November 2021 Newsletter
Thanks to editor Mike and everyone who contributed to this month’s edition!
St Luke’s Pigeonholes – where to find them
October 2021 Newsletter
Worship online Sunday 14th November 2021
Holding Fast
Thanks to Deb for this mornings scripture reading.
Opening Prayer
Great and compassionate God,
we come before you in love and with humility.
We worship you
You are God the Creator.
You brought everything that we know,
everything that we see,
everything that we are
into being through your living word.
We worship you
You are the God who is the triune community of love
You are the God who loves us so much
that you sent your Son to release us from our bondage: to save us.
We worship you
You are the God who calls us to follow Christ and live as part of his Body the church.
In the name of Christ,
We worship you.
(People are invited to pause and consider the things they are thankful for and also consider what are the things weighing upon them at this time)
Prayer of confession
We come before you
aware that all of us fall short:
We all make mistakes.
We all struggle to love like Jesus.
To live life fully, you call us to love you, love neighbour and love ourselves.
Lord forgive us for the times when we neglect you.
Forgive us for the times when we put ourselves before your way and the good of others.
Forgive us for the times when we damage ourselves
through our thoughts and actions.
God of deep forgiveness hear our prayers,
In the name of Christ who have his life for us,
Amen.
Based on a prayer by Rev. Prof. John Swinton, 14 November, 25th Sunday After Pentecost | The Church of Scotland
Declaration of forgiveness
It is written (in Psalm 103):
‘As far as the east is from the west,
So far has God removed our sins from us.’
Jesus came preaching peace to those who are near, and peace to those who are far off.
My friends you are free:
to be forgiven people,
to serve as forgiven people,
to celebrate as forgiven people.
Thanks be to God.
Scripture reading:
Hebrews 10: 19-25
19 We have, then, my friends, complete freedom to go into the Most Holy Place by means of the death of Jesus. 20 He opened for us a new way, a living way, through the curtain—that is, through his own body. 21 We have a great priest in charge of the house of God. 22 So let us come near to God with a sincere heart and a sure faith, with hearts that have been purified from a guilty conscience and with bodies washed with clean water. 23 Let us hold on firmly to the hope we profess, because we can trust God to keep his promise. 24 Let us be concerned for one another, to help one another to show love and to do good. 25 Let us not give up the habit of meeting together, as some are doing. Instead, let us encourage one another all the more, since you see that the Day of the Lord is coming nearer.
Good News Translation (GNT)
Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society
Remembering and prayers for intercession
Last Thursday was Remembrance Day and we pick this up now in our prayers for others.
Compassionate and ever-present God, we pray,
For all who have been caught up in and impacted by war …
For all whose bodies and spirits bear the marks of war…
For all who have lost loved ones due to war …
For all who continue to suffer due to war…
For all who minister to veterans, the families of veterans and survivors …
For all who live in despair …
For the peoples of our world that they may embrace your way of peace and reconciliation …
For all of us – called to be messengers of your hope, we pray…
For the Church that we may hold fast to the hope we find in the Gospel …
We also remember others whose needs weigh heavy on our hearts this day.
For them and for us, we pray…
In the name of Christ, Amen.
— adapted from a prayer Renfrew County Catholic District School Board website. http://rccdsb.edu.on.ca/religiouseducation/school-prayer-2/monthlyseasonal-prayer/
Worship online Sunday 7th November 2021
The Book of Ruth
Thanks to Sue, Claire and Jean for participating in this morning’s worship.
Psalm 146: 1-2, 7b-10 (NRSV)
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God all my life long.
The Lord sets the prisoners free;
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the strangers;
he upholds the orphan and the widow,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
The Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord!
Opening Prayer
Let us pray:
Praise the Lord
Praise the Lord, all you people
God our hope and life,
Triune community of perfect love,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
Praise be your name.
You were before all things,
You are the author of all things,
You brought life and light out of nothing,
Yet you are closer to us than we can imagine, and you always remain faithful to us all and all your creation:
Faithful in love.
Faithful to save.
Faithful to tend.
Faithful to share.
And so we worship You,
with all of our heart,
all of our mind
and all of our strength.
And we rejoice to know that when our hearts are misled,
Your heart is to forgive.
When our own thinking is confused
You show us that truth is found in the way of Jesus
When our strength fails,
You draw near and hold us close.
Hear us in the quiet as we confess to You
where we have turned away from You or others
and where we need Your healing and forgiveness.
We give You thanks, Oh God, that in you is life and forgiveness beyond measure,
You who upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
Who sets prisoners free,
and gives sight to the blind,
who lifts up those who are bowed down,
and loves the righteous.
You who watches over the foreigner
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
who frustrates the ways of the wicked.
You Lord God, reign forever,
for all generations.
In the name of Christ, Praise the Lord.
Amen.
Based on material from October 31st, 23rd Sunday After Pentecost | The Church of Scotland
Prayers of intercession
Loving God,
You call us to walk in love as Christ walked in Love and bless us the Holy Spirit and gifts of ministry to enable us to live out this calling.
We are sent to care for those who,
like Naomi, Ruth and Orpah had no security.
And so we pray for those who have no food
because of a famine, or because of Covid …
We pray for those impacted by the damaging of our planet’s environment and pray for the enacting of global policies which enable good stewardship of your creation.
We remember those who are grieving the loss of a loved one … that when they feel alone that You would meet them in the compassion of others.
We think of those whose world has been turned inside out by the pandemic –
grant that they would know the support and care of others,
the help they need and the strength to carry on.
Lord Jesus, You suffer with us,
and through Your resurrection,
have taken our sufferings into the heart of God.
Help those who are alone and vulnerable
know that You have been there too,
that You are with them,
even as they struggle to find hope from any source.
And for us Lord,
help us be open and willing
to be part of the answer to these prayers.
To be Your hands to care,
Your ears to listen,
The body through which You might bring healing and life.
In the name of Christ, Amen.
Based on material from October 31st, 23rd Sunday After Pentecost | The Church of Scotland
Offering Prayer
Lord God,
you have given us more than we asked for
and more than we deserve.
May we show a like generosity
in all that we do for you and for our neighbours;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Unless otherwise stated prayers are either by the author or based on resources from Uniting in Worship 2 © Uniting Church Press, Sydney, 2005. And images are from Wikimedia Commons and are in the public domain.
What if COVID changes the church?
It may seem that our church is dying…
What if our Church will never be the same again?
What if we no longer have the strength to serve as we did before?
What if when we return we can’t face the church rosters?
What if we can no longer travel outside on a cold winter night for meetings?
What if, as a church, we cannot sustain mission, outreach and hospitality any longer?
What if we don’t have the energy to save the old cocoon of traditional church, with all its structures and large leadership demands?
And the old ways of doing things need to be let go of…
What if new ways of being church are being born?
What if we let go of the old ways of doing things… and instead chose ways of joyfully serving ?
What if we stopped forcing people to come into church and instead worshipped in the midst of people?
What if instead of catering fellowship group at the church … we took the church to the café and supported the local business post-COVID ?
What if we gave up all the mission programs we run … and instead told our neighbour why we believe in God and why God is so important to me? And let that story sit with them in the depths of all they are experiencing.
What if we no longer went out for meetings at night but zoomed each other?
What if we continued on-line worship as a meaningful cornerstone to our faith?
What if we sold our buildings that burden us and were a people of faith in our community?
What if we forgot the words to Holy communion liturgy and broke bread at the pub and gave thanks to God!
What if this new way of doing church was lighter, simpler, and more joyful!
Rev. Linley Liersch, Presbytery Minister, Presbytery of Port Phillip West
Grief and Loss seminars
Lockdown has been hard! After nearly two years of unrest, and a constant shifting of the goal posts, many of us will have unresolved grief and loss issues that have been ‘on-hold’ during the lockdown, and others may be somewhat ambivalent about the security of the roadmap ahead and the continuing presence of Covid cases.
The Presbytery of Port Phillip West is offering two on-line seminars that seek to offer an opportunity to name the grief and loss impact that Covid-19 (and the lockdowns) have had on each of us, as well as provide a pathway for dealing with our unresolved concerns.
Each session will be 2 ½ hours in length and will be offered for either a morning or an evening session Wed evenings or Friday mornings.
Grief and Loss Seminar 1 – Understanding the Stages of Grief
17 Nov – Wed evening, 7-9:30pm, or
19 Nov – Friday morning, 10am -12:30pm
Grief and Loss Seminar 2 – Understanding the Different Types of Grief and Loss
1 Dec – Wed evening, 7-9:30pm, or
3 Dec – Friday morning, 10am -12:30pm
To register for any of these sessions, please go to Trybooking site: https://www.trybooking.com/BVCAP
Preparing for Advent Wednesdays Nov 10, 17, 24
Looking for Advent ideas? Keen to be a bit more creative this Advent season?
If so, this FREE 3-session Preparing for Advent series is for you!
Suitable for anyone – including, but not limited to, ministers, pastors and lay preachers – multiple sessions of one hour in duration will be offered each day (Nov 10, 17, 24). To register your interest and indicate your preferred timeslots, go to 2021 Preparing for Advent.
For more information e-mail chris.barnett@victas.uca.org.au.
Advent: Something is Coming!
NEW Resource Something is Coming! is a fresh way to engage households, small groups and whole communities throughout Advent.
This new, FREE resource encourages us to pray, reflect, grieve and rejoice as we draw nearer to Christmas. Available as a downloadable resource, Something is Coming! includes beautiful printable characters to use in making your own Nativity scene and ideas for fostering engagement amongst those
you gather with.
May Something is Coming! be a special part of your Advent 2021 experience!
Check out and download Advent: Something is Coming! for FREE here: Advent: Something is Coming!
Pastoral Letter from the Moderator 29th October 2021
Vaccination and Reopening: face-to-face worship and COVID requirements
Dear Friends,
Over past weeks, questions around vaccination and reopening have been on the hearts and minds of many in our communities.
In Victoria, new public health directions include responsibilities for ministry agents, authorised workers and Church Councils. In planning for reopening of worship and use of congregational buildings, Church Council responsibilities include compliance with requirements relating to vaccination. Authorised workers, both paid and volunteer, must also provide evidence of their vaccination status to their workplace. The number of people who may attend religious gatherings in any part of Victoria depends on whether everyone present is fully vaccinated, and churches are responsible for how this is implemented.
What do we need to consider, as we plan toward reopening, in light of our legal obligations and other responsibilities? How does our faith inform our questions and decisions?
There have been many opportunities to explore these questions over the last few weeks, along with resources to answer or open up our questions along the way. The COVID FAQs help keep us up-to- date with the requirements: All you need to know: answers to your frequently asked questions – Uniting Church in Australia. Synod of Victoria and Tasmania (uca.org.au)
The Assembly has gathered together resources from across our Church, including from VicTas, to guide us theologically and biblically: https://uniting.church/the-question-of-reopening/
I would like to offer another opportunity to share insights, to learn from each other and with each other – in light of our faith. I have included with this letter an invitation to join with me in exploring these questions, with biblical and theological insights to help resource us in making decisions consistent with our faith.
The story of the Good Samaritan and Jesus’ call to love God and neighbour, is one guide that runs deep to our faith. It’s a call to focus on the welfare of others, and to give special consideration to those most vulnerable to risk of harm — beyond our usual circles of interest or personal preferences.
Throughout history, Christians have gathered together to hear scripture, break bread and pray, to be formed and shaped as a community, as the body of Christ. As followers of Jesus, we are called to be bodily present to each other in our worship and life, reflected in the deep desire of so many to return to physical gatherings. As open, welcoming and respectful communities, we have a responsibility for the safety and dignity of all especially the most vulnerable amongst us. As Paul reminds us in several of his letters, we are called to attend to the implications of our actions and choices upon others, and to be courageous in calling each other to account for this. In various ways, this means placing conditions on how we gather and relate to one another, and to consider the impact of our actions on those beyond ourselves. As Christians, we are also called to respect and uphold the law — for the sake of the integrity and well-being of our local and wider communities.
Sometimes we find ourselves trying to choose between two good things that don’t easily align. Many Church Councils are discerning the need to decide now, even though decisions are difficult, rather than waiting in hope of simpler answers which may not emerge. One aspect for Christian communities to consider, is how we might be asking others to bear certain costs on our behalf. These could include health, financial or other costs in relation to unmet legal responsibilities. And in all things, we seek a prayerful generosity of spirit as we sift and sort our way ahead together.
In the midst of this pandemic, the most vulnerable to serious illness include indigenous communities, those who are older or live with disability, have underlying health conditions or are immunocompromised. Where there are a significant number of vulnerable people in the congregation, including a Minister or other worship leaders, Church Councils may decide their safety needs to be prioritised.
This might mean providing services for those who are fully vaccinated, which also allows larger congregations to gather together, and assists toward the responsibility to provide safe workplaces for Minsters or others who lead worship. Consideration will need to be given to how to care for and support COVID Marshalls in these situations, including where an unvaccinated person wishes to be included in a service. Clearly communicating worship arrangements ahead of time will help with this. It will assist people to make more considered decisions about attending worship, rather than finding themselves ‘put on the spot’.
Church Councils need to consider how to find ways to provide worship opportunities for those who are unvaccinated. Where there are known members of the congregation who are unvaccinated, pastoral conversations ahead of time will assist in finding ways of welcome and inclusion. These might be through specific pastoral care, or invitations to other ways of being included in community life and worship, including online. It might include a decision to have smaller worship services for those of unknown vaccination status, taking into account how to provide safe environments for those leading or assisting in worship and for all those present.
Church Councils and authorised workers also need to consider their significant legal obligations in complying with the directions related to vaccination, and the significant impact of not complying upon the safety and wellbeing of others, the reputation and witness of the Church in the wider community, and the financial implications of fines — not just for themselves but for others.
Over past months, we have been managing many new requirements which place conditions on how we can gather. Many of these have been challenging, yet we have found ways over time to adapt creatively and in astounding ways. And in the process, we have gained a renewed sense of what matters most in our life together.
As we continue on this journey together,
may we notice the small gifts and blessings around us each day, share our thanks with God and with others,
rest in prayer often,
and know ourselves loved of God and called to life in Christ. Grace and peace,
