06 July 2025
10:30 | 
Posted by
Dr Platts |
The church was still full of flowers from the wedding on Saturday. Rather than the sermon in the middle of the service, Fr Chris robed in front of the altar and explained the meaning of each piece of his liturgical garb, along with the accompanying prayer. As he fitted his microphone, he told us there was no prayer for that, but I am sure something could be put together about "speaking the Lord's word truthfully". Not many of us knew the names of the mostly hidden pieces of vestments, I only knew of the stole and chasuble. (I once made matching stoles and chasubles for a friend when he got his first church). An interesting start to our service.
A reading form the book of Kings.
Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram,
was a great man and in high favour with his master,
because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram.
The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy.
Now the Arameans on one of their raids
had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel,
and she served Naaman’s wife.
She said to her mistress,
‘If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria!
He would cure him of his leprosy.’
So Naamanc went in
and told his lord just what the girl from the land of Israel had said.
And the king of Aram said,
‘Go then, and I will send along a letter to the king of Israel.’
He went, taking with him ten talents of silver,
six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of garments.
He brought the letter to the king of Israel,
which read, ‘When this letter reaches you,
know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman,
that you may cure him of his leprosy.’
When the king of Israel read the letter,
he tore his clothes and said,
‘Am I God, to give death or life,
that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy?
Just look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me.’
But when Elisha the man of God
heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes,
he sent a message to the king,
‘Why have you torn your clothes?
Let him come to me,
that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel.’
So Naaman came with his horses and chariots,
and halted at the entrance of Elisha’s house.
Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying,
‘Go, wash in the Jordan seven times,
and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.’
But Naaman became angry and went away, saying,
‘I thought that for me he would surely come out,
and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God,
and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy!
Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus,
better than all the waters of Israel?
Could I not wash in them, and be clean?’
He turned and went away in a rage.
But his servants approached and said to him,
‘Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult,
would you not have done it?
How much more, when all he said to you was,
“Wash, and be clean”?’
So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan,
according to the word of the man of God;
his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy,
and he was clean.
Galatians 6:1-16
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Galatians.
My friends,
if anyone is detected in a transgression,
you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness.
Take care that you yourselves are not tempted.
Bear one another’s burdens,
and in this way you will fulfilb the law of Christ.
For if those who are nothing think they are something,
they deceive themselves.
All must test their own work;
then that work, rather than their neighbour’s work,
will become a cause for pride.
For all must carry their own loads.
Those who are taught the word must share in all good things with their teacher.
Do not be deceived;
God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow.
If you sow to your own flesh,
you will reap corruption from the flesh;
but if you sow to the Spirit,
you will reap eternal life from the Spirit.
So let us not grow weary in doing what is right,
for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up.
So then, whenever we have an opportunity,
let us work for the good of all,
and especially for those of the family of faith.
See what large letters I make when I am writing in my own hand!
It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh
that try to compel you to be circumcised—
only that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.
Even the circumcised do not themselves obey the law,
but they want you to be circumcised
so that they may boast about your flesh.
May I never boast of anything
except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
by whichc the world has been crucified to me,
and I to the world.
For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything;
but a new creation is everything!
As for those who will follow this rule—
peace be upon them, and mercy,
and upon the Israel of God.
Luke 10:1-11, 16-20
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ acording to Luke.
After this the Lord appointed seventy others
and sent them on ahead of him in pairs
to every town and place where he himself intended to go.
He said to them,
‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few;
therefore ask the Lord of the harvest
to send out labourers into his harvest.
Go on your way.
See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves.
Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals;
and greet no one on the road.
Whatever house you enter,
first say, “Peace to this house!”
And if anyone is there who shares in peace,
your peace will rest on that person;
but if not, it will return to you.
Remain in the same house,
eating and drinking whatever they provide,
for the labourer deserves to be paid.
Do not move about from house to house.
Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you,
eat what is set before you;
cure the sick who are there, and say to them,
“The kingdom of God has come near to you.”
But whenever you enter a town
and they do not welcome you,
go out into its streets and say,
“Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet,
we wipe off in protest against you.
Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.”
‘Whoever listens to you listens to me,
and whoe rejects you rejects me,
and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.’
The seventy returned with joy, saying,
‘Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!’
He said to them,
‘I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning.
See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions,
and over all the power of the enemy;
and nothing will hurt you.
Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this,
that the spirits submit to you,
but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.’
29 June 2025
Acts 12:1-11
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles.
About that time
King Herod laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the church.
He had James, the brother of John, killed with the sword.
After he saw that it pleased the Jews,
he proceeded to arrest Peter also.
(This was during the festival of Unleavened Bread.)
When he had seized him, he put him in prison
and handed him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him,
intending to bring him out to the people after the Passover.
While Peter was kept in prison,
the church prayed fervently to God for him.
The very night before Herod was going to bring him out,
Peter, bound with two chains, was sleeping between two soldiers,
while guards in front of the door were keeping watch
over the prison.
Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared
and a light shone in the cell.
He tapped Peter on the side and woke him,
saying, ‘Get up quickly.’
And the chains fell off his wrists.
The angel said to him,
‘Fasten your belt and put on your sandals.’
He did so. Then he said to him,
‘Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.’
Peter went out and followed him;
he did not realize
that what was happening with the angel’s help was real;
he thought he was seeing a vision.
After they had passed the first and the second guard,
they came before the iron gate leading into the city.
It opened for them of its own accord,
and they went outside and walked along a lane,
when suddenly the angel left him.
Then Peter came to himself and said,
‘Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel
and rescued me from the hands of Herod
and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.’
2 Timothy 2:19-25
A reading from the first letter of Peter.
But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this inscription:
‘The Lord knows those who are his’, and,
‘Let everyone who calls on the name of the Lord turn away from wickedness.’
In a large house there are utensils not only of gold and silver
but also of wood and clay,
some for special use, some for ordinary.
All who cleanse themselves of the things I have mentioned will become special utensils,
dedicated and useful to the owner of the house,
ready for every good work.
Shun youthful passions and pursue righteousness,
faith, love, and peace,
along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
Have nothing to do with stupid and senseless controversies;
you know that they breed quarrels.
And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kindly to everyone,
an apt teacher, patient,
correcting opponents with gentleness.
God may perhaps grant that they will repent and come to know the truth,
Matthew 6:13-19
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi,
he asked his disciples,
‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’
And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist,
but others Elijah,
and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’
He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’
Simon Peter answered,
‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’
And Jesus answered him,
‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah!
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you,
but my Father in heaven.
And I tell you, you are Peter,
and on this rock I will build my church,
and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven,
and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’
22 June 2025
Genesis 14:18-20
A reading from the book of Genesis.
King Melchizedek of Salem brought out bread and wine;
he was priest of God Most High.
He blessed him and said,
‘Blessed be Abram by God Most High, maker of heaven and earth;
and blessed be God Most High,
who has delivered your enemies into your hand!’
And Abram gave him one-tenth of everything.
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
A reading from the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians.
For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you,
that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread,
and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said,
‘This is my body that is for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.’
In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying,
‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup,
you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
John 6:51-58
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven.
Whoever eats of this bread will live for ever;
and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’
The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying,
‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’
So Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you,
unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,
you have no life in you.
Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life,
and I will raise them up on the last day;
for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.
Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me,
and I in them.
Just as the living Father sent me,
and I live because of the Father,
so whoever eats me will live because of me.
This is the bread that came down from heaven,
not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died.
But the one who eats this bread will live for ever.’
15 June 2025
Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31
A reading from the book of Proverbs.
Does not wisdom call,
and does not understanding raise her voice?
On the heights, beside the way,
at the crossroads she takes her stand;
beside the gates in front of the town,
at the entrance of the portals she cries out:
‘To you, O people, I call
and my cry is to all that live.
The Lord created me at the beginning of his work,
the first of his acts of long ago.
Ages ago I was set up,
at the first, before the beginning of the earth.
When there were no depths I was brought forth,
when there were no springs abounding with water.
Before the mountains had been shaped,
before the hills, I was brought forth—
when he had not yet made earth and fields,
or the world’s first bits of soil.
When he established the heavens, I was there,
when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,
when he made firm the skies above,
when he established the fountains of the deep,
when he assigned to the sea its limit,
so that the waters might not transgress his command,
when he marked out the foundations of the earth,
then I was beside him, like a master worker;
and I was daily his delight,
rejoicing before him always,
rejoicing in his inhabited world
and delighting in the human race.
Romans 5:1-5
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans.
Therefore, since we are justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand;
and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.
And not only that,
but we also boast in our sufferings,
knowing that suffering produces endurance,
and endurance produces character,
and character produces hope,
and hope does not disappoint us,
because God’s love has been poured into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
John 16:12-15
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
Jesus said to his disciples:
‘I still have many things to say to you,
but you cannot bear them now.
When the Spirit of truth comes,
he will guide you into all the truth;
for he will not speak on his own,
but will speak whatever he hears,
and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
He will glorify me,
because he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
All that the Father has is mine.
For this reason I said
that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
08 June 2025
Acts 2:1-21
A reading from the Acts of the Apostle.
When the day of Pentecost had come,
they were all together in one place.
And suddenly from heaven there came a sound
like the rush of a violent wind,
and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.
Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them,
and a tongue rested on each of them.
All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak in other languages,
as the Spirit gave them ability.
Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven
living in Jerusalem.
And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered,
because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.
Amazed and astonished, they asked,
‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?
And how is it that we hear, each of us,
in our own native language?
Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia,
Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
Phrygia and Pamphylia,
Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene,
and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,
Cretans and Arabs—
in our own languages we hear them speaking
about God’s deeds of power.’
All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another,
‘What does this mean?’
But others sneered and said,
‘They are filled with new wine.’
But Peter, standing with the eleven,
raised his voice and addressed them:
‘Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem,
let this be known to you, and listen to what I say.
Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose,
for it is only nine o’clock in the morning.
No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
“In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.
Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
and they shall prophesy.
And I will show portents in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood,
before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.
Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
shall be saved.”
Romans 8:14-17
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans.
All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
For you did not receive a spirit of slavery
to fall back into fear,
but you have received a spirit of adoption.
When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’
it is that very Spirit bearing witness
with our spirit that we are children of God,
and if children, then heirs,
heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—
if, in fact, we suffer with him
so that we may also be glorified with him.
John 14:8-17
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
Philip said to Jesus,
‘Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.’
Jesus said to him,
‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip,
and you still do not know me?
Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.
How can you say, “Show us the Father”?
Do you not believe
that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?
The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own;
but the Father who dwells in me does his works.
Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me;
but if you do not,
then believe me because of the works themselves.
Very truly, I tell you,
the one who believes in me
will also do the works that I do and, in fact,
will do greater works than these,
because I am going to the Father.
I will do whatever you ask in my name,
so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
If in my name you ask me for anything,
I will do it.
‘If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
And I will ask the Father,
and he will give you another Advocate,
to be with you for ever.
This is the Spirit of truth,
whom the world cannot receive,
because it neither sees him nor knows him.
You know him, because he abides with you,
and he will be in you.
01 June 2025
A fun community day with something for everyone
. This year’s event will be jam-packed with fun activities for the whole family to enjoy. Make sure to save the date!
The fete includes a variety of entertainment, stalls, games, musical entertainment, food, classic cars and the annual dog show and tug of war competition, along with much more! Activities take place on the church field and the St Mary's, the 12 century church will be open for all to enjoy during the event.
Entry is free and everyone’s welcome to attend. Well-behaved dogs on leads are also welcome and we hope to see many of them enter the annual dog show. We look forward to seeing you.
Ten Reasons Why You Should Sing
Singing is good for you, don't take my word for it, I got the following from Opera North!
1. Singing makes you feel better – it releases endorphins, serotonin and dopamine. All of these are “happy chemicals” which boost your mood.
2. Singing enhances lung function. It encourages you to breathe properly, using the muscles around your ribcage and your diaphragm effectively, especially useful for people with chronic lung problems.
3. Singing helps you to beat stress and relax. Breathing properly and with awareness is good for releasing anxiety and puts you into a state of rest and relaxation.
4. Singing helps to improve memory, mental alertness and concentration as it involves focusing on multiple things at once. Which is why it is featuring more and more in dementia care.
5. Singing builds a sense of community. Singing together is a great way of connecting with people and fostering a sense of togetherness.
6. Singing lets you express yourself. You can let go and tap into different emotions depending on what you are singing.
7. Singing helps with pain relief. All those happy chemicals and the fun of singing helps to relieve chronic pain.
8. Singing boosts confidence. Many folk are nervous about performing in public, but being part of a group can boost your confidence. To sing effectively needs good posture – so already you are naturally standing taller.
9. Singing features in wellness studies. The University of Leeds offers an MA in Music and Wellbeing.
10. Singing is for everyone. It really doesn't matter whether you think you can sing or not, the health benefits are the same and most people who think they can't sing, can.
So why not think about joining the St Mary's Choir? We meet every Friday in the Parish Rooms at 6pm for an hour when we rehearse the hymns for Sunday and prepare our anthems and psalms for services to come. We occasionally have extra rehearsals on Saturday mornings for special services, which are fun and often feature tea, coffee and cake! You are not expected to be there every week, after all we all have holidays and other family commitments.
Not sure what voice part you are? Doesn't matter, come along and see where your voice fits comfortably, we can sort you out. No music training is necessary, there are no auditions, you can pick up what you need as you go along. Some of our members couldn't read music when they first started. If we didn't enjoy singing in the choir, we wouldn't be there. Come and be a part of our merry music making.
If you want to know anything else, catch me after 10am service, I love my coffee and biscuit so you will find me in the Parish rooms.
Hilary (alto)
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles.
In the first book, Theophilus,
I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning
until the day when he was taken up to heaven,
after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit
to the apostles whom he had chosen.
After his suffering he presented himself alive to them
by many convincing proofs,
appearing to them over the course of forty days
and speaking about the kingdom of God.
While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem,
but to wait there for the promise of the Father.
‘This’, he said, ‘is what you have heard from me;
for John baptized with water,
but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit
not many days from now.’
So when they had come together, they asked him,
‘Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?’
He replied, ‘It is not for you to know the times or periods
that the Father has set by his own authority.
But you will receive power
when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’
When he had said this, as they were watching,
he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.
While he was going and they were gazing up towards heaven,
suddenly two men in white robes stood by them.
They said, ‘Men of Galilee,
why do you stand looking up towards heaven?
This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven,
will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.’
Ephesians 1:15-23
A reading fromthe letter of Paul to the Ephesians.
I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus
and your love towards all the saints, and for this reason
I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.
I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation
as you come to know him,
so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened,
you may know what is the hope to which he has called you,
what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints,
and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power
for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.
God put this power to work in Christ
when he raised him from the dead
and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,
far above all rule and authority and power and dominion,
and above every name that is named,
not only in this age but also in the age to come.
And he has put all things under his feet
and has made him the head over all things for the church,
which is his body,
the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Luke 24:44-53
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Chris according to Luke.
Jesus said to the disciples,
‘These are my words that I spoke to you
while I was still with you—
that everything written about me in the law of Moses,
the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.’
Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures,
and he said to them,
‘Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer
and to rise from the dead on the third day,
and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed
in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things.
And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised;
so stay here in the city
until you have been clothed with power from on high.’
Then he led them out as far as Bethany,
and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them.
While he was blessing them,
he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven.
And they worshipped him,
and returned to Jerusalem with great joy;
and they were continually in the temple blessing God.
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Saturday 26th July
