03 September 2023
10:00 | 
Posted by
Dr Platts |
First Sunday of the month so our all age Eucharist at 10 am this morning. Its back to school for many tomorrow, and just in time the summer has turned up and it is a lovely sunny day! Many people are back from their summer holidays and we had lots of people with us this morning!
Father Chris talked about the Cross in his sermon, which was an instrument of execution at the time Jesus was on earth. It wasn't used as a Christian sign until about 200 years after he died. Our crosses which we have to bear may be illness, doing things we don't want to do, but they are all made easier by our faith in Jesus and his help.
The Choir are back so today we had an anthem Ave Verum Corpus in the setting by W.A.Mozart. Lovely to hear them singing again!
There was coffee after the service.
Lots of exciting things coming up in the next month, we hope to see you at one or all of these!
Saturday 9th September; Ride and Stride. The Church will be open and manned all day to greet those visiting different churches, on foot or by bicycle! There is a cycle route available for the Peninsula churches in the Church.
At 5:30 there will be a family Barbeque at the Church, please let us know if you would like to come so we can get enough food and drink! A contribution of £3 for Adults and £2 for children will be in order!
Sunday 10th September is our Patronal Festival, there are lots of feasts for St Mary, but this one, the remembrance of her birth is the one we keep. We will be having an invited Preacher so come along and hear the message in a new voice!
Looking ahead the last weekend of the month 30th September and 1st October will be our Harvest Thanks giving!
The Church will be decorated on Saturday morning and in the evening it will be open to come and see the arrangements, this will be accompanied by nibbles, drinks and music, it is free but to gauge numbers please order a ticket from Evenbrite (Sidlesham Harvest Flowers) or sign up on the sheet at the back of the Church.
On October 1st There will be an 8am said eucharist, an all age Eucharist at 10 am, and in the afternoon a sung evensong at 3:30 with the presentation of Harvest gifts and will be followed by a traditional Sidlesham Tea in the Parish rooms. All are welcome to any or all of the services.
Exodus 3:1-15
A reading from the book of Exodus.
Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro,
the priest of Midian;
he led his flock beyond the wilderness,
and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
There the angel of the Lord appeared to him
in a flame of fire out of a bush;
he looked, and the bush was blazing,
yet it was not consumed.
Then Moses said,
‘I must turn aside and look at this great sight,
and see why the bush is not burned up.’
When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see,
God called to him out of the bush,
‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’
Then he said, ‘Come no closer!
Remove the sandals from your feet,
for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.’
He said further, ‘I am the God of your father,
the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’
And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
Then the Lord said,
‘I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt;
I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters.
Indeed, I know their sufferings,
and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians,
and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land,
a land flowing with milk and honey,
to the country of the Canaanites,
the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites,
the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
The cry of the Israelites has now come to me;
I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them.
So come,
I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites,
out of Egypt.’
But Moses said to God,
‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh,
and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’
He said, ‘I will be with you;
and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you:
when you have brought the people out of Egypt,
you shall worship God on this mountain.’
But Moses said to God,
‘If I come to the Israelites and say to them,
“The God of your ancestors has sent me to you”,
and they ask me, “What is his name?”
what shall I say to them?’
God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am.’
He said further,
‘Thus you shall say to the Israelites,
“I am has sent me to you.” ’
God also said to Moses,
‘Thus you shall say to the Israelites,
“The Lord,b the God of your ancestors,
the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,
has sent me to you”:
This is my name for ever,
and this my title for all generations.
Romans 12:9-21
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans.
Let love be genuine;
hate what is evil,
hold fast to what is good;
love one another with mutual affection;
outdo one another in showing honour.
Do not lag in zeal,
be ardent in spirit,
serve the Lord.
Rejoice in hope,
be patient in suffering,
persevere in prayer.
Contribute to the needs of the saints;
extend hospitality to strangers.
Bless those who persecute you;
bless and do not curse them.
Rejoice with those who rejoice,
weep with those who weep.
Live in harmony with one another;
do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly;
do not claim to be wiser than you are.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil,
but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all.
If it is possible, so far as it depends on you,
live peaceably with all.
Beloved, never avenge yourselves,
but leave room for the wrath of God;
for it is written,
‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’
No, ‘if your enemies are hungry, feed them;
if they are thirsty, give them something to drink;
for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.’
Do not be overcome by evil,
but overcome evil with good.
Matthew 16:21-28
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
From that time on,
Jesus began to show his disciples
that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering
at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes,
and be killed, and on the third day be raised.
And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying,
‘God forbid it, Lord!
This must never happen to you.’
But he turned and said to Peter,
‘Get behind me, Satan!
You are a stumbling-block to me;
for you are setting your mind not on divine things
but on human things.’
Then Jesus told his disciples,
‘If any want to become my followers,
let them deny themselves
and take up their cross and follow me.
For those who want to save their life will lose it,
and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.
For what will it profit them
if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life?
Or what will they give in return for their life?
‘For the Son of Man is to come with his angels i
n the glory of his Father,
and then he will repay everyone for what has been done.
Truly I tell you,
there are some standing here
who will not taste death
before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.’
aGk him
