Hello friends & fellow Walkers,
Apologies for the really late bulletin.. our regular writer is away on a short getaway and it seems like many many ppl are on holiday this week.. hence 'the duty' has been handed to me.. hahaha.
I was out with my jc friends yesterday, and we were just exchanging stories on how some ppl can get away with almost nothing done in the office the entire day, and still not be fired. My friend was so exasperated at this particular colleague of hers who came in late for work, helped another dept settle their meals for a day-long meeting, and sat in the pantry for 2 hrs in the morning before lunch finishing up the leftovers. The punchline? She came over to my friend at 5:25pm and asked her for some paperwork that she delegated to her earlier. Becos it was passed on to another colleague to settle, my friend asked her to go check with the other lady. And her response was: "Oh, that can wait till Monday then." and she walked right out of the door, leaving my friend and other ppl in the office with their jaws dropped.
The offical knock-off time was 6:30pm.
(sometimes i think real ppl & true stories are the funniest...)
Last Sunday in CG
Part 4 of our 5-part series on Salvation History: "Exile".
After Creation, Election & Covenant, we finally touched on this large part of our journey as God's people in Exile. Fr Kenson explained to us that there were 2 general types of exiles--chosen by oneself & forced by circumstances. Some characters such as Jacob & Elijah chose to leave their homes / country, while most of the time the Israelites were forced out of their homes & land due to them being conquered by stronger non-Jewish kings. We also see this pattern very early in the Bible, in the story of Adam & Eve, where the consequence of sin / disobedience, was removal from the presence of God. i.e. exile. Hence "exile" can refer to a physical movement, a removal from God's presence, or a self-imposed state of rejecting God. (recall: "choose to leave")
At the same time, we must keep in mind that although many accounts of the Israelites' exiles seemed to be of historical-political circumstances (i.e. conquered by neighbouring countries, Assryians, Egyptians etc), it is the LORD who allows such things to happen, due to their disobedience to HIM. Remember that God has made His covenant with the people again and again, despite their unfaithfulness. God is always faithful! It is not that God wants to punish the Israelites for straying away and worshipping idols, but that He allows the people to bear the consequences of their betrayal. (recall: "consequence of sin")
Hence, for a large part of Israelite history, the people were unable to inherit the Promised Land, and were slaves of various empires and kingdoms. If we look at the psalms and prophet books, we can hear about the laments of God's people, of how they yearn to be back in the temple, to rejoice in God's presence again. And if we look at the bible as a whole, we can actually see that it is full of the stories of God's people in exile. In the same way the Israelites were a pilgrim people, we today as God's adopted children in Christ, are a pilgrim church. Our promised land is only inherited after this life, and while we're here on earth, we are wanderers constantly journeying, going forward towards God n backwards, trying to be faithful n failing, relying on the strength and power of God in His forgiveness and "redemption".
This Sunday in CG
And so, this sunday we will be moving into the last bit, Part 5: Redemption. As we conclude this series on the history of Salvation, we remember the event we celebrated some months ago and its historical n present significance. Also, quite aptly it is the day the Holy Spirit is poured out on us for the mission the Lord has set for us. Come and receive the power! :P (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZZkwW0jN2A )
Also, we have Daryl and Marie from SFX Mustard Seed Community who will be joining us for a short while to publicise their event Se7en. (see below) :)
Announcements
1) Emmaus Walk Retreat (8pm, Fri 17 Jun - 5pm, Sun 19 Jun)
Please continue to pray for the retreat team and for all the retreatants! We look forward to having an awesome time with the Lord next weekend! :)
3) Se7en.eleven: Discover the role you are meant to play in God's plan for you
The Mustard Seed Community in SFX is organising a seminar series which comprises 4 Sunday afternoons and a weekend of retreat. Details are as follow:
Dates: Sundays from 19 Jun to 17 Jul, 2pm - 4:30pm (includes a stay-in retreat 24-26 Jun)
Venue: SFX parish center level 2
To find out more, email Daryl se7en.eleven@hotmail.sg!
Apologies for the really late bulletin.. our regular writer is away on a short getaway and it seems like many many ppl are on holiday this week.. hence 'the duty' has been handed to me.. hahaha.
I was out with my jc friends yesterday, and we were just exchanging stories on how some ppl can get away with almost nothing done in the office the entire day, and still not be fired. My friend was so exasperated at this particular colleague of hers who came in late for work, helped another dept settle their meals for a day-long meeting, and sat in the pantry for 2 hrs in the morning before lunch finishing up the leftovers. The punchline? She came over to my friend at 5:25pm and asked her for some paperwork that she delegated to her earlier. Becos it was passed on to another colleague to settle, my friend asked her to go check with the other lady. And her response was: "Oh, that can wait till Monday then." and she walked right out of the door, leaving my friend and other ppl in the office with their jaws dropped.
The offical knock-off time was 6:30pm.
(sometimes i think real ppl & true stories are the funniest...)
Last Sunday in CG
Part 4 of our 5-part series on Salvation History: "Exile".
After Creation, Election & Covenant, we finally touched on this large part of our journey as God's people in Exile. Fr Kenson explained to us that there were 2 general types of exiles--chosen by oneself & forced by circumstances. Some characters such as Jacob & Elijah chose to leave their homes / country, while most of the time the Israelites were forced out of their homes & land due to them being conquered by stronger non-Jewish kings. We also see this pattern very early in the Bible, in the story of Adam & Eve, where the consequence of sin / disobedience, was removal from the presence of God. i.e. exile. Hence "exile" can refer to a physical movement, a removal from God's presence, or a self-imposed state of rejecting God. (recall: "choose to leave")
At the same time, we must keep in mind that although many accounts of the Israelites' exiles seemed to be of historical-political circumstances (i.e. conquered by neighbouring countries, Assryians, Egyptians etc), it is the LORD who allows such things to happen, due to their disobedience to HIM. Remember that God has made His covenant with the people again and again, despite their unfaithfulness. God is always faithful! It is not that God wants to punish the Israelites for straying away and worshipping idols, but that He allows the people to bear the consequences of their betrayal. (recall: "consequence of sin")
Hence, for a large part of Israelite history, the people were unable to inherit the Promised Land, and were slaves of various empires and kingdoms. If we look at the psalms and prophet books, we can hear about the laments of God's people, of how they yearn to be back in the temple, to rejoice in God's presence again. And if we look at the bible as a whole, we can actually see that it is full of the stories of God's people in exile. In the same way the Israelites were a pilgrim people, we today as God's adopted children in Christ, are a pilgrim church. Our promised land is only inherited after this life, and while we're here on earth, we are wanderers constantly journeying, going forward towards God n backwards, trying to be faithful n failing, relying on the strength and power of God in His forgiveness and "redemption".
This Sunday in CG
And so, this sunday we will be moving into the last bit, Part 5: Redemption. As we conclude this series on the history of Salvation, we remember the event we celebrated some months ago and its historical n present significance. Also, quite aptly it is the day the Holy Spirit is poured out on us for the mission the Lord has set for us. Come and receive the power! :P (http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Also, we have Daryl and Marie from SFX Mustard Seed Community who will be joining us for a short while to publicise their event Se7en. (see below) :)
Announcements
1) Emmaus Walk Retreat (8pm, Fri 17 Jun - 5pm, Sun 19 Jun)
Please continue to pray for the retreat team and for all the retreatants! We look forward to having an awesome time with the Lord next weekend! :)
2) Nativity Youth Camp (14 Jun - 17 Jun)
While we are preparing for our community retreat, the youths of the parish will be at CAYC having their annual camp this coming week. Pls keep all these young people in your prayers too, that they will come to have an experience of Christ and His great love for them :) 3) Se7en.eleven: Discover the role you are meant to play in God's plan for you
The Mustard Seed Community in SFX is organising a seminar series which comprises 4 Sunday afternoons and a weekend of retreat. Details are as follow:
Dates: Sundays from 19 Jun to 17 Jul, 2pm - 4:30pm (includes a stay-in retreat 24-26 Jun)
Venue: SFX parish center level 2
To find out more, email Daryl se7en.eleven@hotmail.sg!
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see you this Sunday! :) Let's start on time ok? :P
loves,
Amanda :)
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