27 August 2023
10:00 | 
Posted by
Dr Platts |
We reach the last Sunday in August, and the 12th Sunday in Trinity, the year is turning! Today our Parish Eucharist was celebrated by Father Chris, and the Gospel tells the story of Jesus asking his Disciples 'Who do you think I am' and in his sermon Father Chris developed this theme, knowing Jesus to be the Son of God, to be fully human and fully God is the basis of our life and faith.
The children had spent their session writing gratitude flowers and showed us some of their work at the end of the service. There was coffee after the service.
Lots of good things coming up!
Next Saturday morning come and help in the Churchyard, a family activity. Sunday, 1st of September we have our all ages Eucharist, the following weekend on Saturday 9th the local ride and stride day will take place. A Family friendly cycle route for the Manhood Peninsula is available in the church, get sponsored and raise some money! Also we need greeters to sit in the Church and greet those taking part
In the evening there will be a barbque which is open to all, please sign up in the church and donations toward food gratefully received!
On Sunday 10th September we will celebrate our Patronal Festival.
A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah.
Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness,
you that seek the Lord.
Look to the rock from which you were hewn,
and to the quarry from which you were dug.
Look to Abraham your father
and to Sarah who bore you;
for he was but one when I called him,
but I blessed him and made him many.
For the Lord will comfort Zion;
he will comfort all her waste places,
and will make her wilderness like Eden,
her desert like the garden of the Lord;
joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and the voice of song.
Listen to me, my people,
and give heed to me, my nation;
for a teaching will go out from me,
and my justice for a light to the peoples.
I will bring near my deliverance swiftly,
my salvation has gone out
and my arms will rule the peoples;
the coastlands wait for me,
and for my arm they hope.
Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
and look at the earth beneath;
for the heavens will vanish like smoke,
the earth will wear out like a garment,
and those who live on it will die like gnats;a
but my salvation will be for ever,
and my deliverance will never be ended.
Romans 12:1-8
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters,
by the mercies of God,
to present your bodies as a living sacrifice,
holy and acceptable to God,
which is your spiritualb worship.
Do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your minds,
so that you may discern what is the will of God—
what is good and acceptable and perfect.
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you
not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think,
but to think with sober judgement,
each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
For as in one body we have many members,
and not all the members have the same function,
so we, who are many,
are one body in Christ,
and individually we are members one of another.
We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us:
prophecy, in proportion to faith;
ministry, in ministering;
the teacher, in teaching;
the exhorter, in exhortation;
the giver, in generosity;
the leader, in diligence;
the compassionate, in cheerfulness.
Matthew 16:13-20
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi,
he asked his disciples,
‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’
And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist,
but others Elijah,
and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’
He said to them,
‘But who do you say that I am?’
Simon Peter answered,
‘You are the Messiah,
the Son of the living God.’
And Jesus answered him,
‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah!
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you,
but my Father in heaven.
And I tell you, you are Peter,
and on this rock I will build my church,
and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven,
and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’
Then he sternly ordered the disciples
not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
20 August 2023
Genesis 45:1-15
A reading from the book of Genesis.
Joseph could no longer control himself before all those who stood by him,
and he cried out, ‘Send everyone away from me.’
So no one stayed with him
when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.
And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it,
and the household of Pharaoh heard it.
Joseph said to his brothers,
‘I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?’
But his brothers could not answer him,
so dismayed were they at his presence.
Then Joseph said to his brothers,
‘Come closer to me.’
And they came closer.
He said, ‘I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt.
And now do not be distressed,
or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here;
for God sent me before you to preserve life.
For the famine has been in the land these two years;
and there are five more years in which there will be neither ploughing nor harvest.
God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth,
and to keep alive for you many survivors.
So it was not you who sent me here, but God;
he has made me a father to Pharaoh,
and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.
Hurry and go up to my father and say to him,
“Thus says your son Joseph,
God has made me lord of all Egypt;
come down to me, do not delay.
You shall settle in the land of Goshen, a
nd you shall be near me,
you and your children and your children’s children,
as well as your flocks, your herds,
and all that you have.
I will provide for you there—s
ince there are five more years of famine to come—
so that you and your household, and all that you have,
will not come to poverty.”
And now your eyes
and the eyes of my brother Benjamin s
ee that it is my own mouth that speaks to you.
You must tell my father how greatly I am honoured in Egypt,
and all that you have seen.
Hurry and bring my father down here.’
Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept,
while Benjamin wept upon his neck.
And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them;
and after that his brothers talked with him.
Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32 (8am only)
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans.
I ask, then, has God rejected his people?
By no means!
I myself am an Israelite,
a descendant of Abraham,
a member of the tribe of Benjamin.
God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew.
For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
Just as you were once disobedient to God
but have now received mercy because of their disobedience,
so they have now been disobedient
in order that, by the mercy shown to you,
they too may now receive mercy.
For God has imprisoned all in disobedience
so that he may be merciful to all.
Matthew 15:10-28
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
Then Jesus called the crowd to him and said to them,
‘Listen and understand:
it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person,
but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.’
Then the disciples approached and said to him,
‘Do you know
that the Pharisees took offence when they heard what you said?’
He answered,
‘Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.
Let them alone;
they are blind guides of the blind.
And if one blind person guides another,
both will fall into a pit.’
But Peter said to him,
‘Explain this parable to us.’
Then he said,
‘Are you also still without understanding?
Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, a
nd goes out into the sewer?
But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart,
and this is what defiles.
For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery,
fornication, theft, false witness, slander.
These are what defile a person,
but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.’
Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon.
Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out
and started shouting,
‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David;
my daughter is tormented by a demon.’
But he did not answer her at all.
And his disciples came and urged him, saying,
‘Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.’
He answered,
‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’
But she came and knelt before him, saying,
‘Lord, help me.’
He answered, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food
and throw it to the dogs.’
She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs t
hat fall from their masters’ table.’
Then Jesus answered her,
‘Woman, great is your faith!
Let it be done for you as you wish.’
And her daughter was healed instantly.
13 August 2023
This morning we met at 10 am for a Eucharist, celebrated by Father Chris. The Gospel story told us of Peter walking on water towards Jesus. Peter becomes frightened and begins to sink but Jesus reaches out and lifts him into the boat. In his sermon Fr Chris expanded on this story. All of the Gospels, however familiar to us can help us if we pray and read them together. In this story we see that keeping Jesus in our sights and walking forward in faith will help us in the buffeting that life gives us.
The Choir is on holiday, although quite a few members were in the congregation! We were accompanied on the piano by our friend Sylvia, to whom we give many thanks.
There was coffee after the service.
With an eye to the future the 9th September is the Ride and Stride Saturday in which we will be taking part. It will be followed by a family bar b que at St Marys to which all are welcome! The 10th of September is our Patronal Festival when we will be celebrating St Mary our Lady.
A reading from the first book of Kings.
When Elijah reached Horeb, the mountain of God,
he came to a cave, and spent the night there.
Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying,
‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’
He answered,
‘I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts;
for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars,
and killed your prophets with the sword.
I alone am left,
and they are seeking my life, to take it away.’
He said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord,
for the Lord is about to pass by.’
Now there was a great wind,
so strong that it was splitting mountains
and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord,
but the Lord was not in the wind;
and after the wind an earthquake,
but the Lord was not in the earthquake;
and after the earthquake a fire,
but the Lord was not in the fire;
and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.
When Elijah heard it,
he wrapped his face in his mantle
and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.
Then there came a voice to him that said,
‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’
He answered,
‘I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts;
for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars,
and killed your prophets with the sword.
I alone am left,
and they are seeking my life, to take it away.’
A
Then the Lord said to him,
‘Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus;
when you arrive,
you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram.
Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel;
and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place.
Whoever escapes from the sword of Hazael,
Jehu shall kill;
and whoever escapes from the sword of Jehu,
Elisha shall kill.
Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel,
all the knees that have not bowed to Baal,
and every mouth that has not kissed him.’
Romans 10:5-15
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans.
Moses writes concerning the righteousness that comes from the law,
that ‘the person who does these things will live by them.’
But the righteousness that comes from faith says,
‘Do not say in your heart,
“Who will ascend into heaven?” ’
(that is, to bring Christ down)
‘or “Who will descend into the abyss?” ’
(that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).
But what does it say?
‘The word is near you,
on your lips and in your heart’
(that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);
because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved.
For one believes with the heart and so is justified,
and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.
The scripture says,
‘No one who believes in him will be put to shame.’
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek;
the same Lord is Lord of all
and is generous to all who call on him.
For, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed?
And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard?
And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him?
And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent?
As it is written,
‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’
Matthew 14:22-33
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
Immediately after feding the crowd
with the five loaves and two fish
Jesus made the disciples get into the boat
and go on ahead to the other side,
while he dismissed the crowds.
And after he had dismissed the crowds,
he went up the mountain by himself to pray.
When evening came, he was there alone,
but by this time the boat, battered by the waves,
was far from the land,
for the wind was against them.
And early in the morning
he came walking towards them on the lake.
But when the disciples saw him walking on the lake,
they were terrified, saying,
‘It is a ghost!’
And they cried out in fear.
But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said,
‘Take heart, it is I;
do not be afraid.’
Peter answered him, ‘Lord, if it is you,
command me to come to you on the water.’
He said, ‘Come.’
So Peter got out of the boat,
started walking on the water, and came towards Jesus.
But when he noticed the strong wind,
he became frightened, and beginning to sink,
he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’
Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him,
saying to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’
When they got into the boat, the wind ceased.
And those in the boat worshipped him, saying,
‘Truly you are the Son of God.’
06 August 2023
The first Sunday in August and we welcomed Jack and Zara and their family to be Baptised. This is the Feast of the Transfiguration, one of two celebrations in the Church year. This event, where the disciples saw Jesus transformed, talking to Moses and Elijah, shows us how our faith changes us and that Jesus words are true. So a lovely day on which to welcome two new christians to our family!
The Choir is in abeyance during August so our service was said, but we did sing Hymns accompanied by Sylvia on the piano.
There was Coffee after the service.
Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14
A reading from the book of Daniel.
As I watched,
thrones were set in place,
and an Ancient One took his throne;
his clothing was white as snow,
and the hair of his head like pure wool;
his throne was fiery flames,
and its wheels were burning fire.
A stream of fire issued
and flowed out from his presence.
A thousand thousand served him,
and ten thousand times ten thousand stood attending him.
The court sat in judgement, and the books were opened.
As I watched in the night visions,
I saw one like a human being coming with the clouds of heaven.
And he came to the Ancient One
and was presented before him.
To him was given dominion and glory and kingship,
that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that shall not pass away,
and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed.
2 Peter 1:16-19
A reading from the second letter of Peter
We did not follow cleverly devised myths
when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,
but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty.
For he received honour and glory from God the Father
when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying,
‘This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’
We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven,
while we were with him on the holy mountain.
So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed.
You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place,
until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
Matthew 17:1-9
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew
Six days later,
Jesus took with him Peter and James
and his brother John and led them up a high mountain,
by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them,
and his face shone like the sun,
and his clothes became dazzling white.
Suddenly there appeared to them
Moses and Elijah, talking with him.
Then Peter said to Jesus,
‘Lord, it is good for us to be here;
if you wish, I will make three dwellings here,
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’
While he was still speaking,
suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them,
and from the cloud a voice said,
‘This is my Son, the Beloved;
with him I am well pleased; listen to him!’
When the disciples heard this,
they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear.
But Jesus came and touched them, saying,
‘Get up and do not be afraid.’
And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.
As they were coming down the mountain,
Jesus ordered them,
‘Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.’
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