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