For 6 May (as well as 29 April and 22 April)
6 May
The vine
The history of Western Australia shows that in the more fertile parts of the coastal strip, small holdings with intensive agriculture flourished. In the Jandakot area there were market gardens and in the Swan Valley there were vineyards. It is interesting that migrants from Eastern Europe worked hard at building up these primary industries, especially those from the area then called Yugoslavia. In these areas the people formed close knit communities. They were sustained by a sense of nationality as well as the life blood of any community, the events that brought everyone together. It is a good image that in the grape growing regions near Perth there was a strong sense of belonging and a strong sense of vibrant and thriving community, and this survives to this day.
In the Old Testament people are sometimes described as God’s vine. God planted the vine and expects fruit from the vine. John’s gospel develops the image further describing Jesus as the true vine nurturing the branches. Those who are part of that vine bear much fruit. Those who are not part of that true vine cannot bear fruit. The vine symbolises the source of life. If we think of how vines grow and develop we can see ourselves as part of a growing community, or part of the dead wood that needs to be cut out in order for the vine to thrive. I hope we see ourselves as the former! So let’s reflect on Jesus as the vine with us as branches and the vine is filled with life. We need to be connected to the vine if we are to grow and thrive. The vine itself belongs to the winegrower and we belong to God. May we be motivated by a desire to bear much fruit to God’s glory.
Fr Clive
Sentence
In this is love, not that we loved God but that God loved us. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. 1 John 4.10-11
Prayer of the day
O God, form the minds of your faithful people, that we may love what you command and desire what you promise, so that, amid the many changes of this world, our hearts may there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
29 April
The good shepherd
What do you call your priest? The term father springs to mind, or mother in the case of a female. Other terms are rector, vicar, reverend, minister, all depending on your tradition and in some cases where the church is situated geographically. In the case of the churches with less rigid traditions the term pastor is usually used. In the case of those in the armed services there is no other term than padre. In my time as a priest I have been called all of these at some time or other. While each of us ordained in the Anglican Church, priests or deacons, has officially ‘The Reverend NNN’, some adopt titles that reflect their theology or preference, including whether or not they accept some of the Anglo-Catholic traditions that form very much part of our church.
So what holds all these titles or names together? The answer lies in the pastoral connection. Today the reading from John refers to Jesus the Good Shepherd, the one who lays down his life for his sheep, the one who cares for and protects his sheep. While the bible tells us that we are all like ‘sheep who have gone astray’, that is an image, a simile, a figure of speech, I can look upon my flock as my congregation. As a pastor the role of the priest is to be a prophet, to teach and to preach the word, to sound warnings and to bring back the lost or the straying, and to care for them. The other most important part of the role is to protect and to watch over the flock as they graze and to guard them against harm. All this is a great privilege and a great responsibility. If we support each other and the priest then we will be a safe and well fed growing flock.
Fr Clive
Sentence
‘I am the good shepherd,’ says the Lord. ‘I know my own and my own know me.’ John 10.14
Prayer of the day
Jesus, good shepherd of the sheep, by whom the lost are sought and guided into the fold: feed us and we shall be satisfied, heal us and we shall be whole, and lead us that we may be with you, where you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
22 April
ANZAC
The commemoration of Anzac Day has changed over the years. Initially there were the original returned Anzacs together with other veterans of the First World War who marched and remembered the fallen. The First World War was said to be the war to end all wars because of the sheer size of the conflicts and casualties. Sadly this was not to be, as soon again the World was at war again against Germany first then its allies and finally Japan. There were then two groups marching on Anzac day. As time went on Australia found itself involved in the conflicts of Korea, Vietnam and later various middle Eastern countries and now Afghanistan. The bravery and courage of those who had to fight for freedom in the battlefields of the world is remembered on Anzac Day each year. As the one hundredth anniversary looms closer the feeling and remembrance of the day is now widely established as an inviolable tradition of Australia and New Zealand.
On days such as Anzac Day and Remembrance Day and other times where the armed services and remembrance ceremonies become the focus, there are three biblical passages which are particularly apt. These are set on the 25th April in the lectionary. These readings are from Micah, the psalms and the Gospel of John. Micah 4 speaks of an ideal time of restoration and peace, it says : ‘They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.’ Psalm 46 is always helpful to remember in times of trouble, crisis or distress, it says: ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.’ John 15 speaks of the sacrifice of complete love, it says: ‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.’ Often the ‘love one another’ part is left out but it is important to put the saying into full context where we are speaking of the commandments of the Lord and not of simply human mateship. These passages can help us to bring a Christian perspective into these national and universal celebrations.
Fr Clive
Sentence
Turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. Acts 3.19-20
Prayer of the day
Lord of life, by submitting to death, you conquered the grave; by being lifted upon the cross, you draw all peoples to you; by being raised from the dead, you restore to humanity all that was lost through sin: be with us in your risen power, that in word and deed we may proclaim the marvellous mystery of death and resurrection. For all praise is yours, now and throughout eternity. Amen.
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