little connection between Jesus and Church, but all this required a rethink of somewhat marathon proportion. But that only meant a similar rethink about Eucharist, for this rethink does not simply mean the necessity of attending Communion more often, but realizing that to which the Eucharist itself points: when Jesu made clear that the bread He offers is His own flesh, it is underling, IN RED, that the entire Faith is about the resolution of the human dilemma by followers of Him ling for others, living a self-giving life as He did, in order to offer a path to reconciliation and peace. This faith is not just for Christians. It is offered to the entire human race, so that this world can be redeemed, as the Agnus Dei reminds us, Sunday by Sunday.

Newsletter

Sunday 29th July, 2012 NINTH SUNDAY OF PENTECOST 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 back in action Collect Gracious God, You have placed within the hearts of all Your children a longing for Your word and a hunger for Your truth: grant that, believing in the One Whom You have sent, we may know Him to be the true bread of heaven and the food of eternal life, Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom with You and the Holy Spirit be glory and honour for ever and ever. Amen. Today’s Readings read by Araki family Readings: 2 Samuel 11: 1—15 & Ephesians 3: 14—21 GOSPEL John 6: 1—31 Following difficulties referred to previously, I wonder if those who follow my blogs may prefer to receive them by email.. If that is so, please email me to go on to a group to receive said notes. No charge of course. PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE led by Vanessa D We pray for those in need: Ron Teague, Peter Little, Jenny Jeffrey, Dorothy Furnival, the Swaby family , Lynda Knight, Dianne Cordes. Jim (fighting cancer;) Michelle and Jack,. Hazel Looney, Tommy Ferguson, Judith Manning, Barb Capon, Bob Arnold, Genevieve Forster, and Chris Barber. Remain in support of Helen, Yuri and family in their very sad loss..The Haig family thanks us for prayers for her baby. Caroline Sweet had an op this past week, and Kathy Pennos is fighting cancer. So is Danny Hodgson. Please pray for the family of Jackson Marsh, the lad struck by lightning.. HAPPY BIRTHDAY - Joy Campbell, Annabelle Williams Graham Pater, Andrew Little HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY - YEAR’S MIND— Brian Fopp (2011), Doreen Wrightson (1999) PREPARATION FOR NEXT SUNDAY Tenth Sunday after Pentecost—Transfiguration Readings: Daniel 7:9-10 & 13 –14 and 2 Peter 1:16—19 GOSPEL Mark 9: 2—19 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 5.45pm Evening Prayer with Wendy and Sue SINGING GROUP Meets after the 10am service each Sunday. All singers welcome MOTHERS’ UNION - meets third Thursdays each month at 2.00pm Walking Church First Saturday of each month at 4.00pm at Belair National Park gates near railway station bridge. Jobs being carried out by parishioners We are attempting to compile a record of "who is doing what" in the parish. Some people have already responded and the results are in the 'Display Book' on the table in the foyer. This has the potential to be a very useful document as it will provide an excellent Parish Profile, telling people who they should contact over particular matters and avoiding duplication. Chances are that you are doing things for Holy Innocent's church. Please put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard and let me know what you are doing. E-mail to dandlhall@bigpond.com or your written offering into an empty sleeve in the display book. Thanks for your co-operation David Hall - Warden Each Friday morning, coffee and tea will be served in the Parish Hall from 8.30am to 11.30am so please come along and bring a friend or neighbour for a relaxing chat among friends. Only $2.00 for your tea or coffee and biscuit. 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 Stephanie Lloyd 8278 4260 and Lucinda Hale 8278 8814 POWERPOINT ROSTER – Next Sunday Ron Keynes or Barb Capon Sunday after Don Caddy or Cynthia Macintosh READER- AND INTERCESSOR ROSTER Next Sunday Reader Clare B Intercessor Ben L Sunday after Reader David C Intercessor Sue D-T SANCTUARY ROSTER Next week Flowers Marilyn Little Brass Bonney Tomlinson Cleaning Susan Lee Mark your diary please ...... (a) St John's Exams 29/10-14/11 The Bush Church Aid Society of Australia Annual Spring Lunch 14 September 2012 at 12:00pm at Holy Trinity, North Tce, Adelaide. Admission $15 each. Limited seating, bookings essential before 5 September 2012 to Helen or Vivien sa@bushchurchaid.com.au 8351 5950 RONBLOG on today’s Gospel You may be running intro difficulty right here and now, for what Chapter 6 has to say about Jesus, about the Faith, and about the Gospel, may be too much to take in one sitting. Not surprisingly, the Lectionary has us spreading Chapter 6 over several Sundays. If we concentrate on miracle, there, then we miss most of the point, purpose and direction of this incident. Please see that John describes this incident and others, not as ‘miracle’ but as sign. I usually edit the NIV translation for its constant misuse of the Greek text. That translation shows up as ‘miraculous sign’ where the Greek text has but sign. Very important. Next thing to notice is the fine print in John’s Gospel. After crossing the sea (Red Sea?) and climbing a mountain (Sinai) there is the feeding sign in Exodus. Recall the escape from Egypt, the encounters of Mount Sinai, and the manna and quail. What was going on there? And that was the salvation of Israel, in escape from slavery, and the sustenance offered them by God, not only in the food available but also in the Decalogue, the Ten Commandments. Once that is absorbed, try contrasting what happened here in the Gospel: in Horeb there was only just enough for the given day; and here there was stuff left over in droves. So now one can see that John is offering a comparison and contrast between Moses and Jesus. Please stop and realize that, in such a conservative religion as Judaism, such a process would hardly be at all welcome. So the outcome for those present had two prongs, so to speak: on the one hand there were those who saw Jesus as a prophet . Now that was progress of a sort. On the other hand some wanted to push Jesus into being king! And that was a step rather retrograde. They were looking for a messiah-like person who would simply be there to meed their needs, without effort or involvement from them. Small wonder then that Jesus disappeared from that scene.

RonBlog

Sunday 22nd July, 2012 Eighth Sunday after Pentecost Mary Magdalene Sentence As He went ashore, Jesus saw a great crowd and He had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things. Mark 5: 34 Collect O God, You alone can order our unruly wills and affections; teach us to love what You command and to desire what You promise, that among the changes and chances of this world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Old Testament Lesson 2 Samuel 7: 1 – 14a When the king was settled in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, "See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent." Nathan said to the king, "Go, do all that you have in mind; for the LORD is with you." But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan: Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the LORD: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?" Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the LORD of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. Psalm 89: 21 – 34 I have found My servant David: and anointed him with holy oil My hand shall uphold him: and My arm shall strengthen him No enemy shall deceive him: nor shall the wicked hurt him I will crush his adversaries before him: and strike down those that hate him My faithfulness and loving-kindness shall be with him: and through My name his head shall be lifted high I will set the hand of his dominion upon the Western Sea: and his right hand shall stretch into the streams of Mesopotamia He will call Me ‘You are my Father; my God and the rock of my salvation’ I will make him My first-born son: and highest among the kings of the earth I will ever maintain My loving-kindness toward him: and My covenant with him shall stand firm I will establish his line for ever: and his throne like the days of heaven If his children forsake My law: and will not walk in My judgements If they profane My statutes; and do not keep My commandments Then I will punish their rebellion with the rod: and their iniquity with blows But I will not cause My loving-kindness to cease from him: nor will I betray My faithfulness. Epistle Ephesians 2: 11 – 22 So then, remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth, called "the uncircumcision" by those who are called "the circumcision" ---a physical circumcision made in the flesh by human hands---remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God. GOSPEL Mark 6: 30 – 34 and 53 – 56 The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, "Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. ****************************************************** When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed. © 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 I wonder if you see this passage the same way that I do? For many years now I have had the strong conviction that as long as Israel pilgrimmed in the desert, they had a chance of learning more of God and of life. It was an existence on the move constantly, and people’s awareness had to be rather more open. But the moment they settled down into a life more sedentary, that personal exploration diminished. In this passage, seems to me, God was trying to get the message across that houses of cedar, permanent residences for God, would tend to mean reduction to routine in worship and thought. My suspicion is that this problem remains for modern pilgrims, too. If you don’t believe me, try getting people to move forward in their faith and to explore life and God. They are rather more likely to dig in their heels and refuse to move. Psalm I must be an old cynic, for here too, it seems to me that propaganda has outshone the reality. Certainly, for Israel David was king par excellence, and the boundaries of the country exceeded anything before or since. On the other hand, the psalm indicates what Solomon could have expected, and got --- for all his disobedience. Epistle The more I read and study Scripture, the more I am amazed at the apparent incapacity of Israel to see that the faith they had received had, from Abraham on, included all human beings. How Israel could ever consider themselves as a cut above the others, as the only people whom God thought about, escapes me entirely. But then one is left in the dark when Christians still have the capacity of ignoring the clear evidence of Scripture to come out with the most incredible ‘articles of faith’ that have absolutely no basis in reality. Whatever is wrong with us humans? So here, anyhow, is the clear evidence that St. Paul saw that the Divine move in the Gospel was for all humans, Jew, Gentile or whatever else. Remember it took the Infant Church all that struggle referred to in Acts 15 to reach that point of conviction. And thank God that they did! GOSPEL What a tragic picture Mark offers us, of Jesus and the Twelve being run off their feet and having no time to refresh, and crowds pushing in on them to get what they sought also. (You will note that the text in between these two sections for today includes one of the Feeding Signs, which really should have been included. Mind you, that series begins next Sunday, from John’s Gospel.) However, this passage as it stands at present indicates both the pressure under which Jesus operated, and the profound compassion He had for people and His awareness of their sense of need and longing. As I have mentioned elsewhere and often, I look for and yet rarely find these days, that same compassion and self-commitment among clergy and people in this day and age. NOTES FOR A SERMON I really have no idea how today’s readings come across to you, or if there is anything in them to widen your scope of the Faith; I can only tell you of my thoughts. When I first had the call to ministry at the fairly tender age of 17 or thereabouts, one of the main considerations that blew up in my head was the expectation of sheer and utter boredom, being cooped up in Church for much of my lifetime. It was not a pleasant prospect, and left me wondering if I should avoid the challenge. I am glad that I did not. Boredom has never been a factor in my priesthood; there has never been enough time to be bored, and here is the reason why. One of the fascinating challenges of being a clergyman has been the constancy of questions from people who either did not understand where the Faith was taking them, or who had been led up myriads of garden paths – none of which led to other than dead ends. In other words, it has been a great necessity to be a few steps ahead of people, or choose the lesser path of suggesting that people stop questioning and simply ‘believe.’ That path is really quite dishonest. Even in College, where I met some of the OT prophets for the first time it became clear to me that they were in a very similar boat. They had people clamouring for answers, so those prophets found themselves with a lot of thinking to do. As you may have noticed, Isaiah has long become a favourite prophet, largely because it became quite clear that he was very much the questioning, probing, dissatisfied follower of JHWH, but aware that the Almighty knew what He was on about, right from the beginning. Perhaps the real thing that struck me as my studies and questionings continued, is to realize that, although those ancient greats searched for and found answers to their questions, freely offering their insights to the populace, very few of that populace either took notice or grew in their own understanding. Hence, for many, the Faith (and here we are talking Judaism,) marked time, going nowhere. Brothers, we are treading where we’ve always trod. Sadly, tragically, and may I even suggest blasphemously, Christians over the centuries have followed the same pattern. Christian history is littered with the evidence of complete lack of thought sometimes for centuries, and – what is worse – refusal to listen to anyone who dared to challenge the dogmas of the time, regardless of how short-sighted such refusal proved to be. It is only in quite recent times that the Papacy has resiled against its utter refusal to respond to Galileo! What fools we mortals be!) So that OT passage about David and his plans for the Temple speak loudly to me of a God Who was saying, right back then, forget being sedentary, remain on pilgrimage, and keep growing. So we don’t. Ironically, I have yet to find a question raised by anyone, believer or not, that does not have a solid and significant answer either in Scripture itself, or in a rather wider, truer perception of the Faith. Most of the puzzles and enigmas that people have are not beyond a mere priest to answer; in fact, some people over the years have discovered to their surprise, that the Faith they professed to despise, had nothing to do with the views they thought we Christians held. So if there is any comment that I would make to end this off, should you have a nagging or bothering query about the Christian Faith, talk to someone who should have the answers. But bear in mind also, that rather too many of us Christians tend not to have looked past our noses to find answers for ourselves.

Newsletter

Sunday 22nd July, 2012 EIGHTH SUNDAY OF PENTECOST 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 back in action Collect Eternal God, author of our life and end of our pilgrimage: guide us by Your word and Spirit amid all perils and temptations, that we may not wander from Your way, but may run our course in safety until we come to our eternal rest in You; through the grace of Jesus Christ our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Today’s Readings read by Max A Readings: 2 Samuel 6: 1—5 & 12b—19 and Ephesians 1: 1—14 GOSPEL Mark 6: 14—29 Following difficulties referred to previously, I wonder if those who follow my blogs may prefer to receive them by email.. If that is so, please email me to go on to a group to receive said notes. No charge of course. PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE led by Don B We pray for those in need: Ron Teague, Peter Little, Jenny Jeffrey, Dorothy Furnival, the Swaby family , Lynda Knight, Dianne Cordes. Jim (fighting cancer;) Michelle and Jack,. Hazel Looney, Tommy Ferguson, Judith Manning, Barb Capon, Bob Arnold, Genevieve Forster. Remain in support of Helen, Yuri and family in their very sad loss..The Haig family thanks us for prayers for her baby. Caroline Sweet had an op this past week, and Kathy Pennos is fighting cancer. So is Danny Hodgson. Please pray for the family of the lad struck by lightning.. HAPPY BIRTHDAY - Craig Deane, Ron Teague, Simon Downes, Jessica Browne HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY - YEAR’S MIND— PREPARATION FOR NEXT SUNDAY Ninth Sunday after Pentecost Readings: 2 Samuel 11: 1—15 & Ephesians 3: 14—21 GOSPEL John 6: 1—31 Winter Warm-up Soup lunch today As has been advertised, there is to be a soup lunch after the 10.00am service to mark the return of Fr. Warren. All are welcome to share this meal, and thanks go to those who have made their share of the soup. This function will raise money for missions - free-will donations will be accepted as 'payment' for the soup! 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 5.45pm Evening Prayer with Wendy and Sue SINGING GROUP Meets after the 10am service each Sunday. All singers welcome MOTHERS’ UNION - meets third Thursdays each month at 2.00pm Walking Church First Saturday of each month at 4.00pm at Belair National Park gates near railway station bridge. Jobs being carried out by parishioners We are attempting to compile a record of "who is doing what" in the parish. Some people have already responded and the results are in the 'Display Book' on the table in the foyer. This has the potential to be a very useful document as it will provide an excellent Parish Profile, telling people who they should contact over particular matters and avoiding duplication. Chances are that you are doing things for Holy Innocent's church. Please put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard and let me know what you are doing. E-mail to dandlhall@bigpond.com or your written offering into an empty sleeve in the display book. Thanks for your co-operation David Hall - Warden Each Friday morning, coffee and tea will be served in the Parish Hall from 8.30am to 11.30am so please come along and bring a friend or neighbour for a relaxing chat among friends. Only $2.00 for your tea or coffee and biscuit. 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 Stephanie Lloyd 8278 4260 and Lucinda Hale 8278 8814 POWERPOINT ROSTER – Next Sunday Trevor Tregenza or Joy Campbell Sunday after Ron Keynes or Barb Capon READER- AND INTERCESSOR ROSTER Next Sunday Reader Araki family Intercessor Vanessa D Sunday after Reader Clare B Intercessor Ben L SANCTUARY ROSTER Next week Flowers Bains family Brass Margaret Carruthers Cleaning Group 2 Mark your diary please ...... (a) St John's Exams 29/10-14/11 RONBLOG When I first had the call to ministry at the fairly tender age of 17 the main consideration that blew up in my head was the expectation of sheer and utter boredom. Who wants to be cooped up in Church for most of your lifetime? It was not a pleasant prospect, and left me wondering if I should avoid the challenge. I am glad that I did not. Boredom has never been a factor in my priesthood; there has never been enough time to be bored, and why? One of the fascinating challenges has been the constancy of questions from people who either did not understand where the Faith was taking them, or who had been led up myriads of garden paths – none of which led to other than dead ends. In other words, it has been a great necessity to be quite a few steps ahead of people, (or choose the lesser path of suggesting that people stop questioning and simply ‘believe.’ That path is really quite dishonest.) When I ‘met’ the OT prophets for the first time it became clear to me that they were in a very similar boat. They had people clamouring for answers, so those prophets found themselves with a lot of thinking to do. As you may have noticed, Isaiah has long become my favourite prophet, largely because it became quite clear that he was very much the questioning, probing, dissatisfied follower of JHWH, but aware that the Almighty knew what He was on about, right from the beginning. Perhaps the real thing that struck me as my studies and questionings continued, very few of the local hoi polloi either took notice or grew in their own understanding. Hence, for many, the Faith (and here we are talking Judaism,) marked time, going nowhere. Brothers, we are treading where we’ve always trod. Sadly, tragically, and even blasphemously, too many Christians over the centuries have followed the same pattern of no movement. Christian history is littered with the evidence of complete lack of thought sometimes for centuries, and – what is worse – refusal to listen to anyone who dared to challenge the dogmas of the time, regardless of how short-sighted such refusal proved to be. Thank heavens (and my parents!) that I was born with a wooden spoon in my mouth - for stirring !!!!!!!!!!

RonBlog

Sunday 15th July, 2012 Seventh Sunday after Pentecost Sentence Who shall stand in the Lord’s holy place? Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their hands to do what is false. Psalm 24: 3 – 4 Collect O Lord, we beseech You mercifully to receive the prayers of Your people who call upon You, and grant that we may both perceive and know what things we ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfill them, through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen OLD TESTAMENT LESSON 2 Samuel 6:1-5 & 12b-19 David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. David and all the people with him set out and went from Baale- judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the LORD of hosts who is enthroned on the cherubim. They carried the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart with the ark of God; and Ahio went in front of the ark. David and all the house of Israel were dancing before the LORD with all their might, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing; and when those who bore the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. David danced before the LORD with all his might; David was girded with a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet. As the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal daughter of Saul looked out of the window, and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart. They brought in the ark of the LORD, and set it in its place, inside the tent that David had pitched for it; and David offered burnt offerings and offerings of well-being before the LORD. When David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the offerings of well-being, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts, and distributed food among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, to each a cake of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins. Then all the people went back to their homes. PSALM 24 1 The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; 2 For He founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters. 3 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. 5 He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Saviour. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face, O God of Jacob. 7 Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors that the King of glory may come in. 10 Who is he, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty— he is the King of glory. EPISTLE Ephesians 1: 1- 14 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight the has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God's own people, to the praise of his glory. GOSPEL Mark 6:14 – 29 King Herod heard of it , for Jesus' name had become known. Some were saying, "John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; and for this reason these powers are at work in him." But others said, "It is Elijah." And others said, "It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old." But when Herod heard of it, he said, "John, whom I beheaded, has been raised." For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because Herod had married her. For John had been telling Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him. But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee. When his daughter Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, "Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it." And he solemnly swore to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom." She went out and said to her mother, "What should I ask for?" She replied, "The head of John the baptizer." Immediately she rushed back to the king and requested, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter." The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her. Immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard with orders to bring John's head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb. The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. © 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 don’t know that there is a lot of comment to be made on this rather odd and enigmatic passage. There is not a lot that is very edifying, and whilst Michel may be dismissed in her attitude somewhat, it may well reflect her feelings for her dead father. The sort of over-the-top reactions to the Ark of the Covenant is not all that rare, and moderns can be forgiven for wondering why the ancient authors even made mention of it. On the other hand, here is expressed room to get elated at being part of the People of God – an expression not all that visible in our Ecclesia Anglicana! Psalm This rather ancient psalm offers quite some insight into quite early Hebrew understanding of God; there is the clear recognition that He is creator, even if the words seem to reflect a rather odd cosmology. Be that as it may, it also conveys the clear perception that ran contrary to much of what may be called pagan religion of the time. There is a clear moral and ethical content to the picture of the Almighty, a perception that was not reflected in other religious views. Here alone can be the source of the overwhelming view of God as ‘King of Glory.’ Whilst this may have begun as a shout of superiority over other gods, one must say that at the very least, a moral superiority is evident. The Biblical Faith has always shown the need for significant and honest response to God, to life and most particularly to other people. It is a passion that needs to be expressed constantly for life to reach any apogee. Epistle Whilst the occasional reader of Paul’s epistle may be somewhat confused by the florid language which the author used, it is helpful perhaps to demythologize quite something of it, so that the real issues can become visible. Greek, like German, seemed to be fond of enormous words, one of which is mentioned here to underline the impact of this passage. The Greek word to which I refer is which in an alphabet you can follow runs anakephalaiosasthai. All things are brought to a head in Jesus. What Paul is saying is enough to take away your breath actually. He is saying that God has made Jesus the only One in Whom life, history and creation makes sense and is the goal, the telos of it all. The meaning of life is not 42! It is Jesus. In other words, no Jesus, no sense or purpose in life. It is parallel to St. John’sthe reason for existence, amongst other things. I have a sneaky suspicion that there is enough there to leave you to ponder, even if a tad breathlessly. GOSPEL You would be aware of the love/hate relationship between Herod, the Idumaean king of Israel, and John the Baptist. The latter was an uncompromising person determined to remain faithful to God regardless of the cost, whilst Herod was one of a rather long line of rather nasty, violent and hedonistic non-Jews. John had the temerity to challenge the right of Herod to marry his dead brother’s wife. He had fairly solid Biblical grounds for so doing. With John’s execution came the emergence of Jesus’ ministry, and that raised superstitious fears and threats in the mind of the King. (What does all this have to say about the long-held theory that religion and politics do not mix?) Spare a thought for poor old John: it was a nasty, ugly end to his ministry, and he could be forgiven for feeling more than a little muffed that it ended in such ignominy. It is no easy thing to be a prophet for the Lord Almighty, never has been and is not likely ever to be so in the future. NOTES FOR A SERMON I would not be surprised in the least if you are sitting there wondering quite what obscure connection there is meant to be in this list of readings for today. OK you can say that this far into the Pentecost Season there is excuse for a series that does not compute, ..... but may I ask you to look rather closer, please? All this may be a little tenuous, but it could also be rather clever, as whoever sets the Lectionary certainly has a difficult problem to give us a wide range of readings to explore the Faith over the three years allotted. How does this sit with you, I ask? The first lesson is about David and his kingship, an experience that led Israel into idealizing him and his rule into the overall Messiah expectation for Israel. Whilst we may find it difficult to follow that pattern, I would remind older (and past – passed? - ) members of the congregation to remember back to the halcyon days of the British Empire and see if it was true that the royals were quite somewhat lionised, and idealized, so much so that the reality took quite some time to emerge? Hmmmm. Well, you should get the point. So the question is about leadership and goals, and the means of getting there, and all that sort of thing. The Psalm also has quite something of the idealizing of God as King, using the sort of metaphor that we might permit for David, but going just a little over the top for the Almighty, not because the picture does not fit as much as because God’s process in real life tends to be rather less dramatic than that. However it is the Epistle that blows everything right up in our face. When young, I found the Epistles either far too flamboyant (though many young Christians loves to imitate the apparent ‘holy talk’ of Paul.) It was not until I was training for the ministry that Ephesians became very much more real, in spite of the florid nature of the verbiage, and that huge word mentioned in the notes above were translated into Australian for me. Anakeph ..... All things brought to a head in Christ. Boom Boom. Some of Paul’s other Epistles express the same certainty in other ways. Then the Prologue to John’s Gospel added to the impact; and of course, Revelation takes the cake as it emphasises the same tremendously powerful recognition of Jesus. (Then, to top it all off, Isaiah and the prophets all profess the same conviction.) And that conviction? That if you want to understand the meaning of life, if you wish to follow the path in life that makes the most sense and offers the best values, then our Lord is the answer to your questions. In other words, life, no one’s life makes sense if Jesus is left out of the equation. That does not mean that we all have to be religious and holy and pompous and prats. That does not equate to Jesus one little bit. So dig deeper. His values, His sense of truth and justice, His care and concern especially for the underdog and downtrodden in paramount. Not complex, if cat quite simple really: As the Shema puts it, ‘love God; love your neighbour.’ Mind you, the former tends to be easier than the latter. And then to make sure your feet remain firmly fixed on the ground, the Gospel hits you in the face. Poor old John the Baptist. I remain quite certain that his time apparently spent with the Essenes, the Qumran Sect, did not do him a lot of good. He became quite the unbending dogmatic, and even questioned whether his cousin could possibly be the Messiah all were waiting for. Jesus did not fit John’s picture of Messiah, not one little bit. Our Lord never criticised him, but did point him more to Isaiah’s Servant Songs than to the Messiah images, and left him to think it all through. But the point remains there: Herod was absolutely NO valid pattern of leadership, not even a valid pattern of king. And the real issues for John were that life needed to be shaped after the Divine pattern if anyone anywhere would have the slightest chance of a fair go. So the story is there today just to remind us all that following Christ is no easy sinecure, but a significant and solid discipleship that is quite likely to stir up the opposition as it did with Jesus. Hopefully you have had a chance to ponder all this --- and I suspect not only will it stand up to query, but it just may make us all do a little more standing up for truth, for justice, for compassion and love.

Newsletter

Sunday 15th July, 2012 SEVENTH SUNDAY OF PENTECOST 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 back in action Collect O Lord our God, You are always more ready to bestow Your good gifts upon us than we are to seek them; and more willing to give than we desire or deserve: in our every need, grant us the first and best of all Your gifts, the Spirit who makes us Your children. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen. Today’s Readings read by Mary V 2 Samuel 6: 1—5 & 12b-19 and Ephesians 1: 1—14 GOSPEL Mark 6: 14—29 Fr Ron’s Notes available at http://www.diowillochra.org.au/Archives Sermons/Ron/Sermons Canon Keynes—or follow the prompts on the Willochra website. The Parish Blog setup seems to make a mess of my files. A different set up is being explored. PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE led by Hal S-C We pray for those in need: Ron Teague, Peter Little, Jenny Jeffrey, Dorothy Furnival, the Swaby family , Lynda Knight, Dianne Cordes. Jim (fighting cancer;) Michelle and Jack,. Hazel Looney, Tommy Ferguson, Judith Manning, Barb Capon, Bob Arnold, Genevieve Forster. Remain in support of Helen, Yuri and family in their very sad loss..The Haig family thanks us for prayers for her baby. Caroline Sweet had an op this past week, and Kathy Pennos is fighting cancer. HAPPY BIRTHDAY - Lucinda Hale, Cathy Browne, Ian Macintosh HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY - YEAR’S MIND— Joan Gooch (1994) Malcolm Collings (1989) Frank Back (2006) Mavis Irvine (1994) Margaret Leslie (1976) Ivan Marriott (1994) PREPARATION FOR NEXT SUNDAY Eighth Sunday after Pentecost Readings 2 Samuel 6: 1—5 & 12b—19 and Ephesians 1: 1—14 GOSPEL Mark 6: 14—29 Winter Warm-up Soup lunch on 22nd. Fr. Warren’s return The soup we plan to use is that used by the Magdalene Centre and anyone who wants to contribute by making soup should use that recipe (copies on the table in the foyer) This function will raise money for missions - free-will donations will be accepted as 'payment' for the soup! Please let us know if you plan to be there so we can make sure there is enough soup - there's a list in the foyer. 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 5.45pm Evening Prayer with Wendy and Sue SINGING GROUP Meets after the 10am service each Sunday. All singers welcome MOTHERS’ UNION - meets third Thursdays each month at 2.00pm Walking Church First Saturday of each month at 4.00pm at Belair National Park gates near railway station bridge. Each Friday morning, coffee and tea will be served in the Parish Hall from 8.30am to 11.30am so please come along and bring a friend or neighbour for a relaxing chat among friends. Only $2.00 for your tea or coffee and biscuit. 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 Stephanie Lloyd 8278 4260 and Lucinda Hale 8278 8814 POWERPOINT ROSTER – Next Sunday Craig Deane or Don Caddy Sunday after Trevor Tregenza or Joy Campbell READER- AND INTERCESSOR ROSTER Next Sunday Reader Max A Intercessor Don B Sunday after Reader Araki family Intercessor Vanessa D SANCTUARY ROSTER Next week Flowers The Rains Brass Rosemary Conlon Cleaning Susan Lee Mark your diary please ...... (a) St John's Exams 17-20 July and 29/10-14/11 Two weeks till Warren is back with us. RONBLOG What an odd set of readings for today, eh? Now would you focus on the epistle, please. If you want to understand the meaning of life, if you wish to follow the path in life that makes the most sense and offers the best values, then Jesus is the answer to your questions. That is St. Paul’s remarkable claim in this passage. In other words, no one’s life makes sense if Jesus is left out of the equation. That does not mean that we all have to be religious and holy and pompous and prats. There is not much connection to Jesus that way!. So dig deeper. From Whence does my tirade emanate? On the surface this ...., to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. ... looks bland enough. But the Greek original is far more explosive. ‘All things brought to a head in Christ.. Anakephaliosasthai. Simply put, in life, without Jesus means without sense or purpose. Remember the comment that the meaning of life is 42? Here then is the real one. Jesus’ values, His sense of truth and justice, His care and concern especially for the underdog and downtrodden are paramount. As the Shema puts it, ‘love God; love your neighbour.’ Mind you, the former tends to be easier than the latter. And then to make sure your feet remain firmly fixed on the ground, the Gospel hits you in the face.

RonBlog

Sunday 8th July.2012 Sixth Sunday after Pentecost Sentence Of Jesus, many said, ‘What is this wisdom that has been given to Him? What deeds of power are done by His hands!’ Mark 6: 2 Collect O Lord our God, You are always more ready to bestow Your good gifts upon us that we are to seek them, and more willing to give than we either desire or deserve; in our every need, grant us the first and best of all Your gifts, the Spirit that makes us Your children. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen Old Testament Lesson 2 Samuel 5: 1 – 5 and 9-10 All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron, and said, "Look, we are your bone and flesh. For some time, while Saul was king over us, it was you who led out Israel and brought it in. The LORD said to you: It is you who shall be shepherd of my people Israel, you who shall be ruler over Israel." So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron; and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel. David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months; and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years. David occupied the stronghold, and named it the city of David. David built the city all around from the Millo inward. And David became greater and greater, for the LORD, the God of hosts, was with him. Psalm 48 Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised: in the city of our God High and beautiful is His holy hill: it is the joy of the whole earth On Mount Zion where godhead truly dwells, stands the city of the Great King: God is well known in her palaces as a sure defence. For the kings of the earth assembled: they gathered together and came on They saw and were struck dumb: they were astonished and fled in terror Trembling took hold of them, and anguish: as on a woman in her travail Like the breath of the east wind: that shatters the ships of Tarshish As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord of hosts: in the city of our God, which God has established for ever. We have called to mind Your loving-kindness O God: in the midst of Your temple As Your name is great, O God, so also is Your praise: even to the ends of the earth Your right hand is full of victory-let Zion’s hill rejoice: let the daughters of Judah be glad because of Your judgements Walk about Zion, go round about her and count all her towers: consider well her ramparts, pass through her palaces That you may tell those who come after that such is God: our God for ever and ever, and He will guide us eternally Epistle 2 Corinthians 12: 2 – 10 I know a person in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven--whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows. And I know that such a person--whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows-- was caught up into Paradise and heard things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat. On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses. But if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I will be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think better of me than what is seen in me or heard from me, even considering the exceptional character of the revelations. Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong. GOSPEL Mark 6: 1 – 13 Jesus left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. On the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, "Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?" And they took offence at him. Then Jesus said to them, "Prophets are not without honour, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house." And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief. Then he went about among the villages teaching. He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. He said to them, "Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them." So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them. © 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 When modern readers look at this story of David, they need to realize that here was a person who became very much the favourite, the idol of the nation. Partly this unfolded because David was one of the little people, so to speak, one of them. His reign contrasted greatly with that of Saul, who started off well but sank into insanity and folly. David was never a saint, but he did have great care for his people. You will be aware of the fact that the Hebrew expectation of Messiah stemmed from this time of David, which was around 1000BC as a rough guide. David’s reign was somewhat propagandized (as was the psalm if you think about it!) and idealized. But as someone once said, we live more by our myths that we do our realities. Psalm I think I have been rude enough about the psalm already Epistle This is one of those passages that reveals quite a lot about the Apostle, and while it may sound a little kinky or weird, I have to say that I have encountered people – in my lifetime – whose experiences are not all that dissimilar. Such people are a little fey, and while I would not put a lot of weight on his description, I am fascinated by what follows: there seems to be that great leveller for the Apostle that stopped him from ‘going over the top.’ Huge debate has raged often about what it was – Paul’s thorn in the flesh. All manner of ideas and guesses have been offered, and the real point lies in the fact that it kept his feet firmly on the ground. The final outcome, as he describes it here, is fascinating. ‘My strength is made complete in weakness’ Jesus tells Paul – and one has to say that this rings very truly indeed. Whenever the Church has been strong, it has been very much the opposite. Strength becomes pride, becomes destructive and contra-Gospel. And the opposite is true also. One of the aspects of life that present-day Christians need to absorb and understand, that just as at present in this culture at least, when the Church is really remarkably weak, then the search is on to get back to basics, to grass-root Gospel, and while that makes us weak, it also makes us far more relevant. DO not fear, is a Biblical common comment. GOSPEL As we saw last week with Jesus’ healings, we encounter a Person very much ahead of His time in attitude and action. Today’s Gospel underlines that foresightedness and clear direction, and my first comment on that is to wonder then why the Church of God, in this day and age as in others, is so hung up in the past, backward looking, lacking both initiative and foresight, and certainly not facing the future as it shapes up in front of us. Small wonder, then, that the majority of people in our culture are not listening. NOTES FOR A SERMON Something has become quite a relatively common event over recent years – where people in and of the Church keep wondering why there seems to be an increasing lack of response to the Faith. It is a worry for some, as nothing like this drain has been part of their experience, it would seem, and any sense of hope for the future tends to be fading. However, I have been trying to push the proverbial wind uphill, pointing people to a series of realities, most of which sound foreign to them. One very real starting point for such a discussion, surely, is today’s Gospel. What makes the impact of this story rather greater is the fact that it is pinpointed to the place where Jesus grew up, where people knew Him, were familiar with Him, and many of them may well have been childhood mates. Now one might say that familiarity breeds contempt, but seems to me that the issue runs rather deeper than that. Here lies an outright and very deep-seated rejection of a person they thought they knew, the real reason being rather deeper than that. There was nothing out of the ordinary for a male member of the synagogue to be given the right to read from the Scriptures and to preach to the congregation. No doubt such a privilege was not offered to any Tom, Dick or Harry, but would be to someone respected or well-known or well-attached. There is an interesting Jewish conundrum that applied in situations such as this: if a person was not well known or had not visible accreditation then there were grounds for rejection. One needed a fairly solid basis to be accepted as a person of some value. So when one’s background was known, then acceptance was really only a matter of course. But here the situation was reversed; in spite of our Lord having been known, along with His family, people turned their backs in droves. One is left wondering why! Well, not really, if one understands the human capacity for reversing normality if it means heading in an unfamiliar or uncertain direction. You will recall another incident in the ministry of Jesus when His own family members came to try and lead Him home and out of danger, because they feared for His sanity. (Maybe it was a case of fearing for the insanity of His potential hearers.) But they were fairly sure He was off His rocker, and they were feeling somewhat under pressure to get Him out of circulation. ‘Tis a funny thing that! One might wonder why something as inoffensive as ‘religion’ could become a threat to anyone! However, the Gospel has rather more kick to its impact that anything just lovey-dovey! All that talk of the Kingdom, and the direction one takes to respond to the Kingdom is not exactly an easy path to follow or an easy choice for people to make. And there lies the real issue. The Gospel, the Kingdom, is about the huge issue of finding a viable response to the vast tangle in human relationships brought about by the dysfunction in relationships that tends to disfigure our lives and our familles and nations. It is not an easy option to follow, and – like any religion, one supposes, - it can be distorted easily from something designed and meant to be reconciling, into something harsh and divisive. Most religious history, and that includes (in spades!) Christian history, is scarred deeply with all manner of horrific events and ugliness, and there is no hiding from that. In fact, one of the things one learns from looking back over 2,000 years of Christian history is not just that mentioned above: there is a constant rise and fall graph of the strength and weakness of the Christian Church, with a sad commentary when what we may call the peaks appear. The reality is that when the Church is strongest, it is actually at its weakest. Strength then is seen as power and control, and that is the absolute antithesis of the Gospel. Repeat – antithesis. Oddly enough when the Church is weakest, it is far more likely to reflect the Gospel more truly, serving instead of ruling, caring instead of dogmatizing, reflecting the character of the Father rather more clearly. When was Jesus at His weakest – if I can put it that way? The answer is ‘on the Cross.’ That Cross is the symbol of utter rejection by the populace of the time, glad to get rid of One Who was pointing to the need for radical change, away from self-serving to self-giving. And that was far too much for those with a power base to protect. One would like to spread one’s wings rather wider to get the picture clearest - but if there is one thing that reverberates so totally constantly throughout the latter part of the Old Testament and all through the New it is that matter of justice, truth, integrity and compassion. But we live in a world where self-aggrandizement is the order of the day (as it has been often right back as far as Amos, or even Cain and Abel!) And when one lives in a world like that, one can expect that the Faith and the Church will get little other than ‘bad press.’ Mind you, in all honesty. One has to say that quite some of the present criticism is justified, as some Christian clergy and others have been guilty of the most disreputable misbehaviour and evil. While none of us are perfect, Charlie Brown, least of all me, there have been utterly shameful things perpetrated on the young, the old and the female of the species. What am I saying? That in spite of the faults and failures of human Christians, the Faith remains the most positive and effective answer to the world’s issues. Religion and politics not only DO mix, but MUST mix, but not by being pressed on people. Each of us are free to choose, even to choose foolishly, but I live with the conviction that when and whenever the Faith is lived and preached honestly, there will be people who will respond and become disciples of He Whom to me is the only One Who makes sense of life as we live it. The first Bishop I had when we came to South Australia close to 50 years ago, wagged his finger at me, staring through his one good eye, and demanded that I never play the numbers game. I’d sort of apologized in advance that the congregation where we were may be quite small at the service when he was present, and he was not interested in numbers. Ever since, I have tended to see things the same way. The Church may shrink for a while; the Faith will not. But the shrinking also has its uses, from where I sit. The ‘problem’ for the Church right here and now is to re-examine its teaching, its preaching, its actions and attitudes, to get back to grass-roots and to the Biblical faith. Leave the rest to God, O.K?

Newsletter

Sunday 8th July, 2012 SIXTH SUNDAY OF PENTECOST Viv Bleby of BCA will preach today 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 recess for School holidays …... Collect O Lord our God, You are always more ready to bestow Your good gifts upon us than we are to seek them; and more willing to give than we desire or deserve: in our every need, grant us the first and best of all Your gifts, the Spirit who makes us Your children. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen. Today’s Readings read by Trevor T Readings 2 Samuel 5:1-5 & 9-10 and 2 Corinthians 12: 2—10 GOSPEL Mark 6: 1—13 Fr Ron’s Notes available at http://www.diowillochra.org.au/Archives Sermons/Ron/Sermons Canon Keynes—or follow the prompts on the Willochra website. The Parish Blog setup seems to make a mess of these files. PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE led by Hal S-C We pray for those in need: Ron Teague, Peter Little,- thanks for his report last Sunday! - Jenny Jeffrey, Dorothy Furnival, the Swaby family , Lynda Knight, Dianne Cordes. Ivanka Cosic, Jim (fighting cancer;) Michelle and Jack,. Hazel Looney, Tommy Ferguson, Judith Manning, Barb Capon, Bob Arnold, premature baby Hayley Haig , Genevieve Forster. Pray especially for Helen, Yuri and family on their very sad loss.. HAPPY BIRTHDAY - Meg Baker, Yena Kim, Caroline Sweet, Sue Parham, Carol Barber HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY - YEAR’S MIND— Peter Phillips (2010) PREPARATION FOR NEXT SUNDAY Seventh Sunday after Pentecost Readings 2 Samuel 6: 1—5 & 12b-19 and Ephesians 1: 1—14 GOSPEL Mark 6: 14—29 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 5.45pm Evening Prayer with Wendy and Sue SINGING GROUP Meets after the 10am service each Sunday. All singers welcome MOTHERS’ UNION - meets third Thursdays each month at 2.00pm Walking Church First Saturday of each month at 4.00pm at Belair National Park gates near railway station bridge. Each Friday morning, coffee and tea will be served in the Parish Hall from 8.30am to 11.30am so please come along and bring a friend or neighbour for a relaxing chat among friends. Only $2.00 for your tea or coffee and biscuit. Archdeacon Michael Whiting (Janine and Michael worship usually at the 8.00am Eucharist) has completed his time as Chaplain to the Archbishop after three years. Michael will continue to assist the parish by taking services when asked by Father Warren. The Archbishop kindly made Michael an Archdeacon Emeritus in recognition of his service to the Diocese over many years. 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 Stephanie Lloyd 8278 4260 and Lucinda Hale 8278 8814 POWERPOINT ROSTER – Next Sunday Min Araki or Cynthia Macintosh Sunday after Craig Deane or Don Caddy READER- AND INTERCESSOR ROSTER Next Sunday Reader Mary V Intercessor Max A Sunday after Reader Max A Intercessor Don B SANCTUARY ROSTER Next week Flowers Jan T Brass Yvonne Caddy Cleaning Group 3 Mark your diary please ...... (a) St John's Exams 17-20 July and 29/10-14/11 CHRISTIAN PASTORAL SUPPORT WORKER (Previously known as “School Chaplain”) BLACKWOOD PRIMARY SCHOOL Schools Ministry Group along with Mitcham Hills Inter Church Council are seeking applications for this 7 to 7.5 hour per week position, commencing late in Term 3, 2012. The position exists to offer support to students, staff and the school community. A Job and Person Specification, including details on “How to Apply”, is available from Schools Ministry Group on 8378 6800 or mail@smg.asn.au Closing date: Friday July 13th @ 5pm to SMG More info at www.smg.asn.au RONBLOG ‘Tis a funny thing about today’s Gospel! How could something as inoffensive as ‘religion’ become a threat to anyone? Well, wonder on. The Gospel has rather more kick to it than being just lovey-dovey! It is all that talk of the Kingdom, and the direction one takes to respond to the Kingdom! Here is no easy path to follow nor an easy choice for people to make. And there lies the real issue. The Gospel, the Kingdom, is about the huge issue of finding a viable response to the vast tangle in human relationships brought about by the dysfunction that disfigures our lives and our familles and nations. Human sin, in other words. Gospel is not an easy option to follow, but – like any religion, - it can be distorted from something designed to be creative and conciliatory into something harsh and divisive. Most religious history is scarred deeply with all manner of horrific events and ugliness, and there is no hiding from that. As I have mentioned before, when the Church is weakest, it is far more likely to reflect the Gospel more truly, serving instead of ruling, caring instead of dogmatizing, reflecting the character of the Father rather more clearly. When was Jesus at His weakest – if I can put it that way? The answer is ‘on the Cross.’ That Cross is the symbol of utter rejection by the populace of the time, glad to get rid of One Who was pointing to the need for radical change, away from self-serving to self-giving. And that was far too much for those with a power base to protect. What am I saying? That in spite of the faults and failures of human Christians, the Faith remains the most positive and effective answer to the world’s issues. Religion and politics not only DO mix, but MUST mix, but not be pressed upon people. Each of us are free to choose, even to choose foolishly, but I live with the conviction that when and whenever the Faith is lived and preached honestly, there will be people who will respond and become disciples of He Whom to me is the only One Who makes sense of life as we live it. The Church may shrink for a while; the Faith will not. And the shrinking has its positive uses, from where I sit. The ‘problem’ for the Church right here and now is to re-examine its teaching, its preaching, its actions and attitudes, to get back to grass-roots and to the Biblical faith. And leave the rest to God, O.K?