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Thought for the Day by Hazel Barclay (BH Member)“ Suddenly Jesus met them “ Matthew 28:1-10 My reading this morning took me to Matthew Chapter 28 where Matthew gives an emotionally filled narrative of how at dawn on the Sunday after Friday’s Crucifixion of the Lord Jesus, “Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look” at His tomb (v.1). It is easy to imagine the fear and helplessness they felt as they moved anxiously through that chilled dawn air in an agony of grief and despair at the loss of Jesus. Worried as to how they could possibly roll away the huge ton weight of the stone in front of the tomb’s entrance, worried as to how they would face the fear inspiring Roman guards. But, they were greeted not by an impossible but by an unimaginable situation; dazzling light, the stone rolled away freeing entrance to the tomb (v.2) the guards stunned to become “like dead men” (v.4) and an angel with the news that Jesus had risen as He had told them He would (v.6). Verse 8 says that after this news and the reminder of Jesus’ promise, they were still “afraid yet filled with joy”. And as if all that wasn’t enough, we read in verse 9 that “suddenly Jesus met them”. When we next feel fearful, despairing and as if our world is falling apart, let’s read these verses and tell ourselves that by remembering Jesus’ promise not to leave us, although we may still feel afraid and confused , we too can be filled with joy and realise something of Jesus suddenly and perhaps unexpectedly, meeting with us. Love, Hazel BH Quiz - No. 4Questions and answers. 1. When, where and to whom did James Hannington get married? On 10th February 1877 at Holy Trinity Church, Hurstpierpoint to Blanche Hankin-Turvin 2. How many children did James Hannington and his wife have? Three. James Edward Meopham Hannington born on 2nd December 1877, Caroline Scriven Hannington born 26th August 1879 and Paul Travers Hannington born on 25th May 1881. 3. Can you name the five most recent venues used by KO for their weekends away? 4. To one of those venues KO needed to fly. Where did they fly to? Inverness 5. Before the current blue chairs were installed in the church, what sort of seating was there? Wooden seats linked together 6. In the Nevill Avenue entrance to the church there is a wall plaque commemorating the refurbishment of the lounge. What is the date on that plaque? 2013 7. On the outside wall of the church vestry there is a small built-in basin with a drain leading outside. What is it called and what is its purpose? It’s a piscina. Its historical use was for pouring away water used to cleanse the communion cup and the paten (plate) after the communion service. It was installed specifically at the request of one of the churches supporting the building of BH. 8. Where was the original site for a vicarage located? Where Church Court now stands. 9. Why was the site sold off before the vicarage could be built? To pay for the purchase of 82 Holmes Avenue which was already built and available as a vicarage. Martin Coffee and Chat - a reminderThis week there will be 2 'lockdown' coffee and chat sessions on zoom that anyone can join. The next one is this this morning: Tuesday 19 May at 10.30 with a follow up on Thursday 21 May at 15.30 The link and passwords are the same as last week. If you are new to the chat and would like to join in please can you email Giles on bishophannington@gmail.com for the link and passwords.
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Thought for the Day by Phil Moon (Vicar)Into week nine, and counting. Who’d have thought, back on March 23rd, that we’d now be staring down the rest of the year and into 2021? But the slowly dawning reality is that lockdown, in one form or another, is with us for a long time. And if the R number goes up above one, then lockdown will be tighter again. As Christians we have a unique privilege and a unique position. We are people who have genuine, real access to the throne room, and we must not neglect that privilege. Pray for our nation. Use your time well. Pray. And we’ll have to persevere. Just keep on plodding on. Persevere with the social distancing. (It’s easy isn’t it to slacken off? Please don’t.) Persevere with online services. Persevere with home schooling. Persevere with not seeing our families yet. Persevere in our loneliness. Persevere in our tech – enabled virtual world. And persevere in our faith. Hebrews 1036 “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” Lockdown praise up Lockdown, praise up! are short videos aimed at young people but suitable for everyone to get our hearts and minds looking up higher. Everyday there will be a brand new video up on our YouTube Channel. Lockdown Praise Up! 10 minutes a day from the book of Isaiah. Please click on the link below. https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCLfW_6eqLlfr82_QD0JVsGw Thought for the Day by Dave Howarth (Associate Vicar Holy Cross)Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. (Acts 2.2) The illustration above captures well the sense of movement and dynamism at Pentecost in Acts 2.1-11, as the Holy Spirit “arrives”. The movements mentioned are in many directions, and appear at one level to set the agenda for the rest of the book. Although the whirl of activity slows down as the chapters move on, and the narrative at times becomes more reflective and extended, there is still a sense 27 chapters later that the force unleashed at Pentecost continues to have momentum. Indeed, that is the case 2000 years later, if we have eyes to see it. As we delve into 2.1-11 at the 10am, can you spot them all? From heaven to earth From private to public From individual to communal From the exclusive to the universal From future to present From confusion to clarity (And if anyone knows how to make these Pentecost cupcakes, count me in!) What's happening online tomorrow at Bishop HanningtonSunday Morning Service premieres at 10:00 on the website Acts 2:1-13 Dave Howarth is preaching Suitable for everyone with separate children’s and young peoples activities Sunday Evening Service premieres at 18:30 on the website Ephesians 6:10-13 Don Bawtree Preaching Suitable for everyone Sunday: KO Hangout - 7:30-8:30 For KO young people a chance to chat together after the evening service has gone live and chat about our faith. Message Stephen to get involved. Feast Hangout 7:45-9:15 For Feast people to have a bible study Message Alex to get involved. Coffee and ChatThis week there will be 2 'lockdown' coffee and chat sessions on zoom that anyone can join. Tuesday 19 May 10.30 Thursday 21 May 15.30 The link and passwords are the same as last week. If you are new to the chat and would like to join in please can you email Giles on bishophannington@gmail.com for the link and passwords. Thought for the Day by Matt Jones (Associate Minister for Music)I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. Psalm 63:2-5 Are you someone who would describe themselves as ‘satisfied?’ That is quite a broad question; one could be satisfied in a single area, and deeply unsatisfied in many others. But in a broad and general sense, are you satisfied with life? Most would say yes, others would say there are things they lack, things they aren’t experiencing. The deepest longing we have is to know God, and to be known by Him. All of us have that longing. In Psalm 63, David searches after God. He has ‘seen’ Him in the sanctuary, ‘beheld’ His power and love. And what is his response? Firstly praise, praising with his lips, next a decision to praise him as long as he lives. And then we see that he is ‘satisfied’ as with the ‘richest of foods’. What was the best meal you ever had? Something that made you feel utterly delirious with joy? A homemade meal? A favourite restaurant. Imagine that feeling of satisfaction, because you can find that in God. And it’s a deep, meaningful, endless satisfaction. Meditate a little on those verses. Ask God to satisfy you with Himself today. Daily Hope phone lineAre you in need of some daily hope during this lockdown? The Church of England have a new FREE telephone line for you to ring to hear comforting hymns, daily prayers and reflections. A couple of things to make you smileThought for the Day by John Head (BH Member)“Your Word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light to my path” – Psalm 119 v.105 High above the town of Dover (Dubris as it was known to the Romans) stands a Pharos or lighthouse within the Castle grounds. At one time there was a second Pharos up on the hill on the other side of the town. Most lighthouses are intended to be warnings to sailors to keep away from dangerous rocks on which their boats would founder. The Dover lighthouses had a different purpose. The pair would have shown as seamarks by day and had burning braziers atop them to act as beacons by night. Framing the entrance to the harbour in the Dour estuary they would have helped sailors to navigate safely into it. And so should be God’s Word to us. We need to read it and absorb it. It is a “Tool for employment and compass for travel, map in the desert and lamp in the dark; teaching, rebuking, correcting and training - these are the scriptures, and this is their work.” (Christopher Idle.) John Head Coffee and Chat ReminderThis afternoon there will again be a 'lockdown' coffee and chat session on zoom that anyone can join at 3.30pm The link and passwords are the same as last week. If you are new to the chat and would like to join in please can you email Giles on bishophannington@gmail.com for the link and passwords. Emerging from Lockdown by Gill Cook (BH Member)Emerging from Lockdown is not unalloyed joy. Will we ‘get back to normal’ or will there be new hurdles to negotiate? We wouldn’t be human if the future didn’t concern us. In such a situation of uncertainty and apprehension, I Peter 3:14-15 is a New Testament ‘commandment’ which will take us into that future. Firstly, Fear not, occurs 366 times in the Bible, one for every day of the year including the 29th Feb in a Leap year. Secondly, Peter instructs us ‘to set apart Christ as LORD’ in our hearts. What things do we ‘set apart’ in everyday life?
Richard Wurmbrand was a pastor in Romania in the 50’s and 60’s. He spent a total of fourteen and a half years in Communist jails enduring unspeakable torture without ever betraying his fellow Christians in the Underground Church. When asked how he managed to endure, he simply said: I prepared myself for what would surely come. Peter got there first! In 1 Peter 1:13 he tells us: ‘Prepare your minds for action’ Or as the KJV puts it so picturesquely. Gird up the loins of your mind. Richard Wurmbrand did that. Jesus did exactly that. He knew what awaited Him and prepared Himself, aligning His will with that of His Father. Peter tells us that we must do the same by setting apart Christ as LORD of our hearts and minds and wills if we are to live as overcomers in an uncertain future. Feels too daunting? Praise Him, ‘He is able to keep us from falling and to present us before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy’. Jude :24. Gill Thought for the Day by Rich Arnold (Youth and Families Minister at Holy Cross)Whether we are enjoying much of lockdown life or hating it, I suspect that all of us are looking forward to some things going back to normal. But not at the expense of being safe. Right now, as we face this epidemic, safety is paramount. So, in response to the Prime Minister’s announcement on Sunday, many parents are anxious about their children returning to school before it is safe to do so. Many employers and employees are anxious about getting back to work again before it is safe to do so. We want to be safe. The problem is that we can’t be. Our fear of being unsafe is really a fear of death. The reason we don’t want to be unsafe is because we don’t want to die. Death is the big barrier to our safety. Death is horrendous! I write this as I prepare to speak (from John 11) at my grandma’s funeral. I write this two days after hearing that my best friend’s dad has only got 3 months to live because the chemo for his brain tumour is no longer working. Death is horrendous! Jesus knows that. He cares so much about the pain and grief that death causes, that when he stands at the tomb of his friend Lazarus, he weeps (John 11:35). It has been tragic to see death’s power over us during this pandemic. We mourn for all those who have lost loved ones. We weep as Jesus wept. Of course, the government guidelines to stay at home and stay alert have been sensible- we want to save lives! But here’s the thing: even after we ‘beat the virus,’ we will not have beaten death. Death will continue to have its hold over us even after lockdown. So, virus or no virus, any notion of feeling safe is just a mirage, because we won’t be truly safe until we beat death. And we cannot beat death. But what if someone can? What if there is someone who not only cares about death but who can conquer it? What if there is someone who not only weeps when he sees death but who will win against it? What if there is someone who is the death of death itself? If someone can guarantee for us that death does not need to be final, that there is something after, then we would not just feel safe but we truly would be safe. Praise God there is such a person! The Lord Jesus Christ assures us of eternal safety- life with him forever, if we trust him. He says, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26). That’s an outrageous claim to make, given that death is so horrendous and so unstoppable. But the claim is backed up with a miracle, as his dead friend Lazarus walked out of the tomb and removed the grave clothes he no longer needed (John 11:43-44). Not only that, but not long after Jesus himself walked out of his own tomb, leaving his own grave clothes behind. Do you believe this? If you do, then be assured: You have life. You have hope. And you are as safe as you can possibly be! Rich Monthly Prayer Meeting this evening at 19.30pmThis is a great chance for us to get together as a church to pray. A zoom link has been sent out to all those that receive BH news electronically. If you haven't received a link and would like to join the meeting please contact the church office. BH Youth Live ReminderStephen and Lizzi Demetriou will be hosting BH Youth LIVE on the Lockdown PraiseUp Youtube page from 7:15-8:15pm tonight. They’ll be teaching from the Bible, playing crazy games, and getting the youth involved in mad fun challenges. If you’re 11-18, come join in the fun! Message Stephen to get involved! Book review by Camilla Puzey (BH Member) Living without Worry, how to replace anxiety with peace by Timothy Lane I wanted to share a short review of this book I read about 18 months ago, which helped me then and continues to do so. It provides such deep comfort through using bible passages and aligning them with our everyday ups and downs. I want to focus on the word deep, as this is where we need Gods help when we feel things are too deep for us and we are struggling. God can draw us up from a deep place and back to the surface so we can breathe again. We can then allow grace to grow in us through our deep gratitude and appreciation for his love for us and what he does to help us when we call out to him. This is where this really helpful book can practically guide us through this process, growing in grace so anxiety is replaced with peace. Even flicking through it again to do this review has renewed my sense of peace and for that I am so thankful, I hope it will help you too. Camilla Thought for the Day by Phil Washington (BH Member)Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions – Luke 12:15 ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions’ Says our Lord to the rich fool. Such teaching is the very opposite of what we hear every day on the TV or on social media. There we are told that we need to amass more and more possessions, as they will lead to a better, brighter and more fulfilled life. We are sold the lie that we are what we wear, and our value and worth is measured by what we own. In chapter 8:14 of the same gospel, the Lord teaches that life’s riches can choke and stifle spiritual growth. He also says in 16:15 that ‘What people value highly is detestable to God’. No wonder His warning is so clear. During this Covid19 pandemic, we have a great opportunity to wean ourselves from the national pastime of buying more and more ‘things’. Let’s seek other ‘treasures’, ones that are far more valuable and important. What things are they you ask? Look in Revelation 3:18 where the risen Lord advises a materially rich, yet spiritually poor church what to buy from Him. Then in your prayers, ask Him to show you what these treasures are and then seek them from Him. The shops may be shut, but the Lord’s ears are always open to our requests for these things. Greetings to all the B.H family. Phil BH Quiz No. 4 - Questions by Martin White (BH Member)1. When, where and to whom did James Hannington get married? 2. How many children did James Hannington and his wife have? 3. Can you name the five most recent venues used by KO for their weekends away? 4. To one of those venues KO needed to fly. Where did they fly to? 5. Before the current blue chairs were installed in the church, what sort of seating was there? 6. In the Nevill Avenue entrance to the church there is a wall plaque commemorating the refurbishment of the lounge. What is the date on that plaque? 7. Built into the outside wall of the church vestry there is a small basin with a drain leading outside the building. What is it called and what is its purpose? 8. Where was the original site for a vicarage located? 9.Why was the site sold off before the vicarage could be built? Answers next week. Martin Day of Repentance & Prayer by Giles Cockman |
Mental Health Awareness 2021
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