26TH OC TOBER 2014
LET US Vicar’s Blog
It’s not recommended, or safe, but every year I am let out of the box to do an all-age moment at the 4pm service. In the past I’ve managed this using an onion, two bicycles, four candles (remember Advent), a Ducati and often large amounts of chocolate. This year I used five lettuces which ended up flying around the Abbey and were strangely popular with Junior Church. Perhaps they’d never seen one before. I later used a trail of lettuce leaves to lead The Mix from the Abbey to the Vicarage for Pizza. Why lettuce? There was a point. The writer of Hebrews uses the phrase ‘let us’ five times in Hebrews 10:19-25; aka the Five Lettuces. These five exhortations address the spiritual battle that causes followers of Christ to draw away from God and from each other. ‘God doesn’t have time for me, and I certainly don’t have time for his church.’
The writer addresses this spiritual malaise by reminding us that the blood of Christ has opened for us a new and living way into the presence of God, and then the Five Lettuces are launched: Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart (v22), let us hold unswerving to the hope we profess (v23), let us consider how we may spur one another on (v24), let us not give up meeting together (v25) and let us encourage one another (also v25.) This passage feels modern to me. In a world that can feel fractured and centred in the individual, here attention is being paid to the community of Jesus. It matters that we worship together, that we see hope in one another's eyes, that we encourage and inspire one another, and that we prioritise meeting together; not leave it to chance in a
A B B E Y D I A RY NEXT SUNDAY: Oct 26th 8am 10.30am 4pm
busy week. (Incidentally, did I mention that I’m away next weekend?) What prompted my use of this text was a letter from a family, now living in Yorkshire, who had passed though the Abbey and been so warmly welcomed that they came back from time to time and were encouraged and built up and had hope imparted to them at one of the darkest times of their lives. God is good, we know that. But Hebrews dares to say, so is church.
BCP Holy Communion Morning Prayer & Healing Ministry All-age Communion
THIS WEEK EACH DAY 9am Morning Prayer WED 29th 10.30am Communion THURS 30th 10.30am Time for Chat 7pm Choir Practice FRI 31st 10.30am Creative Response in Eilmer House 5pm Glow in the Dark SAT 1st 10am The Meeting Place NEXT SUNDAY: November 2nd 8am 10.30am 4pm 6.30pm
BCP Holy Communion Holy Communion Informal Worship, Junior Church & The Grid Thanksgiving for the Faithful Departed
ADVANCE Nov 18th Glory! Nov 25th Refresh! Nov 30th Advent Carol Service Dec 21st Nine Lessons & Carols Dec 20th The Malmesbury Nativity 23rd & 24th
JOHN 9:1-12 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ 3 ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus, ‘but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’ 6
After saying this, he spat on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 ‘Go,’ he told him, ‘wash in the Pool of Siloam’ (this word means ‘Sent’). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. 8
His neighbours and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, ‘Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?’ 9 Some claimed that he was. Others said, ‘No, he only looks like him.’ But he himself insisted, ‘I am the man.’ 10 ‘How then were your eyes opened?’ they asked. 11 He replied, ‘The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.’ 12 ‘Where is this man?’ they asked him. ‘I don’t know,’ he said.
Additional Reading: Psalm 103:1-12
DISCIPLESHIP 1. Read Psalm 103: 1-12 slowly, allowing time to absorb the words; then read John 9: 1-12 again allowing time for the words to sink in. Identify the words or phrases that stand out, and why, and share these with your group. 2. In John 9:2 there is a connection made by the disciples between the man’s blindness and sin. Why do you think that they do this? How do Jesus’ words confirm or deny this connection? 3. Identify instances in the Bible where Jesus heals at a distance or sometimes just with words. Why did he use mud made with his own saliva and then send the man to the pool of Siloam? 4. Read verse 5. What does the second half mean both in this context and in your life? What does the first half of the verse mean? How do we appropriate the Light of Christ to ourselves? How does his radiance become ours? 5. Finish by praying for healing for those who are sick in your group.
D A I LY R E A D I N G S Monday Psalm 98 2 Kings 17:24-41 Philippians 1:1-11 Tuesday Psalm 116 2 Kings 18:1-12 Philippians 1:12-end Wednesday Psalm 111 2 Kings 18:13-37 Philippians 2:1-13 Thursday Psalm 115 2 Kings 19:1-19 Philippians 2:14-end Friday Psalm 139 2 Kings 19:20-36 Philippians 3:1-4:1
GIVING To regularly support the mission and worship of the Abbey with your Christian giving please contact Alan McAdam at alan@malmesburyabbey.com
FA C E B O O K / T W I T T E R
APPOINTMENT
Tom Hunton is now running Facebook and Twitter for the Abbey, #finally. He’ll be posting a few times a week to keep people connected to Abbey life, events and news. Please follow us and if you have something that you’d like posted please message him or e-mail him at tomhunton@hotmail.co.uk. You can also get a weekly e-mail from sandie@malmesburyabbey.com with extra notices and a link to this newssheet online.
After an excellent 24 hours of meetings and interviews, we are delighted to announce that we have a new Children’s & Youth minister joining us on the staff, probably in January 2015. During the interviews an outstanding candidate emerged who we believe will be at the heart of our growth as a church in the next few years. At this stage we can’t tell you who he is, but as soon as we can, we will.
ALL SAINTS
VICAR’S E-MAIL
On Sunday 2nd November at 6.30pm there is Service of Thanksgiving for the Faithful Departed. During this reflective 45 minute service we remember all those whose funeral we have conducted at the Abbey, and nearby, in the past year. If you have lost somebody in the last 12 months and would also like their name read out during this service please contact Sandie in the Parish Office.
Just to let you know that you can still contact the vicar by pigeon as usual, or by e-mailing him with either neill@malmesburyabbey.com or now neillarcher@btinternet.com. Please delete any other e-mail addresses.
NOTICEBOARD G LO R Y ! 2 0 1 5 Glory! our time of extended contemporary worship and Spirit-led prayer, is going monthly in 2015. This information is for your diary, and we’d encourage all our Abbey small groups not to meet that week and to prioritise our intercession together on: Jan 20, Feb 24, Mar 31, April 28, May 19, June 23, July 21, Sep 22, Oct 20 and Nov 24
MORNING PRAYER LITURGY You can now find the Morning Prayer liturgy that we use each day in St Aldhelm’s Chapel at issuu.com/malmesburyabbey. The daily Bible readings for the month are on the back page. Let us know if this is useful and do join us in the chapel at 9am if you can occasionally.
GLOW IN THE DARK Excitement is mounting for our Glow in the Dark party which takes place in the Abbey 5-7pm next Friday 31st October for Primary aged children. Tickets in advance only from the bookshop. Please pray that they all have a safe, enjoyable evening and that we have the opportunity to share the love of Jesus with them and their parents. If you have a supply of sound eating apples in your garden, we would gratefully receive them for the apple bobbing! Please contact Gill Shaw Tel 824576. Many thanks to all those who have offered their support for this event.
CONTAC T ABBEY OFFICE Monday (10am-12pm) Tuesday-Friday (9.30am– 3pm) Tel: 01666 826666 sandie@malmesburyabbey.com
CAFÉ HOURS Tuesday-Saturday (normal) 9am– 4.30pm Sunday & Monday closed all day clare@malmesburyabbey.com
www.malmesburyabbey.com issuu.com/malmesburyabbey Staff members can be contacted by name@malmesburyabbey.com
12th CENTURY BEAUT Y 21st CENTURY CHURCH