The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Elizabeth

June 3, 2018

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

Gathering Hymn – 560 All My Hope on God

The Lord be with you. And also with you

We pray the Prayer of preparation (page 119 of the prayer book)

The Shema (page 120 of the prayer book)

Hear, O Israel….

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

Let us confess our sins in penitence and faith, confident in God’s forgiveness.

We take a moment of silent reflection Merciful God…

We sing The Gloria (page 121 of the prayer book)

Let us pray

Lord God of the nations, you have revealed your will to all people and promised us your saving help: help us to hear and do what you command, that the darkness may be overcome by the power of your light;

through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

MINISTRY OF THE WORD A reading from the first book of Samuel chapter 2, verses 1 to 10

Hannah prayed and said,

“My heart exults in the LORD; my strength is exalted in my God. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in my victory.

“There is no Holy One like the LORD, no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble gird on strength. Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry are fat with spoil. The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children is forlorn. The LORD kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up. The LORD makes poor and makes rich; he brings low, he also exalts. He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honour.

For the pillars of the earth are the LORD’s, and on them he has set the world.

“He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness; for not by might does one prevail. The LORD! His adversaries shall be shattered; the Most High will thunder in heaven. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king, and exalt the power of his anointed.”

For the word of the Lord thanks be to God

Psalm 139.1-18

Singing group

A reading from the letter to the Romans chapter 12 verses 9 to 16

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honour. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are.

For the word of the Lord thanks be to God

Gospel Hymn – 245 We Have A Gospel To Proclaim Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia Blessed are you Mary, for your firm believing that the promises of the Lord would be fulfilled. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to Luke, chapter 1 beginning at the 39th verse Glory to you Lord Jesus Christ

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.

Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son.

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

The Sermon

Let us together affirm our faith

Let us pray for the world, the church, and each other

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 – 672 (tune ii) Lord of Earth and All Creation

We give thanks for the offered gifts Blessed are you…..(we give thanks for the bread and wine) Blessed be God forever Blessed are you…..(we give thanks for money and food offerings) Blessed be God forever

THE GREAT THANKSGIVING

We turn to page 160

….for ever praising you and singing

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

Then we return to page 128

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 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 forever. Amen

Everyone is welcome to the table of the Lord.

The Sending out of God’s people

Prayer after communion... God our Saviour, your word proclaims our salvation which we taste in the bread of life. Grant us the humble obedience we see in Mary that we, too, may respond as willing servants and bear your Word to our world. Amen.

The Notices

Final Hymn – 161 Tell out my Soul

The Blessing and Dismissal

Christ the Son of God, born of Mary, gladden our hearts by his coming to dwell among us, and fill us with joy and peace; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, 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. Amen.

***some thoughts from Rev. Mel During the week the clergy of the diocese learned that our friend and colleague the Reverend Stuart Winn died rather suddenly on Monday night. Stuart was the priest in Mooroopna for the past 18 months or so, and has a wife and three young boys, with another baby due soon. His death has rocked us all pretty hard as he was so young and appeared to be in good health when we were together at Clergy Conference in early May. Bishop Matt, in giving us the news of Stuart’s death, reminded us of 1 Thessolonians 4:13 - “Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who are without hope”. That reminds us that it’s ok to grieve but we do as people of hope and indeed it in is this hope that Stuart has led the way. Indeed that helps us all when we are in pain of any kind. God knows that we have issues and situations that we struggle with, and God is with us in the lowest and hardest moments of our lives. This week we will celebrate the visitation of Mary to Elizabeth, a time of great joy, when Elizabeth and her unborn child John, are filled with the Holy Spirit and praise God, and when Mary rejoices in her calling. Both women birth sons who go on to be two of the most important people to ever have walked the earth, and both women probably know that their sons will also suffer for that. And still they celebrate. They celebrate God’s gift of life and they celebrate the wonders that God does for us. They also celebrate that when the time comes for grief and hardship, God will be with them. Bless you all, Mel

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

Meditation Group We meet every Monday at 5pm in St Mary’s – all are welcome Conversation/Australis Group We meet every Tuesday evening at 7pm in the rectory. Mid Week Eucharist We have our mid-week Eucharist at 10am at St Mary’s every Wednesday morning. Aged Care Service – Trentham. Wednesday at 2pm. Safe Church Parish Catch Up Thanks to everyone who participated in the discussion about Safe Church last week. The group of people who gathered committed themselves anew to this most important issue. There will be further discussion in this area, but over the next few weeks and months everyone who volunteers in our churches will be asked to undertake some sort of Safe Church initiative; whether that be obtaining police and/or Working With Children Checks, or by attending a Safe Church Workshop. This is vital stuff for churches to do as we seek the trust of our communities after terrible revelations in the Royal Commission. Please come and see me if you have ANY questions or concerns about this. Rev’d Mel. Youth Ministry Group Our Youth Ministry Group meets on the first Wednesday of the month from 5-7pm in the hall.

News from the Guilds St Mary’s Guild: The next guild street stall is June 9 from 9am-midday. ****URGENT URGENT URGENT – can you help by providing some baked goods for the June 9 stall? All goods must be supplied with an ingredients list and be wrapped. Please see Carol for further information. Refugee Week Refugee week is June 17 to 23. We will be acknowledging this week on Sunday 17th in prayer. The rest of the week will provide opportunities for us to hear stories, learn about the refugee situation in the world, and offer practical support and help. The film ‘Welcome’ will be screened on Friday 22nd June at 7pm in the Norma Richardson Hall. There is no entry fee but donations for refugee support agencies will be accepted. A sausage sizzle and food collection will take place on Saturday 23rd in front of Coles Woodend. The top 5 requested items are tinned fish, basmati rice, dried red lentils and chick peas, coconut cream/milk, and canned tomatoes and tomato paste. Intercessions – our prayers are asked for: John, Sam, Jim, Andrea, Alison, Ethan, Kirsten, Carole, Wendy, Judy, Jeanette, Trevor, Rudi, Trish, Hugh, Joshua and family, Alan, Sheila, Faye, Lynne, Kay, Don, Norm, Kristina and John, Linda, Carmela, Heath, Helen, and Les. Birthdays and Anniversaries Happy birthday on Wednesday to Judy Hansford Years Mind and those who have died recently We give thanks for the life of Rev’d Stuart Winn, priest in the parish of Mooroopna. We pray for Alison and his children as they mourn him. Readings for next week – 1 Samuel 8.4-20; 11.14-15 Psalm 138 2 Corinthians 4.13-5.1 Mark 3.20-35

PO Box 699, Woodend, VIC 3442 | www.woodendanglican.org.au Priest: Rev’d Melissa Clark 0411 722 718 Warden: Derek Shepherd 0417 252 222

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