Sunday Worship podcast links and other news: April 25

 

April 25  Easter 4 Online Morning Worship podcast   Morning service sheet       Hymn words (both services) Evensong podcast  Evensong service sheet Don't forget that you can also listen to a shortened version of the podcast by phoning 01732 928061 -  if you know someone who doesn't "do" the internet, please pass on the number to them. It costs the same as any phone call to a Sevenoaks number. In Church 10 am Holy Communion with a hymn outside the church after the service. 6.30pm Evensong (Said)    Numbers limited to 35 people. Facemasks required unless medically exempt. Services are said, with recorded music – there is no singing in church, but we do now have permission to sing outside, so there will be a congregational hymn at the end of the 10 am service outside.   On Zoom this week  email sealpandp@gmail.com for links Zoffee - Sunday morning chat Apr 25, 2021 11:00 AM  Wednesday Zoom Church 11 am. An informal service including Bible reading, prayer and a short talk.   Zoom Children's Choir Wednesday 5 pm Fun singing with Anne Le Bas. Any child welcome. Zoom Adult choir  Wednesday 7.15 pm contact philiplebas@gmail.com for the link. Fourth Sunday of Eastertide In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus describes himself as the Good Shepherd, an image that is very familiar to us. For those who heard him claim that title at the time, though, it would probably have been quite shocking. The people of Israel were used to leaders being compared to shepherds. Their origins had been as semi-nomadic herders, and some of their greatest leaders, like Moses and King David, had started out as shepherds. The imagery of the shepherd/leader is found throughout the Old Testament – leaders are often seen as the shepherds of their people, whether good or bad, and God himself is famously compared to a shepherd in Psalm 23, which we will hear in today’s podcast both read and sung. This shepherd-centred society knew that the skills a shepherd needed – courage, wisdom, and, most of all the ability to discern what the sheep needed and lead them towards it in the wild landscape where they lived, were the skills a good leader of people needed too.  In calling himself the Good Shepherd, Jesus was claiming authority which many people would have been astonished at. He was just a carpenter from Nazareth. There’s an implied criticism of those who see themselves as the religious and political leaders of Israel too. Jesus talks in the Gospel reading about “hired hands” who are just in the job for what they can get out of it for themselves, and who run away from danger rather than protect the sheep. Who is he talking about? The Pharisees – religious experts - to whom he is talking must have had the uneasy suspicion he was thinking about them, as well as the Temple authorities and secular rulers.  Each one of us must make our own decisions, of course, about who we follow, who we allow to influence us, but Jesus words invite us to look critically at our choices, and at ourselves as leaders too, because we all have influence over others as well. He offers us a pattern of leadership which is a model for us, both as leaders and as followers.    ALL AGE IDEAS Together at Home sheet with lots of ideas to explore the story.  https://af51dd98-adab-4c43-ba03-c87e019551a5.filesusr.com/ugd/ebdd71_473b25f60c9f4d168289dc293c1dcceb.pdf   Would you like us to pray for you? Email your prayer requests to: sealchurchprayer@gmail.com 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.  CHURCH AND COMMUNITY NEWS Our ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING will be held via Zoom on Sunday May 30. Only those who are on the church Electoral Roll are allowed to vote at this meeting, so if you are not on the roll, please ask me, or the Electoral Roll officer, Wivine Turner, for a form to join. If anyone is interested in coming onto the Parochial Church Council which is responsible for making decisions about Seal Church, please let me know.   CHRISTIAN AID WEEK -  10TH - 16TH MAY 2021. This year Christian Aid celebrates 75yrs. since its formation. The focus of fundraising will concentrate on the effects of climate change, particularly in Kenya.  With partners Christian Aid aims to enable schemes to relieve hunger, water shortages and other worst outcomes.  In spite of the difficult conditions of the pandemic last year in 2020, £4 million was raised.  Ideas for fundraising, and support by donation can be found at   caweek.org/support. This includes a Quiztian Aid online quiz on Sat. 8th May at 7pm!   Or for further information contact  rsapattullo@gmail.com   HMS Seal   Last Friday afternoon (16th April) two members of the Isle of Wight Film Club, Richard Priest and Kevin Weeden, visited Seal as they are making a documentary about the story of HM Submarine Seal. At the beginning of the Second World War, the village ‘adopted’ the submarine and its crew. The submarine was captured by the Germans in 1940 and the crew imprisoned. Miss Dorothy Coleman, who lived in Fawke Cottage in Godden Green (now part of Sevenoaks Preparatory School), organised a committee to provide the prisoners with food and clothes for the duration of the war. The full story can be found  on the parish council website and in a sermon I preached back in 2009. Richard and Kevin were shown round the village by David Williams, the co-author of a history of Seal, Edward Oatley, former chairman of the parish council and ex-headmaster of Sevenoaks Prep, and Chris Tavaré, current parish councillor who is arranging for the memorial garden at the recreation ground to be restored. They also visited the church, where I showed them the church’s collection of HMS Seal memorabilia, and Fawke Cottage. The film should be completed later this year and will be available, free, on YouTube. Details will be in a future Know Your Neighbours email and in The Advertiser.   The last KYN fun quiz will take place via zoom on Friday April 30th. These have been great fun and well supported. I would like to thank Frances and Annie Fish for putting so much work into these, and keeping us all entertained during, what seems to be, the longest part of lockdown ever! For those that have been attending regularly, the zoom link will be the same one as the last couple. If you haven't joined before, but want to see what you've been missing, please contact Frances for your invitation. frances88@hotmail.com.      SEAL VILLAGE FUND (from the Seal Village Association and Know Your Neighbours) We are still taking your ideas of how to spend this year's financial allocation of approximately £2000, to enhance our community. We will keep some back for post lockdown, when groups return and see what is needed to get back on their feet. However, please keep giving your suggestions by responding to this e mail.Also, contact this email for your zoom invitation for the meeting on April 29th at 8.00pm to make the final decision. Please email marionjgilchrist@gmail.com for the Zoom link.   WILDFLOWER VERGES There will be an illustrated talk via Zoom on Wed April 28th from 7.30-8.30pm, to teach us more about our native flowers and what we can do in the parish, to encourage more of these beauties in our roadside verges. To join the zoom, please contact Chris Tavare christavspc@btinternet.com SEAL PARISH COUNCIL ANNUAL ASSEMBLY takes place via zoom at 7.30pm on May 5th. Please contact sealparishc@outlook.com for your invitation. FRIDAY GROUP - This group is meeting weekly on Fridays from 11am on the recreation ground in groups of 6. When the weather is really bad (this is a very tenacious group!) you can obtain a zoom invitation by contacting marionjgilchrist@gmail.com.   HYMN OF THE WEEK    The Lord’s my shepherd There’s only really one hymn I could choose as hymn of the week this week, and it is one of the metrical versions of Psalm 23, which is often simply known as “Crimond”. Although it is very familiar to most people,  though, that hasn’t always been the case. The text first appeared in the Scottish Psalter in 1650, a collection of metrical paraphrases of the Psalms, and is one of many different versions of it (like The King of Love my shepherd is, for example). The Church of Scotland, a Presbyterian church, didn’t approve of the singing of any hymns that weren’t based on the words of scripture (some parts of the church were quite wary of singing at all) , but recognised that people do love to sing, so authorised this collection of hymns. The original text appears to have been written by the English Puritan Francis Rous (1581 4to 1659), who was briefly the Speaker of the English House of Commons in 1653, but it was very extensively revised by the committee that put the hymn book together. The psalm, like many in their collection was in what is called Common Metre, a very standard rhythm which could be set to many different tunes interchangeably, as it was.   It wasn’t until the 1870s that the tune “Crimond” was written, by Jessie Seymour Irvine (1836-1887), the daughter of a Church of Scotland minister in the town of – you’ve guessed it! – Crimond at the north eastern tip of Scotland. She apparently wrote the tune as an exercise for a composition class, but wasn’t happy with her harmonies, so asked a musician from nearby Aberdeen called David Grant to reharmonise it for her. He is now often incorrectly named as the tune’s composer – female composers have had an historic tendency to become invisible, as in so many other fields!   The hymn still wasn’t well known, however, and it was really only the fact that the then Princess Elizabeth and her husband to be Philip Mountbatten chose it for their wedding in 1947 that brought it to prominence. It didn’t appear in Hymns Ancient and Modern, one of the standard Church of England hymn books until 1965. Since then, though, it has become a favourite at weddings, funerals and in  Sunday worship. The words have been set to a number of other tunes, including Brother James’ Air and a modern tune by Stuart Townend, as well as being arranged in a choral version, memorably, as the theme tune to the Vicar of Dibley by Howard Goodall.   Whichever version is your favourite, however, it is the simplicity and vivid imagery of the original Psalm, with its promise that God is with us in all the landscapes of our lives, which gives it its enduring power.

PRAYER OF THE WEEK O Almighty God, who alone canst order the unruly wills and affections of sinful men: Grant unto thy people, that they may love the thing which thou commandest, and desire that which thou dost promise; that so, among the sundry and manifold changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed, where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.   The Collect (prayer for the day) in the Book of Common prayer, which you will hear in our  Evensong podcast and service in church is a gem. It is very ancient, coming originally from the Gelasian Sacramentary, a collection of the prayers used in church services which dates from at least 700 AD, by which time the prayers in it may already have been very old. It is the second oldest surviving prayer book in the world.This prayer became part of the Latin Sarum Missal and survived the Reformation to appear in the Books of Common Prayer of 1549 and 1662, where it is still read every year on the fourth Sunday of Easter.   The prayer paints a picture we will all be familiar with, of our “unruly wills and affections”, that sense that we can feel all over the place, driven by fears and hopes which we feel we have no control of. Amidst all of that, the prayer asks for strength to find our focus in God, “among the sundry and manifold changes of the world” so that our hearts are fixed “where true joys are to be found.” It is a prayer which invites us, when we are feeling tossed about by life, to stop, to breathe, and to turn to God, who is the true source of peace. AND FINALLY... One of the challenges of running services in church during the pandemic has been that it is sometimes hard to work out ways of doing things without multiple people handing objects or getting too close to one another while trying to help. Perhaps Dave Walker’s suggestions about automation, drawn before the pandemic, have found their moment.

Sunday worship podcast links and other news: April 18

 

April 18  Easter 3 Online Morning Worship podcast   Morning service sheet       Hymn words (both services) Evensong podcast  Evensong service sheet Don't forget that you can also listen to a shortened version of the podcast by phoning 01732 928061 -  if you know someone who doesn't "do" the internet, please pass on the number to them. It costs the same as any phone call to a Sevenoaks number. In Church 10 am Holy Communion  6.30pm Breathing Space Meditative Holy Communion    Numbers limited to 35 people. Facemasks required unless medically exempt. Services are said, with recorded music – there is no singing in church, but we do now have permission to sing outside, so there will be a congregational hymn at the end of the 10 am service outside.   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 5 pm Fun singing with Anne Le Bas. Any child welcome. Zoom Adult choir  Wednesday 7.15 pm contact philiplebas@gmail.com for the link. Second Sunday of Eastertide     Each Gospel gives us a slightly different account of Jesus’ resurrection appearances. They are plainly drawing on stories told by those who were there, but, as you might expect, the details differ. Only Luke gives us the story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, who are joined by a stranger who explains to them how it could be possible that God’s Messiah could be crucified, as their friend had been. They only recognised that it was Jesus when he broke bread with them at the end of the day. In their excitement they ran back along the 7 mile road from Emmaus to Jerusalem to tell their friends what had happened, only to discover that there was Jesus again, in their midst, in the room where they had been hiding away in fear. Today’s Gospel reading tells us what happens next, as Jesus eats with his disciples, showing them that he isn’t an hallucination or a ghost, but someone who is as real and as physically present as they are.  In this week’s sermon I explore why that might matter, not just to them, but to us as well.  James Tissot’s painting is actually of Mary Magdalene announcing the news that Jesus’ tomb is empty to the disciples, but I liked the way he captured the disciples, being woken from their sleep as they lay huddled together in fear. His depiction is clearly based on the traditional site of the Upper Room, known as the Cenacle, in Jerusalem.  ALL AGE IDEAS Here is the story told in today's Gospel.  Would you like us to pray for you? Email your prayer requests to: sealchurchprayer@gmail.com 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.  CHURCH AND COMMUNITY NEWS THANK YOU to all who helped to staff the candle-lighting event in memory of the Duke of Edinburgh on Friday. It was much appreciated by those who came. Thanks also to Paul Thompson who tolled the bell in advance of the funeral.   Our ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING will be held via Zoom on Sunday May 30. Only those who are on the church Electoral Roll are allowed to vote at this meeting, so if you are not on the roll, please ask me, or the Electoral Roll officer, Wivine Turner, for a form to join.     From the Know Your Neighbours network   SEAL VILLAGE FUND (from the Seal Village Association and Know Your Neighbours) We continue to receive feedback regarding ideas of ways to spend the money we have to enhance our community . We will continue to collate all the feedback, and there will be a further full Zoom meeting at 8pm on Thursday April 29th to make a decision. In April's edition of Your Local Advertiser, there is a reminder of current ideas, and the opportunity to add further ideas of your own - both by email, or by completing and returning the form inside the paper. Please be as specific as you can. For instance, if you are voting for a Talking Village bench, or benches generally, please specify where you would like to see them. We need to get this right for the whole community.   WILDFLOWER VERGES There will be an illustrated talk via Zoom on Wed April 28th from 7.30-8.30pm, to teach us more about our native flowers and what we can do in the parish, to encourage more of these beauties in our roadside verges. To join the zoom, please contact Chris Tavare christavspc@btinternet.com   SEAL PARISH COUNCIL ANNUAL ASSEMBLY takes place via zoom at 7.30pm on May 5th. Please contact sealparishc@outlook.com for your invitation.   LOCKDOWN RECIPE BOOK - please send your favourite recipes which have got you and yours through this last year. We hope to have a book printed to remember this very strange year, in the next few months.   GET MOVING WITH LUCI'S DANCE FOR FUN CLASSES BY ZOOM - contact lucinapleton@gmail.com for more info.   FRIDAY GROUP - As mentioned earlier, this group is meeting weekly on Fridays from 11am on the recreation ground in groups of 6. When the weather is really bad (this is a very tenacious group) you can obtain a zoom invitation by contacting me on this email address.   HYMN OF THE WEEK    Alleluia, Alleluia, Hearts to heaven and voices raise The words of this stirring Easter hymn are the work of Christopher Wordsworth (1807-1885), who was Bishop of Lincoln, and, in case you were wondering about the surname, he was also the nephew of William Wordsworth, the poet, the son of William’s youngest brother. He was also called Christopher, as was “our” Christopher’s son, which must have been rather confusing. All three generations of Christophers were ordained, and became well-known in their own right as theologians and writers. “Our” Christopher was widely admired as a Bishop, for his dedication and generosity, and is buried in Lincoln Cathedral in a fine tomb. Photo: Stephencdickson - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=81566800 While Christopher Wordsworth might share a famous name with his poet uncle, the writer of the tune to which we usually sing this hymn had a famous name of his own: Arthur Sullivan. Yes, the second half of the theatrical partnership of Gilbert and Sullivan, who gave us so many operettas – the Pirates of Penzance, the Mikado and all the rest – which are still performed and enjoyed today. Sullivan may be best known now for the lighthearted popular music of his show tunes, but he was a serious composer too, and a dedicated organist. He composed oratorios and many hymn tunes. Unfortunately, they were mostly not nearly as successful, or memorable as the operettas, and few are performed today. He was possibly too keen to draw a distinction between his secular and sacred works; G & S operas are full of memorable, singable tunes, but many of his hymns were, frankly, a bit dull, and he was adamant that no one should set hymn words to one of his operetta tunes. However, this one, Lux Eoi, is an exception to the slightly four-square worthiness of the others (as is “Onward Christian Soldiers” which is also one of his). It contains big leaps in the tune, and that wonderful downward scale in the last line, which seems to go on and on until it deposits you just where you ought to be.   1       Alleluia, Alleluia!           hearts to heaven and voices raise;           sing to God a hymn of gladness,           sing to God a hymn of praise:           he who on the Cross a victim           for the world's salvation bled,           Jesus Christ the King of glory,           now is risen from the dead. 2       Christ is risen, Christ the first-fruits           of the holy harvest field,           which will all its full abundance           at his second coming yield;           then the golden ears of harvest           will their heads before him wave,           ripened by his glorious sunshine,           from the furrows of the grave. 3       Christ is risen, we are risen;           shed upon us heavenly grace,           rain and dew, and gleams of glory           from the brightness of thy face;           that we, with our hearts in heaven,           here on earth may fruitful be,           and by angel-hands be gathered,           and be ever, Lord, with thee. 4       Alleluia, Alleluia,           glory be to God on high;           Alleluia to the Saviour,           who has gained the victory;           Alleluia to the Spirit,           fount of love and sanctity;           Alleluia, Alleluia,           to the Triune Majesty. Christopher Wordsworth (1807-1885)

And here is Sullivan's splendid song, "The Lost Chord", just because I like it... The words are by Adelaide Anne Proctor, a very popular Victorian poet, whose poems were published by Charles Dickens. She was a favourite of Queen Victoria, but her work is now little known.  Sullivan is said to have composed this setting of the Lost Chord as he sat by the deathbed of his brother, Fred. It's a perfect expression of those fleeting moments which come in life when we have a real experience of perfect peace - not something that we can ever find by our efforts, but a gift to be treasured. PRAYER OF THE WEEK Resurrection Light Risen Christ, when darkness overwhelms us may your dawn beckon.   When fear paralyses us may your touch release us.   When grief torments us may your peace enfold us.   When memories haunt us may your presence heal us.   When justice fails us may your anger ignite us.   When apathy stagnates us may your challenge renew us.   When courage leaves us may your spirit inspire us.   When despair grips us may your hope restore us.   And when death threatens us may your resurrection light lead us.   Amen.   Annabel Shilson-Thomas/CAFOD   This prayer reminds us that resurrection is not just something which happened to Jesus, 2000 years ago, but something which God offers us day by day, in the struggles we face. AND FINALLY... A “should have gone to Specsavers” moment...? I don't know how the Daily Mirror came across this story, but it's a complete gem. Locals left terrified by 'mysterious headless beast' that turns out to be croissant  By Naimah Archibald-Powell https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/locals-left-terrified-mysterious-headless-23926634 Animal welfare officials were called to reports of a "mysterious headless beast" hanging in a tree but were instead met with a breakfast menu item.  Residents in Poland's Krakow were reportedly refusing to open their windows because they were afraid that the 'animal' would go into their homes. A local resident called the Krakow Animal Welfare Society and reported the mysterious figure to authorities. The concerned resident reportedly said the unidentified 'beast' was brown and sitting in a tree, before adding that the "dangerous creature" had been lurking outside for two days. In a post on Facebook, Adam, the inspector who visited the scene and took the call, said: "I tried to guide the woman, her voice seemed to be growing hysterical." The unnamed resident said in her report that she believed that the figure in question was an iguana. The iguana theory was quickly disproven by officials as the weather in Poland is too cold for reptiles to survive outside. Officials then wondered if the unidentified 'animal' was a lost pet that had wandered off due to boredom. The welfare team also suspected that the animal was an abandoned pet as they had recently responded to reports of a sick cat left in a garage, as well as rats and hamsters which were left in the bin. After taking the call, the team arranged a visit and when the animal welfare officials arrived, they discovered that the scary animal was in fact a croissant.The buttery crescent-shaped pastry was not the threat that residents had expected. Inspector Adam said: "It is difficult to help something that has been previously baked. "He was almost moving, he was getting ready to invade, he was beginning to resemble a dragon child." The post went on to encourage members of the public to continue to report any animal welfare issues or rare sightings, even if they turn out to be incidents of mistaken identity.

Drop in to light a candle in memory of HRH Prince Philip

Drop in to Seal Church on Friday afternoon or evening, from 3-8pm, to light a candle in church in memory of Prince Philip, on the eve of his funeral in Windsor. Candles will be provided, and we will take care to make sure that candle lighting is done in a Covid safe way. We hope that this will give people a chance to take a moment to reflect and pray in the peace of the church.

Sunday Worship podcast links and other news: April 11

 

Dear friends The links to our audio podcasts, Zoom sessions etc are below, as usual. You will also be able to find details of the ways in which we are hoping to mark the death of HRH Prince Philip in the days leading up to his funeral next Saturday.  Stay safe and keep others safe! Best wishes Revd Canon Anne Le Bas April 11  Easter 2 Online Morning Worship podcast   Morning service sheet       Hymn words (both services) Evensong podcast  Evensong service sheet Don't forget that you can also listen to a shortened version of the podcast by phoning 01732 928061 -  if you know someone who doesn't "do" the internet, please pass on the number to them. It costs the same as any phone call to a Sevenoaks number. In Church 10 am Holy Communion  6.30pm Said Evensong    Numbers limited to 35 people. Facemasks required unless medically exempt. Services are said, with recorded music – there is no singing in church, but we do now have permission to sing outside, so there will be a congregational hymn at the end of the Easter Sunday 10 am service outside.   On Zoom this week  email sealpandp@gmail.com for links Zoffee - Sunday morning chat  Zoffee Time: Apr 11, 2021 11:15 AM London Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82196686207?pwd=b0p5MnpaQ3VRZGg3N05obkx2c2QrQT09 Meeting ID: 821 9668 6207 Passcode: 332637 You can also join the meeting by phoning  02034815237, and entering the Meeting ID and Passcode above when prompted to do so. Wednesday Zoom Church 11 am. An informal service including Bible reading, prayer and a short talk.   Zoom Children's Choir Wednesday 5 pm Fun singing with Anne Le Bas. Any child welcome. Zoom Adult choir  Wednesday 7.15 pm contact philiplebas@gmail.com for the link. Second Sunday of Eastertide   The news at the moment is dominated, of course, by the death of Prince Philip, and today’s sermon reflects a little on that, in the light of the Gospel reading set for today, John 20.19-end. Any death saddens us, but the death of such an important public figure, and one who has been part of the life of our nation for longer than most of us have been alive, stirs up emotions that can run deep, even though most of us will never have met Prince Philip, reminding us of our own losses. The story of Jesus’ first appearance to his disciples, who are adrift on a sea of grief, helps us to reflect on our feelings, and hear Christ’s words of reassurance for us at times of sadness, as I explore in today’s sermon.     ALL AGE IDEAS If your children are puzzled or worried by all the coverage of Prince Philip's funeral, you might like to use this very simple prayer with them. Loving God, We are sad that Prince Philip has died. Thank you for his long life and for his care for The Queen and our country. Amen. There are links to some activities to help children express their feelings on my Pinterest page for Holy Saturday Here is the story of Jesus appearing to Thomas, from today's Gospel reading. John 20.19-end. Would you like us to pray for you? Email your prayer requests to: sealchurchprayer@gmail.com 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.  CHURCH AND COMMUNITY NEWS Following the news of the death of the Duke of Edinburgh we are hoping to have the church open and supervised to allow people to light candles on Friday afternoon between 3 and 8pm. Please check the church website for details later in the week.    There will be no physical books of condolence anywhere nationally or locally. Thoughts and prayers can be left on online books of condolence at https://www.churchofengland.org/remembering-his-royal-highness-prince-philip, where there are also resources for prayer, and at http://royal.gov.uk/ The flag on the church tower will be flying at half-mast until the morning after the funeral, and some of you may have heard the church bell being tolled, as we were asked to do, on Saturday at noon.  The Royal Family have asked that people don't gather or lay flowers in the Duke's memory, as they might normally do, but that people give to a charity of their choice instead.   From the Know Your Neighbours network   SEAL VILLAGE FUND (from the Seal Village Association and Know Your Neighbours) We continue to receive feedback regarding ideas of ways to spend the money we have to enhance our community . We will continue to collate all the feedback, and there will be a further full Zoom meeting at 8pm on Thursday April 29th to make a decision. In April's edition of Your Local Advertiser, there is a reminder of current ideas, and the opportunity to add further ideas of your own - both by email, or by completing and returning the form inside the paper. Please be as specific as you can. For instance, if you are voting for a Talking Village bench, or benches generally, please specify where you would like to see them. We need to get this right for the whole community.   Wildflower Verges There will be an illustrated talk via Zoom on Wed April 28th from 7.30-8.30pm, to teach us more about our native flowers and what we can do in the parish, to encourage more of these beauties in our roadside verges. To join the zoom, please contact Chris Tavare christavspc@btinternet.com   SEAL PARISH COUNCIL ANNUAL ASSEMBLY takes place via zoom at 7.30pm on May 5th. Please contact sealparishc@outlook.com for your invitation.   LOCKDOWN RECIPE BOOK - please send your favourite recipes which have got you and yours through this last year. We hope to have a book printed to remember this very strange year, in the next few months.   GET MOVING WITH LUCI'S DANCE FOR FUN CLASSES BY ZOOM - contact lucinapleton@gmail.com for more info.   FRIDAY GROUP - As mentioned earlier, this group is meeting weekly on Fridays from 11am on the recreation ground in groups of 6. When the weather is really bad (this is a very tenacious group) you can obtain a zoom invitation by contacting me on this email address.   HYMN OF THE WEEK    Jesus lives! Thy terrors now, can, O Death, no more appal us. This hymn was written originally in German by Christian Fürchtegott Gellert  (1715 - 1769) His father had been a Lutheran pastor, and Gellert junior was heading in the same direction, but the challenge of preaching from memory, which was demanded at that point by the Lutheran Church, who disapproved of preachers using scripts, defeated him – he was rather a shy man -  so he turned to writing, producing novels, folk tales, poetry and hymns – he also wrote “The heavens are telling the glory of God”. The hymn was translated into English by Frances Elizabeth Cox (1812-1897) a notable translator of German hymns. She also translated the Advent Hymn “Sleepers wake” along with many others. The words of the hymn lead us to meditate on what it means to say that “Jesus lives!”. The resurrection, it says, removes the reason to fear death, transforming it into “the gate to life immortal”. It assures us of God’s constant presence with us.   The tune to which “Jesus lives” is most often sung in England is St Albinus. It was written by Henry John Gauntlett, 1805 -1876 who began learning the  organ at the age of 9, when he probably couldn’t even reach the pedals – always a problem for young organists. He first learned on the organ in the church at which his father was the vicar in Olney, Buckinghamshire. His father insisted that he train as a lawyer, but, as is so often the case with those born to be organists (and organists are born not bred, in my experience!) he couldn’t be kept away from his true passion, and gave up the law in favour of music. Gauntlett became an organ builder and designer, and made various important (to organists!) improvements to organ design as well as playing in a number of churches in London. He was so well respected that Felix Mendelsohnn chose him to play the organ for the first performance of his famous oratorio Elijah in Birmingham in 1846.   Gauntlett’s tune is an apparently simple one, but it gradually opens out through the verse until  you come to the final, triumphant Alleluia!, matching the words to the music perfectly.     1 Jesus lives; thy terrors now Can, O death, no more appall us; Jesus lives: by this we know Thou, O grave, cannot enthrall us. Alleluia!   2 Jesus lives: henceforth is death But the gate to life immortal; This shall calm our trembling breath When we pass its gloomy portal. Alleluia!   3 Jesus lives: our hearts know well Nought from us his love shall sever; Life nor death nor pow'rs of hell Tear us from his keeping ever. Alleluia!   4 Jesus lives: to him the throne Over all the world is given: May we go where he is gone, Rest and reign with him in heaven. Alleluia!

PRAYER OF THE WEEK Support us, O Lord, all the day long of this troublous life, until the shades lengthen and the evening comes, the busy world is hushed, the fever of life is over and our work is done. Then, Lord, in your mercy grant us safe lodging, a holy rest, and peace at the last; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.   This prayer, commonly used at funerals, is attributed to John Henry Newman, (1801-1890) a prominent figure in the Anglo-Catholic Oxford Movement, who eventually joined the Roman Catholic Church, becoming a cardinal and who was recently declared to be a saint. The prayer was included in the 1928 revision of the Book of Common Prayer. This prayer book was not  authorised by parliament, however – they rejected it twice when it was presented to them, but it was popular with many congregations and clergy, including the archbishops, so many churches used it anyway. Newman’s prayer became popular, despite not, officially, being part of the funeral liturgy, and it has remained so ever since. It’s imagery draws on John 14, where Jesus , on the night before he dies, tells his followers that “In my Father’s house are many dwelling places”.  It is especially appropriate for the funeral of those, like the Duke of Edinburgh, who have died after a long life of service, and can also be used at the end of the day, when “our work is done”. No one has to go on for ever, it tells us! We are allowed to rest in God. AND FINALLY... Many thanks to Maggie Fox, Sue Buddin (and maybe others, whose names I don’t know) who decorated the church so beautifully for Easter, filling it with daffodils and tulips. It looked splendid, just perfect for our Easter celebrations. I am hoping they didn’t gather their material with chainsaws, like this pair, however! (Copyright: Ron / Church Times)