Easter Day…

When I was a child we used to wake up to Easter eggs on the end of our bed on Easter morning. I’m not sure how my parents coped so well with three chocolate fuelled children in Church, but I loved the sense that God gave presents to us on Christmas morning and on Easter morning. Later in life, as I reflect on that thought, I see that this is very true. At Christmas the gift of our Messiah Jesus is given as a child born in a stable and laid in a manger, no special treatment for the Son of God, only a mother and father’s love, and a visit from the outcasts of society – the shepherds. From the hills of Bethlehem where they tended the sheep and bred the lambs for the Passover sacrifices, these men were given the good news that the Lamb of God had been born. A beautiful gift. Around 33 years later the Lord brought us another gift. The Lamb of God, our Messiah Jesus, gave his life on a Cross to set us free from sin and death. No special treatment was given for him. He was mocked and whipped and paraded before Pilate to cries of ‘crucify him’ from the very ones he had come to save. Nailed to the Cross by Roman soldiers alongside two others. Thieves, outcasts, one of whom saw Jesus for who he was and honoured him, the other who only saw the man condemned. Jesus still gave comfort to his mother, even from the Cross and then, just as the lambs from the hills of Bethlehem were sacrificed each year for Passover, so Jesus became the Lamb of God sacrificed for us. The gift of Good Friday is this wondrous, overwhelming gift of love for us, freely offered through the grace of our heavenly Father whose love is stronger than death itself. The gift of Easter morning is the Resurrection. The empty tomb, symbolised by those hollow eggs on the end of my bed, is the silent witness to this fact. The women who were spoken to by angels, as the shepherds were long before, went to herald the tidings that Messiah is raised and alive. Mary Magdalene met Jesus alive in the garden and became the evangelist to the disciples. The Resurrection is a gift that keeps on giving. 2000 years later it is still true. Christ is risen! Hallelujah!

Janice

This Week:

Regular Worship Times

Parish Contact Details

Notices:

Thank You…

Thank you to all who have helped with the working bees over Monday and Tuesday this week, and all who have helped out with our Holy Week services.

This Sunday…

We are meeting for a combined service at 10am this Sunday in the front garden, beginning with a palm procession which will start from the carpark. We will be setting up from 9am and grateful for any assistance, both to set up and to pack away afterwards.

ALPHA begins on May 8th!!…

Who will you bring? There are invitations available to give to family/friends or neighbours. Ask Steve or Carol for more details.

This Week’s Prayer Focus

In our country and the world:

• That the government of Myanmar ensures that earthquake aid is protected from looters and military action and is distributed to its intended destination.
• For those suffering as a result of violence and home invasions.
• For all affected by the worsening antisemitic attacks around Australia and the world.
• For those facing homelessness, hardship, anguish and despair amid rising costs.
• For families affected by violence.
• For all in Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine and Myanmar.
• For all women in Afghanistan now banned from hearing each other’s voices.
• For those affected by natural disasters in around the world.
• For King Charles III, the UK and the Commonwealth.
• For peace and unity in countries around the World.
• For aid agencies such as “Save the Children”, Oxfam, CARE, UNICEF, World Vision.

In our community:

• For teachers and students.
• For doctors, nurses, paramedics, Coast Guard, the CFA & SES.
• For local community outreach groups such as the Dromana Community House and “Food for All”.

In our Diocese and beyond:

• A prayer for the election of a new Archbishop for our diocese:
  Eternal God, shepherd and guide, in your mercy give your Church in this diocese a shepherd after your own heart who will walk in your ways, and with loving care watch over your people. Give us a leader of vision and a teacher of your truth. So may your Church be built up and your name glorified; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
• For Archbishop Geoffrey Smith’s ministry as Primate of Australia.
• For Archbishop Philip Freier’s ministry in the Diocese of Melbourne.
• For the ministry of Bishop Paul Barker in the Jumbunna Region and Archdeacon Rev’d Sam Bleby, in the Frankston Archdeanery.
• In our Deanery, we pray for the parish of St George’s Red Hill and their Acting Vicar.
• For the work of the Church Missionary Society and Wei-Han the Victorian Director.
• For Anna Radkovic our CMS Link Missionary in Watamu, Kenya.
• For Christian churches around the world to be free to worship and be witnesses of the love of God as shown through the coming of His Son.

In our Parish:

• For our leadership and ministry teams.
• For Rev’d Janice O’Gorman.
• For the finances of our Parish.
• For our Parish, its people and those we reach out to every week.
• For the success of the new Family and Children’s Ministry.
• For the Alpha program, the leaders and all who will attend.
• For the 9am at home prayer time for the Parish, Dromana & Mornington Peninsula.
• For our Op Shop staff and all who visit each week.
• For all members of the Parish Council.
• For Hope25. That the Good News of Jesus will be known in the community of Dromana.
• For Family of Joane Brown, Ellen, Phillip, Nikki, Jason, Bernadette & family, Noel and family, Rhiannon, Richard, Pat, Lorna & Peter, Keith S, Harry, Jen, Mike, Chloe, Ted, Monica, Jessica, Audrey, Backy, Fred, Robert, Jan, David, Guy.