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Pew Sheets

 

 

 

27^th April

2^nd Sunday of Easter

Collect

Almighty Father you have given your only Son to die for our Sins and to rise again for our justification: grant us so to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness that we may always serve you in pureness of living and truth; through the merits of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Readings

Old Testament                        Acts 5. ^27-32.

New Testament                      Revelation 1. ^4-8.

Gospel                                      John 20. ^19-end.

 

INTERVIEW WITH GOD

Now that Lent and Easter are over for this year I thought that a fresh interview with God might help us make our way through the torrent of holy vocabulary that has propelled us since Ash Wednesday.   I thought it might go something like this.

Interviewer.  Thank you, God, for agreeing to this interview which I hope will give fresh meaning to some of our theological technical terms.

God.  It’s my pleasure and I emphasise that I am always available. 

Int.  How did the whole story come about?

God.  When I created you I created a real being, a being of awareness and choice, a being who knows the difference between good and evil, not subjected to blind instinct but one who chooses the good out of freedom.  Sadly, some chose to follow the evil path, away from companionship with me, and the result was chaos and suffering.  What I wanted was reconciliation between us, a reconciliation of choice, not instinct or coercion.  

Int.  This message was known, but it did not come easily.  What was the sticking point?

God.  The answer is that the human side said that for our reconciliation to be real there had to be a punishment paid to balance things up, and the human side was weak and afraid to face up to a punishment that would suffice.  So I put my plan into action.  I would become a human being.  I would become one of you, I would represent you all as the punishment came about.  With that served, the way was clear for the sheets to balance and our reconciliation to be a reality.  There would be an interesting twist to the tale as a convincing stroke of the reality of it .  I, in my human guise would die.  Then to put my stamp on it I would come back to life to say that this was a special case to assert the supremacy of life.

Int.  This is what we call Easter, the Resurrection, isn’t it?

God.  Precisely.  So the path is clear for our reconciliation to go ahead.  You can devise all sorts of lofty vocabulary for it, so long as you keep your eye on the realities of the story.

Int.  Thank you, God, for your clear explanation of your plan for us.  That’s all for now folks but stay tuned for further developments.   

                                                                                                             Robin Noble..

Services next Sunday – 04^th May – 3^rd Sunday of Easter

Weston-under-Penyard	Morning Worship	11.15 a.m.
The Lea	Family Communion	9.30 a.m.
Hope Mansell	Parish Communion	9.30 a.m.
Aston Ingham	Evensong	4.30 p.m.
Linton	Communion Service	11.00 a.m.
Upton Bishop	Mattins	10.30 a.m.

Forthcoming Services & Events

LINTON BIBLE BRUNCH: The Gospel for the third Sunday in Lent was about the fig tree and its lack of fruitfulness.  But what exactly is fruitfulness and how can we be more fruitful in our everyday lives?  These are themes we will be exploring over the next year on the second Sunday of the month in Linton Village Hall.  With a course based on Mark Greene’s book “Fruitfulness on the Frontline” we will be considering where our ‘Frontline’ is, (the place where you regularly meet with non-Christians), and how we can be more fruitful.  Everyone is very welcome, we start with refreshments at 10.30am.  Next meeting April 13th.  See Charlotte for info.

WESTON: Bible study at Tony & Mary Pitt’s, 2^nd & 4^th Thursday of each month, Penyard Rise Weston under Penyard HR9 7PH Phone: 768181

UPTON BISHOP have a BCP communion Service at 9.30 am on the first Wednesday of each month. A quiet midweek service. All welcome”                

Please be aware that if you have any events you would like to advertise here, do please contact Debs

directly (details below) and she will be pleased to include them.                                                     

Please pray for all who are sick, Margaret Minnet (AI)

Please pray for all who have died, Philip Johnson (WuP), Arthur James Cook, (AI), David Lewis (LEA), Alexander Geffert (UB),

Rev David Howell 01989 568736    email:   revdavidhowell@btinternet.com

If you would like to receive this pew sheet via email¸ please email Debs debsparishsecretary@outlook.com

 

20^th April

Easter Day

Collect

Lord of all life and power, who through the mighty resurrection of your Son overcame the old order of sin and death to make all things new in him: grant that we, being dead to sin and alive to you in Jesus Christ, may reign with him in glory; to whom with you and the Holy Spirit be praise and honour, glory and might, now and in all eternity.

Readings

Old Testament                        Isaiah 65. ^17-end.

New Testament                      Acts 10. ^34-43.

Gospel                                      Luke 24. ^1-12.

In 1963 Pope John XXIII addressed an issue which has grown out of the Gospel narratives of the Crucifixion which is not usually considered. John prayed; “Forgive us the curse we wrongfully pronounced upon the name of the Jews. Forgive us that we crucified Thee in the flesh for the second time. For we knew not what we did.” He raised an issue which we need to consider today, even in the light of what is happening in Gaza. The many centuries of hostility towards the Jews have been justified on many counts and the Crucifixion is one. It remains an unexpected consequence of Christian history. The Book of Isaiah in chapter 65 tells of the hope that the Jewish captives would be freed to return to Jerusalem. Cyrus, a Persian King, who, in 539 B.C. captured Babylon, had a policy of sending captives back to their original countries. His reasons were entirely political; to be rid of dissident groups! But the Old Testament writers believed that Cyrus, although a Gentile was God’s chosen one and would end their long captivity. That Cyrus should be so regard is an unexpected consequence. The Scriptures were translated from Hebrew into Greek by Jews living in a large community in Alexandria, the city founded by Alexander the Great on the banks of the River Nile about 331 B.C. The translation encouraged Jewish people, who had settled at Alexandria and spoke Greek as the common language, to rediscover their Faith-history in their familiar every-day speech. An unexpected consequence of this is that our Old Testament readings come in part from that same translation, intermingled with a Hebrew version from a Samaritan source, though it was only intended for Jewish people. The events surrounding the trial and crucifixion of Jesus have the unexpected consequence in that Pontius Pilate and Joseph Caiaphas would otherwise be unknown world-wide, but for the Crucifixion. Caiaphas in Jewish history was High Priest for 18 years and Pilate who had a pathological hatred of Jerusalem and its inhabitants, was eventually fired by Roman authorities, banished to Spain and disappeared from history. The last consequence met head-on by the Pope, “The curse we wrongfully pronounced on the name of the Jews”, lets ant-Semitism draw strength from it and allows it to taint our present as much as it did in the past.                                                                                            Brian

Services next Sunday – 27^th April – 2^nd Sunday of Easter

Weston-under-Penyard	Parish Communion Service	9.30 a.m.
The Lea	Children’s Church	10.00 a.m.
Hope Mansell	Mattins	9.30 a.m.
Aston Ingham	Village Praise	10.30 a.m.
Linton	Morning Worship	11.00 a.m.
Upton Bishop	All Age Communion	10.30 a.m.

Forthcoming Services & Events

HOPE MANSELL. St Michael’s Church, Hope Mansell Coffee Morning with books and jigsaws on Saturday 26th April, 10.30am to 12.00 noon”

LINTON BIBLE BRUNCH: The Gospel for the third Sunday in Lent was about the fig tree and its lack of fruitfulness.  But what exactly is fruitfulness and how can we be more fruitful in our everyday lives?  These are themes we will be exploring over the next year on the second Sunday of the month in Linton Village Hall.  With a course based on Mark Greene’s book “Fruitfulness on the Frontline” we will be considering where our ‘Frontline’ is, (the place where you regularly meet with non-Christians), and how we can be more fruitful.  Everyone is very welcome, we start with refreshments at 10.30am.  Next meeting April 13th.  See Charlotte for info.

WESTON: Bible study at Tony & Mary Pitt’s, 2^nd & 4^th Thursday of each month, Penyard Rise Weston under Penyard HR9 7PH Phone: 768181

UPTON BISHOP have a BCP communion Service at 9.30 am on the first Wednesday of each month. A quiet midweek service. All welcome”                

Please be aware that if you have any events you would like to advertise here, do please contact Debs

directly (details below) and she will be pleased to include them.                                                     

Please pray for all who are sick, Margaret Minnet (AI)

Please pray for all who have died, Philip Johnson (WuP), Arthur James Cook, (AI), David Lewis (LEA)

Rev David Howell 01989 568736    email:   revdavidhowell@btinternet.com

If you would like to receive this pew sheet via email¸ please email Debs debsparishsecretary@outlook.com

13^th April

Palm Sunday

 

Collect

Almighty and everlasting God, who in your tender love towards the human race sent your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ to take upon him our flesh and to suffer death upon the cross: grant that we may follow the example of his patience and humility, and also be made partakers of his resurrection; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

 

Readings

Old Testament                        Isaiah 50. ^4-9a.

New Testament                      Philippians 2. ^5-11.

Gospel                                      Luke 23. ^1-49.

This day was one of celebration, as Jesus’ rode into Jerusalem.  The crowds were shouting, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’ – shaking palm leaves and laying them out on the road.  He was given their equivalent of a ‘red carpet treatment’ as he went through the city that was the focus of jewish political and religious life.

Was the famous Teacher and Healer now going to free them from the oppression of the occupying Roman power?  Somehow the donkey didn’t give him the right image for that!

In just a few short days, many from the same crowd would be shouting for his blood.  It is easy to draw the conclusion that his disciples stuck by him only when there were good times, but we must remember that many of them were to suffer death for the sake of their Lord and Master and the cause of his Kingdom later on.

It is easy to laugh and sing praises when things are going well, but does our faith stand firm when the going gets tough?  Are we only ‘Fair-weather Christians?’ We may despise the fickleness of those first Palm Sunday crowds, but when it comes down to it, human nature doesn’t seem to have changed very much!                                                                           Martin.

 

 

Services for Triduum – 17^th & 18^th April

Upton Bishop

17^th AprilMaundy Thursday Sung HC & Foot Wash7.30 p.m.The Lea

18^th AprilGood Friday Children’s Workshop & Service10.00 a.m.Weston-under-Penyard

18^th AprilGood Friday Liturgy2.00 p.m.

Services next Sunday – 20^th April – Easter Day

Weston-under-Penyard	Family Communion Service	11.00 a.m.
The Lea	Parish Communion	9.30 a.m.
Hope Mansell	Parish Communion	9.30 a.m.
Aston Ingham	Parish Communion	10.30 a.m.
Linton	Easter Vigil	5.30 a.m.
Linton	Communion Service	11.00 a.m.
Upton Bishop	Parish Communion	10.30 a.m.

Forthcoming Services & Events

LINTON BIBLE BRUNCH: The Gospel for the third Sunday in Lent was about the fig tree and its lack of fruitfulness.  But what exactly is fruitfulness and how can we be more fruitful in our everyday lives?  These are themes we will be exploring over the next year on the second Sunday of the month in Linton Village Hall.  With a course based on Mark Greene’s book “Fruitfulness on the Frontline” we will be considering where our ‘Frontline’ is, (the place where you regularly meet with non-Christians), and how we can be more fruitful.  Everyone is very welcome, we start with refreshments at 10.30am.  Next meeting April 13th.  See Charlotte for more details.

HOLY WEEK WALKS. With the Holy Week Walks starting on 13th April, WhatsApp Group. Please send a text Charlotte (07513611108), if you would like to be included.  For safeguarding reasons only over 18s please.

WESTON: Bible study at Tony & Mary Pitt’s, 2^nd & 4^th Thursday of each month, Penyard Rise Weston under Penyard HR9 7PH Phone: 768181

UPTON BISHOP have a BCP communion Service at 9.30 am on the first Wednesday of each month. A quiet midweek service. All welcome”

Please be aware that if you have any events you would like to advertise here, do please contact Debs

directly (details below) and she will be pleased to include them.                                                 

Please pray for all who are sick, Margaret Minnet (AI)

Please pray for all who have died, Philip Johnson (WuP), Arthur James Cook, (AI), David Lewis (LEA)

Rev David Howell 01989 568736    email:   revdavidhowell@btinternet.com

If you would like to receive this pew sheet via email¸ please email Debs debsparishsecretary@outlook.com

 

 

P