#508 When the party is over
After the 40 days of Christmas over, the church has lost all its seasonal decorations, and my nest can no longer be lined with fallen pine needles. I’ll have to go back to using altar linen to keep warm on chilly February evenings.
I’m told the church won’t be in Ordinary Time green for long, however. Lent is just around the corner. That means that this Sunday is all about Creation. That means it’s all about me – because I think we’d all agree that I’m the best thing God ever created…
Fr Sam writes
I enjoy the way the liturgical season of Christmas stretches out into February, allowing us to luxuriate in the presence of God amongst us in the Christ-Child. But there is a Grinch-like part of me that is always a little glad to see a church looking back to normal again.
I’m looking forward to the church quiz night this Saturday evening. However, I am a little worried. I am very competitive when it comes to quizzes, and I fear I may disgrace myself.
This Sunday: the story of Creation
This Sunday is the Second Sunday before Lent, which the Church of England keeps by focussing on the stories of Creation. This means that our first reading is an epic: the seven days of creation from the opening chapter of Genesis. Our Gospel is from the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus tells the crowds not to be anxious, looking at the birds of the air and the lilies of the field.
Image: The Ancient of Days by William Blake
Services this Sunday
| 9.30am | St Paul’s | Parish Mass | Fr Sam Tanna-Korn |
| Anthem: A Gaelic Blessing, Rutter | |||
| 10am | Woosehill Church | Holy Communion | Revd Wes Hampton |
| 11am | St Nicholas’s | Community Eucharist | Fr Sam Tanna-Korn |
Meeting God in John
Lent is just a couple of weeks away. There are many disciplines you can choose in Lent (such as giving something up, extra time devoted to prayer, giving to charity), but one good option is taking up some spiritual reading.
Fr Sam’s recommendation this Lent is Meeting God in John by David Ford, formerly the Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge. It is both an introduction to John’s themes and an opportunity to meet Christ through the gospel, with questions for reflection as we read this fascinating gospel.
It is available as an ebook, or through the SPCK website.
Drinks at Evensong
This year’s Evensong sermon series is on the Seven Deadly Sins. At Evensong we have drinks after the service, giving an opportunity to speak with the preacher and enjoy time together.
We need people who can help with providing the refreshments. A budget is provided but we need someone each time to get the drinks and food and serve.
Could you help? We need people to cover March 15, July 19, and November 15. Please get in touch with Lesley (lesley_ruddock@hotmail.co.uk) if you are able to help.
This week’s calendar: a local king?
Saturday 7 February is the feast day of an elusive saint who was (probably) local to us. This is St Richard, an eighth-century king of Wessex (though his name, his location, and whether he was actually a king are all a little uncertain).
Richard renounced all his earthly goods and set off on pilgrimage to the Holy Land. He got as far as Lucca in Tuscany, where he died unexpectedly of a fever.
He didn’t complete his pilgrimage on earth, but he set out on the way, and so he is known most properly as Richard the Pilgrim.
