4th December Bulletin
The Anglican Parish of Tamborine Mountain
4th December 2022
Join us this Sunday at:
St. George’s, Tamborine Mountain St. Luke’s, Canungra
10am Eucharist 8am Eucharist
STRAIGHT PATHS
Every advent the church sets Bible readings about John the Baptist in order to remind us of the need to prepare for Christ’s coming. This Sunday we will hear of that “voice of one calling in the wilderness,” teaching people to: ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’
That Lord was Christ, and he was about to start physically making his way towards Jerusalem, teaching about the way to live and, through dying, to open up a new way for us to experience God.
John’s mission was to prepare the people to follow this Lord because it’s so easy to stumble when we try to follow Jesus. John’s mission, detailed in
Luke 3, required that:
Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth.
Essentially, there are roadblocks between us and God: Some are caused by the distracting world we live in, others are caused by our own reluctance to work at smoothing out the stuff we keep slipping up on. Advent is a great time to do some metaphorical road-building, making it easier for us to follow Jesus on the road ahead.
Advent is a time of preparation, we prepare for Christ’s second physical arrival on earth, as we prepare to celebrate the anniversary of the first physical arrival of Christ on earth, and we give thanks that since Christ turned up that first time we have been able to follow the way of the Lord through life.
Part of preparation is doing everything we can to ensure we don’t stumble following that way so what bumps exist in your road? How might you straighten the path?
Tom
NOTICES…
Parish AGM #1
We will be holding the first part of the Parish AGM at St George’s on Sunday 18th December. We will be electing Churchwardens, Parish Councilors and Parish Nominators. This is a very important part of Parish life so please prayerfully consider how you can be part of it. There will need to be 10 people present to form a quorum for the meeting. In the past this first part of the AGM has taken less than 30 minutes. Your attendance will be greatly appreciated.
Nomination forms are available on the entry table at both churches. Completed forms are to be handed to Tom or the Churchwardens by Sunday 11th December.
This week’s intercessions: Prepared by Keith S
Jesus you stand at the door and knock. You patiently await our readiness to invite you into our hearts.
We pray for a readiness to hear your voice and to respond.
Come, Lord Jesus: Hear our prayer.
We hold in our prayer this globe that spins in the space of this awesome universe. We pray that we may be constant guardians of that which sustains this planet.
Come, Lord Jesus: Hear our prayer.
We pray for the nations of the world where there is conflict. We continue to pray for the people of the Ukraine.
We pray that we may each be bearers of peace and love through our thoughts,words and actions.
Come, Lord Jesus: Hear our prayer.
We offer our prayer for this country, particularly for our leaders.
We give thanks for our life together as community praying for open hearts and generosity of spirit.
Come Lord Jesus: Hear our prayer.
We pray for the Church, giving thanks for the ministry of Archbishop Philip as he retires; for John, our bishop and Tom our parish priest. Surround them with your grace and presence.
Come, Lord Jesus: Hear our prayer.
We pray for those who are sick or suffering in body, mind or spirit. We pray particularly at this time for ………….. Grant them healing and wholeness.
Come, Lord Jesus: Hear our prayer.
We hold in our hearts and minds those whom we love and yet can no longer see. We give thanks for the gift of memories, insights, wisdom and all that they shared with us.
Come, Lord Jesus: Hear our prayer.
Lord Jesus, give us the courage to open the door of our hearts to welcome you again and again. Amen.
Year’s Mind Anniversaries this month
Sylvia Tomlinson, Yvonne Cossins, George Curtis, May Finch, Nancy Lovell, Garry Mailer, Beryl Jenyns, Tom Powell, Sylvia Perkins, Raymond Curtis, Vincent Youngman, Jean Jenyns, Wendy Lyne.
December Retiring Collection: Christmas Bowl
The Christmas Bowl is the Christmas appeal of Act for Peace, the international humanitarian agency of the National Council of Churches in Australia. This year is already shaping up to be one of the toughest in recent memory. With the cost of living rapidly increasing for many of us, both here at home and abroad, there is much uncertainty about the future. The impacts of the climate crisis, rising inflation and the ongoing war in Ukraine are all contributing to growing food scarcity for many communities already uprooted by conflict and disaster around the world. This global food crisis is now pushing millions to the brink of famine with families in urgent need of food, care and lifesaving support. In these difficult times, the Christmas Bowl not only expresses our unity in Christ, it provides a powerful way for Australian Christians to share hope through practical Christian action, led by our committed local partners working in the toughest conditions around the world.
Christmas Service Times
21st December - Carols by Torchlight - St Luke’s 6.30pm
24th December - Christmas Eve Pageant on the Lawn - St George’s 5.00pm
24th December - Midnight Eucharist - St George’s - 11.00pm
25th December-Christmas Eucharist-St Luke’s 8.00am & St George’s-10.00am
WEEKLY EVENTS:
Little Lukies Mon 3:00pm @ St Luke’s (in recess)
Meditation Tue 9.30am @ St George’s
Toddler Time Wed 9.30am @ St Georges (in recess)
Bible Study Wed 11.00am@ St Luke’s
Friday Bible Study 1st/3rd Fri 10:00am
PARISH DIRECTORY
Priest-in-Charge Rev Tom Hunton 04 0177 3012
tom.hunton@anglicanchurchsq.org.au
Churchwarden Delma McCrea
07 5545 1856 delma.mccrea@live.com
Churchwarden Peta Tierney
04 1325 8332 peta.tierney@hotmail.com
Parish Office
Phone: 5545 2919 Monday to Friday 9.30-2.30
Email: tamborinemountain@anglicanchurchsq.org.au
Website: https://tamborinemtandcanungraanglican.com
Parish Bank Details: BSB 704-901 Account No. 00000450
This week’ readings:
Romans 15:4-13; Ps72:1-7,18-21; Isaiah 40:1-11; Matthew 3:1-12
…and next Week:
Matthew 11:2-11; James 5:7-10; Isaiah 35:1-10; Luke 1:46-55
We acknowledge and pay our respects to the Wanggeriburra people of the Yugambeh Nation, the traditional owners and ongoing custodians of the land on which we gather, and to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people worshipping with us today.