St Kiaran's Chronicle Apr 2015

April 2015April 2015

St Kiaran'sSt Kiaran's Chronicle Chronicle

every day God thinks of you. Jeremiah 29:11

every hour God watches over you. Psalm 121:5

every month God cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

because every second HE LOVES YOU. Jeremiah 31:3

Reflections on Good Friday:

SAVING GRACE

Lord, you are so wonderfulAnd deserve our love and praiseI cannot express just how I feel

When I think of your saving grace

To think of what you went throughThat day upon the cross

And in the moments leading up to itWhen soldiers spat and scoffed

And beat you with no mercy,Making sport and having fun

You said not a word in your defenceEven though you were God's son

You bore it all out of your loveFor the lost and dying souls,

To give us a hope we can hold on toFor a future yet to unfold

It's such a beautiful description, Lord,Of what your grace can do,

For no one's exempt from your saving grace,But it's a gift freely given from you

By M.S.Lowndes

Dear St Kiarans family and friends

If we took the following sentence and read it, how many ways could it be read?

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Depending on where the emphasis is placed, the focus in the sentence may shift to accentuate an aspect of the statement which may not have been evident before. The key issue is that such a shift should not change the overall

meaning. So, for example:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in himshall not perish but have eternal life.

Here the focus is on God. Everything that follows in this sentence hinges on God. If itwas not for God, none of what follows might have happened.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

In this shift of the emphasis, we are drawn to consider what motivated God to intervene in the desperately lost human condition: a deep, unshakable love for his creation.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in himshall not perish but have eternal life.

Who gave? God gave. It is clear that God is the giverover and over again. We have nothing of worth to give when it comes to our redemption.


The emphasis here draws our attention to the fact that Gods giving was costly: his one and only Son. The intention is for us to understand that such a gift was not lightly given. It was a supreme sacrifice on the part of the Father, to give his one and only


Gods love-gift comes to us by faith. Faith is not reserved for an exclusive group, but for whoever believes in him (the Son).


As the emphasis lands on the last part of this sentence, we become acutely aware that humankind faces two possible realities after death. We perish, or we have eternal life. Those who believe have eternal life!

This whole exercise to is say that as we go through the Easter period, the central message remains the same. Even our practices and spiritual disciplines may remain the same. Yet, if we enter the season and all our Christian seasons for that matter intentionally listening to the Holy Spirit, God is able to renew us and share new emphases of the gospel story during our celebrations and times of worship

Easter, when superficially viewed and approached may seem repetitive, even mundane. But this a matter of faith; and the richness that is to be gained as we engage God during these seasons will surely be ours as we do so by faith and with expectancy.

May God meet with you always as you wait on him by faith.

Much loveMike

Reflections on the Resurrection:

Jesus had no servants, yet they called Him Master.Had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher.

Had no medicines, yet they called Him Healer.Had no army, yet kings feared Him.

He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world. He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him.He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today.

Stephen B Harper

The stone was rolled away from the door, not to permit Christ to come out, but to enable the disciples to go in. Peter Marshall

The entire plan for the future has its key in the resurrection. Billy Graham

Perhaps the transformation of the disciples of Jesus is the greatest evidence of all for the resurrection. John Stott

The man in Christ rose again, not only the God. C.S. Lewis

The same power that brought Christ back from the dead is operative within those who are Christs. The resurrection is an ongoing thing. Leon Morris

Easter Prayer of Praise

Blessed be the God and FatherOf our Lord Jesus ChristIn His great mercyHe has given us a new birthTo a living hope through the resurrectionOf Jesus Christ from the deadAnd to an inheritanceThat is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. It is reserved in heaven for you, Who because of your faith in God Are being protected by His power Until the salvationThat is ready to be revealed at the end of time.

Mrs B. de Jonge

Rocklands Camp - 27-29 March 2015

THERE ARE OTTERS ....... AND OTTERS

In Alaska there are Sea Otters. Here in the Cape we have an ever-diminishing supply of CapeClawless Otters. Many of you reading this article will know more about the Cape Clawlessthan I do. So its the ones off the coast ofAlaska that you might like to beintroduced to. They swim around happilyin the icy waters insulated with their furryskin.

Like the rest of us, otters need to sleep.But they dont want to drift too far awayfrom each other, so they hold each otherspaws and have a good nights rest.

If the weather is stormy, they formrafts. A whole lot of them get together,holding paws. So they relax and soon arein dreamland.

I heard about these otters from my friend Dulcie, who lives in a Retirement village inAustralia. In her Christmas letter she wrote:

The otters are a lovely picture ofChristmas Peace & Goodwill, family andfriends holding paws and practisingtogetherness. Theres lots of opportunitiesin our Village for holding paws and formingrafts despite staggering a bit on our feetand sometimes misplacing car keys. I amso grateful for the sea-otter-like careshown to me by family members andfriends. When we are wrestling with thingslike garden trees grown too tall orcomputer woes, they are there. An admirable picture of what every churchshould be like, not so? Each of us helpingthe other and being there for them.Specially for those I call The One and

Onlys: those who unfortunately have no family anywhere near.

How do you think we are doing at St Kiarans. Could we improve? How? Lucy Centlivres

St Kiaran's Women'sFellowship

There will be two meetings of the Fellowship during April and May.The first will be on:

22 April when Jane Terrell's talk will be entitled DogDemonstration Training and Service Dogs

27 May when our own Ron Zeeman willdiscuss Exploring Caves in the Western

Cape

Tea will be served and visitors welcomed!

Meet Arthur and Cathy FaulknerBorn on the 1st March 1944 to Shirley and Arthur,

an Anglican family, Arthur grew up in Parkhurst,Johannesburg, and after attending Parkview Junior andSenior schools, progressed to Parktown Boys High, wherehe matriculated. One of three children, Arthur has twosisters, Charmaine, who currently lives in Pretoria, and Fran(DJ of Radio 5 and theatre fame) who sadly passed away in2007.

Cathy was born on the 15th July 1950 in Bulawayo,in the then Rhodesia, and has three brothers, Robert(deceased), Peter, who lives in New Zealand (and shouts forthe All Blacks) and Tony, who lives in Johannesburg (andshouts for the Lions) which makes family gatherings quitea challenge, when the subject of Rugby comes up!

Cathy and Arthur met in 1968 in Johannesburg and Arthur was completely blown away by this gorgeous model, who had moved to Johannesburg to take up a position with

Matty Reid Agencies as one of her top models. It was love at firstsight, and after 6 weeks, Arthur proposed. The words he used were, It would be nice if we were married, then I could have an early night. Cathy shrieked with delight, and said, Can I tell mymother? The rest, as they say, is history and they have now been married for 47 glorious years.

They have four children, Shaun, who is part of the Cape Sky Realtors team and runs the maintenance division, Lee, who is the Financial Manager and dabbles in sales and rentals, Ryan, who lives and works in London, and Candice, who is a Lawyer and works as a Compliance Officer for Kleinwort Benson, a Guernsey based company, with South African offices in Century City. They also have two grandchildren, Juliet, who is 6, Max whois 18 months old, and Baby Phoenix who is on her way, and is scheduled for arrival on the 1st May 2015. Arthur says, We cantwait for the Phoenix to rise!

Arthur has always been a spirited people person, with a love of Rugby and cars (the redder and faster the better!) and a passion for the Kruger National Park, which he has visited regularly since 1952, mostly on a yearly basis. Arthur did his National Service with theSouth African Irish Regiment, where he rose to the rank of Sergeant Major (W02). His inclinations, led him into the local political scene, where he ran for the National Party in 1988.After relocating to Fish Hoek in 1996, he became a real estate agent and in 2001 started his own agency, Cape Sky Realtors.

Cathy modelled on until after Candice was born, and then started her own flower business called Cathys Flower Barrows incorporating The Flower Inn, which she ran for the next 11 years in Parkview in Johannesburg. Through sheer necessity Arthur learnt to make posies and corsages when pressure mounted, and because of his driving skills and knowledgeof Johannesburg, was elected as Chief Delivery Driver for Cathy. Cathy also ventured into another business in the home industry field, called Martikas Kitchen, with branches in seven shopping malls around the Northern Suburb of Johannesburg, so Arthur learnt to sample the cakes as well.

After being an Anglican all his life, Arthur and Cathy were introduced to St Kiarans in1999 by Rev Natalie Van Rooyen (Metzger), who invited them to an Alpha Course, where theywere both reborn as Presbyterians. Arthur was made an Elder in 2004, and both he and Cathyhave found a wonderful, spiritual home at St Kiarans.

WHY GO TO CHURCH?

If you're spiritually alive, you're going to love this!If you're spiritually dead, you won't want to read it.If you're spiritually curious, there is still hope!

A Church-goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. 'I've gone for 30 years now,' he wrote, 'and in that timeI have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can't remember a singleone of them. So, I think I'm wasting my time and the priests are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all.'

This started a real controversy in the 'Letters to the Editor' column. Much to the delight of the editor, it went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher: 'I'vebeen married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals.

But I do know this ... They all nourished me and gave me the strength Ineeded to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today.

Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!'

When you are DOWN to nothing .... God is UP to something!Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible!Thank God for our physical AND our spiritual nourishment!

Through the DOOR .......All of us have experienced how God has opened and closed doors for us during the course of our lives.

Here are a few verses which contain the word 'door' which mayserve as encouragement (or admonition, where needed!)

Exodus 12:22 God said: 'Spread blood over the lintels and door-posts of your front DOOR and the Angel of Death will pass by.'

Matthew 7:7 Knock and the DOOR will be opened.

Matthew 25:10 While they went off to buy oil for their lamps,those who had enough oil already went in with the Groom to thewedding feast and the DOOR was shut.

John 10:1-42 A thief and robber will enter the sheepfold by othermeans, rather than through the DOOR. Jesus will call His sheep by name.

Acts 5:19 During the night an Angel of the Lord opened the DOORS of the prison and led them out.

Acts 14:27 The believers reported on all the things that God had done and how He opened a DOOR of faith to the Gentiles.

Revelation 3:8 God says: 'I have opened a DOOR for you that no-one can shut.'

Revelation 3:20 Jesus says: 'I am knocking at the DOOR. Hear my voice, open the DOOR, and I will eat a meal with you.'

Miranda Moisey

Easter Celebrations Elsewhere inthe World

BulgariaIn Bulgarian Orthodox Church tradition, the Lenten fast begins on Zagovezni, the Sundaysix weeks before Easter. For the 46 days of Lent, church members abstain from all animal andfish products and by-products, that means butter, cheese, milk, and caviar, if you can afford it!

While not a morsel is eaten before Easter Sunday, yeast-raisedcakes and buns in animal shapes, and cookie rabbits and flowersare baked during Holy Week. The most important ritual bread isthe braided kozunak.

On Easter Sunday, after 46 days of fast and abstinence, a feastof all the prohibited food is laid on the table, with the kozunak,symbolizing the body of Christ, taking centre stage. Lamb,representing the Paschal Lamb, is always served.

EthiopiaThe first Easter Day

service actually starts at 8.00pm on Easter Saturday night and lasts until 3.00 am on Easter Sunday morning! Most people go to the whole service and wear their best clothes. These areoften white and are called 'Yabesha Libs'. People have candles made of cotton and wax called 'twaf'. At 10.00 pm drummers start playing and accompanying the Priests as they chant a

prayer called the 'Geez'.After the service, people go back to their homes have a

breakfast to celebrate the end of Lent with a 'dabo' sour-dough bread. It is traditional that the bread is cut by a priest or by the head man in the family.

The main Easter meal is eaten in the afternoon. The meal normally consists of a sour dough pancake called 'injera' and it is eaten with a mutton or lamb stew called 'beg wot'.

Fascinating Ethiopian ancient undergroundchurch

Kozunak

Eggs and All That!A search for Easter customs reveals the central place of eggs in all parts of the

Christian world. Of course, the custom was one initially followed by the pagan world, as there it related to fertility, but to the Christian church it commends us to think of new life our newlife in Christ.

From the plain egg

to the glossily wrapped chocolate eggs we know

to the highly decorated eggs of many European countrieswhich are most commonly painted in red to signify the blood ofChrist

to the fabulous eggs of Faberg in Russia, they play their part.

A Faberg egg is one of a limited number of jewelled eggs created by Peter Carl Faberg between 1885 and 1917. The most famous are those made for the Russian Tsars Alexander III and Nicholas II as Easter gifts for their wives and mothers, often called the 'Imperial' Faberg eggs. The House of Faberg made about 50 eggs, ofwhich 43 have survived. Two more were planned for Easter1918, but were not delivered, due to the Russian Revolution.

The Rose Trellis egg

On April 22, 1907, Tsar Nicholas II presented this egg to hiswife, Alexandra Fedorovna, to commemorate the birth of thetsarevich, Alexei Nicholaievich, three years earlier. Because ofthe Russo-Japanese War in 1904, no Imperial Easter eggs hadbeen produced for two years. The egg contained as a surprisea diamond necklace and an ivory miniature portrait of thetsarevich framed in diamonds (now lost). Faberg's invoice,dated April 21, 1907, listed the cost as 8,300 rubles

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News from Heather Simkin and Jeanette Lelliott in the Comores

Heather is very busy with the preparations for her departure in less than 3 weeks. She needs to round up all that she is doing with the folks who come to her on a regular basis as well as get all her medicals done.

Praise the Lord for a cell group being held at the house in Koungou. Doudou and Sylvia, who are now living there, have a heart to reach out to the local folks. There is already one young local man who attends. Pray that more will be added to this group. Easter Saturday there will once again be outreach in Koungou and then on Easter Sunday we have a baptismal service on the Koungou beach. Pray that the work that the Lord has begun will continue in this village. Perseverance is needed as there is definitely some opposition to the advances that are being made for the Kingdom.

Praise the Lord with us that three parcels which have been on their way since the 21st October 2014 have finally arrived. The bookshop is bursting at its seams with new stock and especially a huge supply of Bibles as we had to re-order Bibles because clients were waiting. The 3 "lost" parcels and the re-order all arrived together.

Mark and Lorraine Liprini

Mark finished his last secondment in the middle of March on a very high note. The Kenyan programme was very short of pilots, due to illness and course, andso in the 6 weeks he was there, he flew really hard andenabled their programme to keep going. He has chosento finish his flying role with MAF due to many good and sensible reasons. This does not make it any easier however.

But on the 8th April, he starts a new role with MAF SA as their PR man - visiting donors, and speaking at churches and missions conferences. Those who know him, know that he will excel in this role too, and he is looking forward to sharing the exciting, and ever expanding work that is being done in Venda by MAF South Africa. Please pray for him in this role. We willstay in our house and I will continue working at our local church 3 days a week.

One fly in the ointment is that he has developed a second neuroma in his right foot, which has given him a great deal of pain over the past 2 years, and now also has one in his left foot. So he will be having a bilateral foot op probably at the end of April /early May, which willput him out of action for 4-6 weeks. However he will use this time to contact donors and create new presentations. Please pray that the healing will be swift and complete.

Eugene and Tina Wessels - in Mozambique

Wow! What a day! Fantastic sermon by Eugene, beautiful dedication of a baby by Ps Antnio. Church bursting it's seams, 8 new members, 1 salvation, have to remove front and back wallsto enlarge our territory (obviously we have a mud building!) and sadly to end the day a funeral of Ps Mauricio's grandfather. He was 111 years old! No exaggeration! Thank you Jesusthat you are building your church and in control of all things. Extract from Facebook

This brief record from FB does not reflect all the struggles they are going through as a result of having all their important papers stollen hence scripture recorded here by Eugene;

Heb 12:1-2a Therefore since we also are surrounded with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sinwhich so easily besets us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the Author and Finisher of

our faith.

Eugene says: This analogy is perhaps quite accurate to describe the last month. Emotionally hurtling down as we dealt with deaths, funerals, sickness and suffering then climbing again toimmense heights with wonderful new additions to His Kingdom, great testimonies, baby dedications, story-telling and then flipping upside down again as we battle against incompetent, indifferent government agencies over the issue of our documentation and imminent exit from Moz to re-apply and replace everything that was stolen.

Words, Words, Words - English in all its colourful waysThanks to William Shakespeare

If you cannot understand my argument, and declare "Its Greek to me," you are quoting Shakespeare; if you claim to be more sinned against than sinning, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you recall your salad days, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you act more in sorrow than in anger, if your wish is father to the thought, if yourlost property has vanished into thin air, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you have ever refused to budge an inch or suffered from green-eyed jealousy, if you have played fast and loose, if you have been tongue-tied, a tower of strength, hoodwinked or in a pickle, if you have knitted your brows, made a virtue of necessity, insisted on fair play, slept not one wink, stood on ceremony, danced attendance (on your lord and master), laughed yourself into stitches, had short shrift, cold comfort or too much of a good thing, if you have seen better days or lived in a fools paradise--why, be that as it may, the more fool you, for it is a foregone conclusion that you are (as good luck would have it) quoting Shakespeare; if you think it is early days and clear out bag and baggage, if you think it is high time and that that is the long and short of it, if you believe that the game is up and that truth will out even if it involves your own flesh and blood, if you lie low till the crack of doom because you suspect foul play, if you have your teeth set on edge (at one fell swoop) without rhyme or reason, then--to give the devil his due--if the truth were known (for surely you have a tongue in your head) you are quoting Shakespeare; even if you bid me good riddance and send me packing, if you wish I was dead as a doornail, if you think I am an eyesore, a laughing stock, the devil incarnate, a stony-hearted villain, bloody-minded or a blinking idiot, then--by Jove! O Lord! Tut, tut! for goodness sake! what the dickens! But me no buts--it is all one to me, for you are quoting Shakespeare.

Church Family NewsLin Kent is now great-grandmother to Benjamin RobertWilliam Hazell born 25 March 2015. May God's richestblessings be his all his life.

Hubert and Jill Stoll celebrate their Golden Wedding on 24 April 2015. Praise God for these many years together and may His favour rest upon you both for all your days.

SmilesNow that I am older but refuse to grow up, here's what I've discovered:

I started out with nothing and still have most of it. My wild oats have turned into prunes and All Bran. I finally got my head together now my body is falling apart.

Funny. I don't remember being absent-minded. If all is not lost, where is it? It is easier to get older than it is to get wiser. If God wanted me to touch my toes he would have put them on my

knees. It's not hard to meet expenses they're everywhere. These days, I spend a lot of time thinking about the hereafter. I go somewhere to

get something and then wonder what I'm after!Jenny Psaila

From the magazine of the Presbyterian/Methodist Church in MaltaContributed by Val Ruger

Christianity has existed on Malta for 2000 years. It was where St Paul was shipwrecked as recorded in Luke Chap. 28: where it says:

"And later we learned that the island was called Malta. And the people who lived there showed us great kindness, and they made a fire and called us all to warm ourselves... "

Malta is known as the George Cross island: While Italian and German bombers brought havoc to theMaltese islands, the problem of supplies was soon felt. An invasion threat in July 1941 ended in

complete failure when coast defenders spotted torpedo boats of the Italian special forces. Whilstpeople suffered hunger, a final assault to neutralise the island was ordered by the German Field

Marshal Albert Kesselring. However, the people's heroism withstood every attack. On 15 April 1942King George VI awarded the George Cross to the people of Malta in appreciation of their heroism.

Val has a friend who worships in this Mediterranean church - St Andrew'sScots Church in Valletta, Malta. It has an interesting history. The Methodist

Church has existed there since 1824 - the first non-Catholic Church. ThePresbyterian Church has been there since 1843. They are now combined and

are served by ministers from the two denominations in turn. It is acosmopolitan church with a wide variety of nationalities and church

backgrounds making up their Sunday morning congregation. They share their building with the Andreas Gemeinde of the German Lutheran

Church who holds its German services in the building on the first and thirdSundays of each month.

St Kiaran's Presbyterian ChurchCnr. Central Circle and Recreation Road

P.O.Box 22146, Fish Hoek, 7974 Church Phone: 021 782 6118

Minister: Rev. Mike Muller

All are welcome at our Regular Sunday Services

Sunday Worship Services at 9.30a.m. & 7p.m.Holy Communion is served on the 1st Sunday of the month at

both services

When there is a 5th Sunday in the month our MasiphumeleleCongregation joins us for aUnited 9.30a.m. Service

CHURCH PRAYER MEETINGS

Tuesdays: 11.45 a.m. in the Craig Room Prayer is offered after services for healing or other needs, by

members of our Prayer Ministry Prayers with our young people: as arranged .... or whenever

you wish to arrange times with fellow Christians.

Documents

St Kiaran's Chronicle Apr 2015