Welcome to Worship We are in a very different time and we are all learning to adapt to what might become

the ‘new normal’ for awhile. We intend producing the Beacon each week with prayers

and worship which you can adapt and use at home either alone or with your family.

The story is told of a

man who saw his first

thermos flask. ‘What

does it do?’ he asked. ‘It

keeps hot things hot and

cold things cold’ was the

reply. He bought it, and

was disappointed with

the result when he used

it to hold a couple of

cups of coffee and a

choc-ice!

Some things just don’t

mix. Part of the problem with being human, as both Jesus and Paul point out in our

Gospel and Epistle today, stems from the intimate interweaving of the strands that

make up our nature. We are not the controlled, rational beings we believe we are for

most of the time. All of us can be swayed, for good or ill, by deep, irrational drives over

which we feel we have little control. The picture we project of ourselves is constantly

betrayed by the enemy within.

Nowhere is this seen more clearly than in our approach to Christian stewardship.

. . . . continued on page 3

Pentecost 7 18/ 19 July 2020

The Mackay Anglican Cluster

THE

Collects, Readings and Intercessions

Sentence You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gra-cious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. Psalm 86.15

Prayer of the day Saving God, in Jesus Christ you opened for us a new and living way into your presence: give us pure hearts and constant wills to worship you in spirit and in truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Special Prayer for Growth God of Mission, who alone brings growth to your Church, send your Holy Spirit to give vision to our planning, wisdom to our actions, and power to our witness. Help our churches to grow in numbers, in spiritual commit-ment to you, and in service to our local community. We pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Reading for this Sunday

Genesis 28.10-19a Psalm 139.1-11, 23-24 Romans 8.12-25 Matthew 13.24-30, 36-43

Readings for Next Week - Pentecost 8

Genesis 29.15-28 Psalm 105.1-11 Romans 8.26-39 Matthew 13.44-58

All items for the Beacon next week need to be forwarded to Kristi

admin@mackayanglicans.org.au

(deadline for articles or notices is by the Wednesday prior to the weekend )

PLEASE PRAY FOR Our World - for economic stability; for wise and compassionate world leaders; for those challenging the inequality, pov-erty and homelessness in our societies.

Our Community - give skill, sympathy and resilience to all caring for the sick, and your wisdom and knowledge to those searching for a cure; for those who have lost their jobs, isolated in their homes, those struggling with fear, depression and uncertainty; for the staged return to “normality”.

Our Wider Church - the Episcopal Church in the Philippines; their Bishop, clergy and people.

In Australia - for the Diocese of Perth; their Archbishop and Assistant Bishops; clergy and people.

Our Diocese of NQ, - for Bishop Keith; for the Ministry Units of Richmond and Whitsunday with Proserpine, Cannonvale and Bloomsbury; their clergy and people

Our Cluster - our Rector John; prepara-tions for the resumption of services; for the online services ; for young people and the resumption of various ministries; for the challenges of “what it means to be church” during the pandemic

Those who are unwell or need support - for those having surgery or other medical procedures; healing for those who are journeying through sickness in body, mind or spirit remembering especially … (see separate list)

Those who mourn - (see the “in memoriam” book)

. . . . . . continued from page 1

Faced with the need to express our faith

through our giving of our time, talents

and treasure, it is amazing how quickly

the ‘spirit of sonship’, of freedom to live

in and for God, can be replaced by the

‘spirit that makes us a slave again to fear’.

Nowhere in Jesus’ parable is there any

doubt about the eventual harvest.

Indeed, the tolerance of the weeds is

essential to ensure the crop ripens fully,

so that it may ‘shine like the sun in the

Father’s kingdom’. Our stewardship is

always imperfect; having done all we can,

we can only say, “We are unprofitable

servants” while we wait patiently for the

coming of the kingdom.

Today begins a new chapter in the church

SUMMARY - MATTHEW 13.24-30, 36-43

Jesus tells a seed-related parable about the kingdom of God, and pro-vides its explanation: that evil and its agents in the world will persist along-side the good, despite the coming of the kingdom of God that Jesus was proclaiming. Picture Pointers

1. What do you see in this image?

2. Where do you see ‘weeds’ and ‘wheat’ growing together in the world?

3. How might God be calling you to cope with the tensions this causes

A PERSONAL PRAYER THIS WEEK

The field is the world. Lord, I live in a tiny patch of your world but it is still my field to serve you. I pray that I will give my time and gifts to you and yours in whatever way I can. Your kingdom come, O Lord. Amen.

Live your faith - Offer to so some weed-ing in a friend’s / elderly neighbour’s /the church’s Garden (NB within current social distancing guidelines). Make each weed you pull up part of your prayer that God will help you embrace the wheat in your life, and reject weeds

CHECK out 4CRM - 8am Sunday’s Next Anglican broadcast -

August 9th If you would like to participate in this or

other broadcast opportunities please contact John

To all those people who have helped re-set our churches - the hours cleaning, sanitising, moving furniture and rearrang-ing everything ready for worship this weekend. Your work and effort has been greatly appreciated.

LECTIONARY READINGS - Pentecost 7 - YEAR A

FIRST READING - Genesis 28.10-19a

Jacob left Beer-sheba and went towards Haran. He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And the Lord stood beside him and said, ‘I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.’ Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it!’ And he was afraid, and said, ‘How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.’ So Jacob rose early in the morning, and he took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. He called that place Bethel; but the name of the city was Luz at the first.

Hear the word of the Lord: Thanks be to God

Psalm 139.1-11, 23-24 (APBA - page 370)

SECOND READING - Romans 8.12-25

So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slav-ery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futili-ty, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that

the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole crea-tion has been groaning in labour pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Hear the word of the Lord: Thanks be to God

GOSPEL READING - Matthew 13.24-30, 36-43

He put before them another parable: ‘The king-dom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while eve-rybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, “Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?” He an-swered, “An enemy has done this.” The slaves said to him, “Then do you want us to go and gather them?” But he replied, “No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, ‘Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.’ He answered, ‘The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!

This is the Gospel of the Lord: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

THIS WEEK AT HOME . . . .

Opening prayer

Guided by your Spirit, we have made the journey through the wilderness and desert, trekking across rocky paths and dirt tracks, and crowded city streets. We have travelled alone. We have travelled with those we love. We have jostled with those whose company we have not always enjoyed. But we have made it here, to this place, this moment. And now we wait. We wait upon you, We wait for rest, for inspiration, for for-giveness, for hope, for love. Receive us afresh, renew us and inspire us, Lord. Amen

Opening Hymn - “Because He Lives” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPW9xYEyijQ Introduction In contrast to last week’s parable, where we were the different types of ground, this time, according to the explanation, humanity is the seed: The seeds that grow into good wheat are the ‘children of the kingdom’, while the seeds that become weeds are the ‘children of the evil one’. With the wheat and weeds looking very similar, we might wonder how to tell the difference – not so much at ‘harvest time’ but now, each and every time we have to make a choice in life.

Are we choosing to be more like wheat or weeds? What can we do to keep ourselves weed free?.

Prayer of the Day (see page 2)

Readings (see pages 4 &5)

Song – “You Shall Go . . . . ” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unWnWSgoSt0 Notes on the Bible story for parents

• Jesus tells a parable about a field of wheat that is sown with weeds. Darnel is a weed that looks much like the wheat of the area at that time.

• In the parable, the servants ask their master if they should pull up the weeds, but the master says the two should grow together. Until both are fully grown it is hard to identify the weeds from the wheat. The root of the darnel is also much longer than that of the wheat, so pulling up the weeds while the healthy

crop was growing could cause damage to the wheat crop.

• These passages all have something to say about the power of God and God’s action in the world. But they also all testify to the ongoing presence of evil and suffering. Jesus preaches that the kingdom is near, and Paul says that believers are now children of God, but both describe situations where the kingdom of God coexists with other incompatible elements that still cause ‘stumbling’.

• The master’s response in the passage is helpful, as it reassures the reader that he knows what is going on and has a solution to bring about a healthy and full harvest.

• It is a fact of our existence that good exists alongside evil and ongoing tempta-tions, until the end of time. But this reading reminds us that we are not in charge, and that we are called to live together with all the imperfections of the world.

Reflection for Adults and Young people

It’s hard not to feel like we are lost in a forest of bad news at the moment. Look at the headlines and we are thrown into the chaos of our new Covid-19 world: loss and sadness for many, many families; the possibility of a coronavirus resurgence as we look at Victoria; the recession; and impending disasters in other parts of the world. And that’s before you get to the non-Covid articles on the US election, the rise in drugs and burglaries, and the murky world of Jeffery Epstein and his associ-ates – to name just a few we’ve been confronted with. It feels like goodness and light is being smothered by something much darker, or to use the imagery in Matthew’s parable, it’s as if someone has come into a field of wheat and sowed weeds everywhere. A field turned into an untidy mess, healthy wheat lost in a sea of wild, uncontrollable weeds.

It goes without saying that all of the news stories mentioned above are very im-portant and must be reported on. We need to know what’s happening in our world. But trying to process all that is happening, trying to reach for something other than despair, trying to work out how to respond to the weeds that are choking the world is difficult to say the least.

But, perhaps the rest of Matthew’s story about the weedy wheat field communi-cates a deeper truth about the current sea of bad news. On viewing the state of his field, the farmer avoids a hasty reaction. He doesn’t tear into the field ripping up the weeds desperately looking for wheat. He recognises that the wheat and the weeds have to coexist for a while. He can see that his field is altered, but it will need to remain in its altered state until the harvest. Presumably, the farmer realises he will need to tend the wheat and the weeds for a while.

It’s tempting for us to look for good news stories at the moment in order to some-how cover up the bad, to try to look only at the wheat, to try not to see the weeds at all. It’s equally problematic to fail to see any wheat and feel overwhelmed by the wild, uncontrollable weeds. But, like the farmer, maybe we need to respond by looking carefully at the whole field, viewing all of the weeds, trying to spot the still growing wheat while praying passionately for the eventual harvest. .

Talk together with children

• If you were the servants, what would you have wanted to do with the weeds?

• Why do you think the master said what he did?

• What people or things make life hard for you sometimes?

Talk together with young people

• What is this parable about? What do the wheat and weeds represent in our world?

• How does Jesus ask us to live in an imperfect world?

• What challenges face those living as a Christian in our world today

As we listen we sing - “Our Father In Heaven” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuWI0MLzH_o A prayer asking for forgiveness Lord, I confess to you this morning that I’m not very patient with the weeds in my life. I try to yank them out, without thinking of any harm that may cause, to me or others. Sometimes, I’m so frightened that those tangles will overcome me that I try to ignore them, pretending they’re not there.

Please forgive me, Lord, and help me to trust you to show me your way. . Amen. Assurance of God’s forgiveness

Christ died to sin once and for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Thanks be to God) [ Romans 6: 10-11] Intercessions (Speaking to God)

Continue this time of worship by praying together in any way you choose.

If others are comfortable doing so, ask them to share some of the things they are worried about, and want to find peace about. Then encourage them to pray for one another about those things. Then conclude your prayer time with the following:

Lord God, we pray for our world and its people. So many different cultures, colours, languages – but we are all your children, all special in our own right. Whatever our gender, race, colour or creed, we all belong to you.

We pray that we might learn to live in harmony with each other, to recognise that even someone halfway around the world is still our neighbour in your sight. Far or near, we all belong to you.

With today’s technology we have access to news from afar, almost before it hap-pens. Help us not to become blasé about the situations we see, but to pray and care faithfully for all concerned. In war or peace, we all belong to you.

We pray for those near and dear to us: protect them, wrap them in your loving arms, and in sorrow and in joy, be with them. Near or far, we all belong to you. We all belong to you and need your lo . Lord hear our prayer Consider doing . . . . . . Activity: Safe Gardening

Get into groups of six to eight people, gathered as far as possible from across the spectrum of our church (age, gender, etc.), to discuss how a church community can create a safe place for people to grow as Christians. Ask them to be prepared to present their ideas as if they were planning to create a garden (e.g. ‘plant…’, ‘trim…’). What social and moral dilemmas are raised by this discussion? Do they have any suggestions? Closing prayer

May the power of the Lord Jesus Christ be my strength, wherever I go; - let the seeds that have been sown in me - flourish. The field is the world. Lord, I live in a tiny patch of your world but it is still my field to serve you. I pray that I will give my time and gifts to you and yours in whatever way I can. Your kingdom come, O Lord. Amen

Hymn - “Days of Elijah ” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca9LnzJnpjQ

Matthew 13:24-29

My Offering to God Regular giving is an important part of Christian discipleship.

During the Coronavirus it is important that we maintain our giving to the life and ministry of our church.

So, what can be done to put the church in a stronger financial position and allow us to grow?

Here is a thought:

Ensure all members of the church family are aware that regular sacrificial giving is vital.

There is a way to give regularly either:

Cluster Direct through WESTPAC (BSB 034 195 Acct # 893499) or the “My Offering” Envelope system (available now). If you are putting money aside and want you offertory collected please contact the cluster office to make the arrangements.

The Cluster has registered for “Containers for Change. Receptacles are available so that you can deposit the appropriate containers that can be redeemed for cash. Alternatively, you take your containers to a refund point and quote our registration number and the cash will be deposited directly into our account. Quote Our Number - C10080908

(see poster for types of containers)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Part of the Order of Service in this Beacon is text

from - A Prayer Book for Australia 1995. Broughton Books, © 1995, The Anglican Church of Australia Trust Corporation.

The Bible Readings are taken from NRSV version of the Bible © 1989, Division of Christian Educa-tion of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved

Other parts - © ROOTS for Churches Ltd

(www.rootsontheweb.com) 2002-2020. Reproduced with permission within Cluster only.

BIBLE STUDY GROUP

A Study based on the book “The Once and Future Church”

The first of the groups will reconvene face to face this week in the St Ambrose Hall - Thursday’s at 3.30pm

Contact Sheryl McAuley - 0407120685 for further details

and COVID_19 precautions

BIBLE STUDY GROUP

Easter to Pentecost Steve Daughtry, and Matthew Anstey

Explores the Book of Acts and the 5 Marks of Mission

Contact Margaret McAuley - for further details

Both excellent Studies

Saturday - 18th July

6.00pm - Eucharist (St Charles)

Sunday - 19th July [Pentecost 7]

7.30am - Eucharist (Holy Trinity)

9.00am - Eucharist (St Ambrose)

Monday - 20th July

7.00pm - Cluster Council - St Ambrose Hall

Tuesday - 21st July

8.30am - Daily Office - online

10.30am - Craft Group (St Ambrose Hall)

Wednesday 22nd July

3.30pm - Bible Study Group - St Charles

6.00pm - Regional Gathering with the Bishop

at Holy Trinity

Thursday - 23rd July

8.30am - Daily Office - online

3.30pm - Home Group (St Ambrose Hall)

Friday - 24th July

9.30am - Eucharist (St Charles)

Saturday - 25th July

6.00pm - Eucharist (St Charles)

Sunday - 26th July

[Pentecost 8]

7.30am - Eucharist (Holy Trinity)

9.00am - Eucharist (St Ambrose)

Note: For the time being - As numbers

are limited in each church - and

if you would like to be part of the

congregation - could you

please phone or email the Cluster office.

THE CLUSTER THIS WEEK

Mackay Anglican Cluster

CONTACT INFORMATION

https://mackayanglicans.org.au

Mackay Anglican Cluster

Rector - Rev’d John McKim

0408 188574

Non-Stip. Priest: Fr Henry Kennell

Non-Stip. Deacon: Rev’d Niki Power

Mackay Anglican Cluster Office

Office Hours: 9am-3pm

Monday - Friday

39 Gordon Street, Mackay

07 4957 3341

admin@mackayanglicans.org.au

Holy Trinity, Mackay

39 Gordon Street, Mackay

St Charles’, West Mackay

37 McGinn Street, West Mackay

St Ambrose, North Mackay

28 Glenpark Street, North Mackay

using A Prayer Book for Australia

You can join the Rector on Zoom on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s at 8.30am each week to do the Office together. If you need a loan of a Prayer Book, just ask, and we will arrange to get a copy to you for the duration of the pandemic.

Join by clicking on the link below https://zoom.us/j/94770264030