August 2014 MALMESBURY ABBEY
HOSPITALITY THAT INVITES PEOPLE CLOSER STABILITY THAT DRAWS PEOPLE DEEPER CREATIVITY THAT LIFTS PEOPLE HIGHER
Vicar’s blog: who are You? In Mark 8:29 Jesus asks perhaps the most penetrating question the gospels present: ‘but what about you, who do you say I am?’ Peter’s answer ‘you are the Christ’ became foundational for church and demands at least a flicker of response from each of us: is our thinking on the same page as Peter? Does our living back it up? But I don’t think it would have been that unreasonable for the disciples to turn and ask Jesus exactly the same question: ‘but what about you, Jesus, who do you say you are?’ The congregations at the Abbey are pretty fluid in August; many of us are away on holiday or at Christian conferences, and we welcome many visitors in this period. And each Sunday we will be able to listen to a stand alone sermon reflecting on how Jesus answers that question in John’s gospel. What is Jesus saying when he says he is the Bread of Life, the Light of the World, the Gate, the Good Shepherd, the Resurrection and the Life, the Way, the Truth and the Life, or the True Vine? Who is he saying he is? May you know the rest of God this summer, and may He refresh you in his word and his holy presence as you worship with us at Malmesbury Abbey.
August Diary SUNDAY AUGUST 3rd 8am BCP Holy Communion 10.30am Holy Communion 4pm Informal Worship 6.30pm Choral Evensong & Commemoration of WWI EACH DAY WED
9am Morning Prayer 10.30am Holy Communion
SUNDAY AUGUST 10th 8am BCP Holy Communion 10.30am Holy Communion 4pm Informal Worship with Junior Church provision EACH DAY WED
EACH DAY WED
9am Morning Prayer 10.30am Holy Communion
SUNDAY AUGUST 31st 8am BCP Holy Communion 10.30am Holy Communion 4pm Carnival Service EACH DAY WED
9am Morning Prayer 10.30am Holy Communion
9am Morning Prayer 10.30am Holy Communion
SUNDAY AUGUST 17th 8am BCP Holy Communion 10.30am Holy Communion 4pm Informal Worship & Baptism with Junior Church provision
EACH DAY WED
SUNDAY AUGUST 24th 8am BCP Holy Communion 10.30am Holy Communion 4pm Informal Worship with Junior Church provision
9am Morning Prayer 10.30am Holy Communion
AUTUMN DATES Sep 9th Glory! Sep 13th Archbishop in Malmesbury Oct 7th Confirmation at the Abbey Oct 17/18 BBC History Weekend Oct 31st glo in the dark Junior Church party Nov 18th Glory! Nov 25th Refresh Nov 30th Advent Carol Service Dec 21st Nine Lessons & Carols Dec 20th The Malmesbury Nativity 23rd & 24th www.malmesburyabbey.com
August 3rd //John 6:32-51 32
Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ 34 ‘Sir,’ they said, ‘always give us this bread.’ 35 Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37 All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.’ 41
At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’ 42 They said, ‘Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, “I came down from heaven”?’ 43 ‘Stop grumbling among yourselves,’ Jesus answered. 44 ‘No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets: “They will all be taught by God.” Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. 46 No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. 47 Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live for ever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.’
Additional Reading: Isaiah 55:1-7
daily readings MONDAY Psalm 1 Luke 22:24-30
TUESDAY WEDNESDAY Psalm 5 Psalm 27 Luke 22:31-38 Luke 22:39-46
THURSDAY Psalm 15 Luke 22:47-62
FRIDAY Psalm 19 Luke 63-end
August 10th //John 8:12-30 12
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’ 13 The Pharisees challenged him, ‘Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.’ 14 Jesus answered, ‘Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. 15 You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. 16 But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. 17 In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. 18 I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.’ 19 Then they asked him, ‘Where is your father?’ ‘You do not know me or my Father,’ Jesus replied. ‘If you knew me, you would know my Father also.’ 20 He spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come. 21
Once more Jesus said to them, ‘I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.’ 22 This made the Jews ask, ‘Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, “Where I go, you cannot come”?’ 23 But he continued, ‘You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.’ 25 ‘Who are you?’ they asked. ‘Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,’ Jesus replied. 26 ‘I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.’ 27 They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. 28 So Jesus said, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. 29 The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.’ 30 Even as he spoke, many believed in him.
Additional Reading: Psalm 27
daily readings MONDAY Psalm 30 Luke 23:1-25
TUESDAY WEDNESDAY Psalm 36 Psalm 34 Luke 23:26-43 Luke 23:44-56a
THURSDAY Psalm 37 Luke 23:56b24:12
FRIDAY Psalm 98 Luke 24:13-end
August 17th //John 10:1-21 ‘Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognise a stranger’s voice.’ 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them. Therefore Jesus said again, ‘Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 11 ‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 ‘I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me – 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father – and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life – only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.’ 19 The Jews who heard these words were again divided. 20 Many of them said, ‘He is demonpossessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?’ 21 But others said, ‘These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?’
Additional Reading: Psalm 23
daily readings MONDAY Psalm 44 Acts 1:1-14
TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY Psalm 48 Psalm 119:57-80 Psalm 57 Acts 1:15-end Acts 2:1-21 Acts 2:22-36
FRIDAY Psalm 51 Acts 2:37-end
August 24th //John 11:17-27 17
On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. 21
‘Lord,’ Martha said to Jesus, ‘if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.’ 23 Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ 24 Martha answered, ‘I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.’ 25
Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ 27 ‘Yes, Lord,’ she replied, ‘I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.’
Additional Reading: Psalm 30
daily readings MONDAY Psalm 71 Acts 3
TUESDAY Psalm 73 Acts 4:1-12
WEDNESDAY Psalm 77 Acts 4:13-31
THURSDAY Psalm 78:1-39 Acts 4:32-5:11
FRIDAY Psalm 55 Acts 5:12-end
Contact ABBEY OFFICE Mon &Tues (9.30am-12noon) Weds, Thurs ,Fri, (9.30am-2.30pm) 01666 826666 www.malmesburyabbey.com sandie@malmesburyabbey.com Staff members can be contacted by name@malmesburyabbey.com NORMAL CAFÉ HOURS Tuesday –Saturday: 9am-4.30pm Sunday & Monday: Closed all day clare@malmesburyabbey.com
Office Closure & Staff Holiday Due to staff holidays the Parish Office is closed Sat 26th July— Monday 4th August and 16th-26th August. Neill is away at a conference then on holiday from August 11th-30th. Time for Chat, Creative Response, Women Alive , Prayer Ministry and The Meeting Place (Healing in the Streets) are all having a break in August and return in September.
Carnival Service On Sunday August 31st we gather outside the Abbey at 4pm for our Carnival Service; we’d particularly encourage anybody who has been involved in the Carnival procession the previous day to come in their costumes. Look out for the bouncy castle and BBQ.
12th CENTURY BEAUTY 21st CENTURY CHURCH