28 January 2024
10:00 | 
Posted by
Dr Platts |
This week we had a Parish Communion as our 10 am service. The Gospel told the story of the Wedding at Canna, and in his sermon Father Chris talked about the symbolism in the story, as always with St John's Gospel there are many layers, and told us that belief in miracles is quite widespread!
The Choir sang the Ave Verum in the setting by Gabriel Faure as the anthem.
The children, who had left for their own session at the beginning of the service, returned for the communion and then showed us all their efforts at making wine jars!
Our February Feast on the 10th of February is fast approaching. A three course menu of traditional British fare, and a lovely evening of fellowship all for £15. Tickets available from the Church Wardens.
A Day of music and drama for children aged from 5 to 105, The story of Noah and his animals, is open to join on the 13th of February in the church hall 9 to 4 with a performance at 4 pm. Please sign up for this at the back of the Church. refreshments provided but bring a packed lunch!!
Genesis 14:17-20
A reading from the book of Genesis
After Abram's return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer
and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom
went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley).
And 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.
Revelation 19:6-10
A reading from the book of Revelation.
I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude,
like the sound of many waters
and like the sound of mighty thunder-peals,
crying out, ‘Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready;
to her it has been granted to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure’—
for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
And the angel said to me, ‘Write this:
Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’
And he said to me, ‘These are true words of God.’
John 2:1-11
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
There was a wedding in Cana of Galilee,
and the mother of Jesus was there.
Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.
When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him,
‘They have no wine.’
And Jesus said to her,
‘Woman, what concern is that to you and to me?
My hour has not yet come.’
His mother said to the servants,
‘Do whatever he tells you.’
Now standing there were six stone water-jars
for the Jewish rites of purification,
each holding twenty or thirty gallons.
Jesus said to them, ‘Fill the jars with water.’
And they filled them up to the brim.
He said to them, ‘Now draw some out,
and take it to the chief steward.’
So they took it.
When the steward tasted the water that had become wine,
and did not know where it came from
(though the servants who had drawn the water knew),
the steward called the bridegroom and said to him,
‘Everyone serves the good wine first,
and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk.
But you have kept the good wine until now.’
Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee,
and revealed his glory;
and his disciples believed in him.
21 January 2024
This is the third Sunday of January, so we had 2 activities available at 10 am. In church Father Roger took Mattins, and the Choir sang 'Teach me O Lord' by Thomas Attwood as the anthem. Father Roger told us the story of Jacob and Esau as a background to the Gospel story where Nathaniel is told he will see Angels ascending and descending from Heaven. He made the point that Christian life is about being more 'Christlike' and that wasn't easy in this world.
Meanwhile in the Church Hall Father Chris was holding a 'Crafty Communion' with lots for the children (of all ages!) to do and learn. Somthing for every one!
Coming up on February 10th in the Church Rooms/ Church Hall depending on numbers is our
FEBRUARY FEAST
A 3 course meal, this year with a best of British theme for £15:00 to cheer us all up in the middle of winter.
Tickets from the Church Wardens!
On The 13th of February, also in the Church Hall there will be a day of music and drama for children from 5 to 105!
NOAH AND THE ANIMALS
Is a one day workshop starting at 9:30 in which we will learn songs and prepare a drama telling the story of the Ark! at 4pm there will be a performance of our little play. All are welcome to any part of the day!
1 Samuel 3:1-10
A reading from the first book of Samuel.
And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.
And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see;
And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep;
That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.
And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.
And the LORD called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again.
Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him.
And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child.
Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.
Revelation 5:1-10
A reading from thebook of Revelation.
And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.
And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.
And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.
And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
John 1:43-51
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.
Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.
Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!
Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.
Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.
Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.
And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
14 January 2024
This morning at 10 am we had a Parish Eucharist. The Celebrant was Father Chris and in his Sermon he told us of the background to the period of Epiphany we are now in. It doesnt seem logical that we celebrate the Magi, then the Baptism of Christ when he was and adult, then go back at Candlemas to his presentation in the temple as a baby. But all these events link together as part of the revelation of his divide nature to the world. We believe that he came from God to save us all.
The Choir sang 'The Lamb' by John Tavener as the anthem.
At the end of the service, when the children had returned to us from Sunday School, Scarlet was inducted into the Junior Choir as a full member. She joined Annabelle and Bella as are three most recent members. Welcome Scarlet!!
Genesis 1:1-5
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.
Acts 19:1-7
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles.
While Apollos was in Corinth,
Paul passed through the inland regions and came to Ephesus,
where he found some disciples.
He said to them,
‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?’
They replied, ‘No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.’
Then he said, ‘Into what then were you baptized?’
They answered, ‘Into John’s baptism.’
Paul said, ‘John baptized with the baptism of repentance,
telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him,
that is, in Jesus.’
On hearing this,
they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
When Paul had laid his hands on them,
the Holy Spirit came upon them,
and they spoke in tongues and prophesied—
altogether there were about twelve of them.
Mark 1:4-11
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark.
John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness,
proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
And people from the whole Judean countryside
and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him,
and were baptized by him in the river Jordan,
confessing their sins.
Now John was clothed with camel’s hair,
with a leather belt around his waist,
and he ate locusts and wild honey.
He proclaimed,
‘The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me;
I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals.
I have baptized you with water;
but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee
and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
And just as he was coming up out of the water,
he saw the heavens torn apart
and the Spirit descending like a dove on him.
And a voice came from heaven,
‘You are my Son, the Beloved;
with you I am well pleased.’
07 January 2024
Feast of the Epiphany and the first Sunday of the month so we had an all age Eucharist at 10 am.
The Magi were on their way, and were placed around the Church and the children found them and bought them to the crib as part of Father Chris's sermon.
We sang 'We three Kings' as the offertory hymn, and the Choir sang 'I saw Three Ships' after communion.
There was coffee after the service.
Dr Platts will be cooking for us on Saturday 10th February once again. This year she is staying closer to home with a traditional English menu! tickets available from the Church Wardens!
Isaiah 60:1-6
A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah.
Arise, shine; for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
For darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will arise upon you,
and his glory will appear over you.
Nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
Lift up your eyes and look around;
they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from far away,
and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms.
Then you shall see and be radiant;
your heart shall thrill and rejoice,
because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you,
the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
A multitude of camels shall cover you,
the young camels of Midian and Ephah;
all those from Sheba shall come.
They shall bring gold and frankincense,
and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.
Ephesians 3:1-12
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Ephesians.
I, Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus
for the sake of you Gentiles—
for surely you have already heard
of the commission of God’s grace that was given to me for you,
and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation,
as I wrote above in a few words,
a reading of which will enable you
to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ.
In former generations
this mystery was not made known to humankind,
as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets
by the Spirit:
that is, the Gentiles have become fellow-heirs,
members of the same body,
and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
Of this gospel I have become a servant
according to the gift of God’s grace
that was given to me by the working of his power.
Although I am the very least of all the saints,
this grace was given to me
to bring to the Gentiles
the news of the boundless riches of Christ,
and to make everyone see
what is the plan of the mystery
hidden for ages in God who created all things;
so that through the church
the wisdom of God in its rich variety
might now be made known
to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.
This was in accordance with the eternal purpose
that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,
in whom we have access to God
in boldness and confidence through faith in him.
Matthew 2:1-12
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
In the time of King Herod,
after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking,
‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews?
For we observed his star at its rising,
and have come to pay him homage.’
When King Herod heard this, he was frightened,
and all Jerusalem with him;
and calling together
all the chief priests and scribes of the people,
he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.
They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea;
for so it has been written by the prophet:
“And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.” ’
Then Herod secretly called for the wise men
and learned from them the exact time
when the star had appeared.
Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying,
‘Go and search diligently for the child;
and when you have found him,
bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.’
When they had heard the king, they set out;
and there, ahead of them,
went the star that they had seen at its rising,
until it stopped over the place where the child was.
When they saw that the star had stopped,
they were overwhelmed with joy.
On entering the house,
they saw the child with Mary his mother;
and they knelt down and paid him homage.
Then, opening their treasure-chests,
they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,
they left for their own country by another road.
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