Sarina Anglican Parish

03/10/2026

Ministry Matters Sunday 4th October

03/10/2026

Dear Family and Friends
Everyone loves a good story and Jesus was a masterful story-teller. His parables were stories crafted to give a message without directly stating the obvious. He wove His messages into a story that those gathered around Him would appreciate; grounded in circumstances that were familiar to them; fishing, agriculture, teaching, politics and religion. And I use the word religion to refer to laws, decrees and commands rather than a relationship with God or Jesus himself. As I said, everyone loves a good story but what we don't like, is being shown that sometimes we are the characters in the story especially when those characters need to change their ways as we read in this week's Words Of Wisdom:
"When the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables,
they realised that He was speaking about them. (Mattthew 21:45)
Jesus confronted the corrupt religious leaders and warn them of impending judgement telling them to change their ways or be "crushed".
I wonder how easily we can see ourselves in Jesus' parables? Jesus is asking us all to do some self-examination and focus on sharing the gospel with others rather than "religion" and position. "Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom." To produces fruit we need to change our thinking, our habits, our behaviours and show our faith by living according to the teachings of Jesus displaying love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
I pray that this week, we will all think about that self-examination and apply the "fruits" checklist to see how we are managing.
Services in our Parish tomorrow:
St Luke's Sarina 9 am where we will celebrate the life of St Francis of Assisi. There will be a blessing of the pets as well so bring along your (caged or leashed) pet or photgraph of your pet.

This Week’s Readings (These and other amazing things can be found in the "Ministry Matters" attached.)
Exodus 20: 1-4, 7-9, 12-20
Psalm 19
Philippians 3: or 3: 4b-14
Matthew 21: 33-46

IMPORTANT THINGS ON THE HORIZON
Next Family Service
11th October at 4:00 p.m. in the Hall. Followed by a sausage sizzle.
Wed Prayer Group
Wednesday 8:30 – 9:30 Call Catherine 0409067801 for details
Sarina Aged Care
Wednesday 28th October at 10 a.m. See Rev Janet for details.
FACE Up on Fridays
Friday 9:45 a.m. Call Shirley for details: 0402855083.
Mainly Music
Fridays (During school terms) 9 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Call Kari for details: 0407132183
Sat Bible Study
Call Dianne for details: 0448 522 559
God’s blessings on your worship this weekend and may you feel His Spirit at work in your life as you strive to demonstrate your faith by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Blessings

27/09/2026

Ministry Matters 27 September

26/09/2026

Dear Family and Friends
People are quick to say, "Where is God? Why doesn't He intervene and help?" ..... in reference to whatever situation is causing them distress. It might surprise you to know that this sentiment has been expressed for thousands of years as we read in this week's Words Of Wisdom:
"Is the Lord among us?" (Exodus 17:7)
"The way of the Lord is unfair." (Ezekiel 18: 27)
When things go wrong, as they often do, we are quick to blame others and yes, even God, for the predicament. However, as much as it pains us to admit, the situations which cause us anguish and pain are caused by man himself. God didn't guarantee us a life free from pain, disappointment or difficulty but He does provide for our needs just as He has always done. God fed the Israelites with manna, divided the Red Sea for their escape, led them by clouds and fire, split rocks to provide living water but still they sinned and rebelled and then had the audacity to say: "The way of the Lord is unfair." Are we any different today? Do we fully trust God and ask Him for what we need or do we just complain when things go wrong? And rather than just focusing on the here and now, are we seeking to do His will so that His favour will extend beyond the grave? Each one of us ultimately will need to "give an account" so we might as well do a dress-rehearsal and consider now, how we might measure up; keeping in mind the following Words Of Wisdom: "When the wicked turn away from the wickedness they have committed and do what is lawful and right, they shall save their life." (Ezekiel 18: 27). This scripture reminds me of a well-known hymn; "Search Me O God" written in the early 1900's by James Edwin Orr. When we ask God to search us, we are asking Him to show us how we need to change. Following on from these lyrics is an explanation of how this hymn came to be written. This is a link to the song if you would like to listen: search me o god and know my heart today, try me o lord - Google Search
Search me, O God, and know my heart today,
Try me, O Saviour, know my thoughts, I pray;
See if there be some wicked way in me;
Cleanse me from every sin, and set me free.
James Edwin Orr was born in Belfast in 1912. When he was just 18 he started preaching; when we was 21 he felt God wanted him to be an itinerant evangelist. Despite scepticism and discouragement from family and friends, he went to London, preached throughout the British Isles and then preached throughout Europe. In 1935 he sailed to America, preaching first in Canada and then in the US. In 1936 he preached in New Zealand where great numbers of students professed faith in Christ. As he was leaving New Zealand, four girls sang him a beautiful Māori song of farewell. Orr was so impressed with the beauty of the melody that soon afterward he wrote new words to the tune on the back of an envelope. Further campaigns throughout Australia in the 1930s and later in most of the English-speaking world, soon popularized this hymn.

I pray that this week, we will all invite God to show us ways we can love Him and our neighbours more deeply because, when we love with all our heart, we aren't sinning.
Services in our Parish tomorrow:
St Luke's Sarina 9 am

This Week’s Readings (These and other amazing things can be found in the "Ministry Matters" attached.)
Exodus 17: 1-7
Psalm 78: 1-4; 11-16
Philippians 2: 1-13
Matthew 21: 23-32

IMPORTANT THINGS ON THE HORIZON
Next Family Service
11th October at 4:00 p.m. in the Hall. Followed
by a sausage sizzle.
Wed Prayer Group Wednesday 8:30 – 9:30 Call Catherine 0409067801 for details
Sarina Aged Care
Wednesday 28th October at 10 a.m. See Rev Janet for details.
FACE Up on Fridays
Friday 9:45 a.m. Call Shirley for details: 0402855083.
Mainly Music
Fridays (During school terms) 9 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Call Kari for details: 0407132183
Sat Bible Study
Call Dianne for details: 0448 522 559
God’s blessings on your worship this weekend and may you feel His Spirit at work in your life as you strive to search for ways to draw closer to God.
Blessings

05/09/2026

05/09/2026

Dear Family and Friends
Everyone has different experiences when it comes to relationships and this is especially true, as we know, when it comes to our relationship with our father. Tomorrow we will unpack that a little more but in the meantime, if you do nothing else today in terms of reflection/bible reading, google (or click on the link if you trust it) "Good Good Father" to get a clear understanding of how much God loves us and how much we mean to Him.
Good Good Father w/ Lyrics (Chris Tomlin)
In this week's Words Of Wisdom, we read God's comforting words:
"I have loved you with an everlasting love;
therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you." (Jeremiah 31:3)

When times are tough and we feel alone, neglected, unworthy or unloved, we can hold on to these words because, regardless of anything happening in our physical world, God is loving us unconditionally and faithfully.
My prayer for us all this week is that we might know this to be true and thank Him for His love, protection and wisdom.
Services in our Parish tomorrow:
St Luke's Sarina 9 am

This Week’s Readings (These and other amazing things can be found in the "Ministry Matters" attached. Thank you Janet for picking up the baton while Dion's computer is out of action)
Exodus: 12: 1-14
Psalm 149
Romans13:1-10
Matthew 18: 10-20

IMPORTANT THINGS ON THE HORIZON
Next Family Service
13th September at 4:00 p.m. Followed by a sausage sizzle.
Wed Prayer Group
Wednesday 8:30 – 9:30 Call Catherine 0409067801 for details
Sarina Aged Care
Wednesday 23rd September at 10 a.m. See Rev Janet for details.
FACE Up on Fridays
Friday 9:45 a.m. Call Shirley for details: 0402855083.
Mainly Music
Fridays (During school terms) 9 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Call Kari for details: 0407132183
Sat Bible Study
Call Dianne for details: 0448 522 559
God’s blessings on your worship this weekend and may you feel His Spirit at work in your life as you strive to know how much God loves us.
Blessings

22/08/2026

Ministry Matters 23rd August

22/08/2026

Dear Family and Friends
What do you fear and how do you react to it? Most people understand the principle that we when feel threatened, we either fight or run away (known as fight or flight). This, of course, is a natural instinct to keep ourselves safe. I propose that when we do not understand something fully we also use this instinct; we fight (argue) or flee - backdown/give in rather than decide to explore which can open ourselves to being a little vulnerable and this, most would agree, can be a little uncomfortable.
This week's Old Testament reading from Exodus gives the account of a baby who was placed in a small basket and placed in the crocodile-infested Nile River. The king of Egypt at the time, was fearful because the Israelites, slaves to the Egyptians, were becoming numerous and posing a perceived threat to his authority and reign. So he ordered all male Israelite babies, at birth, to be thrown into the Nile as a means of suppressing the threat to Egypt. This King of Egypt felt threatened because he didn't understand God or the Israelites. His response therefore was to fight - give orders for destruction but one mother, fearful of the fate of her son, chose to flee and protect her child by placing him in a water-proofed basket amongst the reeds of the Nile where he was discovered by Pharoh's daughter. This baby was adopted by Pharoh's daughter and she named him Moses - meaning "drawn from the water".
I believe we are no different today; when we don't understand something, we argue against it or we change the subject instead of discussing the idea or researching to gain more perspective. In this week's Words Of Wisdom, Christians are urged not to give in or be conformed to the worldly things we are subjected to on a daily basis but to
"be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you may
discern what is the will of God" (Romans 12: 2)
Paul tells us not to fight, not to bury our heads in the sand when confronted with things that threaten our thoughts, beliefs or well-being but to read, discuss, research and seek God's will in all things. Moses grew up to be a man blessed by God and we will have God's blessings too when we put Him at the centre of our decision making.
My prayer for us all this week is to seek God's wisdom and guidance when we feel threatened or vulnerable.

Services in our Parish tomorrow:
St Luke's Sarina 9 am

This Week’s Readings (These and other amazing things can be found in the Ministry Matters attached)
Exodus: 1:8-2:10
Psalm 124 Romans12:1-8
Matthew 16: 13-20

IMPORTANT THINGS ON THE HORIZON
Next Family Service
13th September at 4:00 p.m. Followed by a sausage sizzle.
Wed Prayer Group
Wednesday 8:30 – 9:30
Catherine 0409067801 for details
Sarina Aged Care
Wednesday 26th August at 10 a.m. See Rev Janet for details.
FACE Up on Fridays
Friday 9:45 a.m. Call Shirley for details: 0402855083.
Mainly Music
Fridays (During school terms) 9 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Call Kari for details: 0407132183
Sat Bible Study
Call Dianne for details: 0448 522 559
God’s blessings on your worship this weekend and may you feel His Spirit at work in your life as you strive to be transformed by the renewing of your minds.

15/08/2026

Ministry Matters 16th August 2026

14/08/2026

Dear Family and Friends
We often tell children to "do the right thing" and, in fact, God himself gave this command which we can read in the book of Isaiah and is the scripture I have chosen for this week's Words Of Wisdom:
"Thus says the Lord, 'Maintain justice, and do what is right" (Isaiah 56:1)
But what does "do the right thing" mean? And how difficult is it to actually do the right thing? Maintaining justice involves protecting the vulnerable and oppressed, telling the truth and restoring peace and few of us would argue against that. However, it takes strength and courage to stand up for what is right and too often the opinions of others, our day-to-day commitments, our lack of confidence or our fear of "getting it wrong" prevents us from following through on what we know to be the right thing. Added to this is the "I'm just one person" mentality which can be the cause of our inaction.
One of my very favourite children's books is an adaptation of a short story written in 1908 by Leo Tolstoy which seeks to explain what the "right thing" is. A young boy sets out on a quest to discover the answers to three questions: When is the best time to do things? Who is the most important one? and, What is the right thing to do? Whether or not Tolstoy was a Christian does not alter the fact that his story aligns well with what Jesus instructed us to do: "Love God and love one another". The best time to do things is now ..... when someone is in need. The most important one is the person we are with because, whatever we do "for the very least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it for me" Jesus tells us (Matthew 25:40). The right thing to do, Tolstoy says is "do good".
The Bible clearly tells us to love one another and do good. We don't have to stress over the hows and wheres and whys or go on a long journey to seek the answers; we simply have to be "present" with those we encounter, listen to their story and help those in need. And yes, it often means putting ourselves last but remember that "many who are first will be last and many who are last will be first" (Matthew 19:30)
I pray that this week, we will all seek to be more present with those we are with, find ways to help each other and find the strength to maintain justice and do what is right. (And you can hear a reading of The three Questions by Meryl Streep on YouTube if you are interested.)

Services in our Parish tomorrow:
St Luke's Sarina 9 am
All Saints Koumala 9 am
This Week’s Readings (These and other amazing things can be found in the Ministry Matters attached)
Genesis 45: 1-15
Psalm 133
Galatians 4: 4-7
Matt 15: (10-20), 21-28

IMPORTANT THINGS ON THE HORIZON
Next Family Service
13th September at 4:00 p.m. Followed by a sausage sizzle.
Wed Prayer Group
Wednesday 8:30 – 9:30 Call Catherine 0409067801 for details
Sarina Aged Care
Wednesday 26th August at 10 a.m. See Rev Janet for details.
FACE Up on Fridays
Friday 9:45 a.m. Call Shirley for details: 0402855083.
Mainly Music
Fridays (During school terms) 9 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Call Kari for details: 0407132183
Sat Bible Study
Call Dianne for details: 0448 522 559
God’s blessings on your worship this weekend and may you feel His Spirit at work in your life as you strive to maintain justice and do the right thing.
In Christ's Love