Weekly Letter from St Luke's - 18th May 2023
Dear Parish Friends
Today is Ascension Day, marking the end of the 40 day period after the Resurrection. During this time the risen Jesus has taught his disciples (Acts 1:3). One can imagine the anticipation of the disciples after Easter, that anything was now possible. But then he leaves them... This wasn't an abandonment, but signifying a change of pace. Rather than being led by Jesus as one man on earth, the mission would be the responsibility of all the disciples, and they would receive power through the Holy Spirit to do this (Acts 1:8). Jesus returns to his Father, but is still present to us through that same Spirit.
There will be a service of Holy Communion to celebrate Ascension Day this evening at 6.30pm.This will include playing the final podcast from the 'Women in Holy Week series from Paula Gooder. It will also be streamed (in place of the 6pm Evening Prayer).
A prayer for Accension Day:
Risen and Ascended Lord,
you have promised to be with us always;
teach us to be aware of your presence,
and to abide in your love,
that we may walk in the way that leads to glory,
where you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, world without end. Amen.
We will continue exploring the themes of Ascension and waiting for the Spirit on Sunday, when we will also remember the work of CMS as they follow the command in Acts 1:8. The weekly notice paper and order of service for the 9am service (which is streamed on Zoom) are below as usual.
Please remember the two major events coming up in the next few weeks:
Art Show in the Upper Hall (in association with Lilly-Lee Studios). 27-28th May. Invite all your friends to come and support this event. There will be a cafe run by Kofi Klub (donations of cakes/slices welcomed) as well as a sausage sizzle on the Saturday.
Parish Camp at Glengarry. 3-4th June. All welcome for all or part of this weekend. For details, and to book, see st-lukes-parish-gathering.eventbrite.com.au
Yours in Christ
Rev'd Timothy