A member of the Central Highlands Cluster Ministry. St George s, Trentham 9.00am St Mary s, Woodend 11.00am

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1 A member of the Central Highlands Cluster Ministry St George s, Trentham 9.00am St Mary s, Woodend 11.00am 7 th August, 2016 Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost We acknowledge the Woi wurrung and Dja Dja Wurrung people, the traditional 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 Gathering Hymn No wind at the window The Lord be with you. And also with you Sentence for the day When the fullness if time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, so that we might receive adoption as God s children Galatians The Prayer of preparation (page 119 of the prayer book) Almighty God Hear, O Israel. The Shema (page 120 of the prayer book) The Confession and absolution (page 120 of the prayer book) Let us confess our sins in penitence and faith, confident in God s forgiveness. Merciful God The Gloria (page 121 of the prayer book) Glory to God in the highest Let us pray Loving God, who chose the virgin Mary, by your grace, to be the mother of our Lord and Saviour: fill us with your grace, that in all things we may accept your holy will and with her rejoice in your salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

3 MINISTRY OF THE WORD A reading from the book of Isaiah, chapter 61:10-62:3 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations. For Zion s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem s sake I will not rest, until her vindication shines out like the dawn, and her salvation like a burning torch. The nations shall see your vindication, and all the kings your glory; and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will give. You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. For the word of the Lord thanks be to God. The Song of Mary (The Magnificat, Luke 1:47-55) My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord: my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour Who has looked with favour on his lowly servant:

4 from this day all generations will call me blessed. The Almighty has done great things for me: and Holy is his name. God has mercy on those who fear him: from generation to generation. The Lord has shown strength with his arm: and scattered the proud in their conceit, Casting down the mighty from their thrones: and lifting up the lowly. God has filled the hungry with good things: and sent the rich away empty. He has come to the aid of his servant Israel: to remember the promise of mercy, The promise made to our forebears: to Abraham and his children for ever. A reading from Paul s letter to the Galatians chapter 4 verses 4-7 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba! Father! So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God. For the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Gospel Hymn 302 The angel Gabriel Alleluia, alleluia My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour. Alleluia.

5 The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to Luke, chapter 2 beginning at the 1 st verse In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. 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 The Greeting of Peace 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 Hymn 526 Lord Jesus Christ *a collection to assist the mission of God in this parish will be taken up during this hymn THE GREAT THANKSGIVING ( please turn to page 128) *you are welcome at the table of God. If you are a communicant member of another Christian church you can receive communion here. If you would like a blessing please come forward and indicate that to the priest.

6 The Sending out of God s people Living God, In this holy meal you fill us with new hope. May the power of your love, Which we have known in word and sacrament, Continue your saving work among us, Give us courage for our pilgrimage, And bring us to the joys you promise 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. Final Hymn 161 Tell out my soul The Blessing and Dismissal The Notices Christ the Son of God, born of Mary, gladden our hearts by his coming to dwell among us, and fill us with joy and peace; 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. Amen. ***some thoughts from Rev. Mel Today is the feast day of the Assumption of Mary. The day that we celebrate and honour the young woman who said yes to God s call, who supported and nurtured Jesus, who stood at the foot of the cross as he died, and gives us a model of faith, charity and community. But what does assumption actually mean? In Mary s case the assumption is when her earthly body was taken up into heaven. Now, for some Anglicans

7 this can be problematic as this isn t considered to be sufficiently supported by scripture, and a core Anglican teaching is that Holy scripture contains all things necessary to salvation (Article 6 of the Articles of Religion written in 1562 by the Bishops of the Church of England. You can find these articles in your prayer book from page 475 onwards). There is no scripture reference that tells us about the end of Mary s life. However, there are some passages that show us that people who respond to a great call from God are drawn bodily into God s presence. For example Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven (2 Kings 2:11), in Genesis Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him (Gen 5:24). Mary is the ultimate faithful disciple, who is fully present with God in Christ, so it is fitting that she too would be assumed into heaven with the great prophets. Another, sometimes, problematic thing for Anglicans is when we use the name of Mary in prayer. Anglicans can be somewhat hesitant in this because they may feel like they re praying to Mary rather than asking her to intercede, or pray, for them. When we pray the Angelus we use the Hail Mary prayer: Hail Mary, full of grace; the LORD is with thee: blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. In this prayer we recall the words from the first chapter of Luke and ask Mary to pray for us throughout our lives. This isn t holding Mary in the same way that we hold Jesus, nor does it hinder the direct union of believers with Jesus, but it is recognising that she has a special place in the history of salvation and that she holds a distinctive position in the communion of saints. By inviting Mary into our prayers we foster our relationship with Jesus and recognise her maternal role for the entire human race. Mary herself shows us that we are allowed to question and discern how we engage with these things. She was much perplexed and pondered.how can this be? These are some of Mary s responses that we read in Luke when the angel Gabriel came to Mary to foretell the news of Jesus conception and birth. God was kind and patient with her, just as God is kind and patient with each of us.

8 As an icon for the church Mary has a distinctive ministry to us. She is a figure of tenderness and compassion, as a model of life and as a mother to all of the faithful children of God. When she is instructed by Jesus at the foot of the cross to be a mother to the beloved disciple, I believe she takes on the role of mother to all disciples. With prayers for each of you, my brothers and sisters in Christ, Mel. Some phrases above are taken directly from the ARCIC statement of Mary I encourage you to read this is if you can. ************************** Pew Bulletin Gillian Triggs at Trinity College ***change of date*** The head of the Australian Human Rights Commission, Gillian Triggs, will be speaking at Evensong in the Trinity College Chapel on Sunday August 21 at 5:00pm (not 28 th as previously advertised). Ms Triggs will be speaking about Women in Leadership. There is a dinner offered in the dining hall afterwards so please let Rev. Mel know if you intend coming along. Intercessions our prayers are asked for: Penny and Keith, John, Sam, Jim, Andrea, Alison, Ethan, Kirsten, Grace, Claire, Barbara, Bernice, Joyce, Les, Carole, Wendy, Judy, Dustin and John. Please let Rev d Mel know if there is someone who is in need of prayer. Birthdays! Let us know if it is your birthday this week so that we can celebrate you. Years Mind and those who have died recently We pray for Jack and for his family Ellen, Xavier and Ollie.