The Spilsby & Stickney Groups

Bolingbroke Deanery Team Parishes Faithful, Confident, Joyful 29th November 2020 ADVENT SUNDAY (Purple)

Introduction to the Season Advent is a season of expectation and preparation, as the Church prepares to celebrate the coming (adventus) of Christ in his incarnation, and also looks ahead to his final advent as judge at the end of time. The readings and liturgies not only direct us towards Christ’s birth, they also challenge the modern reluctance to confront the theme of divine judgement:

Every eye shall now behold him robed in dreadful majesty. (Charles Wesley)

The Four Last Things – Death, Judgement, Heaven and Hell – have been traditional themes for Advent meditation. The characteristic note of Advent is therefore expectation, rather than penitence, although the character of the season is easily coloured by an analogy with Lent. The anticipation of Christmas under commercial pressure has also made it harder to sustain the appropriate sense of alert watchfulness, but the fundamental Advent prayer remains ‘Maranatha’ – ‘Our Lord, come’ (1 Corinthians 16.22). Church decorations are simple and spare, and purple is the traditional liturgical colour. In the northern hemisphere, the Advent season falls at the darkest time of the year, and the natural symbols of darkness and light are powerfully at work throughout Advent and Christmas. The lighting of candles on an Advent wreath was imported into Britain from northern Europe in the nineteenth century, and is now a common practice. The Moravian custom of the Christingle has similarly enjoyed great success in Britain since the latter part of the twentieth century, with the encouragement of the Children’s Society; Christingle services may take place before or after Christmas. The Third Sunday of Advent was observed in medieval times as a splash of colour in the restrained atmosphere of Advent (Gaudete or ‘Rose Sunday’), and the last days of Advent were marked by the sequence of Great ‘O’ Antiphons, which continue to inspire modern Advent hymns and meditations.

See: https://www.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance- churches/call-prayer-nation#sunday We are called to prayer each day of the lockdown at 6.00pm – see the topic for prayer each day below & the prayer for this week:

Loving God, your Son Jesus Christ came that we might have life and have it abundantly; pour out your blessing upon our nation; where there is illness, bring your healing touch; where there is fear, strengthen us with the knowledge of your presence; where there is uncertainty, build us up in faith; where there is dishonesty, lead us into truth; where there is discord, may we know the harmony of your love; this we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Advent Sunday The Advent hope Jesus said, ‘Keep awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.’ Amen. Come soon, Lord Jesus! The first candle is lit and this response is used 2

Jesus is the light of the world. A light no darkness can ever put out. We sing: Advent candles tell their story as we watch and pray, Longing for the Day of Glory, ’Come, Lord, soon,’ we say. Pain and sorrow, tears and sadness changed for gladness on that Day. 9.00am Sunday Service at Home Watch the service Church online Join us for our weekly online services, streamed each Sunday at 9am.

Worship at Home for the First Sunday of Advent with St Martin-in-the-Fields Mark the First Sunday of Advent with this online Comfort and Joy service. From St Martin in the Fields with Rev Sam Wells, the service observes the start of Advent with music, reflection and prayer. https://www.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/church-online

10.00am Prayer in our own homes See below

Physical Services cancelled but there will be online worship, N.B. - All Churches Closed for Public Worship. For November.

9.30am Spilsby Eucharist (Broadcast later only) 6.00pm Prayer for the Nation: Family Friends and Loved ones.

Bolingbroke Churches on line: We will continue to publish a short video on YouTube and linked it to our website. Our Web Site http://lincoln.ourchurchweb.org.uk/spilsby/index.php I have created a YouTube Account Bolingbroke Team Churches https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7o5VzGhMNc

Monday St Andrew 1.00pm A/C Edward Hanson’s Funeral 6.00pm Prayer for the Nation: Schools & Colleges, Children & Young People Tuesday Charles de Foucauld Hermit in the Sahara, 1916 6.00pm Prayer for the Nation: Elderly, isolated & vulnerable Wednesday 10.30am Spilsby Eucharist Public Worship Resumes 3

3.30pm Team Meeting 6.00pm Prayer for the Nation: Business, the work place & economic wellbeing Thursday Francis Xavier Missionary, Apostle of the Indies, 1552 6.00pm Prayer for the Nation: The NHS & other key workers Friday John of Damascus Monk, Teacher of the Faith, c.749 & Nicholas Ferrar Deacon, Founder of the Little Gidding Community, 1637 11.00am Stickney: Gracey-Mai Woodhouse-Holland’s Funeral 6.00pm Prayer for the Nation: National & Local Government Saturday 6.00pm Prayer for the Nation: All who are grieving & and all suffering with physical & mental ill health.

2nd SUNDAY of ADVENT (Nicholas Bishop of Myra, c.326) Physical Services allowed again with only social bubble mixing. Also there will be online worship, Services in the Spilsby Cluster 9.30am Hundleby Morning Worship (FJ) 10.00am Spilsby Advent (PC/JC) 3.00pm Great Steeping Eucharist (PC) Services in the Marden Hill Cluster 9.30am East Keal Holy Communion (+DR) Services in the Stickney Cluster 11.15am Stickney Morning Worship (FJ) Services in the Partney Cluster 11.15am Partney Holy Communion (TMcL) 3.00pm Scremby (TMcL) Services in the South Ormsby Cluster 9.30am Tetford Morning Prayer (PMcL) 6.00pm Prayer for the Nation: Family Friends and Loved ones.

Private Prayer in the Following Churches: St James Spilsby Daily 08.00 to 12.00 St Helen East Keal Daily 10.00 to 15.00 St Helen’s West Keal Saturdays 10.00 to 14.00 St Nicholas Partney Thursdays 11.30 to 12.30 St Mary Tetford Thursdays 14.00 to 15.00 St Luke Stickney Thursdays 09.45 to 11.00 St Helen Stickford Thursdays 10.00 to 11.30 St Mary Hundleby Daily 10.00 to 14.00 4

Daily 8am Morning Prayer at Noon God of love, turn our hearts to Your ways and give us peace. Amen

The sick at home or in hospital, Leo Seebacher-Hobson, Nigel Worth, Kathleen, Ann, Molly, Veronica, Dorothy, Maggie J. Betty Brawn, Tristan, Michael P, Joan T. Mark, Jossie Lee, June, Hilary, Michael, Harriet, Rose L., Abby, Sheila Janes, Fleur, Mary, Jeff Mason, Rosie, Jean C. Bob, (Baby) Chloe Lear, Lawrence, Margaret White (Spilsby), Ann Howman, John and Audrey Prince, Sylvia Bonsey, Anthea B, Jo & John.

The Departed: Jean Tonry, Joan Abbey, Elsie Shaw, Grace Pettit, Alec Cark, Marjorie Ely, Edward Hanson, Baby Gracey-Mai Woodhouse-Holland, Stephen Smith, Eric Thomas, Jill Maxim.

Anniversary: Mary Croutcher, Harry Curwen, May Parnell, Violet English, Nellie Francis, David Graves, Paul Kitchen, Michael Hallam, Derek Smith, Baby: Tyler Boucher, Stephen Adkins(p), Gerald Rose, Irene Hextall, Kneale Whittom, Toni Cockayne, Bronwen Woods, Rhoda Sleaford, Laura Parish, Alma Leverton, Jane Fox-Robinson, Sheila Mackie, Baby Baxter, Barbara Clarke, Mary Hampson, Norah Walls, Katherine Thornley, Edward Ellis, Maureen Kemp, Edna Ely, Roy Blackbourn, Alf Mountain, John Dale, Philda Upex, Carol Panrucker, Eileen Ely, Vera Lawrence, John Spalding, Geoff West, Frank Richardson, Bernard Holmes, Dennis Armstrong, Christine Bogg, Charles Leighton, Sadie Kennet, Kenneth Frost, Denise Nelson, Barry Pogson, James Adair, Helen Kinnon.

Sunday 29th ‘God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Advent Sunday Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.’ 1 Corinthians 1:9 Pray for the Lusitanian Church (Extra-Provincial to the Archbishop of Canterbury) The Rt Revd Jorge Pina Cabral - Bishop of the Lusitanian Church Monday 30th Andrew the The Trentcliffe Group - Blyborough, Blyton, East Apostle Stockwith, Glentworth, Harpswell, Hemswell, Loughton w Wildsworth, Willoughton: Revd Mark Briscoe Pray for the PCC and all Church officers as they work to keep the Churches open for services Sekondi (West Africa) The Rt Revd Alexander Asmah Eastern Michigan (The Episcopal Church) The Rt Revd Todd Ousley 5

Tuesday 1st The Deanery of Christianity – Rural Dean: Revd Dr Hugh Charles de Foucauld, Jones, Lay Chair: Mr Neil Denny Hermit in the Sahara, Pray for the discussions across the Deanery arising out of 1916 Resourcing Sustainable Church Seoul (Korea) The Rt Revd Peter Lee Eastern Newfoundland & Labrador (Canada) The Rt Revd Geoffrey Peddle

Wednesday 2nd Church Schools in the Deanery of Christianity - Lincoln Bishop King, Lincoln St Faith & St Martin, Lincoln St Faith`s, Lincoln St Peter at Gowts, Lincoln St Peter-in-Eastgate. Bishop’s Council of Diocesan Trustees Seychelles (Indian Ocean) The Most Revd James Richard Wong Yin Song (Primate) Eastern Oregon (The Episcopal Church) The Rt Revd Patrick Bell

Thursday 3rd The Parish of Birchwood – Revd Linda Harris Francis Xavier, Pray for connections across the community Missionary, Apostle of Sheffield (England) The Rt Revd Pete Wilcox the Indies, 1552 Eastern Zambia (Central Africa) The Rt Revd William Mchombo Easton (The Episcopal Church) The Rt Revd Santosh Marray

Friday 4th The Parish of Boultham – Revd Canon David Osbourne John of Damascus, Pray for Care Homes in the area Monk, Teacher of the Faith, c.749 Shinyanga (Tanzania) The Rt Revd Johnson Chinyong'ole Nicholas Ferrar, Deacon, Founder of the Eau Claire (The Episcopal Church) The Revd William Jay Lambert Little Gidding Community, 1637 Saturday 5th The Parish of Bracebridge – Revd Andy Jackson-Parr Pray for young people and teachers in our schools Gasabo (Rwanda) The Most Revd Laurent Mbanda (Primate) Edinburgh (Scotland) The Rt Revd John Armes

Sunday 6th A voice cries out: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, 2nd Sunday of Advent make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. (Isaiah 40:3 – 4) The Reformed Episcopal Church of Spain (Extra-Provincial to the Archbishop of Canterbury) The Rt Revd Carlos López-Lozano - Bishop of Spanish Reformed Episcopal Church

Bolingbroke Team Ministry

Bolingbroke Deanery Morning Worship Advent Sunday

We are a chosen people, a people belonging to God, who has called us out of darkness into his wonderful light. In his name we come together to celebrate once again the coming of God’s kingdom among us, and to wonder afresh at the mystery of his loving purposes for us.

Let us confess our sins and failings to God in penitence and faith: words spoken without sensitivity; actions lacking in compassion; attitudes rooted in selfishness. May we seek his pardon for our divisions and disunity, our failure to live in his light, and receive with joy his forgiveness and peace.

Silence

Let us listen with open ears and minds to the good news of God’s kingdom and receive it into our hearts and lives. May we gladly celebrate the birth of our Saviour, and willingly respond to the message of peace on earth and goodwill to all people.

Silence

Let us commit ourselves anew to serving God faithfully as we pray for those in need – the vulnerable and exploited, the anxious and the fearful, the unloved and lonely, the grieving and hopeless. May we demonstrate in our lives the reality of God’s love as seen in Jesus Christ, and reflect the justice and peace of his kingdom.

Silence

Let us express the Christian hope of eternal life in our praise and worship as we remember those who have gone before us in the faith of Christ; as we serve him day by day in the power of his Spirit; as we look forward with confidence to that day when we will see him face to face.

Silence

Lord, guide us in the ways of peace, lead us in your righteousness, and set our hearts on fire with love for you, now and forever.

Hymn O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel That mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, thou rod of Jesse, free thine own from Satan's tyranny From depths of hell thy people save and give them victory o'er the grave Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, thou dayspring, come and cheer our spirits by thine advent here Disperse the gloomy clouds of night and death's dark shadows put to flight. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, thou Key of David, come, and open wide our heavenly home; Make safe the way that leads on high and close the path to misery. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, O come, thou Lord of might, who to thy tribes, on Sinai's height, in ancient times did'st give the Law, in cloud, and majesty and awe. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel. (Words: From the great O Antiphons)

The Sharing of the Light Advent is a time when we rejoice in the coming of Christ into our lives, that he came at Christmas, and that he comes again to be our Lord and King. Advent celebrates that our God comes to us again and again.

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; they who lived in a land of deep darkness, on them the light has shined. (Isaiah 9:2)

On the first Sunday in Advent we light one candle to say with all faithful people: The Lord comes to us, He abides with us.

When our lives are darkened it is necessary to celebrate God’s presence that comes to us and the light God gives us.

Light one Advent Candle

Jesus Christ is the Light of the World: Eternal Light, shine in our hearts.

Blessed are you, Lord our God, for you have called us out of darkness to be children of Light. The bright light of your presence scatters the darkness and we remember your love towards us; through Christ our Lord.

Confession We bring all our sins to Christ, the Light of the World, confessing them openly and honestly: Lord Jesus, you call us to be good stewards but often we fail you. You call us to use our gifts for the wellbeing of others, but we stockpile them for our own comfort. You call us to show compassion to the stranger and the prisoner, but we think only of our own interests. You call us to be merciful to others as you are merciful to us, but we harbour resentment and jealousy in our hearts. We repent of our sins and wrongdoing and ask you to forgive us. Strengthen us to serve and obey you, and prepare our hearts for the day of your coming in glory.

Assurance of forgiveness May God in his mercy pardon and cleanse us, keep us faithful in his service, and make us ready to stand before him and hear him say ‘Well done’, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Reading: Isaiah 64: 1 - 9 O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence – as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil – to make your name known to your adversaries, so that the nations might tremble at your presence! When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence. From ages past no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who works for those who wait for him. You meet those who gladly do right, those who remember you in your ways. But you were angry, and we sinned; because you hid yourself we transgressed. We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. There is no one who calls on your name, or attempts to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have delivered us into the hand of our iniquity. Yet, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. 10

Do not be exceedingly angry, O Lord, and do not remember iniquity for ever. Now consider, we are all your people.

Song Darkness like a shroud covers the earth; Evil like a cloud covers the people. But the Lord will rise upon you, And his glory will appear on you: Nations will come to your light. Arise, shine, your light has come, The glory of the Lord has risen on you! Arise, shine, your light has come, Jesus the Light of the world has come.

Here among us now, Christ the light Kindles brighter flames in our trembling hearts. Living Word, come guide our feet As we walk as one in light and peace, Till justice and truth shine like the sun. (Words: Graham Kendrick)

Reading: Mark 13: 24 – 37 Jesus said: ‘But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see “the Son of Man coming in clouds” with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight,

or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.’

This is probably a new song to you. If you can, look at the video on youtube at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSFyNN4ZLVs

All around us, seemingly, darkness holds its sway; Truth and love are faltering, peace in disarray; And if we needed you, we need you now! Come into our world, Come into our world, now, Lord Jesus!

People sit in loneliness, children cry for bread; Men fight men in hatred, by suspicion led; And if we needed you, we need you now! Come into our world, Come into our world, now, Lord Jesus!

Faced with such confusion, hope has slipped away; Men have stopped believing, forgotten how to pray; And if we needed you, we need you now! Come into our world, Come into our world, now, Lord Jesus, come. Words: Joy Webb

Homily from the Diocesan Website I wonder how many of you were quite excited this morning by the prospect of opening the first window of your Advent Calendar? Do you have an Advent Candle too – one of those ones where you burn down a centimetre or two each day, to the line?

You see, you have to open the window on the Advent Calendar on the right day – there’s an urgency about it, a time slot that disappears. We can get complacent over time and not think it’s very important to mark the season and the time. 12

With the Advent Candle you have to light it and then pause, wait until it burns down and attend to it – so as to get it to the next number down. The flame draws you in if you watch it and it helps you to pause, to reflect, alone or with others.

It seems to me that these two ways of counting the days of Advent represent two important aspects of the season. The calendar reminds us of the urgency of the season. The Candle reminds us of the need to pause.

It’s just the same in the other preparations for Christmas. The urgency of getting all the shopping done, cards written and presents wrapped and also the pause we experience this time of year while we get in touch with people, gather with colleagues, family and friends. We might hear this pause called the wonder or magic of Christmas – and it’s the bit we find we can often lose. The readings we have today speak of the urgency of Advent, the turmoil of our times and the need for us to discern how to live.

‘Now is the moment to wake from sleep. The night is far gone, the day is near.’ And the warning that we do not know the day or the hour when disaster or death will strike. That’s as relevant today as ever. Later in Advent we will hear John the Baptist calling us to repent for the kingdom of God is near.

Advent requires us to act urgently – we have a window of opportunity to open the window on the Advent Calendar. Talk of the day of judgement, the need to repent can feel pretty depressing. But such talk is an invitation to us……to love well, to reconcile, say you care. Now is your life, this isn’t a dress rehearsal. Be true to who you are.

Advent, the call to repentance invites us to change, set our priorities, make a difference – while there’s still time. Changing isn’t easy and that’s why the message is Repent – for the kingdom of God is near. One is coming who can help, provide inner strength, hope and guidance. We are not alone, God is with us.

So there’s the urgency of opening the window on the day that’s set.

Setting our priorities, discovering our values and working out how to live them is why we need the pause that the Advent Candle provides. Pausing provides a breathing space. A space to acknowledge pain perhaps, a space

to realise things have shifted. A space in which hope can emerge. This pause is a space to reflect, to wait, to prepare for what comes next.

Pausing enables hope to grow because it creates the space for discovering meaning. Pausing enables us to notice what is going on – within ourselves, with others and out in the world. Being awake and alert is of course part of the urgency of Advent.

The urgency and the pausing are not separate from each other – they have to come together because we do have to mark out the time and space to pause. That’s something the numbered candle can help with, though we can pause expectantly as we discover what lies behind the window each day.

So, if you have an Advent Calendar remember to open it with an urgency that reminds you that now is the time to truly live, love and contribute positively to God’s world.

If you have a Candle wait reflectively as you burn it allowing insight to emerge in which you might just see the hand of God.

And may this Advent be one where the urgency of the season drives you to pause and look within so that you are ready to meet God in expected and unexpected ways.

Questions for Reflection 1. Which of the images on the gospel reading resonate most with you today? Do they prompt you to consider and act as changes in nature reveal a crisis for our planet? 2. In the restrictions of lockdown, how are you already experiencing being more alert to your inner life and the world around as well as having to pause or wait? Can you let God into these experiences so that you can be expectant of his presence with you? 3. How will you turn one of these daily practices into a spiritual discipline for Advent? 4. What will you do this week in response to what you have heard today?

Hymn Lo! He comes with clouds descending, once for mortal sinners slain; thousand, thousand saints attending 14

swell the triumph of his train. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Christ appears in power to reign.

Every eye shall now behold him, robed in dreadful majesty; we who set at naught and sold him, pierced, and nailed him to the tree, deeply wailing, deeply wailing, shall the true Messiah see.

Those dear tokens of his passion still his dazzling body bears, cause of endless exultation to his ransomed worshippers; with what rapture, with what rapture, with what rapture gaze we on those glorious scars!

Yea, amen! let all adore thee, high on thine eternal throne; Saviour, take the power and glory, claim the kingdom for thine own. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! O come quickly, come, Lord, come. (Words: Charles Wesley 1707 – 1788)

Intercessions Creator God, you made this world out of nothing and saw that all of it was good. How it must grieve you to see how we have abused and spoiled its riches and beauty! We pray for those who work to look after it and ensure its resources are distributed more fairly among all peoples; Father in heaven, hear our prayer

Emmanuel, God with us, you came to share our human life that we might share your eternal life. How you must weep over the bitterness and hatred, the selfishness and lack of care which afflict our society: We pray for those on the margins of the community: the lonely and unloved, the homeless and helpless, the abused and vulnerable, the anxious and depressed. Father in heaven, hear our prayer 15

Holy Spirit, Comforter and Enabler, you are the presence of God within us, our conscience, encourager and guide. How you long for us to be more open to your teaching and leading! We pray for your Church throughout the world and especially here in Bolingbroke Deanery, that we may be united in worship and witness, and dedicate ourselves to bringing the light of Christ to all whom we meet. Father in heaven, hear our prayer

Holy and loving God, fill us with joy and hope as we work for the coming of your kingdom and look forward to that day when we will see you face to face, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

As our Saviour taught us, so we pray Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever. Amen.

Hymn Hills of the north, rejoice; river and mountain spring, hark to the advent voice; valley and lowland, sing; though absent long, your Lord is nigh; he judgment brings and victory.

Isles of the southern seas, deep in your coral caves pent be each warring breeze, lulled be your restless waves: he comes to reign with boundless sway, and makes your wastes his great highway.

Lands of the East, awake, soon shall your sons be free; the sleep of ages break, and rise to liberty. On your far hills, long cold and grey, has dawned the everlasting day.

Shores of the utmost West, ye that have waited long, unvisited, unblessed, break forth to swelling song; high raise the note, that Jesus died, yet lives and reigns, the Crucified.

Shout, while ye journey home; songs be in every mouth;

lo, from the North we come, from East, and West, and South. city of God, the bond are free, we come to live and reign in thee! (Words: Charles Edward Oakley 1832 – 1865)

A prayer as we depart Holy God, Come and bring light to dispel our darkness. Come and bring hope to drive out fear. Come and bring joy to banish our sorrow. Come and bring love to fill our longing hearts. That through us the whole world may come into your light.

An act of Spiritual Communion You may wish to find a space for prayer in Pray for the needs of the world, for your front of a cross, a candle, or a special place. local community, and for those close to you. You might choose to make your Spiritual End with the Lord’s Prayer. Communion at a particular time of day, or Our Father... after viewing a live streamed service. Give thanks for the saving death and Reflect on the day and on your relationships. resurrection of Jesus and ask him to be with - What good things have come from you now. God today? Thanks be to you, Lord Jesus Christ, for - Where have I fallen short? all the benefits you have given me, - What might I do tomorrow? for all the pains and insults you have You may wish to say or pray borne for me. Since I cannot now receive Lord, have mercy. you sacramentally, I ask you to come Christ, have mercy. spiritually into my heart. Lord, have mercy. O most merciful redeemer, friend and Read the following words from Scripture. If brother, may I know you more clearly, you have access to today’s readings for Holy love you more dearly, and follow you Communion, you may wish to read and more nearly, day by day. Amen. reflect on them. after the Prayer of St Richard of Chichester Jesus said, ‘I am the bread of life. Conclude with the following: Whoever comes to me will never be The Lord bless us, and preserve us from hungry, and whoever believes in me will all evil, and keep us in eternal life. never be thirsty.’ Amen. John 6.35

A prayer for all those affected by coronavirus

Keep us, good Lord, under the shadow of your mercy. Sustain and support the anxious, be with those who care for the sick, and lift up all who are brought low; that we may find comfort knowing that nothing can separate us from your love in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Clergy Team Tel: 01790 754151 The Rev’d. Canon Peter Coates The Vicarage, Church Street, Spilsby, The Rev’d Mrs Jean Coates PE23 5EF Contact via Spilsby Vicarage – As above email: [email protected] email: [email protected] Tel: 01790 752526 Rev’d. Mrs Teresa McLaughlin & The Rev’d. Ms. Fran Jeffries Mr Paul McLaughlin – Community The Rectory, Horbling Lane, Stickney Chaplain PE22 8DQ email: [email protected] The Rectory, Scremby Road Partney PE23 4PG The Rev’d. Mrs Joan Thornett [email protected] email: [email protected] 01790 752344

Saints on Earth ¶ December Charles de Foucauld 1 December Hermit in the Sahara, 1916 Charles de Foucauld was born to a noble family in Strasbourg in 1858. After military training he was posted to Algeria in 1880.This dissipated young cavalry officer developed a passion for North Africa and in 1883–4 he undertook a mapping exploration of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, which he published to critical acclaim. The spiritual unrest which followed resulted in his conversion in 1886. He commented, 'the moment I knew that God existed, I knew I could not do otherwise than to live for him alone'. After a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1888 he entered the Trappist order, with whom he spent seven years before being released from his vows in 1896.The following year Foucauld took private vows of perpetual chastity and poverty and, adopting the name Brother Charles of Jesus, went to the Holy Land. He worked for a time as a handyman for the Poor Clares at Nazareth and made pilgrimages to

Jerusalem, but failed in his attempt to found a hermitage on the Mount of the Beatitudes. Returning to France in 1901, he was ordained as a 'free priest' for the Sahara and returned to Algeria as a hermit at Beni-Abbès, an oasis near the Moroccan border with Algeria. From 1905 he increasingly spent his time at Tamanrasset in the remote Hoggar Mountains. Here he studied the language of the Tuareg, compiling a dictionary and making other translations in addition to his main work of prayer, penance and works of charity. In 1916 he was killed during an anti-French uprising – his goodness, it was said, militated against the anti-French feelings the nationalists sought to instil in the local population. Though he wrote rules for communities of Little Brothers and Little Sisters of Jesus, no one joined Foucauld during his lifetime and it was not until 1933 that his example drew others to the Sahara. Today his world-wide formal and informal spiritual heirs treasure this prayer: Father, I abandon myself into your hands; do with me what you will. Whatever you may do, I thank you: I am ready for all, I accept all. Let only your will be done in me, and in all your creatures – I wish no more than this, O Lord. Into your hands I commend my soul: I offer it to you with all the love of my heart, for I love you, Lord, and so need to give myself, to surrender myself into your hands without reserve, and with boundless confidence, for you are my Father.

Francis Xavier 3 December Missionary, Apostle of the Indies, 1552 Born in the Castle of Xavier near Sanguesa, in Spain in 1506, Francis Xavier was the son of an aristocratic Basque family. He was educated at the University of Paris, where he met Ignatius Loyola (see 31 July). Xavier was one of the group of six who joined with Ignatius Loyola in 1534. He was ordained priest in Venice in 1537 and when the Society of Jesus was founded in 1540 Xavier was its first secretary. At the invitation of the King of Portugal to evangelize the East Indies, Xavier made his way to the Portuguese enclave of Goa in India, which became his base. After preaching with great success in Goa for five months, he moved south through India 19

to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), where he is said to have made tens of thousands of converts. In 1545 Xavier left India for Malacca from where he travelled down the Malay Peninsula and on to the Molucca Islands, founding Christian communities as he travelled and preached. He was the first to note a problem that was to bedevil the work of missionaries in the following centuries as well as in his own: the oppression, exploitation and un- Christian lifestyles of Europeans were among the biggest obstacles that the missionaries had to overcome and made their task (especially when indigenous people assumed that all white people were Christians) so very much harder. After a trip to Goa, he sailed for Japan and landed at Kagoshima in 1549. He studied the Japanese language for a year and then preached in many of the principal cities for two-and-a-half years. By 1551, when he left Japan, he had established a vigorous Christian community that was to remain faithful in time of persecution (see 6 February). His next target was China. To gain entrance to that country, then closed to foreigners, he persuaded the Portuguese authorities to send an embassy, of which he would be a member, to the Chinese Emperor. The embassy left Goa in 1552 but got no farther than Malacca. Xavier continued alone, arriving at Sancian, a small island near Macau, in August 1552.There he died on 3 December that same year, after repeated vain attempts to reach the mainland. His body was returned to Goa for burial. Francis Xavier died at the early age of 46, yet in his short life he proved to be one of the most effective missionaries of all time. Though the official Jesuit figure of 700,000 conversions at Xavier's hands is no doubt an exaggeration, it gives some idea of the sheer scale of his work. And if Xavier's achievements are a tribute to his total commitment to mission work they also indicate the success of his strategy, in which he sought in each area he visited to target those groups (children in South India, local rulers in Japan, etc.) most likely to be receptive to the gospel, to give it a foothold in the indigenous culture and to propagate it within their communities.

John of Damascus 4 December Monk, Teacher of the Faith, c.749 John, born of a noble Arab Christian family, lived under Muslim rule most of his life. He received a quality education through a Sicilian monk, and held an important position in the court of the Caliph. In 725 when John's relationships with the ruling Islamic court became more difficult he resigned to pursue his vocation as a monk in the monastery of Mar Saba in the Judean desert. There he was ordained priest.

John taught and wrote a great deal, both doctrinal works and popular hymns. He strongly defended the use of images and icons in the iconoclastic controversy. This stance made him unpopular with the Byzantine Christian emperors, but as he was living outside of their jurisdiction in the Muslim-controlled territory they were unable to exert any influence upon him. John worked to preserve and summarize the teachings of the Fathers of the Church. In his writings he draws on what is best within their work, citing them regularly, often making their sayings clearer. By doing so John was able to present a scholarly synthesis of church theology in the eighth century, and to build his own views and philosophy upon it. His work is of immense theological note, and influenced both Peter Lombard and Thomas Aquinas (see 28 January). John also sought to explain how Mary could remain free from the 'stain of sin', and in doing so was the first theologian to produce a fully developed theology of the place of Mary in the relation to the divinity of Christ. John's spirituality revolved around the search for perfection, and a desire for the vision of God. He stressed purity of heart and love, and emphasized the need for preparation in the contemplation of the Divine. He stressed the need to imitate the walk of faith of those who have gone before, and ultimately to imitate God, as humankind was created in God's image. His ‘Hymn to the Life-giving Cross’ illustrates John’s life of perpetual worship:

Ceaselessly we bow O Christ our God Before your Cross That gives us Life; And glorify your Resurrection, Most powerful Lord, When on that third day You made anew The failing nature of Mankind Showing us so clearly The Way back to heaven above: For you alone are Good, The Lover of Mankind. John Damascus: ‘Hymn to the Life-giving Cross’

Nicholas Ferrar 4 Dec Deacon, Founder of the Little Gidding Community, 1637

Born in London in 1592, Nicholas Ferrar was educated at Clare Hall, Cambridge, where he was elected a Fellow in 1610. In 1613 he left Cambridge for reasons of health and spent five years travelling in Europe. When he returned he began work for the ailing Virginia Company (in which his family was heavily involved), becoming its Deputy Treasurer in 1622. He was elected to Parliament 1624, possibly in order to use parliamentary influence to support the company, but all efforts were unsuccessful and its Royal Charter was revoked. Ferrar's motives can only be guessed at, but in 1625 he left Parliament. Then with his brother, brother-in-law and their families and a number of friends, he settled at Little Gidding in Huntingdonshire, a rural estate deserted since the Black Death in the fourteenth century. The community occupied the manor house and restored the abandoned church building. Ferrar was ordained deacon by Bishop William Laud (see 10 January). The community read the regular daily offices of The Book of Common Prayer, including a daily recital of the complete Psalter. A continuous vigil of prayer was always maintained in the sanctuary. Community members wrote books and stories dealing with various aspects of Christian faith and practice. They fasted with great rigour, and in other ways embraced voluntary poverty, so that they might have as much money as possible for the relief of the poor. They taught the local children, and cared for the health and well-being of the people of the district. Possibly prompted by Laud, King Charles I made several private visits to the community. Nicholas Ferrar died in 1637 and the life of the community continued under the leadership of his brother John. But with militant Puritanism in the ascendant and the lawlessness of the Civil War prevailing in England, the days of the community were numbered and, denounced as 'an Arminian nunnery', it was forcibly dissolved by Parliamentary troops in 1646. Though a comparatively short-lived experiment, Little Gidding was a uniquely Anglican community – open, family-friendly, with its spirituality centred on The Book of Common Prayer, and held together by ties that did not require monastic vows. The memory of the community survived to inspire and influence later undertakings in Christian communal living, and the name of Little Gidding was given a literary place of honour in the twentieth century as the title of the last of T. S. Eliot's Four Quartets.

Nicholas 6 December Bishop of Myra, c.326 Nicholas, one of the most popular saints in both Greek and Latin churches, is something of a mystery. All that can be said for certain is that he was Bishop of Myra, Lycia (in Modern Turkey) at the beginning of the fourth century. He was 22

buried outside of his city, facing towards the sea. His legend says that he was imprisoned during the Diocletian persecution of 303/4, and was one of the signatories of the Council of Nicaea, although there is no record of his name on any of the lists of Bishops at the Council. Nicholas is the patron saint of Sailors, and of children. His legend speaks of him giving three girls a dowry to prevent them having to enter prostitution when their family fell on hard times. He delivered the gifts at night to avoid detection. He is also believed to have raised to life three drowned boys, and saved three unjustly convicted sailors from death. Nicholas was honoured from early after his death, being buried in an artistic mausoleum, which became a place of pilgrimage. His legend can be traced back to the 6th century, and was embellished in the mid 9th century. His remains were translated to Bari in 1087, and his cult became popular in the west from that time onwards. His relics are still held in Bari. He is especially popular in Russia. In Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the Flemish speaking part of Belgium Nicholas is customarily known as the provider of gifts to children on the 6 December (his feast day). Dutch settlers in North America merged this legend to Nordic folklore that tells of a magician who punished naughty children and rewarded good ones, to create the modern figure of Santa Claus (Dutch for Saint Nicholas). ********************************************************************

Webinar - Receiving online gifts Churches rely on the generosity of their congregations and their communities to support their mission and ministry. Many people give regularly to their church by standing order or direct debit. Others give in cash when the offering is taken in a church service or when visiting the church, and people will not be able to give in this way whilst our church buildings are closed.

Many individuals are going through financial uncertainty as a result of lost or changed employment during the restrictions, and that may affect their giving too. This means that it is even more important that those who can give are able to do so. To help churches during these difficult times the National Giving Team and Digital Teams are hosting a one-hour webinar on Tuesday 8th December at 11am covering the following: • How to set up a online giving facility

• How to receive online gifts • How to encourage online giving • How to communicate with your community • A live question and answer session. Book your place via link https://www.lincoln.anglican.org/news/webinar- receiving-online-gifts .

Praying for the Sick [People recognized Jesus], and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the market-places, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed. Mark 6.55,56 How do you pray for those who are ill? In the Gospels people brought their friends to Jesus. Some of them once made a hole in the roof of a house where Jesus was, to get their friend in front of him. Think of praying as bringing people to Jesus. Sometimes it takes time, effort, and a determination not to give up. And as you bring them, think about exactly what it is you want to ask him for. Lord God, whose Son, Jesus Christ, understood people’s fear and pain before they spoke of them, we pray for those in hospital. Surround the frightened with your tenderness; give strength to those in pain; hold the weak in your arms of love; and give hope and patience to those who are recovering. We ask this through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen Prayer by Christine McMullen This is an extract from Pocket Prayers for Healing by Trevor Lloyd (Canterbury Press, £6.99)