The Sunday Morning Mass on the 24th of May will be live streamed at 10:30am from Christchurch Hamilton We are pleased to announce that  there will be weekday services for up to 10 people at Christchurch Hamilton.

Morning Prayer 7:15am Tuesday - Saturday

Evening Prayer 5:00pm Tuesday - Saturday

Eucharist  10:00am  Wednesday

In order to ‘book’ one of these highly desirable places, please contact Fr. David no later than the day before you wish to attend.

Ph. (03) 5571 1317

M / Text 0423 671 692

Email droulton72@gmail.com

We need to keep your details in order to comply with government regulations.

If you aren’t feeling well, it is probably best that you wait a while before attending.

In order to maximise social distancing all 4 church doors will be open and these services will be held in the main body of the Church.

We look forward to welcoming you back!

The Sunday Morning Mass will be live streamed at 10:30am.

We are pleased to announce that  there will be weekday services for up to 10 people at Christchurch Hamilton.

Morning Prayer 7:15am Tuesday - Saturday

Evening Prayer 5:00pm Tuesday - Saturday

Eucharist  10:00 am  Wednesday

In order to ‘book’ one of these highly desirable places, please contact Fr. David no later than the day before you wish to attend.

Ph. (03) 5571 1317

M / Text 0423 671 692

Email droulton72@gmail.com

We need to keep your details in order to comply with government regulations.

If you aren’t feeling well, it is probably best that you wait a while before attending.

In order to maximise social distancing all 4 church doors will be open and these services will be held in the main body of the Church.

We look forward to welcoming you back!

From Tuesday 26th of May there will be weekday services for up to 10 people at Christchurch Hamilton.

That’s great!!… what else do I need to know??

In order to ‘book’ one of these highly desirable places, please contact Fr. David no later than the day before you wish to attend.

Ph. (03) 5571 1317

M / Text 0423 671 692

Email droulton72@gmail.com

We need to keep your details in order to comply with government regulations.

If you aren’t feeling well, it is probably best that you wait a while before attending.

O.K… So when are these services being held?

Morning Prayer 7:15 am Tuesday - Saturday

Evening Prayer 5:00 pm Tuesday - Saturday

Eucharist  10:00 am  Wednesday

The Sunday mass will be live streamed from St. Marks Cavendish on Sunday 17th of May at 10:30am.

https://www.facebook.com/AnglicanHamilton

A reflection for Sunday May 17th

Easter 6, May 17th

God first took the initiative by loving us. God always takes the initiative and He always will. Its just that we don’t realise it and we are always playing catchup.

An example of this is the sacrament of ordination. In our heady rush to get to the altar the clergy can be tempted to  think that that have cooked the whole thing up themselves. But God had this planned a long time ago.

And for me at least Jeremiah 1:5 sings very loudly

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,

and before you were born I consecrated you;”

Let me offer some other times when God has taken the initiative for us all.

God took the initiative when He gave us the gift of creation.

God took the initiative in giving us the commandments.

God took the initiative by sending us His Son Jesus.

Jesus took the initiative by His willing acceptance of death.

God took the initiative by rising from the dead.

Jesus took the initiative in giving us the eucharist.

God has taken the initiative in giving us the gift of baptism.

God has taken the initiative by giving us the example of the foot washing.

God has taken the initiative by sending us the gift the Holy Spirit which is what this mornings gospel is alluding to. You will also see in the gospel that there is the dance of initiative and response.

Listen closely  and see if you can see this dance of initiative and response.

15 ‘If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you for ever.

18 ‘I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. 19 In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.

 It’s complex stuff and I encourage you to read it again in your own time. But lets unpack it just a little.

God first takes the initiative in giving us the commandments. Our response is to keep those commandments.

In turn Jesus asks the Father, to send us  another Advocate, to be with us.

Also in response to us Jesus will come to us, we will see Him and  we will live.

And I want to come back to this delightful lovers dance of initiative and response a bit later.

Next in the gospel there is a very exciting bit.

Jesus says You will know several things.

1. That I am in my father
2. You will be in me
3. I will be in you.

This is thrilling  because it means that

The closeness, intimacy and relationship that Jesus has with the Father, is exactly the same closeness, intimacy and relationship that we are called to enjoy with Jesus.

Uh huh.

The closeness, intimacy and relationship that Jesus has with the Father, is exactly the same closeness, intimacy and relationship that we are called to enjoy with Jesus.

And what is more…

This is the same closeness, intimacy and relationship that we are called to enjoy with each other.

And this is where I come back to that scary, tentative  dance of initiative and response.

I began by pointing out that God has alway taken the initiative in loving us. For God that was a risky, risky business and the cost was eye-wateringly high. There are big chunks all throughout the bible where God takes the initiative in loving his people, only to be disappointed and you can probably think of a few examples yourself.

But I believe that taking the initiative to love and serve is not just God’s vocation but it is also our vocation. This is not easy. It is treacherous territory and if we love and serve properly, there must inevitably be times when we also are rejected and dejected. In this love business, there must be a cost, as well as reward. So whenever you find yourself paining for whoever, or whatever, then you will know,… know in very the deepest part of you, that you have authentically loved and that you are walking very closely with Him who is love.

You will arrive at that point and come to that understanding when…

“You know him, because He abides with you, and He will be in you.”

I have dabbled in that which I swore I never would. That formidable world called “Facebook”. I have tiptoed in with much trepidation. What would I discover lurking in the depths of this vast ocean of social media? To be honest I think that I am only splashing around in the shallows and that suits me just fine.

There is much to be commended about this platform. People do reach out to each other to encourage and inform. This is a positive thing and I am grateful for those who simply put one of those smiley faces on my words or live streamed services. So what’s not to like?

What saddens me on social media and the ‘other media’ is the posturing by a minority of folk to inflame anger or apportion blame. I find this disappointing, because it is often misinformed. Further it also amplifies some voices at the expense of the defenceless. But what is most scary of all, is that it seems that we are unable to disembark from this downward spiral of mutual antagonism.

To consciously choose to perpetuate an adversarial narrative at this distressing time, shifts our focus away from those who are most vulnerable in our society and perpetuates the illness of prejudice that is even more devastating, infectious and lingering than COVID 19 itself.

Our energies and prayers are more properly and appropriately directed to those who have no voice at this time and those whose work is devoted to saving their life.

Is it not clear that the childish retaliation of petulant words, cannot solve today's global problems? Sabre rattling, and witch hunting are not signs of greatness, but are admissions of defeat and by their very nature, political shenanigans must always fails us.

Sunday mornings mass will be live streamed from Christchurch Hamilton at 10:30am https://www.facebook.com/AnglicanHamilton on May the 10th

I was in grade 5 at Warracknabeal Primary School, when the principal walked into our classroom and calmly said. “Johnny,” (obviously not his real name) “There is a message for you at the office.”Johnny promptly left the classroom and the real reason for the principals visit tumbled out.He explained that over the weekend Johnny had been caught stealing a radio. Things didn’t get better. Johnny had an older brother and in secondary school they frequently used to spend their lunchtimes in a passionate game of fisticuffs until either a teacher came, or one of them fell to the ground bleeding.On the night before Johnny was due to go to prison he took his life into his own hands.  I want to come back to Johnny later.This mornings gospel is one we are used to hearing at funerals. “Do not let your hearts be troubled, trust in God. In my Fathers house there are many rooms.” But it is the disciples questions that I find most encouraging. It starts with good ol Thomas.Jesus has politely explained that …He is going away and they know the place where he is going.Thomas replies, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’

Then Phillip gets on board and has a go.Philip said to Jesus ‘Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.’In response to Thomas and Phillip, Jesus points back to himself. To Thomas ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life.To Phillip, and here Jesus frustration is beginning to show.“Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me, has seen the Father?So the answer to the disciples questions, and therefore our questions, is to direct our attention back to the Master himself.

All that is right, and good, and proper, but in these irksome days some of us, myself included, might be finding it a bit harder to see Him. We are unable to partake of Him in the bread and wine of the altar in the usual way and the chances of us seeing him in the faces of others is greatly diminished in this time of social distancing and staying at home.So what do we hang onto?A few things that I find useful and perhaps you might too.Someone once gave me a little metal cross. Its about the size of the palm of my hand and I hold onto it when I say my morning and evening prayers. Sometimes the hard metal digs into my skin and reminds me of a few uncomfortable, but helpful truths.The other thing that I enjoy is holding onto the prayer book or bible. I know that you can do all of morning and evening prayer on a tablet, or phone these days, and I get the whole … ‘not having to look up the lessons thing’, but for me at least there is something quite reassuring about holding a book in my hands. Finally, I discover things that I have missed in the reading of the scriptures. I’m chugging along and thinking “Oh yeah.. I know how this bit goes” and all of sudden I see something that I have never seen before. Or at best, I rediscover something I had learnt years ago and forgotten.Something else to think about. Perhaps the trick is not just wanting to see, understand and reach out to Our Lord. Part of it must be allowing ourselves to be accessible to Him. To be open to the possibilities of what He has to teach us and show us. Maybe its as simple as just making ourselves available and accessible to Him. We willingly schedule time into our diaries to listen and learn from others… why not for Our Lord as well. What is it that he wants to bring to his meeting with you?So what of Johnny. Johnny came to mind the other day at morning prayer. So I found myself praying for him, which is something I should have been doing for the last umpteen years.  The cross dug into my hands as a little reminder of someone who  also died a grizzly, lonely death. By a marvellous coincidence the lesson for morning prayer was something that finally made sense of Johnnys life in a fresh, helpful  and hopeful way.  ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe[ in God, believe also in me.  In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.

Most of you know that I grew up on a wheat / sheep farm in the Wimmera. With mixed feelings I remember droving sheep with my father and brother. We had to take the sheep to a farm where there was a facility to drench them. The time it took to get there seemed endless. It was hot and dusty, I was thirsty, the flies were incessant and it seemed like we were never going to arrive. The sheep were recalcitrant, and they just never seemed to do the right thing.

My father would be in the ute at the front leading the way and making sure that oncoming traffic was aware of the pandemonium that was following. My brother and I were behind the sheep testing out a new vocabulary on the straying sheep and I want to come back to this happy little bunch a bit later.

Often when we think of leadership, authority and Christ the good shepherd, we think of the father out the front berating and haranguing. Come along… This way folks. Tallyho!

And there is a place for the hard things to be said… graciously. There are occasions when the way forward must be cleared and a centennial or prophetic way of leadership is necessary.

There are times too, when the Master encourages and cajoles from behind. With compliments and Thankyous, the shepherd emboldens us to the new adventures that await us. Perhaps even this morning he is saying to you. “You can do this. I do believe in you”.

Now a point of clarification.

You could easily think that the church shepherds are just the deacons, priests and bishops. It certainly involves them, but it is not exclusive to them. You may not be aware of it but you have shepherded me beautifully since the whole covid 19 thing turned our lives upside down and round the wrong way. The way you have stepped up in your ministry is inspiring and exciting and moving. By your gestures of kindness, thoughtfulness, and good old fashioned pastoral care, you have said to me and to others…. (perhaps unwittingly)

“This is the way to do do things., This is how you care for people. This is how you show them what God is like.”

So what else is in the shepherd’s job description.

The good shepherd lays down his life of this sheep.

So Our spiritual leaders, both lay and ordained, priests and people are called to lay down their life for their sheep. In this day and age, and in our culture, it probably won’t equate to martyrdom but there is a very real sense in which we lay down our life across the years in the joyful service of all.

First and foremost laying down our lives for others means this. To make our own lives, our joys, our sorrows, our despair, our grief, our grumpiness, our hope, our isolation, our experience of intimacy, our friendship … to make all this available to other people as a source of replenishment and sustenance for them. To offer to all, the grist, our daily bread, our daily life, so that others might be fed and nurtured. And this is a risky, risky business. For like Our Lord we leave ourselves vulnerable and open to be pierced, ignored, denied, rejected, stomped and jumped upon.

As shepherds, the greatest gift you and I can offer the people we serve is… our very selves. We can offer consolation and comfort especially in times of confusion and uncertainty.

It is in these times, that we can say “Even though you walk through a very dark place, I am with you. See, I have walked this road before and I am walking it with you now and I will stay by your side. Watch out for that pot hole… mind the loose stone there. This bit is easier.” This is the way that we, you and I together, become Christ like shepherds. And it is a noble, exhilarating, heartbreaking and thrilling vocation.

Remember my flimsy adolescent attempt at droving. Another  image of the good shepherd might be the shepherd that is walking right in the middle of his sheep. Walking with them, surrounded by the noise, and the heat, and the flies and the mess and the joy of knowing that we are all on our way together.

Christ the good shepherd. Not just at the front saying confronting things, not just at the back cajoling and rounding up, but also right in the muck and sparkle of our humanity. Enjoying it, relishing it, delighting in it and rejoicing in it.

This is Christ our good shepherd. He who spreads a table before us. This he who anoints our head with oil and fills our cup to overflowing.

This is the shepherd whose goodness and love will follow us all the days of our life, and we  will dwell in the house of the Good Shepherd forever.

In the film “The Quest for the Holy Grail” an excited throng bring a woman to their village leader claiming that she is a witch and that she ought to be burnt. Her ‘trial’ goes like this.“How do you know she is a witch?” “She looks like one!”“They dressed me up like this” comes the defence from the unfortunate woman whose life expectancy is diminishing by the second.The crowd responds “Well… we might have done the nose… and… the hat… But she is a witch!”“So what makes you think she is a witch?”“Well, she turned me into a newt”“A newt?”“Well… I got better again … but she is a witch” The whole scene is funny because of the ludicrous way in which the woman is set up and ‘tried’. But there is a darker side to it. In troubled times, it is hideously easy to look for someone to be the focus of our angst and worry. There is a temptation to publicly or privately, think less of others simply because we are not well informed of their culture, their way of life, their thinking. They might dress differently, speak differently or they might come from a different nation. They might be a political, spiritual, or sporting leader who has disappointed and whose faults are shown in the unforgiving glare of the television. I wonder which of us could survive such searing, relentless investigation and publicity? The trick is to see the person as a person, not a witch. In these irksome times, we can choose to be a fearful mob dressing others with our own preconceptions and prejudices, (re the hat and the nose) or we can take the time to discover how others can be quite magnificent and in so doing bring about our own healing.