Month: May 2020

Hi Everyone!

It’s very good to be with you today to celebrate what’s often referred to as The Church’s Birthday – Pentecost; the day on which God poured out the gift of the Holy Spirit on the first followers of Jesus. We celebrate not only that day in Jerusalem almost two thousand years ago, but also the continuing presence and power of the Spirit in the world today, bringing in the Kingdom of God and transforming people’s lives, as they know the love of Jesus Christ in their lives.

This week’s virtual service is on our podcast page as usual; I hope very much that you enjoy participating in it.

I’m back to peaching this morning, after Alison’s and Annie’s great contributions over the past couple of weeks – thank you so much, both of you. Our reading is from Acts, Chapter 2, verses 1-21.

As usual, Deb and Deborah lead us in our worship – thank you so much to you two ladies, too, for your contributions every week.
Our worship today is:

Come Down O Love Divine

Come down, O Love divine!
Seek thou this soul of mine
And visit it with thine own ardour glowing;
O Comforter, draw near,
Within my heart appear,
And kindle it, thy holy flame bestowing.

O let it freely burn
Till earthly passions turn
To dust and ashes in its heat consuming;
And let your glorious light
Shine ever on my sight,
And clothe me round, the while my path illuming.

Let holy charity
Mine outward vesture be,
And lowliness become mine inner clothing;
True lowliness of heart,
Which takes the humbler part,
And o’er its own shortcomings weeps with loathing.

And so the yearning strong,
With which the soul will long,
Shall far outpass the power of human telling;
For none can guess its grace,
Till we become the place
Wherein the Holy Spirit makes his dwelling.

Bianco da Siena, trans. R.F. Littledale

    

O For A Thousand Tongues to Sing

Oh for a thousand tongues to sing 
My great Redeemer’s praise, 
The glories of my God and King, 
The triumphs of His grace! 

Jesus! the name that charms our fears, 
That bids our sorrows cease; 
’Tis music in the sinner’s ears, 
’Tis life and health and peace. 

He breaks the power of cancelled sin, 
He sets the prisoner free; 
His blood can make the foulest clean; 
His blood availed for me. 

He speaks: and listening to His voice, 
New life the dead receive, 
The mournful, broken hearts rejoice, 
The humble poor believe. 

Hear Him, ye deaf; His praise, ye dumb, 
Your loosened tongues employ; 
Ye blind, behold your Saviour come; 
And leap, ye lame, for joy! 

My gracious Master and my God 
Assist me to proclaim 
To spread through all the earth abroad 
The honours of Thy name 

Charles Wesley

     

I also strongly commend to you a very moving contemporary worship song, ‘Come Holy Spirit’, written by some South African Christians, which I came across during a diocesan curates’ mission trip in 2019, to our sister Diocese of Natal. This recording was made at LIV, an extraordinary village for South African orphans, founded by a Christian couple. I find it so beautiful to see God at work amongst his people in this way, with worship at the heart of this community. It’s mostly in English, but the chorus is in Zulu – ‘Uthando lwakho luyaphila’ (meaning ‘Your love is alive’), and ‘Umbuso wakho uyaphila’ (‘Your Kingdom is alive’): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKAlsYb2V6o  Do watch it – I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!    

As usual, if you’d prefer to read rather than listen to the podcast, the sermon transcript, reading and prayers can be downloaded here: 

New-Look Sundays: Zoom Catch-Ups!

Last week’s Zoom call worked really well, so do please join us for another this Sunday!

If you can, listen to the podcast at 9.30 (but don’t worry if you can’t, just join us for a natter anyway!); grab a quick coffee; and then join us on Zoom at 10.15 for a catch-up across the Benefice. Chat about the sermon, the weather, or anything you like, until 11.00 at latest. 

Join the Zoom call here (Meeting ID: 864 0083 1074 ; Password: 549794) We look forward to seeing you all there!

Pentecost Prayer – This Sunday Evening, May 31st, 8PM-9PM!

Finally, do join us as we mark the culmination of these eleven days of ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ prayer at Pentecost. We’ll gather on Zoom for an hour on Sunday evening to pray, “Lord, Thy Kingdom Come” – that, through the power of the Holy Spirit, the Kingdom of God will break into our world, our villages and our lives, and the lives of those who don’t yet know the love of Jesus Christ.

Join the Zoom call here (Meeting ID: 847 5217 7286; Password: 529541) We look forward to praying with you there!

Very best wishes, stay safe, and God bless,

Hi everyone!
We hope you’re all doing well, and enjoying the beautiful sunshine. Our farmer neighbours and friends could do with some rain though, couldn’t they? Let’s keep them in our prayers.

This week’s Cranmer Kids is all about Pentecost – what’s often called the Church’s Birthday: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHURCH!

There’s another really good film, a couple of great worship songs, and some really fun Pentecost craft, including Holy Spirit kites and balloons. Enjoy!

Good morning, everyone, on this Sunday After Ascension Day, Thursday May 21st – the day on which we celebrate Jesus’ return to be with his Father in Heaven, assuming the fullness of his heavenly glory once again.

This week’s virtual service is on our podcast page as usual; I hope very much that you enjoy participating in it.

I’ve been trying over recent weeks to complement the words and sung worship of our services with an image from the world of art, which I hope adds an additional dimension. This week, although it’s still a painting, it’s considerably less profound – I hope you’ll forgive me for sharing this meme that I saw posted by another member of the clergy on Twitter this last week, and which is all-too-apposite for these lockdown times:

It did make me smile, but underlying it, it’s making a serious point about our Christian faith – Jesus, forty days after after his resurrection, left this earth to be once again with his Father in heaven, re-assuming his full glory as he did so, and leaving us – his church – to continue the work that he had started on earth: bringing in the Kingdom of God.

It’s great to welcome another member of our congregations, Alison Stewart, as our preacher this week. Tying in with the theme of the ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ global prayer initiative between Ascension Day and Pentecost, Alison speaks to us from Acts chapter 1 on ‘Waiting & Praying’, as Jesus commissions his disciples, focusing on prayer and the Holy Spirit.
   

Our worship in today’s service:

If You Are Encouraged

If you are encouraged in your union with Christ, 
finding consolation in his love,
Compassion, warmth and friendship in the Spirit’s flow of life;
This is how you make my joy complete;

By being of the same mind and loving with the same love, 
united in the Spirit, with the same goal in sight,
by being of the same mind and loving with the same love, 
united in the spirit, to the glory of Christ 

Be sure you do nothing out of selfishness or pride, 
never seeing past your own concerns;
But humbly keep the interests of each other in your hearts, 
seeing them as better than yourselves 

By being of the same mind and loving with the same love, 
united in the Spirit, with the same goal in sight,
By being of the same mind and loving with the same love, 
united in the Spirit, to the glory of Christ

Graham Kendrick © 1993 Make Way Music

Alleluia, Sing to Jesus!

Alleluia, sing to Jesus!
His the sceptre, his the throne;
Alleluia, his the triumph,
His the victory alone:
Hark, the songs of peaceful Sion
Thunder like a mighty flood;
Jesus out of every nation,
Hath redeemed us by his blood. 

Alleluia, not as orphans
Are we left in sorrow now;
Alleluia, he is near us,
Faith believes, nor questions how:
Though the cloud from sight received him,
When the forty days were o’er,
Shall our hearts forget his promised,
‘I am with you evermore’? 

Alleluia, Bread of Angels,
Thou on earth out food, our stay;
Alleluia, here the sinful 
Flee to thee from day to day:
Intercessor, Friend of sinners,
Earth’s Redeemer, plead for me,
Where the songs of all the singles
Sweep across the crystal sea. 

Alleluia, King eternal,
Thee the Lord of lords we own;
Alleluia, born of Mary,
Earth thy footstool, heaven thy throne, 
Thou within the veil hast entered,
Robed in flesh, our great High Priest;
Thou on earth both Priest and Victim
In the Eucharistic Feast.

W. Chatterton Dix

Do also listen to a particularly beautiful new worship song this week: ‘Thy Kingdom Come’, by Pete James. It’s been specially composed for this year’s Thy Kingdom Come global prayer initiative, and sets new and prayer-full lyrics to the tune of the glorious traditional hymn, ‘Tell out My Soul, The Greatness of the Lord!’

With the new lyrics in the film itself, it’s at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWhL6v8oQZ0
Do enjoy it!

As usual, if you’d prefer to read rather than listen to the podcast, the sermon transcript, reading and prayers can be downloaded here:

And finally, catch up with what’s going on in the Cranmer Group over the coming days: 

New-Look Sundays: Zoom Catch-Ups!

Listen to the podcast at 9.30; grab a quick coffee; and then join us on Zoom at 10.15 for a catch-up across the Benefice. Chat about the sermon, the weather, or anything you like, until 11.00 at latest.

Join the Zoom call here (Meeting ID: 864 0083 1074 ; Password: 549794) –  hopefully all will be fine from a technical perspective this Sunday, after last weekend’s global Zoom issues… We look forward to seeing you all there!

‘Thy Kingdom Come’, 21st – 31st May

All the details you need of everything going on across the Benefice until May 31st, for Thy Kingdom Come, are here. Do join in with as many as you wish of our Prayer Menu’s different courses, helping us all to pray – talking with God and listening to God.

You can commit to saying the Lord’s Prayer daily…
…or join with Morning Prayer on Zoom each day until May 31st…
…or bring this time to a wonderful, prayer-full close in our Pentecost Prayers gathering, on Sunday May 31st, 8-9PM, again on Zoom.

All the Zoom details you need for Morning Prayer and Pentecost Prayers are here, below the Menu’s ‘Main’ and ‘Dessert’ courses.

I hope to see you all at as may of these gatherings you can make – pray well!

Until then, my very best wishes, stay safe, and God bless,

Rev. Tim Chambers
Vicar, the Cranmer Group
E-mail: curate@stgilesparish.com   
Mobile: 07946 526569

Our Cranmer Kids Pinterest page this week is all about prayer, as we join in with the Thy Kingdom Come global prayer initiative.

Find out all about how you can make yourself a Prayer Shed; how you can be still in prayer before God; and a great way to ask Him for forgiveness for the wrong things we’ve done in life.

And there’s a fun film there too, that Clare and I recorded for Archbishop Cranmer Academy about great Thy Kingdom Come resources for families, with a special guest appearance from Ella at the end too!

Hi Everyone – for the first time, from within the Cranmer Group itself!

We’ve finally been able to move into Aslockton Vicarage, and – although still surrounded by vast piles of unopened boxes – it’s great to be on the ground. Clare, Esther (and Ella the Labrador) and I are greatly looking forward to meeting you all in person over the coming weeks and months (albeit socially distanced for the time being) and to sharing with you in what God is doing throughout our communities.

This week’s virtual service is on our podcast page as usual; I hope very much that you enjoy participating in it.

We welcome our first podcast sermon from a member of our Benefice – Annie Dickinson, our Lay Reader. It’s great to hear from Annie her thoughts on St. Paul’s preaching to the people of Athens, from Acts chapter 17, and especially her challenge to us as to what our ‘gods’ might be, similarly to all the Athenians with their pantheon – ‘a god for every eventuality’. We believe that we have just the one God for all eventualities, and indeed all of life, but is our worship always directed to him, as opposed to any ‘idols’ we may harbour?

The great Italian painter Raphael portrayed Paul speaking to the Athenians, in an image he designed for an immense series of tapestries adorning the lower walls of the Sistine Chapel in Rome’s Vatican City. They are never on view due to their extreme fragility, but were displayed together in the Sistine this last February for the first time in over 400 years, in celebration of Raphael’s 500th anniversary:

So if you, like me, weren’t on Rome during that one week, it’s going to be rather a long for us all to wait until the next time they’re on show! But you can see the ‘cartoons’ (full-scale preparatory drawings) for the tapestries, including St. Paul Preaching to the Athenians, in London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, where they’re on permanent display – they’re very beautiful, and well worth a look

Our worship in today’s service:

Filled With Compassion

Filled with compassion for all creation
Jesus came into a world that was lost
There was but one way that He could save us
Only through suffering death on a cross

God You are waiting
Your heart is breaking
For all the people who live on the earth
Stir us to action
Filled with Your passion
For all the people who live on the earth

Great is Your passion for all the people
Living and dying without knowing You
Having no Saviour they’re lost forever
If we don’t speak out and lead them to You

Chorus

From every nation we shall be gathered
Millions redeemed shall be Jesus’ reward
Then He will turn and say to His Father
Truly my suffering was worth it all

Chorus

Noel Richards © 1994 Kingsway’s Thankyou Music

Thou Whose Almighty Word 

Thou, whose almighty word 
chaos and darkness heard,
and took their flight;
hear us, we humbly pray, 
and, where the Gospel day 
sheds not its glorious ray, 
let there be light!

Thou who didst come to bring 
on thy redeeming wing 
healing and sight, 
heal to the sick in mind, 
sight to the inly blind, 
now to all humankind, 
let there be light!

Spirit of truth and love, 
life-giving holy Dove, 
speed forth thy flight! 
Move o’er the waters’ face 
bearing the lamp of grace, 
and, in earth’s darkest place, 
let there be light!

Blessèd and holy Three, 
glorious Trinity, 
Wisdom, Love, Might; 
boundless as ocean’s tide, 
rolling in fullest pride, 
through the world far and wide, 
let there be light!

John Marriott (1720-1825)
  

I’m again suggesting you might like to try out a more contemporary worship song. This week, it’s ‘Your Kingdom Come’, by Pete James, which was specially composed for the Thy Kingdom Come global prayer initiative in 2018. It has a beautiful piano accompaniment, and the video has some wonderful images of a candlelit St. Paul’s Cathedral! You can listen to it (with the lyrics in the film itself) at: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mA2q295l9A0   I hope you enjoy it!

As usual, if you’d prefer to read rather than listen to the podcast, the sermon transcript, reading and prayers can be downloaded here:

There are three brief notices today about what’s going on in the Cranmer Group over the coming days: 

New-Look Sundays: Zoom Catch-Ups – STARTING THIS MORNING!

Listen to the podcast at 9.30; grab a quick coffee; and then join us on Zoom at 10.15 for a catch-up across the Benefice. Chat about the sermon, the weather, or anything you like, until 11.00 at latest.

Join the Zoom call here (Meeting ID: 864 0083 1074 ; Password: 549794) – we look forward to seeing you all there!

Thy Kingdom Come

Details of all that will be going on across the Benefice for the Thy Kingdom Come global prayer initiative will be sent to you all on Monday 17th. Do join in with as many as you wish of the different ways we’ll have available to pray – talking with God and listening to God.

And if you especially wish to celebrate Ascension Day, Thursday, May 21st, do join the service from Southwell Minster – details will be here.

“You’ll Get Through This”

We’re going to try out an online home group on Zoom, following a study
series, “You’ll Get Through This”, by Max Lucado, the popular
author. It’s based around the story of Joseph in the Book of Genesis.

Over seven weeks, we’ll watch a short film in which Max looks at Joseph’s story, applying it to our lives. We’ll then talk about what we’ve heard, using the discussion materials, and close in prayer.

I’ll lead the weekly sessions, starting on Tuesday May 19th, 7.30 – 9.00PM. Sign up with me/our administrator, Jade (thecranmergroup@gmail.com and 07526 603766), ASAP! We’ll get the Zoom details and materials to you. Any questions, do contact me. I look forward to seeing you online, and to growing in faith together.

    

There seems a lot to take in this week – well done for getting this far! Do please get in touch (details below, or indeed you can now just drop round to the Vicarage) if there’s any way in which I or our church families can help you at in these difficult times – or just to say, “Hi!”

Best wishes, stay safe, and God bless,

Rev. Tim Chambers
Vicar, the Cranmer Group
E-mail: curate@stgilesparish.com   
Mobile: 07946 526569

Hello everyone! I hope you could join in some of our villages’ fun VE Day commemorations this last Friday, even if they weren’t able to be held in the way we’d originally envisaged them – at least the sun shone! 

This week’s virtual service is on our podcast page as usual – I hope you enjoy participating in it. 

Our worship is a combination of ‘local’ and ‘national’ this Sunday. First, our own Deb Hubbard leads us gently in Abide with Me. Then the choir of St. Martin’s in the Fields, in London’s Trafalgar Square – who apparently recorded their parts from their own homes, before it was all edited together! – close our service with the rousing To God Be The Glory.
Do join in with our worship at home – the words are below.

Our Bible reading this week is again from the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 7, verses 55-60.

On the face of it, this passage – the stoning of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr – is unsurprisingly difficult.

However, I believe that Stephen’s story, and the way in which he died, is not only very moving, but an extraordinarily positive one for us as Christians, and a great witness to those who don’t yet share our faith.

The Italian Renaissance painter, Paolo Uccello’s portrayal of Stephen’s final moments, though very stylised, has one detail that I especially love:

If you look closely in the top right-hand corner, although Uccello shows the blazing radiance of God the Father and Jesus next to him, as opposed to the two figures themselves, you can see in the rays descending towards Stephen, a succession of martyrs’ crowns – what he’ll gloriously wear in the company of heaven, having given up his life for Christ.

Our worship for today:

Abide with Me

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.

Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
Earth’s joys grow dim; its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see;
O Thou who changest not, abide with me.

I need Thy presence every passing hour.
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.

I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness.
Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.

Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies:
Heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me!

(H.F. Lyte)

To God Be The Glory 

To God be the glory, great things he has done!
So loved he the world that he gave us his Son,
who yielded his life an atonement for sin,
and opened the life-gate that all may go in:        

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! 
Let the earth hear his voice! 
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! 
Let the people rejoice! 
O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son; 
And give him the glory – great things he has done! 

O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood!
To every believer the promise of God!
The vilest offender who truly believes,
that moment from Jesus forgiveness receives:

Chorus

Great things he has taught us, great things he has done,
and great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son;
but purer, and higher, and greater will be
our wonder, our rapture, when Jesus we see:

Chorus 

(Fanny Crosby)

       

Continuing what we introduced last week, at this stage I’m suggesting you might like to try out another more contemporary worship song. This week, it’s ‘King of Kings’, by Hillsong Worship. The fourth verse of the song declares the following:

“And the Church of Christ was born,
Then the Spirit lit the flame;
Now this gospel truth of old
Shall not kneel, shall not faint”

I think this has a wonderful resonance with the Spirit-filled courage that St. Stephen demonstrates as he’s united with Christ and the Father in heaven. You can listen to it (with the lyrics in the film itself) here (you may have to skip the adverts). Once again, I hope you enjoy it!

As usual, if you’d prefer to read rather than listen to the podcast, the sermon transcript, reading and prayers can be downloaded here:

And do please contact me (details below) if there is any way in which I or our church families can help you at in these difficult times.

Best wishes, stay safe, and God bless,

Rev. Tim Chambers
Vicar, the Cranmer Group
E-mail: curate@stgilesparish.com   
Mobile: 07946 526569

This week, we’re looking at another of the stories of how Jesus appeared to his disciples after he’d risen from the dead – from John’s Gospel, chapter 21. Jesus appears to Peter and many of the other disciples by the Sea of Galilee – and has breakfast with them!
Enjoy watching the film, joining in with the worship songs and the prayer activity, and doing the craft – it’s all here!

Hi everyone! It’s great to be with you all again, for this week’s virtual service, available on our podcast page.

Our two ‘musical Deborahs’ – Deb Hubbard and Deborah Davies – kindly lead us in our worship this Sunday. Do join in with our worship at home – the words are below.

The Bible reading this week moves to the Acts of the Apostles, to the picture of the early church found in chapter 2, verses 42-47.

It’s a really radical image of how to live, especially when compared the society of that time.

How can this group of the very first Christians, as they followed Jesus together, inform the way in which we are the church today?

Our worship for today:

Brother, Sister, Let Me Serve You, Lord

Brother, sister, let me serve you;
let me be as Christ to you;
pray that I may have the grace to
let you be my servant too.

We are pilgrims on a journey,
and companions on the road;
we are here to help each other
walk the mile and bear the load.

I will hold the Christlight for you
in the nighttime of your fear;
I will hold my hand out to you,
speak the peace you long to hear.

I will weep when you are weeping;
when you laugh I’ll laugh with you;
I will share your joy and sorrow,
till we’ve seen this journey through.

When we sing to God in heaven,
we shall find such harmony,
born of all we’ve known together
of Christ’s love and agony.

Brother, sister, let me serve you;
let me be as Christ to you;
pray that l may have the grace to
let you be my servant too.

(Richard A.M. Gillard © 1977 Scripture in Song)

We have a gospel to proclaim

We have a gospel to proclaim
Good news for men in all the earth;
The gospel of a Saviour’s name:
We sing His glory, tell His worth.

Tell of His birth at Bethlehem,
Not in a royal house or hall
But in a stable dark and dim:
The Word made flesh, a light for all.

Tell of His death at Calvary,
Hated by those He came to save;
In lonely suffering on the cross
For all He loved His life He gave.

Tell of that glorious Easter morn:
Empty the tomb, for He was free.
He broke the power of death and hell
That we might share His victory.

Tell of His reign at God’s right hand,
By all creation glorified;
He sends His Spirit on His Church
To live for Him, the Lamb who died.

Now we rejoice to name Him King:
Jesus is Lord of all the earth.
This gospel message we proclaim:
We sing His glory, tell His worth.

(© 1968 Edward Burns)

We’ve had more traditional worship in our services over the last three weeks. I’d gradually like to start introducing some more contemporary worship songs, so in our virtual service this week, I’m suggesting you also worship to ‘Hope and Glory’, by Tim Hughes, which is rather hymn-like. You can listen to it, with the lyrics in the film itself, here (you may have to skip the adverts).
I hope you enjoy it!

As usual, if you’d prefer to read rather than listen to the podcast, the sermon transcript, reading and prayers can be downloaded here:

And do please contact me (details below) if there is any way in which I or our church families can help you at this tough time.

Best wishes, stay safe, and God bless,

Rev. Tim Chambers
Vicar, the Cranmer Group
E-mail: curate@stgilesparish.com   
Mobile: 07946 526569