Mailout for 2 October 2022, Year C

Dear People of God

Grace to you, and peace

We are having a “split parish” this week. At St Paul’s it will be Pentecost 17 (Trinity 17, Ordinary Sunday 25) but at St Michael’s we will be observing the Feast of Title, St Michael and All Angels. There is ONE SERMON only in this mailout, but I will preach an appropriate sermon at St Michael’s. If you are keen to get both, then come to both! (I doubt that I’ll have too many takers for that, but at least I’ve made the offer!)

Dates for your diary:

Fashion Parade:

29 October in the Beresfield Hall ($10 with afternoon tea). I doubt that there will be any blokes’ fashions but I am sure that the OpShop will have a range of stubbies and shorts for your fashion wardrobe.

For the Trivia fiends:

14 October Raymond Terrace $10, 6:30for 7pm start, in the Ministry Centre byo drinks and nibbles book with Lorraine (0419 277 294) or Marea (0422 065 708)

15 October Cessnock 12:30 for 1:00pm, in Bellbird Bowling Club, byo nibbles, drinks available for purchase at the bar, book with Gaylene (4991 4750)

Mothers’ Union: 19 October, 10:30am at Dianne Leonard’s home

Smile for the week:

“When I was young I reckoned that I knew the answer to everything. How

wrong I was! Now that I am getting somewhat older I am starting to get the “gist” of things ... psychologist, gerontologist, urologist, cardiologist, oncologist...” (Fr Uptheback)

The Lord be with you

Fr George

gmainprizebigpond.com 0410 586 119

PROPERS for the Day

Sentence

“Who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? But I am among you” says the Lord, “as one who serves” (Luke 22:27)

Collect

Faithful God, have mercy on us your unworthy servants, and increase our faith, that, trusting in your Spirit’s power to work in us and through us, we may never be ashamed to witness to our Lord but may obediently serve him all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

At St Michael’s

Everlasting God, you have ordained and constituted in a wonderful order the ministries of angels and mortals: grant that, as your holy angels stand before you in heaven, so at your command they may help and defend us here on earth; through Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

Readings

Lamentation 1:1-6 The deserted city

Psalm 137 The destruction of Jerusalem

2 Timothy 1:1-14 Thanksgiving and encouragement

Luke 17:5-10 Some sayings of Jesus

Sermon (Fr George)

In the Name of God, Amen

I’d be quoting the blooming obvious if I said that Jesus is working in first century Palestine. Is anyone not aware of that? Good. Next obvious statement: the cultural milieu was rather different to our 21st century, western society. Teaching methods of figures of speech were also rather different. So we ought not to be surprised when we find some of Jesus’ imagery either hard to understand or confronting.

The danger us that we often tend to take literally a teaching method that was well-known to his society but perhaps not so familiar to ours.

Consider some of the sayings from the gospels that we have heard over the years. If your eye offends you, pluck it out: (the offender) ought to have a millstone around their neck and cast into the sea; there are plenty more, and we have a couple of them in our reading for today.

A common method is the “either/or” technique which tends to see everything in black and white terms. That night work in scientific method, but when it comes to human behaviour it is not so simple. We are confronted with the choice: are you Liberal or Labor, Australian or foreign, black or white, straight or gay? It takes no account of the shades of meaning in between: left, centre or right shades in politics; citizen, permanent resident, alien or visitor; Anglo-Saxon or Scandinavian or Mediterranean, south or east Asian, Polynesian, Australian Aboriginal; gay, straight or somewhere in between/ Sound familiar. Life is NOT binary!

There is a school of Bible interpretation that tends to take everything as literal. You’ve seen the exaggeration “The Bible says it, I believe it, that settles it” sort of thing. I think that Jesus would have been very surprised to find that sort of interpretation. Take, for example, his comments like “you have heard it said, love your neighbour and hate you enemy, but I tell you to love even those who want to hurt you”. But he was using the familiar method of “either/or” knowing that his hearers would have the wit and wisdom to apply the teaching in realistic ways.

So then, what are we to make of the two sayings which we have just heard. If we are to take them literally I have no doubt that certain people would want to make an easy living our of land clearance merely by telling a tree to the uprooted and cast into the sea! Household servants would be dropping dead from sheer exhaustion at the unreasonable demands of their employers (I don’t for one moment imagine that this has never happened: that’s why we have industrial regulations and laws!). But we are enjoined to think through the demands of faith and how it applies to our day-to-day behaviour and values.

Jesus doesn’t’ place unreasonable demands on human behaviour, but he does demand total loyalty from us and that we use our God-given intellect to work out just how that loyalty applies to the society in which we are placed.

I have just put the finishing touches to the study series “Words have meaning: language of faith in modern understanding” and have commenced its companion series “Meaning has action: putting our beliefs into practice”. Watch this space.

Amen

Intercessions (Dawn Holland)

Loving Father we humbly come to you with our prayers for our world where humankind have ill-treated and carelessly damaged or destroyed the beautiful world you have given us to live in and care for.

We ask you to forgive us and by your Holy Spirit guide us to correct and improve our attitudes and learn to care for the environment and all creatures with whom we share your world. We pray for people who are suffering due to war, inhumanity to others, greed and neglecting to share the abundance of our universe you have provided for all to share.

Loving Father in your mercy Hear our prayer

We pray for world leaders that they may administer their people fairly with justice for all. In Australia we pray for Anthony our Prime Minister, for Dominic our Premier, for members of the opposition and all councillors in their various roles. Give them wisdom and care in their work for a their jurisdiction.

Loving Father in your mercy Hear our prayer

We especially pray for people who have lost all due to floods around the world or other effects of natural disasters due to climate change. The resolution to many of these problems are beyond our means therefore we ask your Holy Spirit to guide our minds to help prevent further disasters and lead us to help those in need.

Loving Father in your mercy Hear our prayer

We pray for you worldwide Church especially countries where Christians are persecuted for their faith. We are concerned about the decrease of belief in You in our own country. Help us to be faithfully bring the gospel to others as you commanded. We pray for our new King Charles 3rd, Justin the Archbishop of Canterbury and all leaders of your Church throughout the world We especially pray for our sister Diocese of Guadalcanal and in Australia we pray for The Outback Fund and for our First Nations people.

Loving Father in your mercy Hear our prayer

In our own Diocese we pray for our Bishops Peter, Charlie and Sonia. Give them the love and care for the clergy and people who are worshipping you throughout our Diocese. We pray for Fresh Expressions and new ministries in the Diocese.

In our own Parish we pray for our Priest-in-Charge Fr. George , our Deacon Gail and their families and for our Organists Gabby and Adrian and our Choir and all those who enjoy singing God’s praises. We also pray for Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church.

Loving Father in your mercy Hear our prayer

We pray for our community; Woodberry Family Practice, Maitland Family Support, Baiada Steggles Processing Plant and Beresfield Fish and Chippery.

We pray for those who are in need in our community; the frail and aged, the lonely and isolated, the jobless and, and job seeking, those with family problems and all who are sick in body or mind and especially those for whom prayer has been asked: Laurie R, Jenny, Indi, Barbara D, Val Frazer, Lynn, Betty, Les, Mandy, Jill, Anne, Daphne, Bruce, Debbie M, Samuel, John J, Merv T, Jenny H, Did, Margaret, Peter McC, Susan Elizabeth, Dawn A, Heidi, Wendy F, Peter H. In the silence we pray for those known only to ourselves who need our prayer.

Loving Father in your mercy Hear our prayer

We give thanks for the lives of our loved ones and those whose anniversary falls at this timebook who have gone before us into your nearer presence John Newman, Robert Morton, Colin Garred, Robert Giles. Rest eternal grant to them dear Lord and let Light

Perpetual shine upon them.

Loving Father in your mercy Hear our prayer

Almighty God, you have promised to hear our prayers, grant that what we have asked in faith we may by your grace receive through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Saints and Commemorations of the Week

3 George Bell, Bishop of Chichester, Ecumenist, Peacemaker (1958) Friend and supporter of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and who endeavoured to bring about a resolution prior to the outbreak of the war.

4 Francis of Assisi, Friar, Founder of the Friars Minor (1226) amongst the best-known and best-loved saints of the Church, his joy in Creation and his single-minded devotion to God make him the model for modern Christianity

6 William Tyndale, Translator of the Scriptures, Reformation Martyr (1536) as a scholar he was responsible for the first general translation of the Bible into English, using the best available (for the time) Hebrew and Greek texts. He was much influenced by Luther and, because of his opposition to Henry VIII’s annulment sought refuge on the Continent where he was ultimately tried and convicted of heresy and put to death. His work was predominant in its influence on the first Book of Common Prayer and the Authorised Version (King James) Bible