ORDER OF SERVICE Red Insert; Blue p.410; Yellow p.436 8.00am Service OPENING HYMN 93 The First Nowell WELCOME GATHERING and Lighting of the third Advent Candle The Candle for Joseph (See newsletter insert) SENTENCE This child shall be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of His kingdom there will be no end. Luke 32: 33 COLLECT Gracious God, whose eternal Word took flesh among us when Mary placed her life at the service of your will. Prepare our hearts for Your coming amongst us again and keep us steadfast in hope, that we may be ready for the coming of Your kingdom. FIRST TESTAMENT Isaiah 35: 1-10 The Return of the Redeemed to Zion PSALM Psalm 146: 5-10 Praise for God’s Help EPISTLE James 5: 7-10 Patience in Suffering GOSPEL Matthew 11: 2-11 Messengers from John the Baptist SERMON Rev’d Stephen Baxter: Are You the One? CREED p. 410 (Blue Marker) INTERCESSIONS Leader: Come, Jesus, Response: come and save us. LORD’S PRAYER p. 418 PEACE p. 419 OFFERTORY HYMN 99 As with gladness men of old GREAT THANKSGIVING p. 436 (Yellow Marker) FINAL PRAYER God of surprises, just as you came as a baby you still come in unexpected ways. Help us recognise you in the faces of strangers and loved ones. Help us welcome others as we would welcome you. CLOSING HYMN 197 Joy to the world DISMISSAL Go now to love and serve God. Go in peace. Amen. We go in the name of Christ.

Weekly Newsletter 15th December 2019

Vicar: Rev’d Stephen Baxter Phone / Fax 528 6212 Parish Office: Phone 528 5162 116 Selwyn Avenue Mobile 021 528 052 Fax 528 1155 Kohimarama Email. slbaxter@xtra.co.nz Email. standrewskohi@xtra.co.nz Auckland 1071 vicarsblogging.blogspot.com Website www.standrewskohi.org Peoples’ Warden: Ann Bone Phone 575 2709 Vicar’s Warden: David Wolfenden Phone 021 977 572

Advent is the time to renew our dreams and to resolve, to work and to make those dreams become real. Does this parish have a vision, a dream, and a mission which calls its members to work to bring the love, justice, and com-passion of Christ to this community and to the world beyond? Advent is the time for us to renew our commitment to this vision and this mission. If we are to accept the challenge of being followers of Christ, we must be dream-ers, and we must be doers as well. Being a Christian means that we are vital-ly engaged in ministries that will bring the love, justice, and compassion of Jesus to the wilderness of this world. We must be prophets, messengers and ministers of the Good News of Jesus.

The Forerunner /Christmas PageantAdvent 3, Year A, 2019

Anglican Missions Board You might be interested to know that our

parish gives $400.00 per month to the AMB

A combined services Morning Tea is held on the 1st Sunday of every month

following the 8:00 am service.

◼ TODAY

A special welcome to anyone visiting with us this morning. There will be morning tea for the adults and a Sunday School party for all the children in the Parish Centre after our 9:45 am service. Please stay and join us

St. Andrew’s Christmas Pageant Sunday, 15th December - During the 9:45 am Service The Christmas Story like you have never viewed it before!

◼ THIS WEEK Monday, 16th December - 10:00 am to 11:00 am Line Dancing Group meets in the Parish Hall. Wednesday, 18th December - 6.00 pm Vestry meets in the Parish Lounge Wednesday, 18th December - 7.00 pm Vicarage Christmas Party All Welcome!

◼ NEXT WEEK

St Andrew’s Prayer Circle: We ask that you pray daily for:

Week Commencing 15th December - Stephen, Debbie, & Emma Wilson, & the Sunday School

Week Commencing 22nd December - Robert & Kate Price & the Course in Miracles Group Remember: The Church that prays together, stays together!

PEOPLE & things • Marjon has started in her role as our new Parish Secretary. Her office hours will be

11.00am to 2.00pm Tuesday and Wednesday, and 8.30am to 1.00pm on Fridays. Please note that the Parish Office will be closed between Christmas Day and Monday, the 30th December. For anything urgent matters please contact Stephen.

• Special thanks to Jill, Roz, Rona, Elizabeth & Brent for helping to decorate the church so beautifully.

• Special thanks to Jennie Henry and those who helped with the Selwyn Centre for their commitment to this ministry during the year. The Selwyn Centre had a wonderful Christmas Party break up last Wednesday.

• If you can help deliver some of our Christmas flyers around our neighbourhood that would be much appreciated. They are available at the back of the church. Please indicate on the map the streets you would be delivering in.

• Hard copies of the latest Parish Christmas Magazine are available in the Church Foyer for those who would like one or who are not on email.

• The latest copy of The Anglican are available in the church foyer.

• Our Pastoral Care Soup stocks are down, if you can provide some for our soup bank that would be much appreciated.

• Special thanks to Elizabeth Jollands for the Pastoral Care work she has carried out within the parish this past year.

• This years Vicarage Christmas Party is being held on Wednesday 18th December. Please indicate on the list at the back of the church what you would like to bring food wise.

• Donations for our Melanesian Students of double blankets, cutlery, garden tools and vegetable plants would be gladly received. Please speak to Stephen or Elizabeth Jollands.

• Donations to support the cost of this years Advent candles and Christmas trees would be greatly appreciated.

• If you would like to be part of a Morning Tea roster in January following the 9.45am service please talk to Liz or Stephen.

• Line Dancing begins again on Monday 13th January. Rona will be taking a class on Monday 8th for beginners or people who would like extra instruction.

• Please note there is no Wednesday Communion Service on the first Wednesday in January. Wednesday Communion services will resume on the 1st February.

• Our next Indaba meeting is at St. Chad, Meadowbank on the 23rd February at 9.30am.

Roster Next Week Sunday, 22nd December

Advent 4

8:00 am Sides Duty: Nancy Wormald Margaret Wilson First Testament: Peter Cotton Epistle: Margaret Wilson Prayers: Peter Cotton Server: Elizabeth Jollands Chalice: Nancy Wormald Margaret Wilson 9:45 am Door: Antony Dayal Asha Dayal Sides Duty: Antony Dayal Asha Dayal Gathering: Kate Cooke First Testament: Antony Dayal Epistle: Nicole Way Gospel: Anna Holt Prayers: Antony Dayal Server: Nicole Way Chalice Antony Dayal Nicole Way Organist: Brent Nicholson Data Projector: Morning Tea: Joshua Family Cleaning: Nicole Way Susan Bowkett Sacristan: Margaret Baker Sunday School: Jo Baxter

◼ SERVICES TODAY 8:00 am Readers Jill Benton Nancy Wormald Prayers Nancy Wormald Server: Helen Goodwin Chalice: Jill Benton Rona Patterson 9:45 am Readers: N/A Gospel: Margaret Bell Prayers: N/A Server: Nicole Way Chalice: Margaret Bell Nicole Way

Sunday 15th December - 7.00pm A Service of Nine Lessons and Carols

Followed by Supper in the Parish Centre. Why not bring your friends and family

Advent Morning Prayers with the Sisters of St. Joseph At the Mary MacKillop Centre,

56 Selwyn Avenue, Mission Bay Thursday 19th December Remaining

CHRISTMAS SERVICES

Tuesday, 24th December: Christmas Carols - 10:45 pm Christmas Eve Service - 11:00 pm Wednesday, 25th December: Christmas Day - 8:00 am - 9:45 am Family Service.

January Roster Please note that there is an 8.00am Service Roster and an All Comers Roster for the 9.45am Service during January. Thank you to those people who have been on the roster during the past year. Every ministry is important in contributing to our worship to glorify God.

Prayer of Confession Leader: O God of Jesus Christ and of joy, we are rushing to get ready, hoping for a special time of love and peace. Forgive us when we spoil this gift of Christmas with our business. Forgive us when we set our hearts on what we will get, and forget the good things You have given us already. Forgive us when we forget what really gives us joy. Absolution Priest: Repentance is Your call to us, O God, through the prophet John. All: Answering the call to repentance requires our thorough reflection, a recognition of unfaithful practices, and resolute action. (Silence) Priest: In the decision to repent, pardon and peace are yours. All: Thanks be to God!

The four weeks before Christmas are typically known as Advent. It is considered a time of preparation for the birth of Christ. Therefore, let us prepare for the birth of Christ by preparing our own inner garden. Today let us begin by noticing the weeds of fear that are chocking the seeds of healing in our lives and make a conscious choice to bring them to the light of true healing, to the Holy Spirit, and allow Him to simply look at them. We don’t have to worry about how or when He will heal them. We have faith that if we bring them to Him, He will do the job immediately. In the classic Christmas movie, It’s a Wonderful Life, we see an example of this type of faith. At one point in the movie, the main character, George Bailey, feels as if he is at the lowest point in his life. He is facing an enormous problem and feels incapable of solving it. As he comes home to a house bustling with children excited about the holidays, he is lost in his world of problems. He climbs the stairs to see his little girl Zuzu who is in bed because of a cold she caught on the way home from school. She was awarded a flower at school and wanted to protect it from the freezing weather instead of herself, so now she’s ill. None this worldly stuff bothers little Zuzu, as she is in love with her beautiful flower. As she shows the flower to her father, little Zuzu notices that a few of the petals have fallen off. “Paste it, Daddy,” she says, fully confident that her daddy can fix anything. There are so many great scenes in this movie, but this one is so powerful to me. Zuzu’s faith is so strong. She knows her father can do anything, even reattach flower petals. This scene actually foreshadows the fact that George will be faced with the need to have faith and step back and allow his problem to be “fixed.” This is the trust, the faith we must have as we turn to the Holy Spirit right now. There is no problem He cannot heal. This is not naïve; it is the simple truth of the Gospel. Let us all bring our wilted petals and broken dreams to God, Who can work miracles in our lives.

Stephen

Christmas Presents for City Mission As usual, we will be supporting the City Mission by collecting presents.

Please place your contributions under the tree - by tomorrow ie. Monday 16th

We cannot accept presents after this. Presents should be unwrapped and unused.

DON’T FORGET THE CHRISTMAS FOODBANK!

Any donations of food (non-perishable)

will be gratefully received.

Please leave contributions in the basket at the front

of the church or hand in to the church office.

St. Andrew’s Kids’ Club Holiday, Before & After School Care

Please encourage any parents who you think

might be interested in our programmes to

visit our website:

www.standrewskidsclub.org

THE GATHERING OF THE COMMUNITY Advent 3 - The Forerunner / Preparing for Christmas

Call to Worship Leader: As followers of a tradition that has been handed down through the ages, we join in the anticipation of the Advent season - a season of hope for the world, a time of peace with our neighbours, and opportunity for joy before God. Let us worship together. All: Let us worship in joy. Opening Prayer Leader: O God, we confess we bury the joy of the Advent promise beneath our business, our petty arguments, our need to be seen as successful. We get so caught up in the rituals of gifts buying, decorating, and party-going that we ignore the source of true joy: Your presence with us. Remind us with the joy of Mary. May people, whose joy has been shattered by the circumstances of life, see in us a joy which transcends the tragedy of this world, a joy which has its source in Your unending love. Advent Candle - Lighting (Please Kneel or Sit) Leader 1: Our Advent journey draws us toward the brightness of holy birth. Leader 2: We long to celebrate Christ’s birth. Welcoming a new child is a time of great joy. All: “They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God.” Leader 1: The light of faith and hope is God’s gift to us. Leader 2: Wonder and delight fills the hearts of all God’s people. All: “They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God.”

Leader 1: We light the first candle, reminding us of the way of hope. (Light the Isaiah candle) Leader 2: We light the second candle, reminding us of God’s way of peace. (Light the candle for John the Baptist) Leader 1: We light the third candle, reminding us of God’s way of joy. (Light the Joseph candle) All: “They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God.” Leader 1: May the joy of this blessed season guide and challenge us. Leader 2: Let us sing of Advent hope, peace, and joy. Sung Response All: Let all mortal flesh keep silence, and with fear and trembling stand; set your minds on things eternal, for with blessing in His hand Christ our God to earth descending comes our homage to command. King of kings, yet born of Mary, once upon the earth He stood; Lord of lords we now perceive Him in His body and His blood - He will give to all the faithful His own self for heavenly food. Rank on rank the host of heaven stream before Him on the way; as the Light of light descending from the realms of endless day vanquishes the power of evil, clears the gloom of hell away.