Getting the Cross Right

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Even though some experts doubt whether he really rose from the dead, almost all, credible historians agree that Jesus of Nazareth was executed on a Roman Cross in Jerusalem, around 30 AD.

Yet, not all Christians agree about why he died.

Some say that he was killed by the religious rulers because his example and teaching of love were a threat to their system.

Others say that he died because he wanted to prove how much he really loves us, as the ultimate gift to humanity.

But in the end, we don’t need someone to tell us how to love, or someone to show us how to love, or even someone to prove his love for us.

Our big problem is that we’re all born as natural enemies of God, and unless someone deals with God’s anger for us, then we’re headed to Hell.

That’s why Jesus died for us: to take upon himself the anger that God had for us, so that we might now be forgiven by him and made his friends, if we trust in him as our loving ruler.

It’s pretty full on… but that’s the heart of Easter!

And by rising from the dead, Jesus proved he really did what his Father in heaven sent him to do.

As we read in Romans chapter 5:

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:6-8)

That’s why Good Friday is ‘good’… and why we can truly wish each other a ‘Happy Easter!’

JODIE McNEILL

(Credit: Claudio Ungari via Flickr)

Coming up this weekend 3-4 April

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Our Good Friday service is at 9am and Jodie McNeill will be speaking the first sermon in a two-part series over the Easter weekend. We will be looking at Psalm 22 and discussing ‘Despair and Deliverance‘. Part two will be at our regular Saturday 5pm and Sunday 9am services.

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 Jodie plans to answer this weekend:

1 What does Jeremiah 31:34 mean for teaching ministry in the new covenant?
2 Since all of us would have obeyed Satan in Eden, were all people sinful before the Fall?
3 Do we go straight to heaven when we die or do we wait until Jesus returns?
4 Why don’t Jews sacrifice animals today to deal with their sins?
5 What was Jesus thinking about when he prayed at Gethsemane?
6 Did Jesus die to save us or to restore our relationship with the Father?

Our kids’ ministry volunteers will be taking a break over the school holidays, but we’ll still have a program for kids during just the sermon time at our services. The creche room will be available for the kids during the service. 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.

Church News for the week beginning 28th March

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OUR BIBLE TALK

This weekend we will be looking at chapters nine and ten of 1 Kings as Jodie McNeill teaches us about ‘Warning, wisdom and wealth‘.

MISSION OF THE MONTH

Our mission of the month for March is CMS. To find out more about how to personally partner visit www.cms.org.au.

EASTER SERVICES

In addition to our normal weekend services on Saturday night and Sunday morning, we would love you to also join us for a special Good Friday service at 9am. Jodie will be preaching a special two-part series on Psalm 22 called ‘Despair and Deliverance’.

GONG MEN’S DAY

We’re getting the lads together for God’s word and a great gathering! Saturday morning 5th June at Dapto. Special guest speaker: Andrew Heard. Save the date. Not to be missed.

SUBSCRIBE TO VIMEO

We’re now using Vimeo as our main platform for broadcasting our church services… but will still be sending the video to Facebook Live as well. Go to watch.jamberooanglican.com to visit our Vimeo page… and why not hit ‘subscribe’ to make it easier to watch us each week?

CHILD SAFETY

We’ve now installed a new fence across the front of the lawn, so our kids will be even safer than before. To help keep our kids safe, please keep our gates closed before and after church, as well as other events where younger people are present.

KYCK CONFERENCE

Our youth are heading to the Kyck conference in the Blue Mountains on 16-18 April. More details expected next week.

YOUTUBE CHANNEL

To watch videos of our Bible talks and other memories of our church, visit youtube.jamberooanglican.com and be sure to subscribe to our channel!

FAMILY NEWS

BIRTHDAYS
28th Sachin Hall

ANNIVERSARIES
31st Dave & Emma Brennan

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: Jamberoo Anglican Church. Account number: 10081274. BSB: 062562.

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

1 Kings – Power and Hope 8: Warning, Wisdom and Wealth 1 Kings 9-10 Jodie McNeill – 27-28 March 2021

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Almost perfect

The perfectly-knit kingdom starts to _______

The temple and palace is ________

The Lord actually _____ Solomon’s prayer

Forever will continue, even when the ________ doesn’t

It’s the eternal, forever ____ of Jesus

A big _______ from God

God did it, and the people ________ it

People want ____ than God’s blessing

Solomon is giving away some of the ________ land

Solomon seems to have a cash-flow _______

Solomon is over-using forced _____

Solomon is acting more like the king of _____

Solomon seems less committed to _______

The Queen of Sheba came from afar bringing _____

God’s king was world-______

Wise men brought _____ to the newborn king of the Jews

Solomon’s rule gives us a ______ for the real-thing king

Download a copy of the PDF of this outline (with pictures to colour in) right here: Download

Mercy in the Floods

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The floods this week are totally different to the flood that the Lord sent at the time of Noah.

That flood was a specific act of judgement by God on a world that had become “consistently and totally evil” (Genesis 6:5) and was “corrupt and filled with violence (Genesis 6:11).

But, even as he acted to wipe out a generation of humans, he showed mercy upon Noah and his family, giving him a warning and a way to be saved.

But after that flood, God promised that, “Never again will floodwaters kill all living creatures; never again will a flood destroy the earth.” (Genesis 9:11)

But, humans have continued to rebel against God, but the solution is different: God shows his love for us by placing his anger upon Jesus instead of his followers who seek his mercy:

“For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us. Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever.” (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10)

Which means that devastating floods are not to be considered as an act of judgement upon our world, but instead, a warning to repent.

For, when his followers asked him to explain why a disaster had struck, Jesus said:

“Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than all the other people from Galilee?… Not at all! And you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God.” (Luke 13:2-3)

Whether it’s drought, bushfire, flood or pandemic, these disasters are an important time for us all to consider Christ in the crisis.

As we pray for the recovery of our land from these devastating floods, let us also pray that through this disaster might be a fresh opportunity for people to find eternal comfort and security in Christ Jesus.

JODIE McNEILL

(Credit: delphic via flickr.com)

Coming up this weekend 27-28 March

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Join us this Saturday at 5pm where after church we have dinner together at 7pm followed by ‘Nightlife’, or join us Sunday at 9am where we’ll gather for church, and then enjoy morning tea and tasty espresso, together!

This weekend our Bible talk is from chapters nine and ten of 1 Kings as Jodie McNeill teaches us on the topic, ‘Warning, wisdom and wealth‘.

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 Jodie plans to answer this weekend:

1 Doesn’t Hebrews 13:10 say that Christians still have an altar?
2 Has the ark of the covenant been found today?
3 Are the Nephilites in Genesis 6:4 angels, and if so, didn’t they have children?
4 Is there literally no sea in the new heavens and earth, or is it just saying there’s no more fear?
5 In a life-threatening situation, should a husband choose to save his wife over his kids?
6 In what way does love “endure through every circumstance” (1 Corinthians 13:7)?
7 Are we disobeying God by having stained glass windows with images of Jesus?
8 Does God judge people today or only when Jesus returns?
9 If God knew Solomon was going to be such a bad king, why did God anoint him?

We have kids programs at both of our service times! We would love to have your children hang out with us at ‘Joeys’ (toddlers through to preschool), ‘Junior Roos’ (for school years K to 2), and ‘Senior Roos’ (for school years 3 to 6). Our service is live streamed to 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.

Church News for the week beginning 21st March

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OUR BIBLE TALK

This weekend we have special guest Grahame Scarratt leading us from the second half of chapter eight in 1 Kings as we continue our series ‘Power and Hope’. We will explore what it means to give ‘Blessings in God’s Name‘.

WARDENS & PARISH COUNCILLORS

We are thankful to God for our new team for 2021. Our Wardens are James Rosten (Rector’s Warden and Treasurer), Paul Massey, and Bec Watson. Our Parish Councillors are Jacob Mierendorff, Adam Rosten, Luke Warner, plus our Rector’s choice is Paula Vidilini.

MISSION OF THE MONTH

Our mission of the month for March is CMS. To find out more about how to personally partner visit www.cms.org.au.

ARCHBISHOP FAREWELL

Archbishop Glenn Davies is retiring, and you can watch the livestream of the farewell service here https://youtu.be/UVdSh6ryT6M at 7pm on 26th March. Jodie and Mandy will be attending in person as representatives of our parish.

GONG MEN’S DAY

We’re getting the lads together for God’s word and a great gathering! Saturday morning 5th June at Dapto. Special guest speaker: Andrew Heard. Save the date. Not to be missed.

CONFIRMATION SERVICE

Save the date: Wednesday 18th August 2021. Bishop Peter Hayward will be joining us to hold a confirmation service just for Jamberoo Anglican. If you are Year 9 or older and interested in being confirmed, then please let Jodie know via email or response slip.

SUBSCRIBE TO VIMEO

We’re now using Vimeo as our main platform for broadcasting our church services… but will still be sending the video to Facebook Live as well. Go to watch.jamberooanglican.com to visit our Vimeo page… and why not hit ‘subscribe’ to make it easier to watch us each week?

KEEN TO JOIN A BIBLE STUDY?

Soon we’ll be starting some new, midweek Bible Study groups. Stay tuned for more details… and let us know your preferred days/times.

CHILD SAFETY

We’ve now installed a new fence across the front of the lawn, so our kids will be even safer than before. To help keep our kids safe, please keep our gates closed before and after church, as well as other events where younger people are present.

KYCK CONFERENCE

Our youth are heading to the Kyck conference in the Blue Mountains on 16-18 April. More details expected next week.

YOUTUBE CHANNEL

To watch videos of our Bible talks and other memories of our church, visit youtube.jamberooanglican.com and be sure to subscribe to our channel!

FAMILY NEWS

BIRTHDAYS
21st Matias Lovell
21st Matt Cignarella
28th Sachin Hall

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: Jamberoo Anglican Church. Account number: 10081274. BSB: 062562.

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

1 Kings – Power and Hope 7: Solomon’s Prayer 1 Kings 8:22-66 Grahame Scarratt – 20-21 March 2021

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Introduction

1. Those involved (8:22-24)

2. The basis of prayer (8:25-30)

3. The focus of prayer (8:31-51)

4. The result of prayer (8:54-66)

Conclusion

Download a copy of the PDF hereDownload


Who Needs a Confessional?

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During my truck driving test during the week, my examiner helped me relax by asking lots of questions about what I believe as a Christian and what my church does.

He asked me if my church had a confessional, where members of the church could go to a special meeting with the minister, to confess to him their sins so that he could then present those sins to God.

My answer was simple: we don’t have a confessional because we don’t need one: we can go straight to Jesus and tell him our sins, knowing that he will hear us, and will forgive us if we ask him.

I explained to my examiner that in the Old Testament, before Jesus, there were special people called priests who would act as go-betweens to God on their behalf.

But when Jesus came along, he replaced the priests so we now can confidently speak straight to Jesus, because not only is he the priest, Jesus is also the temple and the sacrifice… and, of course, the king!

Here’s how the writer to the Hebrews puts it:

And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. (Hebrews 10:19-22)

I was pleased to pass my truck driver’s licence test, but even happier to have another opportunity to talk about how good Jesus is!

JODIE McNEILL

(Credit: Emilio Labrador via Flickr.com)

Coming up this weekend 20-21 March

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This weekend we have special guest Grahame Scarratt leading us from the second half of chapter eight in 1 Kings as we continue our series ‘Power and Hope’. We will explore what it means to give ‘Blessings in God’s Name‘.

If you’re joining us for Saturday night, note that the L’Etape Australia cycling event has been cancelled so just come to church at the normal time in the normal way.

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. This week we won’t be having a question and answer time, but we’ll be looking at them the week after.

Join us this Saturday at 5pm where after church we have dinner together at 7pm followed by ‘Nightlife’.

Or join us Sunday at 9am where we’ll gather for church, and then after will have fellowship over morning tea and tasty espresso!

We have kids programs at both of our services! We would love to have your children hang out with us at ‘Joeys’ (toddlers through to preschool), ‘Junior Roos’ (for school years K to 2), and ‘Senior Roos’ (for school years 3 to 6). Our service is live streamed to the TV in the hall so if you need to stay with your child, you won’t miss out on God’s word.

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.