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COMMUNIT Y OF THE CROSS Vicar’s Blog
My birthday falls at the end of August, most years. I always find it particularly moving that the good people of Malmesbury shut down their High Street and hold a vast procession of floats to celebrate the vicar’s birthday weekend. I didn’t realise that clergy were so popular, and to be honest it gets a little embarrassing. The other issue is of course this: you are more than welcome to celebrate me, bring me presents and build floats on any of the other 364 days of the year. I am no less ‘born’ on any of them, my humanity is not particularly diminished in July or September; unless the vicarage has run out of coffee. And this is, in a way, an issue for the church calendar too. On one level it doesn’t make any sense at all. The incarnation of Jesus Christ is no more significant an idea for the 24 hours we call December 25th than
it is on the 24 hours we call Ascension Day (whatever date that falls on,) when we choose to mark the risen Christ ascending in glory to his Father’s side. And this year on Friday 3rd of April we will focus on the crucifixion, and then on Sunday 5th April the resurrection, knowing fully that the death and resurrection of Jesus are the most significant truths of any given day, hour or minute. But for all that I would be lost without the church calendar. However we ended up doing it like this, an odd mixture of Jewish agricultural festivals, biblical calculations and the desire to stamp out pre-existing pagan festivals, it helps me profoundly to consider Christ's journey to the Cross for a season, and then to allow the Resurrection to explode in my imagination, and then to wait impatiently for 50 days to
A B B E Y D I A RY THIS SUNDAY: February 15th 9am BCP Communion 10.30am Holy Communion 4pm Informal Worship, the Grid & Junior Church 5.30pm Skate Park set-up cry out again at Pentecost for the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, in this place, on this day; May 24th this year, as it happens. I would be really quite random without all this. So Ash Wednesday leads us into a season, Lent, where you and I will lay to one side the birth, the resurrection and the second coming, and words like desert, temptation, Satan, hosanna, trial, cross, thorns, tomb and, eventually, hallelujah are allowed to draw us into Christ’s journey in his final weeks on earth. As He looked to the cross, so do we, as he wept in the Garden, so do we. So on February 18th, take a few moments quietly, nowhere near a skatepark, to read the set passages for Ash Wednesday, and say a prayer as one by one the global church becomes the community of the cross.
THIS WEEK EACH DAY 9am Morning Prayer WED 18th
10.30am Communion in Eilmer House 7pm Communion at Corston Church WED 18th- MAS 2015 FRI 20th SAT 14th 10am The Meeting Place
NEXT SUNDAY: February 22nd 9am BCP Communion 10.30am Holy Communion & Baptisms 4pm All-age Communion
ADVANCE Feb 24th Mar 24th Apr 24th Apr 26th
Glory! Holy Week Festival begins Election Hustings Vision Sunday & AGM
HEBREWS 12:1-13 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy that was set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his child? It says, ‘My child, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his child.’ Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? 8 If you are not disciplined – and everyone undergoes discipline – then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! 10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. 12 Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. 13 ‘Make level paths for your feet,’ so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. 7
Additional Reading: John 6:60-71
DISCIPLESHIP 1. Read Hebrews 12:1-13. What is the 'Therefore' there for in v.1? 2. 'Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud...' (verse 1). Who are the 'cloud'? What effect should knowing 'we are surrounded' have on our Christian journey? 3. 'Let us throw off...the sin that so easily entangles us' (verse 1). Discuss (and pray later on about). What is interesting about the phrase 'throw off' or 'get rid'? 4. 'let us run the race marked out for us' (verse 1). In what ways is the Christian journey like, and unlike a race? 5. As Christians who want to run well and finish, what is the best training programme you can think of which will help you. Try and think of as many things as possible. 6. Discuss how your 'training programme' will get priority in your diary this week, and pray together.
D A I LY R E A D I N G S Monday Psalm 44 Jeremiah 1 John 3:1-21 Tuesday Psalm 48 Jeremiah 2:1-13 John 3:22-end Ash Wednesday Psalm 51:1-8 Isaiah 58:1-12 John 8:1-11 Thursday Psalm 77 Jeremiah 2:14-32 John 4:1-26 Friday Psalm 3 Jeremiah 3:6-22 John 4:27-42
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.
REFRESH!
JEREMIAH & JOHN
The first Refresh! women’s event of 2015 will be held on Tuesday 3 March at Malmesbury Abbey. The speaker will be Richenda MiltonDaws (Licensed Lay Minister at Charlton Church) and she will be speaking on God’s Character. The 2015 Programme and invitation for this event will be circulated soon.
A new daily bible readings series starts this Monday; you can find it on the previous page. If one of the things you’d like to do this Lent is read the Bible a little more consistently this is a 40 day opportunity to read through the prophet Jeremiah and the gospel of John. If you can’t join us for Daily Prayer in the chapel there is a simple liturgy for use in Lent on our issuu page: issuu.com/malmesburyabbey
HUSTINGS
DESMOND TUTU
On Friday April 24th at 7.30pm there will be a General Election Hustings hosted at Malmesbury Abbey. In an event, which will be a little like BBC’s Question Time, all those standing to be the next MP for the North Wiltshire constituency will be answering questions posed by the ’studio’ audience. More details to follow, but an important date for your diary.
There are a number of devotional books for Lent on sale in the Abbey Bookshop including the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent Book 2015 ‘In God’s Hands’ by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and his recommendation for 2014 ‘Looking through the Cross’ by Graham Tomlin.
NOTICEBOARD B A P T I S M O N E A S T E R D AY All our services on Easter Day at the Abbey are joyous celebrations of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. If you would like to be baptised at our 4pm service on Easter Day could you please contact one of the clergy or Sandie in the Parish Office by the end of February.
EASTER EVE VIGIL We are considering holding an all-night Easter Vigil from 10pm on Easter Eve until 6am on Easter Morning. The Abbey will be open all night, with prayer and worship every 30 minutes and probably a fire outside and simple food and drink shared. Then at 6am there will be Holy Communion and breakfast together. If you are interested in being a part of this could you e-mail Sandie so we get an idea of numbers. office@malmesburyabbey.com
REVD DR EMMA INESON Advance notice that we have a guest preacher joining us at our 4pm service on Sunday March 1st. Revd Dr Emma Ineson is the Principal of Trinity College, Bristol, which recently produced the Revds Lee Barnes, John Monagahan and Linda Sullivan. Her areas of research include gender studies, charismatic theology, spirituality and leadership.
Enquiries 01666 826666 // Box Office 01666 824339 office@malmesburyabbey.com www.malmesburyabbey.com issuu.com/malmesburyabbey
ABBEY OFFICE Monday (10am-12noon) Tuesday-Friday (9.30am– 3pm) Tel: 01666 826666 sandie@malmesburyabbey.com
CAFÉ HOURS Tuesday-Saturday (normal) 9am– 3.30pm Sunday & Monday closed all day clare@malmesburyabbey.com
www.malmesburyabbey.com issuu.com/malmesburyabbey Staff members can be contacted by name@malmesburyabbey.com
HOLY WEEK FESTIVAL 2015 MAR 24-28 THE GARDEN LABYRINTH MAR 28 ART//STATIONS OF THE CROSS MAR 28 COMEDY & JAZZ //PAUL KERENSA with PETER JAMES & ROSIE ARCHER* MAR 29 THE KAIROS ENSEMBLE//REJOICING BLUES* MAR 30 PROFESSOR SIMON CONWAY MORRIS MAR 31 THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME* APR 1 GLORY! PRAYER APR 2 THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF MUSIC* GOOD FRIDAY ALLEGRI & JSBACH APR 4 BBC WILSTHIRE//EASTER FROM THE ABBEY* EASTER DAY SERVICES AT 6AM, 9AM, 10.30AM, 4PM & 6.30PM *TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM MARCH 1ST