Weekly for 2 July (Pentecost 5)

Dear People of God

Grace and Peace to you all

Synod, which met last Saturday, was a very intense time. We heard reports from the various Diocesan bodies, listened to sometimes passionate contributions on various motions before us and were once again reminded of the cost of re-earning respect following the performance of certain members of the clergy and lay workers in the matter of child sexual abuse over the years. The Bishop spoke of the close examination by the Diocesan insurers of our steps to mitigate the risks of misbehaviour by anyone in the various activities carried out in the name of or with the authority of the church. Rigorous checking is required by and from all of us. It is a perennial issue that many of our volunteers are not computer-savvy find is beyond them to confidently complete the online checking and compliance process. We need to explore ways in which pen-and-paper processes can be implemented. We have appointed Deacon Gail as Compliance Officer for the parish. Her task is to ensure that people are given every opportunity to complete the accreditation process and to provide assistance as appropriate, as well as to maintain the parish entries on the Diocesan Compliance register.

It is readily apparent to anyone who considers the work of mission, of promoting the spread of the Gospel, in our society that the biggest obstacle we face is not hostility, although there’s that around, and it’s not ignorance, although that’s also plentiful, but it is indifference. In a society obsessed with having stuff, of “living the good life”, and with materialism, plus the pressures of raising children and keeping a job, the Gospel message of reconciliation and the Kingdom simply don’t come into the picture. How many of our own families and close acquaintance are simply not interested in something that forms a fundamental part of our lives? How do we engage with our communities? What does the Gospel offer to the people of Beresfield-Thornton? How do we live it out? It’s a topic we will be looking at more closely in our study groups, Parish Council and other places. We can have the best fund-raising activities (and they are important), and wonderful buildings (and maintenance costs money), but if we are not living out the Kingdom in ways that connect with our local community we are, as St Paul elegantly put it, “sounding brass and tinkling cymbals”. It’s call “love in action”.

The Lord be with you

Fr George

0410 586 119 gmainprize@bigpond.com

(don’t try to use priest@btanglican.org.au – I can’t open it!)

Propers for Pentecost 5 (Trinity 4, Ordinary Sunday 13)

Sentence

The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal like in Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom 6.23)

Collect

O God, your Son has taught us that those who give a cup of water in hi name will not lose their reward: open our hearts to the needs of your children, and in all things make us obedient to your will, so that in faith we may receive your gracious gift, eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord Amen

Readings

Genesis 22:1-14 The command to sacrifice Isaac

Psalm 13 Prayer for deliverance

Romans 6:12-23 Slaves of righteousness

Matthew 10: 40-42 Rewards

Sermon (Fr George)

In the Name of God. Amen

That first reading today is enough to startle anyone. In a society where we are taught, at least in theory, that every human life is created in the image of God, the notion that God might demand a human sacrifice goes way beyond our expectations of the divine love. But remember that the Hebrew faith is evolving, just as the Christian faith has been evolving over the last two millenia. Even in the time of Jesus, human sacrifice was not unknown in Middle Eastern society, where children might be made to “pass through the fire”, sacrificed in fire to the idol Moloch. The Law said that every first-born that happened to be male was to be offered to God, human or animal, but might be “redeemed” by a substitute sacrifice, hence Joseph and Mary come to offer a substitute sacrifice in the Temple at what we know as the Feast of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple/Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, when old Simeon recognises God’s Messiah in the infant Jesus. The idea of sacrifice to appease an angry God still lingers in Christian thought in the notion, in my mind absolutely repugnant, that an angry God might demand the human sacrifice of Jesus as the price for forgiveness of sins. That idea is alive and well in certain fundamentalist traditions today.

St Paul, writing to the Church in Rome, presents us with perhaps THE densest, maybe the most difficult, book in the New Testament. It is a closely argued theological treatise and had given rise to more debate and scholarly examination than any other. It comprises several separate sections, however his consistent theme is that God in Christ has liberated us from slavery of some description and he continually contrasts the old slavery to sin, characterised as the following of Adam, and presents us with the new free slavery to God in Christ, which he represents as the only true freedom. It’s worth a series all to itself.

In the gospel records we have collections of sayings ascribed to Jesus, probably collated by the evangelists in what they considered to be coherent associations. Jesus’ ministry extended over a period of probably one to three years: the Synoptic Gospels put it as one, John counts it as three years. In a society where teaching depended largely on oral transmission, Rabbis such as Jesus would have delivered memorable, pithy sayings that needed reflection to get to the core of the teaching.

The section we have heard today forms the final part of an extended section beginning at Verse 7 as Jesus sends the Twelve out on a teaching mission with instructions to stay within the Jewish community. As “learners” they are being sent, like the Prac Teachers we maybe remember from our schooldays, to communities that would have at least some familiarity with the message they were bringing. It would get more complicated once the Gospel spread beyond the Jewish realm where there might little familiarity with the basic message of Jesus.

But whichever way you look at it, to be a follower of Jesus was never going to be an easy task. I might take a line from the song “I never promised you a rose garden” and remind you that even a rose garden involves thorns, which might easily be woven into a crown. Remember that the prophets quite frequently met with a sticky end.

BUT, Jesus does promise that faithfulness to the mission will be rewarded, and that’s the tag line of the whole piece.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t find that following Jesus is an easy task. There’s always the temptation to out oneself first, and we all know that self-centredness has the nature of sin. So “what’s it going to be?” might be the question that confronts each one of us. Western society has it easy, but spare a thought for those people trying to follow the way of Jesus in other societies where to be known as a Jesus-person will bring exclusion, deprivation, or even death.

May God pour upon each one of us the grace and strength to be faithful followers of Christ, that in all things God may be glorified.

Amen

Intercessions (Dawn Holland)

Loving Father, we humbly come to you today with thanks for the precious gift of Jesus, who paid the price of our sins so that we can have a new relationship with you. We ask forgiveness for the many times we fail you by not caring for your beautiful world and by our lack of love and care for others. We ask for guidance and wisdom for the world as we are facing climate change. Show us how and what we can do to help preserve this beautiful world, the environment and wildlife and the precious creatures that inhabit this earth and the people of the small islands who may lose so much because of the rising seas.

We pray today for countries suffering from the attempts of power and possession by other countries, causing so much loss and pain due to evil attempts to take them over. We pray especially for the people of Ukraine, Sudan, the Holy Land of Israel and the many other places where wrong is done to others.

We pray for world leaders that they may be just and fait to all under their management; in Australia we pray for our Prime Minister Anthony, premier Chris, and all local Councillors in their roles of leadership throughout our country. We pray for our First Nation brothers and sisters and for the forthcoming opportunity to include their presence in government decision which affect their culture.

Gracious heavenly Father, in our mercy hear our prayer.

We pray for your worldwide Church; for Justin, Archbishop of Canterbury; for all leaders of Christian churches throughout the world, especially in countries where people are being persecuted for the faith of Christ; we pray for our sister Diocese of Guadalcanal, for the Anglican Church of Canada, the Episcopal Church of Sudan and Southern Sudan, and for the Australian Diocese of Bunbury.

In our own Diocese we pray for our Bishops Peter, Charlie and Sonia; for the ministry of Anglicare; for the Justice Ministries and Chaplaincy, and for the parishes of Terrigal, The Entrance, and Toukley-Budgewoi. In our own parish we pray for our clergy Gorge and Gail and their families; for people preparing for Baptism; and for the Mother’s Union group. In our faith community we pray for the Tarro Uniting Church.

Gracious heavenly Father, in our mercy hear our prayer.

In this community we pray for the local businesses and professional service providers and for Palm Valley Motel, Beresfield Tyrepower, Tarro Grocery Store, and for Beresfield Aluminium

Gracious heavenly Father, in our mercy hear our prayer.

We bring before you those in need in our community; the aged and infirm, shut-ins, the lonely, the homeless, the financially stressed and for those who suffer in body or mind. We pray especially for Val Frazer, Lynn, Betty, Val D, Wendy, Gail, Janet R, Ben, Merle, Keith, James, for families under stress; those whose need is known to us and those whose need is known to you alone.

Gracious heavenly Father, in our mercy hear our prayer.

We give thanks for the fellowship into which you have called us with our Patrons Paul and Michael, with Mary the Blessed Mother and all those for whom your friendship was life. We remember before you those whose year’s mind falls at this time: Sylvia Pike, Carol Hinton, and Wilfred Raynard, and those whom we have loved who have gone into your nearer presence. Eternal rest grant to them, good Lord, and may perpetual light 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 1-8 July

1 Coming of the Light , First missionaries to the Torres Strait (1871) When the London Missionary Society missioners arrived at Erub Darnley Island) and were met in peace by the Dabad, the local chief, it was clearly understood that God was on both sides of the meeting. The culture was not destroyed but was enlightened by the Light. The LMS asked the Anglican Bishop of Carpentaria, Gilbert White to take over responsibility for the mission when they (the LMS) experienced financial difficulty. It is major festival wherever TI people gather, and Anglican Church is present on every island of the Strait. (Carpentaria Diocese has now been incorporated into the Diocese of North Queensland. Having spent some years living in North Queensland, I can attest that the Coming of the Light is a MAJOR festival!)

Henry (1797), John (1813), and Henry the Younger (1873) Venn, priests Evangelical Divines CofE The Clapham Sect was a society of Evangelical Anglicans established by the work of the Venn family, who were also much involved with the Church Missionary Society (CMS). Their evangelical fervour saw a great increase in study of the Scriptures by the Clapham Sect’s adherents, as well as a substantial increase in the number of regular communicants

6 John Fisher, bishop, and Thomas More, Reformation martyrs (1535) Fisher was Bishop of Rochester, More was a senior lawyer, both of whom declined to assent to Henry VIII’s divorce from Katherine of Aragon ns well as to Henry’s assuming the status of Supreme Head of the Church of England. They are commemorated along with other Catholic and Protestant martyrs in the Church of St Mary the Virgin in Oxford (as well as elsewhere)