Sunday Service, 5 July, 2020
- The Service is available on Our Online Sunday Services page. Please read carefully the instructions provided to maximise your experience.
- The next Sunday's Service will be available on Saturday evening.
From the Vicar, 5 July, 2020
From June 14 – Sept 6 (13 weeks): Series on Matthew 9-18.
Jesus left that place and entered their synagogue; a man was there with a withered hand, and they asked him, ‘Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath?’ so that they might accuse him. He said to them, ‘Suppose one of you has only one sheep and it falls into a pit on the sabbath; will you not lay hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a human being than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the sabbath.’ Then he said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out, and it was restored, as sound as the other. But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him. Matthew 12:9-14
In Jesus’ times there were a lot of religious restrictions to abide by. In the first half of Matthew 12, Jesus is criticised twice for what he does on the Sabbath, the day of rest. For Christianity Sundays are considered our day of rest (and key time for going to Church). The day of rest commemorated God resting after the first six days of creation, recognising it as a special day to recognise the good of all creation and thus a holy day reserved for celebration and worship of God.
We all appreciate our public holidays as giving us an extra day of rest. But what do we do with these days of rest? And in this time where perhaps we are having more rest than usual??
The Sabbath, the day of rest, was given for our good. Unfortunately, in Jesus’ time religious authorities made so many rules about it that some people suffered rather than benefited from it. The little story about the man with the withered hand above is a case in point. By these rules, Jesus was not supposed to heal on the Sabbath, but in front of him was an opportunity to do so, to do some good for another, and so he did. This action of his sparked a plot to kill him, Jesus knew his actions would draw this response.
Our days of rest tend to be spent more in confinement these days. Church services that are offered are limited in nature or experienced in the ‘virtual mode’ online. May our days of rest with the imposed restrictions still be good for us and for others. May our worship, however we experience it, continue its work of spiritual formation upon us. And may we look out for how we may do good for another – perhaps a phone call or a deed of support for another or for a charity.
See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all.
1 Thessalonians 5:15
God be with you.
Jennie
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Update regarding our physical services
Some services of Holy Communion with a limit of twenty (20) attenders are being offered during July on Saturdays 9.30am, Mondays 11am, and Wednesdays 2pm, for which bookings are required. Please click HERE if you would like to attend one of these services and we will get back to you.
The Online Sunday service and resources will continue to be published.
Please continue to check here on the website regarding services.
Please note below the requirements for attending a service:
Attending a Church Service
Parish Council must ensure a high compliance with COVID Safety practices at all of our services. If you attend, please be mindful of the following:
From June 14 – Sept 6 (13 weeks): Series on Matthew 9-18.
Jesus left that place and entered their synagogue; a man was there with a withered hand, and they asked him, ‘Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath?’ so that they might accuse him. He said to them, ‘Suppose one of you has only one sheep and it falls into a pit on the sabbath; will you not lay hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a human being than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the sabbath.’ Then he said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out, and it was restored, as sound as the other. But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him. Matthew 12:9-14
In Jesus’ times there were a lot of religious restrictions to abide by. In the first half of Matthew 12, Jesus is criticised twice for what he does on the Sabbath, the day of rest. For Christianity Sundays are considered our day of rest (and key time for going to Church). The day of rest commemorated God resting after the first six days of creation, recognising it as a special day to recognise the good of all creation and thus a holy day reserved for celebration and worship of God.
We all appreciate our public holidays as giving us an extra day of rest. But what do we do with these days of rest? And in this time where perhaps we are having more rest than usual??
The Sabbath, the day of rest, was given for our good. Unfortunately, in Jesus’ time religious authorities made so many rules about it that some people suffered rather than benefited from it. The little story about the man with the withered hand above is a case in point. By these rules, Jesus was not supposed to heal on the Sabbath, but in front of him was an opportunity to do so, to do some good for another, and so he did. This action of his sparked a plot to kill him, Jesus knew his actions would draw this response.
Our days of rest tend to be spent more in confinement these days. Church services that are offered are limited in nature or experienced in the ‘virtual mode’ online. May our days of rest with the imposed restrictions still be good for us and for others. May our worship, however we experience it, continue its work of spiritual formation upon us. And may we look out for how we may do good for another – perhaps a phone call or a deed of support for another or for a charity.
See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all.
1 Thessalonians 5:15
God be with you.
Jennie
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Update regarding our physical services
Some services of Holy Communion with a limit of twenty (20) attenders are being offered during July on Saturdays 9.30am, Mondays 11am, and Wednesdays 2pm, for which bookings are required. Please click HERE if you would like to attend one of these services and we will get back to you.
The Online Sunday service and resources will continue to be published.
Please continue to check here on the website regarding services.
Please note below the requirements for attending a service:
Attending a Church Service
Parish Council must ensure a high compliance with COVID Safety practices at all of our services. If you attend, please be mindful of the following:
- If you are unwell, even with mild symptoms, please do not come.
- Social distancing must be observed while waiting to come in.
- The church will be open from 15 minutes prior to the service. You must agree to your name and phone number being recorded (this will be done at the front door before being admitted). You will be asked if they have experienced any COVID-19 or flu like symptoms in the past 2 weeks. If you have, you need to be cleared by a doctor before attending. Please be honest and abide by these guidelines for the good of all.
- Once inside, head to the double doors on the right side of the church. Touchless hand sanitisers are available on the way.
- At the entrance to the worship area, a steward will direct you where to be seated. You must be socially distanced unless you are from the same household.
- If you have any offertory envelopes or wish to make an offertory into the open plate, please use the Offertory Mailbox which is on the table in front of the pillar as you enter the worship area.
- Communion will be in the one kind. There are crosses on the floor down the central aisle to indicate where you queue for receiving Communion. Please hold your hands crossed palms up and flat for the minister to drop the bread onto your hand. Return to your seat via the side aisle.
- At the end of the service, please exit from the single church door (on the kitchenette side of the Narthex). There will be arrows on the floor creating one-way traffic. There will be no refreshments or social gathering after the service.
By now you will be aware that Sam and Sav put together an All Age video of about 5 minutes every week.
This week we have the final of the One Anothers: Encourage One Another.
The weekly video can be accessed on the Children's Ministry Page, or for them all, on our YouTube page where all of our videos to date are available to view, including the Sunday Service Opening Prayers and Holy Communion videos that have been done to date!
This week we have the final of the One Anothers: Encourage One Another.
The weekly video can be accessed on the Children's Ministry Page, or for them all, on our YouTube page where all of our videos to date are available to view, including the Sunday Service Opening Prayers and Holy Communion videos that have been done to date!