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Dear friends

Normally just before Easter there is a rush of school assemblies, services and preparation, but this year the assemblies happened earlier and there has been a bit of space, a bit of quietness. I’ve been able to do a lot of reading, preparing sermons, looking for inspiration and a fresh angle, something new and inspiring to say about Christ’s death and resurrection. And as I read and looked around, I came across a lot of people who had tried to do the same thing, but nothing felt right, it was all a bit forced. In the end, it seemed to me that there is no point in dressing up the Easter story, because as the film title said, it really is “The Greatest Story Ever Told”.

Then, talking to a friend, I recommended a book by Rowan Williams and decided to re-read one of his books. He is such a brilliant theologian but what comes across in all of his writing is his deep faith and trust in Jesus. I find him impossible to skim read. I have to slow down because his ideas are complicated, and they need sucking like a sweet.

Later, as I read the story of the last supper in John’s gospel, I was drawn to the verse where John was reclining next to Jesus, leaning against him, an image of relaxation and friendship I had never noticed before. The next book I picked up contained a quote from an ancient theologian who said ‘Nobody can really understand the gospel unless they too have reclined alongside Jesus’.

And maybe that is the message for this Easter. We will be celebrating the most important event in history. Because of what Christ did on the cross, we are able to come into a right relationship with God. So, let’s not waste that relationship in busyness, but like John spend time sitting with Him, leaning against Him. In doing so we will begin to understand His great love for us and be able to grow to love Him more fully in return.

Faith

Dear friends.

This Sunday we enter Holy Week; a journey that takes us on an emotional roller coaster. Some of us know this story well; we're prepared for it, we know what's coming. It wasn't like that for the first disciples: when they threw their cloaks and the foliage from the local palm trees onto the ground as Jesus rode into Jerusalem, the only thing that perhaps confused them, was the need for this to happen on a donkey! There was worse to come, as the certainties they had about their friend, the possibility that he was long-awaited Messiah who would change the world, vanished in lies, betrayal and the denial that they even knew him. Most of them weren't even there when Jesus was crucified! But you can be.

We live in a world where those sorts of confusions, decisions and actions seem frighteningly common-place, which perhaps makes participating in this year's journey through Holy Week all the more important. If we can look with fresh eyes at Jesus' sacrificial journey this year, carrying the pain we experience personally and see in the world, then hopefully we will better encounter the joy of meeting the risen Jesus when Easter comes.

This is why there are a range of resources and services for us to share in the story of Holy Week this year, starting on this Palm Sunday. Roo has also produced material for us to reflect with online as we go through the week, and then there are services at a variety of times on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and on Easter Morning. I do hope that you can give time to make that journey with him this week.

With this in mind, we are looking for people who think they will be attending the following services, who would be prepared to read a Bible passage, as we seek to bring this story alive: 7pm Maundy Thursday service at St. Barnabas, and 2pm Good Friday at St. Mary's.  If you think you could help, please can you email or ring me this weekend? revdrachelhartland@gmail.com or 0771 794 2669

May Jesus bless you with a fresh knowledge of his forgiveness and love for you this Holy Week.

Rachel

On Tuesday I went to an Easter Party. Tuesdays are the day when we look after our two year old grandson who lives in Witney. Some weeks we go along to a local group for toddlers and their grandparents and it was this group that had organised the party. We had a great time decorating Easter bonnets, making bunny ears and eating party food. There was even seasonal music. But the thing that struck me was that there was no mention of Jesus or the real message of Easter, it was the first time I had attended a completely secular Easter celebration.

With that in mind it is great that this week, across the benefice, we have had the opportunity with our local schools to share the real message of Easter with over 550 children and young people. And for all of us, over the next couple of weeks we have a chance to reflect afresh the events of Holy Week culminating on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. 

Our preparation for Easter starts this Saturday with our guided Quiet Day led by  John Pearson who I got to know when I did my Lay Ministers training. John is a great communicator and always well prepared when leading Quiet Days.  There are only a handful of spaces left so if you are interested please let Faith know as soon as possible.

Then next Sunday we will mark Palm Sunday. As well as our usual Sunday morning services we will have our first Bramshill Mission Chapel service of the year and then at 7pm Revive, our contemporary time of worship at St Barnabas. (A week earlier than usual this month.)

Details of our other Easter services are on the website, but there is one activity that I am particularly looking forward to.

As part of her training Roo has pulled together a series of recorded readings and prayers for each day of Holy Week. Thank you to everyone who has been involved in preparing these. The recordings will be made available each day by email and via our social media pages. 

Looking forward to seeing many of you over the weekend,

Stuart

This week the Lent theme is security and Sunday is also Mothering Sunday. I thought it would be good to look at how our mothers can provide us with encouragement and security.

Mothers can by their very presence create a sense of safety and security. You may only have noticed it subconsciously, but if you think about it, you may remember a time when you’ve been worried and you have been grateful to have your mother near you, just projecting stability, confidence, and love for you. When they are there, it feels like everything is going to be OK. There is a strength and a boldness and a confidence that exudes from them.

Mothers are constantly seeking to encourage growth and development in their children and children cannot grow and develop without that input. Mothers are constantly affirming their children’s attempts to develop new skills. They will push you to do things you can’t yet achieve, and be right behind you, ready to catch you when you fall Then pick you up and help you to try again.

Mothers are always seeking the best for their children, even at their own cost. Who will come running if you are in need, even in the middle of the night?

We all know that mothers have eyes in the backs of their heads. They know when you’re up to something even from the opposite end of the house. They know that the time to really worry is when it all goes quiet. They are observant, not because they have some magical gift, but because their love for their children means they pay attention.

For those of us whose Mothers are no longer with us we will all have differing memories, some good and probably some not so good, but whatever the memory we have all been supported and moulded into the person we are by our mother. Let us remember the good things and give praise for all mothers.

Tim

Church Warden at St Mary’s

When I was a student, I can remember a sermon where the preacher shared about a “real temptation of the flesh” The whole congregation were on the edge of their seats waiting to hear what his temptation was. The sermon progressed for another five minutes until he eventually came to the point and shared what it had been. His dirty car had been on his drive and he was tempted to leave his sermon writing to wash it !

It was such an unexpected temptation that I still remember it to this day. This week I also had a “temptation of the flesh”. As the sun shone, I found a sheltered spot in the garden and just lay in a lounger enjoying the heat and the light rather than writing my sermon. 

We are moving into the third week of our lent study series and considering how we gain wisdom for our Christian journey, how we find light to help us on the path we are treading. The study invites us to think about people who have acted as lamps to us – giving us wisdom, insight and encouragement when we have needed it. Jesus himself said that he is the light of the world and promises that if we walk with him, we will never walk in darkness. I wonder if that is our experience.

The study reflects on the light of the sun, which is why I mentioned my ‘temptation of the flesh’. I am sure I wasn’t the only one to enjoy the weather this week, as the sun shines many of us rush out to sit in it and bask in its light. My question is, how often do we sit and bask in the light of Christ, letting him draw near and refresh us?

Maybe that would be a good lent discipline this week, to take time away from our busyness, step into a quiet and comfortable place and spend time letting  the light of Christ shine on us.

God bless,

Faith

Dear friends

Like many of us over the winter months, I've been struggling with some horrid virus for the last few days; I'm sorry if it meant some of you missed out on Holy Communion at St. Mary's last Sunday.

This week, in our "Lentwise" journey with themes from Paula Gooder's book of that name, the focus is on the forms of 'nourishment' that feed our spiritual lives, bringing us closer to God and strengthening us to serve others and do what Jesus would have us do. There are many spiritual practices that can help us, and it's important to find the right ones to suit us and the particular point in life in which we find ourselves. It can be very helpful to try 'new' ones from time to time, to see if they enable us to hear God in a authentic and a fresh way.

Our weekly Lent Groups are one way we can feed ourselves spiritually, and I hope those have been fruitful times as they've got going this week. Another option for us this Lent is our next Benefice Quiet Day at St. Mary's on 5th April. The day will be slightly different to previous quiet days as it will form a structured guide and exploration of some forms of prayer that might help us sustain our spiritual lives going forward. There are more details further down this newsletter including a link to book a place.

My prayer today is that we will all experience something in the coming week that we can recognise as having nourished our faith in Jesus; and that those of us who are feeling a bit 'under par' will know his healing and comfort  in the coming days.

Go well and God bless,

Rachel

PS: We would like to especially welcome the friends and family of Ottilie Powell who is being baptised at St Marys this Sunday.

 
Dear Friends

The churchyard at Eversley is bursting into life – despite the early morning frosts. I saw primroses in the churchyard last Sunday and today, as I drove back from the church, I saw a flock of about 50 deer in one of the fields. Everybody is commenting on the sun and how much better it makes us feel.

Fitting in with the spring feeling, this week we have begun our preparations for Easter. It doesn’t really seem possible that we are already thinking about Easter, but we had a wonderful Messy Church Pancake Party last Sunday and Ash Wednesday services during the week, which lead us into the season of Lent.

The words we use in the Ash Wednesday service as a confession do two things, they remind us of how much we need God and remind us of the wonder of what Jesus did for us.

This year, we are using the book ‘ Lentwise’ to help us walk through Lent. We will be using the material in the book for both our sermons and for the  Lent groups that are starting over the coming week on either Wednesday 12th March or Thursday 13th March . Please see below for further details –it’s not too late to sign up. Each week the groups will be looking at a particular question relating to basic Christian living, how we find direction in life, how we keep going, how we find wisdom and security and how we refresh ourselves when everything seems weary. I had a taster session this week and we had the opportunity to study, pray, reflect and discuss what the Bible was saying, it was really helpful.  I am sure the series will be like a spring clean for the soul, so thankyou to Mark and Sally, Dave and Jane, Wendy and Derek for agreeing to lead the groups.

God Bless,

Faith.

 
“The Spirit drove Jesus out into the wilderness and he remained there for forty days, and was tempted by Satan.” Mark 1:12-13

Hello everyone

Next Wednesday is the start of Lent a time where we think about Jesus' temptations in the desert and renew our efforts to resist temptation in our own lives.

On Sunday we have the Benefice Pancake Party, to which you are all invited, when we’ll have the challenge of eating a pancake without licking our lips at all! Perhaps you might like to try this at home on Shrove Tuesday if you’re not coming to the Pancake Party.

Afterwards you might like to talk about how difficult this temptation was to resist and use this as a way to discuss temptation together. i.e when might we be tempted to make choices that are wrong? To do things that hurt others, to damage the earth or not to help other people in need? How can we overcome these temptations?

How can we overcome temptation?
            Jesus was driven by the Spirit of God… Satan forgot that Jesus wasn’t alone. The Spirit was still there. We are never alone. Jesus promised us that in John 14: 15-21

Enjoy your pancakes and may you draw closer to God this Lent.

Jane Hughes

Licensed Lay Minister

 Dear friends

I had a friend who died recently from a terminal illness. This week I met with her daughter, Mary (not her real name) to arrange the funeral. When I arrived, there were 6 little pink Post-it notes lying on the table. The notes had been neatly folded and then opened again. Next to the notes was a jar with lots of other Post-it’s in it. Mary explained that each day, over recent months, she had written something her mum had said or done on a note and put it in a jar.  She had picked out the most poignant notes from the container to be shared at the funeral.

Over the last two Sundays, at both churches, I have shared our vision to be churches which love God, love each other and love our communities. I spoke from Luke’s gospel about the miraculous catch of fish.  The reading starts with ‘One day as Jesus was standing by the lake ….’ Nothing would have happened if Jesus hadn’t been there – the fishermen would have gone hungry,  the crowds wouldn’t have gathered and there would have been no miracle to see.

Although loving each other and loving our neighbour is part of the greatest commandment, everything begins with the first part of the commandment “loving the Lord our God with our whole mind, soul and spirit”. It is our love for God that enables us to love each other and our community.

As I thought about this and the little pink Post-it notes in the jar, it occurred to me that our love, even our love for God, often grows slowly and imperceptibly.

I wonder if there is value in having our own pot of Post-its where every day, we write down one thing that has reminded us of God’s love for us. Then, occasionally, we can unfold those notes and be reminded of His great love for us and be inspired to love Him more.

God bless

Faith

 
Dear friends

This week many of us will be heading into half-term, perhaps via a romantic Valentine’s evening, or looking forward to a short break with family or other loved-ones. Love is of course at the heart of the Gospel message, where Jesus’ actions spoke of the unconditionality of that love for all. His sacrifice on the cross was offered for everyone, and we can encounter the reality of that in the forgiveness we receive by placing our faith in his crucifixion and resurrection, something we frequently remember in the celebration of Holy Communion with bread and wine. 

Many of us will have been praying for the ‘government’ of the Church of England (called ‘General Synod’) this week. Among other things, they are making difficult decisions following historic safeguarding errors and the lack of sensitivity and love shown toward survivors of abuse.

In addition to that you may have seen some other media stories about how Holy Communion should, and can, be distributed. Rules (called Canons) that pre-date an understanding of allergies such as those experienced by coeliacs were picked up on by the media, who sadly didn’t make it clear that it is common practice in churches to make far more inclusive provision.

This includes St. Mary’s and St. Barnabas where we have gluten-free wafers available for those who need them. If this is your situation, please let clergy/ service leaders know, we keep everything on a separate dish to avoid cross contamination. Similarly, if sharing in the chalice of wine presents any risk or concern for you, please just quietly move away after receiving the bread, knowing that you have received that loving memory of Jesus’ sacrifice in full. Please talk to Faith or I, if you have further questions.

Faith and Stuart are taking a short break from next Friday 21st Feb for a few days. Please contact the administrators or myself if you have any particular needs or concerns whilst Faith and Stuart take this well-earned rest.

Go well and God bless

Rachel.