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ANGLICAN PARISH OF ATWELL/SUCCESS THE CHURCH OF THE TRANSFIGURATION Sunday Bulletin Second Sunday after Pentecost– 14th June 2009
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From Small Things
When I was a young teenager back in 1965 I attended our annual church fete. At the end of the day some of the stallholders out the remaining items at a reduced price. I remember going to the plant stall and purchasing a small eucalypt tree seedling for the princely sum of 2 cents, a bargain at the time. The seedling had four leaves on it. I dutifully went home and planted this small seedling, kept watering it and when it was larger leaving it to its own devices, yet keeping an eye on its health and ensuring that it continued to grow by itself. A few years ago my parents had to get tree loppers in to cut down the tree as it was so big that it was causing problems and they needed to make room for an extended building.
I was made aware recently of a book that outlined the life of the founder of the Bible Study Fellowship. Amy Wetherel Johnson simply started a bible study group with some friends. She was living in a place that did not have a bible study group and she decided to fill the gap and to form her own. This was in 1952. Today the Bible Study Fellowship is a worldwide organisation with over 100,000 members. She did not intend to start an international organisation, she simply saw a need and filled this knowing that she was being prayerfully lead. The Holy Spirit did the rest.
In both these stories it can be seen that big things can grow out of small beginnings. Like the tiny mustard seed that grows into a large tree so my tree and Amy’s group grew to show the abundance of God’s love and how the spirit can multiply blessings so that they can grow into something large and significant.
Fr Clive
Sentence
In Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. 2 Corinthians 5.19
Prayer of the day
Almighty God, without you we are unable to please you: mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
First Reading: 1 Samuel 15:34-16:13
Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul. Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the Lord was sorry that he had made Saul king over Israel. The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you, and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you.” Samuel did what the Lord commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, “Do you come peaceably?” He said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is now before the Lord.” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.” Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.” He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.” Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah.
Psalm 20
1 May the Lord hear you in the day of trouble:
the God of Jacob lift you up to safety.
2 May he send you his help from the sanctuary:
and be your strong support from Zion.
3 May he remember all your offerings:
and accept with favour your burnt sacrifices,
4 Grant you your heart’s desire:
and fulfill all your purposes.
5 May we also rejoice in your victory and triumph in the name of our God:
the Lord perform all your petitions.
6 Now I know that the Lord will save his anointed:
that he will answer him from his holy heaven with the victorious strength of
his right hand.
7 Some put their trust in chariots and some in horses:
but we will trust in the name of the Lord our God.
8 They are brought down and fallen:
but we are made strong and stand upright.
9 O Lord, save the king:
and hear us when we call upon you.
Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:6-10, 14-17
So we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord– for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade others; but we ourselves are well known to God, and I hope that we are also well known to your consciences. We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast in outward appearance and not in the heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them. From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!
Gospel: Mark 4:26-34
He also said, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.” He also said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.” With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.
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