Are you the kind of person who is happy to wait for downloads, or couriers, or public transport, or phone calls?
In the instant-gratification world in which we live, we seek immediate results, and get frustrated when things don’t happen as fast as they can.
And when we’re impatient, it can easily lead us to act in a way that is unwise or ungodly.
In 1 Samuel 13, Saul chose not to wait for Samuel the prophet to perform a sacrifice, but instead he took matters into his own hands.
As God’s king, he was supposed to follow God rule, but as he faced the threat of war, he grew impatient, which resulted in him losing the kingdom to King David, the man after God’s own heart.
When God’s king, Jesus, was under great distress in the Garden of Gethsemene, he chose to patiently and obediently follow God’s rule, even though it would cost him dearly.
King Jesus patiently and obediently followed the Lord in his time of trial and distress… and in doing so, he went to the cross, where he died for our sin, and from where he rose to bring us the guarantee of eternal life.
As we get frustrated with waiting for answers to prayer, we can be tempted to take matters into our own hands, disobeying God’s word and acting independently of his rule.
But we must model ourselves on Jesus our Lord, who cried out to God, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” (Mark 14:36)
Praise God that Jesus was not impatient and that he was willing to follow his father’s command, even when to do so would bring him pain.
Praise God that his perseverance and obedience led to the glorious tragedy of the cross!
JODIE McNEILL
(Photo credit: Heiner Engbrocks via Flickr)
https://jamberooanglican.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Jamberoo-Anglican-2023-Website-Logo3.png00Jodie McNeillhttps://jamberooanglican.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Jamberoo-Anglican-2023-Website-Logo3.pngJodie McNeill2021-07-15 19:37:262021-07-16 09:01:52Are you willing to wait?
This second lockdown has taken many of us by surprise, especially after the optimistic steps in the past few months towards a return to some sort of normal.
But now with as the press conferences from Gladys and Dr. Chant grow in intensity, it is clear that we’ll be needing to work out how to manage the pandemic for a whole lot longer.
Whilst there is no doubt that our reduced freedoms and changed plans are causing us frustration and heartache, we must never forget that our Lord God remains fully in control of every small and large thing in the universe.
God has known about Covid-19 since the creation of the world, and that is why we can be thankful to him for both the good bits and the bad bits of this global pandemic.
There will be some people who will look back on this year and recognise that the crisis has led them to Christ, and that the trials and traumas of this pandemic have been the very things that have shaken their outlook and drawn them to become reconciled with Jesus as their loving ruler.
This also makes prayer seem all the more powerful, knowing that the one we humbly bring our prayers to is the same person who rules the universe: he listens to us because he loves us.
For this reason, we must keep praying to our Lord, asking that his will would be done, and that his kingdom would come.
What are you praying to the Lord during this latest lockdown? What are you asking your sovereign and gracious Lord in this time of trial?
In these troubling times, let us never lose sight of our saviour, as we fix our eyes “not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18)
This weekend, Jodie will be speaking a special, one-off sermon on Psalm 91, where he will teach us what it means to find refuge and safety as we live with the Lord… especially at a time of international challenges and trials.
Join us for church this weekend in person and online!
We would love to have you along for Saturday at 5pm and dinner afterwards, followed by our ‘Nightlife’ fun from 8pm. Or Sunday morning at 9am, followed by morning tea and hot espresso. We can’t wait to have you join us!
If you have any questions, simply fill out a response slip during the service, email us at office@jamberooanglican.com or send an SMS to 0439 890 086.
Here are the questions that Jodie plans to answer this weekend:
1 Is Hebrews telling us to meet in church services, or are growth groups enough?
2 Do angels speak to us today, and if so, how?
3 How did all the fullness of God live in Christ? (Colossians 1:19)?
4 Was God in human form when he was walking in the garden of Eden?
5 Is there a particular order to the letters of the New Testament?
Our kids’ ministry programs run at both services. We would love to watch your children, from babies to Year 6, and have them join our leaders in a time of fun and learning. The livestream will continue on the TV in the hall so if you need to stay with your child, you won’t miss out on church.
If you can’t make it in person, head to watch.jamberooanglican.com to watch our livestream. To catch up on previous sermons, head to our Youtube channel youtube.jamberooanglican.com.
https://jamberooanglican.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Jamberoo-Anglican-2023-Website-Logo3.png00Jacob Mierendorffhttps://jamberooanglican.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Jamberoo-Anglican-2023-Website-Logo3.pngJacob Mierendorff2021-07-06 09:39:362021-07-06 22:25:13Coming up this weekend 10-11th July 2021
https://jamberooanglican.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Jamberoo-Anglican-2023-Website-Logo3.png00Jacob Mierendorffhttps://jamberooanglican.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Jamberoo-Anglican-2023-Website-Logo3.pngJacob Mierendorff2021-07-03 14:47:022021-07-03 14:47:02Keep at it! Hebrews 10:19-39 Trevor Lucas 3-4th July 2021
This weekend we will be learning from Hebrews 10:19-35 as Trevor Lucas teaches us to ‘Keep at it!‘.
MISSION OF THE MONTH
Our mission of the month for June is Irish Church Missions, specifically the ‘Dublin Silicon Docks Church Project’. To find out more visit https://www.irishchurchmissions.ie
BASE CAMP
The KCC Base Camp mens convention is coming up on the 14th August. We are going to livestream it here at Jamberoo Anglican Church! The topic is, ‘Unbound: To love God and others’. We would love you to join us on the day! More details coming soon.
BAPTISM SERVICE
If you haven’t been baptised and would like to then please let us know. We are having a special baptism service on Saturday the 17th of July where you will have the chance to get baptised in front of our church family.
CONFIRMATION SERVICE
If you would like to be confirmed please let us know. We are having a confirmation service at 7 pm Wednesday on the 18th of August.
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Please continue to take care with uneven surfaces. Also, please take care to avoid the building supplies around the church.
PRAY WITH PRAYERMATE
Our church is now on PrayerMate. Subscribe for daily prayer points on your device from us and our partners.
FAMILY NEWS
BIRTHDAYS 4 July – Anne Bedwell 5 July – Tabitha Morley 7 July – Toby Johnson
ANNIVERSARIES 5 July – Jacob & Jemimah Mierendorff
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. 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.
https://jamberooanglican.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Jamberoo-Anglican-2023-Website-Logo3.png00Jacob Mierendorffhttps://jamberooanglican.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Jamberoo-Anglican-2023-Website-Logo3.pngJacob Mierendorff2021-07-03 02:45:002021-07-03 13:04:32Church news for the week beginning 3rd July 2021
If you’re able to attend church this weekend in person, then we’d love to welcome you face-to-face at 5pm Saturday or 9am Sunday.
Our philosophy since the start of the pandemic has been to be as normal and as open as possible, whilst obeying the rules and guidelines of our leaders and authorities.
So, we’re going to run normal church services this weekend, which will include dinner on Saturday night and morning tea on Sunday.
In line with the current restrictions, we’re able to welcome 34 people in our church building and 41 in the hall at any time, plus staff and volunteers.
However, at this time we’re not able to sing, and everyone must wear a mask indoors at all times (unless you’re speaking from the lectern or you’re a child under 12).
Plus, if you’re subject to stay-at-home orders, then attending church is not a reasonable excuse to leave home, so please join us only online at watch.jamberooanglican.com or head to our Facebook page.
If you’re rostered on as a volunteer for a church service, then you are considered to be a worker at a place of work, so you may attend to volunteer even if you are under stay-at-home orders, provided you are not in quarantine (due to being a close or casual contact) or in isolation (due to poor health or awaiting pathology results).
As always, please ensure you scan the QR code and check in and out from our venue with the Service NSW app.
In an email I received from the Archbishop this week, he signed off saying, “God is good – all the time. He will build his church. Nothing takes him by surprise!”
I reckon that’s a great encouragement to us all, especially as we live in these challenging times.
Grace and peace, Jodie.
https://jamberooanglican.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Jamberoo-Anglican-2023-Website-Logo3.png00Jodie McNeillhttps://jamberooanglican.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Jamberoo-Anglican-2023-Website-Logo3.pngJodie McNeill2021-07-02 18:07:492021-07-02 18:07:50Church is in-person and online
This week on holidays I read a short book called ‘Seven reasons to (re)consider Christianity’ by musician, minister and author, Ben Shaw.
As I read it, I was struck again by how much sense it makes to be a Christian and to follow Jesus.
For his seven chapter titles, he says that people should (re)consider Christianity because:
it’s worth thinking through what life is really all about;
Christianity is a lot more intellectually credible than you might have assumed;
Christianity is about life to the full;
Christianity gives a compelling answer to the question, “What’s wrong with the world?”;
Jesus is arguably the most influential person in history’;
the death of Jesus is surprisingly very good news for you, and;
if Jesus really did rise from the dead, then it would confirm everything.
Each of the chapters give a simple and powerful explanation of why those facts are true, and in particular, why the resurrection of Jesus is the foundation for everything we believe.
Yet, whilst I think his arguments powerfully defend Christianity, the words of the epilogue bring a real, human dimension to his passioned plea to follow Jesus:
“Having death on my very own doorstep has forced me to do a serious reassessment of my faith, including everything I’ve said in this book. […] Yet in the end, far from having been shaken, I can honestly tell you that having this life-threatening illness has actually sharpened and increased my faith. As I stare at the possibility of an early death, I am, in fact, more confident than ever in these things.”
Last week Mandy and I watched the livestream of his funeral, as Ben passed away aged 52, having died from cancer of the jawbone.
Now he is with Christ, which is better by far, and his faith has now been turned to sight.
And the book he leaves us is a wonderful legacy that we pray will lead others to know the hope that has led him to paradise with his saviour, Jesus.