V O I C E One of the Most Beautiful Easter Hymns Is Now the Green of SOUTH LAFFORD Blade Riseth from the Buried Grain
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A very Happy Easter The Christ is risen! V O I C E One of the most beautiful Easter hymns is Now the green OF SOUTH LAFFORD blade riseth from the buried grain. It reminds us that Jesus appeared from the empty tomb, just as at this time of the year grain springs up from the ground after apparently dying in the winter earth. And it finishes by addressing Jesus: When our hearts are saddened, grieving or in pain, April/May 2015 By your touch you call us back to life again; Issue No. 125 Fields of our hearts that dead and bare have been: for and from the communities of Love is come again, like wheat that springs up green. Aswarby Aunsby Scott Willoughby Dembleby Folkingham Spanby Newton Osbournby Swarby So Easter is a time for remembering new life, and for allow- Pickworth Crofton Threekingham ing the powerful love of Jesus, the love that conquers Laughton Haceby Walcot death, to come in to the areas of our being which have been dead or bare. That’s why we are inviting everyone in the parish to a party after 10 o’clock Easter Day service at Newton – for Easter is the happiest and most hopeful day of the year for Christians. But Jesus’ victory over the forces of death were bought at a price. Our Maundy Thursday service will remember the Last Supper, when Jesus dined with his friends the last night before he died. And we shall remember the way he washed the feet of his disciples – the Lord of all acting as a servant to his people and doing a menial task. And the next day, Good Friday, he opened wide his arms for us on the cross in the ultimate symbol of sacrificial love – God dying for man. Initially he seemed to be defeated by death but then he overpowered it and rose again to bring us new life and new hope. Do join us at any or all of our services for Holy Week and Easter this year, as we remember and re-enact the journey of Jesus into Jerusalem to suffer, die and rise again for us. You would be most welcome. And a very happy Easter to you all. Every blessing, Revd Nick Munday (Rector) St Andrew's Church , Folkingham Good Friday 3rd April at 6 p.m. The South Lafford Choir with organist Liz Hill and Conductor Alwyn Kirk The Cross of Christ A devotion for congregation and choir Please come and hear the beautiful music and Easter readings 1 Parish of South Lafford Holy Week and Easter: The Journey of the Cross Palm Sunday March 29th 9.00 a.m. All-Age Worship ASWARBY, followed by walk to Aunsby 11.00 a.m. Parish Eucharist with Procession AUNSBY Monday of Holy Week March 30th Night Prayer and Meditation: thinking 6.30 p.m. SWARBY about the Last Supper Tuesday of Holy Week March 31st Night Prayer and Meditation: thinking 6.30 p.m. DEMBLEBY about the Crucifixion Wednesday of Holy Week April 1st Night Prayer and Meditation: thinking 6.30 p.m. PICKWORTH about the Resurrection Maundy Thursday 9.00 a.m. Holy Communion (BCP) FOLKINGHAM April 2nd Celebration of the Last Supper with Foot- 7.30 p.m. THREEKINGHAM Washing and Stripping of the Altar Good Friday 1.00 p.m. Walk with the Cross to Green Hill From OSBOURNBY church returning for The Last Hour - service of readings and April 3rd 2.00 p.m. OSBOURNBY CHURCH silence for Good Friday The Cross of Christ - A devotion for con- 6.00 p.m. FOLKINGHAM gregation and choir Easter Day 8.00 a.m. Holy Communion (BCP) FOLKINGHAM April 5th 10.00 a.m. All-Age Easter Eucharist with Party and NEWTON Easter Egg Hunt What are the different church services like? Several people have asked me to explain what the difference is between our various services. We have two sorts of communion service. This is where people come up to the altar rail to receive the bread and wine, symbols of the body and blood of Jesus Christ, or a blessing. The communion service is unique to Christianity, and it was a special command by Jesus to his disciples, to eat and drink in memory of his death and resurrection. The Parish Eucharist is in modern language. We usually sing hymns and there is a sermon. It lasts about an hour. The Parish Eucharist happens in one of our churches every Sunday at 11 o’clock. It is the focus of unity of our parish, the heart-beat of prayer and worship. We sometimes use an All Age Eucharist which is shorter and simpler. A Choral Eucharist has music led by the South Lafford Choir. Holy Communion (Book of Common Prayer) is a simple communion service in the traditional language of 1662, using readings from the King James Bible. We use this service on Thursday mornings and sometimes at early morning services on Sunday. There is often a short sermon. We also have different types of services which do not have communion. Morning and Evening Prayer are typically Anglican – shorter services, sometimes in traditional, sometimes in modern language, concentrating on hymns, prayers and Bible readings, including readings from the psalms of David and canticles (poems). Choral Evensong is a variation of Evening Prayer with hymns and sung psalms and canticles. Night Prayer is a very short service of the same kind as Evening Prayer, but designed as a service at the end of the day. All Age Service is a version of Morning Prayer mostly in lively modern language, but designed to appeal to people of all ages. It starts and finishes with the lighting and extinguishing of candles. If you haven’t been to a service before, this would be a good one to start off with. You are always welcome to join us for any of our services around the parish. Revd Nick Munday (Rector) 2 Simon Wright – An Appreciation Having ‘discovered’ Folkingham in 1999 we invited Simon and Jane, who had been our neighbouring farmers in Bloxholm, around for a bit of supper. They, like us, fell in love with the village and its people and we were delighted when they bought The Barn and we became neighbours once again. After tremendous hard work, vision and foresight, they transformed the old barn into the wonderful home it is today and quickly became part of village life. Simon convinced me that I should join him on the Parish Council and, like him, do my bit. He was a keen supporter of ‘getting things done’ in the village: the new football pavilion, the allotments and the soon to be built playground all received his enthusiastic backing. He was also a big supporter of St Andrews Church, serving on the DCC, and was Folkingham’s representative on the Deanery. Above all things he loved country life: both shooting and picking up with faithful dogs; his fishing exploits and how that wonderful salmon slipped his hook; he was the official dispatcher of injured deer; he even flew his own plane inspecting crops all over the county. We shared many hours with his beloved Jacob’s sheep, worming, vaccinating, lambing and moving them from field to field. I suppose it was a way of him keeping in touch with a farming life that started with him in his boyhood, a life he lived and a life he loved. But mostly he was a character; a charming, generous man, whose warmth and kindness will be sadly missed. He lived life and enjoyed it; a true friend whose memory will live on in the village and with us for a long time Ray and Lis Wright A Saint for this Spring – St. George There wasn’t much competition for a Saint to remember this issue. In the year when we are about to go to the polls to elect a new national government, my thoughts naturally turned to the patron saint of this part of the U.K. – England. Actually, not much is known about St. George, apart from the fact that he died as a martyr in Israel and a monastery was dedicated to him in Jerusalem in the fifth century BC. His saint’s day is, of course, 23rd April. He did not, in reality, slay a dragon and rescue a maiden so far as we know, but the story took hold quite early, and Edward III (1312-77) is supposed to have originated the cry ‘St. George for England!’ One of my favourite hymns is When a knight won his spurs in the stories of old. The last verse is: Let faith be my shield and let joy be my steed ‘Gainst the dragons of anger, the ogres of greed; And let me set free, with the sword of my youth, From the castle of darkness the power of the truth. This reminds us that we should follow the example of saints like George and set great store by truth and high moral values, as we come to vote. And let us pray for the new M.P.s of all the United Kingdom and for our new govern- ment, that our country may be a beacon of truth, justice and honour throughout the world. Revd Nick Munday (Rector) 3 Update from the District Councillor for Osbournby Ward Councillor Kate Cook I can’t believe how quickly the 11 months I do not claim for expenses as a District have gone since I was elected as District Councillor and I consider myself to have Councillor of Osbournby Ward! I have had a good working relationships with officers.