REFLECTION: Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost 20 September 2026
REFLECTION: VENERABLE MICHAEL FARAGHER
Some thoughts on the Gospel passage appointed for the 16th Sunday after Pentecost, (Year A)
Matthew 18:21-35
“How often should I forgive, Jesus?” Of course, Jesus’ response to Peter’s question doesn’t really provide an answer but rather points out the misdirection of the question itself. How many times should we forgive? The issue is not how much or how often we are asked to forgive or should forgive. The act of forgiveness is already a limitless, measureless act. Forgiveness is never not present in our lives and in our relationships. That’s the issue. Forgiveness is part and parcel of the Kingdom of Heaven. It’s a constant. It’s not optional. It’s not a choice. We want it to be — and that’s at the heart of Peter’s question.
This is forgiveness according to the Kingdom of Heaven and it’s a hard truth to hear. As much as we want to exercise one of the essential marks of the Christian faith, we cannot bring ourselves to accept or imagine the endless and inestimable nature of forgiveness that Jesus assumes.
For me, honestly, it’s a hard truth for me to hear. I am inclined toward order and measure. As I have shared before, I was a professional musician in my former life; I studied music at university and I also spent many years in the Australian Army Band Corps, and I rather like the precision and predictability that comes with acquired skills, practice, order and accountability. But, if we have learned anything from Matthew thus far, especially Matthew’s parables, it’s that the Kingdom of Heaven refuses to bend toward our need for reasoning and explanations, our desire for chartable paths and existential equations.
It’s also a hard truth for me to hear because it sets in motion reflection. This is the truth of this passage as well. It sets in motion — deeply, tragically, painfully — memories of those people I was reluctant to forgive. It sets in motion thoughts of those waiting for my forgiveness. It sets in motion reminders of those whom I don’t think I can ever forgive. I will ponder all of that this week. What is holding me back? What quid pro quo am I expecting to make my forgiveness more palatable or possible?
Another dilemma I encounter with this week’s Gospel passage is that I find I want to preach against it. Jesus, what about those wrongs which are unforgivable? (I’ve recently returned from a trip to Germany and Austria, where I visited the former Dachau concentration camp and the Nuremberg court complex where the chief Nazi architects and perpetrators were tried and deservedly punished for their evil crimes, so “unforgivable sins” are in the front of my mind.) I am not sure what to do with these, given Jesus’ words. But perhaps it’s enough, at least for now, that Jesus makes me think again about the purpose of forgiveness in my life — when I need it, when I give it, when I hold back; to ask myself, what am I waiting for? What still has to happen?
We live in and feel more comfortable with a way of being with each other that is quantifiable and transactional. We like knowing how much we have to give and what we will get in return. This seems especially true when it comes to forgiveness. We should ask ourselves, why is it that we want and need forgiveness to be computable and calculable? We want confines and controls for forgiveness; parameters and strictures; conditions and qualifiers. Yet, that’s not usually what we want, right? We treasure our freedom. We resist situations and systems that would curtail our choice and autonomy. How ironic.
So, what is it about forgiveness that exposes this deeper human truth? I wonder if it’s because we believe that all of our attempts to understand or make sense of forgiveness, especially God’s forgiveness, might somehow secure our own absolution.
But, declare it we must. Believe it we must. Dear friends, in our Anglican liturgies week by week, we confess our sins and are absolved of them by Jesus’ authority alone. Let this be the model for our lives on the other six days of the week.
Pax et bonum,
Fr Michael
REFLECTION: VENERABLE MICHAEL FARAGHER 6 September 2026
Dear Friends
In today’s gospel, Jesus tells us that we should forgive each other 77 times. In the Bible, numbers always have specific meanings and indirect references that would have been familiar to Jesus’ audience. To number something as ‘seven’ is to describe it as being perfect. When we hear Jesus using this phrase we recall the story of the seven days of creation in Genesis, where, on the seventh day, God looks at the result of his creative love and sees that it is very good. Jesus using some shorthand, says that not only is forgiveness “good”, but that is is a creative act that gives life to the world and gives glory to those who exercise it.
It’s easy to be forgiving in the big picture. We can talk enthusiastically about war, peace, reconciliation, social justice. It can be quite another thing to forgive those closest to us. Sometimes the hardest place to be compassionate and just is in our own homes. If there is a husband, wife, child, parent, sibling, friend or member of our community with whom we are not speaking, then today’s Gospel presents a strong challenge to us right where we live.
Paul’s epistle to the Romans was a source of great disagreement in the Reformation church. The status quo held that it was only intended for the Roman church at the time of Paul’s writing. (Elsewhere in his letter Paul advises that bishops and deacons should be married and have families - not a popular sentiment in the 16th century church), while Luther and the other reformers advocated that its message and intent was universal. There is a certain irony that this letter itself caused so much acrimony and disagreement. Conflict happens in congregations that are alive. It isn’t a sign of failure. The Bible is full of stories of conflict, but many congregations seem to believe that having conflict is bad. This in turn creates dangerous expectations. Any time change is introduced, there will be conflict, anytime the congregation grows…..any time it declines…..or stays the same….In any Christian community, the hopeful possibilities present in conflict will only be realised when we deal with tension in a productive way.
Learning how to act productively in the face of tension is a skill. It requires more than listening to a sermon or reading a reflection. It requires practice, feedback, and more practice. In the face of high levels of conflict, I know that bad things will happen. People will be hurt, lives will be disrupted. In the face of such challenges we should start looking for opportunity. On of the consequences of believing in the resurrection is that God can bring good out of bad, growth out of suffering, life out of death. Where are the people like Peter whose denial can be forgiven and who can become leaders? Or the people like Paul, who can turn from a life of vicious religious persecution (let’s face it, today he would have been called a terrorist) and become one of the greatest servants of Jesus, whom he initially despised?
Looking for the opportunity in the face of conflict requires imagination. We must look beyond the current moment and catch a glimpse of what God is doing in the world. Finding opportunity in the face of conflict is an act of faith. In congregations, most of our conflict is not based in disagreements over our values. Most of the time, people in church share much more in common than those beliefs or practices over which they disagree. Conflict is often focused on ”having my way”. Once we turn from our interests to God’s concerns there is an opportunity to unite.
Some of you might be of an age to have seen that mawkish but extremely popular Hollywood film “Love Story”, with its tagline which resonated throughout the decade, “Love means never having to say you’re sorry”. As worthwhile advice which has has come to us out of popular culture, this sentiment is on a par with “Yabadabadoo”, and yet I am frequently both fascinated and appalled at how ingrained this idea has become. Wedding couples used to scare me by saying something like, “we don’t have to worry about our relationship- my partner always knows what I’m thinking”. The problem with the idea of “Love means never having to say you’re sorry” is that is simply not Christian. For followers of Jesus the exact opposite is true. We seek opportunities to forgive and we look to those we have offended to ask for their forgiveness.
Jesus doesn’t tell us that forgiveness is easy, just necessary. To forgive someone in our family, workplace, our circle of friends, or in our church is not to pretend that a sinful and hurtful situation did not occur, but to face it head-on and demand justice with compassion.
I still wish conflict would go away. I still wish that my wife and family and congregation were always happy and I would never have to work out if I was the cause of their unhappiness. Yet, I know that such wishes are a fantasy. Experience and faith teaches us that unhappiness and tension are facts of life in relationships. Such feelings are actually signs of hope and vitality if seen through the eyes of faith. May it be so for the tensions and conflict that you experience. For when we stand before God with the weakness and sinfulness of our own life, God will not settle old scores, take revenge and exact retribution. Rather, God will be perfectly just and completely compassionate. When we choose forgiveness over revenge and love over hate, we begin to glimpse God’s creative goodness coming to perfection in us, because forgiveness is a participation in the very heart of God.
Fr Michael Faragher
Readings:
Exodus 12: 1-14, Ps 149, Romans 13:1-10 Matthew 18:10–20,
May the words of my mouth and the mediation of my heart be pleasing to you, oh Lord, my rock my redeemer.
I don’t usually give sermons a title but after Michael’s sermon last week when he said he didn’t either, I thought why not! Red rag to bull!
So I am giving today’s sermon the title “The One Who Matters.”
I think these fours words sum up something that is very close to the heart of Jesus:
Throughout our Gospel reading from Matthew today Jesus gives us a powerful picture of how God sees people—and how we, as His people, are called to see one another.
Looking at verse 12Jesus says:
“If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?” And then he says: “In the same way, your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.”
Lets just think about that - there is something beautiful about that picture.
God cares about the one.
We live in a world that often thinks in terms of numbers. If we think about social media the question is how many followers do you have?
There are those who think that the number of people who attend a meeting is a measure of its success - Or did it make a profit?
But Jesus doesn't begin with the crowds or large numbers. Jesus notices the individuals. He notices the one who is missing. He notices the person who is struggling, who feels forgotten. He notices the one who has wandered and he says that one matters to Me.”
1. God Sees the One
Lets just Imagine that shepherd with one hundred sheep. Ninety-nine are safely together. But one is missing. From a purely mathematical perspective, I think you would probably agree that ninety-nine percent isn't bad. You still have ninety-nine sheep. But to the shepherd, a single one matters. So he goes looking.
This tells us something about the heart of God. God doesn't measure our value by our usefulness. You don't have to be famous for God to notice you. You don't have to be successful for God to love you. You don't have to have everything together for God to care about you.
You can be sitting quietly at the back of the church, and God sees you. You can feel like nobody understands what you're going through, but God sees you. You can feel like you've failed too many times - God still sees you. You can have wandered far from God, but you are still cared for no matter where you are.
Sometimes we can become so focused on the ninety-nine that we forget the one. We can be comfortable with the people who are already connected, already involved, already attending.
But Jesus says, “Don't despise the little ones.”
In other words: Don't overlook people. Don't write people off. Don't decide that someone is too far gone. AND don't assume that someone doesn't matter because they aren't important in the world's eyes.
That one, single individual matters to God.
And if the one matters to God, the one should matter to us.
2. Love Goes Looking
Another thing we see in this passage is that love doesn't simply notice the missing person. Love goes looking. The shepherd doesn't stand on the hill and say, “I wonder where that sheep went. ”He goes, he searches, He looks and he doesn't give up easily.
And that challenges us too. It's easy to say, “I haven't seen them at church lately. ”But Jesus asks us to that go one step further:
“Have you checked on them?” Maybe there's someone who used to sit beside or near you. Someone who was once involved. Someone who used to sing, who prayed, laughed and worship with you—but for some reason, they've drifted away. Perhaps something has happened that they are going through. Perhaps they've been hurt or they are struggling with their faith. Perhaps they simply need someone to reach out and say
“I noticed you weren't here. How are you doing?”
Sometimes a simple message can make a huge difference. Sometimes a phone call, a cup of coffee together can begin a conversation.
Sometimes all someone needs to hear is: “You are not forgotten.”
Remember our shepherd who goes after the one. And as followers of Jesus, we are called to have the same heart.
3. Restoration, Not Condemnation
Back to our Gospel - verses 15–17. Jesus says:
“If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you.” This is interesting because Jesus is still talking about the one. But now the one isn't necessarily someone who is physically lost.
It is someone who has sinned. And Jesus tells us how to respond.
He doesn't say: “Talk about them. He doesn't say: “Tell everybody what they did.” He doesn't say: “Write them off.”
He says: “Go.” Go to them. Talk to them. Have a conversation with them
And notice that Jesus says to do it privately. Why? Because the goal is not humiliation. The goal is a form of repair.
There is a difference between confronting someone because we are angry and confronting someone because we love them. There is a difference between wanting someone to pay and wanting someone to be repaired. As Christians, we need both truth and grace. Truth without grace can crush people. Grace without truth can leave people trapped.
But Jesus gives us a better way: Speak the truth in love. And sometimes loving someone means having a difficult conversation. Sometimes love says, “What happened wasn't right.” Sometimes love says, “I care about you too much to pretend this doesn't matter.” But it should always be accompanied by grace: “And because I care about you, I want to walk with you towards that restoration.” That's the heart of Jesus.
4. The Church Is Called to Care for the One
This brings us to our wider church community. Jesus gives instructions for what happens when someone refuses that support. He talks about bringing one or two others into the conversation and eventually involving the wider church. Why? Because Christian faith isn't meant to be lived alone. We belong to together to one another.
The church should be a place where people know each other - a place where people are loved and a place where people can be honest.
Church is a place where people who have done the wrong thing or drifted can be still embraced without being destroyed. Church is a place where people can fail without being abandoned. It is a place where people can say sorry and find a path back.
That's what Jesus is building. Not simply a crowd of people but family.
And then Jesus gives us that beautiful promise in verse 20:
“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
Jesus has promised to be is present when people gather in His name. He is present when we pray and worship. He is present when we forgive and make the effort to reconciliation. He is present when we go looking for someone who has wandered. We are not doing this work alone.
So we come back to a question Who Is Your One?
Who is the person God has placed on your heart? Maybe it's someone who has drifted away from church. Maybe it's someone you've had a disagreement with. Maybe it's someone who is hurting. Maybe it's someone who feels invisible - friend or family member.
Or perhaps you're thinking, “I'm actually the one.” Maybe you've wandered. Maybe you've become discouraged. Maybe you've made mistakes. Maybe you've been carrying something that nobody knows about. If that's you, you too matter to God. You are not just one person in a crowd. You are not forgotten. The Shepherd sees you and like the one lost sheep He comes looking for you. This is ultimately where todays Gospel reading is pointing us – to the heart of Jesus
Jesus is the Good Shepherd who comes looking for the lost.
He doesn't wait for us to find our way back by ourselves. He comes looking for us. Jesus Himself became the way back to the Father.
So today, let's receive that love—and let's give that love.
As a church lets go looking and find the one who needs us to reach out Let's become the kind of church that notices the one.
Because the one matters.
The one who walked through these doors for the first time matters.
The one who hasn't been here for months matters.
The one who is struggling matters.
The one who has failed matters.
The one who feels forgotten matters.
Why? Because they matter to Jesus.
So this week, perhaps don't just ask: “How many people came to church?” Ask: “Who is missing?”
“Who needs to be encouragement?” “Who might be hurting quietly?”
And then do something.
Send that text message. Make that call. Or have that conversation. Offer forgiveness. Extend an invitation. Pray for them.
Go looking for the one - because that's what Jesus our Shepherd does. And that's the kind of people Jesus calls us to be. The one matters.
Let us pray.
Father, thank You that You see us, You know us, and You love us. Thank You that when we wander, You don't forget us. Thank You that we matter to You. Give us Your heart for people. Help us to notice those who are hurting, to seek those who have wandered, and to restore those who have fallen. Make us a church where grace and truth meet, where people are welcomed, loved and pointed toward Jesus. And show each of us the one person You are calling us to reach this week. We ask this in the name of Jesus.
Amen.
REFLECTION: VENERABLE MICHAEL FARAGHER
Dear Friends
In this morning’s Gospel reading Jesus tells his followers, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” This image of us carrying our own crosses has found its way into many people’s mind, even for people that are not as familiar with the Bible. Some people interpret this as “everyone has a cross to bear”, meaning that if even the Son of God had to suffer, we should expect to also have difficult problems or burdens in our lives. Knowing that everyone carries some type of a cross makes us feel less of a victim. It's not personal!
Others interpret the statement from Jesus as meaning that even in the middle of difficult and painful situations, such as having a difficult family situation or battling a long-term health condition, we should put our trust in God, knowing that God loves us and will help us bear this cross. Both of these interpretations are true and very helpful. Our God is a loving God that helps us and comforts us when we need it the most. I have used this imagery many times in my life to help me cope with difficult situations. However, through this statement Jesus is actually asking more of us. He is asking us to give of ourselves and take an active role in the mission of salvation; out of love. We need to understand what happened before and after this passage to appreciate its deeper meaning.
Before this statement, we see that Jesus and his disciples were walking to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. This was a city to the north of Israel, and thus away from the listening ears of Pharisees who would try to get Jesus and his apostles in trouble and away from the terrible Herod Antipas. Jesus was in a safe zone and was able to ask, “Who do people say that I am?” The disciples gave him some options, but then Peter, on behalf of the apostles said “You are the Messiah.” This was a climatic event. The apostles were finally acknowledging who he was, or at least who they thought he was; which was someone with a higher calling than a prophet. They thought he was the anointed one, a soon to be king from the Davidic line, someone who was going to liberate them from Roman oppression and benignly rule the Jewish people. Finally things were going to be great…
But Jesus immediately killed this exhilarating moment by announcing that he was going to “undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.” This made no sense to them since they thought he was the Messiah; Peter began to rebuke him. Jesus was teaching them that he was the fulfilment of the suffering servant from Isaiah 53 who was going to take our pain, bear our suffering, and bring justice. This is what transpired before Jesus said “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
Jesus then gave us a lesson on what it means to be a Christian. We must always have our eyes set on the prize, which is eternal salvation in the magnificent presence of God. We can’t be distracted by the ephemeral worries of the earth. Yes, love life, deal with difficulties, serve others, be grateful for all, but stay attentive and don’t get sucked into things that won’t last and can actually derail our journey to holiness. Don't get consumed with things that have a transitory nature. If we allow the graces of the Holy Spirit to work in us, we will be able to exercise self-denial for the sake of Jesus and the good news of the Gospel. Out of love for God and our brothers and sisters, we will joyfully bear the difficult demands of living the teachings of Jesus. This is the cross he refers to. It is always about us loving God, others, and being love.
If we choose the things of the world as our prize (fame, wealth, pleasures, distraction etc.), we will end up with nothing. This is the deeper meaning of this statement, if we want to follow Jesus, we need to be all in, deny ourselves of the transient worries of this current life, and be willing to sacrifice, to carry our cross, and follow him into eternal life. It's not easy, but he will give us the grace we will need along the way.
Fr Michael
Dear Friends
The readings this Sunday invite us to reflect on God’s faithfulness in the midst of uncertainty and our response to that faithfulness in daily life. In Exodus, we see God at work through the courage of unlikely people. The Hebrew midwives, Moses’ mother, and Pharaoh’s daughter each play a role in preserving life against the forces of oppression. Their actions remind us that God’s purposes are often carried forward through ordinary people who choose courage over fear.
Psalm 124 celebrates this truth, proclaiming that if the Lord had not been on Israel’s side, they would have been overwhelmed. The psalm calls us to recognize God’s protecting presence, especially when challenges seem greater than our strength.
In Romans, Paul urges believers to offer themselves as “living sacrifices,” using their unique gifts in service to God and others. Faith is not merely belief but an active commitment that shapes our character, relationships, and community.
In Matthew’s Gospel, Peter boldly confesses Jesus as the Messiah. This moment reveals that true understanding of Christ comes not only from human reasoning but through God’s revelation. Peter’s confession becomes the foundation for faithful discipleship.
Together, these readings challenge us to trust God’s guidance, use our gifts faithfully, and boldly profess our faith. Yet the question remains: when faithfulness demands courage and sacrifice, will we be willing to act as decisively as those whom God used to accomplish His purposes?
Readings:
Exodus 1:8-2:10; Psalm 124; Romans 12: 1-8; Matthew 16:13-20
May the words of my mouth and the mediation of my heart be pleasing to you, oh Lord, my rock my redeemer.
There is a question running through all of our readings today, even though it is not always asked in exactly the same words.
It is the question of who is really in charge.
Who has authority? Who determines the future? Who gets to say what is going to happen? We see that question very clearly in the opening of Exodus.
A new Pharaoh comes to power. And we are told that he does not know Joseph. He does not remember the relationship that once existed between Joseph and the people of Israel. Instead, he looks at the Israelites and sees a threat and as a result of this, Pharaoh begins to act.
He controls them. He oppresses them. He forces them into hard labour. And when that doesn't achieve what he wants, he moves towards something even more terrible: he seeks to control whether their children will live or die.
Pharaoh behaves as though the future belongs to him.
But the remarkable thing about this story is that Pharaoh is not nearly as powerful as he thinks he is. God is at work, and God is at work through a variety of people who, by the standards of Pharaoh's world, don't appear powerful at all.
The Hebrew midwives refuse to obey him.
Moses' mother refuses to surrender her child.
His sister watches and acts.
And Pharaoh's own daughter sees the baby and has compassion.
It is a wonderful irony in the story. Pharaoh has all the authority, all the soldiers, all the machinery of government behind him. Yet God's purposes move forward through a group of women who simply refuse to cooperate with death.
They do not know the whole story.
They don't know what Moses will become.
They don't know how God will use him.
They simply do the faithful thing that is in front of them.
And that brings us beautifully to Psalm 24:
“The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it.” What wonderful words.
The earth is not Pharaoh's. The future is not Pharaoh's and power is not ultimately Pharaoh's.
The earth is the Lord's.
And these are the words we need to hear because we can easily become frightened by the people and forces that appear to be in control of our world.
We see political power. We see economic power. We see wars and injustice and division. We see institutions making decisions that affect the lives of thousands of people.
And sometimes it can feel as though those powers have the final word.
But Psalm 24 reminds us that they do not. “The earth is the Lord's.”
That doesn't mean that evil isn't real. It doesn't mean that injustice doesn't matter. The story of Exodus makes very clear that oppression is real and that God takes it seriously.
Importantly it most definitely means that Pharaoh is never God.
No human power is ultimate. The earth belongs to the Lord.
In Matthew's Gospel, we come to the question of Jesus.
Jesus takes his disciples away from the crowds and asks them:
“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
They give him various answers. Then Jesus makes it personal:
“But who do you say that I am?”
And Peter answers: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
That is the great confession of the Christian faith.
Jesus is not simply another teacher. He is not simply another prophet. He is not simply someone who gives us good advice about how to live.
He is the Messiah. He is the Son of the living God. And if Peter is right—and if the Christian faith is right—then this changes everything.
Because the question “Who is really in charge?” now has an answer.
Not Pharaoh. Not Rome’s Caesar. Not even the powers of this world today - Not even us.
Jesus Christ is Lord.
And notice what Jesus does next. He doesn't simply congratulate Peter for getting the answer right. He begins to talk about the church.
“You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.”
In other words, the confession that Jesus is Lord creates a people – a new community. There is a connection between knowing who Jesus is and discovering who we are.
And that where our reading from Romans today takes us.
Paul writes:
“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.”
Notice the word “therefore.” Paul has spent the earlier part of Romans explaining God's mercy, God's grace, God's salvation. And now he says: therefore. Because of what God has done, offer yourselves to God.
Christian discipleship begins not with our attempt to impress God, but with our response to God's mercy.
God has given himself to us in Christ. So we give ourselves back to God. That is what Paul means by a “living sacrifice.”
It means that our worship isn't confined to what happens here on Sunday morning. Our worship continues when we go home.
It continues at work.
It continues in our families.
It continues in the way we speak to people.
It continues in how we treat someone who is difficult.
It continues in how we use our money.
It continues in how we respond when we see injustice.
It continues when we notice someone who is lonely.
Our whole life becomes an offering to God. And then Paul makes another important point. He says that we are one body in Christ, but we do not all have the same function. We have different gifts.
Some teach.
Some serve.
Some encourage.
Some are givers.
Some are leaders.
Some show mercy.
That is important because we can easily imagine that being useful to God means being someone extraordinary.
Reflecting back on our Exodus reading.
God's purposes were advanced through people doing what they could do. The midwives had courage. Moses' mother had faith and initiative.
Moses' sister had attentiveness. Pharaoh's daughter had compassion.
None of them, at that moment, could see the whole story tat was about to evolve. But each one offered what they had. And perhaps that is one of the most encouraging things these readings say to us.
We don't have to be someone else. We don't have to have someone else's gifts. We don't have to know exactly what God is going to do with our lives. We are simply called to offer what we have received.
Paul says, “Having gifts that differ according to the grace that God has given to us, so lets us use them.” That is the invitation.
Have a think about the gifts you have - the gift of encouragement – organisation - teaching
Use it.
Perhaps you are someone who notices the person standing on the edge of the room whom everyone else has overlooked. Perhaps your gift is generosity or compassion.
Use it.
If you think what you have is small and insignificant, remember Exodus. Remember those women of the day.
The kingdom of God often begins with people doing the faithful thing that is immediately in front of them.
And so perhaps todays readings leave us with three simple questions.
First: Who is Jesus?
Peter gives the answer:
“You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Second: Who are we?
We are the people Christ is building into his church. We are members of one body. We belong to him.
And third: What are we going to do with the life God has given us?
Paul's answer is:
“Present your bodies as a living sacrifice.”
Offer yourself. Offer your gifts. Offer your time. Offer your compassion.
Offer your ordinary acts of faithfulness.
We may never know the full significance of what we do.
Moses' mother didn't know how far that little basket would carry her child. The midwives didn't know how their quiet resistance would become part of God's great story of liberation.
Peter could not yet see all that would follow from his confession of Jesus. And we cannot see the whole story either.
But we don't need to.
The earth is the Lord's.
Christ is the Messiah.
The church is his.
And our lives belong to him.
So perhaps the calling for us today is not to try to control the future.
It is to trust the One who holds the future.
Not to ask, “Am I important enough for God to use?”
But, “What has God given me, and how can I offer it to him?”
Not to wait until we can see the whole picture.
But to take the next faithful step.
Because our earth is the Lord's.
And the Lord who worked through the midwives, through Moses' mother and sister, through Pharaoh's daughter, through Peter and all the first disciples, is still at work through ordinary people who offer themselves to him. So let us hear again the invitation of Romans:
“Present your bodies as a living sacrifice.”
And let that be our prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, you are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.
The earth is yours.
Our lives are yours.
Take what we are.
Take what we have.
Take the gifts you have given us.
And use them for your purposes.
Amen
12th Sunday After Pentecost 16 August 2026
The readings this Sunday trace a single thread: God's faithfulness meeting human fragility. Joseph is sold into slavery by his own brothers—betrayal wrapped in envy, dreams mocked before they're fulfilled. Psalm 105 looks back on that very story and reframes it: what looked like abandonment was actually God "sending a man ahead" for purposes no one in the pit could have imagined.
Paul, writing to the Romans, insists that salvation isn't earned through distant striving but is "near you, in your mouth and in your heart"—available even to those who feel far off, sold short, or stuck in circumstances beyond their control. And then Peter steps out of the boat. For a few strides he walks on impossible water, until he notices the wind and starts to sink. Christ's hand is already there.
What unites Joseph in the pit, the exiles that Psalm 105 addresses, the doubting Romans, and sinking Peter is this: none of them have the full picture in the moment of crisis. Faith isn't the absence of storm, betrayal, or doubt—it's reaching for the hand that's nearer than we think, even mid-sink.
Where in your life are you currently focused on the wind and waves rather than on the hand already extended to you?
The Scriptures remind us that the life of faith is shaped by both patience and cost, yet always sustained by God’s unwavering love. Jacob’s long labour for Rachel in Genesis 29 shows that what is truly promised may require endurance, sacrifice, and seasons that feel hidden or delayed. Psalm 105 answers that tension by calling us to remember: God’s covenant faithfulness does not waver, even when our circumstances do. In Romans 8, Paul goes further, assuring us that in our weakness the Spirit intercedes, and that no hardship - no loss, no fear, no disappointment - can separate us from the love that holds us fast.
Jesus’ parables in Matthew 13 place before us the surpassing worth of God’s kingdom: a treasure worth giving everything for. Yet the chapter ends soberly, acknowledging the reality of unbelief and the resistance that often meets God’s work.
As you reflect, consider: Where in your life are you being asked to wait with trust? What costs are you carrying as you pursue what God has promised? How might remembering God’s covenant love steady you in present uncertainties? And what treasure - what glimpse of the kingdom - invites you to keep going with confidence and hope?
Pentecost 8
ROB
Rob
Rob
Dear Friends,
In these uncertain times, I take my comfort from those Christians who have gone before us. Our Bible records the journeys of God’s people through wars and disasters and church destructions. This Sunday we remember and contemplate the lives of Saints Peter and Paul.
Peter, one of the first disciples called by Jesus; Peter who witnessed Jesus’s greatest miracles and teachings; Peter, the night before Jesus died, denied that he ever knew Jesus. Perhaps the very last thing Jesus did before he ascended into heaven was to give Peter the opportunity to be reconciled with Jesus; to accept Jesus’s forgiveness and to forgive himself.
Paul, probably didn’t ever meet Jesus; Paul watched on as Stephen was killed for proclaiming Jesus as Messiah. After his own reconciliation with Jesus on the road to Damascus, Paul would become the early church’s greatest evangelist and Apostle. In so doing Paul was frequently thrown into prison and tortured for his faith.
Both Peter and Paul experienced imprisonment for proclaiming the Good News of God’s love through Jesus. Peter and Paul both found stronger relationships with God through their tough times.
We and our church are in the midst of tough times. The Diocese of North Queensland is being forced to sell many church buildings to pay compensation to victims of abuse. Our own diocese is contemplating empty churches and churches which have run out of the money needed to survive. Most in Australia have not enough priests and can’t afford to pay the ones we have.
As we here at Moggill face our uncertainties and challenges remember God’s encouragement through the prophet Isaiah to those in exile –
do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.
God is working out His plans for us and through all we are facing God is with us.
Grace and peace and hope
ROB
Rev Rob
Dear Friends,
Pentecost Sunday is when we commemorate and celebrate God’s Holy Spirit coming upon the disciples and their subsequent actions, ‘in the power of the Holy Spirit’. Pentecost Sunday is also called the birth of the Church, so, Happy Birthday to us and to all of the Church of God throughout the world!
On Sunday we will explore what this ‘coming of the Holy Spirit’ means. We have some readings which speak of things 2,000 years ago but what does Pentecost mean for us in 2026 in Moggill?
Birthdays, as well as celebrating our past, should be an opportunity for us to assess both, where we are, and if we are headed in the right direction. God doesn’t tell us his plans for us personally or as a church; we are just called to follow, so this week we will spend some time contemplating what it means and how well we are following God.
My thanks to many, many people but particularly this week to our Parish Council; this thankless role seems to get harder each year – there are more impositions and requirements than ever, just to be a member of Parish Council. We have set ourselves some good challenges and our next meeting will be focused on the new Anglican Church Southern Queensland Child Protection and Safe Ministry procedures.
Following Parish Council, I have had a meeting with Bishop John Roundhill. He has indicated support on the issues that we are facing as a very small church but dealing with our issues is clearly going to be up to us.
Finally, Cyber and Internet Security – please continue to be vigilant; I am aware of some fake, scam emails being sent supposedly from parishioners but which aren’t from who they say. It is easy for criminals to take anyone’s email address – including mine – and to impersonate us. Please be careful!
.
Grace and peace and abundant life,
Rob
Dear Friends, Jesus says in the week’s Gospel reading, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” This is not how most of the world around us sees the Christian Church. The world around us appears surprised when we do proclaim God’s life in their world. The response to our church’s ANZAC involvement has been like this. People have been surprised that we are in their world and that we proclaim life and hope in darkness. I had one person after the Brookfield march and service say, “I’m an atheist but I’m so pleased that you prayed to your God for us; I liked your words.” This Sunday Jesus speaks of the safety and protection God offers us within his sheepfold but then also says that he, Jesus, will lead us out into the world. St Peter’s Epistle talks of God building a church of living stones. This is to be, like the sheepfold, a place of safety but also a place from which we proclaim what God has done for us. Last year our Archbishop called on churches to remember our veterans, to welcome them and their families into our churches and for us all to reflect upon the issues of war. Thank you to all who helped us to faithfully do this last Sunday. It is now apparent that God is building us up as a church. St Peter called on the early church, to let go of things that were stopping God individually feeding and collectively building God’s church. What do we need to let go? God is shaking the world around us; are we ready to receive those who are looking for the protection and the abundant life that Jesus is offering? Grace and peace and abundant life,
Dear Friends,
I’m wondering if the uncertainty around us is ‘the new normal.’
These certainly are ‘interesting times.’ The apparent certainty of the lives of so many
around us now appears much less certain. Our wealthy, western, ‘rules-based’ world
order has been shaken by a relatively small conflict in the Middle East.
Throughout recorded history war in the Middle East has sadly been normal. What’s
different this time is the second and third order effects. Who would have conceived of
a relatively small war shaking the very foundations of NATO and our relationship
with the US and the cost and availability of fuel and fertilizer in Australia?
For those who have always trusted in, ‘the rules’ (whatever the rules actually were); or
trusted in post WWII security alliances or in the availability and security of
international trade and travel; these times threaten what they have believed in.
For Christians, the current situation, whilst not what we might have hoped for, is what
our God has told us to expect. Everything that we are hearing and seeing and
experiencing (and even feeling) is what Jesus said would happen.
I appreciate and am grateful for the many, many blessings that I have in this world.
Each of these blessings is God made and is in themselves good; I don’t want to lose
any of them. Yet Jesus came to show us that none of these blessings matter nearly as
much as our relationship with God. God alone is the source and giver of the things
that matter, that abide (last forever) and are life giving.
Jesus lived and died without possessions, family, home or even worldly honour. Jesus
shows us a life giving, loving, relationship with God the Father that sustains us in this
life and through death and resurrection into heaven forever.
In our time after Easter, God is once again shaking the world in which we live; God is
calling us to let go of loving the things which will pass away and to seek the things
which last and are life giving forever.
As our world shakes, may you know God’s grace and peace and hope and life forever.
Hope to see you in church,
ROB
Rob
ROB
ROB
Dear Friends,
Sadly, very sadly, we have seen warfighting in our world before. In Australia and places like Western Europe and Asia we don’t have the direct effects of bombs, missiles, artillery and now armed drones and for this I thank God. We are again experiencing the indirect impacts of world conflicts; I expect to see our fuel prices going up and inflation and mortgage rates increasing and other economic effects. It might look much the same on the news but this time it’s different; this time countries are deliberately destroying each other’s ability to produce drinking water; so many countries, which have nothing to do with the main issue, are being deliberately targeted and drawn in.
This Sunday we have before us God’s words for confronting times. In each reading God announces a shaking up of the supposedly secure world order and in each God assures us of his presence, strength, light and hope in darkness.
Last Sunday, the children reminded us that God doesn’t always give us what we want but God knows what we need. Jesus again is showing us what really matters.
Like the blind man to whom Jesus gave sight then faith then courage to live his faith amidst opposition, we too are called to live a life that reflects God’s light into the world around us. Things people around us have believed in are being shaken but nothing should shake our faith in God’s promised eternal life with him.
When your world is threatened do you first check your bank balance, superannuation balance, car’s petrol tank, electricity connection (or generator) or your relationship with God? We of course check on children and family but before we even attempt to save others we need to know on whom we are relying to save us.
It’s time to let people know and see that you are relying upon the Good Shepherd.
This week in the UK is Dementia Prayer week and although in Australia Dementia Awareness week occurs in September, I have included a prayer within this GNT.
This week’s bulletin includes details of Holy Week and Easter Services plus Palm Cross making and our Working Bee.
Grace and peace and hope and life,
ROB
Dear Friends,
In a world of turmoil, sudden outbursts of warfighting and destruction, fear and global uncertainty, I take great comfort that our God warned us, prepared us for this to happen.
Jesus was actually looking at the temple in Jerusalem when he told his disciples that in the coming years there would be wars and rumours of wars. Jesus told them that the temple that they were looking at, the things that they had believed were the most important would be torn down as signs and warnings that our future, our heaven, our eternal life are not on earth. Jesus showed that though this world is temporary and will pass away, God and our relationship with God through Jesus are eternal. In each generation some things that humankind strives for, trusts and hopes in will be shaken or shattered as a warning to us all.
I am saddened, but not surprised, that powerful people use weapons of war to attack other powerful people. I am saddened by the suffering this causes people involved. My hope and my prayer is that in the darkness people will find God’s light and hope and eternal life. Let us remember that often we can only see Gods’ light in the darkness and that our God loves us so much that he is prepared to take us into darkness so that we can find his true life.
Portia’s confirmation last Sunday came about as a result of her family coming back into a deeper relationship with God as a result of a great family sadness. In the valley of the shadow of death God is with us.
This Sunday we welcome Bishop John Roundhill and his wife Frances. Bishop John will lead our worship and will preach and he also says that he has come to listen to us. After Morning Tea, he will have a meeting with the new Parish Council as part of that listening.
Next week I will provide the full schedule of our Holy Week and Easter Services.
Grace and peace and hope and life,
ROB
Dear Friends,
It’s hard to believe this Sunday we will be in March; already!
I am grateful to everyone who participated in our Parish Annual General Meeting and for such positive outcomes. I welcome the newly elected Helen Donovan and Richard Ponsonby and Bronwen Thomas (who is continuing) as our Church Wardens this year.
The other newly elected member of Parish Council is Nigel Jones. I thank last year’s Parish Council for their positive and constructive approach to business and look forward to working with the new PC.
As I mentioned in my report (and a corrected version is attached to this GNT) we continue to have considerable challenges in maintenance, administration and finance ahead of us, BUT we have begun growing as a church.
Please let me again thank all involved in making St Michael’s truly a place where God is faithfully worshipped, where God’s people are nourished and from whence God’s love, life and hope are shared into our community.
Your feedback on our ‘positive’ approach to Lent this year has been helpful. Jesus’s time in the wilderness, upon which our Lent tradition is based, was time for Jesus to take his relationship with God the Father to a new and stronger level, a time of preparation for what was ahead. Jesus gave up some things for a while so that he could take up other things. Jesus in the wilderness, away from the normal routine of the world, had time to pray, time to reflect upon the Word of the Lord, and time to be tested and to prepare for his life and ministry ahead.
Like Jesus, this Lent is our opportunity to strengthen our relationship with God the Father. I encourage you to find some time, to give up whatever you need to, so that you too can listen to God and learn to let God’s Holy Spirit produce love, hope, peace and even joy in your relationship and life with God. Remember the mobile phone God gave you for Christmas – it’s time to start using it to talk to and listen to God.
Portia’s confirmation by Bishop Rob this Sunday, is affirmation of her call to ‘live as a disciple of Christ’. This is God’s call to each of us so, please join us for this celebration of life and hope in our church.
Grace and peace and hope and life,
ROB
ROB
ROB
Dear Friends,
There is lots of excitement all around us!
Australia Day is an opportunity for us as a nation to think about who we are and who we should be. Sadly, in my view, we waste the opportunity and instead ‘selectively’ celebrate the past. As a church we have a similar opportunity; this Sunday we look at the beginning of Jesus’s ministry and at what he calls his disciples to be. Christmas was important; it happened; it was miraculous and wonderful but it’s the past; more important for us now is who Jesus is calling us to be.
This Sunday, Jesus again calls his first disciples. Matthew’s Gospel tells the story slightly differently from St John’s account last week but again we have readings which allow us to consider what we have been called by Jesus to be and to do.
I know that school doesn’t recommence until after Australia Day, but our church year is racing ahead. This year Easter is in early April with Maundy Thursday on 2 Apr and Easter Sunday 5 April. Lent will therefore start with Ash Wednesday on 18 February. I’m thinking about what Lenten study might be helpful for us; if anyone has thoughts or suggestions, I’d be happy to hear them.
I’m grateful to Bronwen Thomas for putting together a DRAFT Parish Roster running from 31 Jan. There are copies at the back of the church, but we can also forward electronically to any who want it – please just ask. We have always been a highly participative church and I welcome as much involvement as possible but please don’t feel pressured to continue doing what you may have in the past. If there are some gaps we can usually cover these within the sanctuary but they also provide opportunities for new members to take a more active role.
Please note the details in the Notices and on the Notice Boards of, Ladies’ and Men’s breakfasts, Ash Wednesday, Parish Annual General Meeting and our Bishop’s visit.
It is also time to recommence our prayer list. Please let me know (email is the most useful) if you would like someone added to our published Parish Prayer List. Please also always feel free to ask me to pray for people whose names or conditions you don’t wish publicised.
Hope to see you in church on Sunday.
Grace and peace and hope and life,
ROB
ROB
The Baptism of Jesus –11 January 2026
Dear Friends,
We as a family have had a lovely week away at the beach and it is nice to now be back here and home; time to get fully into our year.
My thanks to Rev’d Angela for leading whilst I was away.
This Sunday we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus. My first reaction to this (which is only recorded in Matthew’s Gospel) is like John the Baptist, to question why Jesus, the only sinless human being, why Jesus needed to be baptised. That’s a point for me to ponder in my sermon.
We shall also use this opportunity to reaffirm our own baptism commitments. As part of this reaffirmation, if any have symbols that were given at your own baptism or confirmation, please feel free to bring them along on Sunday.
We, as a parish, remain in ‘holiday mode’ and won’t recommence our mid-week services for another couple of weeks. I have a few projects from our Archbishop and Bishop to keep me occupied in my spare time. This coming Sunday we also have our first Parish Council meeting of the year.
It is also time to ‘recommence’ our prayer list. Please let me know (email is the most useful) if you would like someone added to our published Parish Prayer List. Please also always feel free to ask me to pray for people whose names or conditions you don’t wish publicised.
Hope to see you in church on Sunday.
Grace and peace and hope and life,
ROB
Dear Friends,
Blessed New Year! I hope and pray that 2026, the year ahead, is ‘God breathed’ for you, that you and all of us may know God’s love, joy, peace and hope in our lives. This is plenty of darkness and sadness, too many without hope in this world – may you know in your hearts and minds and souls, God’s light which shines in the darkness and which no darkness has ever overcome.
This brief ‘holiday edition’ of GNT comes from a table which, although in the shade, has a wonderful sea breeze. I shall be back to work as usual next week but am very much enjoying a few days away. Rev’d Angela will be leading worship on Sunday 4 Jan 2026.
This Sunday we celebrate the Epiphany or revelation of Jesus to the gentiles. This event, which is only recorded in Matthew’s Gospel, has its conclusion in the final words of Jesus according to Matthew, when Jesus commands his followers to go and to make disciples of all nations. The ‘good news’ of Christmas, Immanuel – God with us – is for the whole world!
This sending the good news beyond just Judaism to the whole world is the reason we know of God’s salvation. Like God bringing the shepherds – outsiders – to Bethlehem to worship Jesus, bringing the Magi – foreigners to worship was similarly symbolic and prophetic and future focused.
Grace and peace and hope and life,
ROB
Dear Friends,
What a wonderful celebration of the Birth of the Lord we have had!
It was a joy to share with so many people; we had about 70 on Christmas Eve and about 55 on Christmas Morning – some of us were there more than once.
My hope, my wish and my prayer is that we will indeed celebrate the reality of God’s love for us, will know that Immanuel, God is with us and will let the reality of God’s presence both flourish in our lives now and lead us to heaven (to live with him there).
Thank you to all who came to worship – there were so many that we nearly ran out of chocolate.
Special thanks to all (particularly parents and grandparents) who worked to make the Nativity Play such a success. It was a joy to see the uncomplicated faith of young people. I hope this different presentation of the Gospel gives you a chance to think more deeply about the meaning for you of the Birth of our Lord.
This Sunday after Christmas we encounter Jesus as a refugee fleeing with Mary and Joseph to Egypt to escape Herod’s persecution; we will consider a little more the question, ‘what do we find when we look in the manger?’
Please don’t let Christ-mas – which should really be translated in English as ‘Hope-mas’ or ‘Salvation-mas’ – please don’t let Christmas end now that dinner is over and the wrapping paper is in the recycling bin. Please let God’s gift of personal love to you, like a book that needs to be read or a toy that needs to be played with, (or in my case a coffee cup that needs to be used), please let Christmas live in your life.
As Isaiah prophesied and as the angel said to Joseph, the child will be called Immanuel for God is with us.
Grace and peace and hope and life,
ROB
If anyone ever tried to suggest that following our God is boring then this Sunday’s readings (and I hope worship) should show how wrong that is. OK; perhaps I too find some parts of the Old Testament underwhelming – the genealogies and the rules for temple worship aren’t exactly ‘action packed’ but John the Baptist is about as ‘un-boring’ as you can imagine. John fits in the category of fascinating and amazing character like Sampson the superstrong, Elijah the warrior prophet and David the shepherd boy who brought down the mighty warrior Goliath. Even the ‘establishment figures’ the Sadducees and the Pharisees from Jerusalem went out into the wilderness to see and hear and to even be baptized by John the Baptist.
This Sunday we have the chance to think about John, his amazing life and God’s purpose for him in the whole history of God’s plan to save people from going to hell.
I continue to receive wonderful feedback from many people in our community for our Arts & Crafts Exhibition. People enjoyed coming to visit us and to get to know us. My thanks of course again to the wonderful hard-working, passionate, effective organizing committee AND also to everyone who played a role in making this a success. We have raised some money towards maintaining our church and hall AND we have engaged wonderfully with our community.
I hope and pray that your Advent, your time of preparation for God’s personal coming into the world is progressing. Our Bible readings are leading us to do the work of preparation; John the Baptist tells us some of why Jesus came into the world as God’s Saviour. Isaiah the Prophet of God, about 700 years before John the Baptist, similarly started to tell people that God would send a saviour and that they should be prepared for him. Our music is also helping us to prepare. This week ‘On Jordan’s bank’ the Baptist will announce that the Lord is nigh and we will start to prepare all ye faithful to come and adore God’s saviour. Next Sunday, Joy to the World will remind us that every heart needs to prepare room for Jesus to come into our lives, room to be loved and adored by us.
Advent is a time for us to get rid of anything that does not fit into the life that Jesus is calling us to live. What hopes, dreams, careers, expectations of others or just ‘stuff’ is God calling each of us to leave behind, to clean out this Advent?
Please note we will not be having Morning Prayer on Wednesdays from Christmas Eve until we resume on 21 Jan 2026.
Hope to see you ‘back in church’ on Sunday.
Grace and peace and hope and life,
ROB
ROB
ROB
ROB
ROB
ROB
ROB
Dear Friends,
It has been for me a week of letting go and saying goodbye; not personally and not just to our wonderful Queensland winter but to those who have been much loved. This Sunday we will commemorate St Matthew and celebrate much that we have received through him but also remember that God let him be killed, martyred, for his work as a faithful evangelist in Ethiopia.
During the funeral for Joan Morgan on Thursday, her son Peter gave a beautiful eulogy. He noted the many tough times in his mother’s life but also shared the joy of growing up in a house filled with her singing. Joan was 88 and needed much care, which Peter had lovingly given for years, but Peter shared, without directly quoting from Ecclesiastes 3, that there is a time to be born, a time to do things and a time to die.
I preached about the eternity of God’s love and hope – love is the essence of the nature of God’s relationships within Godself and the essence of the relationship that God both offers and hopes for from us. I spoke of Jesus telling and leading his disciples to heaven through his own death. Our Christian hope is to live perfectly loved by God forever.
How do we, both as a church and personally as followers of Jesus, how do we show leadership in this matter, in our personal courage, our faith, to follow Jesus through death to heaven? This I have discussed over the past week with our Archbishop and with a bishop and with a surgeon and with parishioners and others.
Why are we, we who say that we believe in God’s love and eternal life and salvation and heaven, why are we so reluctant to let go when God says, ‘It’s time to come home.’? Just because modern medicine offers to extend our lives and modern care in nursing homes stops us from dying of accidents and infections, should we accept these offers of life extension?
This week I will visit my father in Melbourne. He has over the years accepted medical age extensions; he now lives with excellent, death preventing care but, in his dementia, he wishes his life was over and asks why God won’t bring him home.
In the Gospels and New Testament, many of Jesus’s most faithful followers God allows to be killed as young men. Why do we, as God’s followers, hope to live a long life on earth?
These issues are deep and personal and complex; I’m not suggesting this is simple. My hope is not for a long life but for a long eternity surrounded by God’s love. Grace and peace and hope and love,
ROB
ROB
ROB
Rob
Rob
Rob
1 June 2025
Rob
Rob
Rob
Rob
Rob
Rob
Rob
Palm Sunday
Maundy Thursday
Reading John 13:1-17 & 31-35 (you can read also John Chapters 13, 14, 15, 16 & 17 which all happen at the Last Supper)
Good Friday
Rob
6 April 2025
Rob
30 March 2025
Rob
23 March 2025
Rob
16 March 2025
Rob
Rob
Rob
16 Feb 25
Rob
9 Feb 25
Rob
2 Feb 25
Rob
26 Jan 25
Rob
Rob
12 January 2025
Rob
8 December 24
Rob
1 December 2024
Rob
24 November 24
Rob
10 November 24
Dear Friends,
This is one of those tough times to be God’s people, God’s church. In the midst of life we are surrounded by death. With the tragedies around us both close to home and far away, I have again had people asking, ‘Why did your God let such bad things happen?’ It’s a good, a very good question when people are seeing images of the Middle East, images of a car running over a fence at a school in Hawthorne killing an 11 year old student.
The sadness of the reality of death and its impact on families is not lost on God. In John 10, we read that ‘Jesus wept’ when he encountered Mary and Martha grieving the death of their brother Lazarus. Jesus himself didn’t avoid death; Jesus rather points our God’s particular blessings and comfort for those who mourn.
I have, and we all should have, words of hope for those who are facing death and for those who mourn. There is a time for words but first, we should do as Jesus did, first we should allow the emotion of our human condition to be real. I try to offer understanding, empathy and love before words of comfort. We, like every human being, we will all die, only the time and method are unknown.
We need to have words to justify our position and our Christian hope of resurrection to eternal life with God in heaven, but more than that, our lives need to show those around us that we believe our words, that we believe Jesus’s words, believe God’s promises.
Jesus showed that death is the natural process at the end of our earthly lives. Jesus could have extended his life on earth, his followers offered to fight for him, and of course he could have summoned the powers of heaven. Instead, Jesus accepted death, a very painful, ignominious death, a crucifixion. Jesus died and then God raised him to life and then he ascended into heaven. Jesus through death shows us God’s plan; he has led the way for us to follow.
Does the world around us, do our families and friends see us accepting death or fighting against it? If people see us personally fighting too hard against death they can question our faith in God and in his eternal life.
For me the two sadnesses of death are the impact on those left behind and the great sadness of those who choose not to follow Jesus. I believe that heaven is real and so is hell. God invites all into his kingdom but only those who don’t reject God’s invitation will have God’s eternal life. This motivates me to live my life showing confidence in God’s eternal life. Living a good life is nice but living as a child of God, living as a confident inheritor of eternal life is a more important witness.
This Sunday, we remember All Saints and All Souls. We are right to mourn; it’s OK to be sad, to weep. It’s vital in our sadness to know and to show God’s comfort; important to know and to show that we are firm in our faith and our hope and God’s love.
I look forward to this opportunity in our church to remember, to cherish, to grieve and to celebrate the love of those whose love and lives we have shared and to be thankful for God’s eternal love.
Grace and peace and hope,
Rob
3 November 24
Rob
27 October 24
Rob
20 October 24
Rob
13 October 24
Rob
6 October 24
Rob
29 Sep 24
Rob
22 Sep 24
Rob
15 Sep 24
Rob
8 Sep 2024
Rob
1 Sep 24
Rob
25 August 2024
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18 August 2024
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11 August 2024
Rob
4 August 2024
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28 July 2024
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21 July 24
Rob
14 July 2024
Pentecost VI Sunday – 30 June 2024
Rob
30 June 2024
Rob
23 June 2024
Rob
16 June 2024
Pentecost III Sunday – 9 June 2024
Rob
9 June 2024
Pentecost II Sunday – 2 June 2024
Dear Friends,
Welcome to the second half of the church’s year. Since Advent, last December, we have been focussing on the special ‘life of Jesus’ events. We have celebrated the prophesies of and then the reality of the Saviour’s birth at Christmas; we then worked through Jesus’s baptism and ministry and then his suffering, crucifixion, death, burial and then the joyous demonstration of God’s power and love in the resurrection of Jesus at Easter. Our ‘life of Jesus’ journey culminates with the Ascension into heaven and then the handover, the coming of the Holy Spirit.
After all these Christian events, we now move into the time of thinking, and doing and being God’s church, God’s people, God’s witnesses living and working, in the world. These ‘Ordinary Sundays’ are our opportunities to think of the real issues in our world, for our families, and in our lives.
Jesus has said that he will not leave us alone, without help, without comfort.
The purpose of the dramatic events of Pentecost with the Holy Spirit coming upon the disciples with the sound of a rushing wind and with flames of fire appearing on their heads was to show them that the same God whom they had known in Jesus, was with them in the Holy Spirit.
Our task is now to be and to go and to do what Jesus did. This is much harder than being faithful observers or passengers in Jesus’s journey. We are to be God’s own hands and arms and voices for those around us in God’s world. The good news is that we are to have the same power that was in Jesus, the power of God, of God’s Holy Spirit.
Jesus’s final words to his disciples “… but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses in [the world].’
May the power of God come upon us and our church in God’s world.
Grace and peace and hope
Rob
2 June 2024
Rob
26 May 2024
Rob
19 May 2024
Rob
12 May 2024
Rob
5 May 2024
Rob
25 April 2024
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21 April 2024
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14 April 2024
Rob
7 April 2024
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31 March 2024
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24 March 2024
Rob
17 March 2024
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10 March 2024
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3 March 2024
Rob
25 Feb 2024
FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT 18th FEBRUARY 2024.
Rob
18 Feb 2024
Rob
11 Feb 2024
Dear Friends,
We are living in ‘interesting times’; the weather around us, in its extent and spread, is unlike anything I can remember. We have had cyclones and floods before and bushfires and heatwaves, but I can’t remember so many spread over such a vast part of our nation.
I have been in touch with various clergy colleagues affected. Two of my chaplains one in Townsville and one on Brisbane’s northside have been affected; they and their families are fine and their houses will recover but it is very unsettling. Throwing out the contents of fridges and freezers because the power has been off for too long, tearing up carpet that stinks and piling thing up on the footpath is dispiriting. I encourage you all to check in on any you know in affected areas. We may be able to do no more than listen; this may be all that is needed.
This month is our reporting and Annual General Meeting, month. I’ve been looking at out attendance figures and, thanks to all of you who come to church so regularly, they are encouraging; if nothing else, we have stopped our decline in numbers. The rest will have to wait for the AGM.
Sunday’s Gospel passage from Mark 1 has Jesus visiting Peter’s home. Once again, the lessons are in Jesus’s actions, and we will look at what Jesus did when he made a ‘home visit’. Here in Peter’s house, we see Jesus being involved in and bringing God’s love into the realities of our normal lives.
My thanks to everyone involved in the Moggill Markets on Saturday. It certainly was warm and humid enough! So nice to have the church grounds looking lovely after the working bee last weekend.
May you know the love of God in the reality of your normal lives.
Grace and peace and hope
Rob
4 February 2024
Dear Friends,
Writing this first letter of the year at the end of January feels a bit like Mark’s Gospel – in both cases we are at the beginning of a year but are already in the midst of the action.
So, THANK YOU (that’s a very, big thankyou) to everyone who turned up yesterday to help in our working bee outside and inside the church. It was very hot but very successful with over 20 people involved. Thanks also to those who turned up a day early to get a start on the mowing; thanks for the breakfast.
It was great, last Sunday, to see so many back from everywhere and there’s some excitement (and a lot more traffic) now that schools are also back.
The month ahead of us is already busy:
· next weekend is Moggill Markets – our first opportunity to engage with our local community at ‘our place’;
· 14 February is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent;
· Our Annual General Meeting will be held after church on Sunday 25 February
This Sunday we continue following Jesus in Mark Chapter 1; again it’s about what we see Jesus doing rather than any profound words. 2000 years ago and today, people may have tried to avoid Jesus’s words but it’s almost impossible to ignore what Jesus does.
St Mark is inviting us to judge Jesus as we would a book or a pudding or a house or rally anything, not by the cover but by the content. It was the reality of Jesus rather than His words which challenged 2000 years ago; it should be the reality of God at work in our lives which challenges the world around us today.
Do people see God at work in our lives?
Grace and peace and hope
Rob
28th January 2024.
Rob
24 December 2023
Dear Friends,
Christmas may not be quite here but holidays certainly are. Yes, it’s more stressful for parents juggling everything but there is a youthful energy and excitement all around us. Whilst I love the brightness that I see all around in shopping centers and even decorated houses and trees along the roadside; it is hard to find much that speaks of Jesus; hard to see anyone putting their hope in God.
It was into a world such as this that the Son of God broke or smashed his way in from heaven. Jesus comes personally to bring and to be God’s hope. Israel and Judah were occupied by the Romans; power rested with the Army who supported a Roman Governor. Ordinary people were struggling financially under the Roman tax burden and burdens imposed by the Jewish religious authorities.
There were many offers of hope. The Romans offered the Pax Romana, the absence of war within the Empire. The religious authorities offered peace with God if you could pay your temple tax and could provide the appropriate animals to be sacrificed. Armed gangs offered freedom if you joined their armed rebellion.
Today, we (or our children or grandchildren) are similarly stressed and pressured; there are many offers of hope apparent. I don’t need any more offers of Christmas joy sent to me from unsolicited text messages or emails, no more Christmas sales, no more movies trying to convince me that a perfect Christmas is a happy family in a snow-covered house with a large roast turkey dinner. Perhaps in this heat a snow-covered house for Christmas has some appeal but, let’s not go there.
This Advent, as you prepare for Christmas, please think about from whence you are hoping that your love, joy and peace will come.
God is sending, Jesus is personally bringing and being, God’s joy into our world; joy breaks in at Christmas but only those who are looking for it, whose hearts long for it and whose lives have time for God’s joy will find it.
Let every heart (and life) prepare him room and heaven and nature sing, and heaven and nature sing, and heaven, and heaven and nature sing.
Grace and peace and hope and life
Rob
17 December 2023
Rob
19 Nov 2023
Rob
12 November 2023
Dear Friends,
Welcome to our Sunday when we celebrate ‘All Saints’ which in ancient times was called ‘All Hallows’. For me this is a celebration of our relationship with God (and if people can hand out chocolate the night before All Hallows Day on ‘All Hallows E’en’ then we certainly should be able to celebrate our relationship with God with chocolate.)
I’m not a great fan of the official list of saints. I don’t doubt that those who are so recognised deserve it but I think God has a much, much, much bigger list than the various churches have come up with.
If saints are people who love and follow Jesus then what does that mean for each of us?
This Sunday we will celebrate the relationships that saints have with God; we will sing and give thanks to God for the lives of, ‘.. all the saints, who from their labours rest.’ We will check to see if our hopes are reflected in the lives of those who we regard as saints.
I would rather call this Sunday, ‘All Hopes’!
May we all learn from the lives and witness of the Christian saints who have gone before us and celebrate those who live around us.
Grace and peace and hope and love and joy
Rob
5 Nov 2023
Dear Friends,
What daunting times these are; the world that we thought we knew and in which we thought we could trust seems to be collapsing in around us. I find the things happening in our world, and in our nation and in our community, our diocese and even our own families and lives very challenging – so challenging that it can be hard to see where God is in all of this.
We had a helpful Bible Study discussion as part of Morning Prayer last Wednesday looking at Joshua as a focus on the Israel and Gaza but also on Matthew 24 looking at world events.
The disciples were shocked and probably dismayed when Jesus told them that the temple, Solomon’s temple, in which they trusted would be destroyed. Jesus warned them of wars to come and of natural disasters and of course they Jesus was about to show that even he was going to suffer and die to open the way to heaven.
I suspect that God shakes the world around us, our church, even into our own families and our own lives so that we learn not to hope or trust the love of anything or anyone in this world ahead of God. God shows us again and again and again that his light shines in the darkness (even the deepest darkness or the valley of the shadow of death) and no darkness has or will overcome God’s light if we look for it.
Part of me wishes that I could offer everyone God’s richest blessings of good times and great love in this world; the Bible only lets me do so if I also point to a God who shows his love to the outcasts and the sick and the lame and those who have suffered in this world.
Matthew West sings of a ‘broken and beautiful gone mad and magical, awfully wonderful life,’ in God.
I am so very grateful for the love and the blessings that I have; I have much and many; but these should point me to God and show me the nature of God (for God is love and God longs to bless us in the heavenly places) not suffice in place of God.
All my hope on God is founded; he is my eternal source of hope; his light shines in the darkness – no matter how dark.
Grace and peace and hope and joy,
Rob
22 Oct 23
Rob
15 October 2023
Rob
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1 October 2023
Rob
24 Sep 2023
Rob
17 Sep 2023
Rob
Rob
3 September 2023
Dear Friends,
Spring has certainly sprung early with all around us seemingly bursting back to life. I have to add lawn mowing into my schedule but God has lovingly given me more daylight into which to fit this walking around my garden.
In our liturgical year we also are at a turning point. Our Gospel passage Matthew 16 in which the seemingly fearless Simon declares Jesus to be the Messiah is the pivotal point of this Gospel; everything has been leading up to Peter’s declaration that Jesus is the Messiah. Similarly in our Epistle, Romans 12 is the point where Paul gets to the point where he says, ‘Therefore my beloved brethren …’ This Sunday we shall explore who, after 16 chapters of Jesus’s actions, we say Jesus is and what, after 11 chapters of background, Paul would have us do.
We have a busy week ahead with Moggill Markets again on Saturday; thank you to all involved. I hope that we can continue to build on the opportunities that we have with local children who come during the markets to our Church Children’s Craft. I know it’s hard for parents to get to church with young families on Sunday morinings, so we now make sure we have the ‘Sunday activities’ for children when families come to the markets.
I had the opportunity this past week to spend a few days at the Southern Region clergy conference. It would have been nice to stay longer but I did find time for a short walk (and a really nice ice cream) on the beach. I’m not a huge fan of such conferences but the time spent with other clergy sharing meals and chatting about common interests and issues was helpful for one who is still a ‘new boy’. There was much goodwill and willingness to share ideas and resources.
My final point is to pass on to you just some of the gratitude that has been shared with me for the charitable contributions we have made to ministries around us. The amounts we were able to share are not huge but the impact of our love has been amazing – thank you all.
Grace and peace and hope and life
Rob
27 August 2023
Rob
20 August 2023
Rob
13 Aug 2023
Rob
6 August 2023
Rob
30 July 2023
Rob
23 July 2023
Rob
9 July 2023
Rob
2 July 2023
Rob
25 June 2023
Rob
18 June 2023
Rob
11 June 2023
Rob
14 May 2023
Rob
7 May 2023
Dear Friends,
Christ is risen indeed!
This Sunday we will commemorate our past and present ANZACs within our worship. There will be other
opportunities to remember those who have served, those who have died, those who have been wounded,
injured or become ill as a result of their service in our name and to remember their families. There will be
dawn services and marches on ANZAC Day and I commend them to you but this Sunday is our occasion to
think and to pray as Christians.
As Christians, we believe that Jesus taught that “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for
one’s friends.” And then Jesus did lay down his life for his friends, for us. We approach our commemoration
as people who believe that soldiers, sailors and aviators suffer not for their own sins but for the evil of others
in our world. Also, we believe that eternal life with our God is possible after death for all who have faith in
God; it is important that we include these in our ANZAC Commemoration.
Jesus victory over sin and death, eternal life in all its fullness, healing of moral and spiritual wounds are the
critical difference that our God and we his church offer those who have served in our nation’s and other
armed forces.
Because Jesus is risen, not only will we remember them, we also offer healing and hope.
We have a high concentration (4 times the national average) of current and former serving members and
families in our parish area. This Sunday we will thank God for the work of many to help our veterans and
families but it is not enough. With our local RSL subbranch and with DVA and with others we will explore
what we can do as a church to bring God’s healing and love, of which Jesus spoke and then showed us
personally, to our veterans and their families.
Grace and peace and hope and love
Rob
23 April 2023
Rob
16 April 2023
Rob
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Rob
26 March 2023
Rob
12 March 2023
FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT – 26th FEBRUARY 2023.
Dear Friends,
It seems anachronistic to say “Welcome to Lent,” but I value the opportunity that this season of preparation affords us. We will use this time of preparation for Easter to look at our relationship with God and also with those people and things that God has put into our lives. Having unwrapped God’s Christmas present to us, what are we doing with it?
This morning we have our Annual general Meeting after church. As I said last week, if you are able to be part of this that would be helpful. I hope that the meeting will be light on reports, which are the past, and strong on the future. I have asked that reports be printed for pre-reading and that those presenting reports limit themselves to a maximum of three points. I want the hard work that so many have done this past year to be recognised; it is a great foundation for our coming year.
Next Sunday we have Bishop John Roundhill, our Regional Bishop joining us. He has volunteered to give the children’s talk and to preach do the other normal things bishops do when they visit. This is our opportunity for us to listen to him but also for him, representing our dioces, to listen to us. He wants to meet as many as possible particularly over morning tea. Bishop John will also meet with our new Parish Council.
This Sunday has led to the traditions of fasting and abstinence for which Lent is unfortunately known. Although there is benefit in a period of time without things that distract us from God, this is not going to be my focus in Lent. And, even purists acknowledge that every Sunday in Lent remains a celebration of Jesus’ resurrection and love for us. (Yes, we can still have morning tea and cake after church on Sundays).
This week we commence our Lenten studies; please talk to Angela if you would like to join her Friday evening group or to me if you would like to join me on Wednesday morning. Details of how to access the study book are again in the notices
I’ve repeated the notice with details of how to support the people of Syria and Turkey through ABM. Although we know we must all die some time, this is a desperately sad time for millions of our fellow human beings.
Grace and peace and hope
Rob
26 Feb 2023
THE BAPTISM OF OUR LORD 8th JANUARY.
EPIPHANY ONE
Reflection
THE EPIPHANY
or The Manifestation of Christ in the Gentiles
The long search for God and His truth has not been limited to any one people. To those who seek, God reveals Himself. In that most Jewish of documents – Matthew's Gospel – we find the universality of Christ revealed in this birth story. Jesus comes to the Jew first and also to the Gentile. Christians now see Him as the Saviour of all, but, as with all the Gospel messages, it is all much more personal than that.
The offerings of the Eastern Kings of old. Unto our Lord were incense, myrrh and gold; Incense because a God; gold as a King; And myrrh as to a dying man they bring. Instead of Incense, Blessed Lord, if we Can send a sigh or fervent prayer to thee, Instead of myrrh if we can but provide Tears that from penitential eyes do slide, And though we have no gold, if for our part We can present thee with a broken heart Thou wilt accept; and say those Eastern kings Did not present thee with more precious things.
(Nathan Wanley)
You may observe that the three Wise Men have appeared in the Christmas crib, noting the arrival of the season of Epiphany when we come to terms with the Christ Child in the incarnation.
Sunday’s in Epiphany last until Ash Wednesday. Blessings John.
Reflection I January 2023
THE NAMING AND CIRCUMCISION OF
OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.
The first day of the civil year
It belongs to the specific character of Christianity that is in an historical religion (C.H. Dodd). There is perhaps no more certain historical moment in Christianity than this moment, when a Jewish family does what all Jewish families must do for their sons. From the earliest moments of Luke’s Gospel the expected child is surrounded by omens and mystery, but here God’s Son meets us at His most human and vulnerable, in an ancient rite linking Him with Abraham and his descendants, in a domestic ceremony separating Him from the unbelief of the Gentile world. We now look back across the centuries, in which the Church has been conscious of the effective presence of Christ, and we see this circumcision as the consecration of Salvation’s history in Israel, enjoining us to sanctify our births, families, customs and times – including this new calendar year. He shared a name that was common amongst Jewish boys – Jesus – Joshua – The Lord helps, or saves. Though we shall never minimise the transcendent mystery of God, Jesus, in His name, reminds us that God acts and loves.
Saints in the Lectionary this week.
SAINT THOMAS
Apostle and martyr.
Thomas the Doubter was the first to confess the Divinity of Christ! (John 20,28) ‘Thomas answered him, “My lord and my God”. It is impossible to estimate the millions who were brought to the same confession because of Thomas, but the churches which Thomas founded in India have kept Christianity alive, and extended the faith which survives there to the present time. At first Thomas was an impulsive believer: ‘Let us all go with the Teacher, so that we may die with him!’ (John 11,16) When the crucifixion took place the darkness closed around him and we can understand his doubt when he was confronted with the impossible! ‘Unless I see......I will not believe’ (John 20,24). The doubt of Thomas stands in the record so that we may be able to face our doubt. Even the most radical doubt is not a cause to despair. ‘Doubt indeed has its time and place. In the present period no one, not even the theologian, can escape it. But the theologian should not despair, because this age has a boundary beyond which again and again he may obtain a glimpse when he begs God, “Thy kingdom come”. Doubt is to be endured. The words of Lady Julian are also relevant here:
‘ Christ did not say ‘Thou shall not be tempted, thou shall not be travailed, thou shall not be afflicted’ but He say ‘Thou shall not be overcome”. The final confession of Thomas remains an encouragement to faith even at the point where everything is slipping away from us.
NICHOLAS OF MYRA
Bishop and philanthropist
Santa Claus is a corruption of Saint Nicholas for Nicholas as Myra is Father Christmas. In the iconography of the Church his symbol is sometimes three bags of gold; the dowry he gave to three daughters of a poor man so that they might marry. Children wait on Santa not for gold but for a present they would love to receive. As we approach the crass materialism and superficiality of the modern Christmas we will recall that the giving of gifts began when ‘God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.’ (John 3.16) Nicholas is also the patron of Russia and of sailors.
AMBROSE OF MILAN
Bishop and teacher
Born c.339 died 397
Ambrose was an unbaptised catachumen and a provisional Governor when he was chosen Bishop of Milan. The administrative problems in the Diocese were exhaustive but Ambrose kept his head above water. He boldly affirmed the freedom of the Church. ‘The emperor is within the church; he is not above it.’ He might have been surprised to see that the Church has not yet resolved the problem of it’s relation to secular authorities. Ambrose baptised Augustine of Hippo. In the confessions Augustine left us many beautiful cameos of his mentor.
When Ambrose read, his eyes scanned the page and his heart explored the meaning, but his voice was silent and his tongue was still. All could approach him freely and it was not usual for visitors to be announced.
Every Sunday I listened to him preach the word of truth to the people, and I grew more and more certain that it was possible to unravel the tangle woven by those who deserved me.
During the struggle with the heretical Empress the devoted people stayed day and night in the church ready to die with their Bishop.
Ambrose is the author of the first great Latin hymns of the Church.
O may no sin our hands defile.
Or cause our minds to rove;
Upon our lips be simple truth,
And in our hearts be love!
Reflection from Reverend John Cuffe
SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST
The museum Unter den Linden in Colmar houses the triptych of Matthias Grunewald originally painted as the altarpiece for the abbot’s chapel in the monastery of Issenheim. The dying Christ is portrayed ‘with an unsparing horror of pain, despair, and putrefaction; the mother of Jesus supported by the beloved disciple; Mary Magdalen kneeling in frenzied prayer to Christ; and on the other side, John the Baptist’. John has the Old Testament open in his left hand and with his right hand he points to the crucified Lord. It is symbolic of John’s place between the old dispensation and the new. His dress and diet, his preaching and political commitment, are all reminiscent of the Old Testament prophets but he also discerns the extraordinary character of Christ’s mission. Ecce Agnus Dei. Behold the Sacrifice offered by God. As the Fore-runner of Christ he occupies an important place in Jewish tradition. Josephus writes: ‘John was a good man who commanded the Jews to exercise virtue, both in doing right towards one another and in piety towards God, and so to come to baptism.’ In our time Karl Barth fastened upon the image of John as a living parable of the duty of every preacher and theologian, to point steadfastly in one direction and in one only – to Jesus Christ.
Reflection from Reverend John Cuffe
We have already discussed the origin of this season as the first part of the Christmas season. Indeed, the First Sunday in Advent is the day on which the liturgically year begins. Advent is a season during which the Church recalls and liturgically re-lives the Old Testament expectation of the coming of the Messiah, together with some of the events which immediately preceded his first advent (a word which means ‘coming’). The Tree Year Series revives the old Spanish and Milanese custom of observing a festival of the Annunciation just before Christmas by centring the readings on the Fourth Sunday in Advent on this event. The Advent season also reminds us of other ‘comings’ of the Lord: his coming to just in our daily lives, in the breaking of the bread, in his little ones (see Matthew 25.40, and wherever two or three are gathered together in his name; and in his final coming as King to rule the world at the End of time.
The making of an Advent Crown or Wreath is one custom which helps to capture the sense of expectation for the coming of the Messiah as the Advent season brings us closer to Christmas. On Christmas day the central candle is lit to signify that at last the light of the world has come to his own. The Advent Wreath reminds us that we have to prepare ourselves to receive Christ our King and asks us to examine ourselves to ask just what sort of a crown we are preparing for him. Traditionally, Advent is a penitential season during which purple vestments are worn and symbols of festivities such as flowers etc. are discouraged in view of our Lord’s own words about fasting and penitence as we prepare ourselves to receive the Christ Child on Christmas Day.
I hope you all have a fruitful Advent.
John .
FESTIVAL OF CHRIST THE KING
Why has the Feast of Christ the King, which apparently originated as recently as 1925, risen to such prominence? Was it devised (partly) in order to rehabilitate the idea and the institution of monarchy after the cataclysm of the First World War?
Only a few years after the Bolshevik October Revolution, and at a time in Europe after the First World War when fascism and dictatorships posed a serious threat, Pope Pius XI in 1925 did indeed inaugurate a new festival in honour of the Kingship of Christ. This was primarily intended to counter the claims of secularism by holding up the model of Christ, as King of the Creation, whose just and gentle rule is supreme.
In 1970, the RC Church moved the festival from its late-October date to the last Sunday in the church year: not only was its importance in the calendar increased, but it came to be adopted by non-Roman churches, not least in the Anglican Communion. In the Church of England, after a tentative appearance in The Promise of His Glory, it was made a mandatory celebration in Common Worship, on the Sunday next before Advent.
Several theological and liturgical considerations account for the prominence of its observance. It concludes the Christian year with a climactic celebration that focuses on Christ as glorified Lord and King - a powerful reminder that praise of his Kingship is always the theme of the calendar. Many times it has been pointed out that every Sunday by its name, dominica, kyriake, is really designated as a day of Christ the King. In addition, this festival also deepens awareness of the final end of all things in the triumph of Christ: it brings the cycle of the liturgical year to an end, but looks forward to its turning again on Advent Sunday. Worship of Christ on his throne leads on to the message of Christ as Judge.
The spirituality of this festival must never be forgotten or understated. No one recognised this more than Henri Nouwen in his Sabbatical Journey: "on the last Sunday of the liturgical year, Christ is presented to us as the mocked King on the Cross as well of the King of the universe. The greatest humiliation and the greatest victory are both shown to us in today's liturgy. It is important to look at this humiliated and victorious Christ before we start the new liturgical year with the celebration of Advent. All through the year we have to stay close to the humiliation as well as to the victory of Christ, because we are called to live both in our own daily lives."
From the Church Times England. Thank you.
DEFENCE SUNDAY
Today (13 November 2022) is Defence Sunday, when we remember and pray for our Armed Forces and particularly for the Chaplains and their work. Also this week in the Lectionary we had an important day on Tuesday where we remembered to give thanks for –
The Saints, Martyrs, Missionaries and Teachers of the world wide Anglican Communion.
THE SAINTS, MARTYRS, MISSIONARIES AND TEACHERS OF THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION.
From every continent, of every colour and many tongues, they have been pleased to call themselves Church of England, Episcopalian and Anglican. It is often tortuous Middle Way with conservative evangelical Protestants, and all the shade in between, struggling at times for the ascendancy. Many find the tensions too great but others remain because they hope for a Church which can hold Rome, Canterbury, Geneva and Moscow in creative tension but full communion. There is no shame in being an Anglican and so long as our comprehensiveness is a Christian comprehensiveness then it is a glorious thing. Our apostolic ministry is a responsibility and a call to humility not pride.
Augustine, Anselm, Cranmer, Donne, Wesley, Keble, Temple, Bell, they were all Anglicans and with them we remember the great company of Anglican witnesses. But we are not Anglicans because of them. We must find for ourselves that this Church is Christ’s Church, the stock and root of His planting. This Church mediates Christ. Anglican sacraments are His sacraments making Christ present among His people. Anglican teaching presents the footprints of His ways and the outline of His face. We cannot profess belief in the great Papal error. We were not born in Greece or Russia. But we thank God that he has brought us into this Fellowship where we can be loyal Christians. We are a Communion of churches. There is only one Church, as there is only one Christ. We hope that we shall come one day to the Church’s centre, not in Canterbury but in Heaven.
SAINT LUKE THE EVANGELIST
Luke was a medical man (Colossians 4,14). He is widely regarded as the patron of physicians and surgeons. One strong and ancient tradition suggests that Luke was also a painter. For centuries he has been regarded as the patron of artists. It is as the author of a Gospel and of the Acts of the Apostles that he is best remembered. As the only Gentile evangelist he portrays Jesus in his international context, as Jewish Messiah but also Saviour of the world. Luke’s magnificent two volume history had, it it’s time, the feeling of vastness and space as it related the whole course of God’s saving acts, from the birth of John the Baptist right through to the proclamation of the Good News of salvation in the capital city of the World. We would be very much poorer without the material which is peculiar to Luke and which elicited from Dante the description of Luke’s first volume as the gospel of Christ’s meekness. Luke was deeply sensitive to the role of women: He alone tells us about Elizabeth (1,5-66), the woman who as a sinner (7,35-50), the widow of Nain (7,11-17), and the woman who blessed Christ’s mother (11,27). Mary also plays a most important role in Luke’s work.
Luke records eight vital instances of prayer in our Lord’s life which are not in the other gospels. Many of Luke’s unique passages show the Lord as one who is kind and deeply humane. Zacchaeus, the repentant thief at Calvary, the women of Jerusalem, and Dives and Lazarus are find examples of this element in Luke’s thought. Luke is also the New Testament theologian of the Holy Spirit, ‘For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say’ (Luke 12,12). An early writer tells us that Luke died in Greece at the age of eighty four. ‘He served the Lord constantly, wrote the gospel in Greek and died full of the Holy Spirit’. His symbol in iconography is a winged ox.
On the Sixteenth of October Fifteen-Fifty-five Nicholas Ridley, Bishop of London, and Hugh Latimer, Bishop of Worcester, were burnt at the stake in Oxford for refusing to accept the medieval doctrines of Transubstantiation and the Sacrifice of the Mass. Latimer, standing in the flames, cried out one of the immortal phrases of the Reformation, ‘Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man. We shall this day light such a candle by God’s grace England, as I trust, shall never be put out.’ There were many martyrs in these times and in retrospect we feel an overwhelming gratitude to them because they clarify the Reformation issue. The English Reformation was not a political matter surrounding the marital relations of a grotesque tyrant. The issue was: Shall England be Medieval and Papal Catholic or shall she be Catholic and Reformed. Latimer and Ridley died for the Reformed Faith which was a rediscovery of the Gospel.
SAINT MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS
‘Michael row the boat ashore, Alleluia’ recalls the tradition of Michael the Archangel as the receiver of the souls of the dead. But he is best remembered and honoured as the captain of the hosts of heaven. When there was war in heaven he cried out “Micha-El’, ‘Who is like God?’, and rallied the forces of light to throw the usurper Lucifer into the darkness and cold. ‘Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, who fought back with his angels; but the dragon was defeated, and he and his angels were not allowed to stay in heaven any longer. The huge dragon was thrown out – that ancient serpent, called the Devil or Satan, that deceived the whole world.’ (Revelation 12,7-9). (Two other angels are mentioned by name in the Bible: Gabriel, ‘Hero of God’, the angel of the Annunciation and Raphael, ‘God has healed’, who in an Apocryphal book heals Tobit’s blindness.) Satan is cold blooded, God is light and warmth. The spiritual strength of this is brought out by Seraphim of Sarov: ‘God is fire which warms and kindles our hearts. If we feel in our hearts the cold which comes from the devil – for the devil is cold – Let us pray to the Lord and he will come and warm our hearts with love for Him and for our neighbour, and before the warmth of his face, the cold of the enemy will be put to flight.’
FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Italian Friar, Preacher and Founder of
The Franciscan Order
Born 1181 died 1226
Francis Bernadone was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. For the first twenty years of his life he experienced and then pursued pleasure, comfort and self-glorification in the chivalry of the times. He remained unsatisfied until three experiences called him into another path. A leper on a bridle path called Francis to embrace the suffering and ugliness of the world. Francis kissed the leper and the leper was Christ for him. En route to war a voice called to Francis to leave the service of a temporal lord to serve the Lord of lords. In the ruins of Saint Damiano’s church the crucified Christ called Francis to rebuild the church. Francis led a revolution which was terrifying and complete; terrifying in its literal obedience to the poverty and emptiness of Christ in the world and complete because it led to the gift of the Stigmata when the five wounds of Christ were impressed upon his body.
The brotherhood of Francis is one of the glories of the Christian Church. Francis wanted all men to live in peace and brotherhood; to be friars, little brothers of Christ and of all men. There can be no barrier of race, colour or creed because there is only one Father of all. All centres and sources of life are witness to the Father: Brother Sun and Sister Moon, Brother Wolf and Sister Swallow, Brother Fire and Sister Water are all ikons of the Father. Francis did not shrink from death – Sister Death took him by the hand and led him into the Presence of God in whom all things are united and transfigured.