Mailout for 26 March (Lent 5, Year A)

Dear People of God

Grace and peace be with you

At the Annual General Meeting of the Parish last week we elected a new Parish Council for 2023. The five Councillors elected are Adrian Richardson, Gabby Holland, Rachel Walker, Bev Hinton, and Di Leonard; I have reserved my right to make appointments. Peoples’ Wardens are Faye Preece and Noel Skimmings; Incumbent’s Warden is Denise Giles; Synod Reps are Di Leonard and Rachel Walker (one more to be appointed before Synod); Presentation Board Delegates are Wilma Lilley, Bev Hinton and Rachel Walker.

Council has a major job this year as we review the future direction of the Parish. There are some changes in the roles of Councillors: Adrian Richardson will be the new Parish Secretary, Di Leonard will take over as Council Chairperson, Gabby Holland will continue as Treasurer, and Bev Hinton continues as Mission Secretary. Gail Orchard will function as Assistant Secretary to assist Adrian as required to understand the labyrinthine workings of the Diocesan administration system: now that she is in Holy Orders (presently Deacon) she is not supposed to be Secretary and will attend Council meetings “by invitation”. I don’t recall that we have ever had a vote on Council, not in my time anyway, and we generally manage to reach a consensus on issues. The Presentation Board Delegates meets with the Diocesan Presentation Board when a new Rector is being considered for the Parish.

A draft budget has been prepared for Parish Council at its next meeting. We hope to operate with a surplus which will be reserved for continuing maintenance (there is still a backlog) and for a Youth Worker, if our Expression of Interest is successful (in association with Morpeth and Raymond Terrace parishes).

There is no standing requirement for the Parish Priest to be Chair of Council. Given my well-known dislike for chairing meetings (and chairing church meetings is akin to herding cats!) and Di Leonard is a very effective chairperson (chairman is actually the appropriate word, because “man” is related to “manus”, meaning “hand” ands refers to the “person who steers the meeting”, but given the political correctness…….) so I am very glad to hand that function over to her!

When Gabby presented the financial report for 2022 she also noted that the biggest single contributor to the parish finances was the Op Shop, which added $41500 to our finances last year. The folk, mostly women, who work the shop do a great service for the parish and we are deeply indebted to them. The Shop is also a great opportunity for sensitive pastoral care, and there are many people who come regularly and who greatly value in many ways their contact with the workers.

I am in process of preparing a new study series for the parish: “Words have Meaning: How our Faith translates into Action”. The first three contributions are in and edited, three more to come. I would like to hear further ideas about topics for group study and faith development: parishes which actively study the faith in small groups seem to have a greater dynamism than those which are “passive”, relying on the wisdom of sermons (some of which are pretty light on for wisdom!) More to come as they develop.

Please continue to pray for this parish as we look to our future. Remember at all times that our ministry is God’s and we are workers with God in the mission field that is our community.

The Lord be with you

Fr George

gmainprize@bigpond.com 0410 586 119

PROPERS for Lent 5

Sentence

“I am the resurrection and the life” says the Lord; “whoever lives and believes in me shall never die” (Jn 11:25-26

Collect of the Day

Life-giving God, your Son came into the world to free us all from sin and death: breathe upon us with the power of your Spirit, that we may be raised to new life with Christ, and serve you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Hoy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

Collect of the Season

Holy and eternal God, you hate nothing that you have made, and you forgive the sins of all who are penitent; create in us new and contrite hearts that we, lamenting our sins and acknowledging our weakness, may obtain from you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Readings

Ezekiel 37:1-14 The valley of dry bones

Psalm 130 Waiting for divine redemption

Romans 8:6-11 Life in the Spirit

John 11:1-45 The raising of Lazarus

Sermon (Deacon Gail)

In the Name of God. Amen

This reading for today in John is placed as the last sign that Jesus will do before his death and is in fact a great lead into the events of the Passion and crucifixion of Jesus.

John in his telling of the raising of Lazarus assumes that we know the relationship between Mary, Martha, and Lazarus to Jesus. They would be regarded as amongst his closest friends. He stayed in their home when he came to Jerusalem. He enjoyed their hospitality. He cherished their friendship and could in fact be regarded as having a close affinity to them.

To place this incident within the context of the ministry of Jesus we need to realise that he had in fact left Jerusalem hurriedly immediately before this after the Jewish authorities had tried to stone him.

The story begins with Jesus getting a message to say that Lazarus is ill and requesting him to come quickly. More than likely Lazarus probably died soon after the messengers were sent to Jesus. Mary and Martha obviously believed that Jesus could heal their brother, as they knew that he loves and cares for him. Sensing the urgency in the message it probably makes you wonder why Jesus didn’t drop everything immediately and return to Jerusalem.

The fact that Jesus eventually goes back towards Jerusalem, into the paths of danger, shows us something of his mission. If it cost him his life, so be it. Lazarus’ death will give Jesus an opportunity to demonstrate the power of God to raise the dead to new life. God doesn’t cause bad things to happen to innocent people, but he can use misfortune to bless us in unexpected ways, if we turn to him.

Quite rightly we are told that when Jesus went to visit Mary and Martha they both rushed out to greet him as he came into the village. We are also left in no doubt that they both felt that if he had come sooner then their brother would have lived. In his response to them we are given an indication of the love he had for them. We are also given an example of the love that Jesus has for us when we are sick or dying or stricken with grief and sorrow.

What happens next is significant in that we are told that Jesus wept. In fact, the verb that is used here literally means “to quake”. This means that he shook with emotion from the depth of his soul. He wept uncontrollably and in anguish. If we ever needed permission to grieve, here it is. Jesus weeps with us too. He loves us as he loved Mary. He loves us with a human love and shares in our grief. He sympathizes with us in every way. In his tears, we know the consolation of his love.

The raising of Lazarus from the dead was a miracle and a clear display of God’s power. It was also an unmistakable sign that Jesus was the Christ. Jesus certainly does love us and our loved ones as he loved his friend Lazarus. Lazarus was restored to life, but he would die again. Jesus permitted Lazarus to die just as he permits us and our loved ones to die. Jesus had a loving purpose for Lazarus and what might have seemed like unconcern, was actually for their good and for the glory of God. Jesus demonstrated through them that he is indeed “the resurrection and the Life.”

What we are not told in this passage is that “ as a result of the raising of Lazarus many of the Jews began to believe in Jesus”. In fact, in the next chapter, we are told that some went to the Pharisees and told them of the miracle, and this was the event that convinced the Jewish leaders that they needed to find a reason to get rid of him. They were also afraid that if too many of the Jews followed him then they would be in trouble with the Roman authorities.

Possibly the message that is important for us to take from this passage is that we can trust in Jesus even when he seems to be absent. We can trust in him even in the face of death, believing that death is not the end because Jesus is “the resurrection and the life”.

Amen

Intercessions (Deacon Gail_

The response to our prayers is:

O God, put your spirit within us, and we shall live.

God our Creator, at the beginning of time you breathed life into your creatures: hear our prayers for your world and its people. We pray for all whose lives and bound by war, disaster or oppression; for the homeless, the hungry, the refugees: for the leaders of the world and for all who work for justice and peace. Breathe on your children your spirit of hope and possibility.

O God, put your spirit within us, and we shall live.

God our Redeemer, you hold before us the choice of life or death: hear our prayers for your worldwide church. We pray for places where it is bound by division, discord or lack of resources. In the wider church we pray for our sister Diocese of Guadalcanal; the Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea, Heads of Christian Churches and in Australia the Diocese of Willochra. Breathe on your church your spirit of passion and power.

O God, put your spirit within us, and we shall live.

We pray in this Diocese for our Bishop Peter, for our Bishops Assisting Charlie, and Sonia; for Newcastle Grammar School and the priest and people of the parishes of Stroud and Williamtown-Medowie-Mallabula. In this parish we pray for our clergy George, and Gail with their families; and for our Op Shop volunteers, our families and community. We pray for Tarro Uniting Church.

O God, put your spirit within us, and we shall live.

God our Companion, you have shown to your people the way of true love: hear our prayers for the communities in which we live. We pray for all whose lives are bound by bitterness, jealousy, resentment or mistrust; for those who are victims of intolerance, violence or abuse; for our places of work, our neighbours, our families and our friends. In Beresfield and Woodberry we pray for Beresfield Tavern, Newton Takeaway and Beresfield Fish and Chippery. Breathe on your children your spirit of reconciliation and love.

O God, put your spirit within us, and we shall live.

God our Comforter, you wept at the death of your friend Lazarus: hear our prayers for all those in need, and for those who minister to them. Especially today we pray for those who have asked for our prayers: Doug and Jenny, Indi, Barbara D, Val Frazer, Lynn, Betty, Les, Jill, Ann, Daphne, Bruce, Debbie M, Samuel, John J, Merv T, Nicole M, Jenny H, Didi, Margaret, Peter McC, Susan, Elizabeth, Dawn A, Heidi, Wendy F, Peter, Vicki L, Laurie, Jenny M, Val D, Ben, Keith M, Sammy J and Noah, Stuart McInnes, Sue T, Keith and Hettie, Hope, Mick Atkins, Derek, Zoe, and all those whom we name silently before you.

Breathe on your children your spirit of comfort and consolation.

O God, put your spirit within us , and we shall live.

God our Resurrection and Life, by your dying and rising you bring new life to others: hear our prayers for all who have died. We give you thanks for the faithful people of this parish who have gone before us. Especially we pray for those who have died this week and for Daphne Griffin, Mark Pegler Snr, Vida Pegler, Victor Skillen, and Ethel Jones whose anniversary of death is at this time. Call forth from the tomb and set us free from all that binds us in death, that, with Lazarus and your friends in every age, we may rise to new life with you forever.

+Rest eternal, grant to them O Lord; and let your light perpetual shine upon them.

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

29 John Keble, priest and poet (1866) preached “The Assize Sermon” in the Oxford Church of St Mary the Virgin, on 14 July 1833, condemning the apostasy which he saw had overtaken the Church of England. This event is regarded as the start of the “Oxford Movement”, which became known as the Movement for Catholic Renewal in the Church of England and which had a profound influence of the worldwide Anglican Communion. As a poet he also wrote a series of “Poems for the Church’s Year” as well as many other hymns which have become a much-loved part of Anglican hymnody

31 John Donne, priest and poet (1631) became Dean of St Paul’s in London. As “Jack Donne” he wrote some “deeply emotional” poetry, and as John Donne he wrote some of the most moving verse in English including the one which ends “therefore send not to know for whom the bell tolls: it tolls for thee” (No Man is an Island). He was also a noted preacher (of lengthy sermons!) and used to put on hour glass on the pulpit and, when the sand ran out, used to turn it over and continue!

And finally…

I have had a couple of requests to resume the practice of a Healing Eucharist which, I understand, was last used during the time of Fr Peter Catt. It will not replace the weekly practice of administering Holy Unction immediately after administration of the Communion, but will serve as a more intentional service for prayer and anointing for all on our Intercessors List. I have taken some detail from the Order of St Luke (a dedicated Order with a particular ministry for healing and reconciliation) and am incorporating it into our Eucharistic rite. More detail as it progresses.