Worship Podcast link and other news from Seal Church: Aug 28

 

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 - Aug 28 10 am  Holy Communion 2pm      Baptism: Martha Boulton 6.30pm Evensong During the week Monday             No talking village on Aug 15, 22 or 29 as Deniz cafe is closed for a holiday. Wednesday       10 am Zoom Church - email sealpandp@gmail.com for the link                           Friday                10.30-12.30 Friday Group in the church hall Saturday            2.30pm Baptism: Toby Whiddett Next Sunday  10 am   Holy Communion 6.30pm Evensong Trinity 11 Ecclesiasticus 10.12-18, Luke 14.1, 7-14 Today's Gospel story, like last week's, takes place on the Sabbath day, when Jesus is invited to a meal with the Pharisees. The Pharisees are often cast as the bad guys in the Gospel. In reality, they were the usual mix of good and bad who you find in any group, but some among them were forthright in their challenges to Jesus. The Pharisees were a prominent and relatively numerous religious faction in Judaism at the time of Jesus. Their particular focus was making sure that the laws of Moses were observed; they saw this not only as a sacred duty, but also as their political response to oppression, preserving the distinctive nature of Judaism. Phariseeism had arisen during times of savage persecution in the couple of centuries before Jesus. Pharisees weren't centred in and around the Temple, as some other groups were, but in the synagogues, the local places of gathering and worship. This meant that, just as every village would have a synagogue, every village would probably have a group of Pharisees, who would be likely to become prominent members of the synagogue because of their perceived expertise in understanding and explaining the law. This is probably why they were most frequently named as opponents of Jesus; they just happened to be the religious group he most often encountered as he travelled around the villages and towns of Galilee. Although Pharisees were often not particularly wealthy or powerful in national terms, they were often the "big fish" in the "small ponds" of their communities.  In the Gospel story, Jesus watches the powerplay at the dinner he has been invited to, the unspoken jostling for position among them, and tells them a story which would almost certainly have made them wince with embarrassment, just as it might do to us.    ALL AGE IDEAS In today's Gospel story, Jesus notices that the people at the dinner he is invited to all want to sit in what they think of as the "best" seats. Jesus tells them a story about a guest at a wedding feast, who sits in someone else's place - a place for someone more important than they are - and then feels very embarrassed when they are told to move.  Who sits where in your family when you eat or watch the television together? Do you always sit in the same seats? What would it feel like to swap around just for today? Try it and see! Do you ever have arguments with friends or brothers and sisters about who is most important, who should go first, who should have first choice at something? Why do you think people argue about these things and want to boss one another around? Think about the people in your family. What makes each of them special? Draw or write a card for each of them saying what you like about them and give it to them.

Music at Seal Church

Seal Church Children's choir starts its new term on Wednesday September 7th at the new, slightly earlier, time of 4.30pm. It's just half an hour of singing fun, which is a wonderful way for children to build confidence, and learn some musical basics as they go along. It's for any primary age children, and its completely free !

Save the date!  A forthcoming musical treat at Seal Church. Free, with a retiring collection and refreshments.

Some other dates for Sept Ride & Stride Saturday 10th September The church will be open as usual from 10am to 6pm. We hope to have a selection of cakes, sandwiches and drinks available for walkers and cyclists visiting us during the day. In addition a small group are planning to walk from Seal church to Borough Green, stopping at Seal St Lawrence, Ightham, having lunch and then returning by bus. If you can donate refreshments or would like to join the walk, get in touch with Lise Michaelides on 07570 125115 or liseshay1@gmail.com Sat 17 - Guided tours of the church, led by the vicar - 2.30 and 4pm, each lasting about 45 minutes, uncovering some of the history of the building and the people who have worshipped here. To mark Heritage Open Days. Free. Booking needed - email sealpandp@gmail.com - as there will be a limit on numbers. CHRISTMAS LIGHTS Can you help organising the putting up of the Christmas Lights in the village? I know Christmas is a long way off, but we really need some younger people to take on this task. It takes all of us to make a community, so if there's anything you can do to get involved, we'd love to hear from you. PLEASE NOTE THERE WILL BE NO MONDAY TALKING VILLAGE ON AUG 15th, 22nd or 29th as Deniz' cafe will be closed for a well-earned holiday. You can still drop in for a chat at Friday Group in the church hall each week though! SEAL LIBRARY  Storytime begins again on Friday Sept 2 from 10.30-11am, for pre-school children with an adult hosted by our own Jenni Pascoe. Sessions are free and you don't need to book.  The Library is looking for volunteer/s to help with the Home Library Service specifically with visits to Lavender House. If anyone is interested again, please either pop into the library, email the librarian, Jillian, at seallibrary@kent.gov.uk or give her a call 03000 413131   Kemsing walking group invites anyone to join them. They meet the last Thursday of the month at 10.30am , for a 4 mile walk then have a pub lunch. If you are interested contact francesfish1@gmail.com or phone 01732 760007 / text on 07749240456.  AND - FOR THOSE THAT WOULD PREFER A LITTLE LESS EXERCISE Another Kemsing group, EVERY STEP COUNTS, run by Martin and Yvonne Watt, takes place on Friday mornings from 10.30 each week (rain or shine)!. The group meets in the Kemsing village car park, and walk the common field, which takes about half an hour. They then take coffee in The Bell, where Yvonne passes around a jug for voluntary contributions. If this sounds more like your level, just turn up in Kemsing Village car park for 10.30am any Friday morning and you will be added to the group. All welcome, including dogs!