Covid-19 restrictions this year have meant it has not been possible to conduct Church services as we have in the past. This is deeply disappointing, but we accept these measures are in place to protect us all during the pandemic. One service which will be impacted is our annual Remembrance Day service, this year to be held on Sunday 8th November in Dunsfold and Hascombe churches. At St Mary & All Saints, Dunsfold the service will begin at 09:30. At St Peter’s, Hascombe the service will start at 10:00. Government social distancing guidelines in church buildings mean that we must limit the numbers we can welcome. So, in each church places will be allocated on a ‘first come/first served’ basis for the Remembrance Day service. Please contact me at the Rectory as soon as possible, either by telephone or email using the address dandhchurchbooking@gmail.com, to book your place at the Remembrance Day service. I will confirm bookings with you.Please include your name, the number in your party (no more than 6) a contact telephone number and which service you wish to attend.It is very important that you realise that we have limited capacities and will have no choice but to deny entry to people once that limit has been met. You are, of course, welcome to wait and take part as best you can outside each church - providing social distancing rules are observed. You are also most welcome to come into the church for private prayer and contemplation once the Remembrance Day service has finished. If you have any questions regarding the Remembrance Day service for this year, please do feel free to contact me. With every blessing, IANReverend Ian MaslinPriest in Charge Dunsfold and HascombeThe RectoryChurch GreenDunsfoldGU8 4LT01483 200048
“By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept” – these words from Ps 137 keep coming to mind (I am desperately trying to resist the tune from Boney M!). It speaks to me of profound sadness that I feel at the moment with the way things are, just as the people of God experienced an even deeper sadness going into exile. There are other experiences that we have in common with the exiles. In the overthrow of Judah and Jerusalem many would have died, so we too are lamenting those we have lost to Covid. They had lost their temple, so we too have lost our ‘normal’ worship. They had lost their culture, to a large extent so have we. They had lost their leaders; our national leaders are struggling. Materially they had lost everything, many in our communities are losing their jobs. They were disorientated and discombobulated – and so are many of us. <span style="font-size: 1rem;">And so, lament we should and we shouldn’t rush that. But the Exiles then did some deep theological reflection, going back to the scriptures as they were then, leading to spiritual renewal. How will our own theological reflection and spiritual renewal echo that of the exiles? </span>I have recently heard some drawing on Jeremiah’s letter to the exiles (Jer 29). For me, I will be turning to the Psalms. The fifth book of the Psalms from Ps 107 seems to be put together for those in exile. I won’t give it all away, but to give you a taster - Psalms 120-134 are the songs of ascent – sung by the pilgrim people of God as they approach Jerusalem to worship at the temple, culminating with the two hallelujah psalms 135 & 136. And then crisis – Ps 137. But Psalms 138 resolves the crisis by going back to David and we are reminded that the temple was for his Name but he dwells in the heavens, and he is sovereign over all the nations, not least Babylon. Psalm 139 reminds us that Temple or no Temple, there is no place we can go where God is not present and he watches over us. What rich truths came out of the exile! (For more on this, see http://bit.ly/exilicpsalms) <span style="font-size: 1rem;">My prayer is that in this crisis, in all the demands laid upon us, we might carve out the time to turn to God, to really spend time with him, to lament and do the deep theological reflection that in time, we might know spiritual renewal. </span>Peter Harwood
