The first Sunday in Lent, and the readings tell us of the entry of evil into the world, and the devil tempting Jesus in the desert. In his sermon  Father Chris pointed out that the devil is still here and working in the world. We play into the hands of evil if we believe he has gone! Be on your guard for the wiles of the devil. Giving something up for Lent? do something positive with the time or money that you save!

The choir sang 'O Lord my God' Words based on 1 Kings vs 8 setting by Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810-1876) as the anthem.

There was coffee after the service.

Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7 

A reading from the book of Genesis.

The Lord God took the man 

and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. 

And the Lord God commanded the man, 

‘You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; 

but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, 

for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.’

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal 

that the Lord God had made. 

He said to the woman, ‘Did God say, 

“You shall not eat from any tree in the garden”?’ 

The woman said to the serpent, 

‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; 

but God said, “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree 

that is in the middle of the garden, 

nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.” ’ 

But the serpent said to the woman, 

‘You will not die; 

for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, 

and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ 

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, 

and that it was a delight to the eyes, 

and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, 

she took of its fruit and ate; 

and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, 

and he ate. 

Then the eyes of both were opened, 

and they knew that they were naked; 

and they sewed fig leaves together 

and made loincloths for themselves.

A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans.

We had two services today, a said Eucharist at 12 midday and a Sung Eucharist at 7pm. At both of these services we had the Imposition of Ashes. The Church is now ready for the Lenten period, with no flowers and the Liturgical colour purple.

Father Chris spoke at both services, and discussed how to use this time of contemplation before Easter. 

We wish you all a thoughtful and spiritually refreshing Lent.

The study group will start next Thursday 2nd of March, you can come to all of the 5 meetings or just to one please sign up in the church so we have an idea of numbers!!

A reading from the book of the prophet Joel. 

This is the third Sunday of February so our 10 m service was Matins. Sunday School is back in session after half term and we had a lovely morning of worship and prayer. This is the last Sunday before we enter Lent, and the Gospel reading from St Matthew described the Transfiguration of Jesus when Peter, James and John accompanied up a mountain and witnessed Jesus talking to Moses and Elijah, and heard the voice of the Father declare 'This is my Son in whom I am well pleased' In his sermon Father Chris talked about how we may have glimpses of God in our lives, and of course our presence with and joining with Jesus at the Eucharist. He wished us all a transfiguring experience during Lent as we concentrate on the events of Holy Week and the resurrection in preparation for Easter.

The Choir sang 2 pieces by C V Stanford this week the Benedictus in C and a setting of 'O for a closer walk with God'

There was coffee after the service.

On Wednesday we will have two services for Ash Wednesday, a said service at midday and a sung service at 7pm. There will be the opportunity for the imposition of ashes at both services. We look forward to seeing you there.

A study group for Lent is planned on Thursday evenings starting on the 2nd of March, if you would like details please sign up on the list in Church.

In the Church Yard Spring is on its way!

A reading from the book of Exodus.

A reading from the second letter of Peter.

Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.

We are rapidly approaching the season of Lent, this year we have two Sundays of ordinary time before Ash Wednesday which will be on the 22nd of February.

Our 10 am service today was a Eucharist, Father Chris was the celebrant, and in his sermon he considered the Lord's Prayer. This familiar prayer, given to us by Our Lord in St Matthew's Gospel is very familiar to us all, but taking a closer look, there is much to think about in these few words. It is inclusive, affirms our belief in God and the coming of the Kingdom here on earth, the holiness of God, addresses our needs and our weaknesses, and our need for God's help to please him and keep from the evil in the world. Many important ideas in so few words! Because of its familiarity, pausing to think and say these words in a thoughtful and heartfelt way is an important discipline, perhaps something to take up for Lent?

The ladies of the choir sang 'Oh Lord God' setting by Buck as the anthem. As it is half term there was no Sunday School today. There was coffee after the service.

Father Chris recommended that donations for the situation in Turkey and Syria be done on line via Christian Aid or the Disasters Emergency Committee, but for those who wish to give in cash there are envelopes in the Church

A reading from the book of Genesis

In the beginning 

when God created the heavens and the earth, 

the earth was a formless void 

and darkness covered the face of the deep, 

while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. 

Then God said, 

‘Let there be light’; 

and there was light. 

And God saw that the light was good; 

and God separated the light from the darkness. 

God called the light Day, 

and the darkness he called Night.

 And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

And God said, 

‘Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, 

and let it separate the waters from the waters.’ 

So God made the dome 

and separated the waters that were under the dome 

from the waters that were above the dome. 

And it was so. 

God called the dome Sky. 

And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

And God said, 

‘Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, 

and let the dry land appear.’ 

And it was so. 

God called the dry land Earth, 

and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. 

And God saw that it was good. 

Then God said, 

‘Let the earth put forth vegetation: 

plants yielding seed, 

and fruit trees of every kind on earth 

that bear fruit with the seed in it.’ 

And it was so. 

The earth brought forth vegetation: 

plants yielding seed of every kind, 

and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. 

And God saw that it was good. 

And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

And God said, 

‘Let there be lights in the dome of the sky 

to separate the day from the night; 

and let them be for signs and for seasons 

and for days and years, 

and let them be lights in the dome of the sky 

to give light upon the earth.’

 And it was so. 

God made the two great lights—

the greater light to rule the day 

and the lesser light to rule the night—

and the stars. 

God set them in the dome of the sky 

give light upon the earth, 

to rule over the day and over the night, 

and to separate the light from the darkness. 

And God saw that it was good. 

And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

And God said, 

‘Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, 

and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.’ 

So God created the great sea monsters 

and every living creature that moves, of every kind, 

with which the waters swarm, 

and every winged bird of every kind. 

And God saw that it was good. 

God blessed them, saying, 

‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, 

and let birds multiply on the earth.’ 

and there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

And God said, 

‘Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: 

cattle and creeping things 

and wild animals of the earth of every kind.’ 

And it was so. 

God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, 

and the cattle of every kind, 

and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. 

And God saw that it was good.

Then God said, 

‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; 

and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, 

and over the birds of the air, 

and over the cattle, 

over all the wild animals of the earth, 

and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’

So God created humankind in his image,

in the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them.

God blessed them, and God said to them, 

‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; 

and have dominion over the fish of the sea 

and over the birds of the air 

and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.’ 

God said, 

‘See, I have given you every plant yielding seed 

that is upon the face of all the earth, 

and every tree with seed in its fruit; 

you shall have them for food. 

And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, 

and to everything that creeps on the earth, 

everything that has the breath of life, 

I have given every green plant for food.’ 

And it was so. 

God saw everything that he had made, 

and indeed, it was very good.

And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, 

and all their multitude. 

And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, 

and he rested on the seventh day from all the work 

that he had done. 

So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, 

because on it God rested from all the work 

that he had done in creation.

A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans.

I consider that the sufferings of this present time 

are not worth comparing with the glory 

about to be revealed to us. 

For the creation waits with eager longing 

for the revealing of the children of God; 

for the creation was subjected to futility, 

not of its own will 

but by the will of the one who subjected it, 

in hope that the creation itself 

will be set free from its bondage to decay 

and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 

We know that the whole creation 

has been groaning in labour pains until now; 

and not only the creation, 

but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, 

groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, 

the redemption of our bodies. 

For in hope we were saved. 

Now hope that is seen is not hope. 

For who hopes for what is seen? 

But if we hope for what we do not see, 

we wait for it with patience.

Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.

Jesus taughyt his disciples saying:

This morning, being the first Sunday of February, we had a Family Eucharist at which we celebrated The Presentation of Christ in the Temple, also known as Candlemas. During the Gradual Hymn we lit candles and held them up as the story of Mary and Joseph taking Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem was read. At the Temple Simeon saw the child and spoke the words of the Nunc Dimittis 'Lord now let they servant depart in peace'.

In his sermon Father Chris talked about the significance of 40 days in the Bible, and the Light of Christ being for all people. With the help of some of the youngsters candles were lit to represent that light, and when a few were blown out they were re-lit by their friends, thus we can support each other in our Christian journey.

The Choir sang the Nunc Dimittis in C by C V Stanford as the anthem.

There was coffee after the service.

Wednesday the 22nd of February is Ash Wednesday and there will be an evening service with the imposition of ashes.

During lent there will be a study group held on Thursday evening looking at conversations Jesus had in St John's Gospel. Venue to be arranged but all are welcome.

After Easter on the 21st of April we are having a Confirmation at St Marys. If you, or your child are interested please contact Father Chris. 

Malachi 3:1-5 

A reading from the book of the prophet Malachi.

Thus says the Lord God:

 See, I am sending my messenger 

to prepare the way before me, 

and the Lord whom you seek 

will suddenly come to his temple. 

The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—

indeed, he is coming, 

says the Lord of hosts. 

But who can endure the day of his coming, 

and who can stand when he appears?

For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; 

he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, 

and he will purify the descendants of Levi 

and refine them like gold and silver, 

until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. 

Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem 

will be pleasing to the Lord 

as in the days of old and as in former years.

Then I will draw near to you for judgement; 

I will be swift to bear witness against the sorcerers, 

against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, 

against those who oppress the hired workers in their wages, 

the widow, and the orphan, 

against those who thrust aside the alien, 

and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.

A reading from the letter to the Hebrews.

Since, the children share flesh and blood, 

Jesus himself likewise shared the same things, 

so that through death 

he might destroy the one who has the power of death, 

that is, the devil, 

and free those who all their lives were held in slavery 

by the fear of death. 

For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, 

but the descendants of Abraham. 

Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters 

in every respect, 

so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest 

in the service of God, 

to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. 

Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, 

he is able to help those who are being tested.

Hear the gospel of our ord Jesus Christ according to Luke.

When they had finished everything 

required by the law of the Lord, 

they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 

The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; 

and the favour of God was upon him.