A member of the Central Highlands Cluster Ministry St George s, Trentham 9.00am St Mary s, Woodend 11.00am 5 th November, 2017 All Saints and All Souls Day 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.
GATHERING IN GOD S NAME Gathering Hymn 586 Abide with me The Lord be with you. And also with you We come together today to honour those we know and love, who have been born into eternal life; those friends and family members who feast with the angels of the Lord and, with whom we share the hope of resurrection to new life. Everyone is invited to come forward and light a candle as the names of the departed are read out.
We also celebrate on this day the glorious pledge of the hope of our calling which God has given us in the saints; that, following their example and strengthened by their fellowship, we may run with perseverance the race that is set before us, and with them receive the unfading crown of glory. We enjoy a moment of silence as we pray together and enjoy our fellowship with the saints and each other. The Confession and absolution (page 120 of the prayer book) Since we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, looking to Jesus in penitence and faith. Merciful God The Gloria (page 121 of the prayer book) Glory to God in the highest Let us pray We praise you, heavenly Father, That you have knit together your chosen ones In one communion and fellowship In the body of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord: Give us grace so to follow your blessed saints In all virtuous and godly living That we may come to those inexpressible joys You have prepared for those who truly love you; Through Jesus Christ our Saviour, Who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, One God, in glory everlasting. Amen
MINISTRY OF THE WORD A reading from the book of Revelation, chapter 7, verses 9-17 After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice, saying, Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb! And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, singing, Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen. Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from? I said to him, Sir, you are the one that knows. Then he said to me, These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. For this reason they are before the throne of God, and worship him day and night within his temple, and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them. They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; for the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. For the word of the Lord thanks be to God
Psalm 34.1-10 I will bless the Lord continually: his praise shall be always in my mouth. Let my soul boast of the Lord: the humble shall hear it and rejoice. O praise the Lord with me: let us exalt his name together. For I sought the Lord s help and he answered: and he freed me from all my fears. Look towards him and be bright with joy: your faces shall not be ashamed. Here is a wretch who cried, and the Lord heard me: and saved me from all my troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps round those who fear him: and delivers them in their need. O taste and see that the Lord is good: happy are they that hide in him! Fear the Lord, all you his holy ones: for those who fear him never lack. Lions may suffer want and go hungry: but those who seek the Lord lack nothing good. A reading from the first letter of John, chapter 3 verses 1-3 See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. For the word of the Lord thanks be to God
Gospel Hymn 455 For all the Saints Alleluia Alleluia You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, called out of darkness into his marvellous light. Alleluia The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to Matthew, chapter 5 beginning at the 1 st verse Glory to you Lord Jesus Christ When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for
your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 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 fellow-citizens with the saints and of the household of God, through Christ our Lord, who came and preached peace to those who were far off and those who were near. 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 123 Be Still my soul *a collection to assist the mission of God in this parish will be taken up during this hymn we thank you for responding to God s generosity with your gift. 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.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 We say together Christ has died Christ is risen Christ will come again in songs of never ending praise Blessing and honour and glory and power are yours for ever and ever. Amen With our hearts set on the kingdom and our hands open to serve, we pray as Jesus taught us Our Father in heaven The Sending out of God s people God, the source of all holiness: may we who have shared at this table as strangers and pilgrims on earth be welcomed with Mary, George and all your saints
to the heavenly feast in your kingdom. 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 129 Amazing Grace The Notices The Blessing and Dismissal God, who has prepared for us a city with eternal foundations, give you grace to share the inheritance of the saints in glory; 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 This past week the church celebrated the 500 th anniversary of Martin Luther s posting of his ninety five theses. Legend has it that he nailed it to the door of All Saints Church in Wittenberg, and from that action began the reformation of the church. Luther was a monk in an Augustinian order, a professor of theology, a composer of hymns, and a priest. As he grew in theological understanding and in his personal relationship with God, he came to reject several practices of the church of Rome, particularly the practice of indulgences (the understanding that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money). In his ninety five theses Luther contended, amongst other ideas, that salvation is not earned by good deeds but is received as the free gift of God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
He challenged the authority of the Pope by teaching that the bible, and not the Pope, is the true source of divine knowledge from God. He was accused of heresy and of being an enemy of the Pope and was excommunicated by the Roman Church in 1521 when he refused to renounce his writings. He spent some time in hiding after being declared and outlaw, during which time he translated the bible from Latin into German, allowing the laity access to scripture, and then, when he saw that some were using his words as fuel for an uprising, he returned to Wittenberg. In 1525 he married a nun named Katharina, this act threw out the idea of enforced celibacy and barriers to marriage for clergy. So why is it important to mark this event? Well, for us Anglicans we trace our history back to this event. The news of the German reformation made its way to England, and although King Henry VIII had been critical of Luther at first, in 1534 it served his purpose to break from Rome and reform the church in England, so that he could divorce his wife Catherine and increase his own power. Luther s ideas of scripture being at the heart of what we do, that the Mass is a Thanksgiving, that salvation is ours through faith these are all things that we hold to today. He did have ideas about Judaism and Islam that are troubling for modern readers, but, as always reading in context is important. On this, our observation of All Saints and All Souls, we give thanks for Martin, who taught against the idea of purgatory and for the idea that souls do not leave their bodies to be threatened by the torments and punishments of hell, but enter a prepared bedchamber in which they sleep in peace. Peace, Mel. Further reading for the interested https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/martin_luther#on_the_soul_after_death http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/theologians/martin-luther.html http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/martin-luther-posts-95-theses
************************** Pew Bulletin Every Week Tuesday Conversations at the rectory from 7pm Christian Meditation at the NR Hall from 5:30pm Re-hallowing of St Mary s Floor We give thanks for our builder Jamie, and his crew. On November 12 th there will be ONE SERVICE in the parish at St Mary s at 11am, where Bishop Andrew will re-open the church and re-hallow the floor. If you have had friends and family who have supported the parish to get to this goal, please invite them to come along. Please bring a plate of lunch to share so that we can continue the celebrations after the service. News from the Guilds St Mary s Guild: Guild requests donations of produce to make relishes, jam, marmalade and chutney that are sold at the Street Stall. Suggestions are: rhubarb, and lemons. Please contact Lilla on 5422 2942 with produce or inquiries how to help. St George s Guild: Please put in your diaries this year s Cottage Garden and Flower Show on November 25 from 1-5pm at the Trentham Neighbourhood Centre. If you have items to sell on the bric-a-brac table please let Anne know. Parish Diary Dates: Date Event 25.11.17 Trentham flower show 3.12.17 Beginning of Advent 17.12.17 TCCC carols in Trentham 22.12.17 Carols at St Mary's
Intercessions our prayers are asked for: John, Sam, Jim, Andrea, Alison, Ethan, Kirsten, Carole, Wendy, Judy, Jonathan, Jeanette, Susie, Trevor, Rudi, Trish, Sheila, Hugh, Tim, Joshua and family, Alan, Aldyth, Benjamin and Faye. Wedding at St Mary s Please pray for Raelene and Craig who will be married at St Mary s on November 11 th. Birthdays! On Saturday we celebrate Carol Barker On Wednesday we celebrate the anniversary of the first service at St Mary s in 1864 Years Mind and those who have died recently PO Box 699, Woodend, VIC 3442 www.woodendanglican.org.au Rector: Rev d. Ian Howarth 5422 2500/0437 655 702 Assistant Curate: Rev d Melissa Clark 0411 722 718 Wardens: Derek 0417 252 222; John 5424 1127 Hon Priests: Rev d Charles Sherlock 0423 020 699 and Rev d Wendy Hudson 0419 570 740 www.facebook.com/woodendanglican/