5th January 2003 The Feast of the Epiphany

5^th January 2003

THE FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

Having worked in restaurants, I am incapable of entering them without a shudder. I know what goes on. I have glimpsed behind the Chinese screen. Consider this truism. Suppose your award-winning chop-house entertains 100 customers at lunchtime, your staff must prepare about 250 dishes in the space of two hours. There is only one way to manage it: military-style routines repeated in mad haste by brainwashed zombies. Filmed evidence of this production-line technique has occasionally reached our TV screens. An unpleasant image lingers in my mind of a hysterical show-off shrieking commands in mangled franglais at distressed teenagers sweating into duck-fat. This is what haute cuisine means -- not artistry but clockwork. All restaurant food is fast food. Lloyd Rogers

WELCOME

Welcome to our services. The order of the Eucharist is from "A Prayer Book for Australia". We like our worship to flow, so there are few directions given during the service. Page numbers are printed in this pew sheet as are the Prayer of the Day, Readings, Psalm and Hymn Numbers.

MUSIC

The organist at 9.30am is Marjorie Glanville. The Postlude: "How Brightly Shines the Morning Star" by George Phillip Telemann. Hymns for Epiphany at 9.30am .... 216 382 239 203

PRAYER OF THE WEEK

Grant me, O Lord, an understanding heart, that I may see into the hearts of your people, and know their strengths and weaknesses, their hopes and despairs, their efforts and failures; their need of love and their need to love. Through my touch with them grant comfort and hope, and the assurance that new life begins at any age and on any day, redeeming the past, sanctifying the present, and brightening the future with the assurance of your unfailing love, brought to me in Jesus Christ, your Son, my Lord. Amen. George Appleton

RECTOR AWAY

Father Andrew is away taking the funeral of a friend in the Daylesford area, but should be back on duty by Tuesday.

DINNER IN BED

A lady … felt a thud upon her bed … and hands constantly moving over it. She was so frightened that she fainted. When she came to it was daylight and she found that the butler had walked in his sleep and had laid the table for fourteen upon her bed. Augustus Hare: The Story of my Life

DELICATELY PUT

Lady Dillon told Sir F. Chantrey that English women were more buxom than Italian women. The delicate way she put it was, 'you will find that Italian women can sit much closer to a wall than English.'

Stanhope: "Conversations with the Duke of Wellington"

Looking back .....

By Fr Ellis Jones

Looking back to Egypt was one thing you weren't supposed to do if you were a Hebrew escaping from that country in the middle of the 13th Century BC.

Of course there are scholars who will say that it was OK to look back then as the escape from Egypt under the leadership of Moses happened two centuries before. As a modern- scholarship straggler you can look back or forward and neither will get you anywhere, because the Promised Land has been conquered, Jericho has been razed, and Samson and other Judges have been in control for a few hundred years. Give or take a couple of hundred years, but what's that between enemies?

For, as it happens, Samson & Co are not really in control. Certain Philistines resent their attempts at control. Just translate Philistines into Palestinians and you get the picture.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian king, one Rameses II, got married. Normally this is not a wise move, but the lady happened to be a princess of the Hittites, who at that stage in history controlled Turkey, Lebanon and Syria. The two regimes in Mesopotamia, Assyria and Babylon, were having a little doze at the time, so this made the Egypt-Hittite marriage into a massive but hard to control empire.

The Egyptian government has been getting reports from outposts in the tiny slip of country between Turkey etc and their own borders, that a wild band of no-hopers called Hapiru have been making life hard for locals i.e. Philistines i.e. Palestinians. This has been going on for 200 years before the big Marriage. But when the King gets married, and the two empires are legally amalgamated, they must fix up the Hapiru. Chuck out all hairy Hapiru left in Egypt, settle down to a good agricultural economy, and hope that the sheep-herding Hapiru will get their come-uppance in the in-between lands. Hopefully by the Philistine ( Palestinian) forces.

The Bible tells us from a Hapiru viewpoint that the Egyptian army was destroyed. History tells us that Rameses II was more interested in the Turkish princess, and really couldn't give a roughie about the Hebrews. Like a long-suppressed belch, they were better out than in.

Some Hebrews wanted to Look Back to Egypt. But they were never welcome there in the first place.

And the Hebrews were told not to look back. Not to Egypt. But they must look back to their origins as refugees from Egypt, and to the mighty acts of God through the leadership of Moses. Likewise, all Biblical people ( and we are in the same Biblical traditional as the Hebrews) are told not to look back like Lot's Wife, to the old dispensation of Sodom and Gomorrah, for she was turned into a pillar of salt.

I look back sometimes. My life is like a ragged summing-up of the history of Israel. Challenge, battle, mercy, grace, forgiveness, and more battle. Without the great treasure of the Bible, my life would be meaningless indeed.

But I must stop looking back. The New Testament promises forgiveness and grace. But I still relate to the struggle of the Old Testament People of God as my testimony, my faith history, my battle, and God's victory. From there I may indeed look forward.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

For far too long, Africans have been schooled by European and American intellectuals in the art of excusing themselves for their own plight. This is demeaning to them: it implies that Africans are so lowly and incompetent that they are incapable of making their own mess, which someone else -- in effect, the white man -- must make for them. Thus Western intellectuals and African elites came to live in symbiosis: the first flattered themselves that, decolonisation notwithstanding, the white man was still all-powerful in Africa, even if all-powerful only in his capacity to do evil; and the second were provided with an unfailing excuse for their own greed, corruption and improvidence. A member of the African elite who used his ill-gotten gains and his country's scarce foreign exchange to buy a flat in Belgravia or the 16th arrondissement could persuade himself that his own conduct was really the fault of Europe or America. Whether in nominally capitalist or formerly socialist countries, it was long impossible to find any intellectual challenge to an outlook that in effect absolved Africans from blame for their own situation, and therefore also denied them the ability to do anything about it. Needless to say, such an outlook led directly to a balefully self-fulfilling prophecy; for those who believe that their fate lies essentially in the hands of others take no action to better themselves. Thus Africa has been waiting for Godot. Editorial Spec 14th Dec 2002

THE VERBAL BEAUTY OF MEDICAL TERMS

How long ago upon the fabulous shores

Of far Lumbago, all on a summer's day,

He and the maid Neuralgia, they twain,

Lay in a flower-crowned mead, and garlands wove

Of gout and yellow hydrocephaly,

Dim palsies, pyorrhoea and sweet

Myopia, bluer than the summer sky,

Agues both white and red, pied common cold,

Cirrhosis, and that wan faint flower of love

The shepherds called dyspepsia… (Anon)

CONGRATULATIONS

Congratulations to Peter and Anne Young on the birth of their first grandchild: Jacob Peter Hannon Young. Also to Jane Cullen and Peter Saggers who celebrate their birthday today, Sunday.

There is a sheet on the narthex table, or in the porch of each of our parish churches for the names of those who would like their birthday or wedding anniversary noted in this pew sheet.

AN EXCELLENT EFFORT

Thank you to all those who took part in the present wrapping at Myer to assist Vision Australia. It netted $800 for the new Memorial hall. Dorothy Heiner

SUMMER CAMP

On the Board and on the Table in the Narthex is news of a Summer Camp for young people aged between 12 and 15. It sounds great, so do have a look at it if you are in that age group or have children who are. It takes place from the 17th to 19th of Jan. at Wandiligong.

THIS YEAR'S ROSTERS

It seems at the time of writing that the rosters for this year will not be ready until next week. Have a look at the lists on the last page to see if you are on duty next week.

USED STAMPS & CARDS PLEASE

Stan Windley continues to welcome used stamps for sorting and sending off to ABM. Also wanted are Christmas Cards for reconstituting. Cut off private messages, but preferably leave at least a bit over the fold.

FROM GWEN

Faith, family and friends - where would I be without them? I thank you all for your prayer and practical support shown in many and varied ways. I will be about soon; God is good and generous.

Love....Gwen Goldsworthy

PROGRESSIVE DINNER

There is a Progressive dinner on Saturday 11th January, run by the good folk from Emmanuel. This bound to be great fun. For further details see the table in the Narthex of ring Carol Clutterbuck 60245896

CALENDARS

Margaret Andrews has still a few of the lovely calendars available which feature Australian churches. Have a word with her if you would like one, they really are very fine calendars indeed, there is a sample of one on the narthex board.

GUIDE FOR READERS AT SUNDAY EUCHARIST

Next Week's Readings

(1) Genesis, Chapter 1 verses 1 - 5

The opening verses of the whole Bible may not be taken lightly, especially if you are privileged to read them in public. We had better revert to the RSV instead of the New RSV to get the full impact of this. The ancient text starts with Beresheet "In the beginning, God...". The creation is described in terrible and fierce terms: Merachepet ruach elohim. "A dreadful storm flew over the watery chaos." That's the first mention in the Bible of the powerful Holy Spirit, ruach elohim (drooAHH 'loHEEM). These things should be read in Hebrew, but nobody would understand you. But you must give the phrases the same Hebrew thrust. Then comes the separation of light from darkness. Emphasise Light, for Light is a big thing in our Christmastide scriptural themes. Please put all you've got into this reading.

Psalm 29

Although given the title "A Psalm of David" this is from the post-exilic Priestly Tradition alluding to the Genesis Chapter 1 account of Creation, wherein "God spoke, or spake, and it happened." Emphasise "The Voice of the Lord."

(2) Acts of the Apostles chapter 19:1-7

A hard one, this one. The important words are "Holy Spirit". The story refers to the Lord's own experience of baptism in our Gospel from Mark 1: 4-11, when the same Holy Spirit rent the heavens like he did back in Genesis 1.

Always try to present the Word with care. Thanks. ESJ.

IMPORTANT DATES

Feb 7th Meeting Place Opening and Dinner

Feb 9th Meeting Place Opening Service

Feb 13th Induction of the Dianne Watson - Emmanuel

Feb 19th Pastoral Care Committee 2.00pm

Feb 26th Pastoral Care Group Meeting 2.00pm

Mar 2nd AGM St John's

Mar 4th Pancake Party

Mar 7th World Day of Prayer ( Sacred Heart)

Mar 13th Street Stall

Mar 19th Friends of our Lady Eucharist & Coffee Morn

May 4th Patronal Festival

May 31st Synod

Jun 16th Friends of our Lady Eucharist & Coffee Morn

July 23rd Fish and Chip night

Aug 14th-16th Choral Festival

Sep 17th Friends of our Lady Eucharist & Coffee Morn

Aug 17th Possibly Confirmation Day

Oct 5th St Francistide Pet Service

Oct 25th Flower Show and Fete

Dec 3rd Combined Friends of our Lady & Pastoral Care

FOR PRAYER

The Sick

Ed Baumgarten, Jean Byrnes, Eunice Charlton, Sally Craven, Gwen Goldsworthy, Joyce Hall, Julie Howe, Robert Jones, Olive Macaulay, Gail Mahney, Anja Mosse, Janet Murray, Peter Nugent, Thora Pyke, Val Saunders, Grant Savage, Ray Schmidt, Jack Skilton, Dawn Smallpage, William, Pam Willoughby.

Rest in Peace Maimee Haines

Anniversary of Death:

Nancy Renshaw, Agnes Grant 5th, Jean George 6th, George Butterfield, Thomas Thomas, Desmond Quonoey 7th, John Dickson, Elsie Mason 8th,Cora Nichols, Daniel Mulcahy 9th, Janice Nicholls, Thomas Ardern, Stewart Schultz, Sadie Barter, James Costello 10th, Nellie McCandless 11th.

THIS WEEK IN THE PARISH

Monday 6th January

Fr Andrew's Day off

7.15am Mattins & Eucharist - St John's