Welcome to Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week. It’s a week that will be like no other for us during these difficult times when we are unable to physically gather to worship. I do hope you are all keeping well.
Many of you are now receiving this newsletter each week by email, and we are also posting or hand delivering (as part of daily exercise) paper copies to those people who are not on the internet. Don’t forget that you can read this newsletter and all our Facebook posts on our newly revamped website.
Thank you to everyone who has been helping out at this time, especially to those of you who have been telephoning each other and keeping in touch, which is so important. And thank you too for all your prayers and best wishes as we navigate these choppy waters together.
I do hope that Holy Week will be a time for you of drawing closer to God, our creator, redeemer and sustainer. I was much taken by some words sent out by Bishop Martin to the clergy in the Diocese about Holy Week. He writes:
‘My personal experience of Holy Week is that it feels like the beginning of a week in retreat. All other demands are set to one side…Like any retreat, it takes a bit of time to get into the rhythm of the days. This year, we have the unprecedented gift of time, because there is nowhere else to go. How will you use that time?’.
Worshipping Online
We’ve very quickly had to become a new type of church and radically adapt the ways we worship together. Thanks to modern technology many of us can still share together in Holy Week and the joy of the resurrection. We hope to provide you with some simple worship opportunities to mark this important moment in our church year. These will all be available on both our website and our Facebook pages.
Lectionary readings
Palm Sunday, 5th April:
Matthew 21.1-11 (Palm liturgy) Isiah 50.4-9a, Philippians 2.5-11, Matthew 26.14-end of 27 (Passion Gospel)
Easter Day
Jeremiah 31.1-6 , Acts 10.34-43, John 20.1-18
The Collect for Palm Sunday
Almighty and everlasting God,
who in your tender love towards the human race
sent your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ
to take upon him our flesh
and to suffer death upon the cross:
grant that we may follow the example of his patience and humility,
and also be made partakers of his resurrection;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen
Palm Sunday
To mark Palm Sunday we are inviting you to tie a green branch to your front door, alongside last year’s palm cross (if you have one), as in this photo of the vicarage door.
Alternatively you could stick up a palm cross in your window. Lucy, our church warden has provided some directions as to how you can make a palm cross, and they are attached to this email. It’s good to be a visible worshipping presence in the community, especially at this time when our church doors have to remain shut. Do take a photo of your palms and post them onto Facebook if you are able.
Look out on Sunday morning online at 10am for a very unusual reading of the Passion to mark the day.
Holy Week
There will be a simple Celtic Evening Prayer said Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evening at 7.30pm on a platform called Zoom. You can join in with this if you wish, or alternatively read the liturgy for yourselves quietly at home (see attached document). The directions and links as to how to join in with a Zoom meeting will be later posted on the website and Facebook page. It’s really very easy, and you can even do it on a landline.
Here are the readings for Evening Prayer
- Monday: Colossians 1.18-23
- Tuesday: Galatians 6.11-end
- Wednesday: Revelation 14.18 to 15.4.
Maundy Thursday
A short Maundy Thursday evening reflection, ready to watch online by 7.30pm.
Good Friday
Our church is full of artistic people and some of them are creating nine images, each depicting one of the Stations of the Cross. These will be incorporated into a reflective service posted online ready for 2pm. There is still one station left to illustrate, so if you’d like to do it, please contact me as soon as possible for details.
Easter Sunday
We are posting up a simple short Eucharist, a sermon from Canon Tony, and a few extras! We invite you to watch these online at 10am so that we have a sense of gathering together at the same time, even if not in the same place.
Other ways to worship
You can always pop over to the St Mary de Haura website and see what is happening at our sister church. Canon Ann plans a range of online services and sermons.
Chichester Cathedral are streaming their services on their website.
There are many other online worship opportunities and also services on the radio and television. There are too many to list here but go to the Church of England’s website for full information.
10 O’clock Rock
Our family and children’s co-ordinator Daisy is putting together activity sheets for our Sunday school. See attached. She has make an especially wonderful film this week showing how to make an Easter Garden.
Thank you Daisy.
Notices
The Food Bank is in need of donations. Joss Loader writes:
Please consider donating an item or two from this list: Cereal, long life fruit juice, tinned fruit, pasta sauce, tinned fish, tinned potatoes, tea bags, tinned veg, and rice.
Joss has established collection points - please drop off donations in gardens at the following addresses from 3pm to 6pm on Monday, 6th April:
- Joss Loader - 25 Falcon Close
- Dai Hudd - 55 Old Fort Road
- David Calderbank -19 River Close
- The Rev Jane Bartlett - the vicarage accessed from the garden in King's Walk, adjacent to the church hall.
- For those in the town, Canon Ann - please leave on her doorstep at the vicarage (33 Church Street).
You can also donate money to the Food Bank directly. Shoreham Food Bank’s details are: Oaks Trust, Account Number: 60244348, Sort code: 53-61-02 (Please put Shoreham Foodbank as the reference when making a bank transfer).
The April issue of Shoreline is available! You can read this on the church website. It’s a great issue, and a big thank you to Adam and the contributors for putting this together. Paper copies will be delivered to those who are not online.
Volunteering
Adur District Council is looking for volunteers to help with shopping and the delivery prescriptions and other practical support. Register here.
Finally
If you would like me light a candle in church for yourself or someone you love who is need of healing prayer, do be in touch.
With love and blessings,
Rev’d Jane
Email: bartlett.jane@ntlworld.com
Tel: 07935538085