Thoughts from The Vicarage with a viral video, scaffolding and dates
Greetings!
Please find attached Pews News for this Sunday with services and upcoming events.
Wonderful news!
The cleaning and painting work in St Michael & All Angels is now complete with the scaffolding being taken down on Friday.
A video with an unexpected subject has captured the attention of hundreds of thousands of viewers around the world. It is of a reading of the Nicene Creed in Old English which has exploded across the Church of England’s digital channels, and beyond, racking up nearly half a million impressions and sparking a global wave of engagement. The video opens with a short introduction: “What you’re about to hear is the oldest English translation of the Nicene Creed, written in the year 992 by a monk called Ælfric. Ælfric lived a thousand years ago, but his world was not so different from ours. He believed that understanding the word of God would give people hope and guide them in their lives:
This viral moment comes as the Church marks the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed, a cornerstone of Christian belief since AD 325.
Creationtide
In 1989 the Orthodox Church proclaimed 1 September as a day of prayer for creation. Embraced by other major Christian European churches in 2001 and by Pope Francis for the Roman Catholic Church in 2015, the observance was extended into the Season of Creation by the World Council of Churches.
Many churches choose to use this time of year to hold special services and events to give thanks for God’s gift of creation, and to renew their commitment to caring for our one planet home.
This year the Lambourn Valley Benefice will be observing Creationtide. It stretches from 1st September to 5th October the Sunday we will be honouring St. Francis of Assisi. This liturgical season offers our churches a time within the church year to intentionally respond in worship to the need to care for creation – a creation breathed into being by the pneuma – the Holy Spirit of God. We are but stewards of God’s creation and this season will be dedicated to God as Creator and Sustainer of Life.
If you have any ideas, suggestions and thoughts about marking Creationtide please do let Christine or myself know.
Dates for your diary
- July 13th – Baptism of Poppy Hughes 10.30 St Michael’s
- July 15th – PCC meeting 7pm All Saints
- July 16th – St Michael’s coffee and chat 10.30 to school
- July 16th – Living Well in The End Times 3pm The Vicarage
- July 19th – Wedding of Emily & Archie 3pm All Saints
- July 20th – Baptism of Jack & Harley 11.00 St Michael’s
- July 21st – Lambourn CE school Leavers’ service 1.30 pm St Michael’s
- July 23rd – Living Well in The End Times 3pm The Vicarage
- July 27th – Patronal Festival 10.30 St James
- July 27th – Baptism of William Signy 12.30 St Michael’s
- July 27th – Evening worship 6pm East Garston
- August 2nd – Wedding of Madeleine & William 2pm St Michael’s
- August 8th – Wedding of Hope and Grant 3.30 St James
- August 9th – Wedding of Rebecca & Karl 12.30 St Michael’s
- September 7th – Beginning of 4 weeks of Creationtide
- September 7th – Baptism of Ivy Comyn 4pm All Saints
- September 14th – Baptism of Billie Rose Smyly 12.30 All Saints
- September 14th – Harvest Festival 4pm St James
- September 28th – St Michael & all Angels 10.30 Patronal Festival with 6pm Choral Evensong
- October 5th – Feast Day of St Francis & culmination of Creationtide.
A prayer for this coming week
Lord, give us an awareness of
your closeness to us,
your presence among us,
your dwelling within us,
day by day,
hour by hour.
Teach us
to embrace your working in us,
to accept the gift and grace of your love as you fit us for your kingdom,
to put our trust in you.
Amen
God bless
Julie