‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.’
3/11/13 MALMESBURY ABBEY
In October, together we raised £2,485.31 for the African Children’s Choir and £2,770.62 for the Kigezi Water Project. Thank you.
Vicar’s blog: interrupted Breakfast on Tuesday was fun as we celebrated a birthday in the vicarage, but then on my way around to the Abbey for Morning Prayer I remembered that I was in a bad mood with somebody and it rose to the top of my priorities— aren’t we dim? Anyway, we gathered quietly in St Aldhelm’s Chapel and at 9am the liturgy began and shortly we arrived at the psalm for the day, Psalm 36. It was all about the wicked, oh excellent I thought, it’s all about that person who’d put me in a bad mood. But as I read on, even in my coffee-free daze, I realised that the wickedness the psalmist sings about is not just everybody else’s wickedness and by the end of verse 4 I was in that ‘guilty as charged’ place that we often inhabit devotionally. Fortunately the psalmist changes tack in 5, your love O LORD reaches to the heavens, and by verse 7 I was approaching restoration through how priceless is your unfailing love. God is kind.
I turned into a schoolboy during the Old Testament reading. Most days at Morning Prayer Annette Bains is there with us, but not last Tuesday—until Micah 7:2. ‘All men lie in wait to shed blood, each hunts his brother with a net’ or ‘each hunts his brother with Annette’ as I heard it. That’s where she is, hanging out with King Hezekiah. Snigger. But the set readings weren’t finished with me yet. We sat down from the hymn and in the silence of the Abbey John 19 was read; Christ was crucified, and Christ breathed his final breath. John 19 is much easier packaged on Good Friday, in late October it is horrendous. Somehow in Holy Week we shape the rhythm of the week to make a place for the cross on the Friday, but last Tuesday it was a holy interruption of God. Think each thought with the cross in mind, live each moment with the cross before you. And of course we don’t, and I didn’t, and perhaps one of the greatest sins of the church is our forgetfulness. But with Christ before me, as I hope he is before you now, for just a moment I remembered that his humanity was lost that I might recover mine, and his breathing stopped, that I might breathe again. neillarcher.blogspot.co.uk
Abbey Diary SERVICES TODAY 8am 10.30am 4pm
BCP Communion Holy Communion Informal Worship, Junior Church & Trax
EACH DAY MON 4th WED 6th
9am Morning Prayer 7pm Hearts, Hands & Voices 10.30am Holy Communion 7pm Pipeline 7.30pm Alpha 10.30am Pop-In, Le Flambé 4pm Evening Prayer 7.30pm Poppy Appeal Concert 8pm Men’s Basketball 10am Healing in the Streets
THUR 7th
SAT 9th
NEXT SUNDAY: REMEMBRANCE 8am BCP Communion 10.30am Holy Communion & Act of Remembrance 2.30pm Remembrance Service 4pm Informal Worship, Junior Church & Remembrance ADVANCE ABBEY DIARY NOV 19th 7.30pm Glory! DEC 1st 6.30pm Advent Carol Service DEC 7th Handel’s Messiah DEC 10th Wiltshire Carol Service DEC 13th Sir James Galway DEC 21-24 The Malmesbury Nativity DEC 22nd 6.30pm 9 Lessons & Carols 2014 JAN 5th FEB 19-21
Pool Baptisms Abbey Skate 2014
Isaiah 1:10-20 10
Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom; listen to the instruction of our God, you people of Gomorrah! 11 ‘The multitude of your sacrifices – what are they to me?’ says the LORD. ‘I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. 12 When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts? 13 Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations – I cannot bear your worthless assemblies. 14 Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals I hate with all my being. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. 15 When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening. Your hands are full of blood! 16 Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. 17 Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow. 18 ‘Come now, let us settle the matter,’ says the LORD. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. 19 If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land; 20 but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.’ For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
Additional Reading: Luke 19:1-10 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. 5
When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.’ 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. 7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, ‘He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.’ 8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.’ 9 Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.’
small group resource + 1. 2.
3. 4. 5. 6.
Which of these three words most strongly links Isaiah 1:10-20 and Luke 19:10: sincerity, justice or salvation? Or another? Read Isaiah 1:4. ‘The UK is a sinful nation loaded with guilt’ or ‘the UK is a nation still bearing the blessing and fruit of a Christian foundation.’ Discuss without relentlessly talking about sex. Who might have told Zaccheus about Jesus? What was it that led to such a significant change in Zaccheus? How might we welcome Christ more meaningfully into our lives individually and corporately? What is salvation?
daily readings MONDAY Isaiah 1:1-20 Matt 1:18-end
TUESDAY Isaiah 1:21-end Matt 2:1-16
WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY Isaiah 2:1-11 Isaiah 2:12-end Isaiah 3:1-15 Matt 2:17-end Matthew 3 Matt 4:1-22
Abbey Closing Times With the darker evenings, the colder weather and the drop in tourist numbers the Abbey and Bookshop now closes each day at 4pm. The Abbey Café is opening 9-3pm each day except Wednesday and Sunday when it is closed all day.
Christmas Voucher Scheme Churches Together in Malmesbury (CTiM) like to give a Christmas gift to low income families in the area, so they can enjoy celebrating this special time of year too and know that the local community cares for them. Our generosity means they will be given vouchers that can be exchanged for food at the local Co-op stores. Last year we were able to help nearly 70 local families – a record! This week special envelopes are available at each service. If you would like to contribute, please place your donation inside one of the envelopes provided, and if you pay tax then please write your name etc on the envelope so that gift aid can be added to the total. Your envelope can be placed in the collection in any of the services during November. If you know of someone who would like to contribute but isn’t here today, extra envelopes are available at the back of the Abbey.
Foundation Governor With the recent departure of Revd Katie Windle to Oxfordshire the Abbey PCC is looking to appoint new Foundation Governor for Malmesbury CE Primary School, serving alongside Neill, John Jenkins and Tristan Cork. Key responsibilities of a Foundation Governor are ensuring the Christian distinctiveness of the school and good links with the Abbey, as well as the good governance of the school. If you are interested please e-mail neill@malmesburyabbey.com.
Refresh! REFRESH! Tuesday 12 November 7.30-9.30pm Shine Like Stars In The Universe. A creative evening looking at the passage Phil 2:12-18 and using our creative skills to make stars. Mulled cider, cheese & biscuits will be served. For more information and to book for this event contact 01666 826666 or office@malmesburyabbey.com
SEEK HIM THAT MAKETH THE SEVEN STARS
Advent Carol Service by candlelight Malmesbury Abbey Sunday 1st December at 6.30pm. Admission Free.
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 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday: 9am-3pm Wednesday and Sunday: Closed all day clare@malmesburyabbey.com
Glory! At 7.30pm on Tuesday 19th November the Abbey congregations gather until 9pm to seek God in worship and prayer. At our last two Glory! Prayer meetings 40-50 people have joined together in passionate praise and intercession that puts at its seeking the voice of God together. ‘And the glory of the LORD will be revealed and all humanity together shall see it.’ Isaiah 40:5
Giving at Malmesbury Abbey If you would like to give regularly to the ministry and mission of Malmesbury Abbey, please e-mail chrisjager@malmesburyabbey.com who will painlessly and confidentially guide you through the process.
12th CENTURY BEAUTY 21st CENTURY CHURCH