16 March 2025
10:30 | 
Posted by
Dr Platts |
The third Sunday of March so our service in Church was Mattins, while the Crafty Communion was held in the Church Hall.
The choir sang 'Lead me Lord' by Charles Wesley as the anthem. As it was lent the csnticles were the Venite, the Benedicite and the Jubilate
There was coffee after the service.
We are re doing the Electoral Roll. Every 5 years we have to re enter everyone on the roll. There are forms at the back of the church .and an envelope to return them to. If you live in SIdlesham and are baptised you can be on the roll. If you live outside Sidlesham but worship regularly you can also be on the roll. This gives you the right to vote at the Annual eeting, and serve on the PCC.
A reading from the book of Genesis.
The word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision,
‘Do not be afraid, Abram,
I am your shield;
your reward shall be very great.’
But Abram said, ‘O Lord God, what will you give me,
for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?’
And Abram said, ‘You have given me no offspring,
and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir.’
But the word of the Lord came to him,
‘This man shall not be your heir;
no one but your very own issue shall be your heir.’
He brought him outside and said,
‘Look towards heaven and count the stars,
if you are able to count them.’
Then he said to him,
‘So shall your descendants be.’
And he believed the Lord;
and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.
Then he said to him,
‘I am the Lord who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans, t
o give you this land to possess.’
But he said,
‘O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?’
He said to him,
‘Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old,
a ram three years old, a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon.’
He brought him all these and cut them in two,
laying each half over against the other;
but he did not cut the birds in two.
And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses,
Abram drove them away.
As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram,
and a deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him.
When the sun had gone down and it was dark,
a smoking fire-pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.
On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying,
‘To your descendants I give this land,
from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,
Philippians 3:17-4:1
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Philiippians.
Brothers and sisters,
join in imitating me,
and observe those who live according to the example you have in us.
For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ;
I have often told you of them,
and now I tell you even with tears.
Their end is destruction; their god is the belly;
and their glory is in their shame;
their minds are set on earthly things.
But our citizenship is in heaven,
and it is from there that we are expecting a Saviour,
the Lord Jesus Christ.
He will transform the body of our humiliation
so that it may be conformed to the body of his glory,
by the power that also enables him
to make all things subject to himself.
Therefore, my brothers and sisters,
whom I love and long for,
my joy and crown,
stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.
Luke 13:31-35
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him,
‘Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.’
He said to them, ‘Go and tell that fox for me,
“Listen,
I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow,
and on the third day I finish my work.
Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way,
because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed away from Jerusalem.”
Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!
How often have I desired to gather your children together
as a hen gathers her brood under her wings,
and you were not willing!
See, your house is left to you.
And I tell you,
you will not see me until the time comes when you say,
“Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.” ’
09 March 2025
The first Sunday in Lent was a Parish Eucharist. The children left for their own session in the Parish Rooms, and the congregation continued with the service.
We are singing a new setting for Lent, the Downside Service. This helps to make our Lenten services different from those of other parts of the Church Year.
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| The children share their work with the congreation |
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| Father Chris keeps a lighted candle on the alter to remind us the children are still with us |
A reading from the book of Deuteronomy.
Moses spoke to the peopple saying:
When you have come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you
as an inheritance to possess,
and you possess it, and settle in it,
you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground,
which you harvest from the land that the Lord your God is giving you,
and you shall put it in a basket
and go to the place
that the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his name.
You shall go to the priest
who is in office at that time, and say to him,
‘Today I declare to the Lord your God
that I have come into the land that the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.’
When the priest takes the basket from your hand
and sets it down before the altar of the Lord your God,
you shall make this response before the Lord your God:
‘A wandering Aramean was my ancestor;
he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number,
and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous.
When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us,
by imposing hard labour on us,
we cried to the Lord, the God of our ancestors;
the Lord heard our voice
and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression.
The Lord brought us out of Egypt
with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm,
with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders;
and he brought us into this place and gave us this land,
a land flowing with milk and honey.
So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground
that you, O Lord, have given me.’
You shall set it down before the Lord your God
and bow down before the Lord your God.
Then you, together with the Levites
and the aliens who reside among you, s
hall celebrate with all the bounty
that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house.
Romans 10:8b-13
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans.
What does scripture say?
‘The word is near you,
on your lips and in your heart’
(that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);
because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved.
For one believes with the heart and so is justified,
and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.
The scripture says,
‘No one who believes in him will be put to shame.’
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek;
the same Lord is Lord of all
and is generous to all who call on him.
For, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
Luke 4:1-13
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan
and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness,
where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. H
e ate nothing at all during those days,
and when they were over, he was famished.
The devil said to him,
‘If you are the Son of God,
command this stone to become a loaf of bread.’
Jesus answered him,
‘It is written, “One does not live by bread alone.” ’
Then the devil led him up
and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.
And the devil said to him,
‘To you I will give their glory and all this authority;
for it has been given over to me,
and I give it to anyone I please.
If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.’
Jesus answered him,
‘It is written,
“Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.” ’
Then the devil took him to Jerusalem,
and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him,
‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here,
for it is written,
“He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you”,
and “On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.” ’
Jesus answered him, ‘It is said,
“Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” ’
When the devil had finished every test,
he departed from him until an opportune time.
05 March 2025
Our Ash Wednesday Eucharist and imposition of ashes was in the evening. The Church was bare of any flowers or ornamentation, as is appropriate for the beginning of Lent. The Eucharist was celebrated by Father Chris and the congregation came forward to receive the sign of the cross in ash on the forehead as a sign that we mortals 'are dust and to dust we must return.'
The Choir sang ' Turn Thy f
ace from my Sins' Setting by Attwood as the anthem.
ace from my Sins' Setting by Attwood as the anthem.
Father Chris wished us a Holy Lent as we left.
A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah.
Shout out, do not hold back!
Lift up your voice like a trumpet!
Announce to my people their rebellion,
to the house of Jacob their sins.
Yet day after day they seek me
and delight to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that practised righteousness
and did not forsake the ordinance of their God;
they ask of me righteous judgements,
they delight to draw near to God.
‘Why do we fast, but you do not see?
Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?’
Look, you serve your own interest on your fast-day,
and oppress all your workers.
Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight
and to strike with a wicked fist.
Such fasting as you do today
will not make your voice heard on high.
Is such the fast that I choose,
a day to humble oneself?
Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush,
and to lie in sackcloth and ashes?
Will you call this a fast,
a day acceptable to the Lord?
Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of injustice,
to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them,
and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up quickly;
your vindicator shall go before you,
the glory of the Lord shall be your rearguard.
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am.
If you remove the yoke from among you,
the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,
if you offer your food to the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
then your light shall rise in the darkness
and your gloom be like the noonday.
The Lord will guide you continually,
and satisfy your needs in parched places,
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water, whose waters never fail.
Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt,
you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
the restorer of streets to live in.
2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10
A reading from the second letter of Paul to the Corinthians.
We entreat you on behalf of Christ,
be reconciled to God.
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin,
so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
As we work together with him,
we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain.
For the Lord says,
‘At an acceptable time I have listened to you,
and on a day of salvation I have helped you.’
See, now is the acceptable time;
see, now is the day of salvation!
We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way,
so that no fault may be found with our ministry,
but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way:
through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities,
beatings, imprisonments, riots, labours, sleepless nights, hunger;
by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit,
genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God;
with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left;
in honour and dishonour, in ill repute and good repute.
We are treated as impostors, and yet are true;
as unknown, and yet are well known;
as dying, and see—we are alive;
as punished, and yet not killed;
as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing;
as poor, yet making many rich;
as having nothing,
and yet possessing everything.
John 8:1-11
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
Early in the morning he came again to the temple.
All the people came to him
and he sat down and began to teach them.
The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman
who had been caught in adultery;
and making her stand before all of them,
they said to Jesus,
‘Teacher, this woman was caught
in the very act of committing adultery.
Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women.
Now what do you say?’
They said this to test Jesus,
so that they might have some charge to bring against him.
Jesus bent down
and wrote with his finger on the ground.
When they kept on questioning him,
he straightened up and said to them,
‘Let anyone among you who is without sin
be the first to throw a stone at her.’
And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground.
When they heard it, they went away,
one by one, beginning with the elders;
and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him.
Jesus straightened up and said to her,
‘Woman, where are they?
Has no one condemned you?’
She said, ‘No one, sir.’
And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you.
Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.’
02 March 2025
Our 10 am Eucharist today was an all age service. Father Chris was the Celebrant, and the lessons were read by members of our Sunday School. We have recently been working on reading alowed skills with the children and their parents. We saw the fruits of this work this morning with excellent readings from Scarlet and Esme.
In the sermon Father Chris talked about the Transfiguration, how light, especially the light of God is essential to our Christian life. He illustrated how difficult things are with out light by asking one of the children to assemble a doll inside a black film unloading bag. She made a very good effort but illustrated the point well!!
In the sermon Father Chris talked about the Transfiguration, how light, especially the light of God is essential to our Christian life. He illustrated how difficult things are with out light by asking one of the children to assemble a doll inside a black film unloading bag. She made a very good effort but illustrated the point well!!
The Choir sang the Ave Verum in the setting by W.A. Mozart for the anthem.
Father Chris thanked Dr Platts for her fantastic welsh themed meal held on Saturday, St David's day. 24 people ate a three course welsh meal, which finished with the most delicious welsh cakes. We raised £300 for the church at the same time!!
There was coffe after the service.
In the Afternoon we had our Sung Evensong at 3:30. This lovely service with the Magnificat and Nunc dimittis, a pslam, Hymns and prayers is a once a month occasion. It is a lovely moment of praise and prayer before the start of the week.
Spring is on its way!
A reading from the book of Exodus.
Moses came down from Mount Sinai.
As he came down from the mountain
with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand,
Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone
because he had been talking with God.
When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses,
the skin of his face was shining,
and they were afraid to come near him.
But Moses called to them;
and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him,
and Moses spoke with them.
Afterwards all the Israelites came near,
and he gave them in commandment
all that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount Sinai.
When Moses had finished speaking with them,
he put a veil on his face;
but whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him,
he would take the veil off, until he came out;
and when he came out, and told the Israelites what he had been commanded,
the Israelites would see the face of Moses,
that the skin of his face was shining;
and Moses would put the veil on his face again,
until he went in to speak with him.
2 Corinthians 3:12- 4:2
A reading from the seconf letter of Paul to the Corinthians.
Since, we have such a hope,
we act with great boldness,
not like Moses, who put a veil over his face
to keep the people of Israel from gazing at the end of the glory
that was being set aside.
But their minds were hardened.
Indeed, to this very day, when they hear the reading of the old covenant,
that same veil is still there, since only in Christ is it set aside.
Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read,
a veil lies over their minds;
but when one turns to the Lord,
the veil is removed.
Now the Lord is the Spirit,
and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
And all of us, with unveiled faces,
seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror,
are being transformed into the same image f
rom one degree of glory to another;
for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.
Therefore, since it is by God’s mercy that we are engaged in this ministry,
we do not lose heart.
We have renounced the shameful things that one hides;
we refuse to practise cunning or to falsify God’s word;
but by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves
to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God.
Luke 9:28-36
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
Jesus took with him Peter and John and James,
and went up on the mountain to pray.
And while he was praying,
the appearance of his face changed,
and his clothes became dazzling white.
Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him.
They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure,
which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep;
but since they had stayed awake,
they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him.
Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus,
‘Master, it is good for us to be here;
let us make three dwellings,
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah
Peter did not know what he said.
While he was saying this,
a cloud came and overshadowed them;
and they were terrified as they entered the cloud.
Then from the cloud came a voice that said,
‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!’
When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.
And the disciples kept silent
and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.
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