REFLECTION: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 “The Good News that brings salvation” The message we proclaim is of vital importance because it is a life-saving message. Do we get it right? Paul was concerned that the Corinthian church was deviating from the message that he had passed on to them and so he calls on them to hold faithfully to it, as it is a message that if followed and applied will bring salvation. It is easy to go off message and to get what you call “mission drift”. With time, you can start to focus on the less important things and neglect the key parts of the message. Soon the core of the message is completely diluted and serves no one and you drift right away from what you mission was meant to be. Let us hold fast to the core of the gospel message which Paul reiterates to the Corinthians in today’s reading.
Here is an outline of the message.
1. The Good News Paul Preached.
a. Through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message (1-2)
b. Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures (3)
c. He was buried and… he was raised on the third day (4)
2. A trustworthy message confirmed by faithful witnesses:
a. He appeared to Cephas (Peter), then to the twelve. (5)
b. He appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time (6)
c. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles (7)
d. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me (8)
3. A Life Transforming Message.
a. I persecuted the church of God (9)
b. But by the grace of God, I am what I am, an apostle (10)
To think about:
Is the message that we proclaim today with our words and actions still the gospel that Paul received, or have we changed it?
HYMNS
TIS 380 Yours be the glory
MP 1072 In Christ Alone
TIS 129 Amazing Grace
TIS 147 God be the glory
WEDNESDAY GROWTH GROUP Will be resuming on Wednesday 5th of February. Marien will be leading some studies based on the theme of Creation in the Psalms. After these four weeks, we will begin the Hope 25 Lenten studies. Hope 25 Lenten Study Books are available from Graeme for $10.
GARDENING AND GROUNDS WORK We have many gardening and maintenance jobs that are piling up. We are extremely grateful to Rusty Nicholls who has taken on so much but we need more helpers. If you can spare a few hours, we would love to hear from you. Speak to Rusty or Graeme. We are particularly keen to find someone who is good at building stone walls or working with mortar. We have a lot of bluestone edging to do in the main carpark area.
MISSION SUNDAY Is approaching, 16th February, so if you have a Mission box, could you please bring it to church over the coming weeks. We will be hearing about ‘Hope 25’ which seeks to empower Anglicans about sharing hope from Easter to Pentecost.
READINGS FOR NEXT SUNDAY 16th Feb: Jeremiah. 17. 5-10; Psalm 1 1Corinthians 15.12-20; Luke 6.17-26
LAWN MOWING ROSTER: 8th of Feb – Rusty
INTERMENT OF ASHES The ashes of our dear sister Jean Fortune will be interred in the memorial garden with a short interment service following the 10am service today. A warm welcome to Jean’s family and friends who are with us today and our prayers for you at this difficult moment.
THE NEW FENCING AROUND THE VICARAGE WILL BEGIN ON MONDAY This is to allow the constructor to get underway with setting up worker’s huts and essential services. Though we have not yet received the building permit to begin the major work of the new building, all the paperwork is in and we believe the permit is imminent and we hope works will begin as early as this week.
HOPE 25 You may have noticed us switching to the Hope 25 prayer as we prepare the ground with prayer for this important campaign which will get underway after Easter. Why not visit he Hope 25 website https://www.hope25.com.au/ or buy one of the Hope 25 Lenten Study guides from Graeme.
FRIENDS OF ST JAMES’ FACEBOOK GROUP You may not realise that we have a Friends of St James private Facebook group which is great for catching up on what is happening with the members of our church. If you wish to be a part of it, please to Naomi who is the administrator.
CONFIRMATIONS/ALPHA We will be starting the Alpha Course on Wednesday Nights in the Parish Hall on Feb 12th with a meal at 6:30 and the course at 7:30. We will be having a shared meal with the people from the Wednesday growth group then dividing into separate groups for the study. The Alpha course will be the preparation for those seeking confirmation but it can be attended by anyone wanting to discover more about Christian faith. Please speak to Graeme if you would like to participate. It goes for about 10 weeks.
THIS WEEK WE PRAY FOR: Holy Trinity Coburg; The Diocese of Grafton; Geelong Grammar School; The Anglican Church of Australia; St Paul’s Cathedral – Valedictory service; Anglican Parish of Mount Dandenong – Pastoral service; Archbishop Philip and all our Bishops in their ministry this week.
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