Dear friends,This news update comes with my love and blessings as we journey onwards through Eastertide. I do hope that all is well with you? Please get in touch if there’s anything I can help you with.With love and kind regards,Reverend AnthonyGospel Singing DayMany thanks to everyone that made our Gospel Singing Day with Hannah Brine such a success on Saturday at St Matthew’s in Grosmont. It was such an uplifting day, and it helped to inspire Reverend Anthony’s sermon (see below) for Sunday morning. We plan other similar events, and quite a few people expressed an interest in being part of a new choir through the survey we have done. Watch this space for further information on that! Around forty people came on Saturday from across the county.Our Annual Church MeetingsWe mentioned a few weeks ago that we weren’t actively seeking to appoint any Churchwardens at this year’s annual meetings, but we’re delighted to announce that Ed Mangles and Nigel Parr were elected at Egton on 14th April. They are both very keen to collaborate across the benefice and develop new ways of distributing the Churchwardens’ responsibilities amongst those in our community willing to undertake aspects of the Churchwardens’ role. A similar approach will apply to the administration parts of Reverend Anthony’s Interim Minister’s role, as we continue to build a more straightforward and systematic approach to the day-to-day running of the four parishes and their six church buildings.We are also using the responses to the recent survey alongside our community forum discussions, and our involvement with John Day and the ‘Revitalise’ team from the Diocese, to begin to re-design our approach to how our parishes are run.Thanks to everyone currently involved in the many aspects of our church community – all your hard work is very much appreciated!Please do come along to the last of our four annual meetings if you can. It’s at Midday this coming Sunday, 5th May, at St Mary’s in Goathland.The Week AheadTomorrow - 30th April6:30 - 8:30 Sharing Space in Glaisdale at St ThomasSomething a little different at Sharing Space this week. We want to explore the importance of place in faith. We're meeting at St Thomas' and we'll have some refreshments first. Then we'll spend some time individually, absorbing and exploring the beautiful place, in the building and in the churchyard (if the weather is good). We'll then compare our thoughts and see where the discussion takes us. All are welcome to come along and be part of the group.Wednesday - 1st May8:30 Holy Communion Service in Goathland at The Bield, Beckhole Lane, YO22 5NEThursday - 2nd May10:30 - 2:30 Vi's Community Cafe in Grosmont at St Matthew's1:30 - 2:30 Play Space in Grosmont at St Matthew'sSunday - 5th May9:00 Holy Communion in Lealholm at St James10:45 Holy Communion in Goathland at St Mary's11:00 - 3:00 Spring Fair in Grosmont at St Matthew's12:00 Annual Church Meetings at St Mary’s in Goathland4:00 Fellowship Space - meet at The Hollin's Institute in GrosmontWe’re delighted to be welcoming Jackie Newton on Sunday morning at Lealholm and Goathland. Jackie is a licenced lay minister-in-training and she’ll be spending some time with us over the coming months as she looks forward to being licenced in September. Please come along and meet Jackie - she’s lovely and is full of enthusiasm! She’ll be helping Reverend Anthony lead our two services, and she’ll be coming to the annual meeting in Goathland.Helen and Chris invite you to Fellowship Space every first Sunday of the month. Topics vary but almost always include music and conversation. This Sunday the meeting starts with a walk in bluebell woods followed by tea and cake at home! Meet at The Hollins Institute, Institute Row, Grosmont YO22 5PQ (parking free on Front street from 4pm or, if available, at the Institute). We will leave for the walk at 4.10 pm. It is likely to be muddy and slippery so please bring appropriate footwear. Walking is at your own risk. In the case of wet weather we will not walk but have a social time. Sorry, but please no dogs!And last but my no means least, our Spring Fair is coming up on Sunday too, from 11 am at St Matthew’s. Refreshments served. If you would like to have a stall, please contact Hilary on 01947 895722. We always need help with making and serving food for refreshments. Please email us back if you can help with this or either of our community cafes. Thank you.Sermon for the Fifth Sunday of Easter Please follow this link for the Readings that go with the sermon Reverend Anthony preached on Sunday:May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts together be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our rock, and redeemer. Amen.We had a wonderful Gospel singing day on Saturday with Hannah Brine at St Matthew’s in Grosmont. We sung,“I sing because I’m happy;I sing because I’m free;His eye is on the sparrowAnd I know He watches me.”That was an amazing experience – who’d have thought that was written back in 1905 by Civilla D Martin. The words we sang conveyed a sense of joy, contentment, and trust in a higher power. As Christians, we know that higher power is God, and the imagery of God’s watchful eyes on a sparrow symbolizes divine care and protection. God is in the detail of our lives. And the repetition of “I’m so happy” emphasizes Civilla D Martin’s deep happiness and faith. Overall, it’s a hopeful and uplifting message.I wonder what today’s readings can tell us about happiness, and whether they can add anything to our gospel song from yesterday?In our gospel reading, in verse 8, Jesus says, "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples." I wonder if bearing much fruit is intrinsically what makes us happy? Serving others, if you like? But how good are we at serving others? There are many people in our villages that feel insecure, isolated and vulnerable. Those that feel alienated from the world. Those that feel abandoned. Unloved.Jesus wants us to be happy, and I’m sure he would have been pleased with our gospel singing yesterday. In our beautiful Gospel passage, Jesus is explaining that we’re a part of him. Jesus is allowing us access to everything the Father gives him: Jesus will love us and value us, respect us and never let us go. In him we find our authenticity, our confidence and our relevance to God and to the rest of our world. A vine is a remarkable plant. As it grows, a vine develops a very thick and winding stem from which the branches emerge. The vines grow so that it can be hard to work out which branches are the original ones, and which branches are the fully grown ones.At the beginning of our Gospel passage, when Jesus says, "I am," in relation to the vine, we know that he speaks from his divine nature. "I am" is God's own name, given to Moses. And Jesus-as-God is the vine. The vine, and the wine that comes from it, are symbols of love, Jesus’ love in the form of his blood poured out for us and given to us as the sacramental wine we will share at Communion. Jesus is the visible source of love in his ministry on earth, and he invites us to become a part of that vine, a part of that love. But it’s important for us to remember that even though the vine’s branches all look alike, no two branches are exactly the same. They may weave and curl in similar ways, they may produce similar fruit following the same pattern. But each branch is unique. And this symbolises Jesus' call upon each of our lives. Jesus calls to us in our uniqueness to become joined with him in his purposes: spreading the love of God wherever we are. Serving others. We produce the same fruit from our individual branches, and we remain integrated and united with the original stem.Whether we’re fruitful vines or not depends upon us. And there is a cost to being a fruitful vine, of course, just as Jesus' life had a cost.The Holy Spirit wants us to be happy. The Wisdom of God which comes to us through the power of the Holy Spirit is God’s special gift: a gift which strengthens and inspires us to hold fast, to remain faithful and fruitful. We’re called to hang on to Jesus when we’re challenged by the world, and challenged through our personal hardships, too.And we’re called to hang in there even when we’re being "pruned" back a bit. But the wider our experience of God gets, good and bad, the deeper our understanding becomes. And sometimes, paradoxically, the more we suffer, the greater our capacity becomes to appreciate life as a precious gift. We see others more clearly through Jesus' eyes, and we place greater value on others. Our own little branch becomes an active extension of Jesus. And from that little branch grows a greater love for God and one another: the result is an expansion of love throughout our world. And that love is an expression of the joy that Jesus wants to lavish upon us. To let Jesus’ joy permeate our daily lives, and to express that joy, may, in unexpected and surprising ways, attract others to explore the essence of what it is that brings us that most wonderful cause for joy. Others that we serve then might discover such joy; such happiness.“I sing because I’m happy;I sing because I’m free;His eye is on the sparrowAnd I know He watches me.”Amen---The Reverend Anthony BennettInterim Minister – the Benefice of Middle ESK Moor---These two books, edited by Jane Williams, are continuing to be very helpful with planning my sermon writing:Williams, J (2009), Ed., ‘Lost for Words, A Sermon Resource for the Anglican Three Year Cycle,’ Redemptorist Publications, Chawton, UK.Williams, J (2011), Ed., ‘Lectionary Reflections, Years A, B and C.’ Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, London, UK.
Dear friends,I do hope all is well with you?Just another short update from me this week including a copy of last Sunday’s sermon. If there’s any help you might need from me, just get in touch.And please keep an eye on the website for what’s coming up: middleESKmoor.org.With love and all good wishes,Reverend AnthonySermon for the Fourth Sunday of Easter Please follow this link for the Readings that go with the sermon Reverend Anthony preached on Sunday morning in Lealholm and Egton:May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts together be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our rock, and redeemer. Amen.Part of our gospel readings says, "The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep.” What are we to make of that?Well, I guess it would be quite wrong to assume that just because a person is paid to do a job, they have less interest and less dedication to do that job. But maybe we can all recognise the truth in what Jesus says. We often complain that levels of service are "not what they were", and we get infuriated when we’re forced to listen to recorded messages on our phones, or when we get stuck in long queues waiting to hear from someone in a call centre. And you might all think that my sermons aren’t up to much and that you deserve a better service?I wonder if it would be fair to say that, intrinsically, we want something extra, beyond what is efficient or economic. We want something from people that serve us that we can describe as ‘good’. Well, that’s what Jesus describes as the qualities of the good shepherd.Jesus knows his sheep. Jesus protects them from the wolf.Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd.”Jesus is prepared to lay down his life for his sheep. The word that Jesus uses - "good" - describes the difference between the able person and the one who chooses to give love and service. Jesus isn’t talking about one occupation specifically, although the image of a shepherd obviously makes us think about pastoral care. No, Jesus is speaking about an attitude that should be an essential part of life for those who follow his teaching.Naturally, we think that Jesus is speaking of himself as the shepherd, and the Church as his sheep. We are those who get lost, who run into danger, and who become scattered. There’s a message to the Church in this: we must try and avoid losing contact with our shepherd. We must try and keep together, we must try and think of ways of working together rather than fragmenting our church into little groups that need to be brought into one flock. We have different denominations and traditions in the UK within one big flock, but how well does that work in this part of the world. Can we do better? We have different parishes within one Church of England benefice, one big flock, but how well does that work in this part of the world. Can we do better?I guess that we must recognise the gifts that the good shepherd displays, the pastoral gifts which we’re all called to show. Pastoral care springs from our faith in a loving, caring God. But we don’t employ people like me, or my successors, to carry out that task alone. I’d like to think that I’m not a hired hand! We’re called to share in the "shepherding" of the flock. And that’s where our annual meetings and our involvement in the governance and management of our Church of England presence in this place comes in. That’s all very much a collaborative project: joint shepherding.Stepping outside of our church buildings and outside of Middle ESK Moor, there’s a message for us all in todays’ Gospel reading to do with the work we do each day. We’re called to be good as well as competent. There’s an extra responsibility that demands the commitment shown by the good shepherd: a care for those around us; a willingness to show integrity, and honesty, to go the extra mile. That’s what makes the difference between the ones who are just doing a job because they’re being paid to do it, and those who are fulfilling their calling - whatever that might be. And I put it to you that we’re all quite adept at being able to recognise that difference in others. But do others see that difference in us? Do our family and close friends see that difference in us? I wonder if we fall short on this whole good shepherding thing with those that we’re closest to? We might be impatient and intolerant, we might not acknowledge that we’re tired, we might allow our poor behaviour to let us down.The good shepherd had to return home at the end of his tiring day in the fields and on the moors: Jesus clearly wouldn’t have suggested that the good shepherd could then forget his principles and cease to care for others — to drop an attitude of care and love. There’s a message here for all of us, and certainly for me. I fall short and can be irritable and not very ‘good’ with those closest to me. Just ask Sam or Amy or Zoe!The picture that Jesus gives of the shepherd of his day is one that still applies to us, whatever our work and occupation. The concept of good work, done with honesty and integrity, is one that we can recognise. We can contrast it with jobs that are done grudgingly, without a sense of commitment and enjoyment. And we might think of ‘good’ versus ‘not-so-good’ shepherds here. Are we good or not-so-good? Can we choose to be better shepherds?Those who choose to follow the teaching of Jesus, the good shepherd, should work and live to share God’s love abundantly. These are virtues that we can show in our churches, in our daily work and in our homes. In each of these places there’s a deep need for God’s love. In our churches we know instinctively that we should be one: one within each worshipping community, one within our different groupings (Church of England and with other denominations), and one within the whole Church of God. In our daily lives, in all those different aspects of our existence, we know instinctively the need for truth and healing. And in our homes, we know instinctively the need for honesty and purity.All of us who try to follow Jesus are taught that we need to have, in every part of our lives, the qualities of the good shepherd. Those qualities enable us to share God’s love.Amen---The Reverend Anthony BennettInterim Minister – the Benefice of Middle ESK Moor
Dear friends,I do hope that this update finds you well? This is a very quick note from me ahead of a special service tonight and Sunday morning in Middle ESK Moor.Tonight (Saturday 20th April)If you’re free tonight, why not join us for a Service of Praise and Hymns for the Easter Season, open to all across the Whitby Deanery, 6:00 at St. Stephen’s in Robin Hood’s Bay? We can offer a lift for 3 people, leaving Egton Vicarage at 5 pm - just email me back if you’d like to travel with Sam and I.Sunday 21st AprilPlease do come along to one of the remaining annual meetings. At each meeting there’ll be an opportunity to become elected (or re-elected) to one of our parochial church councils (PCCs), or to offer (or continue to offer) your valuable help and support to one or more of our PCCs, as we work together across our four parishes.The meetings are taking place straight after our Sunday morning 10:45 services, and the remaining ones are confirmed as follows:Midday Sunday 21st April, St Hilda, Egton.Midday Sunday 28th April, St Matthew, Grosmont.Midday Sunday 5th May, St Mary, Goathland.Please click on this link for further information.Before the meeting tomorrow there’ll be two opportunities to join me for worship:9:00 Holy Communion in Lealholm at St James'10:45 Holy Communion in Egton at St HildaLooking forward to catching up soon. Please email me back if there’s anything I can help with.With all good wishes,Anthony.---The Reverend Anthony BennettInterim Minister – the Benefice of Middle ESK Moor
Dear friends,Just a short update this week including a copy of last Sunday’s sermon. I’ve been busier than usual this week, including dealing with two bereavements. Please could you hold in prayer the family and friends of the late Mick Fletcher, of Egton Bridge, and the late Joyce Rhea, of Glaisdale. May they both rest in peace as we commit them to God’s eternal care.Please reply to this email if there’s any help you might need from me.With love and all good wishes,Reverend AnthonySermon for the Third Sunday of Easter Please follow this link for the Readings that go with the sermon Reverend Anthony preached this morning:May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts together be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our rock, and redeemer. Amen.I don’t know about you, but I feel quite uncomfortable with talk of spirits and ghosts and other strange things that ‘go bump in the night.’ That’s not to say that I don’t believe in ghosts. Do you? But I’ve never liked horror films or anything at the cinema or on TV to do with ghosts. I can remember watching a few things as a child and being absolutely terrified!As we read today in our gospel reading from Luke, the disciples weren’t made any different to us. They were just ordinary folk. And when they saw Jesus appear among them, standing before them, very much alive - and they had seen him die only days before - they were absolutely terrified!Just prior to the reading today in Luke’s gospel, the disciples had heard all about the two from Emmaus who had walked and talked with the risen Jesus on the road. They’d failed to recognise Jesus in the fading light; but they’d known him instantly in the breaking of the bread. Despite that, all the disciples, when Jesus came and stood amongst them, were terrified. They thought Jesus was a ghost.The Greeks in Jesus’ day, saw reality in terms of concepts, of universal truths, but to the Jews, the disciples, reality was particular and concrete. And so the resurrection had to be particular and concrete to the disciples, not just a concept. They needed something they could see with their own eyes. Jesus demonstrated this; he really did come and stand with his disciples; he really did rise from the dead. And we have numerous eye witness accounts in the Bible to testify to that.Last week we were thinking about Thomas and reading the closing verses of John’s gospel. Famously, Thomas had the need to touch so that he could believe, and Jesus understood that need. Caravaggio, the seventeenth-century Italian artist, captures very clearly the moment when Thomas makes his declaration of faith in the risen Christ: The Incredulity of Saint Thomas.In the dim light of the spluttering candle, Jesus grips Thomas by the wrist.Thomas extends his finger, which Jesus guides into the loose flesh of the gaping wound in his side.Thomas' brow is deeply furrowed with doubt and incomprehension.His eyes follow the direction of his extended finger.This is the moment of his decision.Can he believe what he sees?He can, and he does by exclaiming: "My Lord and my God!"It is a life-changing moment for Thomas. And it remains a crucial moment for the many, the children of God, who come after him throughout history: those "who have not seen and yet have come to believe." That includes us. We are children of God.We read this week, in the closing verses of Luke’s gospel, Jesus’ response to the unbelief of all the disciples, not just Thomas. "A ghost", Jesus says, "does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." And, for a final and unmistakable confirmation of his physical reality, Jesus asks for some food: “They gave him a piece of fish and watched him eat it,” Luke writes.I think there’s a playfulness and humour in Jesus' words and actions here, as he asks:"Why are you frightened? Have you never seen a dead man eating?" The way Jesus teases them is part of what helps them to accept that this is really him, really alive. This sense of reality, this absolute certainty that Jesus had risen from the dead and was with them again, came before a strengthening and deepening understanding. That strength and understanding was enabled by the gift of the Holy Spirit, that we look forward to celebrating in a few weeks at Pentecost. Unless they were sure, how could they preach with conviction? The disciple’s faith was deepened beyond measure because it was based on absolute certainty, on eye witness accounts.In our reading from Acts, Luke Volume 2, Luke jumps ahead from his Gospel story past Pentecost and we see Peter, bold in the new-found courage of the Holy Spirit, and certain of his faith through those concrete resurrection appearances, where he saw the Risen Jesus. Peter reminds the authorities that they had disowned Jesus, the same Jesus who Peter had also disowned. But Peter has moved on - we hear the confident affirmation of his faith, a faith that has transformed his life in every conceivable way.Our Bible passages about Jesus’ appearances to Thomas and the rest of the disciples, and Peter’s bold and courageous speech, are there, I think, to remind us of our identity: we are children of God, children in God’s family. And hence, we are meant to be here together across the benefice, because we belong together in and through Jesus. Hence, we are called to work together as one family.We move along our faith journeys together, belonging together. Belonging is where we start. Then, in that belonging, we can support, nurture and encourage each other to enrich our lives and share our thoughts and dreams together, so can work out what we’ve come to know, what we’ve come to believe.Belonging… Enriching, Sharing, Knowing… Believing.We didn’t see what the disciples saw, but despite not seeing we can “come to believe” as the disciples did. Believers are not just friends, but children, children in God’s family. We’re meant to be here in this place at this present moment; we belong here, together. But many of us have followed the pattern of disbelief and uncertainty that Thomas, Peter and the rest of the disciples experienced. I might even hesitate to assert that we’ve all been in that place? I certainly have. And perhaps that’s a place we return to periodically? We’ve experienced the same struggle as the disciples to believe, to come to terms with the Christian faith, to make a commitment to the Risen Lord.There is ample evidence in the Bible of many people who heard God's call and felt it could not be so. And, like the disciples, we’ve all had to weigh the evidence, reach our own conclusion, make our own decision. Only then can we make a personal declaration of faith. Through the evidence in the Bible I think we can see clearly and unambiguously that Jesus did indeed rise from the dead, stand amongst the disciples and eat bread and fish with them. I wonder, would you agree with that? Do you accept the eye witness testimony in the Bible?Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we have access to that very same boldness and courageousness that Peter received. So, let’s be encouraged, sisters and brothers, by the faith we can share in our Risen Lord, Jesus! Anything is possible through that faith – even sorting out our four parishes across Middle ESK Moor!In the words of the popular hymn, and from the evidence in the Bible, this is what we know,…he was born of Mary when Bethlehem’s manger was his only home……he heals the broken-hearted … calms our lurking fear and lifts the burden from the heavy laden……all flesh shall see his glory, and he shall reap the harvest he has sown … his sun will shine in splendour…… the skies will thrill with rapture, and myriad myriad human voices sing, and earth to heaven, and heaven to earth, will answer: “at last the Saviour, Saviour of the world, is King!”As children of God, let’s be encouraged by the Bible readings we’ve read today and last week, in this glorious Easter season!Amen---The Reverend Anthony BennettInterim Minister – the Benefice of Middle ESK Moor
