Dear Friends

When we gather to worship on Sunday we are in a way taking part in two different services.

The first is the Ministry of the Word: A welcome, a reflection on our sins, the reading of Scripture and the proclaiming of the Gospel, Sermon, Creed and prayers.

The second part is the Ministry of the Sacrament where are focus switches to the table and the offering of bread and wine, Christ’s Body and blood.

In the early church the first part of the service would have been open to all, and very close to the services in the synagogue that Jesus was a part of. The second part of the service would have been more private - those who were not yet baptised would have left before the bread and wine were offered. Being baptised wasn’t a case of booking a service either. Baptisms frequently happened at Easter and adult candidates would undergo forty days of prayer, fasting and preparation before they became full members of the church. This discipline was eventually adopted by all Christians and became the season we now celebrate, Lent.

At the hinge of the first and second parts of the service we now have the peace, rooted in Paul’s and Peter’s commands to “Greet one another with a Holy Kiss of Love”. It may seem to be a disruptive break in our worship, but then so would have been the leaving of the unbaptised in the earliest church. The children come back in, we move around and greet one another, sharing Christ’s Peace.

And it is the Peace of God that we share.

New Zealand Anglican Priest Bosco Peter’s writes:

“The Peace is part of worship …To seek out our friends and ignore the stranger or visitor or the one with whom we really need to seek reconciliation is to miss the point of the Peace. The Peace anticipates the coming kingdom … it is the Peace which should shape the atmosphere of morning tea after church, rather than the atmosphere of … morning tea being that which shapes the way we relate at the Peace.”

Jean Lebon lays down a challenge:

“It (the Sign of Peace) is a point where one sees whether the liturgy holds together. If the congregation has not really been welded together during the course of the Mass, then it is useless and inappropriate to perform this action.”

None of this is a criticism of how we share the Peace at All Saints! Rather it is a reminder of why we share the Peace with one another. And not just one another. At the end of the service we ‘Go in Peace’ – taking all that we have shared out into the wider world. Bringing God’s peace and the joy of our Christian family to our friends, family and neighbours.

So Peace be with you this Lent,

Much Love,

Fr. Eddie

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Spring – the time for sowing and planting – and it’s nearly here!

The Bible contains many references to plants. Jesus described himself as the vine; Hosea wrote about ploughing the soil prior to planting. In Psalm 1 we read, “He (a man who follows God), is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.”

Perhaps as you choose and sow your seeds, in the place you have prepared, and water them and watch them grow, until you can harvest the crop, or enjoy the flowers, you may consider your spiritual life, and include the thoughts in your prayer time. 

• How have you prepared yourself to receive God’s word? 
• What choices have you made? 
• What could you do to nurture God’s life within you? 

At the same time, we need to remember and pray for those who struggle with these matters, and, on a much more practical note, to pray for farmers everywhere as they work to produce food: this is a Coptic prayer from Egypt printed in the Christian Aid Prayer Diary:

Bless, O Lord, the plants, the vegetation and the herbs of the field,
that they may grow and increase to fullness and bear much fruit.
And may the fruit of the land remind us of the spiritual fruit we are to bear.
Amen

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Something to do

Light a candle and sit quietly, watching the flame. Think how a flame gives warmth and light: both of these are essential for life. Remember how God spoke to Moses from the burning bush. Remember how Jesus came as ‘The Light of the World’. Pray that your heart will be warmed by hearing God’s word, and your path lit as you follow Jesus.

A Prayer of St. Columba

My dearest Lord,
Be thou a bright flame before me,
Be thou a guiding star above me,
Be thou a smooth path beneath me,
Be thou a kindly shepherd behind me,
Today and for evermore.

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Dear Friends,

All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.
1 Cor 12:27

This month I want to say two simple words – Thank you.

Thank you to all the people who volunteer at All Saints and contribute to our life together. People who volunteer in different ways, some practical, some spiritual, many that are both. Churches run on volunteers and they are frequently not easy to replace when for whatever reason they are no longer able to continue their service.

Service is a good word for volunteers. We may think of the servers as those who robe and assist at the altar during Holy Communion. We may think of ‘The Service’ as what we gather for on Sunday (or during the week). Both are related to worship. When we volunteer at church it is a part of our worship – our offering to God. And like all of our worship volunteering not only is a gift to God but enriches each of us spiritually.

http://www.cartoonchurch.com/

So do we have enough volunteers at All Saints? Well I have never known a Vicar who said that we had enough Volunteers! At All Saints we do pretty well however. Many congregations struggle, especially for the more spiritual roles such as serving, welcoming, hospitality, interceding or leading children’s work. There are many other areas of church life where we are well served too – after 16 months I still feel I am only exploring the tip of the iceberg of who does what! Whilst we would always welcome more people in these areas I am very impressed by the quantity (and quality) of those who give of themselves in these roles.

However where we struggle a little is in volunteers for some of the more one off practical things that need doing - working parties for example! There are a number of things that need special attention through this year. One is the impression we give at the entrances of the Church – our car park entrance is in good condition, but many people walk through the vicarage driveway. Another is the impression we give from the front of our hall, which is beginning to look a little tired. Those of us on the Mission Action Group have been thinking about these and other areas as we look towards the future.

Volunteering should never be about compulsion but vocation. Vocation means every one of us being who God has called us to be - it is not just about the ministry team! God has called each of us to a rich and rewarding life with him as part of his family the church. The Bible speaks of how we are one body with many parts – each with an essential role to play. If you would like some help reflecting on what your part may be in the body of the church then please drop me a line – I will be glad to talk and pray with you.

So here’s to the volunteers in all aspects of All Saints life. Every single one is valued and appreciated.



God bless,
Eddie

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