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Church
Church services
Sunday, June 13: 2nd Sunday after Trinity 10.30am: Mappowder, Morning Prayer 10.30am: Fifehead Neville, Holy Communion 6.30pm: Hazelbury Bryan, Evening Prayer Sunday, June 20: 3rd Sunday after Trinity 10.30am: Hazelbury Bryan, Family Worship 10.30am: Belchalwell, Holy Communion 6.30pm: Ibberton, Evening Prayer St Andrew’s Todber Compline on Sunday, June 20 at 7pm. Please wear a mask and socially-distance. Church of England services in Gillingham & Milton on Stour Sunday 13 June 10am Holy Communion at St Mary’s, Gillingham 10.30am Holy Communion at St Simon & St Jude, Sunday 20 June 10am Holy Communion at St Mary’s, Gillingham Blandford Methodist Church You are warmly invited to our Sunday services that start at 10.45am with Covid-19 restrictions of mask wearing, no singing and sitting two metres apart, in place. Please pre-book your seat by phoning 01258 577 030 and ring the same number if you need our help. n Mass times for Catholic churches in Marnhull on Sundays and Thursdays, 9.30am; in Gillingham on Sundays at 11am and Wednesdays at 10am St Mary’s, Stalbridge Regular services are as follows: 1st Sunday - Holy Communion at 10am, 2nd Sunday - Evensong at 4pm, 3rd Sunday - Morning Worship at 10 am. Everyone is most welcome to attend any service in the church. facebook.com/StalbridgeChurch Shaftesbury Team Ministry Sunday, June 13 9.30am: St Peter’s, Parish Communion 9.30am: Motcombe, Parish Communion 11.15am: West Orchard,
Morning Worship 11.15am: Melbury Abbas, Pet Service 6pm: St James’, Pilgrim Service Sunday, June 20 9.30am: St Peter’s, Parish Communion 9.30am: St James’, Parish Communion 11.15am: Compton Abbas, Parish Communion 11.15am: Enmore Green, Parish Communion 6pm: Motcombe, Evening Worship Team Office: 01747 853060 facebook.com/ShaftesburyCofE To love is to risk... unless it is to love Jesus Christ
Vicar in the Vale
with the Rev Richard Priest, of Stour Vale Benefice A priest friend of mine, when giving talks to engaged couples, used to say ‘that to love was to risk’. Whenever we love someone we risk being loved in return, being happy and elated but we also risk being hurt and rejected. This is exactly the situation in which Joseph found himself with Mary. The love of his life, to whom he was betrothed, suddenly announces that she is expecting a child and as they both know it is not his! This would be catastrophic today but imagine how devastated Joseph must have been. Women caught in adultery could be stoned to death and he also would be the laughing stock of the town. Yet after a visit from an angel he decides to marry his love, he decides to risk. To risk everything that is precious to him. He will marry Mary and bring up the child as his own. When we form friendships, and particularly when we fall in love we are looking for stability, to have someone who will share the ups and downs, someone we can confide in, with whom we can laugh and cry. Yet we are putting ourselves at risk, of being hurt, rejected, scorned and betrayed. Those of us, who have come through a broken relationship know exactly how Joseph felt. But there is one relationship that is without risk – a relationship with Christ. He will never let us down. He is the one person with whom we can be completely honest. We can abuse him, shout at him, betray our trust in him and he will still completely love us. As humans we are incapable of complete trust, and yet that is what we ought to show to our Saviour – that is what he deserves. We can truly be at ease. However. In loving Christ with total dedication we must be prepared to risk him asking more of us than we are expecting to give. We must never hold back and say that we are frightened of doing what he asks of us. It can be devastating to take that risk and yet we must. Try it and you will not be alone, Christ will be walking that extra step with you. Think of Mary and Joseph, look at the risk they took. They took that step and two thousand years later we celebrate it. Let us place our lives in his hand, secure in the knowledge that we will be safe and loved. In human terms to love is to risk, in Christ we risk if we do not love.
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