The Parish Magazine of St Stephen's Church Guernsey October 2019
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The Parish Magazine of St Stephen’s Church Guernsey God’s Generosity October 2019 From the Editor A ‘mixed bag’ this month, really. Some important thoughts on generosity, contributions of articles on various subjects, Gift Month, and events coming up: our monthly church ‘harvest’ of the written word (small ‘w’). Claudia Moore Great Church Mouse Trail Saturday 19th October 10.00am-3.00pm Sunday 20th October 2.00-4.00pm Etienne, the church mouse at St Stephen’s, would like to invite everyone who is young and young-at-heart to a fun interactive Great Church Mouse Trail at the church. Whilst you are on the Trail, you can admire our newly-restored William Morris stained glass windows. As he shows you around the church, Etienne will be helped by his friends: - Louis, who lives out at Pleinmont; - Gus, a butler mouse who lives in Town and knows all about the Victorian gentry who built St Stephen’s and their connections to world history; - and Suzette, Etienne’s sister who lives in London and knows the artists of the William Morris ‘Firm’. You will also meet Sid and Harry, mice who work in Mr Morris’ stained-glass studio. They will tell you how glass is made; and you can play a game of Egyptian marbles or make a crown or a sun catcher. Have you ever wondered why a brass eagle sits on a ball in church? Or what a chalice is used for? Find out some of the fun facts connected to the ‘Tree of Jesse’, including Christmas carols, a West End Musical and the name of a wine bottle. Etienne and his friends look forward to seeing you and have asked a few humans to help them! Rosalyne Le Huray What is Human Generosity? The modern English word ‘generosity’ derives from the Latin word generosus, which means ‘of noble birth’, which itself was passed down to English through the Old French word généreux. Most recorded English uses of the word ‘generous’ up to and during the sixteenth century reflect an aristocratic sense of being of noble lineage or high birth. To be generous was literally a way of saying ‘belonging to nobility’. During the seventeenth century, however, the meaning and use of the word began to change. Generosity came increasingly to identify not literal family heritage, but a nobility of spirit thought to be associated with high birth. It pointed to various admirable qualities that could now vary from person to person, depending not on family history but on whether a person actually possessed these qualities. In this way, generosity came to signify a variety of traits of character and actions that were historically associated with the ideals of nobility: gallantry, courage, strength, richness, gentleness and fairness. In addition to describing these diverse human qualities, ‘generous’ became a word used during this period to describe fertile land, the strength of animal breeds, abundant provisions of food, vibrancy of colours, the strength of liquor and the potency of medicine. Then during the eighteenth century, the meaning of ‘generosity’ continued to evolve in directions denoting the more specific, contemporary meaning: munificence, open- handedness, liberality in the giving of money and possessions to others. This more specific meaning came to dominate English usage by the nineteenth century. Over the past five centuries in the English-speaking world, ‘generosity’ developed from being primarily the description of an ascribed status pertaining to the elite nobility to being an achieved mark of admirable personal quality and action. Viewed in this way, generosity was capable of being exercised by any person who had learned virtue and noble character. Today we use the word ‘generosity’ to refer to the virtue of giving good things to others, freely and abundantly. It is a learned character trait that involves both attitude and action. It is therefore not a random idea, nor a haphazard behaviour, but rather (in its mature form) a basic, personal, moral orientation to life. Generosity always intends to enhance the true well-being of those to whom it gives. What exactly generosity gives can be various things: money, possessions, time, attention, aid, encouragement, emotional availability and more. Fr John Moore Church Diary – October 2019 Tuesday 1 Remigius, Bishop of Rheims, Apostle of the Franks, 533 11.00am Mass Lady Chapel Wednesday 2 7.00pm Mass Lady Chapel Thursday 3 George Bell, Bishop of Chichester, Ecumenist, Peacemaker, 1958 Friday 4 Francis of Assisi, Friar, Founder of the Friars Minor, 1226 7.00pm Mass Resurrection Chapel Saturday 5 Sunday 6 Dedication Festival and 10.30am Combined Mass Fr John The Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity 12.00pm Dedication Lunch Monday 7 10.00am Little Treasures Toddlers’ Group Tuesday 8 11.00am Mass Lady Chapel Wednesday 9 Denis, Bishop of Paris, and his Companions, Martyrs, c. 250 7.00pm Mass Lady Chapel Thursday 10 Paulinus, Bishop of York, Missionary, 644 Friday 11 Ethelburga, Abbess of Barking, 675 7.00pm Mass Resurrection Chapel Fr Marc Saturday12 Wilfrid of Ripon, Bishop, Missionary, 709 Sunday 13 The Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity 9.30am Said Mass (Family Min) Fr Marc 11.00am Sung Mass Fr Marc Monday 14 10.00am Little Treasures Toddlers’ Group Tuesday 15 Teresa of Avila, Teacher, 1582 11.00am Mass cancelled (Beechwood Harvest Service) 12.00pm Friendship Lunch Wednesday 16 Nicholas Ridley, Bishop of London, and Hugh Latimer, Bishop 7.00pm Mass Lady Chapel of Worcester, Reformation Martyrs, 1555 Thursday 17 Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, Martyr, c. 107 Friday 18 The Feast of Saint Luke the Evangelist 10.00am-3.00pm ‘Great Church Mouse Trail’ for Beechwood, Melrose and Blanchelande students 7.00pm Mass Resurrection Chapel Saturday 19 Henry Martyn, Translator of the Scriptures, Missionary in 10.00am-3.00pm ‘Great Church Mouse Trail’ India and Persia, 1812 3.00pm The Re-Dedication of the restored William Morris stained glass windows, service led by the Rt Revd Trevor Wilmott, followed by a reception in the Community Centre Sunday 20 The Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity 9.30am Said Mass (Family Min) Fr John 11.00am Sung Mass Fr John 12.30pm Baptism of Bonnie Blampied 2.00-4.00pm ‘Great Church Mouse Trail’ for families who attend Messy Church Monday 21 10.00am Little Treasures Toddlers’ Group Tuesday 22 11.00am Mass Lady Chapel Wednesday 23 7.00pm Mass Lady Chapel Thursday 24 Friday 25 Crispin and Crispinian, Martyrs at Rome, C. 287 7.00pm Mass Resurrection Chapel Saturday 26 Alfred the Great, King of the West Saxons, Scholar, 899 Sunday 27 Bible Sunday and The Last Sunday after Trinity 9.30am Family Service Fr John 11.00am Sung Mass Fr John 12.30pm Baptism of Caleb Nicholas Wakeford Monday 28 Simon and Jude, Apostles 10.00am Little Treasures Toddlers’ Group Tuesday 29 James Hannington, Bishop of Eastern Equatorial Africa, 11.00am Mass Lady Chapel Fr Marc Martyr in Uganda, 1885 Wednesday 30 7.00pm Mass Lady Chapel Fr Marc Thursday 31 Martin Luther, Reformer, 1546 Looking Further Ahead Nov 8 Friday 10.20am Ladies’ College Remembrance Day Service Nov 16 Saturday 4.00pm Taizé Service Nov 18 Monday 7.00pm APCC Meeting Nov 23 Saturday 11.00am- ‘Soups, Songs and Stalls’ 2.00pm Dec 1 Sunday 2.00pm- Christmas Messy Church 4.00pm Dec 2 Monday 1.15pm- Little Learners’ Nativity Play 2.45pm Dec 10 Tuesday 7.00pm Grammar School Carol Service Dec 12 Thursday 6.30pm Beechwood Carol Service Dec 13 Friday 1.30pm Melrose Carol Service Dec 15 Sunday 2.30pm Christmas Stocking Concert Dec 16 Monday 7.30pm Ladies’ College Carol Service The Generosity of God In humans, generosity is a learned characteristic. It is modelled for us; and it is embraced or rejected by us. Many people model it for us, and it is perfectly modelled for us by our Creator. Our God is a generous God. He is the original source of true generosity. His generosity has been displayed from the very beginning. God is generous in creation In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. He created them not just for Himself; He entrusted His glorious creation to the care of the human beings He had created in His image and for His glory. Apart from creating seas, mountains and rivers, God made 400,000 species of flowers; 750,000 species of insects; 200,000 species of edible plants; 10,000 species of birds; stars too numerous to count; and millions of galaxies besides our own. He not only created our universe with perfect elegance and complexity; He designed it with superfluous creativity. Such beauty inspired David to write (Psalm 8. 3-4), ‘When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?’ The generosity of God in creation alone is overwhelming. God is generous in the gift of His Son And yet God did, and does care for the humans He has created. Tragically, Adam and Eve failed to recognise the generosity of God. Duped by the evil one, they were convinced that God was holding something back from them for their enjoyment and growth. And so they took matters into their own hands; and the result was the advent of sin and shame. God then intervened in his limitless generosity and gave humankind the supreme gift, the gift of His only Son. He who is the Word of God took human form, lived among Cimabue, Crucifix, c. 1265, Santa Croce, Florence us, revealed His glory and offered Himself up as a sacrifice to pay the penalty of human sin.