Year C - Sunday 9th December 2018 Advent II Sunday Welcome to worship...

Transcription

1 Our parish s patron is St Paul the Apostle who was one of the early Church s missionary leaders. W ELCOME TO ST PAUL S. We are glad that you have come to worship God with us today. If you are a visitor from another parish, or worshipping with us for the first time, please introduce yourself to our parish priest, Fr James Collins, or to anyone wearing a name badge, over a cup of tea or coffee in the parish hall after the service. You ll find the hall behind the church. Saturday 15th December at 5pm Service of Lessons & Carols at Cardinal Freeman Village Sunday 16th December at 7pm Service of Lessons & Carols at St Paul s Tuesday 18th December at 1.15pm Lunchtime Recital Maddy Hallworth OBOE; Thomas Hallworth - TENOR Monday 24th December at 11pm - Christmas Eve Mass Tuesday 25th December at 9am - Christmas Day Mass 圣公会圣保罗堂欢迎你前来参加我们的英语传 统圣樂圣餐崇拜 Year C - Sunday 9th December 2018 Advent II Sunday Welcome to worship am Sung Eucharist 9.30 am Parish Eucharist & Litany in Procession Advent II p.3 All are Welcome! All means All! p.4 Thank yous p.6 Lunchtime Recital Tuesday 18th December p.8 Intercession List p.9 The flagpole comes down in style p.17-19

2 First aid kits are located on the wall of the kitchen in the Large Hall behind the church and in the choir vestry. People needing wheelchair access can enter St Paul s most conveniently by the door at the base of the belltower. Name badges help make St Paul s an inclusive community. If you need a new name badge, fill in the form inside the pew sheet, send it to the parish office, and one will be made and left in church for you. Please turn your mobile phone off or on to silent before the service starts. It ll save you much embarrassment later on. Toilets are available at the entrance to the parish hall, which is located behind the church. Ask a member of the clergy or anyone who s wearing a name badge. We re here to help. Children are welcome in church at any service. There is a selection of children s books and toys at the back of the church near the font and there are also kids activity sheets and pencils available at the back of the church where the pew sheets and prayer books are. Children s Church runs during Term Time. Meet at the back of the church at the beginning of the 9.30am Eucharist. Please feel free to bring your children to the altar rail to receive a blessing, or to receive Communion if they have been admitted to the sacrament. As you take your place in your pew, please make yourself aware of the route to the nearest emergency exit. Should there be a fire, leave quickly, turn right, and assemble by the roundabout on Burwood Road. Please do not take photos inside the church or during the services of worship without permission.

3 The Advent wreath in the church is a traditional way of counting down to Christmas. It has 3 purple candles, one rose candle and a white candle in the centre to remind us of Jesus, the light of the world. It is always a circle to represent God s unending love for us and is made of evergreen leaves to represent eternal life. Advent 2 Last week we lit the candle symbolising hope. This week s candle symbolises the peace Christ brings us. Dear Father God, we thank you for the peace that Your Son, Jesus, brings us. Help us to share that peace with those around us and be kind and gentle in all we do and say. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. After the Gospeller introduces the Gospel Reading the acclamation now is: Glory to you Lord Jesus Christ.

4 Welcome! We are glad that you have found us. We affirm that through God s redeeming love for all, we are one in Christ. We respect the inherent and valuable contributions each member makes to the Body of Christ. We celebrate our diversity and recognize the sacred worth and dignity of all persons of any age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, race, ethnic origin, economic reality, family status, sexual orientation, diverse ability, or social status. We believe that through Christ we are being included and welcomed by God and one another. As we journey towards inclusion, we proclaim this welcome to all God s people, especially to those who have known the pain of exclusion and discrimination within the church, affirming that no one is excluded or condemned. We invite all persons to journey with us as we discover the call of God on our lives through the ministries of St. Paul s Anglican Church, Burwood. To that end, St. Paul s Anglican Church commits to the welcome and inclusion of all persons as children of God and declares itself to be a welcoming community of faith. There are 2 designs. These are now available in packs of 10 for $7 or packs of 5 for $4 These are available on the trading table after the 9.30am service or the office. Christmas Raffle tickets on sale now. $2 each or 3 for $5. It will be drawn in December. The Service of Nine Lessons & Carols on Sunday 16th of December will be followed by bubbly and mince pies in the hall. You will notice that the Advent Packs are available again this year. They are at the back of church. Thank you to Jude Laurence for all the work she has done in preparing these packs so our little ones can learn more about

5 the Christmas message in a fun and creative way. The flowers in the church today are in loving memory of A few sets of envelopes are still available from the back of the church Collect a set as you leave. We will gather to clean and dress the Church for our Christmas Services on Saturday 22nd of December at 9.30a.m. Always remembered and very much missed by Annette & their family. Please come along and help to make the Church even more beautiful as we welcome the Christ child into our midst. The Parish Pantry will close on Thursday 20th December for the Christmas New Year break. It will reopen on Tuesday 8th January 2019 at 9. 30am and it will close at 11.30am There will be no mid-week Eucharist on the 26h of December being Boxing Day and throughout the month of January. The first mid-week Eucharist for 2019 will be held on Wednesday the 30th of January.

6 Mondays, 7:30PM 8:30PM Commencing 4 February 2019 in the Chapel of Our Lady I beg you to keep me in this silence so that I may learn from it the word of your peace and the word of your mercy and the word of your gentleness to the world: and that through me perhaps your word of peace may make itself heard where it has not been possible for anyone to hear it for a long time. - Thomas Merton, A Book of Hours All are welcome to join the newlyformed Christian Meditation group at St Paul s. This group provides a space during the week to experience stillness and to be present with God in contemplation and community. The chief purpose of the group is drawn from the insights of John Main OSB: The all-important aim in Christian meditation is to allow God s mysterious and silent presence within us to become more and more not only a reality, but the reality which gives meaning, shape and purpose to everything we do, to everything we are. Participants will be invited into the practice of Christian mediation in a manner that is both guided and community-oriented. Each week s group will commence with a teaching and guidance, followed by a time of silence in prayer. In our fast-paced and noisy world, all are most welcome to spend time with God in silence and in community. We give thanks to the late Sir John Carrick and to the late Lady Angela Carrick for their remarkably kind gift that they commissioned to be given to St. Paul's of the three whimsical paintings by the renowned Australian artist, Simon Fieldhouse, given to the Parish by Sir John and Lady Angela to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Parish. These beautiful paintings will be a perpetual memory to both Sir John and to Lady Angela.

7 We thank our State Member for Strathfield, the Honourable Jodi McKay, for opening The Upper Room which is the re-furbished mezzanine area in the Hall which was funded by a State Government Grant. We thank our Director of Music, Sheryl Southwood, for the exceptional contribution that she makes to our life together as a community of faith; most particularly through her direction of the members of the Choir and Organist as they enrich our worship of God so beautifully and we also thank Sheryl for organizing our excellent recital series. St. Paul s is a beautiful setting and has a perfect acoustic for the recitals and we are blessed to enjoy the musical offering that each recital brings. We thank all those who have helped to make our recital series such a success throughout the year. We thank Jane Carrick and Bob Woods most particularly for creating such wonderful refreshments for us to enjoy after each recital. We thank Pam Brock for overseeing the work on the Hall last week to ensure that it was watertight (we survived the deluge last week quite well) and that the electrical fittings, such as the light and fans, in the Hall were all working. We thank the Bell Ringers for ringing a Quarter Peal to commemorate Fr. James and Helen's 30th wedding anniversary. We thank Pam Brock for arranging to have the rotten flag pole removed and replaced with the wooden pole to hold the very well utilized Community Library. We thank David and Pam Priest for repairing and strengthening the pew at the back of the church. We thank the Parishioner who generously gave $1, towards the funds for a grand piano for the Church. This is part of the grand for a grand appeal to raise the funds for a concert grand piano for St. Paul s.

8 A Grand for A Grand Our Lunchtime Recitals have been part of the Music life at St Paul s since The performers are of the highest quality, some with a long-standing reputation, as well as our young emerging ones. Our audiences have enjoyed organists, chamber musicians, singers and instrumentalists. There is one group of performers who have not been part of the Lunchtime Recital Series. They are solo concert pianists. Why? In order to do justice to the extensive piano repertoire, a quality grand piano in top condition is needed. Also, our accompanists agree that a suitable grand piano is a necessity for them to support properly the soloists performances. A donation of $1000 has been received towards the purchase of a grand piano. After a long search for an instrument of high quality, I have found a Yamaha C3E Conservatory six foot grand. Having played the piano, it will, in my opinion, cater for our needs. We have a very small window of opportunity to buy this instrument. It has been offered to the Church by our piano tuner, Greg Chamberlain. He has done all necessary refurbishment on the instrument, which was made in For a price of $15,000, we will obtain a piano that spent the first part of its life on a cruise ship, and the remainder in storage. It is virtually brand new and unplayed. A new instrument of this quality retails at $41000.

9 Our first-class performance programme will then be able to include solo pianists. We now have $1000 a Grand towards the instrument. Will you help us further, please? Your donation will be valued whatever the amount. A Grand would be wonderful. May I ask you to place your donation in an envelope clearly marked A Grand for a Grand. The envelope may be given to the office or placed in the Offertory on Sundays. Thank you Sheryl Southwood Director of Music Please ask for 2 trays of bread rolls and 2 trays of loaves & 1tray of half loaves & 1 tray of mixed. You are all doing a fantastic job. Having bread each week is a great help to everyone. 10th December Kerin 17th December Margaret The Tuesday night study is proving to be very popular with over a dozen people coming along most evenings. Our studies are on Tuesday nights at 7.30p.m. We are discussing What is the Point of Being a Christian? By Timothy Radcliffe OP. All are welcome. The final Study Group for this year will be on the 11th of December. The Study Group will re-commence on the 5th of February, 2019.

10 Performers Oboist - Maddy Hallworth. She is a post graduate student at the Royal Academy of Music, London. Maddy has given recitals at St Paul s for the last years. Tenor - Thomas Hallworth, Currently, he is studying with Maree Ryan at the Conservatorium of Music. He was fortunate to be part of 2018 Pinchgut Opera s performances of Athalia. The accompanist is Alan Hicks who on the staff of the Vocal and Opera Department of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Thank you very much. Best wishes Sheryl In 2019, the Cumberland String Quartet will travel to London, Vienna, and Bamberg to participate in masterclasses and concerts through the generosity of the Sydney Conservatorium's Henderson Travellers Scholarship. They will be tutored at the Royal Academy of Music in London, the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, and with the Bamberg String Quartet (in Bamberg). We were fortunate to hear the repertoire which they will perform for these masterclasses.

11 Well chosen movements from the Mozart String Quartet in B Flat Major K.589 and Brahms String Quartet No. 1 in C Minor Op. 51 led so well into the main work, String Quartet No. 8 by Shostakovich. The five movements flow from one to the other. Each player s instrument has a wonderful quality and is crucial to the colour palette of the Quartet. This colour palette was realised in the slower movements, where the conversations amongst the instruments were heard and understood so well. By contrast, the more aggressive character of the Allegro molto was stunning. The lilting Allegretto was charming and alluring. A most moving performance of this famous Shostakovich quartet. The standard of the Cumberland Quartet is exceptionally high, and they will be fine ambassadors for Chamber Music in Australia. We wish them every success. Sheryl Southwood As we come to the end of the year, it is time to revise and revamp our intercession list of those who are sick. It is understandable that many on the list may now have recovered, so we have decided to start the list again from scratch for If you would like your name or someone else's name to remain on the list, or you wish to add a name, please contact the parish office by Sunday 16th December or give it in writing to Fr James or Fr Michael after any service on Sunday 9th or 16th. We extend our heart-felt congratulations to Joshua Ryan who has been offered a place in the MMus program at the Royal Academy of Music, London.

12 It was 1993 and I was in Chicago to cover the Parliament of the World's Religions, where 8,000 people from every imaginable religion and country pledged to live in harmony. It was exactly 100 years since the original Parliament was held at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair when swamis, gurus and spiritual leaders came to America for the first time. It was my first overseas assignment and I was alone. The BBC team outnumbered me by three, but I had an advantage. Being an academic in religious studies, I knew the works and reputations of many of the speakers, and with unbridled confidence I invited a litany of them to my hotel suite for interviews. From Hans Kung, who drafted the Parliament's key document, to Richard Rubinstein, the "death of God" theologian who had controversially defended Sun Myung Moon convicted leader of South Korea's controversial Unification Church (known as the 'Moonies') I interviewed over 20 participants with my bulky cassette recorder. But not everyone was welcome at the world's largest religion jamboree. Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the black nationalist group Nation of Islam, who was known for his racist and anti-semitic statements, gate-crashed the event. Rachael Kohn has covered religion and spirituality on radio and television at the ABC for 26 years

13 He held his own media conference at the Palmer House Hotel, where the conference was based. Farrakhan's bouncers tried to keep me out, perhaps because my name clearly identified me as Jewish. But I persisted and when I asked him about his targeting of Jews, he exploded. The other journalists were stunned to see his charming demeanour abruptly turn to ferocious attack. But the message of Hans Kung, that "there will be no peace among nations until there is peace among religions", won the day. At the closing event, the Dalai Lama's address on the importance of demonstrating personal compassion drew upwards of 20,000 attendees. I returned to Australia with a profound understanding of what I needed to do. Dangerous cults and disgraced sheiks My programs on religion would provide an unparalleled opportunity to hear the best and the brightest people articulate their religious traditions in a way that might foster the peace that Kung and others dreamt of. But the 1990s were anything but peaceful. Terrorism fuelled by Islamist extremism had already taken a toll at the World Trade Centre in 1993, resulting in over 1,000 injuries and six deaths. It would continue around the world. The 9/11 disaster killed almost 3,000 American civilians, and the Bali bombing, in 2002, killed 202 people 88 of them Australians. A rising fear of the Muslim community needed to be addressed, and the programs that I created - such as Religion Today ( ), with producer Stephen Godley, and The Spirit of Things, with producer Geoff Wood (1997-present) regularly addressed interfaith relations with a specific focus on Islam. But who was to speak on behalf of the ethnically and religiously divided Muslim community?

14 The Egyptian-born, Lakemba-based Grand Mufti Sheik Taj el-din Al- Hilaly was a go-to authority. That was until he aroused controversy in 1998 with a speech, in Arabic, at a public function at the University of Sydney. In it, he accused Jews of using sex and deviancy to control the world. Sheik Al-Hilaly's standing worsened in 2006, when he responded to the conviction of rape by Muslim men of non-muslim women by comparing the victims to "uncovered meat". I was relieved that in the week of the rape story, an urbane visiting Imam from Brighton, UK, talked to me about his extensive interfaith work. He revealed his "bible" was To Heal a Fractured World, by Chief Rabbi of the UK, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. In fact, interfaith initiatives in Australia between the Muslim, Jewish and Christian communities gathered pace. But no-one was addressing the trouble makers, like the self-appointed sheik, Man Haron Monis. He claimed to be a refugee from Iran, and was becoming radicalised. He had sent me, and others in the media, a DVD with a woman dressed in a burka recruiting fighters for jihad. It prompted me to write an article for The Drum in 2009 in which I warned that if the renegade sheik was not reigned in, then he would be a danger to both the wider community and the Muslim community. Then, on December 15, 2014, Man Haron Monis walked into the Lindt Cafe armed with an assault rifle and took hostages. Two of the detainees were killed during the 17-hour ordeal. The desire to preserve the peace should never mean turning a blind eye to the dark side of religion.

15 That lesson was forever etched in my mind 40 years ago when Jim Jones, leader of the Peoples Temple, led his largely African-American flock to the jungles of Guyana. More than 900 followers, including 304 children, died in a mass murdersuicide pact. It was the worst cult disaster in modern American history. Having specialised in cults as an academic, I was familiar with their destructive practices, which hit an all-time high in the 1990s. The Solar Temple, in Switzerland and Quebec, Heaven's Gate in California, and the Branch Davidians in Waco Texas, collectively left 200 dead and many seriously injured. Meanwhile, the Buddhist doomsday cult, Aum Shin Rikyo, killed 13 and injured thousands in poisonous sarin gas attacks in the Tokyo Metro of Japan. The leader, Shoko Asahara, and his minions, were executed in July this year. Survivors and stories of rebirth In 26 years at the ABC, I have interviewed many survivors and leaders of cults (sometimes termed "new religious movements"). They range from the second-in-command at Waco, Marc Breault, to the jailed Australian exile and follower of Bhagwan Sri Rajneesh, Jane Stork, who was part of a plot to murder a doctor and a judge (you may know her from the Netflix series, Wild, Wild Country). Then there was the high-level member of Peoples Temple, Deborah Layton, who described herself as a true believer and a victim of Jim Jones; and Nan Sook Hong, the daughter-in-law of Sun Myung Moon (from the aforementioned "Moonies") who told me how she escaped the highsecurity compound in New York State.

16 There were plenty of home-grown cults that made the news, too, including William Kamm, known as "The Little Pebble", in Nowra, New South Wales. He acquired underage wives, called Queens and Princesses, in order to produce a master race. In a similar cult fantasy, Anne Hamilton-Byrne claimed to be the reborn Christ. Her Victorian group, known as "The Family", adopted babies from unsuspecting mothers and turned them into drug-induced identical children with the help of peroxide and bowl haircuts. That story is soon to be an ABC documentary. Dire stories make good copy and even better drama, but the immensely positive role that religion plays in the lives of individuals, in communities, and in society has been the mainstay of The Spirit of Things. It is more than the social welfare ethos that religious communities consistently demonstrate and the spiritual practices, like yoga and meditation, that benefit one's body and mind. It is the profoundly transformative effect of faith in people's lives that is deeply impressive. These stories of lives redeemed, like the former drug dealer and gang leader, Tony Hoang, who turned his life around and now encourages high school students to do the same, is the real business of religion. In fact, when people ask me who are the most impressive people I've interviewed in my career as a religion journalist, it is rarely the highly esteemed religious leaders. On the contrary, it is the ordinary people whose lives were headed for ruin and were turned around by their faith. It is this record of religion as a positive force for good that journalists also need to cover if a fair and accurate understanding is to be had.

17 Toward that end, in 2009, I was invited, along with 100 journalists from around the world, to establish the (non-profit) International Association of Religion Journalists. It is a global network of journalists promoting "accurate, balanced and ethical religion coverage", which is what I've strived for above all in my work at the ABC. Achieving that has also meant that I have enabled discussions, rather than dominated them with my own opinions. But I just might get a chance to air a few of them on my last Spirit of Things episode on December 23, when religion journalist for The Age, Barney Zwartz, will turn the tables and interview me. The flagpole at the front of the church was erected in 1957 and served the church well, flying the flag of St George daily. The halyard was stolen at some time so there was no way to raise a flag. It remained like this for many years. It was decided to mount the Community library to it and it was during the preparation for this that a hollow was observed in the pole. A structural engineer inspected the pole and said it posed a moderate to high risk to people and property in its current condition. It was advisable to dismantle it. Flagpole in situ with Community Library attached

18 The flagpole was majestically lowered on Saturday 1st December 2018, using a crane. The bolts holding it in place had to be removed, these were rusted in place and some had to be cut off. A sling was placed around the pole and moved high up using the crane. The crane gently lowered it towards the north, to the ground passing the tree branches. It was possible that it could have snapped but it survived the lowering. Once lowered it was hand sawn into sections for disposal. The community library will return to the same place once the rust is removed from the supporting iron posts. The lowering begins The crane in place preparing for lowering Down, down

19 Lowered Cutting into pieces Thank you to everyone who is continuing to drop their loose change in the box at the back of the church. Already some money has gone towards the new red burse and veil that we first used at Pentecost and we have now purchased our first new altar cloth for the high altar. As our altar is narrower than some, the maker will be able to cut two cloths from the one length of fabric thus reducing our costs for a second cloth. With everyone s help, our altars will be looking wonderful by Christmas and if we keep up the practice of throwing our coins into the box we may in time be able to carry out repairs on our wonderful frontals. Thanks for your generosity.

20 St Paul s Anglican Church Burwood Road, Burwood National Trust (2017) award winner for conservation interiors, recreating the ceiling interior to Edmund Blacket's original design in keeping with Australian colonial neo-gothic architectural intent. RECITALS DECEMBER 2018 LUNCHTIME RECITAL TUESDAY 18 DECEMBER 1.15PM 2.00PM MADDY HALLWORTH OBOE THOMAS HALLWORTH TENOR Entry by donation Light refreshments will follow in the Rectory after Lunchtime Recitals St Paul s Church Office: Ph.: / office@stpaulsburwood.org.au Manjia Luo Violin Music (Violin Into The Journey of No Man Space) won 38th National Songwriting Awards th Place in Instrumental. The music released in her Violin Album "Violin Feel Of Love". Manjia newest Piano Album for Holiday Season, Healing & Inspiration "Violet Flames " - Angelic Instrumental". To purchase a CD, contact Manjia or Pam (Online available on itunes, Amazon (US), Spotify, and CDbaby etc. )

21 Sunday 16 December at 7.00pm

22 List of items most needed for the parish pantry: Sun Rice Meals e.g. Butter chicken, Green chicken curry, Chicken satay, etc Boxed meals Tins of corned beef, spam, ham; Sugar; For the kitchen: Washing up liquid Paper towels Chux Sponges For the laundry: Boxes of Cereals Washing powder All Day Breakfast by Heinz; Health Tinned tuna, sardines, Toothpaste & toothbrushes Harvest Meals in a tin Shampoo & Conditioner eg Vegetables and Sausages Rice, cuscus, polenta, instant potato, pasta, spaghetti Tinned corn Tinned vegetables Sweet & savoury biscuits; Long life Milk - Full cream Tinned fruit Rice Cream Pasta sauces EACH WEEK WE RUN OUT OF CEREALS LONG LIFE MILK SUNRISE MEALS IN A BOX SPAM AND CORNED BEEF COFFEE SUGAR

23 Over the years the parish has benefited from the generosity of parishioners, not only when they have been active members of the parish, but also at the time of their death. Parishioners are invited to remember the parish in their wills by making a bequest as a thank offering to God and to ensure that generations to come will enjoy worship and fellowship in well maintained buildings. Those wishing to make a bequest are invited to do so using these or a similar form of words: " I bequeath the sum of $... to the Rector and Wardens of the Anglican parish of St Paul, Burwood, to be used at their absolute discretion for the charitable purposes of the parish." If you would like to make a donation to the Parish for the upkeep and maintenance of the Heritage building it can be done through the National Trust. Cheques can be made out to: National Trust of Australia (NSW) St Paul s Anglican Church Burwood Or Direct Credit to the above name with bank account details: Westpac BSB: Account number: Branch: 275 George Street Sydney NSW Please contact Pam for more details or place a donation in an envelope and label with National Trust donation and include your name for your receipt and an address to post it to. Thank you.

24 Collection given at St Paul s on Sunday 2nd December: $ 2175 Other collection given: Parish Pantry: $60 New Life Centre Nepal: $50 Donation: Grand Piano Appeal - $ Total: $3285 Thank you for responding to God s generous love. Thank you for your generosity. Malachi 3.1-4; For the Psalm: Song of Zechariah (Benedictus es, Luke ); Philippians ; Luke As we watch and wait with eager anticipation, we must also prepare ourselves for the coming of the Lord. As we venture into the spiritual wilderness of our lives, we need to remind ourselves that our hearts cannot receive the Lord unless we, like John the Baptist prepare his way. This is a time for inner cleansing so that we might make room to receive Him and experience the joy of his coming. Pray that we might simplify our lives, curtail our appetites for things material, and open our hearts and minds to new ways of living in harmony with God s creation. Pray for the Church of South India, giving thanks for the work they do to further God s mission in the world. Text: The Rev Laurette Glasgow, Special Advisor for Government Relations for the Anglican Church of Canada and the Diocese of Ottawa Anglican Board of Mission, 2018

25 Office use PR NB WL PV NSE Please return this form to the Parish Office. Surname First Name(s) Address Suburb Postcode Postal address (if different from above) Service(s) you normally attend Phone (h) Phone (w) Phone (m) DOB Occupation I m new to St Paul s I m already on the roll my details have changed I m already on the roll I just need a new name badge

26 Pray for the Anglican Church for Justin, Archbishop of Canterbury; Philip Freier of Melbourne, Primate of Australia; Glenn, Archbishop of Sydney; Michael Stead, our Regional Bishop; and for all the bishops, priests, deacons and Religious of the Anglican Communion. In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer we are asked to pray for the Falkland Islands, for its Archbishop, The Rt Revd Timothy Thornton and for all his clergy and people. Pray for Fr James and for Fr Michael as well as for Helen and Antonia. May God bless them and their ministries and may we support them as they work among us in Christ s name. Pray for St Paul s: God of mercy, strengthen us to help shape a parish where diversity is a source of enrichment, compassion is common, life s poetry realized, suffering lightened through sharing, justice attended, joy pervasive, hope lived, the hum of the universe heard, and together with you and each other we build what is beautiful, true, worthy of your generosity to us, an echo of your kingdom. Amen. (Ted Loder) Pray for, St Matthew s, Zababdeh, (West Bank, Palestinian Territorries), our Anglican Communion Partner: We remember especially their Parish Priest, Fr Saleem Dawani, and his ministry in the parish. We remember also Jameel Maher, who acts as the St Matthew s partnership link person with us. May both our parishes be blessed by the link we are establishing. Pray for the Church s mission: Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honour of your name. Amen. (Author unknown) Pray for our Children s Church: The Lord said, Let the little children come to me and do not forbid them for such is the kingdom of heaven. Bless, Lord, your children who now stand before you in prayer. Help them to understand the depth of your love. O Lord, bless our Children's Church and all its future endeavours, that through it we may glorify you with your Father and the Holy Spirit, now, always and forever. Amen.

27 Pray for peace: Lead me from death to life, from falsehood to truth; lead me from despair to hope, from fear to trust; lead me from hate to love, from war to peace. Let peace fill our hearts, our world, our universe. Pray for all in need, we remember especially this week and pray for all those who have lost hope due to hardships. May they feel God s presence in their lives to hope for a better future and life. Pray for the sick and their carers: Andrew; Joyce Bannister; Margaret Baseley; Barry Brandy; John Burns; June Cameron; Scott Cameron; Peter Comino; Andrew Connolly; Jan Cowan; Rodney Chesham; Tarryn Harris; Hilary Davies; Dave Ernst; Fahim; Maria Fry; Florence; Raelene Paul-Furley; George; Paul Gibson; Grace; Shirley Gregory; Frank Haines; Caroline Huet; Matthew; Margaret Hayes; Bruce Hellyer; Bishop Ivan Lee; Barbara Lumley; Bishop Ken Mason; Pamela McParlane; Wayne Mitchell; Jan Morgan; Y Nhan; Nicola; Erene O Connor; Alister & Sally Palmer; Paul Phillips; Robert; Jean Rennick; Malcolm Sandstrom; Steven; Jean Storey; Elsa Sorensen; Peter Sorensen; Kevin Sutton; Nancy Thompson; Reg Vine; Margaret Wheatley; Bill Whittle; Bob Woods; In love and charity please remember the recently departed, that God may grant them a place of refreshment, light and peace. Pray, too, for, William James Atholstan Fawbert, Jordan Hayes, John St George, Phyllis Gertrude Lockwood and for any others whose year s mind falls around this time. Rest eternal grant unto them O Lord, and let light A mid-week Eucharist will be held in the Chapel of our Lord's Passion on Wednesday at 10.30am. Commemorations noted by the lectionary this week Thursday 13 December - Lucy, Martyr & Virgin (d.304) Friday 14 December - John of the Cross, Mystic and Teacher (d.1591)

28 Phone Post PO Box 530, Burwood, NSW 1805 Website Rector Senior Assistant Priest Honorary Priest Fr James Collins Fr Michael Deasey OAM Fr Jim Pettigrew Lay Minister Ms Rosemary King Director of Music Organist Mrs Sheryl Southwood Mr Joshua Ryan Rector s Warden Dr Jane Carrick People s Wardens Mrs Elizabeth Griffiths Mrs Pam Brock Office Secretary Mrs Caroline Badra (9.30am to 2.30pm, Tuesday to Friday) office@stpaulsburwood.anglican.asn.au HOURS 7 DAYS INDEPENDENT, AUSTRALIAN OWNED FUNERAL SERVICE