- Anglican Parish of Midland

ANGLICAN PARISH OF MIDLAND
Anglican Church of the Ascension, 8 Spring Park Road, Midland
9.30am Contemporary Worship and Children’s Church
24th April, 2016
Church Tel (08) 92741464 Email [email protected]
Web http://www.centralchurchmidland.org.au/
Pastoral ministry, Pastor Rev Ross Jones Tel 0430 128 061
Our Purpose Statement
We are:
A Worshipping Church Community praising and loving the living Lord.
A Discipling Church teaching members how to spread the Good News of Jesus in
the community.
A Church active in Mission telling the community that Christ loves us all.
A Welcoming Church Community welcoming all just as Jesus did regardless of
race, age, disability, political conviction, gender, or sexual orientation.
April 24. 9.30am Readings Psalm 34: 4-7. Luke : 8: 26—39. (p.722 Pew Bible).
April 24. Roster Lord’s Supper & Preaching Rev Ross , Worship Leader Lorelle
Wadley, Assist Communion Robert Maley, Dulcie Hart, Reader Nell Janes, Data
Chris Brackley, Usher John & Lorraine Vallance. Music, Music group.
May 1st. 9.30am Readings Psalm 34: 8-14. Luke 8: 40—56. (p.722 Pew Bible).
May 1st. Roster Lord’s Supper Rev Ross, Preaching Gray Blattmann, Worship
Leader Tobi Galley, Assist Communion Jude Roach, Sean M-D, Reader Lynne
Oliver, Data Chris Brackley, Usher Wendy Howe & Phillip Everett. Music, Greg &
Lorelle Wadley.
Thursday April 28th 10am Lord’s Supper. Harry Parker.
Gidgegannup Service 9.30am Today, 24th April. Jude Roach
OUR MISSION OUTREACH for this month of April
is BUSH CHURCH AID SOCIETY (BCA) which has a heart for people living in
remote and regional Australia. They are committed to going the distance to reach
Australia for Christ.
This Week’s Calendar
Sunday-NOTE-Children’s church is in
recess—Sunday school material is on
back table.
Tues,26th April, 1.30 Craft Group
resumes
Wed. 27th April
3.00pm Bible Study, High Wycombe.
7.00pm Discipleship Education-Mid.
Thur.28th April, 10am Worship
7.00pm Book Study at Sth Guildford.
Fri, 29th April, 9.30am AER Midland
30th April, Sat, 6.00pm Children’s
Church for tea—children sleeping in
tents & breakfast in the hall.
Sun. 1 May, 7.45am Ladies Guild
stall—do start your baking.
9.30am Children’s Presentation
Sun, 8 May, 10.00am Mother’s Day All
Together Service with Bishop Jeremy
followed by bring & share lunch.
Mainly music “Note: mainly music
sessions will be in recess from next Wed
6 Apr and commence again Wed 4 May
(school term). Info: Lorelle, 9572 2680."
Today there is a Farewell Luncheon
for Laurie & Sylvia—at the Ascension hall, after 9.30am service.
Please join us for a Bring & Share
lunch as we say farewell. All most welcome.
NOTE—Children’s Church is in recess until Sunday, 30th when they
begin with a sleep-over in our hall in
tents and have breakfast together on
Sunday. They will arrive about 6.00pm
in the hall with a snack-style supper
about 8.00pm. More info speak to
Kathie 0438 460 405
Sunday 8 May 10am Combined Service to celebrate Ascension Day with
Bishop Jeremy James. Please bring a
plate for a bring and share lunch. All
our congregations: 8 and 9.30am Midland, 9am St Thomas’ High Wycombe,
and Gidgegannup Community Church,
gather together at 10am Midland, the
only service in the Parish for that day.
Praying for our Church…
Gracious Lord we rejoice in your
empowerment of us as your people called
by you to witness to the hope of glory that
you have placed in our hearts by the Holy
Spirit that has been poured forth upon us.
Gracious Lord enable us to lift our gaze from
ourselves and our limitations unto you and
your working in our lives. Enable us to see
your directing and give us the courage to
follow in your path.
Gracious Lord we pray for the ministries
here that you have called us to: We seek
your guidance and blessing on our ministry
to young people in our Children’s Church,
for families to bring preschool children to
mainly music, our ministry to women and to
men, our fellowship gatherings, and our
compassionate outreach through
Emergency Food Relief.
Gracious Lord we pray for all whom you
have placed in positions of authority
throughout the world. May all lead
responsibly with justice for all under their
care. We pray for peace in the world. May
there be responsible sustainable
stewardship of the world’s resources.
Gracious Lord, we pray for all who are in
need especially through famine and conflict:
the homeless, displaced, exiled and refugee,
and may all hearts be turned in compassion
toward them.
Gracious Lord, we see the world torn by
violence and conflict and the need for
security and peace. At this coming ANZAC
commemoration we remember those who
have faithfully served their country in time
of war so that we could have freedom won
at the cost of their service, and often their
death. May we ever seek to overcome war
and conflict and bring peace to your world.
Gracious Lord bring healing to all in pain,
loneliness, despair, broken heartedness,
grief, and illness, especially…
Gracious Lord you keep us in this hope of
resurrection glory in Christ Jesus.
From our Treasurer:
For Direct Debit only, not Bank counter
deposits . BSB 706-001 A/c 30003655 Name:
Anglican Parish Midland
Westpac bank Counter Deposit BSB is 036810 A/c No 300036551 Name: Anglican Parish
Midland
Rector’s Ramblings Luke 8.26-39, 24
April 2016
Jesus has already performed exorcisms
in this Gospel (4:31–36, 40–41; 6:18; 8:2),
the exorcism here is the first exorcism that
occurs in Gentile territory, since Gerasa is
located east of the Jordan. It shows how
Jesus’ ministry is expanding in scope. This
exorcism involves multiple possession, so it
is a more intense encounter than previous
ones. This account deals more fully with an
array of responses to Jesus’ miracles, from
the request of the locals for Jesus to depart
to the transformation of the demonpossessed man into a witness for the Lord.
This miracle is the only one where earthly
creatures other than humans are involved.
The pigs destruction shows the kind of
devastation inherent in demonic activity.
The detailed description of the demoniac
shows the destructive power of the demons,
for the man has totally withdrawn from
society, living unclothed in tombs. We are
told how he has been seized many times and
bound with ropes, chains, or both. But he
shattered them and could not be restrained.
The man falls before Jesus as the
demons confess him to be the “Son of the
Most High God,” and he asks Jesus not to
torment him. The demon’s name is Legion,
indicating that a whole battle division of
demons inhabit the man. In the Roman
world, legion referred to a company of
thousands of soldiers. In other words, Jesus
is engaging in a major battle here. He is
outnumbered, but not overmatched.
The demons ask to be sent into a herd of
pigs rather than into the abyss. At Jesus’
command, the demons depart to enter the
pigs. Their possession of them throws the
herd into a panic that causes them to run
over the edge of a steep bank and into the
water, where they drown.
Word spreads fast as those tending the
pigs flee into the city and country to report
what has happened. Most amazing of all,
when many people go out to the area, they
see the new character that now inhabits the
formerly possessed man. He is seated
calmly at the feet of Jesus, restored, clothed,
and of sound mind. Jesus has rescued him
from life among the tombs and brought him
into the real world again. The scene is a
picture of new life.
The local people do not care for Jesus’
work, they ask him to leave other than their
fear, and Mark 5:16 makes it clear that Jesus
has had a negative economic impact on the
region. They do not want to lose more
livestock. Their fear has turned into rejection
and a desire to have nothing more to do with
the presence of divine authority.
The healed man wants to join Jesus’
traveling group of disciples, but Jesus has
another calling in mind. Someone must be
left behind to share what God has done in
the area. That is the man’s task. He does
that and more, preaching and proclaiming
what Jesus has done for him. Those whose
lives are most radically transformed often
end up being the strongest witnesses for
Jesus.
The healed man indicates how helpless
one can be without Jesus, especially when
one is shackled and stripped of sanity by
forces more powerful than one’s own. But his
turnaround indicates the startling contrast
that emerges when one is freed from such
enslavement. This miracle is not only about
exorcism; it is especially about the liberation
of a soul.
Miracles are audiovisuals of spiritual
activity. The presence of evil and the
demonic should not be taken lightly. This
incident to demonstrate in a painful manner
how the presence of evil results in death.
This reminds us how presence of sin in the
human race required Jesus own death as
payment.
Our world plays with spiritual forces
rather than taking them seriously. Attraction
to the devil and the demonic has recently
taken on an avant-garde air. Some of the
music that permeates our culture is loaded
with innuendo and suggestion about the spirit
world. One senses that those who engage in
this practice are having fun and trying to be
cute. It is a way of expressing rebellion. But
there is a serious side to this reality. The
news media occasionally inform us of
accounts of violence, injury, and death in
groups that engage in demonic ritual. The
exorcism in Luke 8 is but one picture of the
dangerous character of such activity.
Encounter with demons is not a neutral
undertaking.
One must be careful not to overreact,
however. Some people see a demon behind
every bush, while our culture, being
enlightened, often makes the opposite error
of dismissing such talk as reflecting a
primitive worldview. Both approaches are a
victory for the dark side. One never fights
against what one does not believe is there.
On the other hand, to be preoccupied with
the demonic can produce a type of fixation
that does not reflect spiritual balance and
can deflect taking spiritual accountability.
“The devil made me do it” can turn sinners
into victims who have no control over whom
they decide to ally themselves to. Jesus’
power over such forces should deliver us
from any tendency to attribute too much to
demonic power (Eph. 1:15–23).
Texts about demons are difficult for many
modern people because they ask us to deal
in categories that do not involve seeing or
hearing. But when we see the horrific
destructive character of our culture and how
terribly we can treat one another, it is hard
not to recognize the presence of diabolical
evil in our world. It takes more than our own
efforts to reverse its presence. That reality,
too, is portrayed in this event. Our efforts are
as successful as the attempts by the locals to
chain this demoniac in order to restrain him.
The power of Jesus is needed.
I am reminded of a close friend who grew
up on drugs, was alienated from his family,
had dropped out of school several times, and
was sent to a psychiatrist for treatment.
Nothing helped. Then he was led to the Lord.
His life was cleaned up and his demeanor
changed. His relationship to his family was
restored. His psychiatrist was amazed, as
were his parents. If you ask him what did it,
he will tell you it was not religion, though that
was the more culturally neutral term many of
his unchurched relatives used. Neither was it
“growing up,” another popular secular
answer. It was Jesus, pure and simple. The
grace of God gave him a new heart. He
would tell you Satan had a solid grip on him
until he came face to face with Jesus. He
identifies with this story in Luke 8, for Jesus
delivered him from the depths that were
leading him to self-destruction.
A significant human quality appears in
this text. The people who ask Jesus to leave
their region recognize his power, but are
afraid to be too close to him. Many fear
divine accountability, preferring to be left on
their own and to fend for themselves. They
regard Christianity as a crutch, but I wonder
if in fact there is a failure to recognize where
real weakness resides. The locals were so
concerned with their own affairs that they
could not appreciate the deliverance that had
taken place before their eyes. Perhaps the
biggest tragedy of all is to see God at work
and pretend nothing has really happened.
The delivered man gives us a final point
of application. Not everyone is called to a
ministry of traveling to share Jesus. That is,
not everyone is called to a mission field far
from home. Sometimes Jesus wants those
who have experienced his goodness to tell
those in their own hometown about him.
Some are called to go; others are called to
stay. This newly healed and transformed
man did not need to raise support to find his
mission field; he simply needed to start
sharing—which, in fact, he did. He could not
tell the story of God’s work in his life without
discussing Jesus. [based on Bock, D. L.
(1996). Luke (pp. 241–245)]
Blessings, Rev Ross
Notice from Ross.
Revd. Ross will be on leave from 12th
September 2015 to 2nd January, 2016.
The Revd. Dale Appleby will be the Pastor for that period of Revd. Ross’ leave.
Parish Notices :
Rosters for May & June. Please indicate on the sign-up sheet if you will be
absent during that period or what rostered
duty you would like to pick up—
assistance always provided.
Guest speaker at Craft Group—Cecilie
from Dorcas House in Calcutta will join us
at Craft Group on Tuesday, 10th May at
1.30pm. All most welcome to attend.
Fundraising:
Sunday 12 June 8am Parish garage
sale with set-up on Saturday.
.
Election Day Saturday July 2. Cake
stall and sausage sizzle fundraiser