Notices from St Peter's

Notices from St Peter’s

Week beginning SUNDAY 13th JUNE, 2021 THE SECOND SUNDAY after TRINITY

Worship at St Peter’s this week: 10am Morning Worship via Zoom (Sunday) 10am Holy Communion in Church 10am Morning Worship via Zoom (Wednesday) Zoom services are recorded and available to watch through the website or our YouTube Channel – St Peter’s Chellaston

Vicar: Revd BJ Facey, Tel: 704835, [email protected] Church website: www.achurchnearyou.co.uk Email: [email protected] Church Hall: [email protected]

HOLYHABITS Whole-church discipleship approach

Serving Sharing Resources Fellowship Breaking Bread

EatingTogether

Bible Teaching

Worship Prayer Gladness and Generosity Making more Disciples

The Holy Habits Prayer

‘Endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and

hope does not disappoint us…’

Gracious and ever-loving God, we offer our lives to you. Help us always

to be open to your Spirit in our thoughts and feelings and actions.

Support us as we seek to learn more about those habits of the

Christian life which, as we practise them, will form in us the character of

Jesus by establishing us in the way of faith, hope and love.

Amen

The fellowship of the believers – Acts 2: 42 - 47 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Booking a seat in Church

Spaces in church are still limited due to social distancing restrictions. If you would like to book a seat please contact Rachel on: 07732337717 or [email protected] Face masks must be worn and you will be asked to gel your hands and avoid gathering and chatting to people inside the building or around the church door. Thank you.

Giving For information on giving to St Peter’s please email Carol or BJ ([email protected])

#Serving

Serving is a Christlike way of living. Jesus himself came as one who served (Matthew 20:28). Throughout the history of the church, Christians have grappled with how to live out the good news of Jesus that the kingdom of God is both here and yet to come. Our calling as followers of Jesus is to proclaim the good news by living on earth as if in heaven. Every act of love, justice and peace is a taste of how God’s world is to be. We live this calling personally in our daily work and in our local communities. In exploring this habit, it will be important to both honour and support those who serve day by day in all sorts of ways. We live this calling corporately as churches, for example through youth and children’s work, care for older people, Street Pastors, debt advice or refugee welcome centres. Exploring this holy habit will give you the opportunity to celebrate what is being done and consider what God may be calling you to do. We live this calling in partnership with others, with other churches, with people of peace in the community and with other groups – including other faith groups who are committed to serving the common good. As you explore this habit, be mindful of those you partner with or could partner with.

Serving is best when it is mutual and reciprocal. We need to beware of patronising do-gooding culture and seek a Christlike way of serving that is glad to honour others by receiving as well as giving.

Reflections The church believes that it has a message of hope and good news to share with the whole world – the transformation offered by and through Jesus Christ. The new life that Jesus brings to individuals will be seen both in active membership of the Christian church and in a life of mission and serving that mirrors Jesus’ own life. How the message of good news is shared effectively through our words and deeds in the 21st century is one of the biggest challenges for the church today. This is why we must continue to practise the Holy Habit of Serving as we reach out to others. As Christians, we are part of a tradition that seeks holiness wherever we are and whatever we are doing. As such, our theology of Christian serving is an expression of our understanding of God’s desire for a just world and our common calling as the people of Jesus to be agents of that divine yearning. What does serving means in your context. Who is today’s ‘all’ in Acts 2:45? Does serving always involve sacrifice? What are the marks of Christian serving? What is the link between serving (in all senses of the word) and ministry?

Michael Pettit

St. Cyricus and St. Julitta 16th June As recorded in The Golden Legend* Cyricus (also known as Quiricus) was the son of Julitta, a noble lady from Iconium in Lycaonia (modern central Turkey). According to various accounts which appeared later, including writings in a letter of the sixth century, Julitta fled with her three months old child, Cyricus, from Lycaonia, when the persecution of Christians under Maximinium - the Roman Emperor - broke out there. They fled to Isauria and then continued south to Tarsus in Cilicia [where St. Paul came from]. During her travels she hid her noble birth but not her faith.

In order to escape the persecution of Christians at that time, she took refuge in Tarsus with the child and remained there for three years. She was recognized as a Catholic and reported to the authorities, and brought before the tribunal of the prefect Alexander. Because her two servants took flight, she had to take her small son with her to see him. Julitta was expected to then pray to the heathen idols; but when she refused, the prefect, Alexander took the child from her arms and ordered her to be whipped raw with thongs. She continued to refuse. At the sight of his mother’s tortures, Cyricus began to cry out loud and shed tears. Alexander, who was holding the child on his lap, tried to quiet him with caresses and kind words. But the small child refused these comforts and scratched Alexander’s face with his nails, crying out: “I am a Christian!” They both suffered martyrdom in Tarsus: Julitta’s child, after scratching the face of Alexander, was thrown by him down some stone steps. Julitta, herself, was later beheaded. The veneration of the two martyrs was common in the West from earliest times as is shown by the early date of a chapel dedicated to them in the Church of Santa Maria Antiqua at Rome, as well as by testimony from early Gaul writings. Their relics are said to have been brought to the monastery of Saint-Amand (Elnonense monasterium) in the Diocese of Tours (Roman Catholic diocese in France). Dates are imprecise but these events happened around the turn of the third century. Mother and son are particularly venerated by the Assyrian Church of the East. The name “Cyricus” is from Cyrus (Persian) which means bestowing care. “Julitta” means youthful and has the same roots as the better known “Julia”.

*The Golden Legend (13thC plus later additions) is a book compiled by a Dominican Monk scholar called Jacobus de Varagine. It is a collection of biographies of the lives of saints and other holy people. Such collections are known as hagiographies.

READINGS and COLLECT FOR SUNDAY AND WEDNESDAY

Sunday

Collect Lord, you have taught us that all our doings without love are nothing worth; send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of love, the true bond of peace and of all virtues, without which whoever lives is counted dead before you. Grant this for your only Son ;

Jesus Chris’s sake, who is alive and regains with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

Psalm 92: 1 - 8 1 It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, 2 proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night, 3 to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp. 4 For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord; I sing for joy at what your hands have done. 5 How great are your works, Lord, how profound your thoughts! 6 Senseless people do not know, fools do not understand, 7 that though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be destroyed for ever. 8 But you, Lord, are for ever exalted.

2 Corinthians 5: 6 – 10, 14 - 17 6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 For we live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due to us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. 14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. 16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] the old has gone, the new is here!

Mark 4: 26 - 34 26 He also said, ‘This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces corn – first the stalk, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29 As soon as the corn is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.’ 30 Again he said, ‘What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.’ 33 With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. 34 He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.

Wednesday

Collect (Same as Sunday!)

Psalm 112 1 Praise the Lord.[b] Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who find great delight in his commands. 2 Their children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. 3 Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures for ever. 4 Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous. 5 Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice. 6 Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered for ever. 7 They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord. 8 Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes. 9 They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor,

their righteousness endures for ever; their horn[c] will be lifted high in honour. 10 The wicked will see and be vexed, they will gnash their teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.

2 Corinthians 9: 6 - 11 6 Remember this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written: ‘They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures for ever.’[a] 10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

Matthew 6: 1 – 6, 16 - 18 ‘Be careful not to practise your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 ‘So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honoured by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 5 ‘And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 16 ‘When you fast, do not look sombre as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Sermon for Sunday from Rachel

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts, always be acceptable to you, O Lord, our Saviour and Redeemer. Amen

The idea of serving is a funny one – it can make us think of being subservient, or we can judge it an honour – the opportunity to do something for others. The word is both active and purposeful.

From a Christian perspective the idea of serving is almost entirely wrapped up in our understanding of Jesus and of God. Jesus himself says that he came to serve not to be served. His whole ministry is bound up in the idea of caring for, looking after and serving others. In short, Jesus models a servanthood that as Christians we all ought to aspire to.

What motivates us to serve? That’s probably the best and the hardest place to start with when we are consider serving. The best place because it helps to understand why we are doing things but equally the hardest because often our motives don’t come from the most altruistic of places – if we are wholly honest with ourselves. We will serve our friends in ways we might not a stranger. Or do things for people because we know that we will receive kudos or something in return for our actions.

Paul, speaking to the Corinthians, in the second of his letters to them, says that it is ‘Christ’s love that compels us’. He talks about confidence, faith, action and new creation.

Jesus’ way of serving is the model – the way of doing that we should aspire to achieve. His service extends to loving acceptance too. Specific, personal. Christ died to restore all humanity to a right relationship with God. Understanding this should prompt us to form relationships with those who wouldn’t otherwise enter our circle of friends.

It is very easy to point out the personal, shameful actions of others – but what we don’t think through is that it is that fear and shame of being discovered as less than perfect that can be a huge barrier preventing those who don’t know Christ from entering our churches and getting to know him.

That, though, is the marvellous thing about God, Jesus died to save us from our sins – we are the ones that someone else is quick to judge, even as we judge others! We are none of us perfect, yet we all share a common grace – a past buried in the death of Jesus and new life birthed in the love of Christ. Our relationship with him is the common thread that binds us all together in mutual love and service.

Today’s reading from Corinthians, challenges us to extend the grace we have received to others by becoming more inclusive in our relationships – being a church that serves, that welcomes, that opens its arms in fellowship, in love, praising God together, worshipping, praying and eating together. Noticing others needs and responding with glad and generous service where we can.

Mark’s gospel guides us here.

Jesus often uses metaphors to describe the kingdom of God. He uses images people will be familiar with and he doesn’t always choose the prettiest or grandest comparisons either. And he doesn’t make them easy! For instance, his, ‘I am the vine, you are the branches’, could have been very different. Jesus could have used the image of a stately cedar tree – they are mentioned often enough in the Old Testament! But no, Jesus uses a plant that is generally gnarled and knotty, one that requires patient, careful husbandry. It isn’t pretty to look at and wouldn’t be judged well on first appearances!

It probably isn’t difficult to spot why this might be! Humanity is often a bit gnarled and knotty – we definitely require patience and careful pruning and handling. Nurturing human beings is a fulltime job for God! We miss the plank in our own eyes while pointing out the speck in others!

Yes, we are definitely gnarled and knotty! But taste the fruit - the vine produces wonderful sweet fruit! And it is that potential in us that Jesus knows is worth bothering with!

In today’s short parable, Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed – one of the smallest seeds that grows into ‘one of the largest of garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.’

I always used to be a bit confused by this description as a child. The mustard seeds we planted so often at school and Sunday school grew quickly yes, but never attained much by way of height or width!

Different plant, of course!

The image Jesus uses is a bit ironic though. The kingdom of heaven can take the smallest of starts and grow it into something huge – it might be untidy, it might not be perfect, but it nurtures and grows. Sometimes the bits that grow are spindly and ungainly, growing quickly from almost nothing.

We can take comfort from the lips of Jesus. Like the mustard seed, a church can be an untidy sprawling shrub. Like a vine it can be gnarled and knotty. It might not be much to look at. But Jesus was saying something quite profound about the nature of the church – it will be rambling, extensive and just a tad jumbled – rather like the people who gather and make it up – make up the body of Christ – in shirt all of us. And that’s the point. It often isn’t easy to find your place in neat and tidy systems. Offering to serve in such a place might lead to making a bit of a mess. Gnarled and knotty places that are seeking to serve, to listen, to notice, to offer fellowship and grace are places that we gnarled and knotty humans can find a place we can call home! A place of loving acceptance, where everyone is loved simply because!

That’s a mustard seed right there - a small start, from which God can grow something truly astonishing! Out of us, out of others, out of our encounters with others, because of our encounter with the living God!

We must not underestimate God’s ability to work with the rough – if we are ready and open we can become astonishing fruit in God’s caring, serving, nurturing hands. The kingdom of God is like that! Amen

Intercessions

Let us pray to the God of heaven and earth for the growth of the kingdom.

May the kingdom grow in clusters of Christians all over the world; may it grow as hearts are warmed by encounter with the living God; nourished by word and sacrament, private prayer and public worship.