We are delighted to see the return of the Fitzwilliam String Quartet on the 11th and 12th May at 7pm. Do come along and enjoy an evening of music. Tickets at door £12 each (cash only).
Concerts at Aldeburgh Parish Church
Easter at the Alde Sandlings Benefice
Benefice Newsletter for Sunday 17th April – Easter Sunday
Services this Sunday for The Alde Sandlings Benefice
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Aldeburgh |
6.30am 8.00am 10.30am |
Benefice Sunrise Service -Thorpeness Beach Holy Communion Holy Communion |
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Aldringham Friston |
11.00am 9.45am |
Holy Communion Holy Communion |
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Knodishall |
9.00am |
Holy Communion |
Message from Revd James Marston
Tomorrow, we celebrate the great feast of Easter as we mark the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amid the excitement and joy of the fresh start that Easter brings to us all on our journey of faith, I think we can also take a moment to congratulate ourselves and our communities as we look back over the last few months.
All the church communities have pulled together in order to continue with worship and the pastoral care required by a lively and thriving benefice as best we can, and for that we can be grateful and proud.
Tomorrow we rejoice in the good news of the risen Christ and at this time the Alde Sandlings benefice is looking towards the future with a new priest-in-charge due to be among us in a few short weeks.
This is a time of good news indeed and we have much to celebrate and much to look forward to.
Happy Easter to you all.
James
Let us pray
God almighty, we praise your holy name in this joyful Eastertide. We thank you, Lord, because through your death and resurrection we have won the victory and your redeeming grace and love. Loving Father God, fill us with new life so that we may love one another and do what you want us to do in sharing your love with those who don’t know you. In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen
Collect
Lord of all life and power,
who through the mighty resurrection of your Son
overcame the old order of sin and death
to make all things new in him:
grant that we, being dead to sin
and alive to you in Jesus Christ,
may reign with him in glory;
to whom with you and the Holy Spirit
be praise and honour, glory and might,
now and in all eternity.
First Reading
Isaiah 65.17-end
For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth;
the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind.
But be glad and rejoice for ever in what I am creating;
for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight.
I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and delight in my people; no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it, or the cry of distress. No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days, or an old person who does not live out a lifetime; for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth, and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed. They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labour in vain, or bear children for calamity; for they shall be offspring blessed by the Lord—and their descendants as well. Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent—its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the Lord.
Second Reading
Acts 10.34-43
Then Peter began to speak to them: ‘I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.’
Gospel Reading
John 20.1-18
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.’ Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went towards the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes. But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ She said to them, ‘They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.’ When she had said this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? For whom are you looking?’ Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbouni!’ (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, ‘Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” ’Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord’; and she told them that he had said these things to her.
Post Communion
God of Life, who for our redemption gave your only-begotten Son
to the death of the cross,and by his glorious resurrection
have delivered us from the power of our enemy:
grant us so to die daily to sin, that we may evermore live
with him in the joy of his risen life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Sermon preached by The Revd James Marston at
Aldeburgh 10th April 2022
Palm Sunday
There is an old joke among clergy, what is the difference between an organist and a terrorist. The answer, of course, is that one can negotiate with a terrorist.
Indeed, since I have made the transgression from church organist to church clergyman I’m not sure that we clergy are always the easiest with which to engage with what people nowadays call “constructive talks” when they want their own way.
Indeed, there is another old joke.
What have a clergyman and a shoe got in common? The last thing to go is the tongue.
And over the last three years that I have been among you it may not have escaped your notice that not only do I like my own way, but I also like the sound of my own voice.
But today, after that marathon reading- the Liturgy of the passion – in which we heard the story again of the arrest trial and execution and death of Jesus, I cannot help but think that the scripture does the talking.
We retell the story on Palm Sunday not for the clever exegesis or apposite exposition of subtle biblical hermetic by the priest, we retell it because it simply serves to remind us of the horror, injustice, and violence of the cross. The death of our God whom we worship today is part and parcel of our faith.
Indeed, Palm Sunday itself, in which we celebrate the victorious entry of Jesus into Jerusalem is something of a bittersweet moment. Jesus, who has been exercising his ministry for three years comes up to the capital city in triumph, to be met just a few days later with the most appalling humiliation.
We approach Holy Week with all this in our minds and in our hearts, that before the glory of the resurrection which we celebrate a week today, the church tradition takes us again through the emotions and highs and lows of the story we have just heard and know so well.
This is because, it seems to me, we all need to hear the story of our faith, our story, again and again. Faith, belief in the risen Christ, is so full of doubt so full of difficulties and so full of challenge that we need to be reminded often of why we believe at all.
Repeating ourselves also points towards another aspect of faith that is its often easy to forget and it is this, that our Christian journey is not a sprint but a marathon. Taken step by step over months, years and decades as we come closer to God.
Indeed our Lent course this year – a simple weekly bible study meeting with which I admit to facing with some trepidation, I thought it might get in the way of the other things I seem to be up to – has taught me a lesson and it is this: That listening is far more important than talking and that by listening it became obvious to me that there is still much I can learn from other Christians around me about our faith, and still much insight I have yet to discover.
I doubt I am alone in this, I suspect we all need to be reminded, all feel we must try harder, all feel there is so much we don’t know about the beliefs which we claim we espouse.
So my challenge to you and to me this Palm Sunday, is to embrace this Holy Week, use it as a reminder and a chance to re-spark that curiosity which brought us to faith in the first place. Read the passion liturgy again, talk to others around you about what that which you discover or notice. Ask questions, seek God.
We are on a long journey together and it is only together that we can take those small steps into the mystery of the Easter on which rests the extraordinary Christian faith.
Amen
Next Week
Sunday 24th April
Second Sunday of Easter
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✟ Church of England and Diocese Online Worship ✟ There are many online services you can view from the Church of England and our cathedral. Here are some links below. Church of England website https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer- Church of England Facebook page Church of England YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/ St Edmundsbury Cathedral Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/ |
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Easter Messy Church A huge thank-you and well done to everyone who supported and helped at our Easter Messy Church last Saturday. We had a really wonderful attendance; 35 children and 36 adults.
It was such a joyful morning and so good to be back after an enforced two year break due to Covid! Thank you again for being part of this extremely valuable ministry with children and families in the heart of our community. Do take a look at Fran’s beautiful art project on the display board and the prayer tree in the children’s area at Aldeburgh church to see some of what we got up to. Revd Jo |
We wish you all a very
Happy Easter
NOTICES
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Weekly Benefice Newsletter If you would like something added to the weekly newsletter that is relevant to the Benefice, please do let Claire know and we will do our best to include it the following week. All requests by 4pm on Thursday please |
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Food Banks at the East of England Co-op Foodbanks provide a valuable service to those in need in our communities. The Aldeburgh Co-op and Solar in Leiston are doing a grand job in collecting food donations, which are collected regularly and distributed. So please look out for the various collection baskets. |
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Pilgrims Together on Wednesdays The Pilgrims worship together every Wednesday. Friday 22nd April F2F Pilgrims 6.30pm Aldeburgh Parish Hall Celtic Worship followed by a time of fellowship |
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Benefice Newsletter for Sunday 10th April – Palm Sunday
A Prayer for Ukraine
God of peace and justice,
We pray for the people of Ukraine today.
We pray for peace and the laying down of weapons.
We pray for those who fear for tomorrow,
that your Spirit of comfort would draw near to them.
We pray for those with power over war or peace,
for wisdom, discernment, and compassion to guide their decisions.
Above all, we pray for all your precious children, at risk and in fear,
that you would hold and protect them.
We pray in the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
Amen.
Archbishop Justin Welby, Archbishop Stephen Cottrell
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DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal – World Vision UK We are very grateful to be in partnership with World Vision who will receive our donations and handle the gift aid. Be assured that every pound goes directly to those in need. World Vision is also part of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), whose appeal is supported by the UK Government. We ask you to be as generous as possible, and to continue to pray fervently for the end of the military operation and for peace. With prayers for you, and for the children and families affected by the conflict in Ukraine.” Bishop Martin How your donation helps The funds you donate to this emergency appeal will support emergency response for displaced children and families in Ukraine and neighbouring countries. We will use donations in Ukraine through partners when it is possible. If thisis not possible or in the unlikely event we receive more donations than we need for this emergency, the donations will be used to help displaced and refugee populations elsewhere around the world. content.wvunited.org You can donate by visiting the World Vision UK website here: https://content.wvunited.org/en-gb/emergencies/ukraine-crisis-eds-ips-appeal/#donate Aldeburgh Parish Church has pre-labelled |
Services this Sunday for The Alde Sandlings Benefice
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Aldeburgh |
10.30am |
Holy Communion |
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Aldringham Friston |
11.00am 9.00am |
Service of the Word Holy Communion |
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Knodishall |
9.00am |
Morning Prayer |
Message from Revd James Marston
Dear Everyone,
This is without doubt an exciting time for our churches – the benefice has appointed a new priest-in-charge and Rev’d Sarah will soon be with us and leading us into a new chapter. I am personally delighted at this appointment and wish you all, and her, all the very best for the future.
Perhaps, in the coming weeks, the church communities of our benefice might like to think about how we might help pave the way for Rev’d Sarah: What support she might need as she takes up this post? How can you help welcome a new priest-in-charge? What challenges might she face? How can your church assist and support her ministry among you in the months and years to come?
Moreover, we have the excitement of Easter just around the corner. As the season of Lent draws to an end and we mark Holy Week I wish you a prayerful and peaceful time as we draw closer to God and the joy of our faith.
One final note I’m hoping to see as many of you as possible on the beach at Thorpeness as we welcome in the day that marks the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and the hope on which the Christian faith is based.
With all my prayers
James
Collect
Almighty and everlasting God,
who in your tender love towards the human race
sent your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ to take upon him our flesh
and to suffer death upon the cross:
grant that we may follow the example of his patience and humility,
and also be made partakers of his resurrection;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
The Liturgy of the Passion
First Reading
Isaiah 50.4-9a
The Lord God has given me the tongue of a teacher,
that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word.
Morning by morning he wakens—wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught.
The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious,
I did not turn backwards. I gave my back to those who struck me,
and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I did not hide my face
from insult and spitting. The Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame; he who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who are my adversaries? Let them confront me. It is the Lord God who helps me;
who will declare me guilty? All of them will wear out like a garment;
the moth will eat them up.
Second Reading
Philippians 2.5-11
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Gospel Reading
Luke 23.1-49
Then the assembly rose as a body and brought Jesus before Pilate. They began to accuse him, saying, ‘We found this man perverting our nation, forbidding us to pay taxes to the emperor, and saying that he himself is the Messiah, a king.’ Then Pilate asked him, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ He answered, ‘You say so.’ Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, ‘I find no basis for an accusation against this man.’ But they were insistent and said, ‘He stirs up the people by teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee where he began even to this place.’ When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. And when he learned that he was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him off to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had been wanting to see him for a long time, because he had heard about him and was hoping to see him perform some sign. He questioned him at some length, but Jesus gave him no answer. The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. Even Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him; then he put an elegant robe on him, and sent him back to Pilate. That same day Herod and Pilate became friends with each other; before this they had been enemies. Pilate then called together the chief priests, the leaders, and the people, and said to them, ‘You brought me this man as one who was perverting the people; and here I have examined him in your presence and have not found this man guilty of any of your charges against him. Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us. Indeed, he has done nothing to deserve death. I will therefore have him flogged and release him.’ Then they all shouted out together, ‘Away with this fellow! Release Barabbas for us!’ (This was a man who had been put in prison for an insurrection that had taken place in the city, and for murder.) Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again; but they kept shouting, ‘Crucify, crucify him!’ A third time he said to them, ‘Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no ground for the sentence of death; I will therefore have him flogged and then release him.’ But they kept urgently demanding with loud shouts that he should be crucified; and their voices prevailed. So Pilate gave his verdict that their demand should be granted. He released the man they asked for, the one who had been put in prison for insurrection and murder, and he handed Jesus over as they wished. As they led him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming from the country, and they laid the cross on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus. A great number of the people followed him, and among them were women who were beating their breasts and wailing for him. But Jesus turned to them and said, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For the days are surely coming when they will say, “Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.” Then they will begin to say to the mountains, “Fall on us”; and to the hills, “Cover us.” For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?’ Two others also, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.’ And they cast lots to divide his clothing. And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, ‘He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!’ The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, and saying, ‘If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!’ There was also an inscription over him, ‘This is the King of the Jews.’ One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, ‘Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!’ But the other rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.’ It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, while the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.’ Having said this, he breathed his last. When the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, ‘Certainly this man was innocent.’ And when all the crowds who had gathered there for this spectacle saw what had taken place, they returned home, beating their breasts. But all his acquaintances, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.
Post Communion
Lord Jesus Christ,
you humbled yourself in taking the form of a servant,
and in obedience died on the cross for our salvation:
give us the mind to follow you
and to proclaim you as Lord and King,
to the glory of God the Father.
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✟ Church of England and Diocese Online Worship ✟ There are many online services you can view from the Church of England and our cathedral. Here are some links below. Church of England website https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/ Church of England Facebook page Church of England YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/ St Edmundsbury Cathedral Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/ |
Sermon preached by The Revd James Marston at
Aldringham 3rd April 2022
‘Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.’
May I speak in the name of the living God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
A whacking great sunset bathed level and drain
From Kirkby with Muckby to Beckby-on-Bain,
And I saw, as I journeyed, my marketing done,
Old Caisterby tower take the last of the sun.
The night air grew nippy. An autumn mist roll’d
(In a scent of dead cabbages) down from the wold,
In the ocean of silence that flooded me round
The crunch of the wheels was a comforting sound.
The lane lengthened narrowly into the night
With the Bain on its left bank, the drain on its right,
And feebly the carriage-lamps glimmered ahead
When all of a sudden the pony fell dead.
For the Betjeman fans among us Sir John’s poem tells the story of a mad rector in a remote Lincolnshire church.
It is, of course, something of a whimsical poem – clergymen are never strange or odd – but I do think Betjeman paints an evocative picture as he builds up with little details to the somewhat unnerving climax of the tale. Indeed we can feel ourselves there, at the scene as Betjeman continues.
As down swung the tenor, a beacon of sound,
Over listening acres of waterlogged ground
I stood by the tombs to see pass and repass
The gleam of a taper, through clear leaded glass.
And such lighting of lights in the thunderous roar
The heart summoning courage to hand at the door;
I grated it open on scents I knew well,
The dry smell of damp rot, the hassocky smell.
I think we can all imagine the taper gleaming through clear leaded glass as well as the dry smell of damp rot and hassocky smell.
The sense of smell is one that often triggers our emotional memories, often brings us back to something in our past, and is often an evocative way of describing something we can all understand.
Indeed if we conjure up in our minds the smell of freshly mown grass or polished wooden floors or even a Sunday roast coming out of the oven – it is sometimes as if we can smell those memories now.
And of course, our gospel reading today is about smell. Mary’s gift to Jesus emits an aroma that saturates the house and the minds of everyone in it.
Of course, the fragrance of the perfume, slightly erotically applied with Mary’s hair, strikes a contrast to Jesus’ death and burial. Our interpretation of the scene cannot ignore the gloom and Mary does not anoint Jesus as king or Messiah; she’s anointing a corpse.
And if the beautiful scent and ugly crucifixion seem incongruent, then we are onto John’s strange logic whereby Jesus is lifted up onto a cross so that he might attract all to himself.
This small vignette which happens just in advance of the triumph of Palm Sunday and Jesus’ prediction of his own death also contrasts lavish self-giving with critical stinginess. The exuberant giving of Mary with the critique of Judas, which although we understand points towards an yielding piety which cannot tolerate the wild and disturbing love exhibited by Mary.
As one commentator puts it “Acts of true grace and love regularly get slandered as deviance.”Yet, we cannot ignore the fact that Jesus’ response,
‘Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.’ Warns us today against mistaking discipline for discipleship. And permits us to embrace affection as part of a devotion to Jesus that is nothing less than the costly, precious gift of one’s whole self.
Which, of course, in turn challenges us all.
Lent, of course, is a time for us to ask difficult questions of ourselves. And it is only asking those questions that we discover ourselves and ultimately our God.
How wildly and selflessly do we love Jesus?
How passionately does the aroma of that perfume given by Mary persist in our nostrils today?
Do you really live your life through the lens of the crucifixion and resurrection that was to follow?
Amen
Next Week
Sunday 17th April
Easter Sunday
NOTICES
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Coffee Morning for Ukraine |
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Weekly Benefice Newsletter |
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Food Banks at the East of England Co-op |
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Message from Father Tony |
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✞ Pilgrims Together on Wednesdays ✞ Sunday 10th April Good News Breakfast Faith Cafe at the Parrot is open from 9.30 – 10.30.
Friday 22nd April F2F Pilgrims 6.30pm Aldeburgh Parish Hall Celtic Worship followed by a time of fellowship |
Benefice Newsletter for Sunday 3rd April – Fifth Sunday of Lent/Passiontide
A Prayer for Ukraine
God of peace and justice,
We pray for the people of Ukraine today.
We pray for peace and the laying down of weapons.
We pray for those who fear for tomorrow,
that your Spirit of comfort would draw near to them.
We pray for those with power over war or peace,
for wisdom, discernment, and compassion to guide their decisions.
Above all, we pray for all your precious children, at risk and in fear,
that you would hold and protect them.
We pray in the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
Amen
Archbishop Justin Welby, Archbishop Stephen Cottrell
DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal – World Vision UK
We are very grateful to be in partnership with World Vision who will receive our donations and handle the gift aid. We ask you to be as generous as possible, and to continue to pray fervently for the end of the military operation and for peace. With prayers for you, and for the children and families affected by the conflict in Ukraine.” Bishop Martin How your donation helpsThe funds you donate to this emergency appeal will support emergency response for displaced children and families in Ukraine and neighbouring countries. We will use donations in Ukraine through partners when it is possible. If this is not possible or in the unlikely event we receive more donations than we need for this emergency, the donations will be used to help displaced and refugee populations elsewhere around the world. content.wvunited.org You can donate by visiting the World Vision UK website here: https://content.wvunited.org/en-gb/emergencies/ukraine-crisis-eds-ips-appeal/#donate Aldeburgh Parish Church has pre-labelled |
Services this Sunday for The Alde Sandlings Benefice
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Aldeburgh |
8.00am 10.30am |
Holy Communion Service of the Word |
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Aldringham |
11.00am |
Holy Communion |
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Knodishall |
9.00am |
Holy Communion |
Collect
Most merciful God, who by the death and resurrection of your
Son Jesus Christ delivered and saved the world:
grant that by faith in him who suffered on the cross
we may triumph in the power of his victory;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
First Reading
Isaiah 43.16-21
Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea,
a path in the mighty waters, who brings out chariot and horse,
army and warrior; they lie down, they cannot rise,they are extinguished, quenched like a wick: Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. The wild animals will honour me, the jackals and the ostriches;
for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert,
to give drink to my chosen people, the people whom I formed
for myself so that they might declare my praise.
Second Reading
Philippians 3.4b-14
Even though I, too, have reason for confidence in the flesh. If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on towards the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.
Gospel Reading
John 12.1-8
Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, ‘Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?’ (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.’
Post Communion
Lord Jesus Christ, you have taught us
that what we do for the least of our brothers and sisters
we do also for you: give us the will to be the servant of others
as you were the servant of all, and gave up your life and died for us,
but are alive and reign, now and for ever.
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Sermon preached by The Revd James Marston at
Friston 27th March 2022
May I speak in the name of the living God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
“and a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
We all know the story that Mary, mother of Jesus, finds herself a key player. We know that as Jesus takes on the mantle of his ministry Mary is never far away, and, as the story begins to climax, and her son faces those set against him in Jerusalem Mary is a witness to it all.
The piercing of the sword to which Simeon refers – is the sorrow of Mary as she watches her son humiliated, shamed, and executed on the cross. Even in this moment of blessing there is mention of pain to come for Mary; “and a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
Indeed, I am not sure how Mary will have taken that, celebrating the joy of her son’s birth, to be told that all will not be good news.
And in a way this is what we are having to grapple with at this time; that whilst knowing the joy of the Christian faith, the passion with which we can experience God through communal worship, the fun spent with our friends and family, the happiness of community, we have to live with an underlying pandemic anxiety, fears about war and conflict, as well as the worries of our village community about the future.
We have to hold the joy of our faith and the concerns of life in balance, to see the darker things of life through the lens of faith. And this is no easy task.
Today is Mother’s Day, a day now conflated with Mothering Sunday, a day during which traditionally people would return to worship at their mother church. A time of spiritual homecoming, that has been somewhat forgotten among the celebrations of the slightly more commercial Mother’s Day.
To be honest, although I’m seeing my own mother later today, I’m always slightly uncomfortable about Mother’s Day – for some it is a day of pain and discomfort. And as Christians, we must hold them in our thoughts too. Indeed, I can’t help thinking of a friend of mine who would have dearly loved to have been a mother – and I think about her too today. And it is fair today that not everyone has good memories of their mothers either.
Yet this is a day when we do celebrate all who have and do provide motherly care. And for that reason, we can give thanks.
Our Gospel reading also reminds us that loving and caring in this way is a sacrifice of self-giving. A vocation to which many of us are called and something I know we try hard not to forget in our own church community here in Friston.
So, in this time of Lent – as we aim to draw closer to God and examine our own faith and failings – I would urge you this week to remember that amid the bad news and difficulties we face there is joy and gratitude too and that Mary, who experienced sorrow and pain is remembered and venerated because she always points towards Jesus and therefore to hope.
Let us continue in our journey of faith together and hold on to the hope of the risen Christ, born of Mary and revealed by the whole communion of saints.
Happy Mother’s Day and however you are feeling and whatever you do have a happy and hope filled Sunday.
Amen
Next Week
Sunday 10th April
Palm Sunday
NOTICES
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Church of England Lent Reflections and To keep up with weekly news from our Diocese you can sign up to receive the weekly newsletters here: |
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✟ Church of England and Diocese Online Worship ✟ There are many online services you can view from the Church of England and our cathedral. Here are some links below. Church of England website https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/ Church of England Facebook page Church of England YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel St Edmundsbury Cathedral Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/ |
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✞ Lent Sessions ✞ – UPDATE The address is The Rectory, Aldeburgh Road, Friston, IP17 1NP Thursdays 7pm, Onemana, Alde House Drive, Aldeburgh, IP15 5EE hosted by Jill Brown – beginning on March 3 |
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Weekly Benefice Newsletter If you would like something added to the weekly newsletter that is relevant to the Benefice, please do let Claire know and we will do our best to include it the following week. All requests by 4pm on Thursday please |
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Food Banks at the East of England Co-op Foodbanks provide a valuable service to those in need in our communities. The Aldeburgh Co-op and Solar in Leiston are doing a grand job in collecting food donations, which are collected regularly and distributed. So please look out for the various collection baskets. |
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Pilgrims Together on Wednesdays The Pilgrims worship together every Wednesday. |
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Lunchtime Concert at Aldeburgh Parish Church Monday 4th April at 12 noon Following the huge success of Nadia’s concert with us in October, we welcome Nadia’s and friends, to raise more money for Save the Children. ROBIN SOLDAN – FLUTE NATHANIEL HARRISON – BASSOON NADIA LASSERSON – PIANO Trios by Bach, Beethoven & Donizetti Admission free- a retiring collection for Save the Children
All welcome |
Benefice Newsletter for Sunday 27th March – Fourth Sunday of Lent/Mothering Sunday
A Prayer for Ukraine
God of peace and justice,
We pray for the people of Ukraine today.
We pray for peace and the laying down of weapons.
We pray for those who fear for tomorrow,
that your Spirit of comfort would draw near to them.
We pray for those with power over war or peace,
for wisdom, discernment, and compassion to guide their decisions.
Above all, we pray for all your precious children, at risk and in fear,
that you would hold and protect them.
We pray in the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
Amen.
Archbishop Justin Welby, Archbishop Stephen Cottrell
DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal – World Vision UK
We are very grateful to be in partnership with World Vision who will receive our donations and handle the gift aid. Be assured that every pound goes directly to those in need. World Vision is also part of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), whose appeal is supported by the UK Government. We ask you to be as generous as possible, and to continue to pray fervently for the end of the military operation and for peace. With prayers for you, and for the children and families affected by the conflict in Ukraine.” Bishop Martin How your donation helpsThe funds you donate to this emergency appeal will support emergency response for displaced children and families in Ukraine and neighbouring countries. We will use donations in Ukraine through partners when it is possible. If this is not possible or in the unlikely event we receive more donations than we need for this emergency, the donations will be used to help displaced and refugee populations elsewhere around the world. content.wvunited.org You can donate by visiting the World Vision UK website here: https://content.wvunited.org/en-gb/emergencies/ukraine-crisis-eds-ips-appeal/#donate Aldeburgh Parish Church has pre-labelled |
Services this Sunday for The Alde Sandlings Benefice
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Aldeburgh |
10.30am 6.00pm |
Service of the Word Evening Prayer |
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Aldringham |
11.00am |
Service of the Word |
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Friston |
9.00am |
Morning Prayer |
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Knodishall |
9.00am |
Morning Prayer |
Next Week
Sunday 3rd April
Fifth Sunday of Lent
Collect
God of compassion, whose Son Jesus Christ, the child of Mary,
shared the life of a home in Nazareth, and on the cross drew the whole human family to himself: strengthen us in our daily living that in joy and in sorrow we may know the power of your presence to bind together and to heal; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
First Reading
Exodus 2.1-10
Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a fine baby, she hid him for three months. When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him, and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river. His sister stood at a distance, to see what would happen to him. The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her attendants walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to bring it. When she opened it, she saw the child. He was crying, and she took pity on him. ‘This must be one of the Hebrews’ children,’ she said. Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, ‘Shall I go and get you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?’ Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, ‘Yes.’ So the girl went and called the child’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, ‘Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will give you your wages.’ So the woman took the child and nursed it. When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and she took him as her son. She named him Moses, ‘because’, she said, ‘I drew him out of the water.’
Second Reading
2 Corinthians 1.3-7
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are abundant for us, so also our consolation is abundant through Christ. If we are being afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation; if we are being consoled, it is for your consolation, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we are also suffering. Our hope for you is unshaken; for we know that as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our consolation.
Gospel Reading
Luke 2.33-35
And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, ‘This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.’
Post Communion
Loving God, as a mother feeds her children at the breast
you feed us in this sacrament with the food and drink of eternal life:
help us who have tasted your goodness
to grow in grace within the household of faith;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Sermon preached by The Very Revd Christopher Lewis at
Aldringham 20th March 2022
Isaiah 55.1-9
The first reading has some of the most beautiful and moving passages in the Bible. It speaks of the free gift of God’s grace: ‘Come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.’ And then later in the passage, there is reference to the everlasting covenant which God offers to his people, so they should ‘Seek the Lord while he may be found’ and ‘call upon him while he is near’. There is the promise that God will pardon the wicked when they return to Him, with God explaining that He acts differently from us: ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord’.
There is, however, a test and a challenge here. Are we able to receive a free gift? It is a Lent test and requires a very great degree of clearing of the mind: not mine clearance as in land-mines, but mind clearance, which may be just about as difficult.
We have to re-educate ourselves. You know all that stuff about there being ‘no free lunches’ which we learned on our mother’s (probably actually our father’s) knee. And you know all that saying about people only appreciating what they pay for. Someone said to me the other day that we really ought to charge people to come to church….then they’d appreciate it.
You know those letters you throw away: Dear Rev Lewis, congratulations on having got to the last stage in the competition to win a ….Ford Tantrum….imagine yourself, with your partner beside you, purring along. Or that commercial operation, the ‘postcode lottery’ with its £10 per month subscription, although it is at least true that a third of that goes to charities.
Then there are the presents or the good turns that you receive, and which send you into a terrible anxiety about how on earth you will repay them, for repay them you feel you must. Otherwise, you will feel patronised or indebted and that would be terrible.
No, for this is the test. Unlike the lunches and the offers and the presents, this gift is free. And so: are you able to believe the older saying which came long before all the ‘free lunch’ business, that ‘the best things in life are free’. So, to the Lent test – not a test in the sense of an exam, but rather in the sense of a struggle: is it possible to think in God’s way and for us to receive free gifts without embarrassment, without hurt pride. ‘Come buy wine and milk without money’.
That, I think, is why Jesus uses children as examples to us all….and one reason why he commends the people whom society rejects. Why? Because they are not fussed about receiving free gifts. When I was a Vicar in a parish in Lincolnshire, homeless men used to come to our door asking for sandwiches and more: marmite sandwiches, jam – anything would do, and our children looked on with fascination and chatted.
On the subject of Vicars, there was a once a Vicar who was in the middle of the eucharist service in his church and he got up to read the Gospel. It was to have been from St Luke’s Gospel where Jesus says (Lk 6;27): ‘Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you…’ But he could not say it; he stopped in the middle: ‘bless those who….’ He had to sit down. Then a voice came from the back which said ‘Don’t worry Vicar; I find it impossible to live by it too’. And instead of the Gospel reading and the
sermon, they had a spontaneous discussion about the wonder of the Christian faith: bless those who curse you. So, once they had lost their pride, they could discuss God’s help, usually called his grace.
It is a Lent test to realise that God is not just another person only kind-of infinite. When Jesus told the parable of the workers in the vineyard – the one where the people all got the same wage, even when they started working just before the end of the day – he realised that it would be hard for people to get the point. God’s ways are different. He is not fair at all. For his love goes out to people whoever they are and it is free. It is ‘amazing grace’. And, in a sense, we are not required to pay him back. Except that he longs for us to show the same kind of unreasonable love to him and to others.
We are in the middle of an international crisis during which it is right to reach out to God and pray for the Ukrainians and indeed for the Russians. We have to recognize that many very brave Russians demonstrate against the war, interrupt a news bulletin, or are just horrified and leave their country. But we also realize that the Russian Orthodox Church (again with some exceptions) is backing the war in the form of its Patriarch Kirill – no doubt in part because the Ukraine has formed its own breakaway Orthodox Church, but also because he backs Putin, in Putin’s demands for Ukrainian surrender. Put differently, Patriarch Kirill could be labelled very clearly as among the enemy.
How then do we, as it were, forward God’s free gift of love? Remember Jesus’ saying ‘Love your enemies’ and the voice from the back of the church which said ‘Don’t worry Vicar; I find it impossible to live by too’. What God in Jesus brought was a whole new way of living: a free gift which is also a challenge. Force has to be used in some circumstances as it had to be used against Hitler. The message, however, must mean that we treat others with understanding and do not bear grudges. It did real harm to hate Germans in the 1920’s and it did no good to hate them in the 1950’s.
Jesus words were part of his bringing in a whole new kind of world: the kingdom of God on its way to being realized on earth. That led to his life-giving healing to those who were suffering and outcast, and then his death at the hands of the enemy namely the religious and political elite of his day. Lent is an appropriate time during which to reflect on that life and to pray that we may follow it as best we can. We do not look ahead too quickly to Easter as if it solves all problems. We concentrate on God’s free gift of love and grace now.
Amen
NOTICES
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Church of England Lent Reflections and You might be interested to receive the daily Lent reflections from the Church of England. Here is the link to sign up to their email reflections To keep up with weekly news from our Diocese you can sign up to receive the weekly newsletters here: |
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Church of England and Diocese Online Worship There are many online services you can view from the Church of England and our cathedral. Here are some links below. Church of England website https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/ Church of England Facebook page Church of England YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/ St Edmundsbury Cathedral Facebook Page |
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Lent Sessions |
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Weekly Benefice Newsletter If you would like something added to the weekly newsletter that is relevant to the Benefice, please do let Claire know and we will do our best to include it the following week. All requests by 4pm on Thursday please |
|
Food Banks at the East of England Co-op Foodbanks provide a valuable service to those in need in our communities. The Aldeburgh Co-op and Solar in Leiston are doing a grand job in collecting food donations, which are collected regularly and distributed. So please look out for the various collection baskets. The Trussel Trust Organisation Food banks in our network have seen an increase in the number of food parcels given out over the last year due to Coronavirus, so any donations are much appreciated. You can find out which items your local food bank is most in need of by entering your postcode here – https://www.trusselltrust.org/give-food/ |
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Pilgrims Together on Wednesdays The Pilgrims worship together every Wednesday. Saturday 2nd April Pilgrim Community Breakfast and Ramble starting at the Parrot Pub at 9.30am for Breakfast. As before, a delicious breakfast bap and coffee / tea combo for £5 is on offer at the Parrot…definitely not to be missed, before we head out to explore local paths. Come just for breakfast and a catch-up with folk, come for just the ramble or come and enjoy both. (You don’t need to book in advance, you can decide on the morning.) To help with timing, if coming only to ramble then we generally head from The Parrot around 10.30am. Please do invite friends along. |
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Lunchtime Concert at Aldeburgh Parish Church Monday 4th April at 12 noon Following the huge success of Nadia’s concert with us in October, we welcome Nadia’s and friends, to raise more money for Save the Children. ROBIN SOLDAN – FLUTE NATHANIEL HARRISON – BASSOON NADIA LASSERSON – PIANO Trios by Bach, Beethoven & Donizetti Admission free- a retiring collection for Save the Children
All welcome |
Benefice Newsletter for Sunday 20th March – Third Sunday of Lent
A Prayer for Ukraine
God of peace and justice,
We pray for the people of Ukraine today.
We pray for peace and the laying down of weapons.
We pray for those who fear for tomorrow,
that your Spirit of comfort would draw near to them.
We pray for those with power over war or peace,
for wisdom, discernment, and compassion to guide their decisions.
Above all, we pray for all your precious children, at risk and in fear,
that you would hold and protect them.
We pray in the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
Amen.
Archbishop Justin Welby, Archbishop Stephen Cottrell
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DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal – World Vision UK We are very grateful to be in partnership with World Vision who will receive our donations and handle the gift aid. We ask you to be as generous as possible, and to continue to pray fervently for the end of the military operation and for peace. With prayers for you, and for the children and families affected by the conflict in Ukraine.” Bishop Martin How your donation helpsThe funds you donate to this emergency appeal will support emergency response for displaced children and families in Ukraine and neighbouring countries. We will use donations in Ukraine through partners when it is possible. If this is not possible or in the unlikely event we receive more donations than we need for this emergency, the donations will be used to help displaced and refugee populations elsewhere around the world. content.wvunited.org You can donate by visiting the World Vision UK website here: https://content.wvunited.org/en-gb/emergencies/ukraine-crisis-eds-ips-appeal/#donate Aldeburgh Parish Church has pre-labelled |
SUPPLIES TO UKRAINEDavid Jenkins of Thorpeness has been volunteering his time at At this time due to Customs restrictions food cannot be accepted but items that would be welcomed are: – Toiletries Nappies Woman’s sanitary items Warm clothing Power Banks Bedding Sleeping bags First Aid items Wipes Torches David has very kindly said that he is more than happy for donations to be delivered to his home address for onward transmission. |
Services this Sunday for The Alde Sandlings Benefice
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Aldeburgh |
8.00am 10.30am |
Holy Communion Morning Prayer |
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Aldringham |
11.00am |
Holy Communion |
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Knodishall |
9.00am |
Holy Communion |
Next Week
Sunday 27th March
Fourth Sunday of Lent/Mothering Sunday
Collect
Almighty God,
whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain,
and entered not into glory before he was crucified:
mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross,
may find it none other than the way of life and peace;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
First Reading
Isaiah 55.1-9
Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters;
and you that have no money, come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labour for that which does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves
in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you
may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. See, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. See, you shall call nations that you do not know, and nations that do not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you. Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Second Reading
1 Corinthians 10.1-13
I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness. Now these things occurred as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not become idolaters as some of them did; as it is written, ‘The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play.’ We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents. And do not complain as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.
Gospel Reading
Luke 13.1-9
At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them, ‘Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.’ Then he told this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, “See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?” He replied, “Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig round it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.” ’
Post Communion
Merciful Lord, grant your people grace to withstand
the temptations of the world, the flesh and the devil,
and with pure hearts and minds to follow you, the only God;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Sermon preached by The Very Revd Christopher Lewis at
Aldeburgh 13th March 2022
Luke 13: 31-end
These are hard times, made more challenging, in a way, by the many types of media. We rightly feel strongly for the Ukrainians in their plight. And we are critical of the Russians, although one cannot help noticing that many Russians are being arrested every day for demonstrating against the attacks and some are leaving their country.
It was in Peterborough cathedral many years ago that an arsonist stacked plastic chairs and set light to them, leading to a toxic fire, the smoke from which did vast damage to the contents of that beautiful building. Next day, there was a deputation with a cheque towards the restoration. It was from the local mosque which had taken up a large collection.
My text is just a few words from the second reading today: ‘Some Pharisees came and said to Jesus…’ In spite of everything said about Pharisees, these were friendly ones, and they gave a warning about Herod’s intention to kill Jesus. Today’s Gospel from St Luke continues with Jesus’ lament over Jerusalem, the city which kills its prophets and stones those sent to it. It is the city which Jesus loves… poetically: ‘How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings’. Jesus knows that he will set his face to Jerusalem and die there.
What were the Pharisees up to? Predictably, commentators (you know what experts are like) vary in their interpretation. Some reckon that the Pharisees were indeed plain friendly and giving a warning. After all, when Jesus was young, his teachers would have been Pharisees. Then different experts say that the Pharisees were not what they seemed to be; maybe they were in league with Herod, bent on the sinister purpose of diverting Jesus from his course.
Back to the Peterborough Muslims. Were they giving a donation because they felt affection for the cathedral and the people who worshipped there – showing sorrow for the sacrilege which had happened to a holy place? Or did they have some devious purpose, deceiving the enemy into thinking they were on his side, in order to subvert the Christian faith?
Back to the Pharisees. It appears that they were a mixed bunch. They certainly tended to be legalistic, hence the use of the term ‘pharisee’ today to describe people who are self-righteous and over-formal. They had their traditions, but were much more flexible than some of the other groups at the time, Sadducees to name but one. Pharisees were more popular, more democratic, in a sense more liberal. Jesus at times pointed to their hypocrisy and legalism (along with the scribes) but then on the other hand, the Pharisees in a sense produced St Paul and Paul used his Pharisee origins to strengthen his credentials with the Jews. Paul does not seem to have thought that at all odd when he was preaching a Gospel of resurrection. After all, Pharisees believed in resurrection from the dead.
The social psychologists have a word for how we choose and treat particular groups of people; they call it reification. We generalise and reify, especially with collections of people we don’t like. Newspapers do it every day, in fact you could almost say that reification is their stock- in-trade. A more serious example is the crazy conspiracy theorists which have particular enemies. I don’t seem able to avoid a fascination for the American conspiracy movement QAnon, for they find original ways to believe the unbelievable. They reckon that their government, their media, and their financial world are all controlled by Satan-worshipping paedophiles. QAnon is an anti-semitic internet-supported phenomenon and, what is more, apparently it is growing. I find it hard to believe that 17% of Americans are QAnon believers, some of them right-wing Christians and Trump supporters.
People like Joseph McCarthy used to think that there were Communists out there somewhere, a great block of people who were the enemy. They went away or somehow disintegrated, but we quickly replaced them with terrorists and Islamists. Of course, people who bomb and destroy do exist; there are people out there who are bent on harm, and we must oppose them, much as we do Putin. But the reification happens when they are treated as a great block of people, part perhaps of an axis of evil, and the reification continues with the belief that once they are somehow eliminated, all will be well. Actually they are probably human beings who have got themselves into (or found themselves in) a particular context and then do evil things, like the gangs in West Side Story. Maybe we are creating them by the policies we pursue…and then fighting them by means of more of the same policies.
The Christian asks the question: How did Jesus behave? How, for example, did he behave towards the Pharisees? He certainly called them some rude things: whitewashed tombs and broods of vipers; blind guides. But in the Gospels the things he said were hardly the main part, for the thrust of the Gospel was action, opposing suffering and preaching love for all. Jesus turned his face to Jerusalem and faced the consequences of doing that, rather than having a quiet life in Galilee railing at his enemies.
So Jesus’ method, if one may call it that, was an active kind of love: one which stayed with the enemy, rather than distancing itself from the opposition or going separate ways. Indeed, Jesus’ way meant entering enemy-occupied territory and drawing the sting of aggression by loving behaviour. His life is not only a matter of argument and counter argument, but more a matter of being alongside friend and foe, knowing that such a move will lead to suffering……. and thereby providing a wholly new context in which life can take place: ‘Love your enemies’ (Luke 6;27). For Jesus, it led to suffering and death…..and the victory which followed was not at all of the expected kind.
Significantly, the victory did not exactly lead to the defeat of the enemy, at least in the obvious sense. Pharisees and many others no doubt went on in their normal way, until they were killed by the occupying power or died in their beds. The resurrection was theologically a defeat for the devil and all his works, but in the more humdrum world of everyday life in Jerusalem, life
went on. What changed was that Jesus had provided a whole new world, a new kind of life which was of a different order to the old life. So the boring old battle lines of reification, drawn up over this issue or that – Pharisees or Sadducees – did not really lead to victory or to defeat. They were largely irrelevant. New ground was found. The action moved elsewhere and the issues, or whatever you wish to call them, were to be seen in the light of the teaching and practice of the crucified and risen Lord. Love was to be active in a new way. The kingdom had come and was also yet to come.
The reifications which we latch onto are often deeply misleading. Of course, that does not mean that we do not work against suffering and evil, as Jesus did throughout his time on earth. There is a justification for supporting the use of force in ‘just policies’ to protect people or nations, or in a ‘just war’ like one which had to be fought against Hitler. Yet ‘love your enemies’ is an overriding principle which in part means: only do hard things to a minimum and never bear grudges. It did no good to hate Germans in the 1950’s. The world is full of human beings and their activities – to be understood and loved. Even the Pharisees were not all that they seemed to be.
Amen
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Church of England Lent Reflections and You might be interested to receive the daily Lent reflections from the Church of England. Here is the link to sign up to their email reflections To keep up with weekly news from our Diocese you can sign up to receive the weekly newsletters here: |
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Church of England and Diocese Online Worship There are many online services you can view from the Church of England and our cathedral. Here are some links below. Church of England website https://www.churchofengland.org/ Church of England Facebook page Church of England YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/ St Edmundsbury Cathedral Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/ |
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Lent Sessions |
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Food Banks at the East of England Co-op Foodbanks provide a valuable service to those in need in our communities. The Aldeburgh Co-op and Solar in Leiston are doing a grand job in collecting food donations, which are collected regularly and distributed. So please look out for the various collection baskets. The Trussel Trust Organisation Food banks in our network have seen an increase in the number of food parcels given out over the last year due to Coronavirus, so any donations are much appreciated. You can find out which items your local food bank is most in need of by entering your postcode here – https://www.trusselltrust.org/give-food/ |
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Weekly Benefice Newsletter If you would like something added to the weekly newsletter that is relevant to the Benefice, please do let Claire know and we will do our best to include it the following week. All requests by 4pm on Thursday please |
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Pilgrims Together on Wednesdays The Pilgrims worship together every Wednesday. Saturday 2nd April Pilgrim Community Breakfast and Ramble starting at the Parrot Pub at 9.30am for Breakfast. As before, a delicious breakfast bap and coffee / tea combo for £5 is on offer at the Parrot…definitely not to be missed, before we head out to explore local paths. Come just for breakfast and a catch-up with folk, come for just the ramble or come and enjoy both. (You don’t need to book in advance, you can decide on the morning.) To help with timing, if coming only to ramble then we generally head from The Parrot around 10.30am. Please do invite friends along. |
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A message from Adrian Brown – Would you like to donate to our Church? We hugely rely on regular donations to enable us to open our doors daily for people to visit and worship in our beautiful church. Can you help, but haven’t got the cash on you? We now have a contactless terminal next to the sidespeople handing out service booklets so donations may be made before or after a service, or why not sign up to the Parish Giving Scheme and donate as often as you want. Ask a Church warden or sidesperson for more information. |
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MOTHERING SUNDAY POSIES We will be making posies on the 26th March from 10am in the vestry, for our Mothering Sunday Service at Aldeburgh. Do come along and help if you can spare the time. If you can spare any greenery, please do leave it in the west porch before the 26th. Thank you |
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Lunchtime Concert at Aldeburgh Parish Church Monday 4th April at 12 noon Following the huge success of Nadia’s concert with us in October, we welcome Nadia’s and friends, to raise more money for Save the Children. ROBIN SOLDAN – FLUTE NATHANIEL HARRISON – BASSOON NADIA LASSERSON – PIANO Trios by Bach, Beethoven & Donizetti Admission free- a retiring collection for Save the Children
All welcome |
Benefice Newsletter for Sunday 13th March – Second Sunday of Lent
A Prayer for Ukraine
God of peace and justice,
We pray for the people of Ukraine today.
We pray for peace and the laying down of weapons.
We pray for those who fear for tomorrow,
that your Spirit of comfort would draw near to them.
We pray for those with power over war or peace,
for wisdom, discernment, and compassion to guide their decisions.
Above all, we pray for all your precious children, at risk and in fear,
that you would hold and protect them.
We pray in the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
Amen.
Archbishop Justin Welby, Archbishop Stephen Cottrell
DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal – World Vision UK
We are very grateful to be in partnership with World Vision who will receive our donations and handle the gift aid. We ask you to be as generous as possible, and to continue to pray fervently for the end of the military operation and for peace. With prayers for you, and for the children and families affected by the conflict in Ukraine.” Bishop Martin How your donation helpsThe funds you donate to this emergency appeal will support emergency response for displaced children and families in Ukraine and neighbouring countries. We will use donations in Ukraine through partners when it is possible. If this is not possible or in the unlikely event we receive more donations than we need for this emergency, the donations will be used to help displaced and refugee populations elsewhere around the world. content.wvunited.org You can donate by visiting the World Vision UK website here: https://content.wvunited.org/en-gb/emergencies/ukraine-crisis-eds-ips-appeal/#donate Aldeburgh Parish Church has pre-labelled |
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SUPPLIES TO UKRAINE At this time due to Customs restrictions food cannot be accepted but items that would be welcomed are: – Toiletries Nappies Woman’s sanitary items Warm clothing Power Banks Bedding Sleeping bags First Aid items Wipes Torches David has very kindly said that he is more than happy for donations to be delivered to his home address for onward transmission. |
Services this Sunday for The Alde Sandlings Benefice
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Aldeburgh |
10.30am |
Holy Communion |
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Aldringham |
11.00am |
Service of the Word |
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Friston |
9.00am |
CANCELLED |
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Knodishall |
9.00am |
Morning Prayer |
Collect
Almighty God, you show to those who are in error the light of your truth,
that they may return to the way of righteousness:
grant to all those who are admitted into the fellowship of Christ’s religion,
that they may reject those things that are contrary to their profession,
and follow all such things as are agreeable to the same;
through our Lord Jesus Christ, who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
First Reading
Genesis 15.1-12, 17-18
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.’ But Abram said, ‘O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?’ And Abram said, ‘You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir.’ But the word of the Lord came to him, ‘This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir.’ He brought him outside and said, ‘Look towards heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ And he believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness. Then he said to him, ‘I am the Lord who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess.’ But he said, ‘O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?’ He said to him, ‘Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon.’ He brought him all these and cut them in two, laying each half over against the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him. When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking fire-pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, ‘To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates’.
Second Reading
Philippians 3.17-4.1
Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation so that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.
Gospel Reading
Luke 13.31-end
At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, ‘Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.’ He said to them, ‘Go and tell that fox for me, “Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed away from Jerusalem.” Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.”
Post Communion
Almighty God, you see that we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves: keep us both outwardly in our bodies, and inwardly in our souls; that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Sermon preached by The Revd James Marston at
Knodishall 6th March 2022
Luke 4.1-13
May I speak in the name of the living God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
According to the website wiki.how to do anything, under coping with temptation it has the following recommendations.
Distract yourself with a healthier activity.
Tell yourself you’ll indulge your craving in 15 mins, then delay it longer.
Visualize yourself resisting the temptation to increase your resolve
All of these are, of course, and I speak as one who loves temptation, boring, dull and not much fun.
We all love to indulge ourselves, don’t we? Not only am I in an Odyssean battle with my attempts to stop smoking, I have a little blue sports car which I certainly don’t need but rather like the attention it draws.
Even our 18th century friend Canon Woodforde enjoyed the temptations of a fine table. On a day in Lent 1778 Woodforde spent the day fishing with friends before dining on stewed carp, a filet of veal and roasted ham followed by some mince pies and tarts, before spending the rest of the evening gambling and losing four schillings and six pence and not getting home until half past nine o’clock.
The next day, according to his diary, he brewed some strong beer and got his two large pigs “amazingly drunk” so much, so they were unable to walk for two days, and he was able to slit their ears without noticing.
An observation that made me wonder if Canon Woodforde ever had time to fit in doing the benefice rota let alone a PCC meeting.
Resisting the things, we like but aren’t always good for us; resisting temptation is, for all of us, something of a Sisyphean task.
And in today’s gospel reading even Jesus, the son of the most high God, has the same battle. Tempted in the wilderness by the devil with food, and by earthly power and glory, Jesus is human after all.
How Jesus deals with temptation shows us the way. He turns to God and the devil leaves him alone until another day.
Indeed, Jesus responds with quotations drawn from the Old Testament that show awareness of the true source of life and identity (he knows that life is more than food), his reliance on God (the one worthy of true worship and service), and his understanding of God’s character (not one to be tested)
Jesus’ responses are rooted in an underlying narrative that he is dependent on God rather than self for life, glory, and identity.
Lent is, of course, our time to turn to God. We use this time in our tradition to deepen our relationship with Him as we live through and echo the forty days of wilderness that Jesus endured.
Lent is heralded by Ash Wednesday, which we marked this week, in which we promise to turn away from sin and turn towards Christ. And Lent ends with Maundy Thursday when we remember the last supper and focus on the forgiveness and reconciliation of the Eucharist.
At this time of examination and deepening of our faith, my challenge to you is not to rely on yourself and your own means to resist the temptations and inducements that draw you away from God – whatever they may be – but to consciously try to rely just a little bit more on God.
Turn to Him in your wilderness, turn to Him when you need help to make the right decision, turn to Him in all things. Because therein lies the path to holiness we, as Christians and as followers of Jesus, are all compelled to seek.
Amen
Next Week
Sunday 20th March
Third Sunday of Lent
NOTICES
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Church of England Lent Reflections and You might be interested to receive the daily Lent reflections from the Church of England. Here is the link to sign up to their email reflections To keep up with weekly news from our Diocese you can sign up to receive the weekly newsletters here: |
|
MOTHERING SUNDAY POSIES We will be making posies on the 26th March from 10am in the vestry, for our Mothering Sunday Service at Aldeburgh. Do come along and help if you can spare the time. |
|
Church of England and Diocese Online Worship There are many online services you can view from the Church of England and our cathedral. Here are some links below. Church of England website https://www.churchofengland.org/ Church of England Facebook page Church of England YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/ St Edmundsbury Cathedral Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/ |
|
Food Banks at the East of England Co-op Foodbanks provide a valuable service to those in need in our communities. The Aldeburgh Co-op and Solar in Leiston are doing a grand job in collecting food donations, which are collected regularly and distributed. So please look out for the various collection baskets. The Trussel Trust Organisation Food banks in our network have seen an increase in the number of food parcels given out over the last year due to Coronavirus, so any donations are much appreciated. You can find out which items your local food bank is most in need of by entering your postcode here – https://www.trusselltrust.org/give-food/ |
|
Weekly Benefice Newsletter If you would like something added to the weekly newsletter that is relevant to the Benefice, please do let Claire know and we will do our best to include it the following week. All requests by 4pm on Thursday please |
|
Pilgrims Together on Wednesdays The Pilgrims worship together every Wednesday. Friday 18th March 6.30pm Aldeburgh Parish Hall F2F Pilgrims We will be gathering for f2f worship followed by a time of fellowship. We are very excited, almost 2 years to the day (it was 4th March 2020 when we last gathered together inside). Worship material will all be provided so there is nothing to print off. We will place chairs a safe distance apart and the hall will be well ventilated. Following our time of worship, we will also have a time of sharing fellowship and food: You may bring your own plate of food for yourself. We will bring the usual bread cheese / jam fare should you wish to have a bite from that selection. Teas and coffees should you wish… If you need a lift, please do say…that can be organised! |
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Lunchtime Concert at Aldeburgh Parish Church Monday 4th April at 12 noon Following the huge success of Nadia’s concert with us in October, we welcome Nadia’s and friends, to raise more money for Save the Children. ROBIN SOLDAN – FLUTE NATHANIEL HARRISON – BASSOON NADIA LASSERSON – PIANO Trios by Bach, Beethoven & Donizetti Admission free- a retiring collection for Save the Children
All welcome |
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Aldeburgh Youth Club Returns As we emerge from the Covid restrictions we have had to follow during the past two years, we look forward to a time when we can meet up again and get back to hobbies, activities, and clubs. The first Monday would be May 9th, due to the various Bank Holidays. We will be meeting from 7 to 9pm at the Fairfield Centre. We are delighted to be able to welcome youngsters aged 10 to 14 years. We would welcome volunteers to help us with our programme of activities, so, if YOU are interested and enjoy the company of young people, please get in touch with me, at :-admin@aldeburghparishchurch.org.uk Fran Smith, Lay Elder, Aldeburgh Parish Church |
