All of the celebrations this week
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Fr Bosco Peters often refers to NZ Anglicans as the “Anglican Church of OR” because our liturgical calendar offers so many options for what to celebrate on any given Sunday. Today is one of the days where we have a plethora of options. And being a little indecisive, I’m keen to celebrate all of them!
Baptism of Ella and Harry: At 10am we’ll be welcoming two precious children into the family of God through baptism. It is, quite possibly, my favourite duty as a priest. In this sacrament we are reminded of God’s decision to come to us and his invitation to draw us to himself. As highlighted in our readings this morning, we go down into the waters of death and are raised into new life. Baptism is gift of salvation and an invitation to relationship.
Social Services Sunday: I’m currently reading Neil Darragh’s, “But What is the Church For?” It’s essentially a book on missiology. He writes, “If these personal benefits [of church attendance] are all there is, it would make us simply ‘consumers’ of holy ‘goodies’. There is surely something more here, something more generous, life-giving, outgoing, and gracious than just our own spiritual wellbeing.” On Social Services Sunday we give thanks for the branches of our church that give legs to the Gospel. AnglicanCare heads things like the City Mission, Elder Care, Energy poverty programme, advocacy and social justice programmes, assisting with the creation of the YouthHub and social housing with the Methodist Mission. I’m delighted that two of our parishioners (Moka Ritchie and Neil Shewan) sit on the board of AnglicanCare.
St Anne: With our newly consecrated chapel we celebrate St Anne, the mother of Mary and grandmother of Jesus. Our information about Anne is received through the tradition of the church, and there is little we can be sure about. But we can nevertheless be thankful for our whakapapa, the support of parents and grandparents, and celebrate that God, in Jesus, has experienced the complexity of family life.
17th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Our sermon today will continue to focus on Paul’s letter to the Colossians, this time reminding us of what new life in Christ looks like.
The Resurrection: Every Sunday is a celebration of the resurrection.
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