Toorak Uniting Church – Update – Palm Sunday

29 March 2015

Still thinking — Holy Week
This Thursday evening at 7:30pm we will gather for our Maundy Thursday Service. This service centres on Jesus’ last night with his disciples where John’s Gospel tells us Jesus takes a bowl and towel and washes his followers’ feet. In this act Jesus reverses the natural order and the master becomes the servant and the servant is the master. The word "Maundy" comes of the Old English word "mande" which means commandment. It is from the words in John’s Gospel, "A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another; as I have loved you."

Drawing from the story of the Last Supper we will take communion together. This Thursday night’s service is an opportunity to enter into the drama of Good Friday and to recognize that we all pass through suffering on our way to Easter Day. The service is designed around readings and music focusing on Mark’s story of Jesus’ last days.

It is important to note that our reflection on the death of Jesus is not a morbid fascination with dying nor an over emphasis on the end of Jesus’ life. As followers of Jesus we value the life he lived and his teachings. For us his death is a reflection of how he lived his life and an example to us of how to both live and die true to all that we value.

It was the twelfth century theologian Peter Abelard who moved the Christian emphasis of Jesus’ death from sacrifice to love. He was condemned by his contemporaries for suggesting that Jesus did not die to appease an angry God, but rather his life was given as an act of true grace and love – love of course being the centre of Jesus’ teaching.

Brian Wren has picked up this theme in his hymn "Doomed and Danger Jesus Knows." The first and the final verses state:

Doom and danger Jesus knows,
as with deep determined love.
Care and courage hand and glove,
to Jerusalem he goes.
Care and courage hand in glove,
mark the journey to the cross.
As in Christ God gives to us
daring, deep determined love.

Christopher Page

Diary Dates

Palm Sunday
The Stonnington Uniting Churches are gathering together at TUC for our Palm Sunday service at 10:15am on Sunday, 29 March.
There will also be a 9am service.

Walk for Justice for Refugees
Seeking Asylum is a Human Right – Close Manus, Close Nauru
Palm Sunday March
2pm, 29 March, State Library

Easter @ TUC
2^nd April – Maundy Thursday – 7:30pm.
3^rd April – Good Friday – 10:00am.
5^th April – Easter Sunday – 10:15am.

Bach to Mussorgsky – Roland Voit.
TUC Wednesday, 8 April at 7:00pm.
Acclaimed German Organist Roland Voit is returning to Melbourne with a colourful and inspirational program of works by JS Bach, Franz Liszt and Modest Mussorgsky, augmented by visual projection of great paintings including Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel.
Presented by the Australian Bach Society – http://www.bach.org.au
Tickets: $35 and $25 (concession) – Bookings: http://www.trybooking.com/GSUL

Fundraising Stall:
There will be a fundraising stall on Sunday 12 April. Delicious cakes and jams available. Any contributions will be willingly received – please leave at the church office.

ANZAC Centenary Sunday, 26 April 2015
A Special Service of Remembrance of the Great War 1914-1918 will be held on Anzac Sunday, 26 April, at 10:15am at TUC. In part we will be honouring those whose names are recorded on the Toorak Presbyterian Church Honour Board and the Roll of Honour.

We wish to invite family members of those whose Names are inscribed to join us. This is a call to our present congregation to assist if they have knowledge of any relatives and a current contact address or phone number.

The brass Roll of Honour of Fallen Soldiers listing 24 names, is situated on the east wall of the transept. The Honour Board listing 129 men and women who served in the Great War is situated in the Dunlop Porch, the main south-east porch.

Please read the names, or collect a listing from the entry porch table or the church office. All information will be useful – please contact the Archives Committee – Pamela Wilson 9822 0089 or Jeanette McArthur 9818 2205 or leave a message with the church office. Thank You.

Autumn Breakfast
8am Tuesday 21 April, Kinross House
Rev. Dr. James Donaldson will speak on Going to War, the Full Human History.
Reflections of a Christian Chaplain on the realities of WW1 upon the Australian people.
RSVP to the office 9829 0300 or ToorakUC@bigpond.net.au

Meeting of the Congregation and Election of Elders.
A meeting of the congregation will be held on Sunday, 24 May immediately after the 10.15 service.
The agenda items will be the election of elders and non-elder members of Church Council, the annual report, and the financial statements for 2014. These reports will be available from early May.
Nomination forms for the position of elder and non-elder member of Church Council are available from the office and must be returned to the office by Tuesday, 5 May at 12.00 noon. Members considering accepting nomination may wish to discuss the duties with the minister.

Continuo Organ
Please do not put anything on top of the new Continuo Organ! It may look like a useful tabletop, but it is definitely not!

Funeral planning
Are you interested in lodging a funeral plan with the TUC Office? It can give as little information as the hymns that you would like sung, or as elaborate as you like. If you would like to investigate the possibilities, please contact the office on 9829 0300 or email us at ToorakUC@bigpond.net.au

Emergency Cyclone Appeal
Call SHARE on 1800 668 426 to make a donation. Donations $2 and over are tax deductible.

News from Kinross Arts & Spirituality Centre

Thursday, 12 March to Sunday, 26 April

Moments in a Dream – The world of Ink Art – Seifu Sandaiji Seifu Sandaiji is a Bokusho artist who studied her art form under the guidance of Kofu Ohashi and Jikihara Gyokusei in Japan. She has had group and solo exhibitions in Japan, the USA and Australia. From March 12th - April 26th Kinross will display a solo exhibition by Seifu Sandaiji of new work created for Australia. The Opening of the Exhibition was on Thursday 12th March. Enquiries & RSVP to: uat@toorak.unitingchurch.org.au; tel 03 9829 0340 Come and see brilliant contemporary Japanese ink art in a special exhibition. Open 8:30am - 3:30pm Monday to Friday.

Lectionary Readings for 2 April 2015, Maundy Thursday
Exodus 12: 1 – 4, (5 – 10) 11 – 14;     Psalm 116: 1 – 2, 12 – 19;     1 Corinthians 11: 23 – 26;     John 13: 1 – 17, 31b – 35.
The liturgical colour for Maundy Thursday is purple.

Lectionary Readings for 3 April 2015, Good Friday
Isaiah 52: 13 to 53: 12;     Psalm 22;     Hebrews 4: 14 – 16; 5: 7 – 9 or Hebrews 10: 16 – 25;     John 18: 1 to 19: 42.
The liturgical colour for Good Friday is black or red.

Lectionary Readings for 5 April 2015, Easter Day
Acts 10: 34 – 43;     Psalm 118: 1 – 2, 14 – 24;     1 Corinthians 15: 1 – 11;     Mark 16: 1 – 8 or John 20: 1 – 18.
The liturgical colour for Easter is white.