We will open the church daily between 10am and 4pm from 5th September provided that there are sufficient volunteers to facilitate this, with a request to visitors to wear masks, sanitise hands, keep an appropriate distance from others while inside the building, and refrain from touching anything. The candle stand will be in use. We will continue to monitor the situation and to respond with your physical, mental and spiritual health as a priority.
Our services of Holy Communion on Sundays will commence at 10am from 5th September. Numbers will no longer be restricted at Sunday services, and we are looking to offer organ/piano music and congregational singing in due course. Masks which cover the nose and mouth must be worn unless exempt. Please sanitise your hands as you enter the church building. There will be a limited number of distanced seats at the back of the church. Please do not attend if feeling unwell or if you have been asked to isolate. A Thursday service will continue to take place at 11.00am in church. The same guidance applies as above, but due to less demand for attendance social distancing is more easily achieved, and there will be no congregational singing. Lateral flow tests are advised. Booking is no longer required, you may simply turn up on Thursdays at 11am or Sundays at 10:00am.
If we take a look at this morning’s gospel we are given a picture of a party. Herod was celebrating his birthday with a grand hooley. All the ‘great and the good’ would be there. However, it turned out to be a party like no other. It was to be an evening that would evoke many different feelings. It certainly appeared that Herod was having a whale of a time - maybe whilst having drunk too much all inhibitions were gone. And he acts foolishly. All because of the allure of a dancing girl. He offered her anything she wanted and I should think he got more than he bargained for. John the Baptist had highlighted Herod’s adulterous affair with Herodias and so it was Herodias who seized the opportunity to get rid of him for good. Was it out of spite she persuaded her daughter - the dancer - to ask for John’s head on a plate? Or was it a clear, calculated move? And the guests - some may have been so inebriated that they thought it great fun - joining in with the clapping and cheering. Others may well have been horrified - but in the presence of Herod felt they had to look as though they were enjoying themselves - after all, he had the reputation of being a tyrant.And John's disciples - they would have come with heavy hearts to collect his body. After all, he was their teacher, friend and mentor.Who would they turn to now? Some would follow Jesus whilst others may have just dispersed to their previous lives.Although it is important to commemorate the death of John the Baptist we must not see it as an isolated event, because the result of that evening was to throw Jesus well and truly into the limelight. For John was a prophet and his vocation had been to foretell the coming of the Messiah - in other words to point the way towards Jesus’ ministry here on earth. Throughout his life John was growing in holiness and wisdom and eventually he was able to perceive that his distant relative and friend was the long awaited Messiah. And in a way that’s how it should be with us. As we pursue a prayer life - in whatever form that takes. For each of us it will be different as we prefer a style of prayer that suits our personality, mood or circumstances. And, of course, that style very often alters as time progresses. If you look back over the years you may well be surprised at the different ways of praying that have come to the fore. How at one time you may have used the ‘Jesus’ prayer or a rosary. Maybe you’ve pondered in silence the wonders of nature - especially living here surrounded by the sea and countryside - where we can look in awe at the fiery sunrises and sunsets. At other times thankfulness is the order of the day.In one sense how we pray is unimportant - the important thing is that we do take time to pray. It is in the very action of prayer that God becomes more central in our lives. Like John we will have a heightened awareness of Jesus’ effect on our lives. And it is during these periods of consciously trying to connect with our Lord, we are in the process of being healed. And healing is an ongoing process - for we all are broken people. We all have fears and worries, physical ailments and spiritual difficulties at times. Unfortunately, this is a fact of life.Now just to change tack. When I took Life Vows within the Society of St Luke I was given my monastic cross. A very simple wooden cross with the marks of the wounds of Christ on the front. And I wear it every day. However, when I received it I was a little disappointed to discover that it had been broken and glued back together. For a while that took the shine out of it for me. Then I realised as I held this symbol of our Lord’s suffering - the ridge where it had been repaired reminded me of my own brokenness. And indeed, it now serves, as a salutary reminder, of how much I rely on my God - and your God - to guide me through this world. It doesn’t mean I always get it right - but I can always say ‘I’m sorry’ and start over again in the hope of becoming a better person. Amen.The Reverend Mother Julie Wiseman SSL.
Lord, direct our thoughts, and teach us to pray. Lift up our hearts to worship you in spirit and in truth, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.‘The Lord is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face.’’ (Psalm 11: 7)Hymn: Purify my heart, let me be as gold and precious silver...Jeremiah 1: 4-10Since we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin which clings so closely, looking to Jesus in penitence and faith. Let us confess our sins: Most merciful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we confess that we have sinned in thought, word and deed. We have not loved you with our whole heart. We have not loved our neighbours as ourselves. In your mercy forgive what we have been, help us to amend what we are, and direct what we shall be; that we may do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with you, our God. Amen.May the God of love bring us back to himself, forgive us our sins, and assure us of his eternal love in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.Prayer for the day: Almighty God, who called your servant John the Baptist to be the forerunner of your Son in birth and death: strengthen us by your grace that, as he suffered for the truth, so we may boldly resist corruption and vice and receive with him the unfading crown of glory; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you,in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.Matthew 14: 1-12Please see the message from the minister.Let us pray:We pray for St Peter’s Church and the Church throughout the world: for the strength and courage to share God’s love;We pray for the world: for reconciliation where there is conflict, for justice and peace;We pray for our communities, families and friends: for relationships to flourish;We pray for all who are sick or suffering: for healing in mind, body and spirit;We pray for people who have been bereaved: for comfort in their grief.Let us pray the prayer that Jesus taught us:Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done;on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses,as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory for ever and ever. Amen.Hymn: Beauty for brokenness, hope for despair...May Christ, who makes saints of sinners, raise and strengthen us that we may transform the world, and may the blessing of God Almighty who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit rest upon us and and be with us always. Amen.Let us go in peace to love and serve the Lord, in the name of Christ. Amen.
