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LIFEPATH Vicar’s Blog
The answer to your question is ‘Funky the Chicken;’ she (?) is a member of the Doyley family, and was the only member of the Lifepath team who had time to stop and talk with me last Monday and Tuesday. The rest were far too busy. In the space of an hour I saw…
unsuspecting children with a skeleton.
Alice, Becky and Janet teaching Year 5s from Oaksey Primary the basics of wool processing; 1000 uses of the stuff it looked like to me.
Jude & Wiene were busy making stained glass near the stained glass in the Abbey Crèche. And Shelley, Linda & Alice were in the scriptorium, right near our ancient bibles, teaching ornamented calligraphy.
Gill Shaw, sorry brother Gill, for they were all bedecked in white monk’s garb, teaching Holy Family RC School from Swindon the medicinal, culinary, cloth dying and deodorising use of herbs from a monastic herb garden. (Apparently monks bathed annually – no wonder they introduced incense at some point.) Brother Lal was in the infirmary talking about the Black Death and terrorising
The professional storyteller and writer Bob Hartman was standing under a tree teaching storytelling to children using the story of Zaccheus up a tree.
John was downstairs in Eilmer house teaching handbell ringing while Annie & Chris were upstairs singing plainsong and rap from Pharell Williams. I couldn’t tell which was which. Hip-hopeless. The submariner, Brother John, was teaching the principles of flight to Christ Church Primary from Swindon
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and the Oscar for best supporting actor in the Role of a Flying Monk goes to Andrew Beebee. Worship, workshops on forgiveness, prayer, testimony, the life and faith of a monk, and of course Funky and Nugget the chickens in the monastery kitchen running away from the Paxo. Thanks for a magnificent 48 hours. A really fantastic team from the Abbey and from Scripture Union in Swindon. Awesome work, awesome history, awesome God.
A B B E Y D I A RY THIS SUNDAY: July 5th 9am No Service 10.30am Abbey: Holy Communion 10.30am Bristol Cathedral: Ordination of Revd Linda Sullivan as Priest 4pm Informal Worship & Junior Church
THIS WEEK EACH DAY 9am Morning Prayer TUES 7th 10am Informal Concert: Songways 2pm Prayer for Persecuted Christians in Eilmer House 7.30pm Refresh! th WED 8 10.30am Communion th THUR 9 10.30am Time for Chat 7pm Choir Practice th FRI 10 10.30am Creative Response SAT 11th 10am The Meeting Place
NEXT SUNDAY: July 12th 9am BCP Communion 10.30am Holy Communion 4pm Informal worship & Junior Church 6.30pm Choral Evensong
G E N E S I S 2 2 :1 - 1 8 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, ‘Abraham!’ ‘Here I am,’ he replied. 2 Then God said, ‘Take your son, your only son, whom you love – Isaac – and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain that I will show you. 3
Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his servants, ‘Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.’ 6
Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, ‘Father?’ ‘Yes, my son?’ Abraham replied. ‘The fire and wood are here,’ Isaac said, ‘but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?’ 8 Abraham answered, ‘God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.’ And the two of them went on together. 9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11
But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, ‘Abraham! Abraham!’ ‘Here I am,’ he replied. 12 ‘Do not lay a hand on the boy,’ he said. ‘Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.’ 13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, ‘On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.’ 15
The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, ‘I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.’ Additional Reading: John 3:16-21
DISCIPLESHIP 1. Share together what you learnt or experienced in last Sunday’s teaching and worship. 2. Read the passage slowly, twice, with a silence of one minute between each reading. 3. In smaller groups, for 15 minutes, look at each of the five paragraphs and agree a word or short phrase that summarizes the paragraph. 4. Now share your phrases together and see if you prefer the insights of others. 5. Which principles of Christian discipleship emerge from the actions of Abraham? 6. What does this chapter say of the cross of Jesus?
D A I LY R E A D I N G S Monday Psalm 98 Nehemiah 12:27-47 2 Corinthians 1:1-14 Tuesday Psalm 106 Nehemiah 13:1-14 2 Corinthians 1:15-2:4 Wednesday Psalm 111 Nehemiah 13:15-end 2 Corinthians 2:5-end Thursday Psalm 115 Esther 1 2 Corinthians 3 Friday Psalm 139 Esther 2 2 Corinthians 4
REGULAR GIVING If you would like to give regularly to the mission and ministry of the Abbey as part of your discipleship, please e-mail alan@malmesburyabbey.com. m
WOMEN ALIVE!
P R AY E R
The next meeting will be a social on Tuesday 14th July in Eilmer House. This will be the last Women Alive! in it’s current format as it reinvents itself into a normal Abbey small group. A new softplay morning in the Abbey for carers and young children is scheduled to start in the Abbey in early 2016, if not before.
Our Open Doors Prayer for Persecuted Christians meeting will take place at 2.30pm on July 7th in Eilmer House. Our focus this week will be praying for the Muslim community and Islamic/Christian relations during the period of Ramadan. We will be praying for all persecuted by ISIS, and also for Christians struggling under Sharia law.
H O S P I TA L T H A N K S
H O L I D AY AT H O M E
Jim & Jane Druett would like to thank the Abbey family for their prayers and thoughtfulness during Jim’s recent hospital stay. Jim is now at home and recovering well.
The Abbey has a vibrant ministry of hospitality and also a significant pastoral outreach to the elderly and isolated. Would you be prepared to help with the cooking for our simply outstanding Holiday at Home event being held on July 27th & 28th? Please contact Jan Lester on 01666 823465 for more information.
Also sincere thanks from the Archer family for your prayers for Margaret Archer. All being well, she will be moving into care at Stainsbridge House, Malmesbury at the end of next week.
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NOTICEBOARD REFRESH The next Refresh is on Tuesday 7th July in the Abbey at 7.30pm. Continuing with our study on the book of Psalms we welcome Kate Dommitt from Christchurch, Clevedon as she talks to us about Forgiveness. The evening will also include a short communion. Soft drinks and nibbles will also be available. If you would like to invite a neighbour, family or friends please take a copy of the Refresh invitation available at the back of the Abbey. For more information please contact Sandie on 01666 82666 or office@malmesburyabbey.com.
J A N E T PA R K E Janet Parke has been advised to come back from Zambia to UK for a few weeks towards the end of July to have some medical investigation of some new symptoms connected with her back. She is looking for some accommodation, preferably self catering. If anyone has a caravan at Burton Hill which will not be in use, or if anyone is going on holiday, and would be willing for Janet to house sit, cat sit or dog sit, please contact Sandie or Janet directly at jparke77@gmail.com Even offers for one or two weeks would be appreciated. Thank you.
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Enquiries 01666 826666 // Box Office 01666 824339 office@malmesburyabbey.com www.malmesburyabbey.com issuu.com/malmesburyabbey
FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS July 5 July 12 July 19 July 26 Aug 2 Aug 9 Aug 16 Aug 23 Aug 30
Abraham (Genesis 22) Moses (Exodus 3) Joshua (Joshua 1) Ruth (Ruth 1) David (1 Samuel 17) Solomon (1 Kings 3) Elijah (1 Kings 18) Daniel (Daniel 6) Esther (Esther 4)
This day, this moment, your life, lived with God, matters.