#539 I’m loving angels
Fr Sam writes
For me the feast of Michaelmas is associated with two things: daisies, and the beginning of a new term at university. It’s also an opportunity to reflect on the elements of our faith that relate to things unseen, and on the things of Heaven.
Our PCC meeting on Monday was more focused on the things of earth: looking at legal issues, works needed around the church, and more. Last Saturday we also had an excellent day working on the St Nicholas Church anniversary eco-event, with 32 people involved in various biodiversity work around the Emm Brook.
This Sunday: visions of angels
This Sunday we celebrate the feast of St Michael and All Angels, acknowledging the great company of God’s servants who sing the song of praise in Heaven.
Our first reading this Sunday is Jacob’s dream at Bethel, when his vision shows him the angels of God ascending and descending, revealing to him the presence of God (Genesis 28.10-17).
In our Gospel reading, Jesus encounters Nathaniel and promises that he will see “heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending” (John 1.47-end).
Image: Saint Cecilia with an Angel, Orazio Gentileschi
Services this Sunday
| 9.30am | St Paul’s | Parish Mass | Fr Sam Tanna-Korn |
| Organ Prelude: Michaelmas (Autumn), from Embertides Suite – Hilary Tann Anthem: O thou, the central orb – Charles Wood Voluntary: Toccata – Georgi Mushel | |||
| 10am | Woosehill Church | Holy Communion | Revd Cara Smart |
| 11am | St Nicholas’ | Community Eucharist | Fr Sam Tanna-Korn |
| 1pm | St Paul’s | Holy Baptism | Fr Sam Tanna-Korn |
Choral Scholarships
We are now welcoming applications for the choral scholarship scheme at St Paul’s. Do share the information with anyone you know who might be interested: it’s a really great opportunity.
spauls.co.uk/choralscholarships/
Image: Music-Making Angels from the Ghent Altarpiece, Jan van Eyck
Confirm, O Lord, your servant…
On 15 November, there will be a confirmation service at St John’s Crowthorne, celebrated by the Bishop of Reading.
If you have not been confirmed (and are in Year 7 or older) and would like to be, please let Fr Sam know. There will be preparation classes starting in October, times TBC.
Confirmation is the occasion where Christians take on their baptism promises from their own lips, while the bishop lays hands on them in a chain that is unbroken since the first apostles. It marks full, adult membership of the Church, and is the sacrament of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us and giving us life.
If there are any children under Year 7 who would like to receive Holy Communion for the first time, please also speak with Fr Sam.
Image: Seven Sacraments Altarpiece by Rogier van der Weyden
Quiet Day
Revd Jane Kraft will be leading a parish Quiet Day at St James Church Centre, Finchampstead on Saturday 17 October. The focus of the addresses will be on three Marys in the New Testament: Mary Magdalene, Mary a friend of Jesus and Jesus’s mother Mary.
All are welcome. Precise start and end times will be confirmed soon, but our usual pattern will be followed: Coffee and welcome around 10am, addresses and quiet reflection until lunchtime, followed by another address and celebration of the Eucharist to end the day.
Hot drinks will be available all day; please bring your own lunch
To reserve a place, please email mary.cassidy@spauls.org.uk
A bit bazaar
For your diary: the parish Autumn Bazaar will take place on Saturday 7 November between 12 noon and 3pm. Draw tickets are now on sale from Liz Gallagher and Teri Austen.
It’s Bake-Off Time
The Woosehill Church Harvest Festival on 4 October is to be crowned with a Fairtrade Bake-Off. Entries welcomed! (If you want to try the goods and vote for the winner, you’re also welcome to do that.)
This week’s calendar: evangelist of the year
25 September is the feast of Lancelot Andrewes, a bishop in the Church of England under Elizabeth I and James I. Andrewes was a brilliant scholar and reputedly spoke fifteen languages. He was also a great supporter and defender of the monarchy. It was this combination that led to his being one of the principal figures behind the translation of the Bible in 1611 that we know as the Authorised or King James Version. He is one of the most significant figures in the development of Anglicanism.
