Can you "Pop it in your shop"?
~ at the moment they are very short of toothpaste - so if you are able to grab a tube of toothpaste and 'pop it in your shop' that would be great - please leave them behind the screen in the back of church.
Thank you all so much for supporting our outreach to those in crisis.
St Augustine's "New Life Prayer Community" invites you all to join them on a Monday evening, upstairs in our parish hall, for song, prayer, and friendship.
The group began 40 years ago and it continues, even through the challenges of covid, to thrive. So please come along for an evening to see what you think!
You will be made very welcome in the New Life Prayer Community
QUIZ NIGHT
What a wonderful Quiz Night it was on Sunday - £727.14 was raised for our Parish Project - the tree planting campaign with Friends of the Earth - Thank you Bella.
A huge thanks to Mike Ryan (Quiz Master Extraordinaire), the team of OFSTED approved markers and runners, Steve 'Carol Vorderman' Wells for the scoring, Dave Roberts for the scoreboard, and Tim & Marie for the refreshments.
Congrats to our winners - hope you enjoy your prizes - and commiserations to the team with the 'best endeavours' winning wooden spoons!
There was a raffle, heads and tails game and even darts at the half time break. Such a fun night was had by all.
A huge thanks to Mike Ryan (Quiz Master Extraordinaire), the team of OFSTED approved markers and runners, Steve 'Carol Vorderman' Wells for the scoring, Dave Roberts for the scoreboard, and Tim & Marie for the refreshments.
Congrats to our winners - hope you enjoy your prizes - and commiserations to the team with the 'best endeavours' winning wooden spoons!
There was a raffle, heads and tails game and even darts at the half time break. Such a fun night was had by all.
Thanks, as ever, to Deacon Vincent for his Reflections for Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
1st Reading from the prophet Zechariah 9: 9-10.
Zechariah is one of the Twelve, sometimes called the Minor Prophets. The Zechariah scroll is the longest of the Twelve and is dateable about 520-518 and is concerned with the re-building of the Temple after the return from Exile in Babylon. This selection comes from the section looking at the End Time the coming of the Messianic Age and meditates on the nature of leadership in the community. Far from thinking of a great warrior messiah he envisages a humble leadership, a Humble Messiah, riding on a donkey. Matthew will take up this theme as Christ makes his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Zechariah’s vision of the Messiah is one who will herald peace and oppose war. He obviously spent much time in meditating upon God and the way he actually works. Although a small passage it contains a lot to dwell upon. It is worth reading several times then just being still with it and let it wash over us.
Psalm 144: 1-2, 8-11, 13-14.
This song takes up the theme that Zechariah had been discovering; God is kind and full of compassion, he is slow to anger and abounding in love. God loves his creation; he desires the welfare of all his creatures. It is a very current theme for us to ponder how important it is for us, to care for God’s creation and not exploit it for greed. This is a great song to meditate extensively upon.
2nd Reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Romans 8: 9, 11-13.
We continue reading Romans again this week and here Paul is concentrating on what the Spirit does and what the Spirit gives. Paul is pointing out the two worlds, one of death and the other, the world of the Spirit. Paul focusses once again upon the central position of the Resurrection. If we adhere to the Spirit, we will live. If we follow our basic human desires it will lead us away from our inheritance that Christ has purchased for us by his death and resurrection. We are called to be people of the Spirit and that Spirit; the Spirit of God, will bring us to union with God.
The Holy Gospel according to Matthew 11: 25-30.
This beautiful series of sayings is about the mystery of who can receive the message. Jesus reveals how the mystery works. Revelation comes from the Father to the Son, and then to those who are open to it, and these people are not necessarily the most highly educated. They are, in particular, those whom life crushes, they know and appreciate that Christ’s yoke is kindly, and those people discover that God’s word is a natural fit. How many times have each of us discovered this truth in our own lives. At our lowest point is the place where we encounter the Crucified Christ sharing our every pain and heartache. Because he has experienced such pain, disappointment and scorn, he automatically reaches out to calm and soothe our misfortunes. He really is a gentle and humble Messiah. We really need to acknowledge our need of Jesus, and he is there beside us. Let Jesus help us, that is what he came to do, Jesus really is always there for us and in all situations, because he Loves us. We are all truly blessed.
May God bless us all in the good and bad times.
Deacon Vincent
1st Reading from the prophet Zechariah 9: 9-10.
Zechariah is one of the Twelve, sometimes called the Minor Prophets. The Zechariah scroll is the longest of the Twelve and is dateable about 520-518 and is concerned with the re-building of the Temple after the return from Exile in Babylon. This selection comes from the section looking at the End Time the coming of the Messianic Age and meditates on the nature of leadership in the community. Far from thinking of a great warrior messiah he envisages a humble leadership, a Humble Messiah, riding on a donkey. Matthew will take up this theme as Christ makes his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Zechariah’s vision of the Messiah is one who will herald peace and oppose war. He obviously spent much time in meditating upon God and the way he actually works. Although a small passage it contains a lot to dwell upon. It is worth reading several times then just being still with it and let it wash over us.
Psalm 144: 1-2, 8-11, 13-14.
This song takes up the theme that Zechariah had been discovering; God is kind and full of compassion, he is slow to anger and abounding in love. God loves his creation; he desires the welfare of all his creatures. It is a very current theme for us to ponder how important it is for us, to care for God’s creation and not exploit it for greed. This is a great song to meditate extensively upon.
2nd Reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Romans 8: 9, 11-13.
We continue reading Romans again this week and here Paul is concentrating on what the Spirit does and what the Spirit gives. Paul is pointing out the two worlds, one of death and the other, the world of the Spirit. Paul focusses once again upon the central position of the Resurrection. If we adhere to the Spirit, we will live. If we follow our basic human desires it will lead us away from our inheritance that Christ has purchased for us by his death and resurrection. We are called to be people of the Spirit and that Spirit; the Spirit of God, will bring us to union with God.
The Holy Gospel according to Matthew 11: 25-30.
This beautiful series of sayings is about the mystery of who can receive the message. Jesus reveals how the mystery works. Revelation comes from the Father to the Son, and then to those who are open to it, and these people are not necessarily the most highly educated. They are, in particular, those whom life crushes, they know and appreciate that Christ’s yoke is kindly, and those people discover that God’s word is a natural fit. How many times have each of us discovered this truth in our own lives. At our lowest point is the place where we encounter the Crucified Christ sharing our every pain and heartache. Because he has experienced such pain, disappointment and scorn, he automatically reaches out to calm and soothe our misfortunes. He really is a gentle and humble Messiah. We really need to acknowledge our need of Jesus, and he is there beside us. Let Jesus help us, that is what he came to do, Jesus really is always there for us and in all situations, because he Loves us. We are all truly blessed.
May God bless us all in the good and bad times.
Deacon Vincent
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