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

Red Cross – Ukraine Crisis Appeal The collection for this Sunday’s 10.30am service at Aldeburgh will be donated to the Red Cross Charity. Here is their pledge on the Red Cross website: People are losing their homes and lives; families are being separated. Essential services, like water and healthcare, are under threat.    Please donate today if you can. The people caught up in this conflict must be supported and protected. Even before recent developments, this eight-year conflict has hit people daily on all levels. It’s brought suffering, death, injury, and separation from loved ones, as well as the huge mental toll of ongoing violence and insecurity. Further escalation could worsen an already appalling humanitarian situation and wreak havoc on more lives. Your donation could help someone affected get: Food, water, first aid, medicines, warm clothes & shelter If you would like to contribute to the collection, please contact admin@aldeburghparishchurch.org.uk and we will advise how you can donate.

Services this Sunday for The Alde Sandlings Benefice

Aldeburgh	8.00am	Holy Communion
	10.30am	Service of the Word
Aldringham	11.00am	Holy Communion
Knodishall	9.00am	Holy Communion

Collect
Almighty God, whose Son Jesus Christ fasted forty days in the wilderness,
and was tempted as we are, yet without sin:
give us grace to discipline ourselves in obedience to your Spirit;
and, as you know our weakness, so may we know your power to save;
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
Deuteronomy 26.1-11
When you have come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in it, you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his name. You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time, and say to him, ‘Today I declare to the Lord your God that I have come into the land that the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.’ When the priest takes the basket from your hand and sets it down before the altar of the Lord your God, you shall make this response before the Lord your God: ‘A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous. When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labour on us, we cried to the Lord, the God of our ancestors; the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O Lord, have given me.’ You shall set it down before the Lord your God and bow down before the Lord your God. Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the bounty that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house.

Second Reading
Romans 10.8b-13
But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart’ (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The scripture says, ‘No one who believes in him will be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

Gospel Reading
Luke 4.1-13
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “One does not live by bread alone.”  Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, ‘To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “Worship the Lord your God,
and serve only him.” Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, “He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you”, and “On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.” ’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is said, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” ’When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time. 

Post Communion
Lord God, you have renewed us with the living bread from heaven;
by it you nourish our faith, increase our hope,
and strengthen our love: teach us always to hunger for him who is the true and living bread, and enable us to live by every word that proceeds from out of your mouth; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Sermon preached by The Revd James Marston at
Aldeburgh 27^th February 2022

Luke 9.28-36

May I speak in the name of the living God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit

“And his clothes became dazzling white”

Not only have we got a dazzling white Jesus, but we’ve got an account of an event taking place high up on a mountain, involving Moses and Elijah – both characters from ancient history, a bright cloud and then, to cap it all, a mysterious voice telling people to listen. No wonder the disciples kept quiet.

Yesterday afternoon I saw five wedding couples – as you might imagine we have something of a glut of matrimonials this year.

And after asking questions about each special day which all include flowers and bells and hymns, I must admit that like St Peter and his companions I did feel somewhat weighed down with sleep.

However, meeting these couples was quite good fun. Indulging my inquisitive streak I got to hear and ask about all the various receptions planned, I was appraised of a review of the quality of the food at a number of venues across east Suffolk, and I got to know in advance what cars the brides might be arriving in, as well as asking the strange questions demanded by the church of England – “what is your father’s rank or profession” and “what is your condition?” – a question which usually raises an eyebrow as it sounds like I’m asking if the bride is pregnant.

I suspect some of this energetic activity on my part was to avoid writing a sermon. Because our reading today begs the obvious and challenging question – what on earth is going on in this bizarre story? It is a question that can’t really be answered that easily.

This event, we’ve just heard about, is known as the Transfiguration, is not just in the gospel according to Luke either. It appears in Mark’s and Matthew’s accounts and the second letter of Peter, so try as we might, we can’t ignore it by avoidance tactics.

Nonetheless this theophany – a theological word which means a visible manifestation to humankind of God – has quite a bit for us to think about.

Obviously, the transfiguration is a supernatural event that Luke is recording is something that defies explanation. It is a mystery, a concept that we, as Christians, are not unused to as part and parcel of faith. It is ok not to have all the answers.

But what we can say is that the transfiguration is a turning point. A moment in which Jesus’ ministry of teaching, healing, and preaching, looks forward to Jerusalem, the shame of the cross and the glory of the resurrection – indeed as a foretaste of Jesus’ shining light as the son of God, the transfiguration is a cautionary tale – that the message and glory of Jesus can only be understood in relation to the death and resurrection of Christ. Liturgically it is of course a harbinger of what is to come in Holy Week – as we come together to think and pray about the last supper, crucifixion and resurrection on Easter Sunday.

The traditional interpretation of the appearance of Moses and Elijah points towards the claim that Christ is the fulfilment of the law – Moses – and the fulfilment of the prophets – Elijah. That Jesus is a fulfilment of all that God has promised and that Jesus life on earth accomplishes this promise.

The transfiguration not only looks forward to the final act of Jesus’ salvific action but also to his past – expressly his baptism, for at Jesus’ baptism the same voice says a very similar thing “This is my son, the beloved, with him I am well pleased: listen to Him.”

The transfiguration also refers to water – through this reference to baptism – and to light – Jesus is dazzling, and the cloud is bright and His face shining like the sun – and water and light, as we heard just a week or two ago are the two primal elements, we find in the creation stories. Indeed, the water and the light motifs are like a constant signpost to the divine through the Holy Scriptures.

This event, this transfiguration, is also a moment of revelation. A reminder to us in this troublous world, that Jesus is here, Jesus is divine and that we have no need to fear.

Our worshipping community is in something of a state of limbo, we are waiting for a new incumbent – a period in which we are asked to pause and reflect and not to do too much yet also to keep going, to keep the faith, it is a challenge we are facing together.

But I think the transfiguration, for all its meanings and mystery, is also, at its root a timeless and repeated invitation to follow Christ, to keep the faith and to keep going and to never lose sight of the hope and wider perspective Jesus offers.

In this event we see Jesus in his glory, in his dazzling white, revealed as the living God, in a moment of illumination. The story of redemption, of Calvary, of troubles ahead, has yet to be worked out. Yet the transfiguration assures us that the ultimate victory of the cross and resurrection, the ultimate victory of light, the ultimate victory of God, is secured.

I have no spiritual challenge, no little task, no thought to think about for you this week, but I thought it might be a good idea to remind you that I, and other clergy, are here living among you and alongside you as a presence in your community. My door is open to you and my prayers are with you. And across our benefice our church communities are all keeping going as best we can.

A final thought: As Christians in this place and in these days, we can, at least hold on to the fact that whatever happened on that high mountain on that strange day we are left with hope, a hope that can make all the difference, a hope that can keep us going in our own times of uncertainty, a hope in God, that can we can rely on and a hope that ultimately transforms and transfigures our own lives.

Amen

Church of England Lent Reflections and Diocese Weekly Newsletters 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 https://www.churchofengland.org/our-faith/ what-we-believe/lent-holy-week-and-easter/livelent-embracing-justice-our-lent-reflections To keep up with weekly news from our Diocese you can sign up to receive the weekly newsletters here: https://cofesuffolk.org/subscribe-to-our-newsletters

Next Week
Sunday 13^th March
Second Sunday of Lent

 

NOTICES

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-online/weekly-online-services Church of England Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ thechurchofengland/ Church of England YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/ channel/UCLecK8GovYoaYzIgyOElKZg St Edmundsbury Cathedral Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/ stedscathedral

Lent Sessions Will take place in the vestry of Aldeburgh church and in the home of Jill Brown, who has kindly offered to host an evening session through the Lenten period. The dates and times are as follows: Wednesday’s 11am, Aldeburgh church Vestry – hosted by Rev’d James – beginning on March 2 Thursdays 7pm, Onemana, Alde House Drive, Aldeburgh, IP15 5EE hosted by Jill Brown – beginning on March 3

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. You are all more than welcome to join them via Zoom.   The worship starts at 6.30pm (Zoom call opens from 6.10pm) and the call is then left open after the worship time for people to catch up.   People are welcome to email pilgrimstogether473@gmail.com  to receive a copy or be added to our mailing list. 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. Please do wear a mask if you feel more comfortable with that. 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! pilgrimstogether473@gmail.com

A message from Adrian Brown – Aldeburgh Church Treasurer 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.   We cannot thank you enough for your donations.

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

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. We will all be responsible for our own health and well-being from now on. It has been a very difficult time for many people, and we are thinking especially of the youngsters, as our Youth Club had to stop meeting two years ago. We are planning to start Youth Club meetings again in the school summer term, after Easter, when we will be able to have the windows open and the doors to the garden open at the Fairfield centre, weather permitting, thus limiting the chances of infection from Covid. 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. It will be a new start for all of us. 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 We have a meeting for staff and volunteers on Monday 7th March at 7pm at the Fairfield Centre, if you would like to be part of the team, do come along. We need ideas and plans for the future. Fran Smith, Lay Elder, Aldeburgh Parish Church

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

 

Services this Sunday for The Alde Sandlings Benefice

Aldeburgh	10.30am	Holy Communion
	6.00pm	Evening Prayer
Aldringham	11.00am	Morning Prayer
Friston	9.00am	Morning Prayer
Knodishall	9.00am	Morning Prayer

 

Message from Revd James Marston

Dear All,

As we approach Easter – a time for our worshiping community to come together in prayer and in celebration – we first mark the 40 days of Lent – a period in which we remember Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness fasting and praying.

Lent is also a time we observe in order to come closer to God through prayer, study, devotional practices and other spiritual disciplines.

As part of our Lent offering in the benefice we will be offering a fairly gentle study and discussion course based on the passion of Jesus Christ according to St Mark.

This will take place in the vestry of Aldeburgh church and in the home of Jill Brown, who has kindly offered to host an evening session through the Lenten period.

The dates and times are as follows:

Wednesday’s 11am, Aldeburgh church Vestry –
hosted by Rev’d James – beginning on March 2

Thursdays 7pm, Onemana, Alde House Drive, Aldeburgh, IP15 5EE –
hosted by Jill Brown – beginning on March 3

These sessions are open to all in the benefice and are also an opportunity to get to know one another a bit better and reform friendships. I’m hoping they’ll be quite fun and relaxed as we study together. Do bring a bible and turn up as you wish.

In the meantime, we mark the beginning of lent with a Holy Communion service with ashing at Aldeburgh Church at 10am on March 2. As our church elder Julian Worster is providing the ash please put any Palm Sunday crosses you might have in his letterbox at 41, Alde Drive, Aldeburgh if you can.

James

 

Collect
Almighty Father,
whose Son was revealed in majesty
before he suffered death upon the cross:
give us grace to perceive his glory,
that we may be strengthened to suffer with him
and be changed into his likeness, from glory to glory;
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

First Reading
Exodus 34.29-end
Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called to them; and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke with them. Afterwards all the Israelites came near, and he gave them in commandment all that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face; but whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would take the veil off, until he came out; and when he came out, and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, the Israelites would see the face of Moses, that the skin of his face was shining; and Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

Second Reading
2 Corinthians 3.12-4.2
Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness, not like Moses, who put a veil over his face to keep the people of Israel from gazing at the end of the glory that was being set aside. But their minds were hardened. Indeed, to this very day, when they hear the reading of the old covenant, that same veil is still there, since only in Christ is it set aside. Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds; but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit. Therefore, since it is by God’s mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart. We have renounced the shameful things that one hides; we refuse to practise cunning or to falsify God’s word; but by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God.

Gospel Reading
Luke 9.28-36
Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter, John, and James, went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.  Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah’—not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!’ When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

 

Post Communion
Holy God, we see your glory in the face of Jesus Christ:
may we who are partakers at his table
reflect his life in word and deed,
that all the world may know his power to change and save.
This we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

Next Week
Sunday 6^th March
First Sunday of Lent

 

Sermon preached by The Revd James Marston at
Aldeburgh 20^th February 2022

Luke 8: 22-25

May I speak in the name of the living God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

As some of you know I am a fan of the poet John Betjeman. I’ve quoted him before and find his craftsmanship with words, though not currently fashionable among the intelligentsia, comforting and often apposite.

Indeed, last night as I rode out Storm Eunice in the rectory – and I’m sure you’ll be unsurprised to know I took the precaution of putting my little blue car safely in the garage – I came across his poem “Blame it on the vicar”

Betjeman writes

When things go wrong it’s rather tame
To find we are ourselves to blame,
It gets the trouble over quicker
To go and blame things on the Vicar.

Betjeman goes on

The Vicar should be all pretence
And never, never give offence.
To preach on Sunday is his task
And lend his mower when we ask
And in his car to give us lifts
And when we quarrel, heal the rifts.
And when we’re rude he should be meek
And always turn the other cheek.
He should be neat and nicely dressed
With polished shoes and trousers pressed.

I make no comment though I have to admit to being rather amused by Sir John’s insight.

Of course, in his other church poems Betjeman speaks eloquently of primroses in churchyards, the mysterious godhead as well as the glowing coals of the faithful in their accustomed pews.

Betjeman may not be cutting edge by 21^st century standards but his poetry still strikes a powerful chord, still holds a mirror up to the human condition, still inspires and makes us think, still reminds us who we are.

Today’s gospel reading from Luke, so apt following yesterday’s storm, reminds us too of a few universal truths.

Firstly, that God commands the winds and waves. That creation itself, the world around us, is in God’s hands and it is he who has dominion not us. That it was God who created the heavens and the earth around us is a powerful statement of our faith.

Indeed, this revelation also, perhaps, points us away from our overinflated sense of self, especially when we consider at any length our own tiny place in creation.

Secondly, this passage reminds us who Jesus is. God incarnate and among us. The story of the calming of the storm comes amid a series of healings and miracles that all point towards who Jesus is – something extraordinary and something new.

Indeed, this passage comes straight after an incident in which Jesus’s family turn up to see him and Jesus, informed of their presence announces: “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”

As well as a reminder that faith is a way of living and something we do rather than simply saying we have, this extraordinary statement about mother and brothers highlights a distinct break with the past, as well as reminding us that the claim of God on Jesus’ life was absolute, as it must be for us as we follow Him.

Finally, it seems to me, this incident reminds us that there is no half measures with faith. When we face danger or difficult times – which we all do from time to time – our initial reaction is often to try to solve the problem ourselves. Just like the disciples on the lake we turn to God when things go wrong rather than when they are going right.

We all too often call out for help and throw ourselves on the mercy of God when we come to the end of our own resources and when there’s nothing else that will help.

The calming of the storm questions the presence of faith in our lives – do we trust Him or don’t we? And if we do trust in God then we are not at the mercy of the storm.

My challenge to you this week is not to rush back to your bookshelves looking for reassurance from John Betjeman or to simply pay lip service to your faith, but to consider, as we approach lent, where you are on your journey.

Are you committed to your faith? Is your faith active or a little bit stuck? What do you need to do to develop your faith? How might you trust in God more deeply, and love him more nearly, day by day.

Let us pray

Almighty and eternal God, by your Holy Spirit you have revealed to us the gospel of your Son, Christ Jesus. Awaken our hearts that we may sincerely receive your Word.

Lead us to fear you and daily grow in faith, help us along the journey, be with us through the storms of life, guide us as we learn and deepen our love for you.

We ask this through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever.

Amen

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-online/weekly-online-services Church of England Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ thechurchofengland/ Church of England YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/ channel/UCLecK8GovYoaYzIgyOElKZg St Edmundsbury Cathedral Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/stedscathedral

St Andrew’s Church Invites You Pancakes at the Pub Shrove Tuesday 1st March at The Dolphin from 3.15pm David (at The Dolphin) and his wonderful team invite you to come to their pancake kitchen. There will be lots and lots of different fillings for you to fill your pancakes. So do come along and get ready for Lent by having a lot of fun, and most probably plenty of mess along the way. The perfect opportunity to simply being together.  Come and join in the pancake-ing ALL ages from littlest to oldies with various other activities for the children. Proceeds to St Andrew’s Church

World Day of Prayer You are warmly invited to join the churches of Aldeburgh on Friday 4th March 2022 – 11am, to celebrate the World Day of Prayer.  This year we are praying for England, Wales & Northern Ireland.  As well as the usual Friday morning Service, followed by a free soup & bread lunch. We are also planning to have “WDP for Kids”, a Messy Church type activity, on Saturday 5th March – 10am for families and children.  Do make a note of these in your diaries! These will be both held at Aldeburgh Parish Church and the Church Hall. Can you help on the day? To register the children, look after the craft activities, and help with refreshments?  If you would be willing to come and get involved in any capacity, please email admin@aldeburghparishchurch.org.uk and we will put you in touch.

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/

Pilgrims Together on Wednesdays The Pilgrims worship together every Wednesday. You are all more than welcome to join them via Zoom.   The worship starts at 6.30pm (Zoom call opens from 6.10pm) and the call is then left open after the worship time for people to catch up.   People are welcome to email pilgrimstogether473@gmail.com  to receive a copy or be added to our mailing list. Saturday 26th February – Zoom Pilgrim Fun Quiz 7pm Just for fun from the comfort of your own armchair Contact the Pilgrims for the links etc pilgrimstogether473@gmail.com  Saturday 5th March  Pilgrim Community Breakfast and Ramble starting at the Parrot Pub at 9.30am for Breakfast. As you are also aware Storm Eunice prevented us from meeting f2f last Friday. We will try again on Friday 18th March and Friday 22nd April. So, we look forward to and pray ahead to Friday 18th March as our first indoor Pilgrims worship since the first Covid lockdown rather than last Friday!! More information to follow nearer the time.

Services this Sunday for The Alde Sandlings Benefice

Aldeburgh	8.00am 10.30am	Holy Communion Morning Prayer
Aldringham	11.00am	Holy Communion
Knodishall	9.00am	Holy Communion

 

Message from Revd James Marston

Dear Everyone,
As we continue to pray for a new priest, our period of pause and reflection continues as well. Yet alongside this our churches continue to adjust to the relaxation of restrictions as we move towards spring. 

With this in mind please note the following: 

Communion 
Following discussions with my fellow priests, from March onwards we will be administering the sacrament from the communion rail, communion wine from the common cup will be offered to those that wish to receive it.  The Church of England’s policy of no intinction – dipping the bread into the communion chalice – remains in place and is unlikely to change.  
Bread only remains a valid option for those still nervous about the common cup.  There is no pressure to take communion.  

Masks 
Just to clarify mask wearing is optional in church services.  

Lent 
We are planning to study and reflect on the passion of the Christ according to St Mark in our Lent course, details to follow.  

Regards

James 

Collect
Almighty God,
you have created the heavens and the earth
and made us in your own image:
teach us to discern your hand in all your works
and your likeness in all your children;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who with you and the Holy Spirit reigns supreme over all things,
now and for ever.

First Reading
Genesis 2.4b-9, 15-end
These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created. In the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, when no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no one to till the ground; but a stream would rise from the earth, and water the whole face of the ground— then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being. And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed. Out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.’ Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.’ So out of the ground the Lord God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper as his partner. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, ‘This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called Woman, for out of Man this one was taken.’ 
Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked, and were not ashamed.

Second Reading
Revelation 4
After this I looked, and there in heaven a door stood open! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.’ At once I was in the spirit, and there in heaven stood a throne, with one seated on the throne! And the one seated there looks like jasper and cornelian, and around the throne is a rainbow that looks like an emerald. Around the throne are twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones are twenty-four elders, dressed in white robes, with golden crowns on their heads. Coming from the throne are flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and in front of the throne burn seven flaming torches, which are the seven spirits of God; and in front of the throne there is something like a sea of glass, like crystal. Around the throne, and on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with a face like a human face, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and inside. Day and night without ceasing they sing,
‘Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God the Almighty, who was and is and is to come.’  And whenever the living creatures give glory and honour and thanks to the one who is seated on the throne, who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall before the one who is seated on the throne and worship the one who lives for ever and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne, singing, ‘You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created.’

 

Gospel Reading
Luke 8.22-25
One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side of the lake.’ So they put out, and while they were sailing he fell asleep. A gale swept down on the lake, and the boat was filling with water, and they were in danger. They went to him and woke him up, shouting, ‘Master, Master, we are perishing!’ And he woke up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves; they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, ‘Where is your faith?’ They were afraid and amazed, and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?’

Post Communion
God our creator, by your gift
the tree of life was set at the heart of the earthly paradise,
and the bread of life at the heart of your Church:
may we who have been nourished at your table on earth
be transformed by the glory of the Saviour’s cross
and enjoy the delights of eternity;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Next Week
Sunday 27^th February
Sunday next before Lent

 

Sermon preached by The Revd Sheila Murray at
Friston 13^th February 2022

Jeremiah 17:5-10 1 Cor 15:12-20 Luke 6:17-26 Proper 2 13.2.22

Woe betide you! This is a phrase which is very rarely used nowadays, if at all. But when I was younger, and I suspect for some of you sitting here today, it was used quite a lot at school. Our Headmistress used to stand in front of us all in Assembly, with her glasses perched on the end of her nose, she looked down on us all, as we sat crossed legged on the splintery floor, and wagging her finger she would say very quietly “Woe betide you if…..” it could be something along the lines of woe betide you if you have not revised for your exams; woe betide you if you are ever seen pushing another child over or out of the way in a queue; or woe betide you if you are rude to a member of staff and so on. And what woes would betide us? Writing lines, litter picking, milk bottle duties, detention, or the worst phoning your parents summoning them to her study. I often thought our parents were more scared of her than we were! And why did she threaten us with her “woes” – because she had standards, school rules, and she expected us all to live to those standards when we were on the school premises.

And here in today’s gospel reading we also have standards, standards Jesus expected and still expects his followers to follow, standards of conduct which contrast with worldly standards or values. These verses are called the Beatitudes, from the Latin meaning blessing. We are more used to hearing or reading the Beatitudes from Matthew’s Gospel as part of Christ’s Sermon on the Mount. Some say that this is Luke’s version of that event, others say that he preached a similar message on many different occasions. Whichever is the case, Christ’s message is very similar.

The Bishop of Ripon, Dr Helen-Ann Hartley says this: “This gospel passage comes from Luke’s sermon on the plain, which takes its name from the level place on which Jesus stood. In Matthew’s Gospel this appears as the Sermon on the Mount and is much longer. The context for Luke’s presentation of Jesus’ teachings is important. Jesus, who has spent the previous night in prayer before choosing his disciples, now addresses them, but in the hearing of a great crowd.” Bishop Helen-Ann goes on to say “The Beatitudes are meant for everyone, not just the chosen few. If we weep and are hated, well we are blessed; if we are rich or full, well that’s bad news; if we laugh or if people speak good of us, that won’t do either. But is it as stark or black or white as this? Surely laughter is a good thing.”

Luke’s Gospel is rich with the imagery of roles reversed; Luke is saying something about the gospel message that is deeply unsettling and challenging. He is not saying that the differences between rich and poor, happy, and sad will be eradicated; he is saying that everyone, whatever their state in life, will find their lives turned upside down by the power of a gospel proclaimed by God who became incarnate, one of us, in the powerlessness of a baby, and who picked as his closest companions a group of ordinary men and women.

So when Jesus blesses the poor and hungry, the sorrowful and the ridiculed, he isn’t saying that we should all aspire to poverty, hunger, sorrow, or being verbally abused. He is saying that God is present with us, even when the world has abandoned us, that God loves us, even when everyone else hates us.

Woe to them! Jesus’ agenda is designed to shock; nothing less will jolt devious hearts into thinking straight about what really matters.

 

When Jesus announces woe to those who are rich, to those who eat well, and to those who enjoy fame and admiration from people, he isn’t saying that wealth, good food, and popularity are bad things. He is saying that when we are focused on satisfying our own appetites, we have turned our attention away from God, and our self-centeredness will be our spiritual doom. And it’s not just about physical things, I think Christ is also saying it relates to our emotional and spiritual lives too. When we seek God, we feel the pain and sorrow God feels for people who are hurting. How did you feel when you heard the news a few weeks ago at the loss of lives when one of the many inflatable boats sank in the

Channel packed to the gills with asylum seekers including children? How did you feel when you heard the details of the poor young boy Arthur who was killed after being tortured time and time again by his Step Mother? I wonder if any of you saw a programme on the BBC a couple of weeks ago on the anniversary of the Holocaust, when 7 survivors had their portraits painted commissioned by Prince Charles to go into Buckingham Palace Gallery, but each survivor told some of their awful stories and what happened to them and their families, how did you feel hearing of their terrible plight? We need to stand up to injustice. We affirm that every human being is worthy of love in God’s sight. And God wants every person on earth to know him and love him. Amen

 

NOTICES

World Day of Prayer You are warmly invited to join the churches of Aldeburgh on Friday 4th March 2022 – 11am, to celebrate the World Day of Prayer.  This year we are praying for England, Wales & Northern Ireland.  As well as the usual Friday morning Service, followed by a free soup & bread lunch. We are also planning to have “WDP for Kids”, a Messy Church type activity, on Saturday 5th March – 10am for families and children.  Do make a note of these in your diaries! These will be both held at Aldeburgh Parish Church and the Church Hall. Can you help on the day? To register the children, look after the craft activities, and help with refreshments?  If you would be willing to come and get involved in any capacity, please email admin@aldeburghparishchurch.org.uk and we will put you in touch.

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/

Pilgrims Together on Wednesdays The Pilgrims worship together every Wednesday. You are all more than welcome to join them via Zoom.   The worship starts at 6.30pm (Zoom call opens from 6.10pm) and the call is then left open after the worship time for people to catch up.   People are welcome to email pilgrimstogether473@gmail.com  to receive a copy or be added to our mailing list. Saturday 26th February – Zoom Pilgrim Fun Quiz 7pm Just for fun from the comfort of your own armchair…Please email Sue and Richard if you can provide a round: pilgrimstogether473@gmail.com  Saturday 5th March  Pilgrim Community Breakfast and Ramble starting at the Parrot Pub at 9.30am for Breakfast.

A message from Adrian Brown – Aldeburgh Church Treasurer 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.   We cannot thank you enough for your donations.

✟ 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-online/weekly-online-services Church of England Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ thechurchofengland/ Church of England YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/ channel/UCLecK8GovYoaYzIgyOElKZg St Edmundsbury Cathedral Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com /stedscathedral

Services this Sunday for The Alde Sandlings Benefice

Aldeburgh	10.30am	Holy Communion
Aldringham Friston	11.00am 9.00am	Service of The Word Holy Communion
Knodishall	9.00am	Morning Prayer

Collect
Almighty God, who alone can bring order
to the unruly wills and passions of sinful humanity:
give your people grace so to love what you command
and to desire what you promise,
that, among the many changes of this world,
our hearts may surely there be fixed
where true joys are to be found;
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
Jeremiah 17.5-10
Thus says the Lord: Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals
and make mere flesh their strength, whose hearts turn away from the Lord. They shall be like a shrub in the desert and shall not see
when relief comes. They shall live in the parched places of the wilderness,
in an uninhabited salt land.  Blessed are those who trust in the Lord,
whose trust is the Lord.  They shall be like a tree planted by water,
sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes,
and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought, it is not anxious,
and it does not cease to bear fruit.  The heart is devious above all else;
it is perverse who can understand it?  I the Lord test the mind and search the heart, to give to all according to their ways, according to the fruit of their doings. 

Second Reading
1 Corinthians 15.12-20
Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain, and your faith has been in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified of God that he raised Christ—whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile, and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have died in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died.

Gospel Reading
Luke 6.17-26
He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them. Then he looked up at his disciples and said: ‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. ‘Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.
‘Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. ‘Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.  ‘But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. ‘Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry.
‘Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep. ‘Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.

Post Communion
Merciful Father,
who gave Jesus Christ to be for us the bread of life,
that those who come to him should never hunger:
draw us to the Lord in faith and love,
that we may eat and drink with him
at his table in the kingdom,
where he is alive and reigns, now and for ever.

 

BANK HOLIDAY & STAFF TRAINING CLOSURE DATES

The surgery will be closed for staff training on Wednesday 09.03.22 from 13.00.

When the surgery is closed please call NHS 111

Peninsula Practice Patient Experience Survey

Healthwatch Suffolk (HWS) is working with Peninsula Practice and the Patient Participation Group to evaluate the support and services provided by the practice.

Now, as a patient at the practice, we would like to hear about your views and experiences again to see what’s working well and what could be improved.

This information will help Peninsula Practice develop future plans to provide the best healthcare possible for you.

How to take part [Online]

The survey will be open until the 18^st March 2022. You can complete the survey by going to: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/
s/PeninsulaPractice2022/

The survey should take around 10 minutes to complete.

Paper copy surveys should be returned via freepost to: Freepost HEALTHWATCHSUFFOLK

This survey is also available in Easy Read. Please call the practice on 01394 411641 to request an Easy Read version. www.thepeninsulapractice.co.uk

 

 

Sermon preached by The Revd Mark Booth at
Aldeburgh 6^th February 2022

OT Isaiah 6.1-8 ~ Isaiah’s Vision of God
NT Luke 5.1-11 ~ Jesus calls his First Disciples 

Our lessons today provide us with:

• two examples of religious experience: VISION & CALL;
• two contexts for that experience: place of WORSHIP & place of WORK;
• two reactions, or consequent stages in the journey of faith: CONVICTION of sin & COMMITTMENT of life.

Isaiah’s VISION of God and Christ’s CALL of Peter and the first disciples illustrate for us how compelling and life-changing Christian experience can be.

Alas, they may also leave us with a sense of OBLIGATION that we also have to experience such a vision and such a call, in such terms, in similar dramatic form, if we are to be ‘proper Christians’.

Biblical passages such as these may leave us with a sense of FRUSTRATION & DISAPPOINTMENT that such experience seems beyond the grasp or ordinary, everyday folk like you and me. As if it is reserved for ‘high-flyers’, for the ‘better class’ of believer, for the specially ‘gifted’.

May I dare to reassure you: such things are not matters of human DESERVING or MERIT. They are not the ENTITLEMENT of a few. Rather, they are of God’s GRACE & LOVE.

These things are certainly no justification for that predatory preaching which seeks to pressure people into believing. The Christian life is surely not about what God wants FROM us, but what God wants FOR us. The call to faith is about OFFER, not DEMAND. Conversion and commitment to Christ is about INVITATION, not COMPULSION. The life of faith and discipleship, of following Jesus, is about God’s Holy Spirit BECKONING us, not BULLYING us, bringing us along with Him, not breaking us down.

Coming from the fish and chip end of the business as I do, I trust I may be forgiven for having a vision of God rather less exalted than that of Isaiah. I sometimes think that my vision of God is of a white, male, English, Methodist, who wears a beard and sandals, reads the Guardian and lives on a cloud suspended two miles above Aldeburgh . . .

No doubt your vision of God will be refracted by the material of your life and be just as personal, just as idiosyncratic. All our visions of God will be illumined by our joint experience of God’s revelation, by our common human needs and by the unique particularities and peculiarities of our experience of Creation, of Church and of Community.

What is your vision of God?

How did it, does it, come to you?

What difference does it make to your faith and life?

What difference does it make to your view of the Church, of Society, of our way of living and being together, of our politics, of our world order?

Think about your vision . . .

Talk about it . . .

Write about it . . .

Represent it in your art, your craft, your labour, your profession, your toil, your everyday tasks . . .

Dwell on it . . .

Examine it . . .

Look more closely at it . . .

Listen more carefully . . .

Reflect on what you see and hear . . .

Consider what you make of it . . .

Ask yourself about it . . .

Ask yourself what it means to you, what it means for you . . . ?

What did it mean for Peter, James, and John to have such a vision of God in Christ, to actually see God, not in all his holiness, high and lifted up – in the place of worship – God in all his divine glory – but God entered into our human condition – in the place of work? What did it mean for those first disciples to see God in the mundane actuality of their ordinary, everyday, lived experience, in their place of work, with all its constraints and opportunities? What did it mean for them to encounter God in their harsh reality, in their same old same old, and then, in difference, in change, in amazement and in wonder . . . ?

For both the Old Testament Isaiah and the New Testament Peter, James and John – and for so many others in the life of the early Church and ever since – their vision, their experience of God – however high and lifted up, however ‘low’ and simply present – led to a sense of call and to a response to that call which meant their leaving their nets behind them, following the way, the truth, the life of Jesus, in the power of his Holy Spirit, and going on, as reported later in the New Testament, to turn the world upside down.

Now, I do not mean to denigrate or diminish the possibility today of people experiencing such visions and calls marked by such drama, immediacy, and power.

I do, however want to assert, and proclaim that for many, maybe for most, of us:

• A mere glimpse may be enough, a flickering adjustment in perception, one of those changes or chances of this fleeting world . . . One such small, not necessarily earth-shattering, event, may be sufficient to alter our view, to deepen our grasp of the reality of God and ourselves . . .
• A whisper may be all it takes – a door slightly ajar, a crossroads, a path seldom or never before taken – to bring about difference, to take us in a new direction, to open up new ways of being, new fields of service, new depths of love and faith . . .

Vision and call may be part of God’s revelation and purpose for each one of us, not only in the apparently supernatural, but in a host of simple ways.

God reveals his saving love and transforming will for us, not only in the place of worship, but also in the place of work; not only on the Road to Damascus (or even the Highway to Hell); but on the High Street, in the ‘fast track’, in the slow lane, on the long and winding road, along the dusty path, the old railway line, the beach, or the track around the marshes

God makes himself known to us mostly in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, in the movement of his Holy Spirit, blowing where and when he wills.

God envisions us and calls us however God wills: in signs and wonders; in word and sacrament; in the ordinary, everyday, gradual unfolding of life and faith; and in our growing awareness and perception – step by step, little by little, bit by bit; all by his grace and love alone and to the glory of his name. Amen.

 

NOTICES

World Day of Prayer You are warmly invited to join the churches of Aldeburgh on Friday 4th March 2022 – 11am, to celebrate the World Day of Prayer.  This year we are praying for England, Wales & Northern Ireland.  As well as the usual Friday morning Service, followed by a free soup & bread lunch. We are also planning to have “WDP for Kids”, a Messy Church type activity, on Saturday 5th March – 10am for families and children.  Do make a note of these in your diaries! These will be both held at Aldeburgh Parish Church and the Church Hall. Can you help on the day? To register the children, look after the craft activities, and help with refreshments?  If you would be willing to come and get involved in any capacity, please email admin@aldeburghparishchurch.org.uk and we will put you in touch.

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

Bell Ringers at Aldeburgh Parish Church Six ringers drawn from the Monday evening practice band were pleased to ring a quarter peal for the 70th anniversary of the accession of H.M. Queen Elizabeth II last Sunday afternoon. It is also hoped to attempt a full commemorative peal this coming Sunday afternoon with a band of ringers drawn from across the diocese.

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/

Looking for something to read? No doubt you have seen our beautiful library of books in our Visitors Corner. Please could we encourage you to take one home to read and perhaps tell us what it meant to you. We hope to put a few out in the Bible slots in the pews which you are very welcome to take home to read otherwise please leave them in situ. Thank you Jill Brown

Pilgrims Together on Wednesdays The Pilgrims worship together every Wednesday. You are all more than welcome to join them via Zoom.   The worship starts at 6.30pm (Zoom call opens from 6.10pm) and the call is then left open after the worship time for people to catch up.   People are welcome to email pilgrimstogether473@gmail.com  to receive a copy or be added to our mailing list. Friday 18th February 6.30pm Aldeburgh Parish Hall A potential long hoped and prayed for return to a face to face Pilgrim Worship and shared supper gathering. More details to follow.. Saturday 26th February online Zoom Pilgrim Fun Quiz from 7pm (please note change of date) Just for fun from the comfort of your own armchair…Please email Sue and Richard if you can provide a round:  pilgrimstogether473@gmail.com

A message from Adrian Brown – Aldeburgh Church Treasurer 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.   We cannot thank you enough for your donations.

✟ 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-online/weekly-online-services Church of England Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ thechurchofengland/ Church of England YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/ channel/UCLecK8GovYoaYzIgyOElKZg St Edmundsbury Cathedral Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/stedscathedral

Next Week

Sunday 20^th February

Second Sunday before Lent

Services this Sunday for The Alde Sandlings Benefice

Aldeburgh	8.00am	Holy Communion
	10.30am	Morning Prayer
Aldringham	11.00am	Holy Communion
Knodishall	9.00am	Holy Communion

Collect
O God, you know us to be set
in the midst of so many and great dangers,
that by reason of the frailty of our nature
we cannot always stand upright:
grant to us such strength and protection
as may support us in all dangers
and carry us through all temptations;
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 6.1-8
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory.’ The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. And I said: ‘Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!’ Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: ‘Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.’ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I; send me!’

Second Reading
1 Corinthians 15.1-11
Now I should remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you—unless you have come to believe in vain. For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to someone untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace towards me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them—though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe.

Gospel Reading
Luke 5.1-11
Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.’ Simon answered, ‘Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.’ When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signalled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!’ For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.’ When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

Post Communion
Go before us, Lord, in all we do
with your most gracious favour,
and guide us with your continual help,
that in all our works begun, continued and ended in you,
we may glorify your holy name,
and finally by your mercy receive everlasting life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

Next Week
Sunday 13^th February
Third Sunday before Lent

 

Sermon preached by The Revd Oliver Kemsley at
Aldeburgh 30^th January 2022

We hear a lot about Jesus and the law in our gospel reading today: “according to the law” “as it is written in the law” “according to what is stated in the law” “what was customary under the law”.

The message to the intended audience of Luke is very clear. Jesus is a Jew. He is part of an ancient story which is one and the same with Judaism. As we hear Simeon say: Jesus is prepared “for glory to your people Israel”. From infancy he is fully immersed and inducted into the established religious order.

In infancy, yes, when things are done to him, when words are spoken over him, when he has no agency. What of the adult Jesus? What does Jesus in the fullness of his earthy power have to say for himself? For we are also told that he is destined to bring about the rising and falling of many in Israel. And that he will break out of all that as light to the Gentiles, too.

Well, the next time Jesus enters the temple after his presentation as a baby is 17 chapters and 30 years later in Luke 19. And he enters in a rage. With passion and anger, he drives the money changers and the sellers from the temple. It is a very different scene to his presentation.

This so-called cleansing of the temple is not about capitalism or consumerism or whether it’s ok to have a shop at the back of a church, no – this is about the fundamental running of institutional religion of Jesus’ day. People needed to change their secular money to temple money in order to buy the doves and such-like that would then become the sacrifices which were essential to the worship of the priests in the temple. In throwing these things out Jesus causes religious activity to grind to a halt.

The baby Jesus was inducted into the religion of his day, the adult Jesus brings it to its knees.

Throughout the gospels, Jesus’ fiercest criticism was always levelled at the religious authorities of the day. He heaps scorn upon pharisees who criticise his disciples for eating grain on the sabbath. He proclaims himself lord of the sabbath. And in a shakingly powerful passage in chapter 11 he denounces the pharisees and the lawyers: woe to you… woe to you… woe to you…

The baby Jesus was dealt with according to the law, the adult Jesus disrupts and dismisses the law as it is practiced by those in authority.

That’s enough of the negatives. What can we see more positively? This light, this salvation, this glory – which Simeon saw in its infancy – what form did it actually take in Jesus’ life? What of God can we see in Jesus? What is the good news?

In chapter 4 Jesus began his teaching ministry in the synagogue saying of himself: “The spirit of the lord is upon me because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the lord’s favour.”

That does sound like good news. But maybe it’s a one-off?

Well, no: after leaving the synagogue he entered Simon’s house, healed his mother in law of a fever and, as the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various kinds of diseases brought them to him; and he laid his hands on each of them and cured them.

In Ch5 Simon doubted Jesus when he told him to cast out his net once again. Did Jesus smite him for being rude and faithless? No. On the contrary, Jesus helped them catch so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. They filled both boats so that they began to sink.

Later, when a leper said to Jesus: “If you choose, you can make me clean.” Jesus stretch out his hand and said, “I do choose. Be made clean.”

Then he heals a paralytic. Then he calls a “sinner” and says that he is a physician to the sick.

Then he stood on a level place with a great multitude of people and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured… power came out from him and healed all of them.

He then teaches them to love their enemies, just as God does, for God “is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.”

Then Jesus heals a centurion’s servant because he doesn’t care about political divides.

I could go on. And on and on. Time and time again we see that Jesus’s light, God’s light shing through Jesus, is radically inclusive, totally understanding, fully forgiving, pleasure-loving, and focussed on the real needs of people.

God as Jesus shows us God’s character; he heals and forgives and calls and provides for abundantly.

Then Jesus turns towards the cross and just as we all suffer, so does he. Just like us he is afraid and tries to get out of it. Just like us he asks God for escape and gets no answer, and so just like us he feels the pain of feeling forsaken by God. And then just like us he dies.

We too, now, liturgically at least, turn towards lent and the cross. But all the while we remember that Jesus is God and God is Lord of all things. He is Lord of the Sabbath, he is Lord of light, life and death, and in his resurrection, Jesus says to us symbolically, just as he said so many times in reality to his disciples: “Do not be afraid.” Death is not the end. Suffering is not all of existence. Jesus says “I am with you to the end of the age”.

Amen.

 

NOTICES

An Update from The Revd Sheila Hart Thank you for all who have been praying for me over the past weeks. I would like to update you on my progress. I have just completed 5 weeks of daily radiotherapy at Ipswich Hospital and I will now have 2 weeks break from active treatment in order for it to work itself through my system. I will then begin 5 years of anti-hormone treatment in tablet form which is designed to reduce the possibility of any recurrence of the cancer so please continue praying for me as this could have some side effects. I am missing you all and look forward to being with you again soon. With love and continued prayers for the vacancy and selection of our new Priest. Sheila

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

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-online/weekly-online-services Church of England Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ thechurchofengland/ Church of England YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/ channel/UCLecK8GovYoaYzIgyOElKZg St Edmundsbury Cathedral Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/stedscathedral

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/

Pilgrims Together on Wednesdays The Pilgrims worship together every Wednesday. You are all more than welcome to join them via Zoom.   The worship starts at 6.30pm (Zoom call opens from 6.10pm) and the call is then left open after the worship time for people to catch up.   People are welcome to email pilgrimstogether473@gmail.com  to receive a copy or be added to our mailing list. Friday 18th February 6.30pm Aldeburgh Parish Hall A potential long hoped and prayed for return to a face to face Pilgrim Worship and shared supper gathering. More details to follow.. Saturday 26th February online Zoom Pilgrim Fun Quiz from 7pm (please note change of date) Just for fun from the comfort of your own armchair…Please email Sue and Richard if you can provide a round:  pilgrimstogether473@gmail.com

Services this Sunday for The Alde Sandlings Benefice
Benefice Holy Communion – 10.30am at Aldeburgh Parish Church

Collect
Almighty and ever-living God,
clothed in majesty, whose beloved Son 
was this day presented in the Temple,
in substance of our flesh:
grant that we may be presented to you
with pure and clean hearts,
by your Son Jesus Christ our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

First Reading
Malachi 3.1-5
See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years. Then I will draw near to you for judgement; I will be swift to bear witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired workers in their wages, the widow, and the orphan, against those who thrust aside the alien, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.

Second Reading
Hebrews 2.14-end
Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death. For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham. Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested. 

Gospel Reading
Luke 2.22-40
When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord’) and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, ‘a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons.’ Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, ‘Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.’ 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.’ There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage, then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped there with fasting and prayer night and day. At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favour of God was upon him.

Post Communion
Lord, you fulfilled the hope of Simeon and Anna,
who lived to welcome the Messiah:
may we, who have received these gifts beyond words,
prepare to meet Christ Jesus 
when he comes to bring us to eternal life;
for he is alive and reigns, now and for ever.

 

Next Week
Sunday 6^th February
Fourth Sunday before Lent

 

Sermon preached by The Revd James Marston at
Friston 23^rd January 2022

Luke 4:14-21

There is much to say about this passage from Luke’s gospel. Not only the insight into Jesus’ ministry as an itinerant preacher out and about in the community, but also the passage highlights Jesus’ message – by now spreading around the countryside – that those who are at the bottom of society are the Spirit’s chosen recipients of the good news.  

As the Gospel unfolds the poor will be identified as worthy hearers of the good news and the good news that Jesus proclaims, and thus the good news that Christians proclaim, must be good news to the poor, to the economically disadvantaged, and to the marginalized of our society. 

We also hear in this passage that after getting a bit well known for his preaching and teaching, Jesus comes to Nazareth, the place where he grew up and knew well, and on the Sabbath day, Jesus does what he usually does, he goes to the synagogue. 

But I am always intrigued by the fact that it is in this passage of Luke that we hear Jesus can read. We always assume that others can read, it is a skill set we think is automatic.  

But, of course, for most of church history, for most of the two thousand years of keeping the faith, the faithful couldn’t read at all. The church used art to tell the story of Jesus, art, and music.  

Since the reformation of course, we have all gradually learnt to read and the church has tended to concentrate on the written word to teach and, indeed, preach.  

And sometimes I wonder, if this protestant emphasis on the sermon and written word took away some of the glory of how we express the faith. Words, can, all too often, be somewhat dry and dusty compared to the visual splendour of a painting or the power of a piece of music.  

Would it be better to sit in silence for ten minutes and mediate on the image in the east window – I can’t help thinking it might be a good idea once in a while. Indeed, I’m convinced, there’s not nearly enough silence in the world or in our modern lives.  

Nowadays that emphasis, I sense, is changing again with ever more varied expressions of church and a deeper understanding of how we engage and learn.   

While this might sound a little bit of a hobby horse, or even an incoherent rant, I can’t get away from the fact that the epiphany moment in this passage comes from Jesus’s teaching which he begins with reading scripture. The eyes are fixed on Jesus in anticipation because he reads the bible then starts teaching.  

And in our reading from 1 Corinthians, we hear of a church that needed St Paul to tell them that the diversity within the church community is not something to be tolerated, or regretted, or manipulated for one’s own advantage, but something to be received as the gift that it is. Indeed, Paul, I think, suggests that whatever strengthens the community of the church is to be sought, welcomed, and nurtured as God’s good gift.  

Though the fact remains that few of our churches reflect the social, and economic diversity of the neighbourhoods around them. Our congregations are often very homogenous, and we are, sadly, are all too often far too comfortable with that. 

Having said all this my challenge to you this week is not to rush around panicking about social diversity in our pews – but instead to go back to basics, and this is especially important in a time of vacancy.  

Read one of the gospels. Read the scriptures that inspire our faith away from the short snippet we get in church. Contemplate the east window if you like.  But work at faith, work at prayer, use this time of pause and reflection and see what epiphany moment God reveals to you.   
Amen

 

NOTICES

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-online/weekly-online-services Church of England Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ thechurchofengland/ Church of England YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/ channel/UCLecK8GovYoaYzIgyOElKZg St Edmundsbury Cathedral Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/stedscathedral

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. You are all more than welcome to join them via Zoom.   The worship starts at 6.30pm (Zoom call opens from 6.10pm) and the call is then left open after the worship time for people to catch up.   People are welcome to email pilgrimstogether473@gmail.com  to receive a copy or be added to our mailing list. Friday 18th February 6.30pm Aldeburgh Parish Hall A potential long hoped and prayed for return to a face to face Pilgrim Worship and shared supper gathering. More details to follow.. Saturday 26th February online Zoom Pilgrim Fun Quiz from 7pm (please note change of date) Just for fun from the comfort of your own armchair…Please email Sue and Richard if you can provide a round:  pilgrimstogether473@gmail.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/

RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch How to take part   Count the birds you see in your garden, balcony, or your local park for one hour between 28th and 30th January. Click on link for more information https://www.rspb.org.uk/globalassets/ downloads/biggardenbirdwatch/2022/ bgbw_guide_printable_english_v2.pdf

Services this Sunday for The Alde Sandlings Benefice

Aldeburgh	10.30am 6.00pm	Holy Communion Evening Prayer
Aldringham	11.00am	Morning Prayer
Friston	9.00am	Morning Prayer
Knodishall	9.00am	Morning Praise

Collect
Almighty God, whose Son revealed in signs and miracles
the wonder of your saving presence:
renew your people with your heavenly grace,
and in all our weakness
sustain us by your mighty power;
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
Nehemiah 8.1-3, 5-6, 8-10
All the people gathered together into the square before the Water Gate. They told the scribe Ezra to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had given to Israel. Accordingly, the priest Ezra brought the law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could hear with understanding. This was on the first day of the seventh month. He read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, ‘Amen, Amen’, lifting up their hands. Then they bowed their heads and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground. So they read from the book, from the law of God, with interpretation. They gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading. And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, ‘This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.’ For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. Then he said to them, ‘Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’

Second Reading
1 Corinthians 12.12-31a
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot were to say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body’, that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear were to say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body’, that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many members, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’, nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and those members of the body that we think less honourable we clothe with greater honour, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honour to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together with it. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.

Gospel Reading
Luke 4.14-21
Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’ And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’

Post Communion
Almighty Father, whose Son our Saviour Jesus Christ is the 
light of the world: may your people, illumined by your word and sacraments, shine with the radiance of his glory, that he may be known,
worshipped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth;
for he is alive and reigns, now and for ever.

 

Sermon preached by The Revd James Marston at Aldeburgh 16^th January 2022

May I speak in the name of the living God, Father Son and Holy Spirit.

Or should I say May I speak slowly in the name of the living God, Father Son and Holy Spirit.

I have been advised on several occasions over the last two and a half years to slow down. It has been mentioned to me – and I can assure you in the Alde Sandlings benefice people are not reticent when it comes to the dispensing of advice – that my pulpit performance across the four churches can be a little on the speedy side.

No time to take in my thoughtful ideas, to short a pause to laugh uproariously at my numerous wisecracks, not enough space for everyone to take in what I’m trying to say.

Sermons, while hopefully not exactly a marathon are not meant to be a sprint either, and I need to listen, or my hard work is simply wasted as people switch off and admire the architecture or read the in-between bits in the book of common prayer.

Indeed, I have been there myself and can remember stumbling across the 39 articles of the Church of England at the back of the BCP during a particularly dull sermon by an archdeacon on the rarely lively topic of climate change.

And like my sermons, our faith is not a sprint. We don’t get there by rushing around and not listening to others, we don’t flourish in our fellowship and understanding by hurrying and hastening our way along the path, we don’t build up our prayer life and our Christian outlook overnight. In fact, it all takes a lifetime.

Today’s gospel reading, is of course, a well-known one. The wedding at cana in galilee and the turning of water into wine.

This extraordinary episode is, it seems to me, an expression of God’s overwhelming outpouring of love.

A spectacular miracle at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry that sets the scene for something amazing, something out of the ordinary and something astonishing that has not come before.

It is also interesting to reflect on what it must have been like to have been there and how those present reacted to this miracle – indeed we are told the episode revealed Jesus’ glory and his disciples believed him.

The wedding at cana is, if you like, an epiphany moment. A marker along the journey of Jesus’ story and his ministry, but also a moment which changed the lives of his disciples.

We often recognise these epiphany moments in our own lives. Those moments where we understood something or met someone, or something was revealed to us that made a situation make sense.

Often after an event, things are revealed later with almost crystal clarity. And we ask ourselves time and again why we hadn’t seen it at the time.

In our journey of faith these epiphany moments often happen via our response to scripture or teaching or prayer or worship – we see something we hadn’t seen before, and the penny drops.

These epiphany moments are, of course, also that which makes up our journeys of faith.

They are markers of recognition that inspire, encourage, and enable us to deepen our understanding, to deepen our perception, to deepen our fellowship with others – to draw us to closer and prayerful union with Jesus – to become as St Paul calls it “In Christ”.

Indeed, these epiphany moments along the way are often manifested by a greater and more profound understanding of ourselves and of others, which foreshadows a spiritual maturity and a greater capacity for love alongside a greater desire to share God’s love.

These things all happen as a result of the deepening of our faith.

The turning of water into wine is a new beginning which happens at the start of Jesus’ ministry. This is a ministry that doesn’t end with the either the crucifixion or the resurrection or even the ascension, but is, in fact, a ministry that is active and continuing today.

The presence of Jesus among us, is not limited to nor constrained by the Eucharist or even church services but is an ever present force within us and within our Christian life as a church and as individuals.

Indeed, tomorrow I am due to be signed off by the bishop, a moment at which my curacy sort of comes to an official end.

This is something of a formal rubber stamping of who I am and what I have been doing here among you. It is also a recognition of the journey I have been on alongside you all.

But, of course, this isn’t an ending. It is a beginning, a small step along the way, in which my ministry as a priest begins to develop in a new way. Dovetailing, in some ways, of course, with the new start anticipated by the benefice in the coming months.

We celebrate epiphany every year, year in year out, not least because it gives us all a chance for a new beginning as we deepen our journey of faith together.

So my challenge to you this week is firstly to remember that the journey of faith is not a speedy sprint and to look out for those epiphany moments as you take each step along the way. And secondly I urge you to pause and think about the concept of a new beginning in your own story.

What do you need to do to develop your understanding? How might you be inspired, or inspire others, to share the love of God?

How can you restart and reignite your own faith? And what can you do for and within your church community and wider community to help others do the same?
Amen

 

Next Week
Sunday 30^th January
Fourth Sunday of Epiphany/
Presentation of Christ at the Temple

 

NOTICES

✟ 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-online/weekly-online-services Church of England Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ thechurchofengland/ Church of England YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/ UCLecK8GovYoaYzIgyOElKZg St Edmundsbury Cathedral Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/ stedscathedral

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. You are all more than welcome to join them via Zoom.   The worship starts at 6.30pm (Zoom call opens from 6.10pm) and the call is then left open after the worship time for people to catch up.   People are welcome to email pilgrimstogether473@gmail.com  to receive a copy or be added to our mailing list. Saturday 5th February 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.

 

Collect
Almighty God, in Christ you make all things new:
transform the poverty of our nature by the riches of your grace,
and in the renewal of our lives
make known your heavenly glory;
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 62.1-5
For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest,
until her vindication shines out like the dawn,
and her salvation like a burning torch. 
The nations shall see your vindication,
and all the kings your glory;
and you shall be called by a new name
that the mouth of the Lord will give. 
You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,
and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. 
You shall no more be termed Forsaken,
and your land shall no more be termed Desolate;
but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her,
and your land Married; for the Lord delights in you,
and your land shall be married. 
For as a young man marries a young woman,
so shall your builder marry you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
so shall your God rejoice over you.

Second Reading
1 Corinthians 12.1-11
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans, you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says ‘Let Jesus be cursed!’ and no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

Gospel Reading
John 2.1-11
On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ Now standing there were six stone water-jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, ‘Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.’ So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, ‘Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.’  Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

Post Communion
God of glory, you nourish us with your Word
who is the bread of life:
fill us with your Holy Spirit
that through us the light of your glory
may shine in all the world.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

Archbishop Desmond Tutu by Canon John Tipping

R.I.P 7th October 1931 26th December 2021

It has been a great privilege to know Archbishop Tutu. It was in the autumn of 1962 that we both became students at King’s College London, Desmond, as a mature student doing a post-ordination degree, and me as an undergraduate, and ten years younger!

For three years I saw him each day in term-time. He was a delightful person, with a great sense of humour. He and his family came to live in London, helping in local parishes, where his ministry was much appreciated until he returned to his native South Africa.

Desmond came from a family which knew much poverty in one of the townships of Johannesburg. His education was interrupted for two years by tuberculosis, and during his time in a sanatorium, he was regularly visited by Father Trevor Huddleston, ministering in nearby Sophiatown. It made a great impression on the young Desmond that Trevor should

raise his hat to Desmond’s mother as a greeting, unheard of in those days of apartheid, and vocation to priesthood developed from the influence of that faithful priest.

Desmond was ordained in Johannesburg in 1960 and served two curacies before his time in London, after which he was involved in theological education, including projects to train others for ministry. In 1975 he became Dean of Johannesburg, followed by election as Bishop of Lesotho, Johannesburg, and eventually Archbishop of Cape Town, where he was affectionally known as the ‘Arch’!

In all of this time Desmond maintained his opposition to prejudice and injustice, fearlessly challenging the authorities over its policy of apartheid. Cape Town had never before known a black Archbishop, and there was much opposition to his moving into a ‘white’ area. He became Director of the influential Truth and Justice Commission. Other honours followed, as he was awarded a Companion of Honour and in 2017 one of ten Nobel Peace laureates. He continued to travel, and to receive honours and humanitarian awards.  Desmond became known as “always the voice of the voiceless”, especially the black people of South Africa.

I treasure the memory of this man of God, small in stature but a spiritual giant. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.

 

Next Week
Sunday 23^rd January
Third Sunday of Epiphany

 

NOTICES

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-online/weekly-online-services Church of England Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ thechurchofengland/ Church of England YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com /channel/UCLecK8GovYoaYzIgyOElKZg St Edmundsbury Cathedral Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/stedscathedral

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. You are all more than welcome to join them via Zoom.   The worship starts at 6.30pm (Zoom call opens from 6.10pm) and the call is then left open after the worship time for people to catch up.   People are welcome to email pilgrimstogether473@gmail.com  to receive a copy or be added to our mailing list. We have several dates for the diary as we start 2022: Saturday 15th January from 7pm online Zoom Pilgrim Local Community Storytelling Ceilidh. Our Zoom local story telling Ceilidhs are opportunities for people to share stories about the local area both historical and contemporary.  We have very much enjoyed listening to, asking questions, and learning about local events, people, and buildings past and present from our previous 2021 Zoom Storytelling Ceilidhs.  If you have a story/information to share, please email: Sue: pilgrimstogether473@gmail.com  who will organise the running order for the evening.

Children’s Society 2021 marked the 140th anniversary of the founding of the Children’s Society by Sunday school teacher Edward Rudolf, and still the devoted work continues today of the relief of need among families and children. We are most grateful for the money raised over the Christmas period, including over £300 from the well-attended Christingle in Aldeburgh Church, £171 from Pilgrims Carol Singing at Thorpeness Meare, £110 from Pilgrims Carol Singing in Aldringham, and £200 from Pilgrims Zoom Christingle. Thank you very much for a wonderful total in difficult times.. Canon John Tipping

Services this Sunday for The Alde Sandlings Benefice

Aldeburgh	10.30am	Holy Communion
Aldringham	11.00am	Service of the Word
Friston	9.00am	Holy Communion
Knodishall	9.00am	Morning Praise

Collect
Eternal Father, who at the baptism of Jesus
revealed him to be your Son,
anointing him with the Holy Spirit:
grant to us, who are born again by water and the Spirit,
that we may be faithful to our calling as your adopted children;
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 43.1-7
But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine. 
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour. I give Egypt as your ransom,
Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you.  Because you are precious in my sight, and honoured, and I love you,
I give people in return for you, nations in exchange for your life. 
Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you;  I will say to the north, ‘Give them up’, and to the south, ‘Do not withhold; bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the earth—
everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.’ 

Second Reading
Acts 8.14-17
Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit (for as yet the Spirit had not come upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus). Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Gospel Reading
Luke 3.15-17, 21-22
As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, ‘I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’ Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’ 

Sermon by The Revd James Marston,
preached 2^nd January 2022

Epiphany Matthew 2 1-12

The story of the wise men is one of the most popular and well known bits of Christmas narrative.

Except of course it isn’t.

The wise men are not really part of the birth story at all. As we hear in Matthew’s gospel, they turned up after Jesus was born – weeks, months, maybe up to 18 months later according to some biblical historians, to pay homage and deliver the three deeply symbolic gifts.

The visit of these men, about which much myth and legend has developed, is known in the church year as the epiphany – the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles. The visit by the wise men recognises Jesus’ as a king beyond the confines of Judaism, a king for the non-Jews as well.

Indeed, the liturgical season is deeply imbued with the theme of recognition – the recognition of Jesus by God at his baptism “this is my son with whom I am well pleased”, the recognition of the messiahship of Jesus by Simeon and Anna of Jesus when he is presented at the temple.

By extension epiphany is also associated with themes of church mission and the wider concept of unity.

But today, as we mark a new year, I thought it would be a good idea to think about where we recognise God in our lives and rededicate our lives to his service.

With that in mind this week I have brought along for us to pray together a powerful public prayer, known as the renewal of the covenant, which not only points us away from self and towards the living God but reminds us the place of Jesus in our lives, and something of the adoration those wise men continue to inspire in us today.

Beloved in Christ,
let us again claim for ourselves
this covenant which God has made with his people,
and take upon us the yoke of Christ.
This means that we are content
that he appoint us our place and work,
and that he himself be our reward.

Christ has many services to be done:
some are easy, others are difficult;
some bring honour, others bring reproach;
some are suitable to our natural inclinations and material interests,
others are contrary to both;
in some we may please Christ and please ourselves;
in others we cannot please Christ except by denying ourselves.
Yet the power to do all these things is given to us in Christ,
who strengthens us.
Therefore let us make this covenant of God our own.
Let us give ourselves to him,
trusting in his promises and relying on his grace.

Lord God, holy Father,
since you have called us through Christ
to share in this gracious covenant,
we take upon ourselves with joy the yoke of obedience
and, for love of you,
engage ourselves to seek and do your perfect will.
We are no longer our own but yours.

I am no longer my own but yours.
Put me to what you will,
rank me with whom you will;
put me to doing,
put me to suffering;
let me be employed for you
or laid aside for you,
exalted for you
or brought low for you;
let me be full,
let me be empty,
let me have all things,
let me have nothing;
I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things
to your pleasure and disposal.
And now, glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
you are mine and I am yours.
So be it.
And the covenant now made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.

Post Communion
Lord of all time and eternity, 
you opened the heavens and revealed yourself as Father
in the baptism of Jesus your beloved Son:
by the power of your Spirit
complete the heavenly work of our rebirth
through the waters of the new creation;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Next Week

Sunday 16^th January

Second Sunday of Epiphany

 

DAY	ALDERTON	ORFORD	ALDEBURGH
Monday	8.00 to 14.30	8.00 to 18.30	8.00 to 18.30
Tuesday	8.00 to 18.30	CLOSED	8.00 to 18.30
Wednesday	8.00 to 18.30	8.00 to 13.00	8.00 to 18.30
Thursday	8.00 to 18.30	8.00 to 13.00	8.00 to 18.30
Friday	8.00 to 18.30	8.00 to 13.00	8.00 to 18.30

BANK HOLIDAY & STAFF TRAINING CLOSURE DATES

The surgery will be closed for staff training on Thursday 10.02.22 from 13.00.

When the surgery is closed please call NHS 111

Our Primary Care Network (PCN)

The PCN is network of surgeries in the area that work together to give patients the best care.

Pharmacist Team – The Pharmacists can call you to fulfill outstanding medication reviews or help with medication queries.

Physio Team – We have physios who can offer appointments to our patients. It includes direct and quick access to them for pain or injuries.

Patient Coordinators – they may call you to organize appointments/group consultations or collate referral information.

Mental Health Team – they ensure that all mental health needs are met in a timely manner, offering advice, support, follow-up and access to other agencies and services as required.

www.thepeninsulapractice.co.uk

NOTICES

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-online/weekly-online-services Church of England Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ thechurchofengland/ Church of England YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/ channel/UCLecK8GovYoaYzIgyOElKZg St Edmundsbury Cathedral Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/ stedscathedral

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

St Andrew’s Church, Aldringham, 2022 calendars now available! See David Gordon to get your copy. £10 Each

Pilgrims Together on Wednesdays The Pilgrims worship together every Wednesday. You are all more than welcome to join them via Zoom.   The worship starts at 6.30pm (Zoom call opens from 6.10pm) and the call is then left open after the worship time for people to catch up.   People are welcome to email pilgrimstogether473@gmail.com  to receive a copy or be added to our mailing list. We have several dates for the diary as we start 2022: Saturday 15th January from 7pm online Zoom Pilgrim Local Community Storytelling Ceilidh.   Our Zoom local story telling Ceilidhs are opportunities for people to share stories about the local area both historical and contemporary.  We have very much enjoyed listening to, asking questions, and learning about local events, people, and buildings past and present from our previous 2021 Zoom Storytelling Ceilidhs.  If you have a story/information to share, please email: Sue: pilgrimstogether473@gmail.com who will organise the running order for the evening. Saturday 5th February 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. Saturday 12th February online Zoom Pilgrim Fun Quiz from 7pm Just for fun from the comfort of your own armchair…Please email Sue and Richard if you can provide a round:  pilgrimstogether473@gmail.com