Author: stjohnstmarkchurchbury

This May 31st Newsletter marks Pentecost (or Whit) Sunday. It’s where we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit onto the first followers of Jesus. Acts 2:1-21 details the events of this historic day.

June 2020 is the start of the Season after Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came down on the apostles and those with them. It includes Trinity Sunday where we think about the nature of God. And we have readings from Matthew, where Jesus instructs his disciples on how they should behave when they go out and spread the word.

That’s what we need this Pentecost – power for the people of God. The power to glow and burst into flame! The power to mobilise us again. To break through the cosiness and comfort within the walls of our buildings and take the gospel out into the community around us!

During the lock-down we’ve missed having a Church Coffee Morning and an Afternoon Tea. The first weekend in June would have been our Summer Fair. To make amends, we’ll be sharing some lock-down recipes, so that you can make some of the cakes, buns and biscuits at home. The first is Flapjack…

This ‘prayer for key workers’ appears with kind permission of Dave Lucas. You can find a lot more like this, using widgets to illustrate the text, on his website: Prayers for Lockdown.

“So, we got Jesus in there. How do we get him back out again?” It must have been a dilemma for God and his angelic extraction team as they figured out how to reunite Father and Son.

This May 24th Newsletter is instead of a magazine and pew sheet. All public worship continues to be suspended until further notice and general access to the church building is still restricted.

As I read and re-read today’s verses from John’s gospel, I found a song growing in my mind. A song which grew louder and stronger: Stuart Townend’s ‘How deep the Father’s love for us, how vast beyond all measure’.                   

Thursday is Ascension Day, the celebration of the risen Jesus leaving this Earth and returning to his Father. The Vicar will be celebrating Holy Communion in Christ Church at 7.30 pm that evening.

My attention was drawn to a beautiful poem by Elizabeth, Countess of Craven, who lived in the late 18th and early 19th century. It’s entitled ‘I thank Thee God, that I have lived.’ She writes about all the beauties of life but also considers the sad times and difficulties and how we should also give thanks for those.

In light of the revision of the rules allowing limited access to Church buildings, the Vicar will be celebrating a service of Holy Communion in St. John with St. Mark Church at 10.30am on Sunday.

Our next Sunday@Seven service will be on May 31st 2020. With it being Pentecost, the theme will be: ‘The power to Glow’. We’re going to attempt this via Zoom and you’re very welcome to dial in and muddle along with us. Please let us know via the Contact page.

Psalm 23 is many people’s favourite passage of scripture. It gives great comfort at times of crisis, just like we’re in now. But it also speaks of God’s care in our ‘normal’ everyday living. There’s an even amount of light and shade here. Thankfulness during the good times – but recognition of God’s protection in the bad.

All public worship continues to be suspended until further notice. However, never forget that the church is not a building. It is a community of Christians worshipping, praying and caring separately, but united in the risen Lord Jesus Christ.

Covid-19 has brought a variety of challenges across our community. Lots of families are experiencing reductions in their income and difficulties in accessing the food they need. Porch Boxes are continuing to work hard to provide Crisis Packs during this time. We are working with our regular local agencies, Social Services, Health Visitors and GP’s to identify areas of need.