Thought for the Week from Anglican Mothers Union Australia
Sunday 26 May 2019
Peace and Reconciliation
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
St Francis of Assisi (Public Domain)
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
Mothers’ Union is a grassroots organisation in Angola but it is empowered by being part of Worldwide ‘Christian care for Families’. We give thanks to God for this unity which enables an Angolan representative to attend and speak at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. As one body we CAN bring Christ’s peace to the world.
Sunday 2 June 2019
Thy kingdom come
Jesus’ prayer shows his deep desire for the love of God to reign in every heart. He wants the King of Creation to guide us and keep us on the path of holiness. We show that we are ‘already translated into the kingdom of the Son of his love (Col 1:13) by caring for the prisoners, the sick. If we need more guidance let us turn Jesus’ parable.
Hymn Reference: Thou didst leave Thy throne and Thy kingly crown. Emily E. S. Elliott
AHB 206 (Verses 2 &3)
“Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:9-10
The vulnerable children whose lives are changed by the work of Mothers’ Union in Thailand must certainly know that the kingdom of God has come into their lives. The kingdom finds itself fully realized in the restoration of family life nurtured by the members into whose hearts Jesus has come. Thanks be to God.
Sunday 9 June 2019
Gift of the spirit
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heav’nly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!
Thomas Ken 1637-1711. (Public Domain) AHB 573
There is always some reaction to a gift, from the polite to the exultant. Bishop Ken’s doxology brings together all we know and love of the Holy Trinity and what we need to do – sing praises. Praise encapsulates the thanks, the wonder, the thrill of the gift. When we read the account of the day of Pentecost in Acts, we can visualize being there. When we read Jesus’s promises in John’s gospel, we are acutely aware of our need of an Advocate and a Comforter. We sing our praises with all the company of the faithful throughout the ages.
If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Luke 11:13
Gloving God, give comfort in the form of your Holy Spirit to the people of Madagascar and to our members who serve them. Strengthen them as ‘the impact of climate change is visible and real’ (Assistant Bishop Samitiana Jhonson) in the form of cyclones and plagues affecting both humans and their crops.
Sunday 16 June 2019
Fatherhood
As the abuse of women and children in institutions, homes and churches is made public, we pray that models of fatherhood are defined according to the nature of God presented in the Christian scriptures through his Son, Jesus. The father of the prodigal son runs to greet him who disobeyed and dishonoured him. Hear our prayers, heavenly Father, for your loving kindness to tend us. May the Mothers’ Union be strong in guiding fathers and mothers into the way of love.
See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. 1 John 3:1a
Members of Mothers’ Union in Jamaica have been both mother and father to an elderly lady. From living in a dark and poorly ventilated room from which she was unable to leave, she moved into her own house, funded, built and furnished with the loving, respectful care of the children of God.
Sunday 23 June 2019
The marginalised
Where do the margins come from that exclude and denigrate? There has to be insiders for there to be outsiders. The margins are drawn by our understanding of what is acceptable. Perhaps the margins are drawn tighter the more blame is cast, the more marginalised people there seem to be. Certainly the psalmist appears to believe the wicked, and not the poor, are to blame. The rule of thumb here is to give, maintain, rescue and deliver. Our pattern and guide is Jesus Christ, forever leading us to generosity of spirit.
Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked. Psalm 82:3-4
Mothers’ Union, in the country with one of the highest rates of inequality in the world, South Africa, is committed to building a more inclusive society. Members are passionate about fighting gender-based violence and restoring relationships broken by gang violence, family trouble or lingering conflict. Our prayers and blessing be upon them all.
Sunday 30 June 2019
Time to rejoice
Nothing available until the new families worldwide arrives
Peace and Reconciliation
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
St Francis of Assisi (Public Domain)
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
Mothers’ Union is a grassroots organisation in Angola but it is empowered by being part of Worldwide ‘Christian care for Families’. We give thanks to God for this unity which enables an Angolan representative to attend and speak at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. As one body we CAN bring Christ’s peace to the world.
Sunday 2 June 2019
Thy kingdom come
Jesus’ prayer shows his deep desire for the love of God to reign in every heart. He wants the King of Creation to guide us and keep us on the path of holiness. We show that we are ‘already translated into the kingdom of the Son of his love (Col 1:13) by caring for the prisoners, the sick. If we need more guidance let us turn Jesus’ parable.
Hymn Reference: Thou didst leave Thy throne and Thy kingly crown. Emily E. S. Elliott
AHB 206 (Verses 2 &3)
“Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:9-10
The vulnerable children whose lives are changed by the work of Mothers’ Union in Thailand must certainly know that the kingdom of God has come into their lives. The kingdom finds itself fully realized in the restoration of family life nurtured by the members into whose hearts Jesus has come. Thanks be to God.
Sunday 9 June 2019
Gift of the spirit
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heav’nly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!
Thomas Ken 1637-1711. (Public Domain) AHB 573
There is always some reaction to a gift, from the polite to the exultant. Bishop Ken’s doxology brings together all we know and love of the Holy Trinity and what we need to do – sing praises. Praise encapsulates the thanks, the wonder, the thrill of the gift. When we read the account of the day of Pentecost in Acts, we can visualize being there. When we read Jesus’s promises in John’s gospel, we are acutely aware of our need of an Advocate and a Comforter. We sing our praises with all the company of the faithful throughout the ages.
If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Luke 11:13
Gloving God, give comfort in the form of your Holy Spirit to the people of Madagascar and to our members who serve them. Strengthen them as ‘the impact of climate change is visible and real’ (Assistant Bishop Samitiana Jhonson) in the form of cyclones and plagues affecting both humans and their crops.
Sunday 16 June 2019
Fatherhood
As the abuse of women and children in institutions, homes and churches is made public, we pray that models of fatherhood are defined according to the nature of God presented in the Christian scriptures through his Son, Jesus. The father of the prodigal son runs to greet him who disobeyed and dishonoured him. Hear our prayers, heavenly Father, for your loving kindness to tend us. May the Mothers’ Union be strong in guiding fathers and mothers into the way of love.
See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. 1 John 3:1a
Members of Mothers’ Union in Jamaica have been both mother and father to an elderly lady. From living in a dark and poorly ventilated room from which she was unable to leave, she moved into her own house, funded, built and furnished with the loving, respectful care of the children of God.
Sunday 23 June 2019
The marginalised
Where do the margins come from that exclude and denigrate? There has to be insiders for there to be outsiders. The margins are drawn by our understanding of what is acceptable. Perhaps the margins are drawn tighter the more blame is cast, the more marginalised people there seem to be. Certainly the psalmist appears to believe the wicked, and not the poor, are to blame. The rule of thumb here is to give, maintain, rescue and deliver. Our pattern and guide is Jesus Christ, forever leading us to generosity of spirit.
Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked. Psalm 82:3-4
Mothers’ Union, in the country with one of the highest rates of inequality in the world, South Africa, is committed to building a more inclusive society. Members are passionate about fighting gender-based violence and restoring relationships broken by gang violence, family trouble or lingering conflict. Our prayers and blessing be upon them all.
Sunday 30 June 2019
Time to rejoice
Nothing available until the new families worldwide arrives