Weekly
Reflections
The Good Shepherd
Today’s
reading from John takes us back before Easter, but it contains themes
that return in the resurrection stories. Jesus compares himself to a
good shepherd, whose sheep recognise his voice. At the empty tomb, Mary
Magdalene does not recognise Jesus until she hears him speak her name.
In today’s reading, Jesus tells us five times that he will lay down his
life for his sheep. Last week, in Luke, the risen Jesus told the
disciples that the scriptures point to his death and resurrection. John
also emphasises that Jesus’ death was not a random tragedy, but an
integral part of God’s plan, that Jesus knew and accepted beforehand.
Jesus
contrasts his care for his flock with that of hired hands, who would
not risk their lives for the sake of someone else’s sheep. But these
are Jesus’ own sheep, who know him, and he will lay down his life for
them.
Jesus
also makes the intriguing claim that he has “other sheep” that must
also be brought in. Many have speculated on what this might mean –
perhaps people of other times or cultures; or even of other religions
(or none). It suggests that Jesus’ work is not yet done, and we “sheep”
should not presume we know who is in or out of Jesus’ “flock”. The
divine plan is that, ultimately, all people will be drawn to Jesus (John 12:32).
Nicky Cusworth
Lent Study 2018
Our Lent study group this year will begin in the Holland Room at 7pm on Thursday 22 February. We will be reading Lent and Easter Wisdom
by Henri Nouwen. This is a collection of short reflections, bible
readings and prayers for each day in Lent. It is also suitable for
reading at home, if you can’t attend the meetings.
Copies
of the book are available for $15. Please sign up on the sheet in the
foyer if you would like a copy of the book and/or would like to attend
the study group.
Advent Study 2017
We are reading Goodness and Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas. A
collection of readings by various authors including Pope Francis,
Thomas Merton & Richard Rohr. Copies are available for $20. Please
sign up on the sheet in the foyer if you would like a copy of the book
and/or would like to attend the study group.
LENT STUDY 2017
Our book will be Dethroning Mammon: Making Money Serve Grace by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. Sign
up sheet in foyer, you can buy a hard copy for $13, or get a
kindle/electronic version for about $7 (the US Amazon site is often
cheapest.)The study group will meet on Tuesday evenings at 7pm in the Holland Room, starting on 7th March.
ADVENT STUDY 2016 with Meditation
Short discussion on weekly readings followed by meditation each Wednesday at 7pm in the Holland Room.
LENT STUDY 2016
Our weekly LENT study will begin in the Holland Room at 7pm, Wednesday 17th February. We will be reading Reflections for Lent 2016
by Paula Gooder, Andrew Davison, Martyn Percy and Steven Croft. Copies
of the book will be available from the office for $16.50, or you can
buy the Kindle edition from Amazon for about $5. Please sign up in the
foyer if you would like a copy of the book and/or would like to attend
the study group.
ADVENT STUDY 2015
This year we will read Richard Rohr’s Preparing for Christmas: Daily Meditations for Advent.
We will meet on Wednesday evenings in the Holland Room at 7pm, starting on
Wednesday 2nd December.
Please
sign up on the sheet in the foyer if you would like a book, and would
like to attend the study meetings. A hard copy of the book costs
$12, or you can download it from Amazon for kindle if you prefer for
about $6.
PAST STUDY GROUPS:
LENT STUDY 2015
Lent study this year will be on Wednesdays at 7pm in the Holland Room, beginning 25th February 2015 (the Wednesday after Ash Wednesday). We will be reading Bread and Wine: Readings for Lent and Easter by various authors, the companion book to Watch for the Light, which we read during Advent.
ADVENT STUDY 2014
Our Advent study will use Watch for the Light,
a collecting of daily readings by authors including Henri Nouwen, T. S.
Eliot, Thomas Merton, John Donne, C. S. Lewis, Dorothy Day, Meister
Eckhart, Sylvia Plath and Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
Please sign up in the foyer to order the book ($20), and indicate if
you will attend the study group, which will meet at 7pm on Tuesdays
during Advent (starting 2nd December.)
SEPTEMBER BOOKCLUB 2013
We will be reading Richard Rohr’s
Falling Upward: A Spirituality for
the two halves of life.
Weekly notes
are available to reflect on your reading using the
study journal. Contact the office and we can email
these to you.
We will
discuss the book at a bring and share dinner on
Thursday September 19th at 7pm.
AUGUST BOOKCLUB 2014
We will be discussing Marcus J Borg's novel Putting Away Childish Things on Thursday 7pm 14th August at a bring and share supper in the hall
