27TH SEPTEMBER 2015
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MYSTERY Vicar’s Blog
I had been at a large conference in central London. The speakers were dynamic, the presentation used the latest technology, the welcome was wonderful, and the worship was brilliantly led by a sea of people in their 20s and 30s with a passion for Christ. The church alive, pulsing, meeting with God in word and worship and then inspired to flood out the doors and change their cities and communities, where God is already at work. In the midst of 48 hours of energy I encountered God deeply in the simple words of a song, belted out by a few thousand people, words echoing Psalm 139: ‘The struggles that I face, the choices I have made can’t stop your love for me. The darkness of the night, the scars I try to hide can’t stop your love for me. Where can I go from your presence?’ We sing it at the 4pm; now you know why.
As the conference finished I walked out into London with my eldest daughter to grab supper together. But before we landed on a spicy Portuguese we wandered into one of my favourite buildings in the world, Westminster Cathedral, just as Mass was beginning. There in the beauty of the Byzantine–style architecture, the bricks, the mosaics, the immense crucifix, I encountered God in the stillness, the liturgy, the simplicity of the sung responses, and the humility of my Catholic brothers and sisters who were far more willing to kneel and weep before God than I was. I think sometimes we/I get it entirely the wrong way round. Yes, we get our theology right, that God loved us first, that he reached out and touched us with salvation; we didn’t grab it from him. But when we come to worship we forget that it is still God pursuing us. We want the
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A B B E Y D I A RY THIS SUNDAY: September 27th 9am BCP Communion 10.30am Holy Communion & Baptism 4pm All-age Communion
conditions to be right, the worship to be helpful as we ascend the hill of the Lord, forgetting that He has already descended that hill. King David, using his King James Bible, cried out to God: ‘All things come of Thee, and of thine own have we given Thee.’ (1 Chronicles 29:14) The profound insight of his words revealing that even the prayers and songs we offer to God come from Him. There is mystery, and we meet with God. And within that mystery we discover that as the hand of God reaches out to touch us, it also pulls the frail hand of humanity to his own.
Front Cover Photo: Shenghung Lin on Flickr. The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo (detail)
THIS WEEK EACH DAY 9am Morning Prayer TUES 29th 7.30pm Refresh! WED 30th 10.30am Communion 3pm Funeral st THUR 1 10.30am Time for Chat 7pm Choir Practice FRI 2nd 10.30am Creative Response SAT 3rd 10am The Meeting Place 11.30am Wedding
NEXT SUNDAY: October 4th 9am BCP Communion 10.30am Holy Communion 4pm Informal Worship & Junior Church ADVANCE DIARY Oct 8th Music for Autism th Oct 12 8pm Admission of Children to HC discussion th Oct 20 Glory! st Oct 31 Glow in the Dark Party
1 CO R I N T H I A N S 1 1 : 2 3 - 2 7 23
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: the Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.
Additional Reading: Matthew 3:13-17 13
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptised by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, ‘I need to be baptised by you, and do you come to me?’ 15 Jesus replied, ‘Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfil all righteousness.’ Then John consented. 16 As soon as Jesus was baptised, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’
NEXT SUNDAY: Proverbs 4:1-12, The Emerging Generation
DISCIPLESHIP 1. Discuss together what you heard and experienced at our worship together last Sunday. 2. Bread, wine, water, oil, a burning candle. What do these represent, and effect? How does your inner life respond to symbol and mystery? Do you meet God in the facts, data, doctrine and texts of the Christian faith, or has experience and encounter shaped your faith? 3. How did Jesus encounter the presence of the Spirit and his Father during his walk on earth? 4. ‘The church is so busy offering the world information about God, but what they should be offering is an encounter with God.’ Discuss this, and ask how we do the latter. 5. Read the Corinthians text. Note, ‘this is my body’, ‘do this in remembrance of me.’ What is the bread? His body, as Christ says, or simply a remembrance, as Christ also says? Is Christ present with the bread and wine of Communion?
D A I LY R E A D I N G S Monday Psalm 71 Ezekiel 10:1-19 Mark 14:1-11 Tuesday (Michael & All Angels) Psalm 103:19-end Revelation 12:7-12 John 1:47-end Wednesday Psalm 77 Ezekiel 12:1-16 Mark 14:26-42 Thursday Psalm 78:1-39 Ezekiel 12:17-end Mark 14:43-52 Friday Psalm 55 Ezekiel 13:1-16 Mark 14:53-65
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
K I T C H E N S U N D AY
C O N F I R M AT I O N
Slow braised beef, roasted potatoes, seasonal veg, pudding, vegetarian, dairy and gluten free options. If you worship at the 10.30am this is your lunch on October 18th; the whole congregation in the Abbey eating together. If you worship at 4pm this is your supper; all of us, together. A day celebrating our ministry of hospitality and the work of Abbey Kitchen. Bring your own drinks; donations for food. Oh, we love Dan & Holly.
The Bishop of Bristol, the Rt Revd Mike Hill, will be with us on Wednesday Nov 4th at 7.30pm for a service of Confirmation. This joyous occasion is an opportunity to confess your faith and be prayed for by the Bishop to be filled afresh with the Holy Spirit. Candidates are normally younger people who were baptized as infants, and also adults, making the Abbey their spiritual home. Please contact Neill or Andrew this month for an informal chat.
A N NUA L LE AV E
LO VE KIGEZ I
For your information, Neill Archer, the Abbey Vicar, is on Annual Leave from September 28th until October 4th. Please contact other clergy or the Parish Office with any pastoral matters.
On Sunday October 11th we will celebrate Harvest at the Abbey. Our guest speaker at both 10.30am and 4pm will be John Appleton from Tearfund who will be talking about the Water & Sanitation project in Kigezi, which the Abbey supports as a Tearfund Connected Church. Our fundraising challenge, Dinner for Kigezi, kicks off next weekend. Put the cost of dinner or a meal in an envelope, bring it in on the 11th or 18th and we send it to Uganda!
Revd Mandy Churcher is shortly to go on sabbatical and will be away from the Abbey from October 9th until Nov 23rd. Please pray for Mandy as she has a complete rest from ministry and spends time travelling.
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NOTICEBOARD T O TA L R U B B I S H We are urgently looking for volunteers to help clear the enormous pile of brushwood and rubbish under the Abbey north transept arch on Saturday 3rd October, working from 7.30am to approximately 9.30am. James Cole has kindly offered the use of tractor and trailer to take the rubbish away. The more volunteers the quicker the job will be done. If you can help please call Diana Crowe on 01666 825470 to let her know, or just turn with gloves on at 7.30am.
REFRESH! Join us for this café style Refresh! this Tuesday, 29th September @ 7.30pm with cakes and nibbles, music, quiz and craft, and Mary Barnes from Holy Trinity, Hotwells sharing on ‘Thankfulness’ from the book of Psalms. This particular event will provide an ideal opportunity to invite along your friends who may not be used to a church environment. Invitations will be available this week at the back of the Abbey. It would be really helpful if you email Sandie to let her know if you’re coming.
Enquiries 01666 826666 // Box Office 01666 824339 office@malmesburyabbey.com www.malmesburyabbey.com issuu.com/malmesburyabbey
Music for Autism at the Abbey with very special guest
Derek Paravicini (Jazz Piano) Featured on Channel 5’s Extraordinary People and Radio 3’s Music and Autism Series
Ben Holder (Jazz Violin) Hannah Davey (Jazz Soprano) Ollie Howell (Drums)
Thursday 8th October at 7.30pm A gala charity concert to fund free concerts earlier in the day for young people with autism (11am) and people living with dementia and their carers (2pm)
Tickets £10 (or more) from the Abbey Bookshop or on the door