St Philip's Anglican Church, O'Connor ACT in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory | Community

St Philip's Anglican Church, O'Connor ACT

Locality: Canberra, Australian Capital Territory

Phone: +61 2 6161 7334

Address: Corner Macpherson and Moorhouse Streets, O'Connor 2602 Canberra, ACT, Australia

Website: http://www.stphilipsoconnor.org.au

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25.01.2022 Eucharist for Corpus Christi @ St Philip's O'Connor

25.01.2022 8am Eucharist for Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost @ St Philip's O'Connor

25.01.2022 Trinity Sunday - 7 June 2020 The Eucharist will be celebrated at 8.00am and will be live on Facebook. Then it will be available on either our YouTube channel or Facebook. All links and details are on our web page: https://stphilipsoconnor.org.au The Pewsheet includes the Order of Service for you to follow along with: https://stphilipsoconnor.org.au/news/pewsheets/...Continue reading

24.01.2022 Ninth Sunday after Pentecost - 2 August 2020 8am Eucharist 10am Eucharist with music ... The 8.00am Eucharist will be live on Facebook. Then it will be available on either our YouTube channel or Facebook. All links and details are on our web page https://stphilipsoconnor.org.au Dear Friends, I was speaking with the priest in the parish of Penola SA during the week and I was reminded that the town has a significant link with Mary MacKillop whose feast is celebrated on Saturday. She doesnt have a spot in the Anglican calendar of saints but I thought I would include her because of the significant contribution she made to the care of the vulnerable. In 1860 she founded, along with others the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart, also known as the Josephite Sisters. Its members were to staff schools especially for poor children, as well as orphanages, and do other works of charity. Whilst Mary had the support of some local bishops as she and her Sisters went about their work, the bishop in South Australia, ageing and relying on others for advice, briefly excommunicated Marycharging her with disobedienceand dispensed 50 of her Sisters from their vows. In truth, the bishops quarrel was about power and who had authority over whom. He ultimately rescinded his order of excommunication. Despite her struggles with Church authorities, Mary MacKillop and her Sisters were able to offer social services that few, if any, government agencies in Australia could. They served folk of all denominations and none. They worked among indigenous folk, they taught in schools and orphanages and ministered to unmarried mothers. In the midst of our current issues, it is good to be reminded that this care is and must be ongoing. Our outreach through Pandoras, to Karinya House, Toora, Companion House and St Johns Care is often to mothers and children struggling with poverty, violence and abuse. The COVID19 Pandemic has, quite rightly, been a focus for us as a parish and wider community, but many other issues remain and are indeed potentially worsened by the pandemic. I hope that Pandora's can continue to offer help to those marginalised in our community. Blessings to you all Martin Please see the rest of the Pewsheet which includes Order of Service and News https://stphilipsoconnor.org.au/news/pewsheets/

23.01.2022 Eucharist for Pentecost Sunday @ St Philip's O'Connor

23.01.2022 Corpus Christi - Sunday 14 June 2020 Today the Eucharist will be celebrated at 8.00am and will be live on Facebook. Then it will be available on either our YouTube channel or Facebook. All links and details are on our web page www.stphilipsoconnor.org.au Dear Friends,... As I write we remain committed to the gradual opening of our gatherings for worship. At present 20 folk can attend, by months end, all being well we will be able to gather in groups of 50. We are planning for our regular pattern of two Sunday services - 08.00am and 10.00am to resume on Sunday 28th June. Whilst we have in place a plan to minimise the risks posed by the COVID19 virus, I am aware that some of you will not yet feel confident enough to attend. If you are concerned please get in contact with me and we can plan how best to hold you within the gathering. I am more than happy to bring to you the sacrament reserved from Sundays celebration, we are also considering how we might continue to use technology to keep us connected. I am keen to hear from you what would be most helpful as we move forward. The Thursday Eucharist has now resumed and may perhaps provide an extra opportunity in a setting with a small gathering for you to keep communion. Today we celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi which offers us the opportunity to prayerfully consider this sacrament of our communion with God and each other. In these times we are making our communion simply with Bread, and I believe this will continue for some time. This is not consistent with our tradition - Communion in both kinds was among the earliest of the reforms in the time of Edward VI, but it is necessary as we care for each other. Some parishes have begun using individual cups, but this is not a method that has any place in our tradition. It is not just the reception of the sacrament but the fact of the sharing in one bread (the large wafers we use at St Philips indicate this) and one cup that is significant. We can be confident that our communion, whilst not ideal, is not diminished in any way by our reception in one kind. I am very happy to speak with you if have any concerns about how best we begin to move forward. Blessings to you all Martin

23.01.2022 Eucharist for the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost @ St Philips OConnor

22.01.2022 Seventh Sunday after Pentecost - 19 July 2020 8am Eucharist 10am Eucharist with music ... The 8.00am Eucharist will still be live on Facebook. Then it will be available on either our YouTube channel or Facebook. All links and details are on our web page https://stphilipsoconnor.org.au Please see the Pewsheet for order of service and last news https://stphilipsoconnor.org.au/news/pewsheets/ Dear Friends, Joni Mitchell in her song Big Yellow Taxi, reminds us you dont know what youve got till its gone! A song which despite being over 50 years old still resonates. However where it has resonated with me recently has been in the changes we have had to make to our worship and gathering over these past months. Gathering with you all on a Sunday morning, greeting each other in peace and enjoying breakfast or morning tea in the close confines of the Lamerton Centre seemed to me as natural as breathing, its what we did! At the moment these things can no longer be part of our routine, these things that we so much took for granted. But perhaps the thing that I miss the most is the opportunity to sing lustily! Hymns, whilst they are now so much a part of what we do, were in the period following the reformation held in suspicion. The public singing of texts not directly from the Bible was still regarded by many as an error of popery! Fortunately with the advent of the Wesleys and the rediscovery of a wealth of ancient hymns and their translation into English, congregational singing became the norm in churches of the Anglican tradition. They are of course so much more than just songs of worship, they speak of our theology and our poetical imaginings; as an example look at hymn 398 Come down O Love Divine. Coupled with Vaughan Williams tune Down Ampney it is a wonderful example of hymnody, is there any finer? Little wonder we miss it so. You dont know what youve got till its gone! Bishop Mark is only too aware of this, clearly it is the subject of much discussion. He has written to the clergy this week with a reflection on the subject of singing, I have reproduced it in part below. I am hoping over these coming weeks to broaden our musical diet at the 1000am Eucharist, we will still have some hymns, can I encourage you to Come and hum. Blessings to you all Martin

21.01.2022 Eucharist for the Fifth Sunday after Epiphany, 7 February 2021

21.01.2022 Sixth Sunday after Pentecost - 12 July 2020 8am Eucharist 10am Eucharist with music ... The 8.00am Eucharist will still be live on Facebook. Then it will be available on either our YouTube channel or Facebook. All links and details are on our web page www.stphilipsoconnor.org.au Please see the Pewsheet for order of service and last news https://stphilipsoconnor.org.au/news/pewsheets/ Dear Friends, As I write the border between NSW and Victoria is being closed and the Melbourne Metro area is once again entering into lockdown. Border closures are something unimaginable just a few short months ago, having lived close to the border around Albury/Wodonga I can imagine the angst of those who have always moved freely across the border. Many folk are experiencing unprecedented changes in their everyday lives, things formerly taken for granted are no more. A couple of weeks ago I suggested that the restrictions placed upon us were no more than what we should expect of each other under normal circumstances. We desist from mixing if we are unwell, we observe good personal hygiene and we ensure that we offer each other personal space. What we are being called to is to live in a disciplined way, a very unpopular idea in our modern world and something which has fallen away in the life of the Church. In years past Ascetical theology was taught and those preparing for ordination would have been expected to engage to some extent in the ascetical life. Candidates were trained in monastic environments with study and prayer being equally important. Now this probably sounds quite dreadful to many, ascetics speaks of self-denial, of poverty, chastity and obedience. But in the Anglican tradition this life, governed by the rhythms of the Prayer Book, with its calendar, daily prayer, is for everyone. Not a strict monastic rule, no, but a life of discipline, in which we live together bound by a common life of faith and prayer which becomes practical as we seek one anothers good and welfare. So we as a church do have something profound to offer in these difficult and challenging times. It is a disciplined life, lived according to an order which nourishes and sustains, which deals with the difficulties, trials and tribulations of life, which binds us together. This is an idea which has been largely forgotten in the Church and wider world, but in these times when our so called freedoms are limited in many ways we would do well to be reminded of the disciplines of our faith and how discipline will help us deal with the unprecedented issues of our day. Martin

20.01.2022 Eucharist for the Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost @ St Philip’s O’Connor

20.01.2022 Eucharist for the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost @ St Philips OConnor

19.01.2022 Eighth Sunday after Pentecost - 26 July 2020 8am Eucharist 10am Eucharist with music The 8.00am Eucharist will be live on Facebook. Then it will be available on either our YouTube channel or Facebook. All links and details are on our web page https://stphilipsoconnor.org.au... Dear Friends, As I write, the news coming from Victoria and to some extent NSW is not promising. Earlier in the week I was prevented from conducting a service at the Sir Leslie Morshead Manor because of the fear of an outbreak. I was reminded how fragile our gradual re-emergence is, how easily we could find our work undone and quickly we could find ourselves in isolation again. Our calling is to remain vigilant and disciplined. I have found that theologising in the face of the Pandemic to be demanding in many different ways. The Black Death which blighted Europe in the Middle Ages was believed to be divine punishmentretribution for sins against God such as greed, blasphemy, heresy, worldliness etc. By this logic, the only way to overcome the plague was to win Gods forgiveness. Some people believed that the way to do this was to purge their communities of heretics and other troublemakersso, for example, many thousands of Jews were massacred in 1348 and 1349. (Thousands more fled to the sparsely populated regions of Eastern Europe, where they could be relatively safe from the rampaging mobs in the cities). Some people coped with the terror and uncertainty of the Black Death epidemic by lashing out at their neighbours; others coped by turning inward and fretting about the condition of their own souls. When Jesus performs acts of healing he often does so by saying your sins are forgiven you there was, in New Testament thought, clearly a link between disease and morality. Naturally with the advent of medical science we no longer advocate such ideas. The pandemic is not act of God, neither is climate change or any of the many issues that beset us, God is not punishing us. But quite clearly repentance in the face of these issues is our calling. We are called to constantly be re- orienting ourselves to mirror the kingdom of God that we proclaim. The Pandemic and our response like many other issues are signs that we are not at one with God or with each other, hence reconciliation in all its many forms is our way. I am committed to going forward with our planning and we look forward to the reopening of Pandoras and a resumption of the Youth Group. We hope and pray that with discipline and a willingness to look beyond ourselves, be reconciled, that we might be able to continue to enjoy the freedoms that we have gained. Blessings to you all, Martin Please see the rest of the Pewsheet which includes Order of Service and News https://stphilipsoconnor.org.au/news/pewsheets/

19.01.2022 Eucharist for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost @ St Philip's O'Connor

19.01.2022 Eucharist for the First Sunday in Lent, 21 February 2021

18.01.2022 Eucharist for Trinity Sunday @ St Philip's O'Connor

17.01.2022 Eucharist for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost @ St Philip's O'Connor

16.01.2022 Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost, 15 November 2020 8am & 10am Eucharists While the COVID19 restrictions are in place St Philip’s is delighted to be celebrating the Eucharist online on Facebook at 8.00am this morning. It will then be available on either our YouTube channel or Facebook. All links and details are on our web page https://stphilipsoconnor.org.au...Continue reading

15.01.2022 Pentecost Sunday, 31 May 2020 Today the Eucharist will be celebrated at 8.00am and will be live on Facebook. Then it will be available on either our YouTube channel or Facebook. Pewsheet includes the Order of Service to follow along with https://stphilipsoconnor.org.au/news/pewsheets/ All links and details are on our web page https://stphilipsoconnor.org.au/... From the Rector Dear Friends, Slowly but surely our lives are opening to a new post pandemic world, in the parish we will move gradually and carefully to restore our gatherings. The Parish Council meets this week and will review our protocols for hygiene and distancing before we begin our communal acts of worship again and plan for the opening of Pandoras. Our current situation will pass, and while it is important that we address the issues that it raises we must not lose sight of the many other problems that beset our world. At the forefront of these are the environmental issues of our time and it is at Pentecost when we celebrate the Spirit the giver of life that we should look to the created order and our place within it. In our tradition the Spirit creates and animates; in that mysterious text that reminds us of the unforgivable sin (Matt 12:32), the sin against the Holy Spirit, we are perhaps reminded that to create and animate together with the Spirit is our first calling, to bring life. We in the parish committed ourselves to a three year plan of learning, sustaining and celebrating, a plan to build our community. In this year we are considering our stewardship of all that has been entrusted to us. We are working towards the sustainable use of water and energy, we are looking to future well beyond that which currently besets us. The Spirit call us on to join in the creative energy of God. Blessings to you all this Whitsuntide. Martin

14.01.2022 Eucharist for the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost @ St Philips OConnor

14.01.2022 Eucharist for the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost @ St Philips OConnor

13.01.2022 Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost - 13 September 2020 8am & 10am Eucharists While the COVID19 restrictions are in place St Philips is delighted to be celebrating the Eucharist on live on Facebook at 8.00am. It will then be available on either our YouTube channel or Facebook. All links and details are on our web page https://stphilipsoconnor.org.au... Dear Friends, One of the many issues that we will face when the pandemic subsides will be that of ongoing environmental degradation. Indeed the problems will potentially be magnified as we endeavour to get folk back into the workforce, renew economies, increase production and consumption. To this end ABM have put together a course of study called Climate for Change. They have been published by ABM for download and can be accessed via: https://www.abmission.org/ and on the ABM Resources page: https://www.abmission.org/resources.php The five studies, written by Russell Rollason, an Anglican with a long and distinguished record in international development, contain Franciscan reflections to help you link the facts with your faith. These studies are free to download and can be used individually or in groups to inform our prayer and action as we prepare to celebrate St Francis Day together on Sunday 4 October. It is my hope and prayer that with the coming of Spring and the lengthening of days, along with better news concerning the pandemic we might encourage folk to gather on that day as we give thanks for the created order and pray for its preservation. Blessings to you all, Martin. During the week we marked the first anniversary of the death of our fellow parishioner, co-director of music and beloved friend Pat Forbes. The music at the 10am Eucharist today reflects something of Pats loves and talents. The flowers have been donated by Colin Forbes and presented by Barbara Griffiths in Pats memory. ---------------------------------------------------------- Please see the Pewsheet for order of service & other news. https://stphilipsoconnor.org.au/news/pewsheets/

13.01.2022 10am Eucharist for Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost @ St Philip's O'Connor

13.01.2022 Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost - 20 September 2020 8am & 10am Eucharists While the COVID19 restrictions are in place St Philips is delighted to be celebrating the Eucharist live on Facebook at 8.00am. It will then be available on either our YouTube channel or Facebook. All links and details are on our web page https://stphilipsoconnor.org.au... Dear Friends, One of the enduring problems of the Pandemic will be the issue of un- employment or under employment. Todays passage from Matthews gospel speaks to the situation of those unable to find work and therefore meet the needs of their families. In the parable Jesus tells us that in the Kingdom of God all have sufficient to meet their needs. The passage helps us to understand the idea of Covenant which is central to understanding the justice of God. We live in a world in which we are often contractually obligated to each other. We are paid according to what we do and for how long. In the scriptures Gods justice is demonstrated in the Covenant in which he binds himself to people in and love and in grace. The Covenant is not a contract in which Gods grace is conditional on the response of Gods people. But the Biblical notion of covenant obliges the more powerful to accept responsibility for the more vulnerable and powerless of the two parties. It does not allow free rein to self-interest. A just society founded on covenantal principles recognises obligations of care towards those who cannot, for one reason or another contribute directly or materially to society people who would be declared redundant in a society founded simply on a contractarian basis. I hope that the current issues that beset us will help us to appreciate the needs of those who are under employed, those in the gig economy. I think todays gospel speaks profoundly into that situation. In the news section youll see some more information on the ABM study resource Climate for Change I hope youll take the opportunity to look at those resources and we look forward to celebrating St Francis Day together on 4th October. Please put that date in your diary and I hope that we may even have some pets come along for a blessing. Blessings to you all Martin -------------------------- Please see the Pewsheet https://stphilipsoconnor.org.au/news/pewsheets/ for order of service & Parish news.

12.01.2022 Eucharist for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost @ St Philip's O'Connor

12.01.2022 June Anglican News now available: https://stphilipsoconnor.org.au/news/anglicannews/

12.01.2022 First Sunday in Lent - 21 February 2021 8am & 10am Eucharists While the COVID19 restrictions are in place St Philip’s is delighted to be celebrating the Eucharist online on Facebook at 8.00am this morning. It will then be available on either our YouTube channel or Facebook. All links and details are on our web page www.stphilipsoconnor.org.au ... Dear Friends, Our journey towards the cross and Easter has begun. This time last year we stepped off not knowing quite what the journey would bring and very quickly we went into lockdown and things changed in ways we had never imagined. This year we are more aware of our obligations, what is being asked of us and how best to ensure that we care for those most vulnerable. With Canberra remaining free of community transmission and with the impending roll out of vaccines ministry will resume to Canberra Aged Care in the coming weeks and I hope that we will soon be able to resume singing. It would be wonderful to be able to sing on Easter morning! Today and over the coming weeks we will engage in that ‘new’ part of the Lord’s Prayer ‘Save us from the time of Trial.’ It is a petition that translators have struggled with over the centuries. The temptations of Jesus in the wilderness are best understood as trials and in Lent we are asked to consider our own trials. When we ask God as father to ‘Save us’ from trials what we are really saying is be with us when we are tested, (and sometimes found wanting). We know trials will come and Lent is a time to consider our response in light of our baptismal calling. Jesus went into the wilderness following his baptism and the heavenly declaration ‘this is my Son.’ The wilderness was the time of trial for Jesus to determine what that might mean. So it is for us in Lent, what does it mean for us to be a child of God? Hence it is a quieter time, a time for prayer and introspection. I hope that you can find time to engage fully in this season. I hope that you can attend our Annual General Meeting today (which will be held in church) and look back over another year in the life of our parish. The reports give us a snapshot of parish life and we have much to be thankful for. I confess I have struggled to offer a clear strategy for parish life and I am aware that my report doesn’t offer any clear path for our future. We have spent much time during the past year creating plans on the run and I know that we will need to move from that mode to a more carefully, prayerfully considered way as we strive together to share our faith and reach into our community. But we continue as, Shakespeare’s Ophelia said to pray, love and remember and perhaps these things sum up the essence of the Christian life. Every blessing Martin ---------------------- Please see the Pewsheet for order of service & parish news

12.01.2022 Christ the King - Sunday 22 November 2020 8am & 10am Eucharists While the COVID19 restrictions are in place St Philip’s is delighted to be celebrating the Eucharist online on Facebook at 8.00am this morning. It will then be available on either our YouTube channel or Facebook. All links and details are on our web page https://stphilipsoconnor.org.au ... Dear Friends, Once again we come to the end of our Church’s year. It has been, in many ways, a very different one and together as a Church and community and individually we have had to face a number of different challenges. As many of you know I go into Duntroon regularly to visit the gym and catch up with colleagues in Army Chaplaincy. Earlier in the year I became involved in situation with a soldier which was having an impact on his professional and personal life. I spoke to the Commanding Officer and he asked me about what my basic approach is to such a situation. In society generally we are wary of change at many different levels. Some of our wariness is understandable. The changes that inevitably come with ageing and the loss of loved ones are difficult and often painful. The model that says yesterday I was healthy, today I am sick, tomorrow I will be well again can rather dominate our thinking. It is model of health care in many settings. It is however unrealistic, change is one thing that we can be certain of. There can be no complete restoration or restitution. As a Chaplain and priest I often become involved with folk in this period of change and chaos. There is frustration as folk feel stuck in an unbearable situation. There is an inability to accept the past or the present and envisage a future. Many seem devoid of hope. The role of the pastoral carer is to help their companion, the one they are reaching out to, to see life as a quest, a pilgrimage, to help them find meaning and purpose, hope and security. To reconnect with family, friends and community and to discover or rediscover a sense in which we are on a journey together. As we reflect on this year past, it is model that we might wish to consider. Things have changed, and in many ways they will not be the same again. Many continue to experience the chaos of lockdown, loss of health, the grief of loss and economic and social disruption. But it is not possible to look back and wish things could be the same and neither should we. The future is not what it used to be because we can no longer rely on the comforting assumption that it will resemble the past. Go before us Lord in these and all our doings and accept our prayer and praise for the sake of Jesus Christ, your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit now and always, Amen. Blessings to you all Martin -------------------------- Please see the Pewsheet for parish news & order of service https://stphilipsoconnor.org.au/news/pewsheets/

11.01.2022 Eucharist for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost @ St Philips

10.01.2022 Third Sunday after Pentecost - 21 June 2020 Today the Eucharist will be celebrated at 8.00am and will be live on Facebook. Then it will be available on either our YouTube channel or Facebook. All links and details are on our web page: https://stphilipsoconnor.org.au The order of service is included in the Pewsheet: https://stphilipsoconnor.org.au/news/pewsheets/...Continue reading

09.01.2022 Fifth Sunday after Pentecost - 5 July 2020 8am Eucharist 10am Sunday Zone Family Eucharist with music... The 8.00am Eucharist will still be live on Facebook. Then it will be available on either our YouTube channelor Facebook. All links and details are on our web page www.stphilipsoconnor.org.au Dear Friends, Today we celebrate our Eucharist through the monthly Sunday Zone Family Service. It is fortunate that today we hear the words of Jesus I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Jesus was clearly concerned with the well-being of the young and reserves some of his strongest language towards those who would put a stumbling block in their way. We are quite naturally keen to ensure that our young people are well educated, but it seems that sometimes in the rush to unsure that theyll get a good job we miss the importance of an education that includes an element of wisdom. It is significant that Jesus moves on from speaking about children to give voice to one of his best loved sayings. Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Often on Thursdays we get to broaden our scriptural diet with some readings from the Apocrypha, recently we heard from the Book of Sirach. We read a passage from a biographical section of the book on the prophet Elijah. The Book ends with a wonderful Autobiographical Poem on Wisdom which in part reads: Draw near to me, you who are uneducated, and lodge in the house of instruction. Why do you say you are lacking in these things, and why do you endure such great thirst? I opened my mouth and said, Acquire wisdom for yourselves without money. Put your neck under her yoke, and let your souls receive instruction; it is to be found close by. See with your own eyes that I have laboured but little and found for myself much serenity. Hear but a little of my instruction, and through me you will acquire silver and gold. May your soul rejoice in Gods mercy, and may you never be ashamed to praise him. Do your work in good time, and in his own time God will give you your reward. I wonder if Jesus was thinking of this passage when he spoke those words recorded by Matthew. Clearly in the educating of our children and young people some time spent considering words of wisdom would be well spent. Blessings to you all Martin

09.01.2022 Fourth Sunday after Pentecost - 28 June 2020 8am Eucharist 10am Eucharist with music ...Continue reading

08.01.2022 Tomorrow we celebrate Saint Bernard of Clairvaux - Eucharist @ 10am ~ all welcome!

07.01.2022 Eucharist for the Third Sunday after Pentecost @ St Philip's O'Connor

06.01.2022 Tenth Sunday after Pentecost, 8 August 2020 8am Eucharist 10am Eucharist with music ... The 8.00am Eucharist will be live on Facebook. Then it will be available on either our YouTube channel or Facebook. All links and details are on our web page https://stphilipsoconnor.org.au Dear Friends, I am sure you can imagine this months Parish Council meeting was concerned to a great degree with the issue of our COVIDSAFE Plans. The wave of infections in Victoria is a cause of great concern and we are mindful of the need to take every precaution. The three fundamentals remain: Please, dont attend any gathering if you are feeling unwell, ensure you use hand hygiene measures and be mindful of social distancing. To these three we should add that wearing a mask is appropriate if you are feeling vulnerable or wish to take extra precautions. We will continue to Livestream the 8am Eucharist on Sundays if you are uncertain about attending. Over the last 50 years or so we have become more mobile than ever before. We can gather, shop, be entertained, worship wherever we like. This has suddenly changed and in our lifetime never has the idea of Parish been so important as it has become in recent months. Theologian Alison Millbank rightly identifies the disastrous fragmentation of our society in recent decades and how our country is crying out for a rebirth of localityfor the restoration of social bonds. Perhaps, then, the social dislocation many are currently experiencing is in part not so much caused by the coronavirus, but rather revealed by it. If this is the case here in Australia, in Canberra, in OConnor (and I do believe the same issues are prevalent) then this is an opportunity for us to revisit the ancient role of Church its commitment to place and locality. This is our opportunity to be a leading light in our community. The response to the reopening of Pandoras, for example, was extraordinary; many were so grateful for the opportunity to shop in their community in a place that was safe. Thursday last we celebrated the Feast of the Transfiguration. Jesus predicts the cross and is then revealed in all his glory. I pray that the cross of the pandemic which we bear at present will be the opportunity for us all to reveal the latent potential within our community and our parish. Blessings to you all Martin Order of Service and further news in the Pewsheet https://stphilipsoconnor.org.au/news/pewsheets/

06.01.2022 Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost - 30 August 2020 8am Eucharist 10am Eucharist with music ... 8.00am Eucharist will be live on Facebook. Then it will be available on either our YouTube channel or Facebook. All links and details are on our web page https://stphilipsoconnor.org.au Dear Friends, It has been an interesting week seeing the Church become involved in the ethical issues surrounding the Oxford COVID19 vaccine and the legislation before the ACT Government concerning matters of gender and sexuality. There are significant complexities underlying both these issues and there are times when the discussions surrounding them seemed to generate a deal of heat and not much light. These are matters which we each need to consider carefully, inform ourselves and then act as our conscience demands. What I do know and believe is that our faith is one that is life giving. This life, in our tradition, has been revealed to us by Christ and bequeathed to us from the cross. Our tradition tells us unequivocally that life comes from death. The ethical issue of the vaccine is one that troubles many, but I have to believe that by the grace of God, there is purpose behind even the most difficult, seemingly hopeless situations and that in time some good will be revealed. Surely a vaccine is the answer to our prayers. The legislation regarding gender and sexuality was passed by the ACT Government during the week. It proved to be contentious with opposing sides in the debate both claiming that the care of the most vulnerable was paramount. I declined requests to support either side, because I am not convinced legislation is the way to proceed. Bishop Mark has written this week to the clergy. Here is the closing paragraph of his letter: It seems we live in an era where matters of intimate concern to individuals, couples and families are the centre of political debate and advocacy, including in the lead-up to election campaigns. I do not think this trend will serve us well in the long run. At the meeting this past Friday I expressed my hopes for a diverse ACT community where churches and other faith communities work in partnership with Governments of all persuasions for the common good. I would encourage you to pray with me along these lines. Blessings to you all, Martin Please see the Pewsheet for Order of service and further news https://stphilipsoconnor.org.au/news/pewsheets/

06.01.2022 Eucharist for Mary, Mother of our Lord @ St Philips

04.01.2022 Christ the King, Sunday. 22 November 2020

04.01.2022 Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost - 6 September 2020 8am Eucharist 10am Eucharist with music ... The 8.00am Eucharist will be live on Facebook. Then it will be available on either our YouTube channel or Facebook. All links and details are on our web page https://stphilipsoconnor.org.au Dear Friends, The pandemic has created some valuable though sometimes painful insights into the way that our society functions and what we value. It has revealed some fractures in our community and particularly in regards the care of the elderly and the vulnerable. St Paul tells us today let every person be subject to the governing authorities. This is often difficult and has proved somewhat problematic for us in recent times as the States, Territories and Commonwealth all have differing ideas and positions on border closures, health protocols etc. clearly politics has played a role in this. So whilst we are to be compliant with the ACT regulations, most certainly, we are first and foremost governed by our ethic as a Christian community. In the parable in todays gospel reading (Matthew 18:10-20) Jesus presents us with the issue that has long troubled philosophers, that of the one and many. Jesus says the true Shepherd will leave the ninety-nine sheep and search out the one that has gone astray. It defies the logic, and for some the wisdom, which says that we should cut our losses and concentrate on the many. In Johns gospel the High Priest Caiaphas says, You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish. Ironically Caiaphas spells out the true meaning of Jesus death. Jesus died that the children of God might be gathered into one. We are indeed one and yes we will always search out, we will always care for the lost and the vulnerable, because that it is our calling and this ethic is the foundation upon which all other regulations and protocols sit. Please rest assured of my ongoing prayers for you all as we navigate through this difficult time. Blessings to you all Martin --------------------------- Please see the Pewsheet https://stphilipsoconnor.org.au/news/pewsheets/ for order of service and further news

04.01.2022 Mary, Mother of our Lord, Sunday 16 August 2020 8am Eucharist 10am Eucharist with music... The 8.00am Eucharist will be live on Facebook. Then it will be available on either our YouTube channel or Facebook. All links and details are on our web page: https://stphilipsoconnor.org.au Dear Friends, We mark today the first anniversary of the death of our friend Deacon Linda Anchell, and we do so in the context of a celebration of Mary the Mother of Jesus. During the week we celebrated the life and times of Jeremy Taylor, Bishop and Spiritual writer. Taylor was a Chaplain to Charles I and was subsequently imprisoned under Cromwells Commonwealth. After his release he lived in Wales in seclusion where clearly he wrote and thought deeply. It was a time of turmoil, the Churchs traditional festivals, with their mixture of Christian and pre Christian, religious and social, human and divine were much threatened under the Puritan regime. Perhaps it was because of this that Taylor and many Anglicans like him developed a sharp sense of the richness of their meaning. Taylor uses the expression excellent or joyful solemnity. For him solemnity is something weighty, serious, ordered and ceremonious; it is also ecstatic, jubilant, joyful and liberating. They may seem contradictions but they are, and should be complementary. He wrote a wonderful passage on the meeting of Mary and Elizabeth and in it he finds festival and solemnity. He wrote that our lives both personal and social cannot be truly human unless it contains both these elements. It reveals the mingling of human and divine, one of the characteristic notes of Christian worship, derived from the union of God and humanity in Christ. As we celebrate today the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of Jesus and remember Linda and give thanks, I pray that this might be the mark of our gathering. Marys life was marked with both joy and sorrow, much like our own. We lived too with Lindas joy and tears and I pray that our celebration this morning will be both solemn and joyous as I believe Linda would wish! Blessings to you all, Martin Please see the Pewsheet for Order of Service and more news: https://stphilipsoconnor.org.au/news/pewsheets/

04.01.2022 Eucharist for the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost @ St Philips OConnor

04.01.2022 Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, 23 August 2020 8am Eucharist 10am Eucharist with music ... The 8.00am Eucharist will be live on Facebook. Then it will be available on either our YouTube channel or Facebook. All links and details are on our web page https://stphilipsoconnor.org.au Dear Friends, The biographical section in any bookshop is often quite a large one. Folk are fascinated with the lives of the good and the great, the mad and the bad, and it makes me wonder why the gospels dont seem to hold the same fascination. Okay, so the gospels are not strictly speaking biographies but they can function in that way, at least for the first read. But subsequent reads, well, perhaps strangely enough they are almost even more biographical because they tell our story, they draw us in to the narrative, we can find ourselves mirrored in the parables and the discourse between Jesus and his followers. Today we are asked the question on which the gospels seem to pivot: who do you say that I am? - the response to this question sets the scene for the journey to Jerusalem and the events that form the very heart of Christian faith. So back to the question why dont the gospels hold the same fascination? There is no simple answer to that question. But what I would suggest to those who are seeking is that the gospels are an account of our own living and dying which do justice to both our fragility and lovableness. They make us choose between the rather bleak, valueless world that many seem to inhabit and the world of human significance, where love and forgiveness and celebration are possibilities. When we are asked to choose, it is a little like the question that Jesus puts to Peter in todays gospel. The correct answer causes us to face the real nature of Jesus and his work, it means facing up to his death. That means facing up to our own, but it means that we can do so in such a way that gives meaning and purpose. It is not so much a choice as a gift. It is my hope that in these extraordinary times we can draw more fully on our faith, engage more deeply with it, rest in it. In a time where there seems to be little to cheer about, it really is Good News indeed! Blessings to you all Martin Please see the Pewsheet for Order of Service and more news https://stphilipsoconnor.org.au/news/pewsheets/

03.01.2022 Eucharist for the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost @ St Philips

03.01.2022 Eucharist for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost @ St Philip's O'Connor

02.01.2022 Eucharist for the Last Sunday after Epiphany - Transfiguration, 14 February 2021

02.01.2022 Second Sunday in Lent, 28 February 2021 8am & 10am Eucharists While the COVID19 restrictions are in place St Philip’s is delighted to be celebrating the Eucharist online on Facebook at 8.00am this morning. It will then be available on either our YouTube channel or Facebook. All links and details are on our web page www.stphilipsoconnor.org.au... Dear Friends, I hope you have found time to engage more closely with the readings during this Lenten season. Dr Colin Dundon has once again written a series of thought provoking reflections on the readings each Sunday (you can find them on the Parish Web site). In today’s reading from Genesis Dr Colin asks us to consider that during the great arc of ‘salvation history’ we find a movement away from land, kinship and temple. These were all at the heart of an understanding of what it was to be the people of God. All these things were destroyed or taken away and Jesus embodies the promise that these things offered, or many thought they offered. What does the promise, the covenant of old offered to Abraham look like in the person of Jesus? Dr Colin writes: Here are some ideas to mull over. The covenant offers the gift of hope. The covenant offers the gift of an eternal identity. The covenant offers the possibility of belonging and community. The covenant offers a clear and certain vocation. Can you find those elements? How can these be a spiritual foundation for our adventure? We can find this covenant renewed in our Eucharistic spirituality which is why the Eucharist is at the centre of what we do. Think on those elements that Dr Colin has highlighted for us and find them nestled in our weekly celebration together. It is this notion of ‘Covenant Renewed’ that lies at the very heart of the classic Anglican understanding of the Eucharist. Lancelot Andrewes the Bishop of Winchester preached at Pentecost in 1610: To a covenant there is nothing more requisite, than to put the seal. And we know the sacrament is the seal of the new covenant as it was of the old. Every blessing Martin, ---------------------- Please see the Pewsheet from our website for order of service and other parish news

02.01.2022 August Anglican news - now available https://stphilipsoconnor.org.au/news/anglicannews/

01.01.2022 Last Sunday after Epiphany - Transfiguration, 14 February 2021 8am & 10 am Eucharists While the COVID19 restrictions are in place St Philip’s is delighted to be celebrating the Eucharist online on Facebook at 8.00am this morning. It will then be available on either our YouTube channel or Facebook. All links and details are on our web page www.stphilipsoconnor.org.au ... Dear Friends, Today marks the end of the season of Incarnation and Epiphany with a final and definitive revelation, the Transfiguration. Next Wednesday we will celebrate the Eucharist together and we will be marked with the ash cross of penitence, our Lenten journey together will begin. The Gloria will fall silent, the colours will be muted violet and we will enter into a more introspective and penitential time. During the week Sarah B and I visited the ‘Gathering Place’ and began to plan for our quiet day on Saturday, 20 March, I hope you are able to keep that day free, details on booking etc will be in next week’s Pew Sheet. On Tuesday mornings at 10am during Lent we will gather for a short office of Morning Prayer before reflecting on the study ‘God of Compassion.’ Following the study we can enjoy some quiet contemplative time. Because of restrictions on the Lamerton Centre I am hoping that we can gather in some small Home Groups to reflect and pray together. Please let me know if you would like to host a small group and which evening would be best suited. I am also aware that some of you may wish to connect remotely via Zoom, please let me know if that’s your preference. Our contemplative prayer life enables us to discover and enable the spirit within us to pray; in this way we are on a journey of self-discovery. Christian living is not all about changing who we are a common notion about repentance, but about discovering, realising our true selves. Transfiguration or metamorphosis is about just that, realising and revealing our potential. This is never easy and sometimes we need others to help us do this. Each time we disclose a truth about ourselves, we part a veil. By doing so, we invite others to come into our lives and make contact with us. Parting any veil forces a degree of vulnerability and demands unimaginable trust and faith. I hope that during this Lenten season we can strength both our trust and faith in each other and in the God who knows us through and through, the God of Compassion. Every blessing Martin Please see the Pewsheet for order of service & parish news