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Vol 17 No 3 April 2006 ONLINE The official gazette of the Diocese of Port Elizabeth: Church of the Province of Southern Africa

Quick Links: Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Top | Homepage PAGE 3  •  The Vicar-General writes ...  •  The view from pulpit and pew  •  Tag lines  •  Angled angels ... an apology  •  Competition for iindaba?  •  Barry appointed to Board The Vicar-General writes ... To God’s people in the diocese of Port Elizabeth, In a matter of days it will be Palm Sunday, and then Holy Week will be upon us. It will be wonderful if all of us put in some extra time during Holy Week to reflect more deeply on the Passion of Jesus. The Passion Narratives are sure to stir up a multitude of feelings: shame for sin, guilt for betrayals, joy for the gift of love and forgiveness. The purpose of the liturgy at this time (more than any other time) is to draw us deeper into the paschal mysteries so that we can taste more deeply the love of God. It has been my custom and practice to see Holy Week as a walk towards Easter morning. Please allow me to share with you a scripture reading, then a comment and lastly, a question for reflection as we walk the next few days. Reading the Passion on Palm Sunday (Mark 15:1 - 39) makes us realise how much war, hatred, suffering, anguish and dehumanising there is around us. On this day we cannot forget how Jesus emptied himself, and in his full humanity came to give us the fullness of the Father’s love – even if it meant dying. At the centre of the passion is the cross, a symbol of love and sin. The piece of wood makes a cross that we are able to feel and cut to any size, but the love that holds Christ on the cross is too deep a mystery for us to understand. We look at the cross in quietness and experience pain and joy. What happens in my heart when I read the passion story ? For Monday in Holy Week, John 12:1 - 8 is suggested as a reading. In this gospel reading we see how God seeks for the bold and generous hearts. The Father has a special love for generous souls that cannot give enough back to him, like Mary and Martha. The Father loves his Son, who offers everything in return to save humanity. Judas could not stand generosity because of his weak love. As a betrayer and a thief he tried to block others from being extravagant towards God. Sin hates grace, just as darkness dreads light, and hardness of heart tries to frustrate compassion. Jesus accepts all gestures of love. He accepts Mary’s gesture of love that prepares him for his ultimate sacrifice. How do I anoint the Lord’s feet? John 13:21 - 31 and vs 36 and 38 is for Tuesday in Holy Week. This scripture helps us to see the ambiguity that characterises our lives. Judas could have chosen one of two roads. He chose to follow his own will, and went out into the night and took his own life. At some stage Judas stood on the boundary of love and self-will. He thought only of himself. Peter also had to face two destinies. Peter claimed fidelity and bravery, yet he too went into the night and faced his betrayal with tears. Peter did, however, walk back across the boundary of love and recommit himself to his Lord. Where are the boundaries of love found in my life, and what choices am I making about which way to go ?For Wednesday in Holy Week, Matthew 26:14 - 25 reminds us that friendship is built on trust. We live with the belief that those who are close to us and have shared our lives will not hurt or betray us. Yet  all of us are capable of violating trust, breaking confidences, and selling friendship for 30 pieces of silver.Why is a sin that is taken to the family table so horrendous, and what does the “Passover” meal mean to me?We have passed the half way mark and reached Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday,  the first of the three high holy days of Holy Week commonly called the Triduum Sacrum (John 13:1 - 15). During these last three days of Holy Week, the greatest of the three gifts that last forever comes into sharper focus: love. God’s love is ritualised in a unique way as Jesus shares the intimacy of a last meal with his disciples. He also gives us a clear example of what discipleship is about. It is about service. Caring for the needs of others is the core of the Eucharist, our miracle of love.God’s table is as large as his creation, and we are all invited. We all need food and love: both are essential to the fullness of life. Without food the body will die, without love our souls despair and wither. We are fortunate that we have more than enough and always have “leftovers”.  Who will get the leftovers of our food and love? The disciples of Jesus  give abundantly as we imitate the Master who gave his very self. Who do I invite to my table, and when last did I experience the miracle of love? On Good Friday, when we read John 18 vs 1 – 19, and 42, our faith is put to the test: "salvation through the cross?"; "life recovered through death". We need the Holy Spirit to enlighten us, or we will remain in darkness and doubt. Too often we trust in power, prestige or virtue, and not in the cross of Christ. None of those things we trust in can save us, except for the cross. Our trust and faith must be earthed in a God who became one of us, suffered and died, rose from the dead to give us life in all its fullness. I suggest we make a list of our needs and then ask ourselves, where is Christ on that list ? Whatever our custom, to have an Easter Eve Vigil service on Holy Saturday or a sunrise service early Easter morning, the power of the Easter message remains inspiring. Christ is the Light of the world, and the Gospel of Matthew (28:1 -10) dispels our darkness and enables us to see ourselves in a new light. The resurrection of Jesus (John 20:1 - 9) transforms our lives and confirms God’s love for us. The light of Christ scatters darkness and death, and his love leads us to the fullness of life. The Risen Jesus continues to visit us with compassion and mercy. Every home and every person can experience his divine visitation. For this we cry out,  ALLELUIA. How do I experience the presence of the risen Lord ? Now that you have read this whole letter, I humbly suggest that each day you re-read the section for that day.  The fullness of the Easter joy and blessings be yours. Love and peace, Leon Foster The view from pulpit and pew Henk de Groot, retired doctor and priest, returned recently from a trip to Australia to visit his eldest daughter, Renée, where she and her husband and children have settled. His second daughter, Anne, is married to a farmer in the Kirkwood district, whilst his youngest daughter, Linda, is a teacher at Alexander Road High School. Henk's wife Sheila died last year after many years of illness. And then there were three! Terry Beadon has joined Keith Rae and Christopher Holmes in getting himself a Chinese-made 125cc motorcycle. His only problem is that it's difficult to ride with a fishing rod! However, the members of the parish now see him buzzing around on his Chinese steed. Jacques Nell, younger son of Piet and Sharon Nell, was due to be discharged from Aurora to go home with a full-time carer. In recent weeks, Jacques has made a wonderful recovery, so his planned move to Maranatha Frail Care has been cancelled. iindaba asks its readers for continued prayer for him and his family. Welcome back to †Bethlehem, returning from his 3-month sabbatical. His first duty will be the installation of Sharon Nell as rector of the Zwartkops River Valley Parish at St Nicholas in Redhouse on 1 April. Some felt this not an appropriate date for the installation, but Sharon is quick to add the installation is after 12h00, thus beyond the 'power' of April Fool's Day! Robert Penrith, the rector of St John the Baptist in Walmer, has decided to step down from his portfolio as the Dean of Studies in the diocese. Those who have had any dealings with him as the Dean of Studies are saddened at his resignation, as they found him a wonderful and encouraging pastor. Several of our parishes are vacant, putting a strain on the archdeacons and the 'spare' clergy in the diocese, including the retired clergy. Please pray for these congregations, including the Cathedral of St Mary the Virgin; St Stephen's, New Brighton; St Ninian's, Somerset East; and churches in the Tsitsikama area of the Parish of the Good Shepherd. More clergy are needed in the Parish of Christ Church (Cradock). Further vacancies are imminent. Please pray that the Lord of the harvest sends labourers to serve his people. Congratulations to retired priest Mcebisi Xundu on his election as Chairman of the East Cape Council of Churches. In spite of his retirement, Mcebisi has been very active, and we wish him a happy tenure in the Chair. Sadly, iindaba records the death of Roy Saunders, the ceremonial verger of St Mary's Cathedral. Our condolences to his family. Roy's grandson, Phillip Robinson, is the student organist at the cathedral. Robin Petersen has had a season of mixed blessings playing for the Proteas, as has goalkeeper Calvin Marlin with Bafana Bafana. Both are former members of All Saints, Kabega Park. With its refreshingly new masthead, iindaba now hopes that those who erroneously called it 'Lindaba' in the past will drop the 'L', and call it iindaba! The Xhosa word means 'news', and comes from the Nguni word izindaba. The amaXhosa dropped the 'z' when they adopted the word into their vocabulary. Tag Lines Kind words can be short and easy to speak  Angled angels  ... an apology No, it was not the fault of the proof reader, Mike McCoy, but entirely the dyslexic editor's! In the report on "St Michael's to St Michael's" on page 1 of last month's iindaba, she changed an angel to an angle and not the angle to an angel, which made two (not right) angles where the angels should have been! Pity St Michael with a tangle of angles! ... and the date ... Not only that, but the month wasn’t changed when she dropped the new masthead in, so we repeated Jan/Feb instead of going on to March. Competition for iindaba? No - not yet, but this baby, the newsletter of the new parish of the Good Shepherd, is growing, and is aptly named ‘the Shepherds Crook’, writes Pam Brown. Our third issue is just out, and contains the great news of the coming visit of Bishop Bethlehem to inaugurate our parish. It is hoped it will reach all corners of the new parish, with input from all the far flung chapelries. The area includes Humansdorp, Jeffreys Bay, Patensie, Loerie, Cape St Francis, and  Storms River Bridge to Coldstream. This editor may have done battle with her computer, but determination won through to get this latest journalistic baby delivered. May God bless the new parish, which will be inaugurated on Sunday 7 May, and its latest venture to improve communication throughout the parish. Barry appointed to Board Barry Sendall, Diocesan Coordinator for the Centre of Christian Spirituality, has been appointed the Anglican Diocesan representative on the Board of the Institute for Spirituality, Wholeness and Reconciliation situated at Humewood Methodist Church. The board is now interdenominational, with George Irvine, a well known Methodist minister, as chairman. Quick Links: Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Top | Homepage