07 August 2022
10:00 | 
Posted by
Dr Platts |
The first Sunday in August, we are well into Trinity now! We had a Family Service this morning, taken by Father Roger. Although the summer holidays are underway there were still a number of families with us. The Choir are in recess during August, so we sang some familiar hymns and enjoyed a wonderful Eucharist on a beautiful summers day.
There was Coffee after the service and we were delighted to hear that the total made at the fete had grown again to over £7,000 a marvelous effort by everyone!!
Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16
A reading from the letter to the Hebrews.
Faith is the assurance of things hoped for,
the conviction of things not seen.
Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval.
By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God,
so that what is seen
was made from things that are not visible.
By faith Abraham obeyed
when he was called to set out for a place
that he was to receive as an inheritance;
and he set out,
not knowing where he was going.
By faith he stayed for a time
in the land he had been promised,
as in a foreign land, living in tents,
as did Isaac and Jacob,
who were heirs with him of the same promise.
For he looked forward to the city that has foundations,
whose architect and builder is God.
By faith he received power of procreation,
even though he was too old—
and Sarah herself was barren—
because he considered him faithful who had promised.
Therefore from one person,
and this one as good as dead,
descendants were born,
‘as many as the stars of heaven
and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.’
All of these died in faith
without having received the promises,
but from a distance they saw and greeted them.
They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth,
for people who speak in this way
make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.
If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind,
they would have had opportunity to return.
But as it is, they desire a better country,
that is, a heavenly one.
Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God;
indeed, he has prepared a city for them.
Luke 12:32-40
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
Jesus said to his disciples,
‘Do not be afraid, little flock,
for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Sell your possessions, and give alms.
Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out,
an unfailing treasure in heaven,
where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
‘Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit;
be like those who are waiting for their master
to return from the wedding banquet,
so that they may open the door for him
as soon as he comes and knocks.
Blessed are those slaves
whom the master finds alert when he comes;
truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt
and have them sit down to eat,
and he will come and serve them.
If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn,
and finds them so,
blessed are those slaves.
‘But know this:
if the owner of the house
had known at what hour the thief was coming,
he would not have let his house be broken into.
You also must be ready,
for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.’
31 July 2022
This morning we met at 10 am for our Parish \Eucharist, on a grey overcast day which was non the less very warm. Father Roger was the celbrant and he also preached the sermon. He took the parable from the gospel and talked about the futility of acquiring worldly goods if we ignore our spiritual needs.
We sang a communion hymn, Soul of my Saviour, and left the Church after singing 'Fight the Good Fight'!
There was coffee after the service. A calm and contemplative Sunday after the excitement of the Fete last week.
Our new Priest, Father Chris Brading, was licensed by Bishop Martin this week so his now officially ours!. Many of us met him and his wife Carolyn at the Fete. The Family will be moving into the Vicarage during August, and his first service with us will be Sunday the 4th of September which we will be celebrating as ar Patronal Festival. Please do come along any Sunday to St Marys, but we hope to see lots of the Church Family on the 4th to welcome him!
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Colossians 3:1-11
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Colossians.
If you have been raised with Christ,
seek the things that are above,
where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
Set your minds on things that are above,
not on things that are on earth,
for you have died,
and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ who is your life is revealed,
then you also will be revealed with him in glory.
Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly:
fornication, impurity, passion,
evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry).
On account of these
the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient.
These are the ways you also once followed,
when you were living that life.
But now you must get rid of all such things—
anger, wrath, malice, slander,
and abusive language from your mouth.
Do not lie to one another,
seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices
and have clothed yourselves with the new self,
which is being renewed in knowledge
according to the image of its creator.
In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew,
circumcised and uncircumcised,
barbarian, Scythian,
slave and free;
but Christ is all and in all!
Luke 12:13-21
hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
Someone in the crowd said to Jesus,
‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.’
But he said to him,
‘Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?’
And he said to the crowd,
‘Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed;
for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.’
Then he told them a parable:
‘The land of a rich man produced abundantly.
And he thought to himself,
“What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?”
Then he said, “I will do this:
I will pull down my barns and build larger ones,
and there I will store all my grain and my goods.
And I will say to my soul,
Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years;
relax, eat, drink, be merry.”
But God said to him,
“You fool!
This very night your life is being demanded of you.
And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?”
So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves
but are not rich towards God.’
Do Not Worry
24 July 2022
This Saturday between 2 and 4 pm we held the traditional Sidlesham Fete. Our first post covid fete was a great joy and after a rainy set up on Friday morning we were blessed with fine weather and a moderate wind to prevent us being too hot.
The Fete was held on the meadow next to the vicarage, and we were delighted to see the return of our old favourites The Chichester City Band, the Pimms Tent, the Boutique, the Plant stall, the Classic Cars, the Book Tent, The Cake Stall and of course the Dog Show!
The Fete was opened and the Grand Draw tickets were drawn by Father Roger who did a splendid job!!
We were delighted to welcome Father Chris and Carolyn, who are to join us in September when Father Chris takes up the post of incumbent at Sidlesham, They spent some time looking around the Fete and meeting us all.
The refreshment tent and the ice cream van did fantastic business through out.
The Toy stall ran out of Jam Jar Tombola jars, all the Pimms was drunk, and the bottle tombola also ran out of bottles!!
In the Traditional tug o' war competition mothers and sons beat fathers and daughters, and the Band beat the village!
We wait to hear from the Treasurer but we anticipate a tidy sum was raised for the Church, many thanks to every one who came and all the helpers, tent builders, stall holders, car park attendants refreshment providers and out first aider, Congratulations to Barley Warring who won best in show at the dog show!!
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| Mothers and sons team |
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| Fathers and daughters Team |
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| The book tent |
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| The dog show |
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| The Winner |
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| The toy stall team |
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| The Pimms Team |
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| The Band |
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| The Village |
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| Refreshments |
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| Bathroom Stall |
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| All that remains on the cake stall |
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| The plant stall |
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| a sold out bottle tombola! |
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| The Boutique |
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| Father Roger drawing the winning ticket |
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| Christina drawing the second prize. |
The Sunday after the Fete and we had an 'end of term' feeling in church today. Father Roger took the service a Parish Eucharist, and we had the junior choir with us in church as there was no Sunday School.
In his sermon Father Roger spoke about prayer, specifically the Lords Prayer as this featured in the Gospel, challenging us to think of it as a list of subjects for our prayers rather than a formula we repeat over and over again.
The Choir sang the Ave Verum in the setting by W.A. Mozart as the anthem, one of our favourites.
At the end of the service after Father Roger had given the blessing, the Junior Choir lead the senior choir in singing 'We are Marching in the Light of God' a traditional South African folksong and they managed the last verse in Zulu Siyahamba! This was received with great enthusiasm by the congregation, and so many of us march off to our summer holidays, but some remain and our services continue in their normal pattern through ut August.
Colossians 2:6-15
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Colossians.
Brothers and sisters,
As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord,
continue to live your lives in him,
rooted and built up in him and established in the faith,
just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit,
according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe,
and not according to Christ.
For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,
and you have come to fullness in him,
who is the head of every ruler and authority.
In him also you were circumcised with a spiritual circumcision,
by putting off the body of the flesh in the circumcision of Christ;
when you were buried with him in baptism,
you were also raised with him
through faith in the power of God,
who raised him from the dead.
And when you were dead in trespasses
and the uncircumcision of your flesh,
God made you alive together with him,
when he forgave us all our trespasses,
erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands.
He set this aside, nailing it to the cross.
He disarmed the rulers and authorities
and made a public example of them,
triumphing over them in it.
Luke 11:1-13
Hear the gospel of ur ord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
Jesus was praying in a certain place,
and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him,
‘Lord, teach us to pray,
as John taught his disciples.’
He said to them, ‘When you pray, say:
Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.
And do not bring us to the time of trial.’
And he said to them,
‘Suppose one of you has a friend,
and you go to him at midnight and say to him,
“Friend, lend me three loaves of bread;
for a friend of mine has arrived,
and I have nothing to set before him.”
And he answers from within,
“Do not bother me;
the door has already been locked,
and my children are with me in bed;
I cannot get up and give you anything.”
I tell you,
even though he will not get up and give him anything
because he is his friend,
at least because of his persistence
he will get up and give him whatever he needs.
‘So I say to you,
Ask, and it will be given to you;
search, and you will find;
knock, and the door will be opened for you.
For everyone who asks receives,
and everyone who searches finds,
and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
Is there anyone among you who,
if your child asks for a fish,
will give a snake instead of a fish?
Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion?
If you then, who are evil,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the heavenly Father
give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!’
17 July 2022
Another glorious sunny but rather hot day today, but it is nice and cool in Church! The third Sunday of July brings us to Mattins. As we had no Clergy with us to day, the service was conducted by our Church Wardens Chris and Janet. The choir sang the canticles and the psalm, and Joanna sang the prayers requiring responses. There was no sermon, but we gathered for coffee after the service.
The Sunday School talked about following in the footsteps of Jesus, and you can see the foot prins they made below!
Next Saturday is the Fete on the field next to the church 2 to 4 pm all are welcome to the first post covid Fete, parking in the field along Church Lane, see you all there!!
8am Holy Communion
Colassians 1:15-28
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Colassians.
Christ is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn of all creation;
for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created,
things visible and invisible,
whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—
all things have been created through him and for him.
He himself is before all things,
and in him all things hold together.
He is the head of the body, the church;
he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
so that he might come to have first place in everything.
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things,
whether on earth or in heaven,
by making peace through the blood of his cross.
And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,
he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death,
so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him—
provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith,
without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard,
which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven.
I, Paul, became a servant of this gospel.
I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake,
and in my flesh
I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions
for the sake of his body, that is, the church.
I became its servant
according to God’s commission that was given to me for you,
to make the word of God fully known,
the mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages
and generations but has now been revealed to his saints.
To them God chose to make known
how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery,
which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
It is he whom we proclaim,
warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom,
so that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
Luke 10:38-42
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
Now as Jesus and his disciples went on their way,
he entered a certain village,
where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.
She had a sister named Mary,
who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying.
But Martha was distracted by her many tasks;
so she came to him and asked,
‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself?
Tell her then to help me.’
But the Lord answered her,
‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things;
there is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part,
which will not be taken away from her.’
10am Matins
Deuteronomy 30:1-10
1 And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee,
2 And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul;
3 That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.
4 If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee:
5 And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers.
6 And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.
7 And the LORD thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee.
8 And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the LORD, and do all his commandments which I command thee this day.
9 And the LORD thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the LORD will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers:
1 0If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.
1 Peter 3:8-18
8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:
9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.
10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:
11 Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
13 And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?
14 But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;
15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
16 Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
17 For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.
18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
10 July 2022
A glorious sunny day welcomed us to St Mary's this morning.
Fr Roger's sermon spoke of the gospel reading and the Good Samaritan which the children learnt about in Sunday School and produced some lovely art work. Fr Roger also mentioned that today was Sea Sunday and we remembered all those who work on the seas and also risk their own lives to save others. Sea Sunday was reflected in our hymns and the Anthem sund by the choir, Crossing the Bar.
Please can you get your offerings for the Church Fete to the storeholders before the actual day so they can set up their stalls properly, thank you. All donations gratefully received.
Colossians 1:1-14
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Colossians.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
and Timothy our brother,
To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus
and of the love that you have for all the saints,
because of the hope laid up for you in heaven.
You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth,
the gospel that has come to you.
Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world,
so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it
and truly comprehended the grace of God.
This you learned from Epaphras,
our beloved fellow-servant.
He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf,
and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
For this reason, since the day we heard it,
we have not ceased praying for you
and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will
in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord,
fully pleasing to him,
as you bear fruit in every good work
and as you grow in the knowledge of God.
May you be made strong
with all the strength that comes from his glorious power,
and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully
giving thanks to the Father,
who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.
He has rescued us from the power of darkness
and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son,
in whom we have redemption,
the forgiveness of sins.
Luke 10:25-37
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ ccording to Luke.
A lawyer stood up to test Jesus.
‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’
He said to him, ‘What is written in the law?
What do you read there?’
He answered,
‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
and with all your soul, and with all your strength,
and with all your mind;
and your neighbour as yourself.’
And he said to him,
‘You have given the right answer;
do this, and you will live.’
But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus,
‘And who is my neighbour?’
Jesus replied,
‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho,
and fell into the hands of robbers,
who stripped him, beat him, and went away,
leaving him half dead.
Now by chance a priest was going down that road;
and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him,
passed by on the other side.
But a Samaritan while travelling came near him;
and when he saw him, he was moved with pity.
He went to him and bandaged his wounds,
having poured oil and wine on them.
Then he put him on his own animal,
brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
The next day he took out two denarii,
gave them to the innkeeper, and said,
“Take care of him;
and when I come back,
I will repay you whatever more you spend.”
Which of these three, do you think,
was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?’
He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’
Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’
03 July 2022
The first Sunday in July so our Family Eucharist, with Father John as the celebrant. It is also the Feast of St Thomas, and Father John told us about St Thomas, his doubt about the resurrection and his understanding when he saw the risen Jesus that Our Lord was both Master and God. He also told us of and his journey to India where he converted many to Christianity in what is now the State of Kerala. He also spoke of other Saints more recent than the Apostles such as St Thomas Moore and St John Fisher, both Martyrs during the reformation and buried in the Church in the Tower of London St Peter ad Vincula. The reformation was a very troubled time and people of both Roman Catholic and Protestant beliefs were Martyred. We recognise them now for their faith and conviction.
We are gearing up for the St Mary's Summer Fete on the 23rd of July hoping to see everyone there!
There was coffee after the service.
Your blogger Hilary at the shrine of St Thomas in Cyprus. He is said to have created a spring here.
Ephesians 2:19
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Ephesians.
You are no longer strangers and aliens,
but you are citizens with the saints
and also members of the household of God,
built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.
In him the whole structure is joined together
and grows into a holy temple in the Lord;
in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling-place for God.
John 20:24-29
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples told him,
‘We have seen the Lord.’
But he said to them,
‘Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands,
and put my finger in the mark of the nails
and my hand in his side,
I will not believe.’
A week later his disciples were again in the house,
and Thomas was with them.
Although the doors were shut,
Jesus came and stood among them and said,
‘Peace be with you.’
Then he said to Thomas,
‘Put your finger here and see my hands.
Reach out your hand and put it in my side.
Do not doubt but believe.’
Thomas answered him,
‘My Lord and my God!’
Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen
and yet have come to believe.’
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