Combined Church at Warrawong Anglican Church at 9am at 282 Cowper St Warrawong. There is no church gathering at Port Kembla.
This new summer time is for the following Sundays: 29 Dec, 5 Jan*, 12 Jan, 19 Jan*, 26 Jan.
* denotes we’ll be celebrating the Lord’s Supper
8am at Warrawong.
No morning tea – so we can get to Christmas celebration.
Reading the book of Proverbs is very helpful. Re-reading it even more so. Proverbs provides wisdom for living life well. Not rules, but wisdom. The whole book needs to be digested and weighed as an entirety. For example, take the teaching on money
These proverbs must be weighed and compared. That takes wisdom!
This week we began the initial planning for a dementia friendly church service to be held in one of our church centres. To begin with, it will be monthly, on a weekday, hopefully commencing mid next year. We’ll put the word out to a number of retirement homes and aged care facilities in the area. There is growing demand for this kind of service.
I was reminded of the significance of this type of ministry, for our heavenly Father is a God who is sovereign and providential. It is Him who elects us to eternal life by gifting His Holy Spirit. We may never know that a dementia affected human has been moved by the Holy Spirit to accept Jesus! It should also give us great comfort, if we ever exhibit the early stages of dementia, for we know that God will hold onto us—even with a broken and forgetful mind.
Reverend Michael Turner.
Good morning and welcome to church,
Bucket lists. They’ve become the rage in the last few years. Along with YOLO (You Only Live Once). YOLO coupled with bucket lists are a symptom of our selfishness. It’s always been there, but we are just more willing to express it. Now we make a point of ticking off as many items on our bucket list, before we kick the bucket. I hate to ask, because it promotes the idea that we must fit everything in before we die, but what are some of the items on your bucket list? Say you knew you would die tomorrow, what would you do today? Would you try and mark off as many bucket list items as possible? Jump out of the plane over Wollongong with a parachute attached ? Maybe the High Ropes course in Nowra? Maybe a party with friends—good food and wine?
Jesus, on the night before he died, didn’t have bucket list. He had a bucket with water. He washed his disciples’ feet, he served them, he ministered to them. He knew he was going to die, and he served, and served and served, right up to the last, including the last. Reverend Michael Turner.
Anxiety is the price we pay to continue our illusions of control. The things that worry us are very often the things we have no control over. Jesus says not to worry about a number of things: what we eat and drink, our bodies, and our clothing. And he goes on to say that worrying is futile because worrying does not add any time to your life (in fact, it takes away joy because you could be doing other things when you worry).
As soon as we finally accept that we are no longer in control of our lives, then anxiety begins to lose its grip over us. And that means trusting our father and his plan for our lives. We don’t know all that God has in store for us, but we know that He is faithful, and that he will not forsake those who trust in Jesus. Worry implies that God doesn’t know our care about our needs. Therefore, don’t worry (says Jesus). For our heavenly father knows what we need, which isn’t necessarily what we want.
Due to a special event, Church is at Warrawong at 10am.
(There is no church at Port Kembla Anglican this Sunday).
I read an interesting story with week about Artificial Intelligence (AI). A bunch of computer programmers created an AI machine that could play Tetris—it’s a computer game of fitting in pieces like a jigsaw, that gets faster the longer you play. The longer the game goes, the more points earned.
The AI learnt the game and played it for some time, before realising that if it paused the game just before the screen filled up, then the AI didn’t lose. Unpausing the game meant the game continued, and the screen filled up, meaning the AI lost, so to speak.
Isn’t it telling that the spirit of the Pharisee (and indeed all humanity) is alive and well, even in AI bots. Just as humans game the system, looking for loopholes and caveats, so too AI bots that humans have created. It’s a fallen world.
Church is at 9am at Warrawong Anglican Church
Our Annual General Meeting (AGM) is around 10:30am (about 10 minutes after church finishes).
There is no church at Port Kembla this Sunday.
Normal churches times resume next week.
