A member of the Central Highlands Cluster Ministry

St George’s, Trentham 9.00am | St Mary’s, Woodend 11.00am

17th April, 2016 – The Fourth Sunday of Easter, Good Shepherd Sunday

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 444 Dear Shepherd of your people The Lord be with you. And also with you Christ is risen Alleluia He is risen indeed Alleluia

Sentence for the day

The Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Revelation 7:17

The Prayer of preparation (page 119 of the prayer book) Almighty God… Christ our Passover Lamb has been offered for us, therefore we come to celebrate the festival. (Silence) 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 forever. Amen.

The Gloria (page 121 of the prayer book) Glory to God in the highest… Let us pray Gracious God, you sent Jesus, the good shepherd, to gather us together: may we not wander from his flock, but follow wherever he leads us, listening for his voice and staying near him, until we are safely in your fold, to live with you for ever; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

MINISTRY OF THE WORD A reading from the book of Acts chapter 9 versus 36 to 43

Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. At that time she became ill and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs. Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, who heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, “Please come to us without delay.” So Peter got up and went with them; and when he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them. Peter put all of them outside, and then he knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, “Tabitha, get up.” Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up. He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he showed her to be alive. This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. Meanwhile he stayed in Joppa for some time with a certain Simon, a tanner.

For the word of the Lord thanks be to God

Psalm 23

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD my whole life long.

A reading from the book of Revelation chapter 7 versus 9 to 17

After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice, saying,

“Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, singing,

“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour

and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?” I said to him, “Sir, you are the one that knows.” Then he said to me, “These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

For this reason they are before the throne of God, and worship him day and night within his temple, and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them. They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; for the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

For the word of the Lord thanks be to God

Gospel Hymn – 703 As the Deer Pants for the Water (sing twice) Alleluia Alleluia The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to John, chapter 10: 22 to 30

At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.”

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

The Sermon

The affirmation of faith (page 123 of the prayer book)

The Prayers of the People – concluding with…

Generous God, you hear our prayers and you provide for us all the peace and protection we need. Teach us to pray with confidence and to trust in your blessings, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

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 – 10 The Lord’s my Shepherd *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.

THE GREAT THANKSGIVING please turn to page 128

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is 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. Jesus said: I am the Good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me. Be known to us, Lord Jesus, in the breaking of the bread.

The Sending out of God’s people

Living God, Shepherd of your people, thank you for gathering your flock and for feeding us today. Thank you for the company of all your faithful friends to share the story and the meal. Send us on the journey of this week with your power to protect us and your Spirit to inspire us, every step of the way.

The Notices

Final Hymn – 145 The King of Love my Shepherd is

The Blessing and Dismissal May the Good Shepherd bless you with strong protection and the food you need to make you grow in body, mind and spirit. And the blessing of the holy and glorious Trinity be yours as well, with power to pass these blessings on. now and forever ever. Amen Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. Alleluia! In the name of Christ. Alleluia!

***some thoughts from Rev. Mel Living, as we do, in an area where sheep are ‘stock’ on many properties, it is a mad and almost ridiculous notion to think that the farmer would risk all of his or her sheep to go and find one that may have wandered into another field, but the love of God for us is like that. The love of God is over the top, mad in it’s depth and strength and endurance and beyond our comprehension completely. I have always found that the Good Shepherd story is a favourite in children’s ministry. There is something about a person loving their sheep so much, and risking everything to find a missing one, that is particularly captivating for children I have found. When I was working with children of South Sudanese background a few years ago this was definitely a favourite (of theirs and mine!) and they would love to move the figurines of the shepherd, sheep and wolf through the story board. Being ‘rescued’ and loved in this way appealed to them in a way that I only began to understand when I began to hear their stories about being in refugee camps and war torn places. Hearing those stories changed me and the way that I relate to many passages of scripture. Psalm 23 is a well known piece of scripture, even outside of church circles. I have found at least 20 modern-ish songs that have used this text in their lyrics – many of them songs that fall into the category of ‘rap’ music. No matter your opinion on whether rap is music or not, it is a genre that grew from the struggle of African American (mostly) men as they navigate their way through a majority caucasian country. Much of their lyrics talk about poverty, violence, gangs, police brutality and unemployment or lack of opportunities. These things, for many people, are the modern day ‘valleys of the shadow’. Sadly, most of the songs that I found didn’t seem to find light, or know that the shepherd was calling for them. Sometimes we have to allow ourselves to be used by God to call the sheep back to the shepfold; to be the still waters and to fill cups to overflowing.

In the coming months the parish will begin working on the Mission Action Plan. It is a good opportunity for us, on this Good Shepherd Sunday to begin to pray about what our mission is in the world, and how we can be used by God to carry, on our shoulders, the people of the world who walk through dark valleys in their life. With my prayers and love as we walk together, Mel.

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

Knit and Natter – St Mary’s Guild The St Mary’s Guild will hold a ‘Knit and Natter’ gathering in the Norma Richardson Hall on Wednesday April 20 from 11am to 2:30pm - entry $10 which includes a light lunch. Our knitting project is focused on knitting for children in Nepal; you are free to participate in this project or bring your own project along! Call Lilla for more information 5422 2942. St George’s Day St George is celebrated each year on April 23, this year in Trentham we will be marking the occasion on Sunday 24. 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, Heather, Grace, Claire, Barbara, Bernice, Joyce.

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! Today we celebrate Elizabeth McInnerny and Jill Grossman. Please let us know if you’re having a birthday this week so that we can celebrate you! Years Mind and those who have died recently Tomorrow we remember Maurice Reginald Bickerdyke and on Thursday Kay Elliot.

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

www.facebook.com/woodendanglican/

WELCOME! It is good to have you here. Please join us for a “cuppa” and a chat after the service around the table near the font at St George’s or in the Norma Richardson Hall at St Mary’s. If you have children with you they are very welcome to use the children’s corner at St Mary’s.