Sunday Worship links and other news: Oct 3

 

Join us for worship online, on the phone or in the building today.  with best wishes Anne Le Bas Online Worship podcast        Order of service You can also access this podcast by phoning 01732 928061 In the church building 10 am   Holy Communion 6.30pm  Evensong During the week Wednesday@10 am Good Book Club Bible discussion in the Church Hall                          5pm  Children's choir                          7.15 pm Choir Friday              9.30 am Morning Prayer in Church                             10.00-12 noon   Friday Group in the church hall Trinity 18 Genesis 2.18-24,  Mark 10. 2-16 Kevin is preaching today on the podcast and in church, and he has my sympathies! The readings set for today can be tricky ones. Jesus warns against the culture of casual divorce in his world, in which women could be divorced by their husbands (but not normally the other way around) for almost anything, including failure to produce a son. The women concerned could be left disgraced, outcast, and without any way of providing for themselves, while the men were able simply to go on and marry again without any sort of stigma.  This passage comes amidst a series of stories about the value and importance of the "little ones", those in society who were regarded as less worthy of notice. In the very unequal society of Jesus' time, divorced women often came into this category, just as the children Jesus welcomes at the end of the passage do, which is why Jesus is so fierce in his condemnation of those who had cast women aside. This passage shouldn't be lifted out of its context, however, as it often has been, in order to trap people into loveless or abusive marriages or to create the very stigma Jesus hoped to protect the vulnerable women of his time against. Instead, it is another invitation to be aware of those who are vulnerable and stigmatised in our own society.  Here are some links to help and advice if you, or someone you know is experiencing relationship difficulties or domestic abuse. https://www.davss.org.uk/ - a local agency supporting people experiencing domestic abuse https://www.restored-uk.org/ - a national agency working to combat domestic abuse https://www.relate.org.uk/ - Relationship support https://www.gingerbread.org.uk/ - a Charity supporting single parents Childline  Safeguarding advice and support from Rochester Diocese ALL AGE IDEA In today's Gospel story, Jesus welcomes children who are brought to him, despite his disciples being sure that he won't want to be bothered by them. Everyone is special to Jesus, however old or young they are. Draw a picture of yourself, and as you do so, remember that you are loved, just as you are.  There is another picture of the story above. What do you think it would have felt like to be one of the children Jesus welcomed?

Next week at our harvest service we will be collecting for Rochester Diocese Poverty and Hope appeal. There are more details here https://www.rochester.anglican.org/poverty-and-hope-appeal, including details of how to donate.

STORY OF THE WEEK – Rev 22.1-7 The stories of the week will feature in our Wednesday@10 sessions (Zoom Church, Good Book Club or Lavender Fields communion, depending which week of the month it is.) You are welcome to read along, whether you can join in with these services or not.   During October we will be reading through the letter to the Colossians – one chapter per week. Biblical scholars argue about whether this letter was genuinely written by Paul, or by a follower of his, but it certainly echoes themes found elsewhere in his letters. Colossae was a city in what is now western Turkey. There is a spring which bubbles to the surface in caves nearby only to disappear again into the porous rock, which local legend said had appeared through the prayers of the Archangel Michael. There seems to have been a local “mystery” cult centring around angel worship locally, but in Paul’s letter, he talks about the mystery of God being revealed in Jesus – Christian faith was not some esoteric secret known only to its devotees, but open to everyone.   Read Chapter 1 slowly. Which words or phrases stand out for you. What impression do you get of the writer, and of those he is writing to?

CHURCH AND COMMUNITY NEWS CHANGES TO PATTERN OF SERVICES. From next Sunday, the 10 am service on the 2nd Sunday of the month will be a non-eucharistic All Age Worship service (in this case it will be the Harvest Service, for which Seal Cubs and Beavers will join us), so it will not include Holy Communion. The 6.30pm service will be Breathing Space Holy Communion on the 2nd Sunday of the month. POVERTY AND HOPE There will be a retiring collection for the Diocesan Poverty and Hope appeal next week. Please see separate leaflet or go to www.rochester.anglican.org/poverty-and-hope-appeal   CHILDREN’S CHAPEL Thank you to all who were able to help moving pews last week. The Children’s Chapel is now open! We ask that children using it sanitize their hands before and after using it, but we hope that children (of all ages) will enjoy “playing and praying” in this area.   CHURCH HEATING Apologies that the church is chilly because of delays to the fitting of the new boiler and on fuel deliveries. We hope the heating will be able to be switched on in a few weeks’ time. COME AND CHAT TALKING VILLAGE IS BACK Monday afternoons between 2pm and 3.30 in Deniz's on the High Street. Buy a cup of tea or coffee and join us on the Talking Village table, for a chat and to make new friends, or catch up with old ones! Saturdays – 1st Saturday of each month in Seal Library from 10am-11am. Join us for a coffee whilst out browsing for your library books. At both these venues, there will always be two hosts to welcome you, and we look forward to meeting with you and getting to know each other better. FRIDAY GROUP IS GOING STRONG TOO Meets each Friday morning in the Church Hall between 10am and midday. SEAL TIDDLERS, for parents/carers and children In Seal Church Hall £2 per session pre schoolers and parents/Carers Monday mornings 9.30-11.30   KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOURS MEETING. KYN meeting to gather ideas for village activities on Saturday Nov 6, 11.-12.30 in Village Hall.. Please put the date in your diaries and come along. Revd Canon Anne Le Bas For more community news from Marion Gilchrist, check out the Know Your Neighbours blog. https://knowyourneighbours.blogspot.com/