14/09/2014 MALMESBURY ABBEY
HOSPITALITY THAT INVITES PEOPLE CLOSER STABILITY THAT DRAWS PEOPLE DEEPER CREATIVITY THAT LIFTS PEOPLE HIGHER
Vicar’s blog: Signs ‘This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee. He thus revealed his glory and his disciples put their faith in him.’ (John 2:11) Having recently looked at the ‘I am’ sayings of Christ, from St John’s gospel, our autumn series, Signs, studies the miraculous signs and prophetic actions of Christ that John records for us: water into wine, cleansing the temple, healing the official’s son and at the pool, feeding the five thousand, walking on water, and washing feet—some of these accounts appearing uniquely in John’s gospel. This isn’t a history lesson for the church, it’s a Kingdom lesson, which will draw us deeper into the ministry and person of Jesus Christ and deeper into the ministry of the Body of Christ. Our liturgy declares ‘The Lord is here, his Spirit is with us’, our prayer cries out ‘your kingdom come, your will be done’. This series will go some way to answering the question what will it look like when his Spirit is here and when his Kingdom comes, when glory is revealed?
Abbey Diary THIS SUNDAY: September 14th 8am BCP Holy Communion 10.30am Holy Communion 4pm Informal Worship, Junior Church &The Grid 6.30pm Choral Evensong
Children’s & Youth Minister (Full-time, £18-22k plus accommodation)
Each February we build a skate park inside our 12th century Abbey in Wiltshire because we are passionate about being a 21st century church that connects with children and young people. We’re looking for somebody: • to join our supportive senior leadership team • to oversee and creatively resource all children’s and youth ministry • to be a dynamic hands-on teacher in our Junior Church and a genuine discipler of young people We want you to grow as a leader and to enjoy seeing God at work. Closing date: October 13th. Interviews: October 19th & 20th. More details from neill@malmesburyabbey.com or at www.malmesburyabbey.com.
EACH DAY 9am Morning Prayer WEDS 17th 10.30am Holy Communion 7.30pm Alpha THURS 18th 10.30am Time for Chat 7pm Choir Practice FRI 19th 10.30am Creative Response SAT 20th 10am The Meeting Place
NEXT SUNDAY: September 21st 8am BCP Holy Communion 10.30am Holy Communion 4pm Informal Worship, Junior Church &The Grid AUTUMN DATES Sep 17th Alpha starts Sep 20th PCC Sep 23rd Refresh! Oct 7th Confirmation at the Abbey Oct 12th Harvest Festival Oct 17/18 BBC History Weekend Nov 15th PCC Nov 18th Glory! Nov 25th Refresh! Nov 30th Advent Carol Service Dec 21st Nine Lessons & Carols Dec 20th The Malmesbury Nativity 23rd & 24th
John 2:1-11 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, ‘They have no more wine.’ 4 ‘Woman, why do you involve me?’ Jesus replied. ‘My hour has not yet come.’5 His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ 6
Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from eighty to a hundred and twenty litres.7 Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water’; so they filled them to the brim.8 Then he told them, ‘Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.’ They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realise where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside10 and said, ‘Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.’
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What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
Additional Reading: Isaiah 25:1-8 LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago. 2 You have made the city a heap of rubble, the fortified town a ruin, the foreigners’ stronghold a city no more; it will never be rebuilt. 3 Therefore strong peoples will honour you; cities of ruthless nations will revere you. 4 You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like a storm driving against a wall
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and like the heat of the desert. You silence the uproar of foreigners; as heat is reduced by the shadow of a cloud, so the song of the ruthless is stilled. 6 On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine – the best of meats and the finest of wines. 7 On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations;8 he will swallow up death for ever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The LORD has spoken.
small group resource + 1. Read John 2:1-11 together 2. In that culture it was a social disaster to run out of wine at a wedding (v3). Why 3.
4.
5.
do you think Mary asked Jesus to help, and what was the meaning of Jesus’ immediate reply (v4, with a hint in v11!)? The six stone jars were used for ceremonial washing under the old Jewish ritual laws. Do you think Jesus (and John writing) was hinting that something new was happening to the way that people would be made clean from sin? Discuss what this new thing was. Explore possible meanings and interpretations of verse 10 in light of the story of salvation in the bible: ‘you have saved the best till now’. Where else in the gospels do we see references to ‘New Wine’ and a ‘New Covenant’ using wine as symbolism? Jesus took this potential social disaster (running out of wine) and turned it into something glorious and beautiful. He also took the tragedy of the cross and turned it into a triumph. Talk about this and then pray that God would do the same with you and in tragic situations in the world today.
daily readings MONDAY Psalm 126 2 Sam 18:1-18 Acts 10:34-end
TUESDAY Psalm 132 2 Sam 18:1919:8a Acts 11:1-18
WEDNESDAY Ps 119:153-end 2 Sam 19:8b-23 Acts 11:19-end
THURSDAY Psalm 143 2 Sam 19:24-end Acts 12:1-17
FRIDAY Psalm 144 2 Sam 23:1-7 Acts 12:18-end
Regular Giving If, as part of your Christian discipleship, you would like give regularly and also giftaid to Malmesbury Abbey, there are two people you might contact. At 8am & 10.30am please speak to our Abbey Treasurer Chris Jager or e-mail him at chrisjager@malmesburyabbey.com. At our 4pm service please speak to the chair of our Financial Oversight Committee Alan McAdam or e-mail him at alan@malmesburyabbey.com. Many thanks for sustaining the ministry and mission of your Abbey in this way.
Honorary Canon Neill is to be licensed as an Honorary Canon of Bristol Cathedral on Sunday October 5th at 3.30pm. All are very welcome to attend, although there will be a normal 4pm service in the Abbey that afternoon. If you are planning to go please let Sandie in the Parish Office know so we can give the Cathedral an idea of numbers. (office@malmesburyabbey.com or 01666 826666)
Carnival 10k The 8 runners from Malmesbury Abbey are very grateful to those who gave in support of Tear Fund’s involvement with the Kigezi Diocese Water and Sanitation Programme. With Gift Aid we have been able to donate over £2,000 and there is still more promised to come in. Praise the Lord
Confirmation On Tuesday 7th October Rt Revd Mike Hill, the Bishop of Bristol, will be at the Abbey at 7.30pm for a service of Confirmation. Bishop Mike will be praying for people, young and old, from across North Wiltshire ,to be filled with the Holy Spirit and then leading our Holy Communion together. For many this is a chance to declare their faith after an infant baptism and to begin to take communion. For others it is a declaration of a new belonging in the Anglican church and a commissioning to serve Christ in the world. If you would like to be confirmed please contact Neill in the next 10 days.
Noticeboard Eilmer House Over the next few weeks new design and signage will start to appear over the Abbey and on our website and printed material. Part of this also includes the renaming of Le Flambé, which is now named after the flying monk, and known as Eilmer House.
Alpha—Autumn 2014 Less than a week to go! After seeing so many lives impacted by our Autumn 2013 Alpha course, we are excited about what God has in store for us this September as we launch Alpha at the Abbey again. We would love every member of the congregation to take up the challenge to INVITE ONE PERSON along, just to the first night. There’s no obligation to come on the rest of the course. Please take a few wallet cards (available at the back of the Abbey) and be ready for the opportunities God will give you in the next few days. Since 1993, over 22.5 million people worldwide have attended an Alpha course, and 3.3 million have done the course in the UK alone! If you've never been on Alpha, please sign up yourself so you can tell people how amazing it is next year(!), or if you have and would like to come again, please sign up either at the sign-up sheet at the back of the Abbey, by emailing john@malmesburyabbey.com, or contacting the parish office. The free course starts Wednesday 17th September, 7.30pm at the Abbey, runs for 10 weeks (excluding Oct 29th) and includes a meal every night. See you there! Revd John Monaghan.
The Alpha
Course starts Wed 17th Sept
Contact ABBEY OFFICE Mon (10-11.30am) &Tues, Weds, Thurs ,Fri, (9.30am-2.30pm) 01666 826666 www.malmesburyabbey.com issuu.com/malmesburyabbey sandie@malmesburyabbey.com Staff members can be contacted by name@malmesburyabbey.com CAFÉ HOURS Tuesday—Saturday : 9am-4.30pm Sunday & Monday: Closed all day clare@malmesburyabbey.com
Refresh! Continuing with our study of the Psalms, on Tuesday 23rd September @ 7.30pm we will be looking at ‘Reassurance from God’ and using the Psalms to deal with challenging situations. Dr Rosie Helyar (Counsellor and Psychotherapist) will help us understand why we feel anxious and worried, and introduce us to techniques to help overcome our anxiety. For more information and to reserve your place please contact Sandie on office@malmesburyabbey.com
Thank you With love and thanks to everyone who helped make the visit of Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury such a wonderful event. From setting up chairs to welcoming the crowds of visitors to the Abbey. Thank you one and all.
12th CENTURY BEAUTY 21st CENTURY CHURCH