Next week our Bilingual Zoom service will be at 11am.
This Sunday is the twelfth Sunday after Pentecost and the Gospel reading is concerning the keys to the Kingdom and the error of thinking only about earthly things. Fr Roger Featherston is our preacher on our video and at zoom services.
St Peter is normally depicted carrying the keys to heaven. This is why we jokingly speak of him being at the pearly gates of heaven letting people in - because he has the keys!
This particular passage, however, is somewhat controversial, largely for inter-denominational reasons. In this passage Jesus renames Simon as Peter (petros = rock, in Greek). Jesus says ‘on this rock I will build my church’ ….. ‘I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven…. ‘.
St Peter is credited with establishing the church in Rome and from this the ‘See of Peter’ (the local Diocese in Anglican terms) has been occupied by the Bishop of Rome - the Pope. St Paul wrote to the Romans in anticipation of visiting with them, but only travelled there as a prisoner. Peter and Paul were both martyred in Rome and are the city’s joint patron saints.
The subsequent Bishops of Rome have claimed a higher standing than others, based on the fact that they trace their authority back to St Peter who was the ‘head of the whole church’ by virtue of this morning’s gospel reading. Of course, that hasn’t gone down well with some other bishops over the centuries.
Origen, Aurelius Augustine, and John Chrysostom believed that it was Peter’s confession (not Peter the person) which was the rock which Jesus would build his Church. They would read Jesus as saying, Upon this rock, I will build the faith you have just confessed. Upon your words, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” I will build my Church; because you are Peter.”
So there is on-going dissent about exactly what Jesus intended and it depends on which interpretation suits your position, especially if you are the Pope. I don’t think it matters whether Peter was ordained as the foundation rock of the church. Jesus was clearly impressed by Peter’s statement of faith and where it would lead the church. Jesus didn’t mention Rome or Peter’s successors to a particular title. We humans always make everything about succession and power.
Lots of great things in the pipeline for the future, whenever we actually see that, and in the meantime:
New, starts next Sunday:
For interactions with one another: click on photo to join
For growth and understanding: click on photo to join
Details of our on-line services and bible studies can be found on our At Home @ St Andrew’s webpage click here.
Catch up with the Vicar and friends’ on Wednesdays at 10.30am. Click here to join on-line or by phone. If you need help connecting with us for any activity, call me on 0421 321 321.
We also have bible studies on Thursdays at 10am (English) and Fridays at 7.30pm (Chinese).
Click on the times above for the links to join these studies.
But wait, there’s more….
Other activities which may also interest and which you can join on-line:
“Pilgrimage in Lockdown” – a Zoom talk and discussion on isolation, pilgrimage and the wisdom of the desert, led by the Most Reverend Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York –
25 August @ 7pm. Click here to register click here. To join the talk on the night, click here.
Virtual reality, digital social relationships and how young people can navigate the opportunities and pitfalls of the online world are all up for discussion on this month's episode of Angles on Science, Faith and Culture. Host the Revd Dr Chris Mulherin is joined by Dr Katherine Canobi, a cognitive development scientist and author of the young adult science fiction novel Mindcull, and Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne Dr Philip Freier. The podcast is now available by searching for Angles on Science, Faith and Culture on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts, or click here to go to the website and follow the links.
Lots of changes at the Church & St Andrew’s Streets intersection outside the Schoolhouse Cafe, but it is not, as I had expected, the same as the Carpenter Street roundabout – no raised foot crossings.
They are currently repainting the pedestrian crossings, so the work should be largely finished next week.
And that will be just in time for the new operators of the Schoolhouse, Kim and Mark, who commence at the end of this month. The Schoolhouse is still open for take away coffee and food during this lockdown period.
Stay safe – we are getting through this.
主任牧师寄语
23/08/2020
注意：下周日的双语崇拜会改在11am.
这个星期日是五旬节后的第12个星期日，福音的阅读是关于天国的钥匙和只考虑尘世事物的错误。Roger Featherston牧师为我们视频Zoom 崇拜的正道。
圣彼得通常被描绘为他带着通往天堂的钥匙。这就是为什么我们开玩笑地说他在天国之门让人们进来——因为他有钥匙!
然而，由于教派不同，这段经文的解释有些争议。在这段经文中，耶稣把西门改名为彼得(在希腊语中petros =岩石)。耶稣说:“我要在这磐石上建立我的教会。”“我会把天国的钥匙给你……'.
人们称颂圣彼得，认为是他建立了罗马教会，从此“圣彼得显现堂”(圣公会的当地教会)被罗马主教——教皇所占据。圣保罗曾写信给罗马人，希望能去拜访他们，但他当时只能作为囚犯去的。彼得和保罗都在罗马殉道，是这座城市的共同守护圣徒。
后来的罗马主教宣称自己的地位比其他主教高，因为他们的权威可以追溯到圣彼得，他是“整个教会的领袖”，他们的根据就是今天早上读的福音。当然，几个世纪以来，这并没有得到其他主教的认可。
Origen, Aurelius Augustine, and John Chrysostom相信是彼得承认(不是彼得本人)耶稣是教会建造的磐石。你会读到耶稣说:“在这块石头上，我要建立你刚才承认的信仰。凭你的话，“你是基督，永生神的儿子”，我将建立我的教会，因为你是彼得。
所以关于耶稣的意图有很多不同意见，这取决于哪种解释适合你的立场，特别是如果你是教皇的话。我认为彼得是否被任命为教会的基石并不重要。彼得对信仰的陈述和教会的引导给耶稣留下了深刻的印象。耶稣没有提到罗马或彼得的继承者。我们人类总是把一切都与继承和权力有关。
未来有很多大事情正在酝酿中，无论何时我们真正看到这些，同时:
下周我们有崭新的开始…
周日上午10钟的晨祷崇拜
为了相互交流…… (点击图片参加)加强了解…… (点击图片参加)
加强了解…… (点击图片参加)
我们的网上崇拜及查经详情可在圣安德烈教会的网页上找到，At Home @ St Andrew’s，
星期三上午十时三十分加入我们的“与主任牧师及朋友见面”。你可以通过网络 加入或电话加入。如果您有任何活动需要联系我们，请致电0421 321 321。
我们在星期四上午10点(英文)和星期五晚上7:30(中文)也有圣经学习。请点击上面的链接加入。
还有。。。。
其他你可能感兴趣并可在网上参加的活动:
“禁闭中的朝圣”——一个关于隔离、朝圣和沙漠智慧的Zoom网上谈话和讨论，由the Most Reverend Stephen Cottrell, York大主教8月25日@晚上7时主讲。注册点击这里。想参加晚上的讲座，请点击这里（click here)。
在本月的《科学、信仰和文化角度》(Angles on Science, Faith and Culture)中我们将要讨论虚拟现实、数字社交关系以及年轻人如何把握网络世界的机遇和陷阱，这些都将主持牧师节目的克里斯·穆哈林博士、认知发展科学家、青少年科幻小说《Mindcull》的作者凯瑟琳·卡诺比博士、墨尔本圣公会大主教菲利普·弗雷尔博士共同参与。
现在，你可以在Apple播客、Spotify或谷歌播客上搜索《关于科学、信仰和文化的角度》，或者点击这里进入网站并点击链接。
咖啡馆Schoolhouse外的Church & St Andrew’s街交叉路口有很多修缮工作，但不像我预期的那样，它和Carpenter街的环形交叉路口不一样——没有升高的人行横道。
他们目前正在重新粉刷人行横道，这项工作将在下周基本完成。
这对Schoolhouse的新管理者Kim and Mar来说正好是时候，他们将在这个月底开始工作。在这段时间里，Schoolhouse仍然开放外卖咖啡和食物。
祝福大家保持安全平安！