This has been a week to process the momentous news of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. The flag outside our church continues to fly at half-mast. The Queen’s funeral is to be held on Monday evening at 8.00 pm Sydney time. Her official Memorial Service at St Andrew’s Cathedral is this Wednesday, 11 am.
Here at St Jude’s, this Thursday at 9.30 am, we will be holding a special service of Morning Prayer to thank God for the life of the Queen, and to ask God’s blessing on our future. At this “end of an era”, both of these purposes are important. We look back in thankfulness, and we pray for the future (which all of us can do regardless of our viewpoint on the monarchy). The conclusion of the service will feature bell ringing and the flag being raised to full mast. I hope to see you there.
Our Sydney Anglican Synod has progressed in encouraging fashion so far, including wonderful presentations about blessings God has wrought through us in Madagascar and in the Bathurst Diocese, as well as important motions on indigenous reconciliation, voluntary assisted dying, and strategies for acquiring land for churches in the greenfields of Western Sydney.
The only thing missing, from a St Jude’s perspective, is Doug George, who has now retired from synod after serving us tirelessly for 13 years (and 25 years total in Synod). Doug’s interest in diocesan affairs, his legal acumen, and his generosity in our transport and dinner arrangements, have always made synod a particular pleasure for me. Thank you, Doug! We are already missing you!
In brief:
- Confirmation, with Bishop Michael Stead, is on this Sunday at 4.00 pm. Please pray for our confirmees, Tobey Lohmann, Aaron Parsons, Caleb Schmidt and Simon Sheely.
- On the following three Sundays, being school holidays, there is no creche or Youth Bible study.
Yours,
Andrew Schmidt
Rector