A member of the Central Highlands Cluster Ministry

St Mary’s, Woodend 11.00am

1st May, 2016 – The Sixth Sunday of Easter and Family Service

Christ is Risen! Alleluia Alleluia!

We acknowledge the Woi wurrung and Dja Dja Wurrung people, the traditional custodians of this land where we gather to worship.

We pay our respects to their elders past and present and pray for ongoing efforts for reconciliation.

GATHERING IN GOD’S NAME

Gathering Hymn – 418 She sits like a bird The Lord be with you. And also with you Christ is risen Alleluia He is risen indeed Alleluia

Jesus said: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid’ John 14:27

Let us confess our sins in penitence and faith.

Confident in God’s forgiveness, we pray:

God our Shepherd, we are lost in the darkness and danger of sin. We are hungry and afraid, and we cannot find our own way home. We are sorry for our sins. Search for us, save us, forgive us, and bring us back to life, we pray, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

There is rejoicing in heaven when the lost are found, and there is hope on earth when sinners turn to God in faith. Through Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd, who died and rose again to save us, I declare to you: Your sins are forgiven.

Amen. Come, Holy Spirit, and keep us in the light of Christ, now and for ever. Amen. Let us pray Great and loving God, your will for us in your Son Jesus

is the peace which the world cannot give,

your abiding gift, the Advocate he promised. Calm all troubled hearts, dispel every fear, and keep us steadfast in love and faithful to your word. Grant this through Jesus Christ, the firstborn from the dead, who lives with you now and always

in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen

MINISTRY OF THE WORD A reading from the book of Acts chapter 16 versus 9 to15

During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.

We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days. On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.” And she prevailed upon us.

For the word of the Lord thanks be to God

Psalm 67

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us,Selah that your way may be known upon earth,

your saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth.Selah Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.

The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, has blessed us. May God continue to bless us; let all the ends of the earth revere him.

Gospel Hymn: 185 Alleluia, alleluia. The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to John, chapter 14 beginning at the 23rd verse + Glory to you Lord Jesus Christ

Jesus answered him, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.

“I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I am coming to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe.

For the Gospel of the Lord praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ

The Talk

Now let us stand, and together, affirm our faith

We believe in one God,

who made and loves all that is.

We believe in Jesus Christ,

God’s only Son, our Lord,

who was born, lived, died and rose again,

and is coming to call all to account.

We believe in the Holy Spirit,

who calls, equips and sends out God’s people,

and brings all things to their true end.

This is our faith, the faith of the Church:

We believe in one God,

Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Prayers of the People

The Greeting of Peace

We are the body of Christ His Spirit is with us. The peace of the Lord be always with you. And also with you. Offertory Hymn: How Do We Start

*a collection to assist the mission of God in this parish will be taken up during this hymn – we thank you for responding to God’s generosity with your gift.

How do we start to touch the broken hearts, The barren lives, the lonely and bereaved? Lord, in your name we shall go forth, Your healing power forever is the same! That the world may believe, that the world may believe, That the world may believe in you. We shall proclaim the love of Jesus Christ A man of sorrows yet a man divine. His worthiness, his loveliness, His faithfulness for ever we will sing! Refrain And so we go into a lonely world Where fear reigns and sorrow fills the air. Yet as we go, your Spirit comes, Your cleansing power you give us to share! refrain

THE GREAT THANKSGIVING The Lord be with you. And also with you. Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks and praise. Loving God, we thank you for this world of wonder and delight. You have given it to us to care for, so that all your creatures may enjoy its bounty. Lord our God, we give you thanks and praise

We thank you that when we turned away from you, you sent Jesus to live and work as one of us, and bring us back to you. He showed us how to love you and set us free to love and serve one another. Lord our God, we give you thanks and praise. We thank you that on the cross Jesus took away our sin, all that keeps us from each other and from you. He frees us from hate and fear, from all that destroys love and trust. Lord our God, we give you thanks and praise. And so with everyone who believes in you, With all the saints and angels, We rejoice and praise you, saying:

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest.

And now we thank you for these gifts of bread and wine;

may we who receive them, as Jesus said, share his body and his blood

On the night he was betrayed, he took bread and gave you thanks. He broke the bread and gave it to his friends, and said; ‘Take and eat. This is my body given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ After supper he took the cup and gave you thanks. He shared the cup with them and said; ‘This is my blood poured out

So that sins may be forgiven. Do this in remembrance of me.’

We say the memorial acclamation together Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. You have gathered us together to feed on Christ and to remember all he has done for us. Fill us with your Spirit that we may follow Jesus

in all we do and say, working for justice and bringing your peace to this world that you have made.

Accept our prayers through Jesus Christ our Lord. Blessing and honour and glory and power are yours for ever and ever. Amen. With hearts set on heaven and hands open to serve we pray as our Saviour Christ has taught us, Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins,

as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever. Amen.

THE BREAKING OF THE BREAD AND THE COMMUNION We break this bread to share in the body of Christ. We who are many are one body, For we all share in the one bread.

The Sending out of God’s people

Eternal God, giver of life, in the breaking of the bread we know the risen Lord. May we who celebrate this holy feast walk in his risen light and bring new life to all creation. Most loving God... you send us into the world you love. Give us grace to go thankfully and with courage in the power of your Spirit.

The Notices Final Hymn – 183 Sing of the Lord’s Goodness The Blessing and Dismissal The God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you what is pleasing in his sight; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. Alleluia! In the name of Christ. Alleluia!

***some thoughts from Rev. Mel When I read today’s reading from Acts about Lydia I am hopeful that the societal challenges that were faced, and overcome, in this story inspire us to overcome social challenges that we face today. Lydia, by all accounts, was a single woman and a dealer in purple cloth, which meant that she was also a woman of some financial standing. Purple dye was the most expensive and most sought after within people of rank, and so the price was quite high for the purple cloth products in which she deals.

Paul and Silas go to a place where just the women gather for prayer, and on the Sabbath! Then Lydia prevails upon Paul and Silas to stay with her in her home. A woman taking charge of her house is one thing, but to invite men to stay with her would have been quite scandalous at the time. Of course these social situations don’t raise an eyebrow in our time. Women are leaders of business, community and, dare I say it, church also. Women can own property and invite whomever they want to stay over. The situation for women has improved, thanks to women like Lydia who were trail blazers in their own way. The social problems we seem to have now in this country are more about differences in race and religion than gender. I learned this week that, after 18 months of discussion with council planners, a mosque in Narre Warren has been denied building permission. The main objector, according to the reports, is a counsillor who is a member of the right wing group Reclaim Australia. John Faine interviewed the person who had been trying to get the mosque built and had been working with the council. My heart went out to him and as I reflected on this I honestly couldn’t understand the objections. We live in a country where we have the freedom to worship which ever god we believe in – or to not believe in any god at all. We have the happy situation of being in a country where we can interact and live with people who come from all over the world. We are, in effect, denying our Abrahamic brothers and sisters the right to worship the same God that we worship, if we support this sort of policy. I ask you to keep our Muslim family members in your prayers this week, and if you can, extend your hand to them in their time of trial. As-Salam-u-Alaikum (Peace be upon you), Mel

************************** Pew Bulletin

Central Highlands Cluster BYO Picnic After church today from 1pm we will have a picnic in the Kyneton Botanic Gardens. BYO picnic and chair or blanket to sit on. Suggested parking is in Clowes Street – car pooling is encouraged. Nepalese Appeal On Saturday June 4th at 6pm we will be screening Michael Dillon’s film ‘Beyond Everest’ as part of our mission work for Nepal in their rebuilding after last year’s earthquake. Admission for adults $15 and for children under 15 free. All proceeds from this night will go towards the Guild project and to the Himaganga School. St Mary’s Guild is knitting beanies and cot blankets for pre-school children, as part of this mission. The next knitting gathering is on May 18th in the NR Hall but if you would like to knit between meetings see Alicia for patterns. New Signs! We are currently in the process of imagining and designing new signs for both of our churches. At St Mary’s we will have a new sign on both the High Street side and the Buckland Street side of the block. At St George’s we are hoping for something special to put on our signpost to the left of the path as well us updating the sign with the website details on it. If you would like to make a donation towards signage at either site that would be most welcome. You can either place your donation in an envelope marked ‘signage’ and add it to your usual offering, or you can pass it onto one of the clergy or wardens.

Intercessions – our prayers are asked for: Penny and Keith, Robyn, John, Sam, Jim, Andrea, Alison, Ethan, Kirsten, Lis, Grace, Claire, Barbara, Bernice, Joyce, Judy. Please let Rev’d Mel or Rev’d Neil know if there is someone who is in need of prayer and they will be included here. Alternatively please feel welcome to include your prayers on the booklet in the chapel at St Mary’s

Birthdays! Birthday blessings today to Leonie McLaren and to Joy Daymon on Saturday. Years Mind and those who have died recently We celebrate the life of Iris Trist and give thanks for her music ministry in this parish. Readings and Clergy for next week Next week Rev. Neil and Rev. Charles will be looking after Trentham and Woodend and our readings will be: Acts 16:16-34 Psalm 97 Rev 22-12:21 John 17:20-26

St Mary's Woodend (1864) - St George's Trentham (1927)* A member of The Central Highlands Cluster Ministry

*These dates refer to the current buildings on the sites. The founding years of the two centres are Trentham 1864 and

Woodend 1859

PO Box 699, Woodend, VIC 3442 | www.woodendanglican.org.au Rector: Rev’d. Ian Howarth 5422 2500/0437 655 702 Deacon: Rev’d Melissa Clark 0411 722 718 Deacon: Rev’d Neil Fitzgerald 0439 337 252 Hon. Assoc. Priest: Rev’d Dr. Charles Sherlock 0423 020 699 Wardens: Mark 0437 354 318; John 5424 1127

WELCOME! It is good to have you here. Please join us for a “cuppa” and a chat after the service in the hall.