27 December 2018
14:14 | 
Posted by
LesleyB |
A busy few days as we celebrate the nativity of Christ here in St Mary's. We started on Sunday 23rd with a quiet and contemplative Parish Eucharist in the morning, the last Sunday of Advent and a real feeling of anticipation of the days to come. This was followed by coffee in the rooms.
We reconvened at 6 pm for the Service of 9 lessons and Carols. Following the traditional service as originally described by the Bishop of Truro, and thinking particularly of those who worship but on another shore, a sentence added after the First World War, we listened to the readings from the Old and the New Testament recalling how Christ's coming was foretold, and described in the Gospels and finally given Universal context by the words of St John. Interspersed were Congregational and Choir carols. The Choir sang, Benedicamus Domino set by Peter Warlock, Small Wonder by Paul Edwards,
In Dulce Jubilo words attributed to Suso and setting by Pearsell, Torches by John Joubert, Lulli Lulla Thou Little Tiny Child arranged by Kenneth Leighton, Sarah Amos sang the solo. and lastly The Echo Carol by Alfred Whitehead. Lucy and Emile sang the first verse of Once in Royal Davids City as a solo. The whole congregation sang Hark the Herald Angels Sing to close the service.
We reconvened at 6 pm for the Service of 9 lessons and Carols. Following the traditional service as originally described by the Bishop of Truro, and thinking particularly of those who worship but on another shore, a sentence added after the First World War, we listened to the readings from the Old and the New Testament recalling how Christ's coming was foretold, and described in the Gospels and finally given Universal context by the words of St John. Interspersed were Congregational and Choir carols. The Choir sang, Benedicamus Domino set by Peter Warlock, Small Wonder by Paul Edwards,
In Dulce Jubilo words attributed to Suso and setting by Pearsell, Torches by John Joubert, Lulli Lulla Thou Little Tiny Child arranged by Kenneth Leighton, Sarah Amos sang the solo. and lastly The Echo Carol by Alfred Whitehead. Lucy and Emile sang the first verse of Once in Royal Davids City as a solo. The whole congregation sang Hark the Herald Angels Sing to close the service.
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| A full Church for the 9 Lessons and Carol Service |
On Christmas eve we had a traditional First Eucharist of Christmas, held at 11 pm. The first service of the Christmas period was a joyous occasion, with the singing of the Gloria again after the austere services of Advent. Father Roger preached at this service and spoke of the true meaning of Christmas, Christs- Mass, and how it brings a message that is for all times and all places.
We left the church on a clear starlight night, wishing each other happy Christmas and filled with joy.
On Christmas morning at 10 am the Sunday School held a service of prayers, carols and tableaux vivant telling the Christmas Story and a bringing presents to share with others. At 11:15 a said service of the Eucharist and carols was held, and enjoyed by all.
On the 26th of December, St Stephens Day, Father Stephen held a Eucharist for the Holy Innocents.
17 December 2018
This morning our 10 am service was Sung Mattins, as we have reached the third Sunday of the month, and the third Sunday of Advent. We started by lighting the third Advent Candle, this year we are remembering St John the Baptist on this day. The Venite, and the psalm appointed for the day were sung by everyone.
After the Old Testament reading we sang the Benedicite omnia opera . The word benedicite means blessing, and the text, taken from the apocryphal book The Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Children. This canticle is sung during Advent and Lent and calls on 'Oh all ye works of the Lord, Bless ye the Lord.'
The New Testament reading was from Luke and told the story of St John the Baptist. The Anthem, sung by the Choir, accompanied by Joanna on the harpsicord, was 'This is the Record of John' by Orlando Gibbons. Barbara Green was the soloist, and James Roriston conducted.
In his Sermon, Father Stephen discussed the role of St John the Baptist, and told us that we now move to the second part of Advent, were our thought turn from repentance and reflection to hope and anticipation of the arrival of the Christ Child.
After the Service there was coffee in the Rooms, and an opportunity to see the new wall hanging now in pride of place.
The service of 9 Lessons and Carols will be next Sunday evening at 6:00 pm do come along.
After the Old Testament reading we sang the Benedicite omnia opera . The word benedicite means blessing, and the text, taken from the apocryphal book The Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Children. This canticle is sung during Advent and Lent and calls on 'Oh all ye works of the Lord, Bless ye the Lord.'
The New Testament reading was from Luke and told the story of St John the Baptist. The Anthem, sung by the Choir, accompanied by Joanna on the harpsicord, was 'This is the Record of John' by Orlando Gibbons. Barbara Green was the soloist, and James Roriston conducted.
In his Sermon, Father Stephen discussed the role of St John the Baptist, and told us that we now move to the second part of Advent, were our thought turn from repentance and reflection to hope and anticipation of the arrival of the Christ Child.
After the Service there was coffee in the Rooms, and an opportunity to see the new wall hanging now in pride of place.
The service of 9 Lessons and Carols will be next Sunday evening at 6:00 pm do come along.
10 December 2018
Father Stephen's sermon was about St Luke's telling of the birth narrative. St Luke took great pains to put it into historical context and geographic position. If it were happening today, he might have said something like "In the reign of Queen Elizabeth the Second, when Theresa May was Prime Minister and Donald Trump, president of USA". John the Baptist was out int he wilderness in order to more clearly hear the word of God. Israel was under the yoke of Rome. Faith and national identity went together. Advent is a time when the bible readings become more challenging. We have drifted from God's purpose and become slack. Advent says Holiness is what God wants us to share. The world need to be restored to his beautiful creation. We, who were created in God's image, have been "doodled" over. We need a good "polishing" and clean up. Sir David Attenborough's recent speech on climate change is an example of a secular prophet. Will he be heard by any other than the already converted?
Following the service, we had coffee, tea and mince pies supplied by the Sunday School and an opportunity to buy their home made sweets for their charities this Christmas. The sale on Sunday made £203.26. Added to the the children's weekly collections and a donation of £18 they handed over a total of £388.83 to their chosen charities which are, Sussex Snowdrop Trust, Teenage Cancer Trust and Goodwill Villages, Southern India. I think we should all applaud their amazing achievement.
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| A sample of the Goodies on sale! |
We had a very busy Sunday today! Being the first Sunday in December, it is the first Sunday in Advent and so the first Advent Candle was lit in the Advent ring.
The children from Sidlesham Primary School sang Away In A Manger and Silent Night accompanied on a guitar.
We also had the distribution of the Christingles and collection of The Children's Society boxes.
The children of the Sunday School gave the address
As Father Stephen has said, today is Advent Sunday and we have lit the first Advent candle. The advent wreath is a symbol of the whole meaning and purpose behind Christmas. Christmas isn’t just about Jesus as a baby. There’s much more to it than just that. The dictionary’s meaning of “advent” is “the coming or the arrival of something important.”
Jesus didn’t come to this world just to be adored as a cute little Baby and give us a chance to celebrate His birthday every year. It was so we could celebrate our OWN spiritual birthdays.
We have the Advent wreath, to remind us WHY Jesus came and that He is coming again.
The green symbolizes the new and everlasting life that we can have through Jesus.
And the circle reminds us of God, Who is eternal, Who has no beginning or end, and who has an endless amount of mercy and love for everyone.
The light from all the candles symbolizes the light of God coming into the world. Jesus is the Light that takes away the darkness of our lives and brings us new life and hope.
The candlelight also reminds us that we are called to be a light to the world as we tell other’s about Jesus.
The white candle in the centre is called the Christ Candle, which will be lit on Christmas Eve.
Jesus is the centre of what we are celebrating and should be the centre of our lives.
We speak of hope - because God keeps his promises to us.
We work for peace - because Jesus is the ‘Prince of Peace’ and he calls his children to work for peace in his name.
We show love - because Jesus gave everything for us and led us to know the forgiveness of God.
We share joy - because the Holy Spirit fills our hearts and minds with the presence of God
When we light our last candle we remember the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ which we celebrate on Christmas Day. So hope, love, peace and joy all come from Jesus which brings light to us and to all the world.
The children also read the intercessions.
Before the Peace, Aleks was admitted to the choir and as is tradition now, the junior choir a few of the adults sang "Lead Me Lord".
After the service, we all followed Father Stephen into the Parish Rooms for the blessing of the new wall hanging.
The children from Sidlesham Primary School sang Away In A Manger and Silent Night accompanied on a guitar.
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| The children from Sidlesham School |
We also had the distribution of the Christingles and collection of The Children's Society boxes.
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| Lighting the Christingles |
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| We sing the Christingle hymn after the Christingles have been lit. |
The children of the Sunday School gave the address
As Father Stephen has said, today is Advent Sunday and we have lit the first Advent candle. The advent wreath is a symbol of the whole meaning and purpose behind Christmas. Christmas isn’t just about Jesus as a baby. There’s much more to it than just that. The dictionary’s meaning of “advent” is “the coming or the arrival of something important.”
Jesus didn’t come to this world just to be adored as a cute little Baby and give us a chance to celebrate His birthday every year. It was so we could celebrate our OWN spiritual birthdays.
We have the Advent wreath, to remind us WHY Jesus came and that He is coming again.
The green symbolizes the new and everlasting life that we can have through Jesus.
And the circle reminds us of God, Who is eternal, Who has no beginning or end, and who has an endless amount of mercy and love for everyone.
The light from all the candles symbolizes the light of God coming into the world. Jesus is the Light that takes away the darkness of our lives and brings us new life and hope.
The candlelight also reminds us that we are called to be a light to the world as we tell other’s about Jesus.
The three
purple candles represent royalty. Jesus is God, AND came from
royalty on earth. Jesus came from the family of King David and
is the rightful heir to the throne of Israel. But Jesus was rejected
as king, and was crucified. So Jesus will be coming again some
day to fulfill this promise.
We don’t know WHEN, but we do know that He WILL.
We don’t know WHEN, but we do know that He WILL.
The first candle that we have lit today stands for hope and we remember the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the ancestors of our faith. We hear the message of hope told to Abraham from the book of Genesis.
The LORD had said to Abraham, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.
“I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you;
I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.’’
Abraham was obedient to God and left his home to go to a distant land. God told Abraham that through him all the nations of the world would be blessed. This blessing would come because he trusted and put his hope in God. The Gospel writer Matthew traces the ancestry of Jesus back through the Old Testament to Abraham.
So it was that the promise was fulfilled, that all the nations of the world were blessed through the obedience of Abraham.
The Second Candle stands for peace.
It reminds us of the prophets who spoke of the coming of Christ. They told of how a Saviour would be born, a king in the line of King David. The prophet Isaiah called Christ "the Prince of Peace" and told us how he would rule the world wisely and bless all the nations.
The third candle to light is the pink candle of love and we remember John the Baptist.
In their old age God gave to Zechariah and Elisabeth a son called John. John spoke to the people bravely in the desert denying his own comforts and was prepared to die for what he believed. John taught that we should share what we have with others, treat each other kindly and show God’s love. He did this because he cared for people and wanted them to repent and find God's forgiveness.
St Matthew’s Gospel.
In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of
Judea and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." This
is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: ‘A voice of one
calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight
paths for him.'
The final purple candle is to reflect JOY – as in the celebration of Jesus’ birth, death, resurrection and His Second Coming. When this candle is lit on the fourth Sunday of Advent we will remember Mary the Mother of Jesus.
Mary had been told by the angel Gabriel that she would bear Jesus, a holy child, the Son of God. We are told that Mary rejoiced and sang a song which glorified God. Just as the birth of Jesus gave great joy to his mother, so his presence in the world gave joy to those who had none before. He healed them and gave them hope and peace when they believed in him.
St Luke’s Gospel.
And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”
The white candle in the centre is called the Christ Candle, which will be lit on Christmas Eve.
Jesus is the centre of what we are celebrating and should be the centre of our lives.
We speak of hope - because God keeps his promises to us.
We work for peace - because Jesus is the ‘Prince of Peace’ and he calls his children to work for peace in his name.
We show love - because Jesus gave everything for us and led us to know the forgiveness of God.
We share joy - because the Holy Spirit fills our hearts and minds with the presence of God
When we light our last candle we remember the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ which we celebrate on Christmas Day. So hope, love, peace and joy all come from Jesus which brings light to us and to all the world.
The children also read the intercessions.
Before the Peace, Aleks was admitted to the choir and as is tradition now, the junior choir a few of the adults sang "Lead Me Lord".
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| Aleks makes his promises. |
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| Aleks is now wearing his cassock |
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| Mrs Chivers and Miss Rodd will now help Aleks on his choral journey . |
After the service, we all followed Father Stephen into the Parish Rooms for the blessing of the new wall hanging.
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| The new wall hanging is blessing and sprinkled with Holy water. |
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| The finished hanging, simple and beautiful. |
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