The third Sunday in February and we once again had a choice of services. In the Church Hall Father Chris held a Crafty Communion with the young people and their parents, while in Church Father Roger took Matins. 

A rainy and cool day did not put us off and by the end of the service there was a little bit of sunshine.

During Matins we sand the Benedicite and the Jubilate Deo, settings by Lloyd and Stanford in B flat. The Anthem was by Samuel Wesley.

The first lesson was from Genesis and described the end of the story of NOoh when God put the rainbow in the shy to mark his new promise not to destroy mankind by a flood again.

This was timely as we had held an activity day in the Church Hall last Tuesday when the children had spent the day learning songs, making costumes, and painting scenary for a production of Noah and the Animals at 4 pm It was a greatly enjoyable day, and as it was Shrove Tuesday we had pancakes for lunch!

Some pictures from the Activity Day.

 

A reading from the book of Genesis.

God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 

‘As for me, 

I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, 

and with every living creature that is with you, 

the birds, the domestic animals, 

and every animal of the earth with you, 

as many as came out of the ark. 

I establish my covenant with you, 

that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, 

and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.’ 

God said, 

‘This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you 

and every living creature that is with you, 

for all future generations: 

I have set my bow in the clouds, 

and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 

When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 

I will remember my covenant 

that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; 

and the waters shall never again become a flood 

to destroy all flesh. 

When the bow is in the clouds, 

I will see it 

and remember the everlasting covenant between God 

and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.’ 

God said to Noah, 

‘This is the sign of the covenant 

that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.’

A reading from the first letter of Peter.

Christ also suffered for sins once for all, 

the righteous for the unrighteous, 

in order to bring you to God. 

He was put to death in the flesh, 

but made alive in the spirit, 

in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, 

who in former times did not obey, 

when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, 

during the building of the ark, 

in which a few, that is, eight persons, 

were saved through water. 

And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—

not as a removal of dirt from the body, 

but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, 

through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 

who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, 

with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.

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