Dear People of God
Grace and Peace to you all
The news arrived too late for last week’s edition of this newsletter, but many of you may remember Fr Ray Manuel, who died last week. Fr Ray trained at Morpeth and served in Boroko (New Guinea) and in this Diocese in Toronto, Cardiff, Denman, Stockton, and Harrington. He “retired” in 2013 and was an active Honorary Priest in Telarah-Rutherford parish until he developed cancer this year. He died last week. Our prayers are for his widow, Judy. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.
Our thanks to Joan Gregory for the proceeds of the Garage Sale which she held recently to assist church funds. She realised very creditable $158.
Next week, 6 August, The Rev’d Narelle Riley will be the officiating priest and I will be at Morpeth, as Mther Val McDonald and I had previously arranged. It’s the Feast of the Transfiguration (in the case of the clergy it’s the case of the translocation). It does us all good to hear a different voice from the pulpit: wit the best will in the world, we have to admit that the preachers who are never stale are few and far between, and a different person preaching can give us a new slant on things, even though we may be preaching from the same tradition.
The new Rector of Morpeth will be ordained priest at St Peter’s East Maitland on 26 August and will be inducted at Morpeth the following day, Sunday 27 August. I’ll confirm the time of the ordination later, but it would be good to see an attendance from this parish as we are in the same Deanery and are hoping to get a jointly arranged Youth Worker between our two parishes and Raymond Terrace.
I had a call from Patience Ngwema the other day: they are back from a break to Zimbabwe to see family but, with heavy hearts, will mow leave our community to move to Cobar under the terms of their Visa, where Patience has a job in an aged care community and Solomon is seeking work in the copper mine. Patience in particular has made a significant contribution to the parish through her involvement with the Parish Council. We wish them well for this next stage of their journey and would gladly welcome them back at any time.
Gail is off to South Africa this week for the GFS International Conference, where she along with Bishop Sonia will be part of the Australian delegation; and will then be taking a break for the remainder of August.
The plumbers were back this week further to identify the source of the leak in the water main serving our property: it has been narrowed down to somewhere under a slab, so it is still going to cost $$$!
The Lord be with you
Fr George
gmainprize@bigpond.com 0410 586 119
Propers for Pentecost 9 (Trinity 8, Ordinary Sunday 17)
Sentence
Neither death, not life, nor angels, nor things present, nor things to dome, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, not anything else in all creation. Will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen (Romans 8:38-39)
Collect
O God, the fount of all wisdom, you have revealed to us in Christ the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price: grant to us your Spirit’s gift of discernment, that, in the midst of the tings of this world, we may earn to value the priceless worth of your kingdom, and be ready to renounce all else for the sake of the precious gift you offer. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen
Readings
Genesis 29:15-28 Jacob married Laban’s daughter(s)
Psalm 105:1-11 Gods faithfulness to Israel
Romans 8:26-39 God’s love in Christ Jesus
Matthew 13:44-58 Three parables, Jesus rejection at Nazareth
Sermon (Fr George)
In the Name of God Amen
I guess that we have all encountered people who can tell you with a great degree of certainty just who is “in” and who is “not” when it comes to “heaven” or the “Kingdom” pr whatever name you choose to apply. Certainty if a great “gift” and mist be very comforting, especially to people who are so sure of their own virtue that they have already booked themselves a place in the Dress Circle of Heaven. But like most of you, I HOPE that I might have sufficient merit but it doesn’t depend on me at all: it’s up to God and God alone.
Of course you will have heard the joke that the only certainties in life at birth, death and taxation, but if you have good accountant the third of those is optional.
Jesus, like many or most of the Rabbis, used parables to convey his message. Too often we place restrictive earthly meanings on each of them, according to our own culture and inclinations, but the central figure in each of them is God, who alone makes the judgement even though we may see it in our own terms. Take as one example the “Pearl of Great Price”: the central figure is God to whom humankind is his focus (of course that’s in a way diminishing God who is the creator and proprietor of all that is, seen and unseen, but nonetheless the God who sets aside his godness to take human form in the Incarnate Word and re-call humanity to his unconditional love.
How does this square with St Paul’s talk of “predestination: in the letter to the Romans. Has God fore-ordained that selected individuals are bound for union with God and the rest are doomed to non-being at best or damnation at worst? Does this square with the notion of a purposeful and loving Creator whose will is that ALL creation be united with Godself? It’s a question that has haunted the Church from Day One. Certain varieties of Calvinist, though not all, took this a step further and determined on “Double Predestination” which to my mind at least suggests that there is nothing we can do have any bearing on our eternal destiny and that God has fore-ordained who will get to heaven and who will get to damnation. It would also suggest that the will of God is irresistible and effectively removes free will from our options.
We can, of course, tie ourselves in mental gymnastics, which usually only results in mental indigestion, if we consider that time only exists within Creation and since God is the author and source of Creation then God is not bound by time: God knows the beginning and the end of all things and therefore knows just how things pan out and therefore knows just who is going to come into union with him and who is not. But this doesn’t quote square with the understanding that God intervenes in human history through the person and work of the Incarnate Word, Jesus Christ, in order that the world might be reconciled to the One who created it and wills it to be restored to union with Godself.
Have I given you a headache? It does my brain no good either! Suffice it to say that God knows and loves us without reservation, Christian, Jew, Moslem or anything else.
Through all of this, there is a key point in what Paul has to say, and that is to do with our prayers. You know what it’s like when you are lost for words and you want to express some deep emotion? I have a very clear memory of seeing my elder daughter holding her first child when Freya was less than an hour old: she was looking at her baby with an expression of wonder and deep love and without a word. Don’t ask how Grandfather dealt with that, but it certainly reminded him of when his first child was born! So, as St Paul says, even when we can’t find the words to talk with God, the Spirit of God in effect does our praying for us, which comes out of an intimate knowledge of who we are and what lies on our hearts, and thanks be to God for that!
Therefore, do not let yourselves be vexed by worrying about being predestined for anything. The only certainty after birth is death, whenever and however, and our faith is that we will all come into a nearer presence of God and be greeted with love, and the Psalmist assures us “when I awake I shall see you as you are”.
Amen
Intercessions
We pray for our nation and all the nations of the world
For our Prime Minister Anthony, our Premier Chris, all Members of Parliament and Local Governments: for the leaders of the nations and all people, especially for the people of Ukraine, the Land of the Holy One, and for all areas of oppression and violence
Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer.
We pray for the welfare of your holy Church, our Bishop and for all the clergy and people
That we may be drawn together our boundaries of religious separation that together we may proclaim the faith of Jesus Christ; for the Anglican Church throughout the world, especially for Justin, Archbishop of Canterbury; The Anglican Church of the Congo and th eEpiscopal Church of the USA; and for our sister Diocese of Guadalcanal: in Australia we pray for the Diocese of Gippsland; and in this Diocese for Bishop Peter and for Sonia and Charlie, Bishops Assisting; the Cathedral Parish and the Parish of Cessnock; for the Corrective Services Chaplaincies; for grace and peace of this parish and for our clergy George and Gail, our musicians Gabby and Adrian and our singers; giving thanks for the newly baptised and pray8ng for those preparing for Baptism and Cofirmation;for our fellow Christians of Thornton Grace Church
Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer
We pray for seasonable weather and for an abundance of the fruits of the earth
That we may lay seriously to heart the need for urgent change in the way in which we treat the planet and for a determination to ensure that what we leave to our descendants will be a habitable world
Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer
We pray that we may share with justice the resource of the earth, and live in trust and goodwill with one another
For grace to lay seriously to heart the inequities both in our own society and in the community of nations: and for the grace and strength to accept the cost of remedies for to achieve full participation in our national and international lives for all those who would do so.
Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer
We pray for the aged and the infirm, for the bereaved and the lonely, and for the sick and suffering: and for the poor and oppressed, for prisoners and captives; and for all who care for them
For all people struggling with domestic violence and abuse, both victim and perpetrator:
For the Cussen family and all th ebereaved; for families dealing with separation and alienation; for the sick, especially those for whom we pray by name: 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, Peter, Vicki L, Jenny M, Val D, Ben, Keith, Sammy Jo and Noah, Derek, Zoe, Janet R, Paul and Katrina H, Levi, Arlo, Grace, Michael, Roslyn, Lisa, Peggy,; those who will seek Holy Unction at today’s services; those who are known to us and those who are known to you alone.
Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer
We pray for ourselves and each other
For those to whom our lives are bound by love, kinship or affection; for those from whom we are estranged; and for those whom we find difficult to love
Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer
We praise you, Lord God, for the communion of saints and for the glorious hope of the resurrection to eternal life
For your priest Colin Francis Cussen who has recently died; for those who year’s mind falls at this time, Jack Jones, Rosemary Hoawerth, Max Turnbull, and Melvie Phillips for those whom we have loved and see no more; and for our fellowship with Mary the Blessed Mother; and our Patrons Paul and Michael and for that great fellowship of your saints and holy people in their several generations especially at this time for William Wilberforce, Joseph of Arimathea, Ignatius of Loyola, John Baptist Vianney, and Oswald, King and martyr
Eternal rest grant to them O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon them
Holy God, you have promised to hear us: 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
July
30 William Wilberforce Social Reformer (1833) was converted to Evangelical Christianity through the ministry of John Newton (of “Amazing Grace” fame) and upon election to Parliament was a proponent o f (Roman) Catholic Emancipation. He made several attempts to legislate the abolition of slavery over a number of years, generally unsuccessfully but in time the cause of abolition grew until in 1833, and after his retirement from Parliament, a successful motion to abolish slavery in all British Dominions was legislated into law. Wilberforce died three days later and his body was buried in Westminster Abbey.
31 Joseph of Arimathea the Pharisee who was, like Nicodemus, a follower of Jesus, who arranged the burial of Jesus following the crucifixion. There were a number of legends concerning him and his relationship with the Holy Family, amongst them being the story of the Glastonbury Thorn.
Ignatius of Loyola, (1556) priest and founder of the Society of Jesus aka The Jesuits, once referred to as “The Pope’s Stormtroopers”
August
1 John Baptist Vianney, parish priest of Ars (France) (1895) who was a model of devoted pastoral care
5 Oswald king and martyr (642) King of the Angles/Northumbrians, written about by the Venerable Bede; killed in battle; patron of the Anglican Mens’ Society
SACRAMENTS: HOLY MATRIMONY
A sacrament is a channel of grace which, amongst other things, can enable the recipient(s) to grow into the likeness of the Divine Image in which they are created. There is a small matter of indelibility which arises: if it is the work of God, what is the part of the Church in performing the work? Once made/done. Can it be unmade/undone? And if it indelible, how do we deal with a marriage which fails?
The “outward and visible sign” is the exchange of solemn vows and exchange of rings made before witnesses: the “celebrants” of the sacrament are the couple themselves, the priest is merely the chief witness and the legal presence to certify things. If the “spiritual” side of the sacrament is the grace to enable the couple to grow together, and in the light of the number of ”failed” marriages, is grace therefore conditional or temporary?
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