This Week's News

ONLY 5 DAY TO GO! 
Are you bringing your little ones with you?

Well... run by our amazing Preschool staff and committee we will have a Fun Scavenger Hunt game - follow the clues around the field to find the hidden treasure - suitable for all the kids (and grown ups!) 

Plus, a Toddler play zone for the under 5's, 
AND you can come and decorate your own 'Gingerbread Daddy' for Father's Day 
AND shop at the Handmade craft stall.
See you there!



Corpus Christi
On the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Le Poidevin and Wells families created this beautiful, natural mosaic which was proudly displayed in the church for all to see.
 
Thanks to them all for such a lovely picture for this important feast day.

It is a tradition in many places around the world for such a display to be made as a collective enterprise involving many families. I wonder who might be interested in being involved next year?
 


Thanks to Deacon Vincent for his reflections for the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

1st Reading from the book of Exodus 19: 3-6.
The book of Exodus records how God frees God’s people from oppression in Egypt in the first fifteen chapters and then how they are turned into God’s sometimes obedient people as they travel through the desert, with Moses caught between the two factions. This section takes place just after Moses is advised by his father-in-law to select people to act on his behalf in the disputes between the Israelites, which up until now had only been handled by Moses and he was being inundated, so people were selected to handle the varying degrees of complaints. They arrive at Mount Sinai, and Moses goes up to meet God on the mountain. God tells Moses that if the people recognise and remember how God carried them out of the land of oppression and keep his covenant with him; his dream is for them to be a holy nation, a royal priesthood for Him, the one and only True God. When Moses relates to the Elders what God has said, the people unanimously agree to do everything that God commands and they agree to listen.

Psalm 99: 1-3, 5.
A brief song of “Thanksgiving”, with reasons to praise God. It is a song to lift our spirits and renew our trust in God.

2nd Reading from the letter of St. paul to the Romans 5: 6-11.
This section of Paul’s letter to the Romans is emphasising God’s unbelievable generosity in Christ. Paul is offering the Romans grounds for hope. His reasoning is that we have peace with God, which is given freely. Difficulties of various kinds do not interfere with this peace. God’s gift in Christ is given to the undeserving and to top it all Jesus’ resurrection was not just for his generous death, but also the conquest of death. God is offering everything to us because of Christ; God is so pleased with Jesus, that we who believe and follow him have those wonderful benefits. We are all truly Blessed.

The Holy Gospel according to Matthew 9: 36 - 10: 8.
As with the Sermon on the Mount, so also with this second of the great speeches that Matthew threads throughout his Gospel, he takes great care in setting the scene, but this time gives special attention to the crowd and how they appear to be just like sheep without a shepherd not knowing where to go for sustenance. Jesus shows his compassion for them, using a peasant metaphor, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest.” So, the scene is set for Jesus to call his special friends, the Apostles, all twelve of them. Matthew lists them in priority, With Simon Peter first and Judas Iscariot (the betrayer), last. Jesus commissions them with some of his powers over demons and sickness and sends them out to alleviate some of the need, reminding them that they received their gifts without charge, so use them without charge. Jesus sets the example for us, where there is a need, we cannot just sit idly by, waiting for somebody else to attend to it, we have to deal with the issue in a practical and compassionate manner. There is the challenge for us to follow in Jesus’ footsteps and attend to the harvest.
May God enlighten us to see the need and respond for his sake. Deacon Vincent.




Clifton Diocese bring you an evening with Sycamore on 5 July at 7pm. 

Sycamore offers informal courses about the Christian faith and its relevance for life today. It gives people the space to meet other people, share ideas, explore beliefs, and think about questions that really matter.
During this session, the Sycamore team will help us to understand better how we can run groups in our parishes using the high-quality video material that they have created.
We encourage anyone interested in using the material for sacramental preparation, RCIA and general faith exploration groups to join us. They can sign up using the Eventbrite link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/652663232297 for this online Zoom session.

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