From the Curate…

Clergy

I can’t quite believe that it was a year ago that we all experienced those dramatic, beautiful and thought provoking images of the ceramic poppies outside the Tower of London.  They cascaded down out of an office window and then spread like a flowing river across the moat around the tower.  We took the girls up to see them and as we queued, I noted that for the number of people, there was an atmosphere of reserved dignity as the beauty of the image was interjected with the stark realisation that each poppy represented a young life that had been lost in the First World War.

I often pause and read the list of names of the fallen on Phil Mann’s display to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the First World War in the window of the Lady Chapel.  Today as I type these few words at my desk, I have three orders of service of funerals I attended next to my laptop. They are for Tony Hiscock, Theo Ball and Jean Winter respectively; all dearly missed members of our congregation who have died in the past year.  All of them connected by their service during the Second World War within the armed services.

It made me think that I not only wear my poppy to remember those that died and continue to die in war, but also to remember those that survived and then wore or continue to wear visible and invisible scars of their military service. To remember them and continue to tell their story so that its echoes can stop us from making the same mistakes as before and to remind us to continue to help those struggling with the impact of conflicts that still occur too frequently across the world. The Poppy, a symbol, yes, to remember sadness, but also to remember there is hope.

Steve

Change of Plan for Services on 15th November

Pewsheets

Dear All,

On 15th November we have a change to our published services.

Sunday 15th November will be Fr James’ last service in our parish and a Parish Eucharist at will now be celebrated at St Barnabas’ at 10.00 a.m. (and so there will be no 9.45 at St Nicholas’).

Please pass on this message to others to avoid disappointment and do come along to support Fr James both on Sunday and as he leads the parish’s welcome to the Pilgrimage2Paris group that weekend.

Anthony

A Big Thank You

Pewsheets

The clergy and organizers of the All Souls’ Service to commemorate the departed, held yesterday would like to extend their grateful thanks to all those who worked so hard as part of the Worth Festival Choir to make the service so moving.

Particular thanks go to our hardworking and patient director of music Alex Hiam, and to organist D’arcy Trinkwon.

The Associate Vicar Writes…

Clergy

When I entered high school – now a frightening twenty three years ago – the syllabus for music had us study medieval music. This was my first introduction to plain chant and to the sequence we will hear this evening as part of the Requiem service for those departed this past year. Our teacher was so effective that you would have heard 12 year old boys chanting the first line of this sequence at any opportune moment: Dies Irae, dies illa solve saeclum in favila teste david cum sybilla – and I am still humming the tune as I write. We will hear it this evening in the setting Mozart wrote and it is quite a terrifying movement both as listener and performer, conjuring up into our imagination the day of wrath and judgement.

Today we enter the last part of the Church’s year as we celebrate All Saints. Today we will hear how Jesus was moved by the death of his friend Lazarus. Jesus wept for Lazarus and at the sight of his friends’ distress. Jesus has compassion for Mary and Martha.

We begin a season of Remembrance. We remember those who have gone before us in faith – this morning those who are examples to us in their life of faith, this evening those who have inspired us personally by sharing part of this earthly life with us. They had experienced Jesus compassion and understood that it had conquered the darkness of the day of judgement.

I hope you join us this evening for our Commemoration Service as we hear Mozart’s Requiem and listen to the names of the departed read out. Let us remember that Jesus shares in our grief as he shared with Mary and Martha. Let us rejoice with all the saints this morning that we have a share in God’s kingdom.

James

Pewsheet for 1st November 2015

Pewsheets

Click here to see this week’s pewsheet.

Tip: If this, or any other, PDF document opens at too large a size, here’s what you do:

  1. Open Adobe Reader, for example, by opening a *.pdf document you have on your computer.
  2. From the Edit menu, click Preferences.
  3. With Page Display selected in the left hand list of Categories, on the right hand side of the window, choose a Page Layout and Zoom level that suits you, for example Single Page and Fit Page as shown here:Preferences
  4. Now any time you open a PDF, it will open at this zoom level.

A Letter from the Bishop of Lewes, Richard Jackson

Pewsheets

REMEMBRANCE – dying – that others may live in freedom

One of my churchwardens in my last parish produced an exhibition, borne of many hours of research, on the lives of the men on the Roll of Honour.  His graphic design skills brought them vividly to life. There were photos; maps showing where they had lived; entries in the baptismal register and records from the school discipline book – they weren’t all angels! Alongside were records of the actions where they lost their lives and poignant photos.

Photos of proud men off to serve their country, often snapped shortly before they died. Articles from the parish magazine of the 20’s recorded the ‘gentle weeping’ as the names were read out at the annual Remembrance Day service.

At that point they were more than names.  They were sons, daughters, husbands and fathers. No family was unaffected.  There are 33 names on the WWI Roll of Honour at a time when the population of the village was about 600. The same surnames are repeated, perhaps more tragically when they appear again in the next war just over 20 years later.

We continue quite rightly to keep their names alive, for as someone once said, “Those who do not learn the lessons of history are condemned to repeat its mistakes.” However, these men and women are much more than names on a board.

Even though all the WWI veterans are gone and the brave band from WW2 diminishes year by year; even though for young people these events fade into history rather than experience, they bring into focus a great truth of the Christian faith.

Jesus said to his disciples, “Even the hairs on your head are numbered.” He invites us to call God, Father.  Those whose remains are unidentified have graves marked: A soldier known unto God.  We, like them are known unto God. Known personally and valued infinitely. They died for their country and an ideal, fighting against tyranny.  Jesus died for us, that the knowledge God has of us can become a lived experience of restored relationship, sins forgiven and new life.

+RICHARD

The Rector Writes…

Clergy

Bartimaeus’ response to being healed by Jesus was to “follow him on the way”.  The “way” that Jesus was travelling in today’s gospel was from Galilee to Jerusalem and his sacrificial death on the cross.  For first-century hearers of this gospel passages the words would have had a significance largely lost to us – before Christians were known by that name they were known as followers of (literally “in”) “the Way” – as we read in several passages in Acts.  So, Batimaeus’ response to being cured was a conversion of life, becoming a follower of Jesus.  He, like the disciples, will have learned from Jesus about “relationship” – relationship with “Abba”, his loving Father.  He would also have seen Jesus putting his words, his faith, into action.  Is your life affected (converted, transformed, etc…) by being a follower of the Way, Jesus’ way?  One of the ways we, as a church family, seek to follow Jesus’ actions is through our outreach to marginalised people in our town (and we are always open to suggestions on how to extend or improve that) and by supporting other groups who undertake this ministry.  Also, through our support for and giving to other charities, we seek to make a difference to people beyond the bounds of our parish and town.  (Thank you to those who have offered help to host the ‘climate-change pilgrims’ next month – a few more would be welcome.).  For the remainder of this church year (i.e. to 28 Nov) we will be collecting from you names of charities you would like us to support – including one for us to build a longer-term (at least 3 years) relationship. From next week, when the UNICEF “Jars of Grace” will be collected in, we will be running a “Parish World Bank” appeal in response to the ongoing refugee crisis.

Anthony

Pewsheet for 18th October 2015

Pewsheets

Click here to see this week’s pewsheet.

Tip: If this, or any other, PDF document opens at too large a size, here’s what you do:

  1. Open Adobe Reader, for example, by opening a *.pdf document you have on your computer.
  2. From the Edit menu, click Preferences.
  3. With Page Display selected in the left hand list of Categories, on the right hand side of the window, choose a Page Layout and Zoom level that suits you, for example Single Page and Fit Page as shown here:Preferences
  4. Now any time you open a PDF, it will open at this zoom level.

The Curate writes…

Clergy

I think that there are two types of people the ‘saver’ and the ‘thrower’ and I think that in relationships that there is one of each. In Liz’s and mine, I am probably the ‘saver’ and Liz the ‘thrower’. If you look in our garage you will see about 4 pairs of my old trainers. Each at different stages of wear and all kept just in case. However, Liz has the pair she wears now and a pair for when she walks the dog. All others are thrown away. If it is broken in our house then Liz will want to throw it away while I will live in hope that it might be repaired – although I do nothing to facilitate that! (Liz throws it out a few weeks later without my knowledge to avoid protests).

I had a cold last week and felt a bit broken – but I didn’t tell Liz just in case. I think that fortunately God is a ‘saver’, but a ‘saver’ that unlike me does something about things that are worn out or broken – He actually heals them just as the reading in Isaiah states ‘the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy’.  The healing might not be when or the type of healing we want or expect, but He nonetheless heals if we turn to Him and open ourselves up to Him.  God healed and transformed St Paul from the Christian persecutor to someone who could fight the good fight and run the race well for Christ, yet his physical thorn in his side remained. His healing was not what he expected but he began to trust God the healer and find peace. My question today – is there a hurt, pain, illness, grief or brokenness that you need God to heal today? God doesn’t throw away – he restores and heals

Steve