Sunday 6th April 2025 – Fifth Sunday in Lent

REFLECTION:

John 12:1-8 “How would you receive Jesus?”

How would you receive Jesus if he were to physically come to dinner at your home?

Not everyone will receive him in the same way. Some won’t want to receive him at all. Some will be guarded, reserved, not sure what to do. Some will receive him gladly as King and Lord, giving everything for him. Mary shows her love and devotion for Jesus in an extravagant act anointing his feet with expensive nard and drying them with her hair. Judas coldly counts the cost and criticises her but is only thinking of himself.

How will you receive Jesus? Here is an outline of this morning’s message.

1. Mary’s extravagant devotion

a. A welcoming dinner (1-2)

b. A lavish anointing of Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume (3)

c. Yet also, a prophetic anticipation of his coming death. (7)

2. Judas’ cold-hearted pragmatism

a. Counting the coins - “Why was this perfume not sold…”. (4-5)

b. Cold-hearted greed - “He said this not because he cared about the poor, but

because he was a thief” (6)

3. How do you respond to Jesus?

a. With extravagant devotion, or with cold-hearted pragmatism?

b. “You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” (8)

c. Let us focus on Jesus; give ourselves fully and extravagantly in our worship of him!

To think about:

What would it mean for me to show lavish and extravagant devotion to Jesus in my life today?

HYMNS

TIS 223 How sweet the name of Jesus

TIS 738 Shout to the Lord

MP 37 As the deer pants

TIS 547 Be thou my vision

EASTER: OUR EASTER ACTIVITIES THIS YEAR WILL INCLUDE

 Maundy Thursday Lamb Dinner will be held on April 17th at 6pm in the Hall. There is no charge. If you can, bring a dish for all the share and note your name, the number of people coming with you, and the dish you will bring on the sign-up sheet in the Foyer. After the dinner, we will sing some hymns and have a short Eucharist in Hall.

 One hour Good Friday service at 10am followed by hot cross buns.

 Three hour devotional service from 12 midday to 3pm.

 Easter Sunday services at 8am and 10am and then 6pm for the Chollo congregation.

FOR YOUR DIARY Please remember Bishop Paul Barker will be with us on May 11th (Mother’s Day) for a confirmation service. So as not to overload that weekend, we are planning to have our Mother’s Day high tea on the 17th of May. More details to follow.

MISSION MOMENTS On Sat. 3rd May at Glen Waverley Anglican Church, BCA will be having their AGM and a dinner with the Bishop of North West Australia, Darrel Parker as guest speaker. Hopefully we can organise a table from St. James' to go to this function. If you would like to attend, please complete the form in the church.

PARISH COUNCIL/LEVEL 3 SAFE MINISTRY TRAINING It is a requirement for all clergy and Parish Council members to complete level 3 safe ministry training. To facilitate this, our April Parish Council meeting will be on April 14th (rather than Easter Monday) and after a short PC meeting starting at 7pm, we will have an in-person level 3 training session together starting at 7:30pm. Please confirm your attendance with Chris Keys. Chris will be announcing shortly the details for level 1 and 2 training.

PASTA SAUCE, CHUTNEY AND JAM SALE. $5/JAR. Yellow tomato, roasted red pepper sauce, Fig, Apple & Watermelon jam Tomato and apple chutney.

CALLING ALL KNITTERS Time to start knitting beanies again ready to hand them out at Monday meals in June and July. Patterns are available in church porch and donations of 8ply yarn are welcome. Also scarves are acceptable. The beanies given last year were very much appreciated.

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS ENDS THIS SUNDAY. Don’t forget to put your clock back and get that extra hour’s sleep.

AFGHAN FESTIVAL: A large Afghan cultural festival will be on this Sunday down in Dandenong Park. This may impact on street parking though it will be bigger in the afternoon.

CHURCH UPGRADES: We will be upgrading and relocating the church power supply and switch box next week. Electricians will be working in the church from Tuesday to Friday.

WEDNESDAY SERVICE this week will be in the Hall due to the electricians working in the church.

MOTHER’S DAY HIGH TEA POSTPONED: Due to an unusually busy May, we have decided to postpone the planned Mother’s Day High Tea. It will be rescheduled as a Spring High Tea later in the year.

READINGS FOR NEXT SUNDAY 13th April: Isaiah 50.4-9a; Psalm 31.9-18; Philippians 2.5-11; Luke 22-23.

LAWN MOWING ROSTER: 5th April – Oyem & Rob

THIS WEEK WE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR: Anthony, Nisha, Mike, Cecil, Ruth, Eva, Charles, Nigel, Jen, Ted, Natasha, Patty, Melenny, Shereen, Lorraine, Rebecca, Ken, Jim, Monty, Noel, Ashleigh, Mervyn, Tauren, Sylvia, Sophie, Ursula Dean & Chelsea.