Over the period from August to October 2020 — COVID-19 willing!!! — our principal focus for Sunday sermon reflections will be the writings of the prophet Ezekiel.

Ezekiel appears in the Revised Common Lectionary cycle about 10 times, although largely as a ‘supporting artist’, complementing other readings or events in the liturgical calendar. Our 2020 series will be to look more closely at the preaching of the prophet himself, now supported by whatever other texts pops up in the Lectionary on those Sundays.

Ezekiel is a ‘long haul’ read, and attention to the whole of the text in detail would take a couple of years of Sundays! We will, instead, draw from the text via a series of themes central to Ezekiel, in order to develop a picture of his proclamation and what it might mean for us today. The principal text(s) for the coming Sunday’s reflection will be made known via the weekly MtE Update posts on our home page.

Preparing for the series

Whether you are going to be following the services online or attending MtE once we’re back for worship post-COVID-19, you’ll find it helpful to read the whole of Ezekiel. It’s a long text, and may take a couple of sittings.

Good support for this reading can be found from the Bible Project’s summary of the book in two videos — Part 1 and Part 2 (about 15 minutes in total) — and from Professor Christine Hayes’ introduction to Ezekiel in her Yale lectures (about the first 30 minutes of this lecture). A text intro with a structural breakdown of the book can be found here.

Commentaries

Two possibilities include Nancy Bowen’s ‘Ezekiel’ (Abingdon Old Testament Commentary – full range of purchase options), or Bruce Vawter and Leslie J. Hoppe’s ‘Ezekiel: A New Heart’ (International theological commentary – full range of purchase options. The Interpretation commentary series is also a reliable resource; the Ezekiel one can be previewed here, with a full range of purchase options (paperback) here (hardback and e-versions are also available). These three commentaries haven’t been sighted (libraries are not yet open on the COVID-19 regime!) but can be expected to be quite accessible and are commended on the basis for the quality of the series of which they are parts.

For the intrepid, Robert Jenson’s Ezekiel is a thorough commentary from a historical-theological perspective. Full range of purchase options, also available on Kindle.

1. Hotham Mission at Work update
2. This week’s Synod eNews
3. A friends of Vallore fundraising appeal
4. This week June 28 we continue with set RCL readings, looking again at the selection from Paul’s letter to the Romans. Some introductory comment on the readings for Sunday can be found here.
5. A brief account of ministry of the saint(s) commemorated this Sunday can be found here: June 28 – Irenaeus

1. Our study groups wind up the current series this week. A continuation of the Old Testament overview series will commence again in the third week of July, following the school holidays. 
2. News from the Justice and International Mission Cluster (June 15)
3. This week’s Synod eNews  (June 18)
4. A friends of Vallore fundraising appeal
5. If you’ve not had a look lately, check out what’s happening at Hotham Mission
6. Hotham Mission in the local news…
7. This week June 21 we conclude return to the set RCL readings for a at least a few weeks. Background to the readings for Sunday can be found here.
8. A brief account of ministry of the saint(s) commemorated this Sunday can be found here: June 24 – John the Baptist

1. See the first item in last week’s MtE Update on the present plans for returning to worship together at MtE. 
2. News from the Justice and International Mission Cluster 
3. This week’s Synod eNews 
4. The latest Presbytery update is here.
5. This week June 14 we conclude our series on 1 Peter, looking broadly at chapter 5 but with a view to summarising what we have heard from the letter. Background to the other readings for Sunday (we’ll hear the psalm and gospel) can be found here.
6. A brief account of ministry of the saint(s) commemorated this Sunday can be found here: June 15 – Evelyn Underhill

1. Return to gathered worship services at MtE. The church council has considered this week the timing of a return to worship, as COVID19-related restrictions are slowly relaxed. We resolved that we would return to gathered worship as soon as possible after restrictions on church gatherings allow as many of the congregation to attend who wish to, without the need to exclude any or run multiple services . That is, we will return to worship when it is possible to gather with around 40 people (the present limit is 20 for a religious gathering, and would likely mean excluding some from worship). We recognise that there may be some who will be hesitant to attend even as the authorities relax the restrictions. It is our plan to continue with an online provision of the service in addition to the gathered service, shifting from the present pre-recorded service to an online livestream of the gathered service. This will mean that those who can’t come to the service will be able to watch a real-time broadcast. We will be working on the logisitics of this over the next couple of weeks so that it is in place when we are ready to return to church (more or less!) together. 
2. News from the Justice and International Mission Cluster (June 3)
3. This week’s Synod eNews (June 4)

4. On Thursday 04/06/20 the following food parcels were provided by Hotham Mission:

    –          30 x St. Joseph’s Flexible Learning Centre

   –          25 x Unison Housing

   –          25 x Wombat Housing

   –          15 x The Venny

   –          15 x Hope Co-op West Melbourne

   –          8 x Mount Alexander College

   –          8 x African-Australian Multicultural Employment and Youth Services (AAMEYS)

   –          6 x West Melbourne Baptist Church

   –          6 x Asylum Seekers accommodated by Hotham Mission

    Total = 138 food parcels, including 70 fresh ready-made meals donated by the RACV.

5. This week June 7 / Trinity Sunday, Rob Gallacher is our preacher. Background to the readings for Sunday can be found here.
6. A brief account of ministry of the saint(s) commemorated this Sunday can be found here: June 9 – Columba of Iona.

1. While the relaxing of restrictions on social gatherings now makes a form of gathered worship service possible, the cleaning and spacing requirements are presently onerous and the church council has not yet considered the logistics for a return to ‘normal’ services at MtE. Some of the Synod’s advice in relation to this is available from the Synod eNews postings in this and the last few weeks’ MtE Updates. For the next couple of weeks (at least) Sunday services at MtE will continue to be delivered online. Church Council will consider what we might be able to do in response to the easing of restrictions at the next council meeting, June 4.
2. Our second quarter study groups continue online for as long as we need to before going back to face-to-face. The studies are an introduction to modern scholarly readings of the Old Testament using online an video and transcript resource — lots of new things to discover! The two groups presently comprise 20 people from 6(!)  congregations. It’s not too late to join in — see here for more information.
3. Latest Synod eNews (May 28) is here.
4. This week May 31 / Pentecost we continue our 1 Peter series, looking at 4.1-11; we are a couple of weeks behind where the lectionary is now with 1 Peter. The psalm and the gospel for the Sunday will be as set in the Lectionary, and some background can be found here
5. A brief account of ministry of the saint(s) commemorated this Sunday can be found here. May 27 – John Calvin.

1. Our second quarter study groups are now underway, online for as long as we need to be before going back to face-to-face. The studies are an introduction to modern scholarly readings of the Old Testament using online an video and transcript resousrce — lots of new things to discover! It’s not too late to join in — see here for more information.
2. Latest Synod eNews (May 21) is here.
3. News from the Justice and International Mission Cluster (May 21)
4. This week May 24 / Easter 7A we continue our 1 Peter series, looking at 3.8-22; this a couple of weeks behind where the lectionary is now with 1 Peter. Some background on part of this text is available here: 1 Peter 3:13-21; see also the By the Well podcast on this text
   Part of this text . The psalm and the gospel for the Sunday will be as set in the Lectionary, and some background can be found here
5. A brief account of ministry of the saint(s) commemorated this Sunday can be found here: May 24 – John and Charles Wesley  

1. Our second quarter study groups are underway, online for as long as we need to be before going back to face-to-face. The studies will be the first of several as part of an overview of the Old Testament — lots of new things to discover! It’s not too late to join in — see here for more information.
2. If you would still like to be added to the opt-in ‘MtE C-19 contacts list’, find and reply to the email from Craig a couple of weeks ago…
3. Latest eNews from the Synod (May 14)
4. News from the Justice and International Mission Cluster
5. This week May 17 / Easter 6A we resume our 1 Peter series, looking at 2.13-25; this a couple of weeks behind where the lectionary is now with 1 Peter. The psalm and the gospel for the Sunday will be as set in the Lectionary, and some commentary can be found here.
6. A brief account of ministry of the saint commemorated this Sunday can be found here: May 14 – Matthias, Simon, Jude  

1. Our second quarter study groups are underway, online for as long as we need to be before going back to face-to-face. The studies are an overview of the Old Testament using a video resource on YouTube; see here for more information. Not too late to opt in!
2. If you would still like to be added to the opt-in ‘MtE C-19 contacts list’, find and reply to the email from Craig last week…
3. Most recent Synod eNews (May 7)
4. Among the things Hotham Mission continues to do during the health crisis is provide food relieve through several centres North Melbourne and Kensington: on Thursday 07/05/20 the following food parcels were provided:
   –  30 x St. Joseph’s Flexible Learning Centre
   – 25 x Unison Housing
   – 25 x Wombat Housing
   – 15 x The Venny
   – 7 x African-Australian Multicultural Employment and Youth Services (AAMEYS)
   –  5 x Asylum Seekers accommodated by Hotham Mission
   – 4 x City of Melbourne
   Total = 111 food parcels, including 70 x fresh ready-made meals donated by the RACV.
5. This week Peter Blackwood is preaching, and we take a break from the 1 Peter series. The commentary for this week’s readings, May 10 / Easter 5A, is here.
6. A brief account of ministry of the saint commemorated this Sunday can be found here: May 8 – Julian of Norwich  

Rob Gallacher, The Colour of Prayer; Contemplating Christian Icons (Blackburn, Victoria: Penfolk, 2020)

Melbourne based icon writer Rev Dr Rob Gallacher has produced this stunning collection of his own work. The author, who began developing his own skills in this art form thirty-five years ago, founded the Otira Icon School, later known as the Uniting Church Icon Schools, in 1995. He has also travelled extensively in the Eastern European and Middle-Eastern homelands of the icon as a distinctive form of Christian art. The Book, The Colour of Prayer, was to be launched in late April, but this had to be postponed because of the lockdown. In the meantime the author has made his book available following a ‘soft launch’ on the internet, with a proper book launch to follow, hopefully in September.

The book contains reproductions of thirty-nine icons in brilliant colour, beautifully photographed by Michael Shirrefs, each accompanied by two sets of text: an explanation of the icon in the context of biblical story behind it; and a contemplative reflection on the scene depicted. The contemplation is invariably completed with an excerpt from a hymn from Together in Song, an element that ties the foreignness, to western eyes, of the icon art form with the familiarity, to western ears, of the hymnal. The book is thus more than simply and exhibition of Rob Gallacher’s impressive and skillfully executed body of work – it is also, and more importantly, offered as an aid to prayer.  Whether or not you are already familiar with the place of icons in Christian art and prayer life, this book will lead you to see some of the Gospel narratives with new insight; whether or not you already make use of icons in your prayer life, this book will deepen your approach to prayer.

 Rev. Dr. Duncan Reid.

If you would like to order a copy and haven’t received the details directly, email the minister to have your request forwarded: minister@marktheevangelist.unitingchurch.org.au