The links to our audio podcasts, Zoom sessions etc are below, as usual. If you, or someone you know is in need of any kind, please let us know and we will do our best to help.
Stay at home and stay safe!
Best wishes
Revd Canon Anne Le Bas
March 7 Lent 3
Online
Morning Worship podcast Morning service sheet Hymn words (both services)
Evensong podcast Evensong service sheet
In Church
There are no services in church at the moment. Worship in church will resume at 10 am and 6.30pm (no Story Church) next week – March 14.
On Zoom this week email sealpandp@gmail.com for links
Zoffee - Sunday morning chat 11.15 am
Wednesday Zoom Church 11 am. An informal service including Bible reading, prayer and a short talk.
Zoom Children's Choir - Wednesday 5pm Fun songs, led by Anne Le Bas and Rosemary Pattullo
Zoom Adult choir Wednesday 7.15 pm contact philiplebas@gmail.com for the link.
ZOOM LENT GROUPS
You are welcome to join either group, and to swap between them if you need to. You will also be able to catch up with recorded presentations of the same material from Tuesday morning. email sealpandp@gmail.com for links
Monday March 8 Morning 11 am
Monday March 8 Evening 7.30 pm
Lent 3
Today’s readings – Exodus 20.1-17 and John 2.13-22 - link two readings which might not appear to have much to do with each other; the Ten Commandments and John’s account of Jesus cleansing the Temple, driving out the money-changers and sellers of sacrificial animals. Both readings have to do with how we live together in community, however. The Ten Commandments, according to the Bible, were given to Moses while the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness after their escape from slavery in Egypt. They were to form a new nation, shaped by God, but where could they even start? Would this new nation be just like Egypt or other nations around them, or would there be something distinctive about it? The Ten Commandments offered the framework for a society in which everyone had equal status in the eyes of God, because everyone was a child of God, a part of his family.
When Jesus drove the money changers and those who sold sacrificial animals out of the Temple, he was challenging the ruling elites who were using this place of meeting with God as a place to reinforce their power. Ultimately, said Jesus, the Temple would be destroyed, but people would find a new meeting place with God in the new community he was creating.
 Just like those who first received the Ten Commandments, we often fail to live up to the vision that we have been called to, though, treating some people as more worthy of protection than others, more worthy of a place at the table than others.
Rembrandt’s picture of Christ driving out the money-changers is in some ways typical of depictions of this scene. Jesus is unmistakeably angry, while those he is challenging look baffled and shocked that they are being challenged. The men in the foreground of the picture are desperately trying to gather together their money. The one in the very front is so worried about not losing his profits that he isn’t even looking at Jesus. - How do you feel about Jesus being portrayed as angry?
- We can probably all think of ways in which we profit from injustice – the suspiciously cheap deals on goods that may have been produced by people who weren’t rewarded adequately for their labour, or which pollute the environment, for example. Why is it that we often prefer not to see or to know this?
ALL AGE IDEAS
Together at home sheet on the Cleansing of the Temple
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 | | St Alban's Diocese telling of the story. |
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Your email will be read by Anne Le Bas and Kevin Bright, the Vicar and Reader of Seal Church who will hold you in their prayers. |
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CHURCH AND COMMUNITY NEWS
Resuming worship in church – March 14
With the Bishop’s permission, we suspended public worship in the church building in January, as Covid case numbers were so high. As they are now falling in this area, and many of the older and more vulnerable members of the congregation have now received their first dose of the vaccine, we will be resuming worship in church from March 14, with a 10am Holy Communion and 6.30pm said Evensong. I have decided to wait to restart the 4pm Story/Outdoor church until after Easter, as numbers were very low when we last met, and I would like to see what might be possible by then in the way of worship, as the situation is rapidly evolving. Although March 14 will be Mothering Sunday, it obviously won’t be possible to do our “normal” Mothering Sunday service, as numbers will still be very restricted, and we need to avoid multiple people handling things like posies, or getting too close to each other. The services that day, will therefore be low key, but I hope will provide time for people to give thanks for all who have "mothered" them, whoever that might be.
LENT COURSE – “What do you think?” If you aren’t able to join us for our Lent course looking at questions Jesus asked people, you can take part by watching the slide presentations online, or download a printable version. The first two sessions are here. Session 1, Session 2. The next session will be posted on the church website on Tuesday.
This week’s question is “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat” (John 6). If you’d like to join us on Monday at 11 am or 6.30pm, the links are above, or you can email me, and I will send them to you direct.
An update on community events from Marion from the Know Your Neighbours network
On Friday, we had our 100 Club draw via Zoom, at the Friday Group session. This month's winners are:-
No 14 - Catherine Ella £100
No 35 - Brian Sutton £55.
We are currently drawing from 62 numbers, which is why the second prize is slightly higher this month. We will discuss the prize fund at the KYN/SVA AGM next week.
We will be holding the AGM of Know Your Neighbours and the Seal Village Fund, on Friday of next week (March 12th), at 11.15am If you would like to attend, please email Marion at marionjgilchrist@gmail.com, and I will make sure you receive your Zoom invitation. During this meeting, we will be discussing how we might spend the money we have in our funds at the moment, (approx £2,000) to enhance our community in some meaningful way. So, please do join us if you can, or send in your ideas to this email address. This is our community fund, and as members of our community, your input is really important. We will be sending our accounts out to anybody who wishes to attend, or who may like to see them.
Now some news from Chris Tavarre of Seal Parish Council:-
Wildflower Verges Project and Talk
Seal Parish Council has embarked on an exciting project to bring back wildflowers into our verges and public areas.
There will be an illustrated talk on Zoom on Wed 28th April from 7.30 - 8.30pm.
Do join us to learn more about our native wildflowers and what we can do in the Parish to encourage more in our roadside verges and other open spaces.
If you would like to attend the talk please email christavspc@btinternet.com
Librarian Denise Retirement Collection
Our lovely village librarian Denise retired during lockdown. Emily (Durling) thought it would be nice to put together a card and collection from the village as Denise was such a friendly, constant presence for so many of us, so she has organised a collection and a card. If you can’t give online or fill in an online form, you are welcome to drop a note and/or donation to the vicarage (labelled clearly!) and the vicar will make the online donation in your name (or anonymously if you prefer!)
To add a message to Denise's card fill in this form here https://forms.gle/Kc1nScDk9BhuqoCe8
If you'd like to donate to the present you can do so via paypal here https://paypal.me/pools/campaign/115573910627197616
REMINDERS- SEAL CHURCH FUND RAISERS
We still have some beautiful hand made Mothers' Day, Easter cards, and in fact, all celebration cards and Easter gifts available, with proceeds going to Seal Church . Frances also has some of her beautiful knitted egg bearing chicks for £1.50 each. Photos of all are available.
For chicks, please email me.
For gifts rsapattullo@gmail.co
For cards c_rampton@hotmail.com
SEND YOUR FAVOURITE LOCKDOWN RECIPES TO marionjgilchrist@gmail.com for a book we hope to publish later this year .
GET MOVING WITH LUCI'S DANCE FOR FUN ZOOM CLASSES - ONLY £5 A SESSION - contact Luci at luci.napleton@gmail.com
Please remember to let marionjgilchrist@gmail.com know if your organisation has anything planned so that we can help you to get the word out there. |
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HYMN OF THE WEEK Jesus Christ is waitingThis hymn, which was included in last week’s podcast worship, was written by John Bell (b.1949) and Graham  Maule (1958-2019), members of the Iona Community, working as part of the Wild Goose Worship Group. They wrote many hymns together, often addressing issue of social justice, and often set to traditional tunes, like this one, which is set to the French Carol “Noel Nouvelet” (“Now the green blade riseth” is also set to it.) Jesus has promised to be with us in all of life, whether we are aware of him or not. This hymn invites us to open our eyes to him, to see where he is at work, and to join in. Maule’s obituary in the Church times said “Bell and Maule never wrote hymns or songs for competitions; they believed that expressed need, a lack of appropriate materials, or a spiritual insight should be the starting-point. Nor did they ever write specifically for publication. All their published and unpublished songs were vetted, amended, and sometimes rejected by the worship group that they led, and then “road-tested” in different contexts.It was their conviction that religious songs for congregational use should not be personal devotional ditties, but texts to which the people of God could give their Amen.” https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2020/24-january/gazette/obituaries/obituary-dr-graham-maule John Bell is an inspiring choral leader and teacher. I have been to a number of events where I have witnessed his ability to take a random assortment of people, singers and “non-singers” alike and, in a very short space of time in a singing workshop, lead them to the point where they are singing in four part harmony, without anyone having had to read a note of music. Here he is in action, and you can hear him talking about Iona (with lovely pictures of the island and its history) here. Jesus Christ is waiting, waiting in the streets
no one is his neighbour, all alone he eats.
Listen, Lord Jesus, I am lonely too;
make me, friend or stranger, fit to wait on you.
Jesus Christ is raging, raging in the streets,
where injustice spirals and real hope retreats.
Listen, Lord Jesus I am angry too;
in the Kingdom's causes let me rage with you.
Jesus Christ is healing, healing in the streets;
curing those who suffer, touching those he greets.
Listen, Lord Jesus, I have pity too;
let my care be active, healing, just like you.
Jesus Christ is dancing, dancing in the streets,
where each sign of hatred he, with love, defeats.
Listen, Lord Jesus I should triumph too;
where good conquers evil let me dance with you.
Jesus Christ is calling, calling in the streets,
'Who will join my journey? I will guide their feet.'
Listen, Lord Jesus, let my fears be few:
walk one step before me; I will follow you.
John L Bell (born 1949) and Graham Maule (1958-2019)
© 1988 WGRG, c/o Iona Community, 21 Carlton Court, Glasgow, G5 9JP, Scotland. www.wildgoose.scot |
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