Called to serve in Love…

Have you ever suffered from a broken heart? Lots of things can cause that feeling of emotional pain so intense it feels like physical chest pain and accompanying overwhelming grief and sadness. Always in loss of a loved one, often traumatic, but also in abandonment or betrayal, it can make us sick in mind, heart and body. The beauty of the Christian faith is that we hold the solution to this problem of grief which makes the heart sick. Not in denying it and putting on some sort of ‘happy clappy’ face but acknowledging it as part of the wonder of loving someone and of the pain of separation. Sometimes the broken heart brings us into an inner agreement with things like death or grief or anger and this can lead to serious health issues. The solution is in the beautiful passage from Jeremiah 31 which we read this week. The new covenant, not written in stone but on the hearts of the faithful, promises to give us a renewed heart and renewed relationship with the Lord. Strongholds of trauma, grief and agreement with death can be broken because the One who died that we may live, and whose promise is that He will bind up the broken hearted, is our God. Jesus has the key to unlocking these things precisely because he died to do that and rose to seal the deal. So what do we do? We begin by agreeing with Jesus and disagreeing with death, abandonment, grief or whatever else has taken over our lives. This requires repentance for denying the life Jesus has won for us and a choice to choose that life each day. We then, in agreeing with life, hand our loved one to Jesus, the Lord of Life, asking that he help us to remember daily that we are alive in Christ, and our loved one is in the safest hands possible with Him. It is a process of daily and intentionally deciding to keep looking to life and health through Christ. It sounds simplistic and I have simplified it in this reflection, but the process works if we are prepared to engage with the Holy Spirit fully. It takes time to heal a broken heart so we can live freely in the ties of life and health, not death and grief. In our parish we have people skilled in inner healing prayer who can assist in this process. I can also refer you to wonderful Christian counsellors to help with the psychological issues we may be facing. In my experience, when Jesus heals our heart, the whole body heals. Do you feel your heart has turned to stone and needs to be made new? There is hope in Jesus. Give me a call.

Janice

This Week

Regular Worship Times

Parish Contact Details

Notices:

Alpha Celebration…

This Alpha course has now finished. On Thursday 21st March, at 6pm, there will be a Celebration Evening, with a meal, a short film and testimonies. Please pray about friends you might invite, and bring to the evening, and to the next Alpha Course, or come yourself if you are thinking about being part of the next Course. For catering and dietary purposes, please RSVP to Steve or Carol Parkinson by Tuesday 19th March.

Resurrection Garden…

We are creating a resurrection garden in the front garden of the church as a static display to draw the attention of those walking by. We will also have a contemplative walk with the biblical stations of the Cross going into the front garden in the next week. These will be there for the lent/easter season and then be taken down. Go check them out!
Janice

Fencing & Security Project…

As you all know we are upgrading the fencing and security around St. Mark’s. Rev. Janice has spoken about this and we would welcome any contributions. If you would like to make a donation towards this project, please put any cash into an envelope marked “Fencing/Security” and put it in the offering bag on a Sunday. We will provide you with a receipt and keep these monies aside for the project. If you wish to give to this project electronically, please speak to Janice as we are keeping these monies in a special account.

This Week’s Prayer Focus

In our country and the world:

• For all suffering damage and loss caused by the violent storms in Victoria.
• For all in Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine.
• For those facing homelessness, hardship, anguish and despair amid rising costs.
• For families affected by violence.
• 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:

• 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 for Archdeacon Helen Phillips in the Frankston Archdeaconry. Give thanks that Archdeacon Helen is now well and beginning to return to work.
• In our Deanery, we pray for the Parish of Sorrento & Rye and their Vicar Fr. Nicholas Wallace.
• For the work of the Church Missionary Society and Wei-Han the Victorian Director.
• For Anna Radkovic our CMS Link Missionary.
• 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 our Vicar.
• 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 2024 Alpha program, its leaders, and all who attend.
• For the 9am at home prayer time for the Parish, Dromana & Mornington Peninsula.
• For the 2024 Alpha program, its leaders, and all who attend.
• For the Alpha Holy Spirit Day next Saturday 9th March.
• For: Ted, Monica, Joy, Jessica, Audrey, Joan, Backy, Margie, Fred, Robert, Jan, David, Gu