St George s, Trentham 9.00am St Mary s, Woodend 11.00am & Wednesday at St Mary s 10.00am

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1 St George s, Trentham 9.00am St Mary s, Woodend 11.00am & Wednesday at St Mary s 10.00am 25 th February 2018 Second Sunday of Lent We acknowledge the Jaara Jaara people, of the Woi wurrung and Dja Dja Wurrung language groups, the custodians of this land where we gather. We pay our respects to their elders past and present and pray for reconciliation.

2 GATHERING IN GOD S NAME If you want to become a disciple of Jesus, deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow him. Mark 8.34 Gathering Hymn 183 Sing of The Lord s Goodness Bless the Lord who forgives all our sins Whose mercy endures forever The Lord be with you. And also with you The Prayer of preparation (page 119 of the prayer book) Almighty God The Confession Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted. Let us confess our sins remembering before God the times when we have fallen from temptation into sin. We confess to you our selfishness and lack of love: fill us with your Spirit. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. We confess to you our fear and failure in sharing our faith: fill us with your Spirit. Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.

3 We confess to you our stubbornness and lack of trust: fill us with your Spirit. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy The absolution Holy God, holy and mighty, holy and immortal, Have mercy on us. Let us pray God of all times and places, in Jesus Christ, who was lifted up on the cross, you opened for us the path to eternal life: grant that we, being born again of water and the Spirit, may joyfully serve you in newness of life and faithfully walk in your holy ways; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. MINISTRY OF THE WORD A reading from the book of Genesis chapter 17 verses 1-7, When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said to him, I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous. Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. God said to Abraham, As for Sarai your wife, you

4 shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her. For the word of the Lord thanks be to God Psalm O praise the Lord, all you that fear him: hold him in honour, O seed of Jacob, and let the seed of Israel stand in awe of him. For he has not despised nor abhorred the poor man in his misery: nor did he hide his face from him, but heard him when he cried. From you springs my praise in the great congregation: I will pay my vows in the sight of all that fear you; The meek shall eat of the sacrifice and be satisfied: and those who seek the Lord shall praise him may their hearts rejoice for ever! Let all the ends of the earth remember and turn to the Lord: and let all the families of the nations worship before him. For the kingdom is the Lord s: and he shall be ruler over the nations. How can those who sleep in the earth do him homage: or those that descend to the dust bow down before him? But he has saved my life for himself: and my posterity shall serve him. This shall be told of my Lord to a future generation: and his righteousness declared to a people yet unborn, that he has done it.

5 A reading from Paul s letter to the Romans chapter 4 verses For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation. For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, as it is written, I have made you the father of many nations ) in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become the father of many nations, according to what was said, So numerous shall your descendants be. He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah s womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. Therefore his faith was reckoned to him as righteousness. Now the words, it was reckoned to him, were written not for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification. For the word of the Lord thanks be to God Praise to you Lord Jesus, King of endless Glory Saviour of the world, Saviour of the world.

6 The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to Mark chapter 8 beginning at the 31 st verse Glory to you Lord Jesus Christ Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things. He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. For the Gospel of the Lord praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ The Sermon The affirmation of faith (page 123 of the prayer book) The Prayers of the People Jesus said: Come to me all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will

7 give you rest. We pray the prayer of Approach (page 125) The Greeting of Peace Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, who has given us access to his grace. We are the body of Christ His Spirit is with us. The peace of the Lord be always with you. And also with you. Offertory Chant (repeat until the altar is ready) In the Lord I ll be ever thankful, In the Lord I will rejoice; Look to God, do not be afraid, lift up your voices the Lord is near, Lift up your voices the Lord is near. We give thanks for the offered gifts

8 Blessed are you..(we give thanks for the bread and wine) Blessed be God forever Blessed are you..(we give thanks for money and food offerings) Blessed be God forever THE GREAT THANKSGIVING The preface to the Great Thanksgiving prayer is on page 151.for ever praising you and singing Holy, holy, holy Lord God of power and might, Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the Highest Blessed is he who comes in the Lord s name Hosanna in the Highest Then we return to page 128 Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen The Sending out of God s people

9 Prayer after communion... Lord God, you have renewed us with the living bread from heaven; by it you nourish our faith, increase our hope, and strengthen our love: teach us always to hunger for him who is the true and living bread, and enable us to live by every word that proceeds from out of your mouth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Most loving God. you send us into the world you love. Give us grace to go thankfully and with courage in the power of your Spirit. The Notices Final Hymn 341 My Song is Love Unknown The Blessing and Dismissal Christ give you grace to grow in holiness, to deny yourselves, take up your cross, and follow him; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen. Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. In the name of Christ.

10 ***some thoughts from Rev. Mel Our Australis Certificate Group have been working through Unit 1 and, these past two weeks, have been looking at and discussing the topic of prayer. In the workbook there is a beautiful poem by Anne Lewin that I d like to share with you all: Prayer is like watching for the Kingfisher. All you can do is Be where he is likely to appear, and Wait. Often, nothing much happens; There is space, silence and Expectancy. No visible sign, only the Knowledge that he s been there And may come again. Seeing or not seeing cease to matter, you have been prepared. But sometimes when you ve almost stopped Expecting it, a flash of brightness gives encouragement. What a lovely and encouraging way to keep us on our Lenten prayer path. Peace, Mel. ************************** Pew Bulletin Every week! Conversations Tuesdays at 7pm in the rectory Meditation Group Mondays at 5pm in St Mary s

11 Lent, Holy Week, and Easter Please keep these dates free for Lenten gathering and worship: March pm Lent 3 Taize service St Mary s March pm Lent 4 Taize service St George s March pm Lent 5 Taize service St Mary s March pm Lent 6 Taize service St George s Holy Week March 29 Maundy Thursday St Mary s March 30 9am Good Friday St George s March 30 midday Good Friday St Mary s March 31 Easter vigil St Paul s Kyneton April 1 9am Easter Day St George s April 1 11am Easter Day St Mary s World Day of Prayer Friday 2 nd March at 7pm It is St George s turn to host World Day of Prayer in Trentham this year. Our guest speaker will be Veronica Sherman of the Happily Made community enterprise project in Cambodia. Raise the roof! Robyn Leeder is organising a weekend of singing from Friday March 2 nd to Sunday March 4 th. See poster and program for details. ***let Robyn know any special song or hymn requests that you might have. Palm cross making On Wednesday 7 th March we will have a combined mid-week service with our friends in Kyneton, and afterwards we will do our palm cross making for the upcoming Palm Sunday service. If you would like to come along please bring a plate to share. If you need transportation please let Rev. Mel know. News from the Guilds St Mary s Guild: Meeting on Wednesday after the 10am service

12 Intercessions our prayers are asked for: John, Sam, Jim, Andrea, Alison, Ethan, Kirsten, Carole, Wendy, Judy, Jonathan, Jeanette, Trevor, Rudi, Trish, Hugh, Joshua and family, Alan, Sheila, Aldyth, Benjamin, Faye, Lynne, Kay, Don, Norm, Kristina and John, Linda, Carmela, Steven and Del. Birthdays Today we celebrate Derek Shepherd s birthday, tomorrow Kit Manning s, and Tuesday John Schultz. Years Mind and those who have died recently We give thanks for the life of Chris Mannhardt and pray for his family and friends as they mourn him. On Tuesday we remember Alexander Goldie and on Thursday Kirk Bradbury. May they rest in peace and rise in glory. Readings for next week first Sunday of Lent Exodus Ps 19 1 Corinthians John Weekday services: Monday Morning Prayer 9am St Mary s Tuesday Morning Prayer 9am St George s Wednesday Eucharist 10am St Mary s Thursday Morning Prayer 9am St Paul s Kyneton PO Box 699, Woodend, VIC Priest: Rev d Melissa Clark Warden: Derek