29 March 2020
00:30 | 
Posted by
Dr Platts |
‘THOUGHT
FOR THE WEEK’ FROM THE REVEREND STEPHEN GUISE, PRIEST IN CHARGE –
PASSION SUNDAY, 29 MARCH
‘The
Crucifixion’ c1315-30, School of Duccio di Buoninsegna, Manchester
Art Gallery
Dear
Friends
In
the latter Sundays of Lent the Gospel readings come from St John’s
Gospel, since this is regarded as being more ‘spiritual’ than the
synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke.
St
John was believed to be the youngest disciple, and closer to Jesus
than the others. It was John who at the Last Supper rested on the
chest of Jesus, and who secretly asked him who was to betray him.
On
the last Sundays of Lent we read St John’s narratives concerning
Jesus’ encounters with a range of people who are encouraged to
believe in him as God’s Son: firstly, Nicodemus, whose secret
nocturnal meeting with Jesus is characterized by the famous statement
(John 3:16): ‘Those who believe in me will never die but will have
eternal life’; then the Samaritan woman at the well, with the
challenge of the need to ‘worship in spirit and truth’; and, on
the fourth Sunday of Lent (provided that Mothering Sunday readings
are not used), we hear from the passage in John 9:1-41 of the healing
of the man born blind, and Jesus’s words: ‘I am the light of the
world’. Of course, the use of ‘I am’ by Jesus appears to the
scribes and pharisees to be blasphemous, since Jesus is overtly
equating himself with God, and this seals his fate.
Now,
on Passion Sunday, the fifth in Lent, we read the story of the
raising of Lazarus which many commentators understand as a
prefigurement of the resurrection. To Martha’s rather petulant ‘If
you had been here my brother would not have died’, Jesus responds,
‘I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me,
even though that person dies, will live, and whoever lives and
believes in me will never die’ (John 11:26).
As
Passiontide progresses, culminating in Holy Week, we would normally
be holding ‘Stations of the Cross’ in church. It was thought
that the traditional stations were initially placed during the 1750s
around the Colosseum in Rome, the site of where so many Christians
were martyred, as a way of remembering the ‘via dolorosa’ which
Jesus himself followed from the praetorium, where he was tried by
Pilate, to Golgotha, the site of the Crucifixion. Hymns such as
‘When I survey the wondrous cross’ are sung between each Station,
and Christians who follow this ‘mini pilgrimage’ around the
church are thus given the opportunity to focus their meditations on
Jesus’ journey, and to reflect on the way in which their own lives,
and those of others, participate in that pattern of suffering –
whilst trusting, all the while, that we are also invited to share in
his victory over sin, death and the forces of evil.
As the Collect
for the fifth Sunday of Lent puts it:-
Most
merciful God,
who
by the death and resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ
delivered
and saved the world:
grant
that by faith in him who suffered on the cross
we
may triumph in the power of his victory;
through
Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who
is alive and reigns with you,
in
the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one
God, now and for ever. Amen.
The
message, then, is ultimately one of resurrection and hope, and this
is surely needed more than ever in the challenging times through
which we are all currently living.
Fr
Stephen
Romans 8:6-11
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans.
To set the mind on the flesh is death,
but t set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God;
it does not submit to God's law -
indeed it cannot,
and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
But you are not in the flesh;
you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you.
Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ
does not belong to him.
But if Christ is in you,
though the body is dead because of sin,
the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
he who raised Christ from the dead
will give life to your mortal bodies also
through his Spirit that dwells in you.
Gospel
John 11:1-45
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
A certain man was ill,
Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume
and wiped his feet with her hair;
her brother Lazarus was ill.
So the sisters sent a message to Jesus,
"Lord, he whom you love is ill."
But when Jesus heard it, he said,
"This illness does not lead to death;
rather it is for God's glory,
so that the Son of God may be glorified through it."
Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus,
after having heard that Lazarus was ill,
he stayed 2 days longer in the place where he was.
Then after this he said to his disciples,
"Let us go to Judea again."
The disciples said to him,
"Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you,
and are you going there again?"
Jesus answered,
"Are there not twelve hours in the day?
If any one walks in the day, he does not stumble,
because he sees the light of this world.
But if any one walks in the night, he stumbles,
because the light is not in him."
Thus he spoke, and then he said to them,
"Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep,
but I go to awake him out of sleep."
The disciples said to him,
"Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover."
Now Jesus had spoken of his death,
but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep.
Then Jesus told them plainly,
"Lazarus is dead;
and for your sake I am glad that I was not there,
so that you may believe.
But let us go to him."
Thomas, called the Twin,
said to his fellow disciples,
"Let us also go, that we may die with him."
Now when Jesus came,
he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.
Bethany was near Jerusalem,
about two miles off,
and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary
to console them concerning their brother.
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him,
while Mary sat in the house.
Martha said to Jesus,
"Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
And even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you."
Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."
Martha said to him,
"I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life;
he who believes in me,
though he die, yet shall he live,
and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.
Do you believe this?"
She said to him,
"Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ,
the Son of God, he who is coming into the world."
When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary,
saying quietly,
"The Teacher is here and is calling for you."
And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him.
Now Jesus had not yet come to the village,
but was still in the place where Martha had met him.
When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her,
saw Mary rise quickly and go out,
they followed her, supposing
that she was going to the tomb to weep there.
Then Mary, when she came where Jesus was and saw him,
fell at his feet, saying to him,
"Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."
When Jesus saw her weeping,
and the Jews who came with her also weeping,
he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled;
and he said, "Where have you laid him?"
They said to him, "Lord, come and see."
Jesus wept.
So the Jews said, "See how he loved him!"
But some of them said,
"Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man
have kept this man from dying?"
Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb;
it was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.
Jesus said, "Take away the stone."
Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him,
"Lord, by this time there will be an odour,
for he has been dead four days."
Jesus said to her,
"Did I not tell you that if you would believe
you would see the glory of God?"
So they took away the stone.
And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said,
"Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.
I knew that thou hearest me always,
but I have said this on account of the people standing by,
that they may believe that thou didst send me."
When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice,
"Lazarus, come out."
The dead man came out,
his hands and feet bound with bandages,
and his face wrapped with a cloth.
Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."
Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary
and had seen what he did, believed in him.
Stephen
 |
| The Relics of St Lazarus now in Southern Cyprus. Photo's by H Platts |
Over the centuries the chapel over the grave of St Lazarus was used as a Catholic church under the Franks, a mosque under the Ottomans, and finally returned to its roots as an Orthodox church in the 16th century. More human bones, thought to belong to St Lazarus were discovered in the church in 1972 and some were sent to Russia in 2002 as a gift to the Russian Orthodox church. Cypriot pilgrims venerate the remaining bones of Lazarus in the church of Agios Lazaros in Larnaka, where I took the photographs above.
Hilary Platts
Hilary Platts
27 March 2020
A number of volunteers have come forward who will
co-ordinate support, and/or actually be the ones who shop, collect
prescriptions, arrange a supermarket delivery, etc for those who need to
self-isolate in the village - either because of age, because of existing
conditions or because of symptoms.
If you are self-isolating and need help, contact any
of the following who will arrange for some-one to contact you and help -
- Chris Field, 01243 641 493, chrisannfield@hotmail.com
- Alison Bell, 01243641 274, bellplumbing@btinternet.com
- Suzanne and Bryan Bone, 01243 641 495,
dembones369@btinternet.com
- Gary Hopkinson, 01243 641641, gary,hopkinson@sky.com
- Mary Coales, 01243 641513, marycoales@clara.co.uk
- Janet Harland, 01243 641 698, janetlharland@btinternet.com
- Al Horsley, 01243 641 839, alexandra@expatriatelaw.com
- Steven Foden, 01243 641 035, fodenseven@gmail.com
- Wendy Devonshire, 01243 641 457, dancingdevonshire@hotmail.com
We
have been told that the scams have already started with strangers knocking on
the door of self isolating households and offering to do shopping. The householders hand over the money for the
shopping and never see the scammer, or their shopping, again.
Those
from the village referred to you by the
contacts will identify themselves by name and, if it is not the person that you
contacted, will say that they have been sent by (the name of the person whom
you contacted). All of the volunteers
are known to us.
22 March 2020
This short service (25 minutes) for today, Mothering Sunday, is from Father Kevin O'Brien, the Vicar of Ennis in the Republic of Ireland. Please do watch and enjoy the fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Ireland. It can be found here »
The words of the service and the communal prayers can be downloaded from here »
Father Kevin will continue to prepare these videos for us during this difficult time.
Don't forget to wash your hands, stay at home and stay well!!
God Bless everyone.
The words of the service and the communal prayers can be downloaded from here »
Father Kevin will continue to prepare these videos for us during this difficult time.
Don't forget to wash your hands, stay at home and stay well!!
God Bless everyone.
‘THOUGHT
FOR THE WEEK’ FROM THE REVEREND STEPHEN GUISE, PRIEST IN CHARGE –
SUNDAY, 22 MARCH
Only
very recently we have been told to hold no more church services
(although weddings and funerals continue to be exempt from this, with
certain provisos), until it is felt that there is no further danger
of infection from the coronavirus. We understand the danger, but the
directive is a severe blow to committed Christians who will have to
do without the regular celebration of the Eucharist. I and many
others have been racking our brains to discover a safe way to
worship, to pray, hear the word of God, and to receive the sacrament.
However, we must accept the current restrictions, and that these may
be in place at least until September, unless the situation changes
dramatically.
We
are anxious, nevertheless, that churchgoers and others still feel
part of a worshipping community, and so we are happy to confirm,
firstly, that the church will remain open during daylight hours, as
is currently the case, for private and quiet prayer (the epistle and
Gospel readings for each Sunday will be placed on the lectern, for
reference). Secondly, we shall be using the church website, to make
available the Collect and references for the Sunday readings,
together with a synopsis of what I would have been expecting to
preach about at the normal 10.00am service – and a copy of this,
too, will be placed on the lectern.
So,
for this Sunday, 22 March, the main service would have been a Family
Communion for Mothering Sunday and, as this will be only a few days
prior to 25 March, the theme would have been the Annunciation, for
which the Collect is as follows:-
Collect
for the Annunciation
‘Pour
forth, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy grace into our hearts that as we
have known the incarnation of thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, by the
message of an angel, so by his cross and passion may we be brought
unto the glory of thy Resurrection, through Jesus Christ our Lord,
Amen.’
Meditation
on the Annunciation
In
the famous passage (Luke 1:26-38) near the beginning of his Gospel,
the evangelist recounts the unique episode in history in which Mary
receives the message from the angel Gabriel that she has been chosen
by God to bear His Son – Mary’s humble ‘yes’ to God, despite
her own understandable perplexity in the fact of this astounding and
unexpected news, marks not only a turning-point in her own life, but
in that of the salvation of the whole world. It is a scene that has
inspired many artists, including Fra Angelico, whose famous fresco of
1450 (as above) may be seen in San Marco, Florence – a beautiful,
and restrained, depiction, containing all the essential elements,
including the angel, the Virgin Mary herself, and the Holy Spirit
represented as a dove. Subsequent versions included a fenced-off
garden (with allusions to the reference in the Song of Solomon to a
‘garden sealed’, reflecting the idea of God’s protection of
Mary’s chastity), a lily (another symbol of purity) and a closed
book in Mary’s hand.
How
can we relate this narrative to modern-day motherhood? Although
Mary’s vocation was unique, we may feel that her reaction to the
news from Gabriel would resonate with that of many mothers-to-be. It
is quite common for many, as they receive confirmation that they are
‘expecting’, to feel a mixture of both excitement and
trepidation, since life will never be quite the same again. And,
when the new-born child has arrived, most can’t help wondering how
things will pan out. If we are honest, most of us who are parents
(or grandparents!) nurse all sorts of hopes and expectations for the
latest addition to the family, and many of these are confounded as
the child grows and develops his or her own character – and often
subsequently follows a career path, or makes life choices, we could
not possibly have envisaged! But, of course, we continue to love and
pray for them, trusting in God’s grace, and that they will be happy
and fulfilled in the way that is right for them.
And
we can also, on Mothering Sunday, give thanks for our own mothers,
for the pain they endured in giving birth to us, and for all the
nurturing and security they provide - as well as looking to the
Church as our spiritual mother, in which our faith, from baptism
onwards, is nurtured, and to Mary herself, the ‘mother of
Christians’ whose example of love and fidelity is set before us in
narratives within all four Gospels.
In
these particularly uncertain times, too, we can reflect on the mature
Christ, who is ‘the same yesterday, today and for ever’, and we
can respond, as Mary did to the angel’s message, to God’s love
and changelessness in faith and trust.
Fr
Stephen
Readings
1 Samuel 1:20 -end
Hannah conceived and bore a son.
She named him Samuel, for she said,
"I have asked him of the LORD."
The man Elkanah and all his household
went up to offer to the LORD the yearly sacrifice,
and to pay his vow.
But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband,
"As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him,
that he may appear in the presence of the LORD,
and remain there for ever;
I will offer him as a nazirite for all time."
Her husband Elkanah said to her,
"Do what seems best to you, wait until you have weaned him;
only - may the LORD establish his word."
So the woman remained and nursed her son, until she weaned him.
When she had weaned him, she took him up with her,
along with a three year old bull, an ephat of flour,
and a skin of wine.
She brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh;
and the child was young.
They slaughtered the bull,
and they brought the child to Eli.
And she said, "Oh, my lord! As you live my lord,
I am the woman who was standing here in your presence,
praying to the LORD.
For this child I prayed;
and the LORD has granted me the petition that I made to him.
Therefore I have lent him to the LORD;
as long as he lives, he is given to the LORD."
She left him there for the LORD.
Luke 1:26-38
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent b God
to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph,
of the house of David.
The virgin's name was Mary.
And he came to her and said,
"Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you."
But she was much perplexed by his words
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
The angel said to her,
"Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favour with God.
And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you will call him Jesus.
He will be great,
and will be called the Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David.
He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever,
and of his kingdom there will be no end."
Mary said to the angel,
"How can this be, since I am a virgin?"
The angel said to her,
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you;
therefore the child to be born will be holy;
and he will be called Son of God.
And now,
your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son;
and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren.
For nothing will be impossible with God."
Then Mary said,
"Here I am, the servant of the Lord;
let it be with me according to your word."
Then the angel departed from her.
1 Samuel 1:20 -end
Hannah conceived and bore a son.
She named him Samuel, for she said,
"I have asked him of the LORD."
The man Elkanah and all his household
went up to offer to the LORD the yearly sacrifice,
and to pay his vow.
But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband,
"As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him,
that he may appear in the presence of the LORD,
and remain there for ever;
I will offer him as a nazirite for all time."
Her husband Elkanah said to her,
"Do what seems best to you, wait until you have weaned him;
only - may the LORD establish his word."
So the woman remained and nursed her son, until she weaned him.
When she had weaned him, she took him up with her,
along with a three year old bull, an ephat of flour,
and a skin of wine.
She brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh;
and the child was young.
They slaughtered the bull,
and they brought the child to Eli.
And she said, "Oh, my lord! As you live my lord,
I am the woman who was standing here in your presence,
praying to the LORD.
For this child I prayed;
and the LORD has granted me the petition that I made to him.
Therefore I have lent him to the LORD;
as long as he lives, he is given to the LORD."
She left him there for the LORD.
Luke 1:26-38
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent b God
to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph,
of the house of David.
The virgin's name was Mary.
And he came to her and said,
"Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you."
But she was much perplexed by his words
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
The angel said to her,
"Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favour with God.
And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you will call him Jesus.
He will be great,
and will be called the Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David.
He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever,
and of his kingdom there will be no end."
Mary said to the angel,
"How can this be, since I am a virgin?"
The angel said to her,
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you;
therefore the child to be born will be holy;
and he will be called Son of God.
And now,
your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son;
and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren.
For nothing will be impossible with God."
Then Mary said,
"Here I am, the servant of the Lord;
let it be with me according to your word."
Then the angel departed from her.
21 March 2020
The first virtual service will be broadcast on Sunday at 8am on BBC local radio. We assume that means BBC Sussex and Solent. It is taken by Justin Welby.
BBC Sussex is 104.5, 104.8 and 95.0-95.3 FM and Solent is 96.1 FM.
It can also be heard on Radio 4 and the programme can be found,
after on BBC Sounds »
after on BBC Sounds »
 |
| Picture credit © BBC |
20 March 2020
Message from a couple of our local shops:
Country Gardens and The Village Bakery have teamed up.
If you or a loved one find yourself to be in isolation, we can deliver locally to you in Selsey and Sidlesham for free.
We can provide you with fruit, veg, bread, rolls and cakes. We will also happily pop to the butchers or grab a paper/milk from over the road and add it to your order.
We will knock, then leave your order on your doorstep.
Card payments, bank transfer or cash is accepted.
You may ring either number to place your order.
Country Gardens 01243 607400
The Village Bakery 01243 603722
If we don't answer please leave a message.
Country Gardens and The Village Bakery have teamed up.
If you or a loved one find yourself to be in isolation, we can deliver locally to you in Selsey and Sidlesham for free.
We can provide you with fruit, veg, bread, rolls and cakes. We will also happily pop to the butchers or grab a paper/milk from over the road and add it to your order.
We will knock, then leave your order on your doorstep.
Card payments, bank transfer or cash is accepted.
You may ring either number to place your order.
Country Gardens 01243 607400
The Village Bakery 01243 603722
If we don't answer please leave a message.
19 March 2020
The
church will remain open for anyone who would like some quiet time there.
Father Stephen will be available for any one who wishes to speak with him and
if you wish to do so, please contact either Chris or Janet and we will pass the
message on to him.
Not
the same, we know, but if the broadcasts continue, there is usually Sunday
Worship at 8.10am on Radio 4, Songs
of Praise, 1.15pm on Sundays BBC
One. The BBC has also announced it is
launching a virtual church service on Sundays .The virtual church service will
take place on Sunday mornings across local radio in England
There are also programmes with a religious theme to be found on BBC iplayer and more on BBC Sounds.
A
'thought for the week', based on the Scriptural readings of the day, and
perhaps the Collect and other suitable prayers, will be posted regularly to the
church website by Father Stephen so that folk can at least access these as an
aid to their own devotions and reflections. We are hoping that the first
of these, on the theme of the Annunciation, will be available by Mothering
Sunday.
The Diocese are hoping to put some
material coming on-line in the near future for those who have internet
access.
Dear All,
We have lots of students who would love to become
pen-pals with elderly members of your congregation who are self-isolating.
God bless,
Austen Hindman, Head Teacher, Bishop Luffa
School
18 March 2020
A number of volunteers have come forward who will co-ordinate support, and/or actually be the ones who shop, collect prescriptions, arrange a supermarket delivery, etc for those who need to self-isolate in the village - either because of age (assuming the directive for all over 70s to self isolate does come out later) because of existing conditions or because of symptoms.
We have a number of volunteers who are happy to help but more would be
good. If you think you could help,
please contact me, Chris Field, on 01243 641 493 or chrisannfield@hotmail.com.
Meanwhile, if you are self-isolating and need help, contact any of the
following who will arrange for some-one to contact you and help -
Chris Field, 01243 641 493, chrisannfield@hotmail.com
Alison Bell, 01243641 274, bellplumbing@btinternet.com
Suzanne and Bryan Bone, 01243 641 495, dembones369@btinternet.com
Gary Hopkinson, 01243 641641, gary,hopkinson@sky.com
Janet Harland 01243 641 698, janetlharland@btinternet.com
Al Horsley, 01243 641 839, alexandra@expatriatelaw.com
Steven Foden, 01243 641 035,
fodenseven@gmail.com
We have been told that the scams have already started with strangers knocking on the door of self isolating households and offering to do shopping. The householders hand over the money for the shopping and never see the scammer, or their shopping, again.
We have been told that the scams have already started with strangers knocking on the door of self isolating households and offering to do shopping. The householders hand over the money for the shopping and never see the scammer, or their shopping, again.
Those from the village
referred to you by us will identify themselves by name and, if it is not the
person that you contacted, will say that they have been sent by (the name of
the person whom you contacted). All of
the volunteers are known to us.
This blog will be updated with information on this and other parish issues so please check it regularly to keep yourself up to date.
Chris Field.
 |
| boredpanda.com |
08 March 2020
Taken from The Church Of England Website
Sun Mar 08 2020
Latest updates:
The Government has published a coronavirus action plan.
All guidance will continue to reflect appropriate Public Health advice.
Our guidance is kept under constant review.
The threat posed by COVID-19 has been assessed by the Chief Medical Officer as ‘moderate’. This permits the Government to plan for all eventualities. The risk to individuals remains low.
Guidance for churches
Current Government advice is that individuals should follow good hygiene practices including:carrying tissues and using them to catch coughs and sneezes, and binning the tissue;
washing hands with soap and water (for 20 seconds) or using sanitiser gel to kill germs.
Advice has also been issued to travellers who have returned to the UK from a number of countries.
Anyone who has returned to the UK from any of these areas in the last 14 days and develops symptoms of cough or fever or shortness of breath, should immediately:
stay indoors and avoid contact with other people as you would with the flu;
call NHS 111 to inform them of your recent travel to the country.
In the event of increased community transmission of coronavirus, priests should take a view whether it is necessary to withdraw the Common Cup.
If so they should:
- Suspend the administration of the chalice and offer Communion in one kind only i.e. the consecrated bread/wafer/host, with the priest alone taking the wine.
- Consider suspending handshaking or other direct physical contact during the sharing of the peace.
- Consider suspending direct physical contact as part of a blessing or ‘laying on of hands’.
- Where the priest has not suspended the administration of the chalice, communicants may nevertheless decide to receive in one kind only at their own discretion.
- It is also best practice for churches to have hand-sanitisers available for parishioners to use.
- In addition, priests presiding at the Eucharist, communion administrators and servers should wash their hands, preferably with an alcohol-based (minimum 60%) hand-sanitiser.
- Intinction is not recommended (even by celebrants or communion-administrators) as this represents an infection transmission route as well as a risk to those with certain allergies.
Advice from Public Health England
Public Health England recommends that you should take usual infection prevention precautions including:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available. This is particularly important after taking public transport.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- If you feel unwell, stay at home, do not attend work or school.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in a bin. If this is not possible, cough or sneeze into the crook of your elbow.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces in the home and work environment.
Saint Mary's and Covid 19
Based on the latest advice:- During the peace we will no longer shake hands or touch.
- The Eucharistic practice of partly dipping the consecrated bread, or host, into the consecrated wine before consumption by the communicant will not be allowed.
Other information
Poster on how to correctly wash your hands here »The truth about hand sanitisers here »
The latest advice from the Church of England »
The rain stopped and the sun came out during the service.
Our Gospel reading today told of Nicodemus going to see Jesus in the night from the Gospel of John. Father Stephen spoke of this in his sermon. Nicodemus goes to see Jesus under cover of darkness. The most obvious explanation for this is that Nicodemus, a leader in the synagogue, does not wish to be seen n the company of Jesus, but is intrigued by him, an untrained scholar and rabbi. Although Jesus is of the light, he also knows of darkness. In this nocturnal encounter, there is an allusion to baptism. and the preparation for it. Did it convert Nicodemus? After the crucifixion, Nicodemus is described bringing large amounts of embalming fluids again by night.
We may not always know at the time about the change we can bring about in people, but may discover it some time later, even a long time afterwards.
God is full of surprises. We can encounter him sporadically, at church services, in prayer and meditation. We keep in touch with our friends and so God keeps in touch with us.
The Sunday School were busy.
Our Gospel reading today told of Nicodemus going to see Jesus in the night from the Gospel of John. Father Stephen spoke of this in his sermon. Nicodemus goes to see Jesus under cover of darkness. The most obvious explanation for this is that Nicodemus, a leader in the synagogue, does not wish to be seen n the company of Jesus, but is intrigued by him, an untrained scholar and rabbi. Although Jesus is of the light, he also knows of darkness. In this nocturnal encounter, there is an allusion to baptism. and the preparation for it. Did it convert Nicodemus? After the crucifixion, Nicodemus is described bringing large amounts of embalming fluids again by night.
We may not always know at the time about the change we can bring about in people, but may discover it some time later, even a long time afterwards.
God is full of surprises. We can encounter him sporadically, at church services, in prayer and meditation. We keep in touch with our friends and so God keeps in touch with us.
The Sunday School were busy.
01 March 2020
The first of March and a blustery but sunny day for our Family Service. Today is St David's day, so we sang some Welsh hymns, and the Sunday School told us the story of St David being asked by villagers to protect them from a red fiery Dragon who lived in a cave. In this story, St David prayed for help in dealing with the dragon and was given a leek! He went to the dragon's cave fearing the worst, but it turned out the dragon was a female and she was guarding her young. St David put the leek out in front of him and she ate it, she was a vegetarian dragon! She told the saint the villagers kept bothering her babies looking the treasure which she did not have! St David told off the villagers and told them to take the dragon some gifts, so they took daffodils to decorate the dragon's cave. Then they all lived happily together. A very 21 century interpretation of the legend!
The Prayers were lead by Seth, one of the young people, and Father Stephen gave us information about the Lent group discussions on thursday evening in the vicarage. For the Anthem the choir sang, 'Lead me Lord' by Charles Wesley. The solo was sung beautifully by the children with Mandy and Lorna.
There was coffee after the service in the rooms.
The Choir invites singers to join them to sing 'Olivet to Calvary' on Saturday the 4th of April in St Marys at 6;30, rehearsals at 3:00 all voice parts welcome, copies provided. This piece is splendid to sing, intended for parish churches, and makes an inspiring start to Holy Week. If you don't want to sing, just come and listen to the performance!
The Prayers were lead by Seth, one of the young people, and Father Stephen gave us information about the Lent group discussions on thursday evening in the vicarage. For the Anthem the choir sang, 'Lead me Lord' by Charles Wesley. The solo was sung beautifully by the children with Mandy and Lorna.
There was coffee after the service in the rooms.
The Choir invites singers to join them to sing 'Olivet to Calvary' on Saturday the 4th of April in St Marys at 6;30, rehearsals at 3:00 all voice parts welcome, copies provided. This piece is splendid to sing, intended for parish churches, and makes an inspiring start to Holy Week. If you don't want to sing, just come and listen to the performance!
 |
| St David defends himself from the dragon ( imagination required as dragon should be red!)with a leek |
 |
| The Villagers look on at the fight with the dragon |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
