St Paul's
Beaconsfield

Anglican Church near Fremantle, Western Australia

Sunday Thoughts

Our parish is a community that seeks God and the fullness of creation by finding ourselves in relation to others. Our giving to the common, to the other, our sharing of ourselves is our commitment to this endeavour.

Year B

Sunday, 9.15am Holy Communion see also Readings

Regular Services

Lectionary

The full text of the readings for Sunday are available in our Sunday's Readings section.

Other Resources

Textweek The Text This Week - Revised Common Lectionary, Scripture Study and Worship Links

Online Revised Common Lectionary Vanderbilt Divinity Library

Earlier Thoughts      Year B 0506      Year C 0607      Year A 0708

Sunday, 9.15am Holy Communion

LITURGICAL NOTE: From the start of Advent we follow the YEAR C readings in the three-year lectionary cycle. See the inside back cover for more about the liturgical year.

Before entering the sanctuary or the vestry…
Please allow the Choir to complete the ‘postlude’ and any additional songs that are part of our offering in worship – Our holding the sacred space is part of our common union - our being together in communion

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Fourth Sunday of Lent 14 March 2010

You are always with me; all that is mine is yours

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Today we welcome Bishop Kay Goldsworthy - the visit of our bishop is an opportunity (and a symbol) to see ourselves as part of the wider Anglican community – and to be seen as a part of the same.....

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A good question comes out of today’s readings:
“have you been circumcised?”
It is a question that requires a little translation.....
“Have you been marked by your encounter with the Divine?” and what are the scars that show you as “marked as Christ’s own forever.”

Paul says “From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view”. There is a very different way of seeing the world that results from our encounter with God....... and it results from our being different.
As we share in our Lenten journey we have an opportunity to witness changes in our lives and in our perspective of the world..... We might also glimpse a movement away from the old..... toward the East.. a movement ‘beyond the Church’.......

So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!

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O Brother Jesus
  who wept at the death of a friend
  and overturned tables in anger at wrong
  let me not be frightened by the depths of passion.
  Rather let me learn the love and anger
  and wild expanses of soul within me
  that are true expressions of your grace and wisdom.
  And assure me again that in becoming more like you
  I come closer to my true self
  made in the image of outpouring Love
  born of the free eternal Wind.
J. Philip Newell – Celtic Benediction

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Silence is God's first language; everything else is a poor translation. In order to hear that language, we must learn to be still and to rest in God.
Thomas Keating

Be still and know that I am God

Lord, take me where you want me to go;
Let me meet who you want me to meet.
Tell me what you want me to say,
And keep me out of your way.
Fr Mychal Judge FDNY (d. Sept 11 2001)

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Abundance
15 weddings, 4 baptisms are currently “booked in” for St Paul’s – Ronny and Peter can see our ministry growing as we continue to open ourselves to the wider community. As we move toward Easter and to the New Life that we will symbolically claim as we re-enter the Church on Easter day.... please consider what it will mean for all of us to continue extending our ministry and ourselves......

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Refreshment Sunday or Mothering Sunday is a Christian festival celebrated throughout Europe. A religious festival celebrating motherhood has existed in Europe since approximately 250 BC when the Romans honoured the mother goddess Cybele during mid-March. As the Roman Empire and Europe converted to Christianity, Mothering Sunday celebrations became part of the liturgical calendar as Laetare Sunday, the fourth Sunday in Lent to honour the Virgin Mary and the "mother church".
During the sixteenth century, people returned to their mother church for a service to be held on Laetare Sunday. This was either a large local church, or more often the nearest Cathedral. Anyone who did this was commonly said to have gone "a-mothering", although whether this preceded the term Mothering Sunday is unclear. It was often the only time that whole families could gather together, if prevented by conflicting working hours.

The Elm Dance

After the choir sings the postlude on Sunday morning, those who wish to join in “The Elm Dance” gather in the circle dance area outside the church before going up to coffee in the hall. The Elm Dance

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The Divine Gift of Life, Light and Love
Our offering - a reflection of the gifts we have received
and an orientation of our giving to the life of this community.

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There is nothing in all the Universe so much like God as silence.
Meister Eckhart

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Sacred Space, Liturgy & our Community @ Worship
As we seek to offer our best in worship these guidelines may be helpful.

1. Silence before worship enables us to be ‘gathered’ into the introit sung by the choir
2. Conversations with others are often our way of avoiding those more divine words that search for us.
3. The sanctuary ‘space’ is ‘held’ by those who lead our worship, please keep to a minimum any movement in this ‘space’ and, at the end of our service, please wait until the choir have finished singing before entering.
4. NOTICES are an important part of our community story… however please use the service sheet to convey notices so that we can minimise the number that have to be given in church.

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We meditate on the glory of the Creator;
Who has created the Universe;
Who is worthy of Worship;
Who is the embodiment of Knowledge and Light;
Who is the remover of all Sin and Ignorance;
May The Divine enlighten our Intellect.

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Peace
Om Shanthi Shanthi Shanthi

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May creatures all abound in wealth and peace;
May all be blessed with peace always;
All creatures weak or strong,
All creatures great and small;
Creatures seen or unseen,
Dwelling afar or near.
born or awaiting birth,
May all be blessed with peace!
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Giving made easy
Direct debit forms are available from the back of the church and the hall for anyone who wants to use this facility. 
St Paul’s bank account details are:
30004913 Beaconsfield - for the East End account
30003006 Beaconsfield - for regular giving
For Internet or other bank transfers you will also need the BSB which is the same for each account – 706-001
Please contact Bob Matthews if you have any questions.

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