20TH NOVEMBER 2016
1 2
NEW SONG Vicar’s Blog
Psalm 96 is funny. Well quietly funny. ‘Sing to the Lord a new song!’ The composer or poet who first put it out there must have really wanted to sell his or her new piece: ‘Hey! Gather around people! Sing this new song with me! I’ve called it Psalm 96.’ Perhaps they also hoped that we wouldn’t notice that they had borrowed significant bits from Psalms 40, 68, 48, 95, 21 and 93 in their new work. New? Ish. Copyright issues, maybe. Singing Psalm 96 for the first time for the Jewish community would have been a bit like us singing this at Christmas: Hark the herald angels sing, Merrily on high, dong, ding, God of God, and Light of Light. Shepherds watched their flocks by night. Familiar, but not quite familiar. But nevertheless, since young Jubal first picked up his lyre and flute in Genesis
4:21, the coming of God’s Kingdom has been accompanied by the beauty of music and the creative and performing arts, and by diverse worship of breath-taking beauty. So get ready, and get free tickets, as three new songs of the Kingdom come to Malmesbury Abbey next Sunday, in our Advent Carols by Candlelight services. Worship written in New York this summer to ancient texts drawn from the JudeoChristian tradition. New meeting old. Nico Muhly (see front cover) has written music for the Metropolitan Opera in New York and St Paul’s Cathedral in London and composed the score for the Oscar-winning film The Reader. He agreed to work with Malmesbury Abbey, on this truly exciting project, when we sent him our three suggested texts, all of which use the biblical imagery of light coming into the darkness:
3
A B B E Y D I A RY THIS SUNDAY: November 20th 9am BCP Communion 10.30am Holy Communion 4pm Informal Worship & Junior Church 7pm Mariposa Trust ‘Saying Goodbye’ Service.
Genesis 1:2-3 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And God said ‘Let there be light: and there was light. Isaiah 9: 2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land of death, upon them hath the light shined. John 1:4-5 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. The Abbey Choir have learnt these three new songs to the Lord. Come and worship.
THIS WEEK EACH DAY 9am Morning Prayer MON 21st 10am Little Stars TUES 22nd 7pm Abbey Craft Evening WED 23rd 10.30am Communion 7pm Alpha th THUR 24 10.30am Time for Chat 7pm Choir Practice FRI 25th 10.30am Creative Response th SAT 26 3.30pm Choir Rehearsal 6.30pm Advent Carols by Candlelight I NEXT SUNDAY: Advent Sunday 9am BCP Communion 10.30am Advent Holy Communion 4pm All-age Communion 6.30pm Advent Carols by Candlelight II ADVENT & CHRISTMAS BROCHURE Available at issuu.com/malmesburyabbey
LU K E 2 3 : 3 3 - 4 3 33
When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals – one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’ And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 35
The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, ‘He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.’ 36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37 and said, ‘If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.’ 38 There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the King of the Jews. 39
One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: ‘Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!’ 40 But the other criminal rebuked him. ‘Don’t you fear God,’ he said, ‘since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.’ 42 Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ 43 Jesus answered him, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.’
Additional Reading: Colossians 1:11-20
DISCIPLESHIP 1. Share together anything that stood out from our teaching last Sunday. How did the fact that it was Christ the King Sunday in the Christian calendar affect our worship together?
D A I LY R E A D I N G S Monday Psalm 96 Isaiah 40:1-11 Revelation 14:1-13
2. Read the passage twice with time for silent reflection in between, and prayer after.
Tuesday Psalm 97 Isaiah 40:12-26 Revelation 14:14-15.end
3. Note v34. Who in Luke’s other book similarly forgives people at his time of death? Why might a Christian struggle to forgive given Christ’s explicit example and the model of the Lord’s Prayer? How might we grow in practising forgiveness?
Wednesday Psalm 112 Isaiah 40:27-41:7 Revelation 16:1-11
4. Rulers sneered, soldiers mocked. How does both the world and the church mock Christ today?
Friday Psalm 139 Isaiah 41:21-42:9 Revelation 17
5. The church prays ‘your Kingdom come.’ Why did Jesus want us to pray this way, and what might be it’s effect?
Thursday Psalm 125 Isaiah 41:8-20 Revelation 16:12-end
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
SMALL GROUPS
DELIVERY
Over 150 people from our Abbey community are part of a small group that studies the Bible and connects with each other at times away from our Sunday services. Brian Whitehead, a Lay Minister based at our 10.30am congregation, is now our Small Group Coordinator. If you would like to find out more or join a small group please contact Brian through the Abbey Office. 01666 826666 or office@malmesburyabbey.com
Pressed into your hand this week will be a copy of the oddly large 2016 Abbey Advent & Christmas brochure, Christmas at the Abbey. (The printers printed the wrong size!) We’d also like to bless you with another 50-100 copies of the brochure for delivery across Malmesbury in the following 72 hours. We’ve found that more people come to Abbey services and events when we actually let them know about them. Your help is essential and greatly appreciated.
S AY I N G G O O D B Y E
TICKETS
The Mariposa Trust are with us at the Abbey this Sunday at 7pm for a Saying Goodbye service – a service of remembrance for anybody who has lost a child at any stage of pregnancy, birth or infancy, whether the loss be recent or 80 years ago. If you would like to attend, or bring somebody for whom the service might be helpful, please do come. More details at sayinggoodbye.org.
As we get closer to Christmas, now is the time for Abbey Members to pick up tickets for our major events and services. Free Tickets for our Advent Carols by Candlelight and Nine Lessons & Carols are now available at the stewards’ desk, as are Malmesbury Nativity tickets (Adults 2.50, Children free.)
12t h CE N TU RY B E AU T Y 2 1st CE NTU RY CHU R CH
NOTICEBOARD CHILDREN & COMMUNION In line with both developments in many denominations and the regulations of the General Synod of the Church of England (2006), Malmesbury Abbey PCC wishes baptized children, over 6 years of age, to be offered the opportunity to receive Holy Communion before Confirmation. This is part of a holistic programme of discipleship for all ages, and is intended for young people who are already committed members of Junior Church. In 2017 it will look like this. On Easter Day at 4pm there will be an opportunity for children and young people to be baptized at the Abbey either by immersion or in the font at the West End. This will be preceded by baptism preparation in the season of Lent. And then on Sunday June 25th there will be an opportunity, for those already baptized and properly prepared, to be admitted to Holy Communion at our 4pm service. This of course will need to happen with the support and involvement of a parent or guardian. Please speak to Andrew Beebee to register an interest or to ask any early questions, and then come along to an informal meeting in the New Year to explore this further.
CHRISTMAS VOUCHER SCHEME Thank you to everyone who has generously contributed so far towards the food voucher scheme that helps local families on a low income celebrate Christmas. Your envelope can still be placed in the collection during the service. Next week is the last opportunity to make a donation and more envelopes are available at the back of the Abbey if you have left it at home or need another one! Thank you for helping to make sure this event continues to be a success.
! ABBEY AD V ENT & CH R ISTMAS D IARY 20 16 Sat 26th Nov
6.30pm Advent Carols by Candlelight 1
Sun 27th Nov
ADVENT SUNDAY 9am & 10.30am Advent Holy Communion 4pm All-age Advent Service 6.30pm Advent Carols by Candlelight 2 7pm Youth Action Wiltshire Carol Service 7.30pm Malmesbury Community Choir Christmas Concert
Fri 2nd Dec Sat 3rd Dec Sun 4th Dec
Thu 8th Dec Sat 10th Dec Sun 11th Dec
Wed 14th Dec Sat 17th Dec Sun 18th Dec
Fri 23rd Dec
!
ADVENT II 9am & 10.30am Holy Communion 4pm Informal Worship & Junior Church 10am Malmesbury CE Primary School Christmas Service 7.30pm Malmesbury Singers Christmas Concert ADVENT III 9am & 10.30am Holy Communion 4pm Informal Worship & Junior Church 7.30pm Malmesbury School Carol Service 6.30pm Nine Lessons & Carols by Candlelight 1 ADVENT IV 9am & 10.30am Holy Communion 3pm The Puppet Nativity for younger children 6.30pm Nine Lessons & Carols by Candlelight 2 7pm The Malmesbury Nativity
Sat 24th Dec
CHRISTMAS EVE 2pm, 4pm & 6pm The Malmesbury Nativity 11.30pm Midnight Communion (Carols from 11.15pm)
Sun 25th Dec
CHRISTMAS DAY 9am Holy Communion 11am Family Celebration 12 noon Champagne (bring a bottle)