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