Sunday Worship podcast link and other news: June 19

 

Please note. There will be no Messy Church or Evensong today, as Anne has Covid.

Dear friends 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 today - June 19 Trinity 1 10 am  Holy Communion - preacher and celebrant Revd. David Fox-Branch, vicar of Westerham  NO MESSY CHURCH OR NO EVENSONG TONIGHT During the week Monday             2-3.30pm Talking Village in Deniz Cafe in the High Street Wednesday      10am Zoom Church                            5-5.30pm Children's Choir                            7.15-8.15 pm Choir                           Friday                9.30am Morning Prayer in Church                            10.30-12.30 Friday Group in the church hall Next Sunday  10 am   Holy Communion & Baptism: Adam Lee 2pm      Baptism: Jude Needham 6.30pm Evensong Trinity 1 Isaiah 65.1-9,  Galatians 3.23-end, Luke 8.26-39 Today's Gospel passage tells the story of a man afflicted by what we would now call mental illness, but which was thought of as demonic possession in the time of Jesus. The fact that he calls himself "Legion" , the word for the largest unit of the Roman Army, is probably significant. Many of the occupying Roman forces were stationed in Galilee, and the local people were forced to support them - the herd of swine who drowned themselves in the lake may have been intended for the Romans. It was an area where there were constant reminders that the people were under oppressive and brutal rule, and some commentators have speculated that this man may have had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - that the terror the Roman soldiers had brought into his area had scarred him. In recent times we have seen the effect on Ukrainian people trapped in areas occupied by Russian troops, subject to brutality and powerless in the face of it, which perhaps brings home the trauma that affects all those who live in occupied territory. The area in which this man lived, Gerasa, was on the other side of the Sea of Galilee from the mostly Jewish areas where Jesus usually lived and had grown up. It was an area called the "Decapolis", a predominantly Gentile, non- Jewish, area, so it was already a place which respectable Jewish people might have wanted to avoid. But Jesus goes there, entirely unafraid, bringing healing and peace to this man, but causing anxiety to the townspeople - the destruction of the swine is a threat to them economically, and might even bring down the wrath of God on them. The illustration on the right, from a medieval manuscript, is unusual in that it pictures not the moment of exorcism, but its aftermath. "Legion" sits in the bottom left corner, "clothed and in his right mind", as the Gospel says, and even wears a halo - he is sent by Jesus to "declare how much God has done for you", and does so, bearing witness to Jesus.  He is at peace, but the man hurrying from the town to berate Jesus about the loss of the pigs is definitely not. When people are healed, or wrongs righted, it can cause ripples that affect those who may have profitted from the status quo.  ALL AGE IDEAS How do you calm down when you feel upset? What helps you to feel peaceful? Make a calm down bottle. Take an empty plastic water or juice bottle. Put a small amount of glitter, sequins or other small things in it - any bits of coloured plastic would work. Top it up with water, and add one or two drops of washing up liquid - not more than that! Screw the top on very tightly - you could put some tape around it to make extra sure it won't leak.  Shake it up and then watch the glitter settle. How does it make you feel to do that? CHURCH AND COMMUNITY NEWS   PATRONAL FESTIVAL STRAWBERRY TEA Come and join us for our Patronal Festival Strawberry Tea on July 3 from 4-6pm in the church hall and vicarage garden.  Tickets are: adults £8, children £4, family ticket £20 - pay at the door on the day Please sign up on the list at the back of church if you would like to come, so that we have some idea of numbers for catering. Could you help to set up for this event on the day?  We are particularly looking for people who can help move chairs and tables, and set up a gazebo, as many of those on the events team are feeling their age! Please volunteer for this if you are reasonably young and fit! We need you! FIRST COMMUNION PREPARATION.  There will not be any  First communion preparation today, as Anne has Covid. There will be a session next Sunday, and we will think about how to make up the missing session.   WOULD YOU LIKE TO DISCUSS FAITH WITH OTHERS? Why not join one of our home groups? They meet on Tuesday evenings (contact Babs Bartholomew or Wivine Turner) or Thursday mornings (Contact Kelly Durrant or Marion Gilchrist). TALKING VILLAGE 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 - On the first Saturday of each month in Seal Library from 10.15-11.15am. 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.   OTHER COMMUNITY NEWS - For more community news from Marion Gilchrist, check out the Know Your Neighbours blog. https://knowyourneighbours.blogspot.com/ or email marionjgilchrist@gmail.com to ask to be put on her mailing list.