Dear People of God
Grace and Peace to you all
I’m back deck now. I had a worthwhile break, during which we went to Bega to stay with relatives for a few days and came home via Canberra to catch up with our grandson. Thanks to Frs Chris Freestone and Stephen Williams for taking care of things in my absence. I have spent a fair amount of writing and editong papers for the next element of the “Talking about Faith” series: this one will contain contributions from people to discuss how their faith was formed and how it informs and directs their actions. Watch this space!
It was sad that Janet Richardson went to God a couple of weeks back: the turnout for her funeral was a testament to the many friends and connections she had throughout the area and beyond. At times like this I am reminded of the inscription on the grave of the first Maori bishop in New Zealand, in St Faith’s Church, Rotorua: “Here lies all that could die of …” because, as our faith reminds us, we come from God and to God we must all return. We continue to hold Nigel, Simone, Adrian, Rodney and their families in our prayers.
By the time you read this I will have met with Fr Nick Edwards, the new Rector of Morpeth, to discuss the progress of the joint application between ourselves, Morpeth and Raymond Terrace parishes for a Youth Worker. It all seems to have fallen by the wayside recently and we need to review how we proceed on the matter.
I received an email from Patience Ngwema whilst I was away. She and Solomon are now in Cobar and are settling in well (although they might think a little differently about the place when the hot weather really kicks in!). The Aged Care facility where Patience is working is short-staffed at present to her shifts are unpredicatable and plentiful and Solomon is commencing work in the large (it’s HUGE) copper mine. They send their greetings to the parish.
A plea about the Referendum., and I’m being partisan here and declaring my interest: I’m voting “Yes” with enthusiasm. The so-called debate has descended into abuse and lies and complete lack of respect and dignity, which debases not only the promoters of those arguments but the very people whom the Referendum is asking us to recognise in our Foundation Document, the Constitution. We are being urged “If you don’t know, vote No”. Please, for the love of God, if you genuinely don’t know, rather than vote “no”, register an informal vote by putting in a blank ballot paper or by drawing a line across it. And if you feel that you “don’t have enough information” go out and get some, and pray hard about it. And then pray hard some more!
I am making a few changes in the way I present these mailouts. Those who get the hard copies will be able to collect them at the end of the service and those who receive them via email will receive them either on the Sunday afternoon or on the following day. I’m not intending to publish the full text of the Intercessions but rather to include the issues we hold before the Lord as well as the names of the people on our various prayer and memorial lists. If you are using them for your own prayers during the week (and I hope that you are) I don’t want to hinder the spontaneity of your praying. If you are present for the service I think that I’d rather you listened to the sermon and then receive a hard copy or summary to reflect upon later. Your feedback would be appreciated.
The Lord be with you
Fr George
PROPERS FOR THE DAY
Sentence
The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes. (Mtt 21:42)
Collect
Generous God, whose hand is open to fill all things living with plenteousness: make us ever thankful for your goodness, and grant that we, remembering the account that we must one day give, may be faithful stewards of your bounty; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Readings
Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20 The Ten Commandments
Psalm 19 Of rejoicing in Creation and the Law of the Lord
Philippians 3 Breaking with the past and pressing on towards the goal
Matthew 21:33-46 The Parable of the Wicked Tenants
Sermon
There are a number of people who figure in our Scriptures whom I would describe as “driven”, which is another way of saying “very highly motivated”. Jesus the Incarnate Word is undoubtedly the epitome of it: I doubt that he has any illusions as to where his ministry would lead him. He could have backed off a bit and lived a lot longer, but he was so single-minded on restoring the reconciliation with God to which we are all called that he did not shrink from the Cross. A tree of shame becomes the tree of Reconciliation. A close runner-up in the “driven-ness stakes” would have to be St Paul. He makes his goal abundantly clear in his letters to the emerging communities. I have no doubt that his driven-ness would have made him a very difficult person to live with!
Jesus makes it abundantly clear throughout his ministry that the “Law” as it was being applied to the people was a perversion of the Law which was intended to open a pathway to God: “what does the law require?” asks the prophet Micah “but to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God”. It doesn’t mention the minutiae of what you may wear, what you may eat, or whom you may or may not love.
In the reading for today Paul is at pains to point out that, insofar as the letter of the “law” as prescribed by the Temple of his time, he has it in spades! But none of this, he stresses, gets him anywhere. It’s the relationship with Christ that is the transforming power. Christ, as St Paul rightly teaches, must be at the centre of all our striving. We might stumble and fall over, but we are picked up and set on the way again. We all probably identify in some way with St Augustine (the one from Hippo, not the Canterbury one) who famously prayed “Lord, make me good; but not just yet!”. We strive to be the Imitation of Christ, to bear his image. Not the easiest of tasks!
So turning the gospel reading for the day. We are pretty familiar with the Parable of the Wicked Tenants. We are probably all pretty familiar with it. Like much of Middle Eastern teaching it uses exaggeration to good effect to drive home the essential message (I think that many of our politicians and social commentators have learned something of this technique)! The “Wicked Tenants” of story not only usurped the rights of the vineyard owner but plan to steal the whole vineyard. Jesus reads the mood of his hearers and turn the mirror of the parable onto them, and they are not all that overjoyed at it, especially when he quotes the scripture back to them about the rejected stone becoming the foundation.
We can look at the parable from different angles, but today we are in the “Season of Creation” where once again we are urged to take a long hard look at how we interact with the world around us. In common with most religious faiths, we recognise that this world is of God’s Creation and not our own making. It is the outpouring of God’s creative Love and exists in and for his glory. When we turn it to our selfish ends, we are just like the “wicked tenants”. Pollution with remediation? Sin. Exploit it for sectional gain? Sin. Grab a bigger share of the bounty of the earth for ourselves? Sin.
May God give us the grace to recognise his proprietorship of Creation and our role as stewards, and to accept the cost of working towards restoring its glory.
Amen
INTERCESSIONS
For the peace of the world and those who lead and have authority amongst us: for an end to war and savagery in Ukraine and all places of division and strife; for this country and our Prime Minister Anthony, Premier Chris, and all Members of Parliament; for a need desire for reconciliation and justice for all in this land and especially for dignity and respect in these closing days of the Referendum debate; that those people yet to cast their vote will do so prayerfully.
For the Church throughout the world: Justin, Archbishop of Canterbury, The Anglican Church of Nigeria, our sister Diocese of Guadalcanal. For the Australian Church, for Geoffrey our Primate, the Diocese of The Murray, and the Churches of Christ. For the Church in this Diocese: for our Bishops, Peter, Sonia and Charlie, the ministry of Anglicare, for the Parishes of Morpeth, Mt Vincent-Kurri Kurri-Weston, and Raymond Terrace, their clergy and people: for the Church in this community, our clergy George and Gail and for our stewardship, mission and evangelism: and for Beresfield-Tarro Baptist Church.
For the sick and needy: for those who mourn, Joanne Elliott and her family; for Adrian and his siblings and their families; and for healing and strength for Robyn Blackhall, Jenny, Indi, Barbara D, Val Frazer, Lynn, Betty, Les, Ann, Daphne, Bruce, Debbie M, Samuel, John J, Nicole M, Jenny H, Didi, Peter McC, Susan, Elizabeth, Dawn A, Heidi, Wendy F, Peter, Vicki I, Jenny M, Dal D, Ben, Keith, Sammy Jo and Noah, Stuart, Sue T, Derek, Zoe, Paul and Katrina H, Levi, Arlo, Grace, Roslyn, Lisa, Ryan.
For the departed, and those whose anniversary of death is at this time: for Janet Richardson, and for Elaine McIntosh, Molly Redman, Thelma Gray, Mark Pegler, Ross McColm, David Preece, and Claud Johnson.
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