Better news for the royal couple

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It’s rare for a church sermon to make the front page of a newspaper, but the message from Bishop Curry made world news, as his royal wedding message got people talking.

Unlike the typecast, pompous wedding preacher, he enthusiastically addressed the billions of people who tuned in for the occasion.

It was refreshing to hear a royal wedding sermon speak about Jesus and his death on the cross with such gusto.

Sadly, many wedding sermons seem to forget they’re in a church, and they end up rolling out the kind of worldly wisdom you’d expect to hear from Oprah or Dr. Phil.

But Bishop Curry brought the focus of the event to the love of God shown at the cross of Christ.

I’m delighted that people are talking about Jesus and his death, but, sadly, Bishop Curry missed the most important point about the cross of Christ.

Whilst it is true that Jesus showed his love for dying for us on the cross, it was not so that he could be an example of true love.

If all we’ve got from the cross of Christ is an example we can try to follow, then Jesus has done nothing to help us with our sin and guilt for disobeying God’s rule.

No, the most important thing about the cross is that Jesus died as a sacrifice, taking the punishment we deserve, in our place, so that we might be forgiven by God.

As we read in 1 John chapter 4: “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

It was good for the royal couple to hear that Jesus died on the cross: but it’s much better news for them to know that Jesus died as an atoning sacrifice for sin.

JODIE MCNEILL

Coming up this weekend 26th – 27th May 2018

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This weekend we continue our series ‘The Heart of Truth’ as Jodie preaches on the topic ‘The new age of innocence’ from Romans chapter 3 verses 9 to 26.

At our 5pm Saturday service we will have an opportunity to meet one of our church members, which is always a great encouragement to us all.

Also during that service, we’ll have our weekly question and answer time, and Jodie will be answering these questions:

  1. Should it concern us that The Jewish Historical Museum claims there is no historical proof for the Exodus?
  2. What does the creed mean when it says ‘the Communion of Saints’ and ‘the Holy, Universal Church”?
  3. Do the Jews who were entrusted with the Law blame their disobedience on the Babylonians?
  4. What does the Bible mean by “good”?
  5. Romans 2:7-8 says that those who do good receive eternal life, but doesn’t this contradict Ephesians 2:8-9?
  6. Doesn’t predestination show that God actually does show favouritism?
  7. What does God want from us?
  8. Why can’t the ladies’ hear Richard Chin, too?

Our 8am Sunday service will be a Holy Communion Second Order AAPB service.

If you’re wanting to check out our church we’d really love you to visit us on Saturday at 5pm for a contemporary service with kids’ program and dinner afterwards. Our youth group ‘Alive’ is taking a break for the holidays. Or come along on Sunday at 8am for a Prayer Book service.

If you can’t make it in person, you’re welcome to jump online to watch the service (with the same sermon and many other items) at www.oakflats.tv.

See you at 5pm this Saturday or 8am this Sunday, God willing!

Church news for the week beginning 19th May 2018

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This weekend’s Bible talk

This weekend we continue our series ‘The Heart of Truth’ as Jodie preaches on the topic ‘No excuses!’from Romans chapter 2 verse 1 to chapter 3 verse 8.

Mission of the month

Church Missionary Society (CMS) is our mission of the month. Support this ministry through the ‘Mission Table’ in the Hall.

Parish Council

Our Parish Council meets this Monday, 21st May at 7pm at the church. Please remember them in your prayers.

Kiama High SRE Pie Drive

The annual KBECET Pie Drive is on again. To support Nigel’s ministry, please order your choice of tasty, family size savoury or fruit pies on the order form in the Hall for $10 each. Order before 20th June for delivery on 9th July.

Gong Men’s Day

Join us on Saturday 16th June, 8.30am to 2pm at Dapto Anglican for a great day of teaching and encouragement for the men of our region. Register at www.gongmensday.org.

Richard Chin at Men’s Dinner

For your diaries: Richard Chin will be our guest speaker at our next Men’s Dinner on Tuesday 7th August. Don’t miss out!

Serve Team Serve-ey

We’d love everyone member in our church to be part of a Serve Team. Whether you’re already in a Serve Team or Bible Study Group or not, please fill in the ‘Serve-ey Form’ to help us help you connect in the best way possible so that you can serve and be served in our church.

Giving update

Each week we need to receive $6300.00 in order to meet our commitments. In the last calendar month, our average weekly giving was $6272.00, leaving a gap of $28.00.

Olimometer 2.52

Up to the end of the last calendar month we needed to have received $98,802. Compared to that total we received $109,200, leaving a gap of $-10,398.

Olimometer 2.52

Electronic giving is a great way to give! It helps us prayerfully plan our giving, and then the bank will help us keep that commitment, even when we may be unable to attend. To give by direct transfer then these are the details. Account name: Church of England Jamberoo. Account number: 10081274. BSB: 062562 .

What’s wrong with extremism?

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CREDIT: Abdulsalam Haykal via Flickr.

This week Ramadan began for the followers of Islam, a month of fasting and prayer.

For those who keep this practise it shows a level of extreme devotion to their religion.

Millions of people across the globe will spend their daylight hours without any food or water in order to serve their god.

An interview with an Islamic academic from the University of Wollongong put a different spin on it.

Five sessions of prayer were explained as 5 sessions of mindfulness, a way to centre one’s life during the day.

Fasting was explained as a process of discipline and exercising self control.

In our anxious, busy and often unrestrained society this practise seemed like a good idea.

I found my self nodding along until I realised what was going on here.

Any idea of extreme devotion to a god was downplayed.

It was a clever interview, because it took ideas that were foreign to Australians (like set prayers and fasting) and explained them in terms that are now readily acceptable.

This is exactly what our society wants from adherents to religion: moderate ideas that can be explained in social terms.

This is why liberal Christianity has flourished in western society, where the Bible has been interpreted though the lens of our world.

This kind of God leads to a nice and moderate religion that rocks no boats, and one our society is happy with, because they created it.

The pressure to fit in is intense but we must remember that there is nothing wrong with being extreme itself. The question is for what cause it is, and how do you implement it.

Christians are called to give up our lives for our God.

We do so for he is the the one who gave his life for us, And so the way we do this is in love and service of others.

Simon Chaplin

Coming up this weekend 19th – 20th May 2018

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This weekend we continue our series ‘The Heart of Truth’ as Jodie preaches on the topic ‘No excuses!’from Romans chapter 2 verse 1 to chapter 3 verse 8.

This week we’re going to have a short video from CMS (The Church Missionary Society) about their ongoing activities in the world, and hear about the impact of global mission.

During our 5pm Saturday service, we’ll have our weekly question and answer time, and Jodie will be answering these questions:

  1. Is Jesus God or the Son of God?
  2. Is God’s wrath revealed by him giving humans over to their sin?
  3. Did God harden Pharaoh’s heart and then ask Moses to ask him to set his people free, all so that he could show his power?
  4. Why is there so much violence in the Bible, even from God?
  5. Is it OK for Christians to use hypnotism to treat a medical problem?

Our 8am Sunday service will be a Morning Prayer Sunday service.

If you’re wanting to check out our church we’d really love you to visit us on Saturday at 5pm for a contemporary service with kids’ program and dinner afterwards. Our youth group ‘Alive’ runs straight after dinner on Saturday night. Or come along on Sunday at 8am for a Prayer Book service.

If you can’t make it in person, you’re welcome to jump online to watch the service (with the same sermon and many other items) at www.oakflats.tv.

See you at 5pm this Saturday or 8am this Sunday, God willing!

Church news for the week beginning 12th May 2018

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This weekend’s Bible talk

This weekend we continue our series ‘The Heart of Truth’ as Simon Chaplin preaches on the topic ‘God’s wrath is revealed’ from Romans chapter 1 verses 18 to 32.

Mission of the month

Church Missionary Society (CMS) is our mission of the month. Support this ministry through the ‘Mission Table’ in the Hall.

Ladies’ Dinner

The second of our new-look quarterly Ladies’ Dinners will be held this Tuesday 15th May with guest speaker Sue Milne, a Christian Psychologist who will speak on the topic of ‘Fear, Anxiety  and Depression‘. 7pm in the church, cost $15. Please RSVP to office@jamberooanglican.com.

Market Day – 19th May

Join us on Saturday 19th May, 9am to 12pm as we host Market Day.  A great day for the Jamberoo community. What can you do to help on the day?  What do you have to contribute? Can you pot some plants? Can you start thinking about a cake or slice or lollies, etc? Can you get your vegetables to be ready for 19 May? What about jewellery or craft items? Please note that we are not having a second hand “white elephant” stall this year. Keep the day free! Contact Helen 4236 0158 or Graham 0430 043 765 for further information.

Gong Men’s Day

Join us on Saturday 16th June, 8.30am to 2pm at Dapto Anglican for a great day of teaching and encouragement for the men of our region. Register at www.gongmensday.org.

Serve Team Serve-ey

We’d love everyone member in our church to be part of a Serve Team. Whether you’re already in a Serve Team or Bible Study Group or not, please fill in the ‘Serve-ey Form’ to help us help you connect in the best way possible so that you can serve and be served in our church.

Give to GAFCON

There are just 37 delegates from Third World nations who still need financial support to get to the GAFCON Jerusalem Conference in 5 weeks. Please give at www.gafcon.org/send-one-more-delegate-to-Jerusalem.

Giving update

Each week we need to receive $6300.00 in order to meet our commitments. In the last calendar month, our average weekly giving was $6272.00, leaving a gap of $28.00.

Olimometer 2.52

Up to the end of the last calendar month we needed to have received $98,802. Compared to that total we received $109,200, leaving a gap of $-10,398.

Olimometer 2.52

Electronic giving is a great way to give! It helps us prayerfully plan our giving, and then the bank will help us keep that commitment, even when we may be unable to attend. To give by direct transfer then these are the details. Account name: Church of England Jamberoo. Account number: 10081274. BSB: 062562 .

Are you good enough to be forgiven?

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Are you the kind of person who would be acceptable to Jesus?

In Luke chapter 7, we read about a dinner that Jesus attended at the house of some very religious people.

While they’re having dinner, a woman comes into the room, and starts washing Jesus’ feet with her tears, kissing his feet, and pouring perfume over his feet.

But there was something even stranger about it, and that was the kind of woman this woman was.

One religious man said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

This woman was a public sinner, maybe a prostitute, and this religious guy thought that Jesus must have been clueless to have anything to do with him.

Because if Jesus was really a prophet of God, then he wouldn’t have had anything to do with such a godless woman, and what’s more, he’d have the supernatural powers to know that she’s the kind of woman who religious people stay right away from.

But Jesus is more than a prophet: he is God, himself, and he knows everything, including how sinful she really was.

And yet, she came to Jesus, showed her love and adoration to him, and he totally forgave her.

And so Jesus said to the religious man:

“I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”
Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven… Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Jesus didn’t just know that her sins were forgiven, he did the forgiving himself.

All she did was come to Jesus and seek his forgiveness.

And so, if Jesus will forgive this sinful woman, he offers to forgive anyone like you and me.

Jodie McNeill

Coming up this weekend 12th – 13th May 2018

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This weekend we continue our series ‘The Heart of Truth’ as Simon Chaplin preaches on the topic ‘God’s wrath is revealed’ from Romans chapter 1 verses 18 to 32.

We will share the Lord’s Supper at 5pm Saturday, so be sure to join us for this important reminder of the death of Jesus.

During our 5pm Saturday service, we’ll also have our weekly question and answer time, and Jodie will be answering these questions:

  1. Where are the original Ten Commandments, and why hasn’t God told us their location?
  2. Most people just want to rule their own life, not the world, so what’s so wrong about that?
  3. When Jesus returns to bring a new heaven and a new earth, which one will we go to?
  4. Will there be marriage in Heaven?

Our 8am Sunday service will be a Holy Communion First Order AAPB service.

If you’re wanting to check out our church we’d really love you to visit us on Saturday at 5pm for a contemporary service with kids’ program and dinner afterwards. Our youth group ‘Alive’ runs straight after dinner on Saturday night. Or come along on Sunday at 8am for a Prayer Book service.

If you can’t make it in person, you’re welcome to jump online to watch the service (with the same sermon and many other items) at www.oakflats.tv.

Church news for the week beginning 5th May 2018

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This weekend’s Bible talk

This weekend we kick off our new series looking at the New Testament book of Romans, called ‘The Heart of Truth’ as Jodie preaches on the first talk from Romans chapter 1 verses 1 to 17, entitled ‘The greatest news in the universe.’

Jo is here!

Join us at 5pm to hear a special update from our Middle East Missionary, Jo. We’re joining together for a ‘Middle East Feast’ dinner at 6.30pm, so don’t miss out! We will also be meeting on Wednesday night 9th May at 7pm at the Rectory, 20 Tate Place Jamberoo, for an extended information and prayer night, with coffee and dessert.

Mission of the month

Church Missionary Society (CMS) is our mission of the month. Support this ministry through the ‘Mission Table’ in the Hall.

Ladies’ Dinner

The second of our new-look quarterly Ladies’ Dinners will be held on Tuesday 15th May with guest speaker Sue Milne, a Christian Psychologist who will speak on the topic of ‘Fear, Anxiety  and Depression‘. 7pm in the church, cost $15. Please RSVP to office@jamberooanglican.com.

Market Day – 19th May

Join us on Saturday 19th May, 9am to 12pm as we host Market Day.  A great day for the Jamberoo community. What can you do to help on the day?  What do you have to contribute? Can you pot some plants? Can you start thinking about a cake or slice or lollies, etc? Can you get your vegetables to be ready for 19 May? What about jewellery or craft items? Please note that we are not having a second hand “white elephant” stall this year. Keep the day free! Contact Helen 4236 0158 or Graham 0430 043 765 for further information.

Gong Men’s Day

Join us on Saturday 16th June, 8.30am to 2pm, or 5pm to 9.30pm at Dapto Anglican for a great day of teaching and encouragement for the men of our region. Register at www.gongmensday.org.

Giving update

Each week we need to receive $6300.00 in order to meet our commitments. In the last calendar month, our average weekly giving was $6272.00, leaving a gap of $28.00.

Olimometer 2.52

Up to the end of the last calendar month we needed to have received $98,802. Compared to that total we received $109,200, leaving a gap of $-10,398.

Olimometer 2.52

Electronic giving is a great way to give! It helps us prayerfully plan our giving, and then the bank will help us keep that commitment, even when we may be unable to attend. To give by direct transfer then these are the details. Account name: Church of England Jamberoo. Account number: 10081274. BSB: 062562 .

Youth keeps KYCKing on

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Last weekend the youth groups of Oak Flats and Jamberoo went away together for an encouraging and exciting weekend.

On Friday we travelled up to Katoomba to KYCK – a youth conference run by Katoomba Christian Convention (KCC).

The conference has around 2000 youth and leaders attending and it is always encouraging to see so many people gathering together to hear God’s word.

It definitely caters well for youth, with everything from Mario-cart, to co-ordinated dance moves, but overall the conference works hard to keep God’s word at its centre.

The three speakers gave excellent expositions from the book of 1 Peter. They spoke of the privilege it is to be chosen by God to be his special people, and so we are called to be different from the world around us, especially in the school environment.

God has worked in us to make us different so we are now “a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession” (1 Peter 2:9).

Our new identity is found in what Jesus has done for us – his atoning sacrifice.

The Saturday night talk was the climax focusing on 1 Peter 3:18, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.”

One speaker described it like this:

“Who we are is not what you have done, or what others have done to you, it is what God has made you to be.”

This is what enables us to endure in a world where we are different and experience suffering.

What a wonderful hope for these youth and leaders to hear!

When we weren’t up at the conference centre, we were staying at a small cottage in Katoomba, sitting round a log fire, playing games and enjoying all the food Magda and Andy Peters cooked for us.

There was a great expression of unity shown amongst all the youth and the leaders in the way we shared together and lived out life as God’s special people.

Simon Chaplin