Saints and Commemorations in September
Readings for Sundays in September
Open
House London - 'Architecture Up Close'
World's
Biggest Coffee Morning
Perspectives on the Choir’s Trip to Germany
What
do you think was the best of Germany?
Where have all the ringers gone…….?
The Mothers’ Union Wave of Prayer
Paul writes
(in
Justine’s absence)
In September we celebrate
our Patronal Festival for the Blessed Virgin Mary. As always in our Church there are many views
about her and here are just some of my musings on this enigmatic woman.
Mary, Jesus’ mother,
is the only person who was with him for most of the 33 years that constituted
his brief life. She walked and rode on a donkey for five days at the end of her
pregnancy. She bore him in difficult circumstances, miles from her home. She
lived under the same roof with him for 30 years. And in the tumultuous final
three years of his life, she accompanied him and his small band of followers as
they walked through the countryside and villages of Galilee, and perhaps even
moved from her home in Nazareth to preside over the little house in Capernaum
where he established his headquarters. She was walking with him when he entered
the city of Jerusalem the week before the Passover. She was in the crowd when
he was arrested and tried and she was there as he was crucified. She watched as
her son died and one of the last things he said was about her, when he asked
his friend to take care of her.
She was with him almost every day. We must not forget who nurtured Jesus,
taught him about love and compassion, maybe even told him childhood stories
that later became his parables.
When Mary was first approached by Gabriel to be the Mother of Jesus, we find in
her response so much of our own humanity.
Mary is startled, afraid. Angels always evoke fear first, and the first
thing they say is always, “Fear not.” Mary’s response is normal - “I’m hearing
from God - I must have done something wrong.” So the angel reassures her - “You
haven’t done anything wrong. You have found favor with God.” The point is not
that Mary is being punished, nor that she is being rewarded, but that God will
do something through her, God has chosen her - ordinary, poor, young, nondescript,
non-important, non-person. God chose her for God’s own reasons which she
certainly didn’t understand. And that is precisely the point.
So Mary’s
response is at the centre of all this. Who would blame her for saying ‘No,’ for
walking away from it all?
Mary’s response, her ‘Yes’ to God is the deepest affirmation of who she is, I
believe. I believe her ‘Yes’ to God, her willingness to be an instrument of
God, suggests her own grace and faith, but is a model for you and me.
She affirms the promise that is within her, and that is no more submissive than
it was for Bach to write the music that he had been given to write, for
Rembrandt to paint with the gift that was given to him, or for Mother Theresa
to do the work she was called to do.
What all this means is that God, in mysterious ways that are beyond our
understanding, comes into history, into your history and my history. God comes
to ordinary, nondescript, sometimes young, sometimes old, sometimes rich,
sometimes poor, sometimes powerful, often times weak, people with an agenda, a
plan, an assignment, a gift.
What all this means is that God waits for our response.
What all this means is that with God, in the memorable words of Gabriel,
“Nothing is impossible”, a phrase which is the Creed behind all creeds: With
God, nothing is impossible.
And so, given the mysterious annunciation to Mary and her brave, definitive
“yes,” the question for you and me is this: What gift have you been given which
is awaiting your answer? Where has God come to you with a gift, an agenda, a
task to do? What music is in you that needs to be sung? What poetry is in your
heart that needs to be written? What love is in you that God is waiting for you
to be vulnerable enough to express, courageous enough to say, graceful enough
to demonstrate? What generosity is in you that God is patiently waiting for you
to discover and give? What important decision needs to be made—what new venture
begun—what new life change initiated? Where are you pregnant with possibility
and hope?
Kathleen Norris wrote about Mary: “She does not lose her voice but finds it . .
. ‘Here am I.’ . .. Mary proceeds -as we must do in life - making her
commitments without knowing much about what it will entail or where it will
lead. I treasure the story because it forces me to ask: When the mystery of
God’s love breaks through into my consciousness, do I run from it? Do I ask of
it what I cannot answer? Shrugging, do I retreat into facile clichés, . . Or am
I virgin enough to respond from my deepest, truest self, and say something new,
a ‘yes’ that will change me forever
When God’s love
breaks through into your consciousness, what will you do? How will you answer?
In prayer each day we meet God and sometimes he speaks directly to us and asks
something of us, and when he does, may you find deep within you the grace and
trust and courage to echo the words of that young girl, startled by God, the
mother of Jesus, who said ‘Yes.’
What’s On In September?
Mon 1 Theological
Book Club 32 Waterer Rise
7:30 pm
Wed 3 St
Mary’s Guild meets at St Mary’s Court 2:30 pm
Thu 4 Praise
and Play Church Centre 10:00 am
MU&OG with a talk on ‘Victorian
Motherhood’
Church Centre 7:30 pm
Sat 6 Concert
of Jazz and Popular Music
7:30 pm
Sun 7 TRINITY
16
Choral Evensong resumes at 6.30pm
Tue 9 ‘Time
for God’ Quiet Worship. Carew Chapel 9:30
am
Sun 14 Patronal
Festival
Mon 15 PCC
meeting. Church Centre 8:00 pm
Tue 16 Friends
of Beddington and the Grange Parks
meet at The Grange 7:30 pm
Wed 17 MU Corporate Eucharist 10:00
am
‘Go South Go’ events in Sutton Square
including
our bellringers.
St Mary’s bells will ring as part of the
event 4.00 pm
Fri 19 Tea
Time 2008 for Christian Aid. Church Centre 3.00-5.00 pm
Sat 20 ‘Open
House Weekend’. Church open
Sun 21 St
Matthew
‘Open House Weekend’.
Church open
Fri 26 Worlds
Biggest Coffee Morning in aid of
Macmillan Cancer Support at
Kith Kin and Kanine, Church Centre 10:00–11:30 am
Sun 28 St
Michael and All Angels
Saints and Commemorations
in September
1 Giles of Provence, Hermit, c710
2 The Martyrs of Papua New Guinea, 1901 and 1942
3 Gregory the Great, Bishop of Rome, Teacher of the Faith, 604
4 Birinus, Bishop of Dorchester (Oxon), Apostle of Wessex, 650
6 Allen Gardiner, founder of the South American Missionary Society, 1851
8 The Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary
9 Charles Fuge Lowder, Priest, 1880
13 John Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople, Teacher of the Faith, 407
15 Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, Martyr, 258
16 Ninian, Bishop of Galloway, Apostle of the Picts, c432
16 Edward Bouverie Pusey, Priest, Tractarian, 1882
17 Hildegard, Abbess of Bingen, Visionary, 1179
19 Theodore of Tarsus, Archbishop of Canterbury, 690
20 John Coleridge Patteson, First Bishop of Melanesia, and his Companions,
Martyrs, 1871
21 Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist
25 Lancelot Andrewes, Bishop of Winchester, Spiritual Writer, 1626
25 Sergei of Radonezh, Russian Monastic Reformer, Teacher of the Faith, 1392
26 Wilson Carlile, Founder of the Church Army, 1942
27 Vincent de Paul, Founder of the Congregation of the Mission (Lazarists),
1660
30 Jerome, Translator of the Scriptures, Teacher of the Faith, 420
Readings for Sundays in September
7 September
Trinity 16
Exodus 12:1-14
Romans 13:8-14
Matthew 18:15-20
14 September
Patronal Festival
Isaiah 61: 10-11
Galatians 4: 4-7
Luke 1: 26-38
21 September
St Matthew
Proverb 3: 13-18
2 Corinthians 4: 1-6
Matthew 9: 9-13
28 September
Michael and All Angels
Revelation 12: 7-12
Hebrews 1: 5 to
end
John 1: 47 to end
Thinking of you
Every Sunday we
pray for people living and working in two or three roads in the parish. The
roads in September will be:
7 September
Hilliers Lane
& Wandle Bank
14 September
Hallowell Avenue
& Tritton Avenue
21 September
Bridges Lane
& Wandle Court Gardens
28 September
Wandle Road &
Blandford Close
From the Registers
Baptisms
10 August Peyton Rose Scoones
Alana Kathryn Collier
Lucy Lauren
Miller-Albright
17 August Mia Ray Hall
Marriages
16 August Shaun and Wendy Redmond
Blessing
16 August George and Maureen Kolomaukos
Funerals
8 August Patrick Barclay
27th August Brian (Bob) Taylor
28th August Howard Botfield
Snippets
Go
South Go!
As the Beijing
2008 Olympics end, South London will get ready to raise the flag as London
takes up the Cultural Olympiad.
On September
17th, the Beijing Paralympics will close. The challenge to South London is to
celebrate the occasion at 3.00pm. Towers across the London Boroughs have been
asked to ring their bells at some time between 3.00 and 6.00 that afternoon.
From 3 pm, in the
Square in Sutton, there will be demonstrations of ringing on a portable ring of
bells. It will be a PR event and ringers will be there with information. Do go
along and watch if possible.
Shortly after 4 pm,
Beddington bells will ring out to draw attention to the celebrations. The band
will then move on to Carshalton to do the same there. So if you hear the bells
ringing that Wednesday afternoon, you'll know why.
If you want more
information about Go South Go, log on to their website to get a one-stop
information guide to the opportunities and benefits of the London 2012 Olympic
and Paralympic Games.
Jean Kimber
19
September is Tea Time
Whether it’s
lapsang souchong or a mug of builders’, it’s hard to beat a nice cup of tea.
Unless it’s a nice cup of tea that could help make a fairer world.
What is ‘Tea Time’?
It’s a unique fundraising event that puts the tea in the fight against poverty.
Last year, the first ever Christian Aid Tea Time saw more than 2,000 tea
parties from Sheffield to Sri Lanka raise an incredible £195,000 for our
partners' vital work.
You are invited
take part in the event at the Centre on Friday 19th September from 3pm to 5 pm
Open
House London - 'Architecture Up Close'
20 &
21 September 2008!
Open House
London, the Capital's largest architectural showcase, is taking place on 20-21
September. This year’s event will once again reveal the fabric of London in all
its diversity: opening eyes and minds to the architectural gems, contemporary
design and areas of urban change that define the city today.
In celebration of design excellence, an incredible 700 buildings and
architectural walks and talks are featured, giving Londoners the opportunity to
experience architecture up close and be part of a Capital-wide idea for one
weekend in the year.
St Mary’s Church
will be open to support this event.
World's
Biggest Coffee Morning
Friday 26
September 2008
In aid of
Macmillan Cancer Support
This flagship
fundraising event last year saw over 50,000 people hold a coffee morning to
help people living with cancer. Together with their friends, families and
colleagues they raised an incredible £7.5 million!
This year the
charity is aiming to raise £8.5 million to help support more people living with
cancer.
Our regular Kith,
Kin & Kanine session in the Centre on Friday 26 September will be made over
to raising funds of this event. Do come along.
Improving by degrees!
The story goes
that you can tell when a priest was ordained because of the most recent books
on his or her bookshelf, which will have been published around the time of
their ordination.
Yet one of the
questions which make up the ordination vows counsels against this. “Will you be
diligent in prayer, in reading Holy Scripture and in all studies that will
deepen your faith and fit you to uphold the truth of the Gospel against error?”
It’s a reminder that continued study and professional development are not
simply an option for the clergy. Rather they are an integral part of their
calling and important if they are going to be able to preach and teach over
many years. For me, it’s also an important part of my spiritual life. Wrestling
with Scripture, working with it to try to reveal its mysteries and depths is a
hugely sustaining and life-giving part of my journey with and towards God. For
me, it’s not a question of ministry or study the one very much supports the
other, and makes me stronger in both areas.
So I was
delighted when Bishop Nick, the Diocese, the churchwardens, Paul as our Curate
and last but not least Guy all supported me when I mentioned my desire to do
some more formal work in the area of biblical studies and interpretation. As
many of you know, I feel that this area is not only important for our
development as individual Christians but is vital to the future development of
the Anglican Communion. With their support I applied for and have been accepted
onto a two year part time MA at King’s College London, working with some of the
most exciting biblical scholars in the country at the moment. My course begins
at the end of September and I’m really looking forward to it – although not to
the idea of the exams that are also part of the course.
I hope that the
teaching and study will have benefits for all of us, as together we read,
struggle with, and are formed by God’s word.
Justine
Perspectives on the Choir’s Trip to Germany
5th to
11th August 2008
It was my
privilege to be invited to join the group accompanying the choir to Germany. We
travelled by coach all the way – getting off for meals and comfort stops. We
left St Mary’s Church at about 7am on the Tuesday morning, having packed into
the coach not only suitcases but organ and stand, lectern, rostrum, mirror,
cd’s, dvd’s, footballs, cricket bats, goal posts etc etc, and by the time our
good natured driver had got everything in there was not a square inch of space
left. All the choir robes were laid out on the back seat of the coach. Daniel
Crozier was responsible for checking everyone off and on the coach, making sure
we didn’t leave anyone behind.
We boarded the ferry
‘Pride of Burgundy’ and enjoyed a full cooked breakfast on the journey to
Calais. We arrived in Bad Honnigen at
7:30pm, having crossed the Rhine at Linz on a ferry which crabbed its way
across because of the strong current. We
were made very welcome at the hotel by Herr and Frau Elbern and their staff.
The choir was
absolutely fantastic, their standard of singing was second to none; at the
concerts they received standing ovations and there wasn’t a dry eye in the
house after trebles sang ‘Oh for the Wings of a Dove’, ‘Where is Love’, and a
duet from ‘Hansel and Gretel’.
The trip, of
course, was not all work we had fun too!
The boys played football and other games between rehearsals and
performances. Each morning we had an ice cream at the local restaurant in the
square. We also made a trip to Konnigswinter and went on the Drechenfels
Mountain Railway to the top and enjoyed the wonderful views.
There were many
amusing incidents in the week and here is a flavour:
In Cologne as we
approached the Cathedral, one of the boys seeing the scaffolding on the side of
the spire said ‘Oh look, they are still building it!’
When Andrew asked
for all senior boys to attend a separate rehearsal a little lad put up his hand
and said ‘ Sir, who is a senior boy?’ looking down at him Andrew said with a
twinkle in his eye, ‘Anyone who is bigger than you!’
And our Wisley expert
was seen rushing off to get a pair of scissors to cut off a damaged frond on a
plant in the lobby and was stopped by Frau Elbern who said ‘Nein, Nein, the plant is
plastic. Pat and all of us had a good
laugh together.
It was good to
see our Rector Justine on the Thursday and at High Mass on Sunday, in Sinzig,
she read the Gospel (in English) at St Peter’s Church.
The choir
performances were of a really high standard and owe much to the skill and hard
work of Andrew Wilson. Everyone contributed to the success of the tour and
should be congratulated as ambassadors. On the last night this was recognised
when the Mayor of Bad Honnigen visited us and said he was pleased to have us in
his town and hoped very much we would come again.
Jenifer Davison
What
do you think was the best of Germany?
I asked this of each
and every one of the 26 people on the coach as we headed home. Here is what
they told me:
First, the
singing, with the organ music a close second. Whether we were performing or
listening and watching, we all felt immensely proud of the music, of ourselves
and of each other. When audiences gave
standing ovations we could hardly believe it!
The welcome, the
warmth of the people we met at the concerts, the trains, the buses and the
congregations was overwhelming.
Of the
expeditions, Cologne got the most votes - although we shall remember the
Drachenfeld, the panoramic view from the top, then (some of us) walking all the
way down.
When the choir
sang in Cologne, tourists from all over the world stopped to listen to the
gentle sound of a Welsh Lullaby. A moment to treasure! Up the 509 steps and
down, to reach the top of the Tower and the special views, passing the enormous
bells and face to face with the crocketts we had admired from the ground. (A crockett
is an architectural ornament projecting from the sloping edge of a spire)
Most people
appreciated ‘being with lovely people’ and getting to know everyone better, and
for one it was just good to re-visit the St Mary’s community.
Small things
mattered too, the peaceful hotel in a peaceful town, the games on the green,
the toy shop and the excellent ice cream.
For one at least - relaxing at the end of the day with a well earned
beer.
For your
correspondent, all of the above. Plus the discovery that there are at least 18
ways to wear a baseball cap, as the group photographs of the treble line show.
Pat Kingsbury
Sam
Hudson, an appreciation
Our organist for
the Choir Trip to Germany was Sam Hudson.
Many of the congregation will remember Sam, who was organ scholar at St
Mary’s some six years ago having been a chorister here from the age of 12. After a brief spell as organ scholar at St
Michael’s in West Croydon and some very pleasing A level grades, Sam went on to
Girton College, Cambridge where he had an organ scholarship and had duties
playing for services. After university
Sam got a job as organ scholar at Wells Cathedral, a job that included duties
as librarian and taking rehearsals of the boys’ and girls’ choirs. He stayed at Wells for a couple of years or
so. If Sam were in the acting profession
he would currently be described as resting and although he has been called to
interview a number of times (including an interview at St Paul’s), he has
fallen foul of that old problem of people starting out: that he has not got
enough experience but cannot get it because people will not appoint him. All of us on the trip to the Rhineland were
very impressed with Sam’s mastery of the instruments that he had to contend
with and hope that he will soon find something that he will want to do.
Where have all the ringers gone…….?
You may well have
been asking that question. It’s been a year of belfry misfortunes - ringers
leaving, ropes fraying, a feeling of lack of progress and of course having to
stop ringing from the beginning of June until the roof problems were
investigated and repaired was almost the final straw.
However, I
arranged for us to practise at Carshalton on Thursdays and in return, rang for
their Evensong (their ringers only ring in the morning). We are very grateful
to the Rector and the Carshalton ringers for helping us out.
Eventually, at
the beginning of August (as I lay languishing on a Moroccan beach!) we were
given the go-ahead to start ringing again - but only the lighter front six bells.
(For the musical, or not, running down a scale of 10 notes, the first six make
a perfect drop) We miss our "proper" ringing of all ten bells so much
but hopefully we’ll be back to normal soon.
I really want to
thank the band for rallying round and supporting me through a "slough of
despair".
Jean Kimber
PS. From the
comments of many of the congregation, you really did miss us. It's nice to be
missed but we'd rather not be!
A note
from the Churchwardens and Rector
Like us, you’ll
be pleased to have heard the return of the front 6 bells in August – the bells
are such an important part of our life at St Mary’s. Our architect allowed us
to start limited ringing when the roof investigations revealed nothing too
horrendous and remedial work had been undertaken. We’ve made significant
repairs to the roof, (which cost over £7,000) including the installation of new
flexible joints which allow movement of the tower without causing damage to the
joint and roof of the nave. We’ve also taken the opportunity to carry out a
tower sway test (something we do reasonably regularly as part of our care for
the building) and the results are with our architect and structural surveyor
for their review and analysis. Hopefully, as Jean says, the full ten bells will
be back with us soon. [Stop press … Stop press … Approval for
ringing of all 10 has now been given!]
John Gower – Who was he?
Betty Walker
writes:
This year is the
600th anniversary of the death of John Gower.
You can see his colourful tomb in Southwark Cathedral. He was a friend of
Chaucer and himself wrote books, mainly in verse, in Latin, French and English.
The head of his effigy on the tomb rests
on representations of these three books. In his will he left generous bequests
to the Priory of St Mary Overie (now Southwark Cathedral) and to other
charitable institutions.
In July a service
was held in the Cathedral to commemorate John Gower. After Choral Evensong some of his poems were
read in the original (we were given translations!). These are a few lines from
a poem ‘Last Things’ composed in his old age when he was blind.
“Thus because I
can write nothing further with my hands
I will write with
my prayers what my hand cannot.
This is what I, a
blind man, pray for in these present days,
That you make our
kingdoms prosperous in the future, O God,
And grant that I
receive your holy light.”
St Giles
September
1
St Giles was born
in the early 7th century and died about 710. Little is known of his origin and
early life but he is believed to have been born in Greece and lived as a hermit
near the mouth of the Rhône, not far from Nimes.
Legends of St
Giles were extremely popular in the Middle Ages and probably the best known is
that of Giles and the hind.
King Wamba, king
of the Visigoths from 672, was out hunting in the forest between Arles and
Nimes. He saw a hind and chased it but it ran into a thicket. The king shot an
arrow into the thicket and then went to investigate. He found he had shot
Giles, who had been at prayer and who had protected the hind. When he saw what
he had done, he begged forgiveness and tried to make amends. Giles refused his
help and also refused the king's offer of land for a monastery.
Over time,
however, Giles' fame spread and multitudes gathered at his cave. So around 674,
the king built a monastery and Giles became its first abbot. Soon a small town
grew up called Saint-Gilles-du-Gard.
Because of this
tradition, Giles became the patron saint of cripples. His emblem is an arrow
and he is usually depicted with a hind. On St Giles' special day let us pray
that all mankind may treat God's creatures with gentleness.
Hildegard of Bingen
17
September
Born in
Bemersheim (Böckelheim), West Franconia (now Germany), she was the tenth child
of a well-to-do family. She'd had visions connected with illness (perhaps
migraines) from a young age, and in 1106 her parents sent her to a 400 year old
Benedictine monastery which had only recently added a section for women. They
put her under the care of a noblewoman and resident there, Jutta, calling
Hildegard the family's "tithe" to God.
Jutta, whom
Hildegard later referred to as an "unlearned woman", taught Hildegard
to read and to write. Jutta became the abbess of the convent, which attracted
other young women of noble background. Those who have traced the influence of
ideas in her writings find that Hildegard must have read quite extensively.
Part of the Benedictine rule required study, and Hildegard clearly availed
herself of the opportunities.
When Jutta died
in 1136, Hildegard was elected unanimously as the new abbess. Rather than
continue as part of a double house -- a monastery with units for men and for
women -- Hildegard in 1148 decided to move the convent to Rupertsberg, where it
was on its own, not directly under the supervision of a male house. The move
was completed in 1150.
The Rupertsberg
convent grew to as many as 50 women, and became a popular burial site for the
wealthy of the area. The women who joined the convent were of wealthy
backgrounds, and the convent did not discourage them from maintaining something
of their lifestyle. Hildegard of Bingen withstood criticism of this practice,
claiming that wearing jewelry to worship God was honoring God, not practicing
selfishness.
Still showing
much self-doubt, she began to write and to share her visions.
Hildegard of
Bingen lived at a time when, within the Benedictine movement, there was stress
on the inner experience, personal meditation, an immediate relationship with
God, and visions. It was also a time in Germany of striving between papal
authority and the authority of the German (Holy Roman) emperor, and by a papal
schism.
A final famous
incident happened near the end of Hildegard's life, when she was in her
eighties. She allowed a nobleman who had been excommunicated to be buried at the
convent, seeing that he had last rites. She claimed she'd received word from
God allowing the burial. But her ecclesiastical superiors intervened, and
ordered the body exhumed. Hildegard defied the authorities by hiding the grave,
and the authorities excommunicated the entire convent community. Most
insultingly to Hildegard, the interdict prohibited the community from singing.
She complied with the interdict, avoiding singing and communion, but did not
comply with the command to exhume the corpse. Hildegard appealed the decision
to yet higher church authorities, and finally had the interdict lifted.
Lancelot Andrewes
25
September
On September 25th
most of the Anglican Communion commemorates the day on which Lancelot Andrewes
died. Archbishop Laud expressed this very simply in his diary, "Monday, About
4 0'clock in the morning, died Lancelot Andrews, the most worthy bishop of
Winchester, the great light of the Christian world." And what a light he was in his time and still
is. Those who value the catholicity of the Church and the beauty of holiness in
worship also offer a big thank you on this day, as he safeguarded the Catholic
heritage in the English Church in its formative years of the Reformation period
under Elizabeth I.
Andrewes' began
his ministry (a ministry that was to last 50 years) around 1578, a time when
the Puritans were trying their hardest, especially through pamphlets and
parliaments, to model the English Church on the Genevan. This would have meant
discarding the episcopal and apostolic ministry, the Prayer Book, downplaying
the sacraments and dismantling the structure of cathedrals. However their
demands were always thwarted by Queen Elizabeth. She and the Archbishop of
Canterbury (Whitgift) both appointed Andrewes as one of their chaplains, and
prevailed on his skills as a preacher and theologian to address many of the
issues raised by Puritans in the late 16th century. So his preaching
and lecturing, and later on when a bishop his Visitation Articles, always
stressed amongst other things the observance of Prayer Book services to be
taken by a properly ordained minister, the Eucharist to be celebrated
reverently, infants to be baptised, the Daily Offices to be said, and spiritual
counselling to be given where needed.
For Andrewes the
Eucharist was the meeting place for the infinite and finite, the divine and
human, heaven and earth. "The blessed mysteries ... are from above; the
'Bread that came down from Heaven,' the Blood that hath been carried 'into the
holy place.' And I add, ubi Corpus, ubi sanguis Christi, ibi Christus". We
here "on earth ... are never so near Him, nor He us, as then and
there." Thus it is to the altar we must come for "that blessed union
[which] is the highest perfection we can in this life aspire unto." Unlike
his contemporary Puritans it was not the pulpit but the altar, glittering with
its candles and plate, with incense wafting to God, which was the focal point
for worship in Andrewes' chapel.
The reason that
Andrewes placed so much importance on reverence in worship came from his
conviction that when we worship God it is with our entire being, that is, both
bodily and spiritually.
Andrewes’ ministry
touched all walks of life: He was chaplain to reigning monarchs for 40 years;
constant preacher at Court especially for James I; vicar of an important London
parish, St. Giles, Cripplegate; and a prebendary of St Paul's Cathedral for 15
years. He was also Master of Pembroke College, Cambridge for a similar period;
a prebendary and then Dean of Westminster Abbey for a total of eight years;
Almoner and Dean of the Royal Chapel, and finally a bishop for 22 years. He
therefore not only held influential positions but also ministered to many who
held important positions of State. Yet his congregations came from all walks of
life, apart from royalty, politicians and gentry, there were actors, artisans,
musicians, students, common folk and clerics. Contemporaries admired his
preaching and piety, and eagerly awaited the publication of his sermons.
So it is not
surprising that for many in the 17th century Andrewes was considered the
authority on worship, and so what he practised in his beautiful chapel,
designed for Catholic worship, became their standard for the celebration of the
Liturgy.
As a preacher
Andrewes was highly esteemed by contemporaries and later generations. In modern
times Eliot referred to Andrewes as "the first great preacher of the
English Catholic Church" who always spoke as "a man who had a formed
visible Church behind him, who speaks with the old authority and the new
culture”, whilst his sermons “rank with the finest English prose of their time,
of any time."
There is no doubt
that Andrewes saw himself as standing in that long line of Christian tradition
embedded in antiquity, and a part of the wonder and loveliness of creation. As
Dean Church said of him: "He ... felt himself, even in private prayer, one
of the great body of God's creation and God's Church. He reminded himself of
it, as he did of the Object of his worship, in the profession of his faith. He
acted on it in his detailed and minute intercessions." Indeed Andrewes was
a man of prayer and learning whose preaching and piety was noted as far away as
Venice. Each day of his life, from 4.00 am to noon was spent in prayer and
study. It is a shame that very few Anglicans know anything about this
most important divine during the Reformation period in England.
The Mothers’ Union Wave of Prayer
11th –
15th August 2008
The Wave of
Prayer is an offering of prayer from and for the Mothers' Union around the
world. It is something that concerns every member as all take part in prayer
for Mothers' Union in each diocese of the Anglican Communion in turn. Specific
days in the year are therefore allocated to each diocese when prayers are
focused on their work and needs. It is
an act of both Intercession and thanksgiving and every member makes a special
effort to come at their appointed time to pray.
This year about
12 members of the St Mary’s Branch of the Mothers’ Union met at Mary Tapp’s
house to pray at their appointed time, which was 3:40 – 4:00pm.
Jennifer led the
prayers and the first prayer was the Mothers’ Union Prayer:
Loving Lord,
We thank you for your love so freely given to us all.
We pray for
families around the world.
Bless the work of
the Mothers' Union
as we seek to share your love through
the
encouragement, strengthening
and support of
marriage and family life.
Empowered by your
Spirit,
may we be united
in prayer and worship,
and in love and
service reach out
as your hands
across the world.
In Jesus' name.
Amen
We prayed for: the
Southwark Diocese, the Diocese of Uyo, Niger Delta North, Northern Territory
Australia,
Butere, Calaban, the
Diocese of Oxford. We also prayed for Zimbabwe and asked for peace and
reconciliation, and for those who had suffered in the cyclone in Burma. We
concluded with the Lords Prayer and the Grace.
After members
stayed to enjoy a cup of tea and profiteroles. They also had a good chat!
Twenty Years Ago
September
1988
The 1988
September magazine contained just over six pages of tributes to Russell
Stableford, who had died in June. They came from old and young and were so
moving and varied, I feel I have to quote some;
"The
children will miss him, our loss is great and our memories very precious"
- Sunday School
"Russ will
be missed; a good friend and fellow musician" - John Dean (professional
percussionist)
"…someone
who, with natural humility, possessed a true love for all his fellow men"
- Michael Hodgson
"Thank you,
Russell, for letting me have your old TV so that I could watch the 1982 World
Cup in my bedroom and for giving me a guitar case when I couldn't afford to buy
one" - Nick Kimber
“Thank you for
helping me get my drum kit, thereby setting me on the road to my future" -
Chris Kimber
"He was a
gentle man in every sense of the word. Thanks be to God for him; all that he
meant to us and for his memory" - Eileen Reynolds
In Stewart
Kimber's 20 Years Ago for 1968, he decided we were celebrating the anniversary
of the two-tier postal system. Someone had written: "With the introduction
of the 5d post, the simplest procedure would be to ignore it. Then the 4d rate
would continue…." A good idea but
40 years later - would we dare?
There was an
article by Beverley Davis who had just become Enrolling Member for the Mothers'
Union. Heather Cosgrove, Eunice Goodbourn and Anne May were all about to become
new members.
There was an
interesting and amusing article about a Choir holiday in Halifax, written by
Patrick Egerton. Their main bone of contention was that the ladies' loo was far
superior to the men's and it sounded as though the ladies frequently lost out
in the morning rush! The choirmaster caused much hilarity with his bedtime
fashion, which consisted of a nightshirt topped off by a Santa-style nightcap.
Oh, yes - they
also sang Evensong at Chester Cathedral!
A further Choir
trip was also recorded, this time by yours truly, which nearly ended in
disaster. Off to sing at Bristol Cathedral, we found ourselves in a massive
queue behind an accident on the M4. We sat there for two hours, while the 2.00
rehearsal time for a 3.30 service came and went. We arrived at 3.15, followed
10 minutes later by a minibus full of trebles! The singing was brilliant - no
one would have guessed - and the serenity of Evensong gradually relaxed us and
made it all worthwhile.
There were also
articles from the Guides and Brownies, the Boys' Brigade and Sutton Wel-Care
Jean Kimber
Editors note: any more thoughts and reflections for future
magazines?
Praying in September
Our local
community
Pray for students,
teachers and tutors as they commence a new year at school and university. Pray
for all parents whose children are leaving home for the first time. Grant them
peace of mind as their children ‘fly the nest’.
The World
Give us Father, a
vision of your world as love would make it,
a world whose
benefits are shared so that everyone can enjoy them,
a world where
peace is built with justice and love.
The Church
Father, we praise
you, you are full of glory, majesty, power and joy, goodness and love.
Help us to
worship you and rejoice, to bow down in reverence and to spend time quietly
with you each day.
Blessed are the
Peacemakers,
for they shall be known as the Children of God.
But I say to you that hear, love your enemies,
do good to those who hate you,
bless those who curse you,
pray for those who abuse you.
To those who strike you on the cheek, offer the other also,
and from those who take away your cloak,
do not withhold your coat as well.
Give to everyone who begs from you,
and of those who take away your goods, do not ask them again.
And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.