The Spirit of the Lord is the agent of God’s action in the world. Isaiah 61 is the proclamation which Jesus claimed for himself as Messiah which begins, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is now upon me..’. The New Testament writers have worked hard to make sure that we understand that the Spirit of the Lord is now upon us. Holy Spirit was sent to us after Jesus’ return to the Father so that all who believe in him may have this agent of action within them to guard and to guide, to set free and to heal, to give the power to act and the ability to submit to the Father’s will in our lives, to bind up the broken hearted and to proclaim the good news of the coming of Messiah Jesus to a world which is lost and broken. It is the presence of the Spirit of the Lord which brings transformation from ashes to beauty and mourning to gladness. The Lord’s presence in the midst of pain and suffering brings us comfort and joy even in the face of great difficulty. This is the place of true transformation. It is when we give full access to the Holy Spirit in our lives that the Lord can bring, in and through us, much more good than we can do ourselves. The Spirit of the Lord is not a theory to test or an empty platitude to quote. The Spirit of the Lord is the living Presence of God whose power to transform is unlimited, and whose love for us is immense. It is by the power of this same Spirit that Jesus was able to endure the cross for us, by the same Spirit that millions have been healed over the 2000 years since the first Pentecost, and by the same Spirit that we pray today when we say, ‘in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen.’ We can come to the Holy Spirit easily because the Spirit is here with us as believers in Jesus Christ, who lived and died for us and was raised for our freedom from sin and death. It is the Spirit who effects the exchange of salvation when we come to Jesus in faith and accept that what we have done wrong he has already taken the consequence for, so we can be free of it. All we do in prayer and in action is effective by the power of Holy Spirit. How did John the Baptist know who he was and what he was to do about it? By the power of the Holy Spirit. How are you and I to face the difficulties and heartaches and dangers of this world, living out our faith day by day? By the power of the same Holy Spirit. Read Isaiah 61, then ask the Lord what he wants to do through you today. You may be surprised by the answer.
Janice
This Week
| SUNDAY: | Holy Communion, 8.45am |
| Family Communion Service, 10.30am | |
| including the marriage of | |
| Stephen Parkinson and Carol Ann Copp | |
| TUESDAY: | Online Study Group, 7.00pm |
| Contact Graeme (0490 664 843) | |
| WEDNESDAY: | Holy Communion, 10.00am |
| THURSDAY: | Men’s Coffee & Chat Blackthorn Café, 10.00am |
| Contact Steve (0437 984 679) | |
| FRIDAY: | JANICE’S DAY OFF |
| SATURDAY: | 5.30pm, sausage sizzle followed by |
| Family Christmas Carols with Nativity | |
| CHRISTMAS EVE: | 10.00am, Combined Holy Communion |
| 11.00pm, Midnight Celebration Holy Communion with Carols | |
| CHRISTMAS DAY: | 9.30am, Christmas Celebration Holy Communion |
Regular Worship Times
| SUNDAY: | 8.45am | Holy Communion |
| 10.30am | Family Worship with Children’s Ministry | |
| (Holy Communion – 1st Sundays) | ||
| 6.00pm | Healing Service – 1st Sundays | |
| WEDNESDAY: | 10.00am | Holy Communion |
Parish Contact Details
| Monitored contact points | 0493 280 691 |
| contact@stmarksdromana.org.au | |
| Parish Web Addresses | www.stmarksdromana.org.au |
| Facebook page | https://www.facebook.com/stmarksdromana |
| Pastoral Care Coordinators | Kevin and Anne Cranwell (0438 234 457 Kevin) |
Notices:
Carpark Supervision
Men, can you help? Commencing Sunday, 17th December 2023, we plan to have a roster of men from both services to oversee the carpark whenever there are church events. There will be a ‘sign-up” sheet in the foyer. For more information see Kevin (0438 234 857).
Help Needed…
Would those interested in helping with the 23rd December Family Christmas sausage sizzle & Carol service write their names on the sign-up sheet in the Narthex.
Special Services 2023
| 23rd December | 5.30pm sausage sizzle & Family Christmas Carols with Nativity |
| 24th December | 10:00am Combined Holy Communion service for Advent 4 |
| 11pm Midnight Celebration Holy Communion with Carols | |
| 25th December | 9.30am combined Christmas Celebration Holy |
This Week’s Prayer Focus
In our country and the world:
- For all grieving after accidents and disasters.
- For all in Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine.
- For all firefighters in Queensland and NSW, and all those suffering trauma and loss as a result of the fires.
- 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 St George’s Red Hill and their Vicar Rev’d Fiona Goy
- For the work of the Church Missionary Society and Wei-Han the Victorian Director.
- For Anna Radkovic our CMS Link Missionary. Pray thanks for the progress of Anna’s residency visa.
- 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 Keith & Jan Thomas and Mike & Vicki Brown as they are received into the Anglican Communion.
- 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 9am at home prayer time for the Parish, Dromana & Mornington Peninsula.
- For: Jessica, Audrey, Joan, Christine, Backy, John R, Margie, Fred, Robert, Jan, David, Irene, Guy.
