St George’s, Trentham 9.00am | St Mary’s, Woodend 11.00am

12th January – The Baptism of our Lord

We acknowledge the Jaara Jaara people, of the Dja Dja Wurrung language groups,

the custodians of this land where we gather. We pay our respects to their elders past and present and pray for

reconciliation.

GATHERING IN GOD’S NAME

A voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’ Matthew 3.17

Gathering Hymn – Come to the water

Come to the water! You who are thirsty! Though you have nothing, I bid you come! And be filled with the goodness I have to offer! Come! Listen! Live. Why spend your money on what cannot fill The emptiness deep in your heart? Listen to My word and you will enjoy Goodness and peace in your heart! Come to the water Just as the heavens are high above earth; My ways and thoughts beyond you! Call me your Father and know I am near! I will be Father to you! Come to the water Just as the rain falls to water the earth; Just as a seed becomes bread My word upon you can never return Until My longing is filled! Come to the water The Lord be with you. And also with you

The Prayer of preparation (page 119 of the prayer book) Almighty God…

The Shema (page 120 of the prayer book)

Hear, O Israel….

The Confession and absolution (page 120 of the prayer book)

Christ the Son of God has been revealed as a light to the nations. Let us bring our darkness to his light, confessing our sins in penitence and faith, Merciful God…

The Gloria (page 121 of the prayer book) Glory to God in the highest… Let us pray

Almighty God, who anointed Jesus at his baptism with the Holy Spirit and revealed him as your beloved Son: inspire us, your children, who are born again of water and the Spirit, to surrender our lives to your service, that we may rejoice to be called your children; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

MINISTRY OF THE WORD A reading from the book of Isaiah chapter 42 verses 1-9

Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him;

he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his teaching.

Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it: I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. I am the LORD, that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to idols. See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them.

For the word of the Lord thanks be to God

Psalm 29

Ascribe to the Lord, you powers of heaven:

ascribe to the Lord glory and might.

Ascribe to the Lord the honour due to his name:

O worship the Lord in the beauty of his holiness.

The voice of the Lord is upon the waters:

the God of glory thunders,

the Lord upon the great waters.

The voice of the Lord is mighty in operation:

the voice of the Lord is a glorious voice.

The voice of the Lord breaks the cedar-trees:

the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.

He makes them skip like a calf:

Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild ox.

The voice of the Lord divides the lightning-flash:

the voice of the Lord whirls the sands of the desert,

the Lord whirls the desert of Kadesh.

The voice of the Lord rends the terebinth trees,

and strips bare the forests:

in his temple all cry ‘Glory.’

The Lord sits enthroned above the water-flood:

the Lord sits enthroned as a king for ever.

The Lord will give strength to his people:

the Lord will give to his people the blessing of peace.

A reading from the book of Acts chapter 10 verses 34 – 43

Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put

him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” For the word of the Lord thanks be to God

Gradual Hymn – 250 Christ, when for us you were Baptised

Alleluia Alleluia The voice of the Lord is upon the waters The voice of the Lord is a glorious voice. Alleluia The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to Matthew chapter 3 beginning at the 13th verse Glory to you Lord Jesus Christ

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

For the Gospel of the Lord praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ

The Sermon

The affirmation of faith (page 123 of the prayer book)

The Prayers of the People We continue to pray for fire affected areas of this country.

We continue to give thanks for the bravery of the emergency services volunteers and staff

The Greeting of Peace

We are the body of Christ His Spirit is with us. The peace of the Lord be always with you. And also with you. Offertory Hymn – 418 She sits like a Bird God our sustainer, receive the gifts we bring before you, and feed us continually with that bread which satisfies all hunger, and the wine that quenches all thirst, your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

THE GREAT THANKSGIVING

The preface to the Thanksgiving Prayer is on page 128

….for ever praising you and saying

Holy, holy, holy Lord God of power and might,

Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the Highest

Blessed is he who comes in the Lord’s name Hosanna in the Highest

…we say together Christ has died Christ is risen Christ will come again

With our hearts set on the kingdom and our hands open to serve,

we pray as Jesus taught us….

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins

as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial

and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, now and for ever. Amen.

Take up the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord

Everyone is welcome to feast of the Lord The communion song today at St Mary’s references the Yorta Yorta name for the Murray River "Dhungalla". Our first nation people have treasured the river as part of their spirit for thousands of years. In only 200 years we have brought the river system close to its demise. Is this a fitting legacy to leave to our children? Dhungalla (c) Michael Kennedy 2006

The Sending out of God’s people

God of the nations, we thank you for nourishing us with this holy sacrament. Guide us by your presence, that we may bring your light to those who dwell in darkness, and establish your justice for them. Most loving God... you send us into the world you love. Give us grace to go thankfully and with courage in the power of your Spirit.

The Notices

Final Hymn – 658 Lord of Sea and Sky

The Blessing and Dismissal May Christ the Son of God be manifest to you, that your lives may be a light to the world; and the blessing of God almighty, the Creator, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. In the name of Christ.

***some thoughts from Rev. Mel I have been overwhelmed by the generosity of our communities in their giving of toiletries to the Anglicare Appeal. All of the goods collected will be taken on Tuesday morning to Anglicare Morwell for distribution to those who are in need. The danger is by no means over and many people are still being evacuated or are only now discovering that their homes have been lost. I have no doubt that we will be called on again this summer to help out, and I have no doubt that the generous hearts of Woodend and Trentham will answer the call. The Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral in Melbourne has written this prayer and the Archbishop of Canterbury has sent it out to the entire Anglican communion to pray in there challenging times… Almighty God and heavenly Father, we pray for this world that you love so much that you sent your Son Jesus to be born as the child of Bethlehem: We pray for the safety of those sheltering from fires and those fighting fires, for livestock, native animals, paddocks, bushlands and sacred places. We remember our own loved ones and those who are dear to us facing this crisis. We pray for those tending to the injured, the frightened and the broken-hearted, for emergency services, emergency broadcasters, chaplains and counsellors. We ask for your forgiveness for our own failures in safeguarding your good creation, and pray for political and community leaders, and all those responding to the current crisis in our nation. Above all, we pray the peace that passes all understanding, in our nation and state, in our homes and in our hearts. This we ask in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Mel

************************** Pew Bulletin

Safe Church Do you know what to do if you have a concern about a church worker? Kooyoora is an independent professional standards organisation that deals with any complaints or concerns that you may have about a clergy person or a lay ministry worker. Their number is 1800 135 246 Leonie and Andrew McLaren Good news for Leonie and Andrew – their property has sold! Bad news for us is they will be leaving the area next month. We send them off with our love and prayers for this next phase of their lives. Visiting Preacher On January 26th we will have Ordination candidate for the Diocese of Melbourne Keiron Jones preaching for us. Keiron was Student President at Trinity University in 2019 and will bring a considered and wise reflection to us on that morning. Taran’s Baptism Taran Gisborne will be baptised on February 9th at St Mary’s. New Parish Dog Ray and Rev. Mel adopted a new dog this week. His name is Toby and he is a ten year old Beagle x Cavalier Spaniel. He came with a heap of dog food (wet and dry) but the rest of the menagerie don’t eat that brand so we’re giving it away. If you have a dog and would like some dog food let Rev. Mel know. (it is Aldi brand) Birthdays Happy birthday this week to Graeme Frazer, Jahne Hope-Williams, and Fay Magee!

Years Mind and those who have died recently We remember Macey Hope Braybon and Frances Palmer this week. Readings for next week – The Baptism of our Lord Isaiah 49.1-7 Psalm 40.1-14 1 Corinthians 1.1-9 John 1.29-42 The liturgical colour for the Christmas season is white. White signifies light, purity, innocence, triumph, joy, and glory. Next week we change to ‘ordinary time’ so our colour changes to green. Intercessions – our prayers are asked for: Bill, Sam, Wendy, Jeanette, Carmela, Jim, Hayden, Judy, Philip, Michael, Sue, Ron, Nic, Dee, Ilse, Maggie, AliceAnn and Hilary, Heather, Gerard, Sheila, Lilla, Alan and family, Norma. ***If you have asked Reverend Mel to put a loved one on the prayer list please confirm in the next week if they continue to need prayer. The list will be cleared tomorrow so you will need to get in touch to have them back on.

PO Box 699, Woodend, VIC 3442 | www.woodendanglican.org.au Priest: Rev’d Melissa Clark 0411 722 718 Wardens: Derek Shepherd 0417 252 222 Robyn Leeder 0415 216 711 Please Note***Rev Mel’s new days off are Wednesday and Friday.

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