Services for the 2nd Sunday after Pentecost, June 2nd 2013

Warrnambool 9.00 Sunday Word and Prayer

Hawkesdale 9.00 Sunday Word and Prayer

Ayrford 11.30 Sunday Word and Prayer

Tandara (Halls Gap) Parish Camp 9.00 Service with Holy Communion

Readings

I Kings 18:20-39      God’s triumph over the priests at Baal

Galatians 1:1-12      No other Gospel

Luke 7:1-10              The Roman officer’s faith

Sermon:

I Kings 18:20-39

I guess we all at some time or another wish that those who scoff at the Christian faith might experience something of God’s judgment, as here on Mount Carmel, which compels them to get down on their knees and say “The Lord, He is God!”  While God does not grant us such favours, He has nevertheless already spoken a final and decisive word of judgment, which reminds us of the reality of our faith, which unfolds itself in a concrete way during our lives as well.  Come and hear more this Sunday.

Word of Thanks

Pastor David and Barbara would like to thank the parish for the wonderful farewells, from the congregations, parish, guild and men’s fellowship, bestowed recently upon Pastor David and Barbara. The generosity of the gifts, both financial and in kind, was overwhelming. We deeply appreciate these expressions of love.  We will keep people informed of what has been purchased with the money.  Thank you, also, to those who attended last Sunday’s farewell service and lunch.

THE FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (TRINITY)

SERVICE IN THE WARRNAMBOOL LUTHERAN PARISH ON THE 26^TH MAY

WARRNAMBOOL 11.00AM (WITH HOLY COMMUNION)

(this is the only service in the parish this Sunday, and will be Pastor David’s final service in the parish)

Readings:                                           Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31

Romans 5:1-5                                                            

John 16:5-15

Sermon:                                             John 16:5-15

We begin this week’s sermon discussing Asterix and Obelix, the cartoon characters. “The year is 50BC.  The country of Gaul is entirely occupied by the Romans.  Well, not entirely...one small village of indomitable Gauls still holds out against the invaders.”  These words you will find at the beginning of every Asterix and Obelix cartoon story.  The Roman Emperor, Caesar, and his soldiers, try repeatedly, and in vain, to conquer this nameless Gallic village. 

What is portrayed in these cartoons can help us understand what this Trinity Sunday is about. What made the inhabitants of that village invincible, beginning with Asterix and Obelix, was the magic potion concocted by the druid, whose name was Miraculix.  Drinking the potion made the villagers so strong, that not even the Roman soldiers could defeat them.  The only important thing was to make use of this incomparable source of power and strength that was always available to them.  Then nothing, but nothing, could happen to them.  We do not, of course, have such a magic potion in our church, and pastors, to be sure, are not druids!  But we do have a source of unconquerable strength, which makes us invincible when we draw from it and unbeatable when we make use of it. It is this source of strength that we are celebrating today, on this Festival of the Holy Trinity, and we are not talking here about the funny, clever idea of some cartoonist.  We are talking about the reality that enables the Church to live and to conquer.  The source of power lies in the work of the Triune God.  How the three persons of the Trinity work together is made clear for us here in this Gospel reading and sermon text for today.

Come along on Sunday to find out more.

OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS THIS WEEK

Sunday

A special lunch will be held after the service in Warrnambool.  At this lunch, the farewell celebrations will continue.

FRIDAY (31^st)

The parish camp  at “Tandara” in the Grampians town of Halls Gap, begins on Friday afternoon.  Those participating can turn up at any time from mid-afternoon onwards.  Full details of what to bring and of the final programme will be distributed on Sunday the 26^th May.

SERVICES FOR SUNDAY THE 19TH MAY 2013 (THE FESTIVAL OF PENTECOST)

OUR SERVICES THIS WEEK ARE AS FOLLOWS:

Hawkesdale, 9.00am       Service of the Word
Warrnambool 10.30am    Service with Holy Communion
Ayrford 11.30am             Service of the Word

Readings:
Genesis 11:1-9  "The tower of Babel and the confusion of tongues"
Acts 2:1-21       "The coming of the Holy Spirit"
John 14:8-17     "Jesus promises the Holy Spirit"

During the service at Warrnambool, four young people will be confirmed.


BACKGROUND OF PENTECOST

(the following material is provided by the Worship Commission of the Lutheran Church of Australia)

The Jewish festival 'Pentecost' came fifty days after the Passover. According to the Acts account, this was the day that the Holy Spirit was given to the church. In the earliest period of the church, Pentecost was a double celebration of both the ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit. It was only late in the fourth century that the ascension came to be celebrated separately on its chronological date 40 days after Easter. At the same time, the term 'Pentecost' often referred to the whole 50 day period, not just the final Sunday. Despite the fact that the Acts chronology has received a liturgical imprimatur, Luke's gospel seems to place Jesus' ascension on the same day as his resurrection, and John's gospel also places the giving of the Holy Spirit on Easter day. So it can be seen that the themes of Christ's resurrection and ascension, together with the coming of the Holy Spirit, form not separate celebrations, but one celebration in the church.

Services for the Seventh Sunday of Easter (Sunday after ascension)

Hawkesdale:        9.00am Service with Holy Communion

Warrnambool:    11.00am Service with Holy Communion

Readings:             Acts 16:16-34

                              Revelation 22:16-17, 20-21

                              John 17:20-24

The sermon this week is based on the second reading, Revelation 22:16-17. On the church scene today, there are not a few congregations which claim that they, in their services, do things just like the very first Christians.  The fact that they have “recaptured” the worship of the early Christian churches distinguishes them, so they claim, from all those other churches which, over the years, have introduced all kinds of additional paraphernalia, like a dead, boring liturgy, thereby stifling the Holy Spirit and spontaneity in worship.  However, when you look more closely at these services, which, it is claimed, reproduce worship as it was conducted in the very first Christian churches, you discover that, in truth, they have more in common with certain pietistic revivalist traditions, originating in America during the 19^th and 20^th centuries, than with the services conducted by the very first Christians.

So, how did Christians during the first century conduct their services?  You might like to come along on Sunday to find out more. 

Pastor David's farewell service at Ayrford

Many gathered on Sunday to thank Pastor David for the service he has provided the Ayrford congregation over the past years, and to farewell him in style.

Services for Sunday 5th May, The sixth Sunday of Easter

Hawkesdale         9.00            Sunday Word and Prayer

Warrnambool     9.00            Service with Holy Communion

Ayrford               11.30          Service with Holy Communion

Readings:            Acts 16:9-15

                            Revelation 21:10; 22-22:5

                            John 14:23-31

Sermon:              John 11:47-53

                            “What are we to do so that we can save the Church?”

Again, exceptionally, we are preaching on a text which is not one of the three set readings for the day. 

During the sermon, we will be recounting the following shattering story from Dostoevsky’s “The Brothers Karamazov:”

'One day, in the 16^th century, Jesus appears in the town of Seville in Spain.  People recognise Him by His deeds and by the love that He radiates. But as the people begin to run after Him, the Grand Inquisitor has Him arrested and interrogated.  “Interrogated” might not be the best word, perhaps, for during the entire interrogation it is only the Grand Inquisitor who speaks, making it clear to Jesus that He is nothing but a stirrer, and must therefore be removed from the scene. The Church, which administers the legacy that Jesus left behind, knows how to deal with the people much better than Jesus does.  The Church knows much better what the needs of the people are.  Jesus would only create mass confusion with His message, and that would not be good for the people in the end, either.'

What Dostoevsky writes here is more than a cheap smear against the Roman Catholic Church of the day.  It goes far deeper than that.  It is precisely the Church that is always in danger of pushing Jesus off to the side, and placing itself at the heart and centre of things, wanting to control everything on its own and all this, of course, in the name of the Lord.

If you would like to hear more, come along this Sunday.

PARISH ASCENSION DAY SERVICE

Warrnambool, Thursday 9^th May, 7.30pm

Ascension is an event in our Lord’s life ranking right up there in significance with Christmas, Good Friday, and Easter. It is such a shame that this festival has fallen so seriously by the wayside over the years.  In many of our congregations its celebration (if it occurs at all) is “dealt with” (to quote the words I once heard from a fellow pastor)  on the following Sunday, a practice which in truth is yet another indication of the downgrading and undeserved neglect which this Festival has had heaped upon it. Without our Lord’s Ascension, Christmas, Good Friday, and Easter would be meaningless. It is, therefore, worthy of celebration in a separate service, and we look forward to seeing everyone there.

OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS THIS WEEK

Sunday

A special lunch will be held at Ayrford after the 11.30 service this Sunday, to farewell Pastor David and Barbara.

The walking fellowship is meeting on Sunday at 2.00, off Henry St in Merrivale. We will walk along the trail observing the watery landscape and abundant wildlife.

Tuesday

Men’s Fellowship is meeting at “Macey’s” at 6.30, for a special farewell meal with Pastor David. After the meal, we will return to the church hall for study.

Wednesday

Confirmation Class is meeting on Wednesday at 4.15.

Parish Camp Planning Committee meets on Wednesday at 7.00