230214

‘Everyone born of God overcomes the world.’

23/02/14 MALMESBURY ABBEY

HOSPITALITY THAT INVITES PEOPLE CLOSER STABILITY THAT DRAWS PEOPLE DEEPER CREATIVITY THAT LIFTS PEOPLE HIGHER

Vicar’s blog: creating space The Times has approximately 400,000 readers of its print version and over 100,000 online subscribers. Metro, distributed across 15 UK cities for free, prints 1.3 million copies each day. You do the maths. Last Thursday a very large number of people saw a very large dramatic picture of a 12th century abbey, somewhere in North Wiltshire, with Chris Coombs, in a pink skaters’ helmet, flying through the air on a skateboard. Times readers were each urged by Phil Williams (Christian Skaters UK) to live life to the full, as the Bible teaches us.

Long Live Southbank is a facebook Group with 100,000 members and 12,248 likes (I have no idea what I’m talking about) campaigning to save the undercroft skate area right by the Royal Festival Hall, next to the Thames in London. Scott who posted the same picture from Metro of Abbey Skate 2014 commented: "So a church can open up a half term skatepark, but developers want to get rid of the home of British skateboarding? There's something wrong with this scenario."

Actually there is something very right about this; God’s people are often doing a new thing with the Spirit, and frequently travelling in an unconventional direc-

tion. Our bishops haven’t exactly been quiet this week.

Abbey Diary

Amongst many visitors to the abbey last week (including a couple who slightly oddly said ‘we’re Roman Catholic but we love this’) I also stood with visiting vicars, youth and children’s ministers, and an archdeacon, and watched them enjoy the space. Not the physical space of the Abbey, which copes effortlessly with a skate park, but the space for imagination and mission that our simple 3-day event creates for other people and other churches. It’s this ‘beyond us’ dimension of MAS 2014 that intrigues me. Why would God want other cities in this land to know about this? How could our vocation and the shape of our mission effect elsewhere?

THIS SUNDAY: FEBRUARY 23rd 8am BCP Communion 10.30am Morning Prayer & Healing 4pm All-age Communion

I remember a children’s song which went ‘be bold, be strong, for the Lord your God is with you.’ It is a song so old that you can find it in the book of Joshua. One of the issues about songs like this is there is frequently very little indeed in the corporate life of the Western church to be bold about. When we travel with the church of North Korea throughout Lent, that will be very different, but for us? However, a church with a holy, fired up imagination and a resilient, biblical faithfulness will always find itself in a place of risk, for the sake of the gospel. I thank God, that he has used us, and MAS 2014, to call others to that place.

neillarcher.blogspot.co.uk

EACH DAY 9am Morning Prayer MON 24th 1pm Funeral of John Ponting TUES 25th 9.30am Women Alive!

7.30pm Parenting Course WED 26th 10.30am Holy Communion THUR 27th 4pm Evening Prayer 7pm Choir Practice SAT 29th 10am Healing in the Streets 10.30am Listening to people with Dementia Course NEXT SUNDAY: MARCH 2nd 8am BCP Communion 10.30am Holy Communion 4pm Informal Worship, Junior Church & the Grid 6pm The Mix ADVANCE ABBEY DIARY March 5th Ash Wed. 10.30 am & 7pm April 12th John Flowers & the Wild April 14th Phantom of the Opera April 15th Glory!

April 16th God & Dinosaurs 2 April 17th Riding Lights ‘Inheritance’ April 18th Faure Requiem April 19th BBC Wiltshire Easter Service April 20th Bishop Lee preaching June 3rd Glory!

June 20/22 Church Weekend Away July 2nd Music for Autism July 15th WOMAD at the Abbey

1 John 5 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. 6

This is the one who came by water and blood – Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify:8 the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. 9 We accept human testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony. Whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because they have not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. 11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

13

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of him.

16

If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.

18

We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them. 19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the con-

trol of the evil one. 20 We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 21 Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.

Additional Reading: John 16:29-33 29

Then Jesus’ disciples said, ‘Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. 30 Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.’ 31 ‘Do you now believe?’ Jesus replied. 32 ‘A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone.

Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. 33 ‘I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.’

small group resource + 1.

2.

3.

4.

'Everyone who loves the father loves his child as well'(verse 1). Why is it sometimes so difficult to love our brothers and sisters in Christ? In your group (and without gossiping or breaking confidences!) share some examples of times when have had to wrestle with this issue. What disciplines have helped you to love people in church who for various reasons you have found difficult?

'His commands are not burdensome' (verse 3). Is this our experience, or is the apostle being wildly optimistic? Do we sometimes make things harder than they should be? Do we sometimes lay heavy burdens ourselves, or others, unnecessarily?

Verses 16 & 17 seem particularly challenging. Over the centuries the church has at times got bogged down in trying to codify 'sins that lead to death' ('mortal’) and those that don't lead to death ('venial'). What is a sensible approach for us to take? Are there really situations and people that we shouldn't pray for (v16)?

Towards the end of the session get into twos and threes and pray for some of the issues that may have surfaced for you, particularly in answering questions 1 and 2. In particular, focus on praying about how you can learn to love fellow Christians who have hurt or angered you, or for help with aspects of your Christian life which feel hard or burdensome.

daily readings MONDAY Psalm 71 2 Tim 4:1-8

TUESDAY Psalm 73 2 Tim 4:9-end

WEDNESDAY Psalm 77 Titus 1

THURSDAY Psalm 78:1-39 Titus 2

FRIDAY Psalm 55 Titus 3

Youth Department from March 2nd Neill & Pete have taken some time out from skateboarding and hulahooping this week to do some planning and to build on the excellent work Sarah McG has been doing in our Youth Department. From Sunday March 2nd (next week!) things will be slightly different: The Grid (school years 7-9), with a slightly larger age range than Trax, will be meeting at our 4pm service, going out to the Parish Office at the coffee break, and using Scripture Union material each week with an expanded team of helpers. Everyone in years 7-9 is really welcome, and this will normally take place on the first 3 Sundays of the month with The Grid joining our All-age Communion on the 4th Sunday.

The Mix (school years 9-13) is new and will take place after our 4pm service.

Hosted either at the Campbells’ house or the McAdams’, from 6pm-8pm on a Sunday, there will be food, some sort of entertainment and discussion (often based on the teaching from that afternoon’s 4pm service.) Initially this will take place on the first three Sundays of the month, and there will probably be a crowd walking from the Abbey to this after the 4pm.

So nothing mid-week like Pipleline just now, and plans for camping together on a great church weekend away on the farm and other events like kayaking, Wii nights etc. Please contact Neill or Pete with any questions.

Matt Redman Matt Redman is appearing at Bath City Church on February 28th. Tickets are £14 each (a bargain!). Tickets available at www.bigchurchnightin.com.

Friday e-Mailing If you would like to receive an e-mail every Friday from the Parish Office, with a link to this News Sheet online and other additional notices and links, please contact Sandie Brown at office@malmesburyabbey.com.

Noticeboard Parenting Children Course Two days to go! It's not too late to sign up for the first night of the Parenting Children's Course which starts this Tuesday, 25th February in the Abbey at 7:30pm. The course is for parents or carers of children aged 0~10. There can be no better investment we make for our children than working on becoming better parents. This is an opportunity to get on the front foot, be inspired, encouraged, and equipped to continue being the best parents we can be. Pick up a flyer today and sign up: john@malmesburyabbey.com

March 9 March 16 March 23 March 30 April 6 April 13 April 20 April 27

John the Baptist Nicodemus the Woman at the Well Mary, Mother of Jesus Lazarus the Crowd Mary Thomas

John 1:19-34 John 3:1-17 John 4:1-26 John 19:25-27 John 11:17-45 John 12:12-16 John 20:1-18 John 20:19-31

Real Lives

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: 12-3pm Sunday: Closed all day clare@malmesburyabbey.com

Funeral of John Ponting The funeral of our dear brother John Ponting will take place at the abbey on Monday 24th February at 1pm. The service will be led by Revd Bob Hyatt and Revd Mandy Churcher; all are very welcome to attend.

Prayer Ministry at your home Stuck at home? Can’t get to church? But you would like prayer, perhaps for healing or for some other problem? If that is you, the Abbey Prayer Ministry Team would like to help. Two or three of us would be glad to come to your home any weekday in the morning or afternoon to pray for you. It can be quite brief and is totally confidential. Please contact Revd Peter Yacomeni on 826628.

12th CENTURY BEAUTY 21st CENTURY CHURCH