Newsletter

Sunday 23rd December, 2012 Fourth Sunday in Advent Welcome to Joshua and Daniel 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. Collect for the day Gracious God, You have visited Your people and redeemed us in Your Son; may our hearts leap for joy at the sound of your word, and move us by Your Spirit to bless Your wonderful works. We ask this through Him Whose coming is certain, Your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Today’s Readings Fourth Sunday in Advent read by Arndrae L Fourth Sunday in Advent Readings Micah 5: 2—5a and Hebrews 10: 5—10 GOSPEL Luke 1: 39—45 SPECIAL CHRISTMAS NOTE …. Ifl you have spare flowers for Christmas arrangements in the church, we would like blue and white flowers eg agapanthus, jasmine as well as lots of foliage. I will leave containers of water in the Germein Room on Sunday 23rd so that flowers can be left then or early Monday morning. We will be arranging on Monday morning (some may be done Sunday evening) Many thanks for your generosity Anna (Sanctuary Guild) PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE We pray for those in need: Ron Teague, Peter Little, Dorothy Furnival, the Swaby family , Dianne Cordes. Tommy Ferguson, Bob Arnold, Ann Daughtry, Pat Pater, Susan Daulby, Janet Phillips., Jan and Mollie Hal Shaw-Calverley has had surgery last week. Robyn Keynes’ older sister Pam is ailing in NZ. Praying for Warren Warren has been diagnosed with a blocked artery in his heart. The news is not all that good, with further examination and tests ahead. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Sascha Williams, Danny Hodgson HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY YEAR’S MIND— John Furnival (2002) PREPARATION FOR NEXT SUNDAY Sunday after Christmas read by Trevor T Readings 1 Samuel 2:18—20, 26 Colossians 3: 12—17 GOSPEL Luke 2:41—52 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 – please note changes due to expected absences Christmas Eve Don Caddy or Cynthia Macintosh Christmas Day Barb Capon or Trevor Tregenza Next Sunday Joy Campbell ot Craig Deane READER AND INTERCESSOR ROSTER Christmas Eve Reader Paul H Intercessor Wendy M Christmas Day Reader Neil T Intercessor Max A Next Sunday Reader Trevor T Intercessor Don B SANCTUARY ROSTER Christmas Eve Flowers Anna Kelly Brass Yvonne Caddy Cleaning Group 3 Next Sunday Flowers Sue D-T Brass Rosemary C Cleaning Cleaner We are reinstituting the 30 second rule for notices at 10 am. Please keep your notices to a maximum of 30 seconds. if your notice needs to go longer than this please see Warren before the service or advise him during the week. One way to help people give information is by giving Warren the information by Friday so he can put it on the wall. So when you give a notice what you say will be behind you on the wall. So for example, times and dates are better on the wall. As a general rule, when giving notices, please adhere to the following: 1. Say what the event is 2. short description of the event 3. venue, date and time 4. who is invited (everyone, women, children, etc) to finish. If you give Warren the details to get on the wall it will be an effective notice. SPECIAL N.B. A small triptych of the Nativity was left in the Germein Room. Owner please collect from foyer. Also a small wooden cross has been taken from the Germein Room, used for Sunday School for 3 years. If anyone has seen it, please let Robyn Keynes know. HI T & COFFEE This usual Friday morning will close for two weeks over the Holiday period. We will re-open on 11th January, and look forward to your patronage. Fr. Ron wishes to thank people of Holy Innocents’ for the lovely celebration of his 50 years as priest. In Fr. Warren’s name, similar thanks are offered celebrating his 23 years, and Fr. Stephen for his two weeks. Ron is always glad to see that God still calls people to His ordained ministry, even after all those years! RONBLOG on today’s Reading ...for the Psalm I have told the story before, but it bears repetition. In a new parish, where the Mothers’ Union was active and alert, I was asked to speak to members about this Magnificat, the Song of Mary. I responded to the invitation by asking the President if she had any idea what to expect. She thought she did, so I warned against being too laid back about it. When it came to the day, I asked that the members present put on their hard hats, and engage their seat belts. My reason for that was because I suspected that none of the dear ladies present had ever thought about the words of this song. The Lord has shown strength with His arm: and scattered the proud in their conceit Casting down the mighty from their thrones: and lifting up the lowly God has filled the hungry with good things: and sent the rich away empty He has come to the aid of His servant Israel: to remember the promise of mercy The promise He made to our forebears: to Abraham and his children for ever. To make it easier we will begin at the end, just to be different. This reference to Abraham is a clear and unequivocal statement that the whole Christ thing, the whole Hebrew Christian Faith thing goes right back to the beginning of God’s movement towards humanity – and that was to offer a solution to what we used to call the human dilemma to all and any human beings who ever inhabit this planet. . Why is it that whatever we try to do, we never seem to find this solution to man’s inhumanity to man, to the whole stuff-up that makes so much of life so hard to bear? Wars, and rumours of wars, hatreds, all destructive things, do I need to keep going? This is what the Hebrew/Christian Faith has always offered, and for the greater part of history since Abraham, very few people have been listening. We are quite happy to rejoice in the promise of heaven and ignore the greatest gift of all. This Faith is all about the upsetting of country and culture and race and all divisions: casting down the mighty from their seats means restoring the balance of equality; but who is that going to antagonize, even amongst Christians? Fill the hungry with good things and send the rich away empty? Now Christmas Bowl will be facing us very soon, apart from anything else including the famine in Africa and elsewhere. CHRISTMAS SERVICES 23rd Dec 5.30pm “Clown of God” Children’s Event 24th Dec 11.00pm Midnight Mass 25th Dec 8.00am Christmas Communion 10.00am Christmas Communion

Newsletter

Sunday 16th December, 2012 Third Sunday in Advent 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. Collect for the day Almighty God, You sent Your Son into a world where the wheat must be winnowed from the chaff, and evil clings even to that which is good; let the fire of Your Spirit purge us of all corruption, so that we may wait eagerly for Him Whose Day draws near, Your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen Today’s Readings Third Sunday in Advent read by John F Readings Zephaniah 3: 14—20 and Philippians 4: 4— GOSPEL Luke 3: 7 - 18 SPECIAL CHRISTMAS NOTE …. If you have spare flowers for Christmas arrangements in the church, we would like blue and white flowers eg agapanthus, jasmine as well as lots of foliage. I will leave containers of water in the Germein Room on Sunday 23rd so that flowers can be left then or early Monday morning. We will be arranging on Monday morning (some may be done Sunday evening) Many thanks for your generosity Anna (Sanctuary Guild) PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE led by Sue D-T We pray for those in need: Ron Teague, Peter Little, Dorothy Furnival, the Swaby family , Dianne Cordes. Tommy Ferguson, Bob Arnold, Ann Daughtry, Pat Pater, Susan Daulby, Janet Phillips., Jan and Mollie Hal Shaw-Caserley has also had surgery last week. Praying for Warren Warren has been diagnosed with a blocked artery in his heart. He is having an angiogram tomorrow. No more information until the results of the angiogram are known. Please pray for him this week, and Harper, Kirby and Thea. We will be praying for him just before the Greeting of Peace. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Jennifer Jeffreys HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY YEAR’S MIND— Harold Morris (`1993) Anne Kernot (1993) Robin Pinnock (2003) Alfred (Bill) Mayne (2002) James Arnold (1076) 50th ANNIVERSAY AS PRIEST Conrad Patterson, (21st) Ron Keynes(15th) PREPARATION FOR NEXT SUNDAY Fourth Sunday in Advent Readings Micah 5: 2—5a and Hebrews 10: 5—10 GOSPEL Luke 1: 39—45 REGULAR GROUPS AND BOOKINGS ( most activities will close over Christmas and January)_ 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 5.30pm Evening Prayer with Wendy YOUNG PEOPLE’S GROUP 5pm every second Sunday 14th at Daughtry’s home MOTHERS’ UNION - meets third Thursdays each month at 2.00pm—next meeting February WALKING CHURCH First Saturday of each month at 5.00pm at Belair National Park gates near railway station bridge. Again, not till February Friday morning tea in the Hall has recommenced All are welcome. And bring a friend. 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 – please note changes due to expected absences Next Sunday Joy Campbell or Don Caddy Christmas Eve Don Caddy or Cynthia Macintosh Christmas Day Barb Capon or Trevor Tregenza READER AND INTERCESSOR ROSTER Next Sunday Reader Arndrae L Intercessor Mary V Christmas Eve Reader Paul H Intercessor Wendy M Christmas Day Reader Neil T Intercessor Max A SANCTUARY ROSTER Next week Flowers No flowers Brass Caroline and Sid Sweet Cleaning Cleaner Christmas Eve Flowers Anna Kelly Brass Yvonne Caddy Cleaning Group 3 See note re flowers for Christmas The Quire St. Nicholas will be singing their Annual Lessons and Carols at the Cathedral at 3.00 pm on Sunday 23rd December. You may well need to make your plans early ….. We are reinstituting the 30 second rule for notices at 10 am. Please keep your notices to a maximum of 30 seconds. if your notice needs to go longer than this please see Warren before the service or advise him during the week. One way to help people give information is by giving Warren the information by Friday so he can put it on the wall. So when you give a notice what you say will be behind you on the wall. So for example, times and dates are better on the wall. As a general rule, when giving notices, please adhere to the following: 1. Say what the event is 2. short description of the event 3. venue, date and time 4. who is invited (everyone, women, children, etc) to finish. If you give Warren the details to get on the wall it will be an effective notice. Spies tell us that Sue Parham received her Diploma in Early Childhood Development recently. Congrats, Sue!!! Family Fun Day Sunday (Christmas Bowl): The children and families who came were invited to donate to the Christmas Bowl and $248.90 was raised. A wonderful effort, a wonderful afternoon, well done and thanks to the Ready Set Go Team for a marvellous event. SPECIAL N.B. A small triptych of the Nativity was left in the Germein Room. Owner please collect from foyer. Also a small wooden cross has been taken from the Germein Room, used for Sunday School for 3 years. If anyone has seen it, please let Robyn Keynes know/ RONBLOG on today’s Readings There is one thought that comes to mind from the readings this Advent, and that is the fact ‘we are human, ergo we are responsible.’ Neither I nor anyone else can remove oneself from how my actions (or lack of them) will have an effect on people around about me or you. That is the way life is; and we avoid the perception to our mutual damage, which will often be extreme. It may be ‘the wisdom of age’ to run contrary to this, but I have always been grateful for parents who underlined this for us kids from way, way back. The point of realizing all this from a Biblical perspective came, not from great fear of hellfire (which never was a factor in my youth) but from extra-curricular reading. I decided to read John Steinbeck’s East of Eden when I realized that it was a sort of commentary on Genesis 4, the story of Cain and Abel. Whilst it is not the prettiest of stories (and nor is life anyhow is it!) it spells out some issues that lots of people avoid. The real point of huge impact from this story was when the Chinese cook decided to engage the efforts of the Jewish rabbi in trying to work out what should be the real translation of Genesis 4:7. Footnotes in most translations offer options: If you do well, hold up your head; if not sin is a demon crouching at the door; it will desire you, and you will be mastered by it. (REV). The footnote is ‘you must master it.’ Here is control called for, either by sin or by Cain. Neither of those translations seemed to convey the meaning of what Steinbeck called ‘timshel. After almost a year of discussion and debate, the old rabbi produced a subtle variation: you may master it ..... at which point in the story both rabbi and Chinese cook exploded in huge delight. ‘You MAY, you MAY, you MAY!’ It was a choice, and that choice offered both responsibility and enormous room to move. This what makes humans great,’ ejaculated one of them, and so it is. The sky is the limit, and the possibilities are so enormous. CHRISTMAS SERVICES 23rd Dec 5.30pm “Clown of God” Children’s Service 24th Dec 11.30pm Midnight Mass 25th Dec 8.00am Christmas Communion 10.00am Christmas Communion

Newsletter

Sunday 9th December, 2012 Second Sunday in Advent 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. Collect for the day God of our salvation, You straighten the winding ways of our hearts and smooth the paths made rough by sin; keep our hearts watchful in holiness, and bring to completion the good You have begun in us. We ask this through Him Whose coming is certain, Whose day draws near Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen Today’s Readings Second Sunday in Advent read by Iris D Readings Malachi 3: 1—14 and Philippians 1: 1—11 GOSPEL Luke 3: 1—6 PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE led by Wendy M We pray for those in need: Ron Teague, Peter Little, Dorothy Furnival, the Swaby family , Dianne Cordes. Tommy Ferguson, Bob Arnold, Ann Daughtry, Pat Pater, Susan Daulby, Bonney Tomlinson, Janet Phillips., Jan and Mollie HAPPY BIRTHDAY Ray Wilkins HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY Pat and Graham Pater YEAR’S MIND— Walter Betson (2008), Christabel Dolan (2000) Hazel Ashworth (1992) PREPARATION FOR NEXT SUNDAY Third Sunday in Advent Readings Zephaniah 3: 14—20 and Philippians 4: 4—7 GOSPEL Luke 3: 7 - 18 REGULAR GROUPS AND BOOKINGS ( most activities will close over Christmas and January)_ 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 5.30pm Evening Prayer with Wendy YOUNG PEOPLE’S GROUP 5pm every second Sunday 14th at Daughtry’s home MOTHERS’ UNION - meets third Thursdays each month at 2.00pm—next meeting February WALKING CHURCH First Saturday of each month at 5.00pm at Belair National Park gates near railway Station Bridge. Again, not till February Friday morning tea in the Hall has recommenced All are welcome. And bring a friend. WORLD DAY OF PRAYER 1st March 2013 With our Parish hosting the Day of Prayer next year, we need to be ready for all the duties involved. The focus next time is France. We need to be ready for speaker, publicity, in the kitchen, and other matters. Please be ready to play your parts in this important event. Yvonne Myers. 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 – please note some variations to the roster Next Sunday Trevor Tregenza or Joy Campbell Sunday after Barb Capon or Cynthia Macintosh READER AND INTERCESSOR ROSTER Next Sunday Reader John F Intercessor Sue D-T Sunday after Reader Arndrae L Intercessor Mary V SANCTUARY ROSTER Next week Flowers No flowers Brass Joan Durdin Cleaning Group 2 Bonney Tomlinson would like to thank the many people in the parish who helped during her recent illness—with transport, phone calls, food etc. It was very much appreciated. The Quire St. Nicholas will be singing their Annual Lessons and Carols at the Cathedral at 3.00 pm on Sunday 23rd December. You may well need to make your plans early ….. Spies tell us that Sue Parham received her Diploma in Early Childhood Development recently. Congrats to Sue!!! SUNDAY AFTERNOON FAMILY FUN DAY Our first Family Fun Day Sunday on Advent Sunday was a HUGE success! 45 children attended! Families enjoyed the mild summer weather with afternoon tea and games outside, followed by inside activities, and finishing with a short child friendly worship in the church. The Mother's Union members laid on a scrumptious afternoon tea, and the Ready, Set, Go! Team was sensational. Josh's amazing balloon twisting was unsurpassed! Thank you to our large band of helpers-you know who you are! On that subject, as many as possible of the Ready, Set, Go team hope to have a de-brief meeting after Church today, to discuss last Sunday evening’s event. This will be valuable for planning the next RSG event in March next year. Family Fun Day Sunday From Yvonne Caddy The children and families were invited to donate to the Christmas Bowl and $248.90 was given. That is a wonderful effort, reflecting a wonderful afternoon! Well done and thanks to the Ready Set Go Team for a marvellous event. RONBLOG on today’s Old Testament Reading People familiar with Handel’s Messiah will know the words, quoted from this last book of the Old Testament although it must be said that words to songs, even ‘religious’ songs, are often not listened to with any care. But please stop and have a look. Old Testament prophets were reputed for their emphasis on doom, gloom and judgement; but I ask you to look again. In fact much of this passage in particular could be levelled at our own day and age, looking not at ‘judgement’ in the clinical sense, but presenting seriously the need to act with fairness and consideration of those around about us. Those ancient prophets railed against the refusal of Israel to live with justice, integrity and truth – for the simple reason that failure to do so reduced life into mediocrity and damage – especially for the poor. If that is judgemental or even ‘religious,’ I have to say that I am quite happy to be associated with it. In fact it is another rarity today—common sense.’ Something of an oxymoron in this day and age. It may help to comment also on the tirade against sorcerers and idolaters. On the surface, we might laugh in our beer at trying to find those sorts of people these days; but stop a while. The issue for Old Testament prophets and for John in the New, was the awful capacity of people to distort the image and nature of God into something that they feel they could manipulate to their own advantage. Modern-day idols do exactly that as they have the tendency from truth to a self-serving distortion of it. In fact, the disease spreads rather wider than sports or entertainment gurus. In Hebrew imagery, idolatry was equated with prostitution – turning something important into rubbish! The connection is clear is it not? Now do you note the emphasis on those who live and act unjustly against ordinary people: workers, widows and orphans and even the aliens - a significant issue for Australians with the continuation of the boat people ‘invasion.’ There is not a lot of comfort to be drawn from this passage, and rather a considerable challenge. Never let it be said that the faith, Hebrew or Christian, is a comfortable easy path to travel. However it is remarkably redemptive and re-creative.