Troubling Reign/Rain

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Over the last week we have seen our news sources cover a flood crisis in Australia and a war in Eastern Europe.

Just as we celebrated the removal of pandemic restrictions, we now watched our world become battered by battles and floodwaters.

This week our Archbishop wrote to our churches, as he reflected on these twin challenges to our world.

Reflecting on the invasion of the Ukraine, he reminded us of the words of Psalm 10:

“Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand O God. Do not forget the helpless. The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. You, Lord hear the desire of the afflicted, you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, so that mere earthly mortals will never again strike terror.”

Similarly, as he considered the destructive floods, he shared these words from the Lord to his scattered people in Isaiah:

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.’ (Is 41:10)”

There is much for which we should be concerned, but this should naturally lead us to pray for the people of Russia who live under the oppression of an aggressive and unaccountable ruler, as well, of course, for the people of the Ukraine who face the the constant fear for their lives from the unfolding war.

We should pray, too, for those whose lives and livelihoods are in disarray from the flood waters, as they seek to rebuild their homes and businesses, and for some, to mourn the loss of life.

Let us remember the words of the apostle Peter who wrote, “Cast all your anxiety on God for he cares for you”, and the words of our Lord himself, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

JODIE McNEILL

(Image credit: Sandra Strait via Flickr.com)

Coming up this weekend 5-6th March 2022

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This weekend we are going to be hearing from God’s word as Jodie McNeill preaches to us from Matthew Chapter 21 on ‘The Coming King’.

After our 5pm Saturday service we’ll be having dinner, and after our 9am Sunday service we’ll be enjoying brunch together.

As long as you are feeling well and are not awaiting the results of a Covid-19 test or needing to self-isolate, then you can attend in person.

Or, for the time being you might like to continue to participate through our livestream by going to watch.jamberooanglican.com.

If you have any questions, head to our quick links page to fill out a response slip, email us at office@jamberooanglican.com or send an SMS to 0439 890 086.

These are the questions that Jodie plans to answer this weekend at church:

1 Who gave Adam his name?
2 Why do they call Jesus, ‘Son of David?’
3 Why is God’s anger at Jesus righteous?
4 How would you explain to someone that Russia’s invasion was God plan?
5 How can we speak about the war in the Ukraine in a way that leads us to talk about Jesus?
6 If Jesus sits at God’s right hand, then how could James and John have sat at his left hand?
7 What would you say to someone who wants to wait till the eleventh-hour to follow Jesus?

We’re really looking forward to seeing you this weekend!

Messiah Masterclass 20 – ‘Recognising Greatness’ – Matthew 20 – Jodie McNeill – 26 & 27 February 2022

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Fair’s fair?

The kingdom of God is not ____

A landowner hires workers at the start of the ___

The landowner hires people throughout the ___

Everyone got paid the ____

The boss simply wanted to be ________

Sadly, this jealousy is ______

We have deeply-held values of ________

The story is about true _________

The greatest travesty of justice was on the _____

This parable makes us feel the _________ of Jesus

We see the heart of what is behind true ________

The Father chooses who will be _______

True greatness is found in ________

To get what you don’t deserve, follow _____

The blind men are _______

The blind men are _______ because they’ve been humbled

Messiah-Masterclass-20-Recognising-Greatness-Jodie-McNeill-Matthew-20-26-and-27-February-2022Download

Church news for the week beginning 26th February 2022

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OUR SERMON

This weekend we will be hearing from God’s word as Jodie McNeill preaches to us from Matthew Chapter 20 on ‘Recognising Greatness’.

NATIONAL CHURCH LIFE SURVEY

We and most other churches across the country are participating in the National Church Life Survey (NCLS). It is preferred that you complete the survey online, or you may prefer to fill in a paper form.
Online form: https://attendersurvey.ncls.org.au/ Code: ANS76401

BAPTISMS

Are you interested in being Baptised? If so, please let us know as we have some baptism opportunities coming up soon!

JO’S COMMISSIONING SERVICE

Our friend from the Middle East is having her rescheduled commissioning service on Saturday the 5th March at 2pm. Join a group of us as we watch live from our hall.

MORNING PRAYER

Join us at 7am every day (except Sunday) at zoom.jamberooanglican.com as we gather to read the Bible, pray, and encourage each other as the new day dawns.

FEBRUARY BOOK OF THE MONTH

We are kicking book of the month back off this February with ‘A Praying Life’ by Paul E. Miller. If you find it hard to spend time talking to God in prayer and want to grow in your prayerfulness, then give this a read! You can grab a copy here.

AGM

Our Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held at 7pm Tuesday 8th March. Nomination forms have been emailed to you, or can be found on the welcome table. Please prayerfully consider who might best serve us as Parish Councillor or Warden.

GIVING UPDATE

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

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 NEW details. Account name: Jamberoo Anglican Church. Account number: 356831. BSB: 032605.

To give to our tax-deductible MTS Scholars Fund to support our apprentice youth minister, head to mts.com.au/give/jamberoo-anglican-church/


Back to ‘Normal’?

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I remember our AGM in 2020, which was only days before things changed forever in the life of our world and our church as the pandemic started to spread across the globe.

Within weeks we were watching church through livestream, and learning how to do ‘social distancing,’ wear a mask without fogging up glasses, and to scan in ‘QR’ codes… and suddenly toilet paper became worth its weight in gold!

Now it’s almost two years, and as the NSW Premier declares a change to an ‘endemic’, we’re finally allowed to come together with no, actual ‘restrictions’ on our gatherings.

This weekend, we can welcome an unlimited number of people into our church building, without masks, singing with joy and gusto.

As we reflect on the past two years, some will say that the hardest thing has been the prohibition of singing, or the capacity limits, or even the requirement of wearing masks.

But the hardest thing of all has been missing the physical attendance of our dear brothers and sisters who have continued to attend each week online, but not in person.

I know you have been with us week by week, but it will be so lovely when I, as your preacher and pastor, can see your face as you sit under the wonderful word of God.

Now that the booster shot has had time to do its work, I would love to see all our members return in person to church as soon as possible, when you can.

Nonetheless, we’re going to keep our livestream ministry going, and we look forward to welcoming people through screens into the future.

In fact, it’s turned out to be a great way of reaching out to our village, valley, region… and even to the world!

But as they say of footy, “it’s never the same unless you’re there at the game”… and that’s certainly true of the joyful times spent eating dinner or brunch together after church.

So, if you can make it along this weekend in person, then it would be such a great blessing to me and to us all.

JODIE McNEILL

(Photo credit: Prachatai via Flickr.com)

Coming up this weekend 26-27th February 2022

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This weekend we are going to be hearing from God’s word as Jodie McNeill preaches to us from Matthew Chapter 20 on ‘Recognising Greatness’.

After our 5pm Saturday service we’ll be having dinner, and after our 9am Sunday service we’ll be enjoying brunch together.

As long as you are feeling well and are not awaiting the results of a Covid-19 test or needing to self-isolate, then you can attend in person, wearing a mask indoors.

Or, for the time being you might like to continue to participate through our livestream by going to watch.jamberooanglican.com.

If you have any questions, head to our quick links page to fill out a response slip, email us at office@jamberooanglican.com or send an SMS to 0439 890 086.

These are the questions that Jodie plans to answer this weekend at church:

1 What does ‘Christ’ mean?
2 Was Jesus a Christian?
3 Are there any dangers in being treated by a non-Christian mental health practitioner?
4 Could the Rich Man of Matthew 19 still have given away all his possessions, and still have felt sad?
5 If someone remarried after their spouse died, what happens if the first spouse unexpectedly returns?
6 In Heaven, will we be like angels, or will we be just like we are now?

We’re really looking forward to seeing you this weekend!

Church news for the week beginning 19th February 2022

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OUR SERMON

This weekend we will be hearing from God’s word as Graham Errington preaches to us from Luke 20:27-40 on ‘The Sadducees and the Resurrection’.

NATIONAL CHURCH LIFE SURVEY

We and most other churches across the country are participating in the National Church Life Survey (NCLS). It is preferred that you complete the survey online, or you may prefer to fill in a paper form.

KBECET SERVICE

You are invited to attend the KBECET Commissioning Service for Wicky, our Kiama High School Scripture Teacher. It will be held this Sunday 20th February at 2pm at St Peter’s and Paul’s Church, Kiama.

MOTHER’S UNION CONFERENCE

The Mother’s Union Conference is on Friday 25th Feb 7-9pm. It is for all women who nurture or care for others, whether their own children or grandchildren or as missional mums in our church. 

JO’S COMMISSIONING SERVICE

Jo our friend from the Middle East is having her rescheduled commissioning service on Saturday the 5th March at 2pm. Join a group of us as we watch live from our hall.

MORNING PRAYER

Join us at 7am every day (except Sunday) at zoom.jamberooanglican.com as we gather to read the Bible, pray, and encourage each other as the new day dawns.

FEBRUARY BOOK OF THE MONTH

We are kicking book of the month back off this February with ‘A Praying Life’ by Paul E. Miller. If you find it hard to spend time talking to God in prayer and want to grow in your prayerfulness, then give this a read! You can grab a copy here.

AGM

Our Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held at 7pm Tuesday 8th March. Nomination forms have been emailed to you, or can be found on the welcome table. Please prayerfully consider who might best serve us as Parish Councillor or Warden.

GIVING UPDATE

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

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 NEW details. Account name: Jamberoo Anglican Church. Account number: 356831. BSB: 032605.

To give to our tax-deductible MTS Scholars Fund to support our apprentice youth minister, head to mts.com.au/give/jamberoo-anglican-church/


Do you love the Bible?

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I have recently been listening to the Bible talks given at CMS Summer School by Andrew Shead, and his talk on Psalm 1 got me thinking… 

Psalm 1:1 Oh, the joys of those who do not
    follow the advice of the wicked,
    or stand around with sinners,
    or join in with mockers.

2 But they delight in the law of the Lord,
    meditating on it day and night.

As someone turns away from a life of wickedness and godlessness, they instead, head down the path of joy. This other way of life is different, and it is filled with a delight in the law of the Lord, which, for us is the Bible.

But this part right here, “delight in the law of the Lord” got me thinking: do I ‘delight’ in God’s law, his instruction, his word?

Do I love to spend time with God in his word?

“Yes, yes, yes!” is how I know I should answer the question, but sometimes my mornings sound like a bit more of a :“no, no, no, you are too busy!”

If I had two extra hours in my day, would I even consider spending them in God’s word or would I fill it with my other delights like sleep and YouTube?

I don’t know about you, but I have been through different seasons when it comes to delighting in God’s word. 

Sometimes it the favourite part of my day! But other times it can remain forgotten about, like an old zucchini in the fridge.

My point here is not to condemn us, but to help us realise that as sinful people we need help!

The path of joy is a path paved by God’s own word, because it is the means by which we can know him.

And, nobody wants us to delight in God’s word more than God himself!

So if you are reading this, and would love to delight in God’s word, spend more time the Bible, and know God more, then why don’t you ask him for help right now?

There is nobody else who can help you delight in the scriptures more than God himself! 

Thanks be to our self-revealing, heart-changing, joy-bringing God!

(Photo Credit: Aaron Burden via Unsplash)