Underriver Newssheet
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Underriver Newssheet APRIL 2017 Alleluia. He is Risen The Church of St Margaret, Underriver Contact:... St Lawrence Vicarage, Stone Street, Sevenoaks, Kent TN15 0LQ Telephone: 01732 761766 Email: [email protected] Church Calendar APRIL 2 5th Sunday of Lent Purple 11:15 All-age Family Service Reading: Ezekiel 37:1-14 9 Palm Sunday Red 08:00 Holy Communion (BCP) Readings: Philippians 2:5-11 & Matthew 26:14-27 11:00 Palm Sunday Procession 11:15 Palm Sunday Service Readings: Philippians 2:5-11 & Matthew 26:14-27 13 Maundy Thursday White At St Lawrence’s 20:00 Maundy Thursday Communion (CW) 14 Good Friday 11:15 Good Friday Service Readings: from St John 18 & 19 16 EASTER DAY White 11:15 Easter Celebration Holy Communion (CW) Readings: Acts 10:34-43 & Matthew 28:1-10 23 2nd Sunday of Easter White 11:15 Holy Communion (CW) (Joint) Readings: Acts 2:14a,22-32 & John 20:19-end 30 3rd Sunday of Easter White At St Lawrence’s 9:45 Holy Baptism (CW) (Joint) Readings: Acts 2:14a,36-41 & Luke 24:13-15 Key: BCP = Book of Common Prayer - a service using traditional (17th C) language and form; CW = Common Worship - a service using contemporary (21st C) language and form St Margaret’s Church Website St Margaret’s now has its own website. To keep up to date about services and events please see www.stmargaretsunderriver.org.uk 2 Some thoughts for the month ahead The contrast is clear: St. George St George and Hiccup and the slayed the evil dragon, while Hiccup dragon refused to kill one. However, they also Have you seen the film How to have something important in Train your Dragon? It’s set in a Viking common. Both acted according to village under attack from dragons, their conscience, defying the popular who steal livestock and burn down understanding of those around them houses. Hiccup, the village Chief’s son, and not worrying about the personal invents a machine to capture dragons. cost to themselves. St. George was However, when he catches one of the martyred for standing up for his faith most dangerous dragons, he cannot in Jesus before a pagan emperor, kill it, when he sees that the dragon is while Hiccup risked rejection by his just as frightened as he is. Through father and village because of his this friendship, the people and compassion. dragons eventually live in harmony. Today, we are still called to stand This month we celebrate St. for Christ against wrongs and injustice George, the patron saint of England. in a daily life, whatever the personal He is famous for slaying a dragon, a cost. However, we also need to be tradition which became popular in the ready to look our enemies in the eye Middle Ages. Whether he killed an and meet their hostility with love and actual dragon is open to question! compassion. This is why we also However, we do know that the remember this month that Jesus died original George was a Roman soldier and rose again, so that we might have at the time of Emperor Diocletian. He God’s power to do this in our lives. refused to renounce his faith, as commanded by the Emperor, resulting in his death on 23 April 303 AD. EASTER LILIES If anyone would like to make a donation towards the purchase of Easter Lilies in memory of someone (if you would like to name them, a list will be on the Altar for Easter Sunday and Easter Week), please contact me either by phone 01732 833141 or email [email protected] Jane Martineau 3 EASTER – the most joyful day of the year Easter is the cient Easter liturgy. He had not real- most joyful ised he was simply too late: how can day of the year you convince people who have already for Christians. experienced God, that He does not Christ has died exist? for our sins. Why Easter will never go away We are forgiv- But how do you make sense of the en. Christ has risen! We are re- Resurrection? Dead men don’t rise, so deemed! We can look forward to an why believe that this particular dead eternity in his joy! Hallelujah! man did rise? The Good News of Jesus Christ is a At the end of St Luke’s Gospel we message so simple that you can explain read that: “they still did not believe it it to someone in a few minutes. It is so because of joy and amazement” (Luke profound that for the rest of their lives 24.4). This is highly significant. The they will be still be ‘growing’ in their Gospels do not show us a group of dis- Christian walk with God. ciples who were in a receptive frame of Three years after the Russian Revo- mind. After the crucifixion, they were lution of 1917, a great anti-God rally in hiding, frightened and scattered. was arranged in Kiev. The powerful Then suddenly, they came out of hid- orator Bukharin was sent from Mos- ing and were totally different; excited, cow, and for an hour he demolished joyful. By Pentecost they were confi- the Christian faith with argument, dent, with one firm message: “You abuse and ridicule. At the end there crucified Jesus, but God raised him was silence. up!” Then a man rose and asked to How did they know this? Because of speak. He was a priest of the Russian experience. Some of them had visited Orthodox Church. He went and stood the tomb of Jesus: it was empty. Oth- next to Bukharin. Facing the people, ers claimed to have seen and touched he raised his arms and spoke just three the risen Lord. Were they halluci- triumphant words: ‘Christ is risen!’ nating? People can hallucinate in At once the entire assembly rose to groups – when taking drugs, for exam- their feet and gave the joyful response, ple. But of course each one will see a “He is risen indeed!” It was a devas- different hallucination. But the disci- tating moment for an atheist politician, ples all saw the same thing. Or rather, who had no answer to give to this an- the same person. Jesus. 4 Another reason for believing in the Were they lying? Jesus had died a Resurrection is this: Jesus’ continuing humiliating death as a criminal. Per- impact. Thousands and soon millions haps they wanted to rescue His good of people in every generation since name. So did they pretend they had have shared an inescapable sense of seen Him? being ‘accompanied’ through life. Though unseen, they identify this pres- This theory has a big problem. Their ence as the Risen Lord. preaching led them into trouble with the authorities. They were beaten and Sometimes this experience of imprisoned and some of them killed. meeting Jesus is gentle and fitful. People will die for ideas and causes Sometimes it is dramatic and life- which they believe in passionately. But changing. This reminds us that the res- not for things they have made up. We urrection of Jesus is not just an inter- might suffer for our convictions, we esting historical puzzle. It is a vital pre- will not suffer for our inventions. sent day reality. It brings wonderful comfort, assuring us of the central What about the ‘swoon’ theory? Christian truths: death is dead; Jesus is That Jesus didn’t die on the cross, de- alive; God is love. spite terrible wounds. He recovered in the tomb, and escaped. The disciples This central notion was captured, nursed Him back to health. But Roman most movingly, by the great Albert soldiers knew when a man was dead; Schweitzer: “He came to those men and there was the guard on the tomb. who knew Him not. He speaks to us Also, the events which followed simply the same word: ‘Follow thou me’, and don’t fit. sets us to the tasks which He has to fulfil for our time. He commands. And If the disciples had been hiding Je- to those who obey Him, whether they sus, they would have kept very low- be wise or simple, He will reveal him- key, and out of the way, so that the self in the toils, the conflicts, the authorities did not come after him suffering which they shall pass through again. in His fellowship, and, as ineffable mys- Besides, to preach that God had tery, they shall learn in their own expe- raised Jesus from the dead – which is rience who He is.” exactly what they did preach – would Have a joyful – and a have been a lie. Beatings and threat of challenging – Easter. death would soon have loosened their tongues. Inventions crumble under pressure; convictions hold fast. 5 CHURCH NEWS Looking forward: Palm Sunday 9th April - There will be the traditional walk from Carter’s Hill. Please join us at about 11:00 am and walk to our Palm Sunday Service at 11:15. Maundy Thursday 13th April - Holy Communion at 8:00pm at St Lawrence. Good Friday 14th April - We will be walking from St Lawrence’s Church to St Margaret’s leaving at around 9.10am (weather permitting). The service will be at St Margaret’s at 11 15 am, with hot drinks and hot cross buns available in the Village Hall from 10.45 am. Easter Day 16th April 11.15 am – Easter Celebration of Holy Communion for all the family. Come and join us celebrate the true meaning of Easter. ST MARGARET’S CHURCH 150th ANNIVERSARY DINNER Friday 21st July at The White Rock Inn Our Special Celebration Dinner will take place on Friday 21st July at The White Rock.