Welcome to our simple order of Prayer & Praise for Wednesday. Despite being unable to worship together as a Church, we hope that you will feel united with all who make up our Chaplaincy at this time – both regulars and visitors alike.
Today’s service takes the form of Celtic Morning Prayer, after the traditions of the Northumbria and Iona Communities. When we hear the Bible read in church or read it ourselves at home, it is very easy to miss the fact that most of the great events recorded in Scripture take place not indoors but in the open air. We need to remind ourselves of that constantly – that God is the Lord of all that is, and not just part of life that can be conveniently labelled ‘religious’.
Celtic spirituality seems to embrace the ideal that Creation is taken seriously and finds God within it. The language used is often more simple than we may be used to – because the rhythm of their prayer is to make it more conversational with God, and to make prayers easily remembered.
[You may care to have a candle ready to light during this service – but not to worry if you don’t have one to hand….]
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Introduction
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Now the earth was formless and empty,
darkness was over the surface of the deep,
and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
(Genesis 1: 1-2)
Be though my vision, O Lord.
Be thou my soul’s shelter,
O Lord of my heart.
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Eternal God, who knows neither morning nor evening, yet wraps us in love both night and day, lift the curtain from the world and the veil from our hearts. Rise with the morning sun upon our souls and enliven our work and prayer. May we walk this day in the steps of your Son who loved on earth and who always worked in harmony with your will. Amen.
And God said, ‘Let there be light.’ (Gen. 1:3)
You may care to light a candle at this point
Secure in the knowledge that God, who created us, loves us dearly, let us now confess before him those sins of which we are ashamed, and which fill our lives with darkness and despair.
A short silence may be kept.
High King of Heaven, Father of all, in our pride and our weakness we have failed you and we are truly sorry. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ our Saviour, who died for us, forgive us our sins and bind us to you with cords of compassion that we may once again walk in the light of your love.
May the High King of Heaven, with Jesus his Son, have mercy upon us. May all that dismays us and fills us with fear be cleansed and forgiven, and in the power of the Spirit may we never be separated from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord Amen.
O Lord, open our lips.
And our mouths shall sing your praise.
Let us worship the Lord.
All praise to his name.
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Hymn:
https://youtu.be/XF6mzfmgQXI
You are the light that is ever bright,
you fill my heart giving life,
you give the work I endeavour to do,
meaning and purpose are blessings from you.
O hold me, enfold me in your love.
Your are the beauty that fills my soul,
you by your wound make me whole.
You paid the price to redeem me from death;
yours is the love that sustains every breath.
You still the storms and the fear of night,
you turn despair to delight.
You feel the anguish and share my tears,
you give me hope from the depth of my fears.
You are the word, full of life and truth,
you guide my feet since my youth;
you are my refuge, my firm cornerstone;
you I will worship and honour alone.
You have restored me and pardoned sin,
you give me strength from within.
You called me forth and my life you made new.
Love is the binding that holds me to you
You are the way, you are truth and life,
you keep me safe in the strife.
You give me love I cannot comprehend,
you guide the way to a life without end.
O hold me, enfold me in your love,
O hold me, enfold me evermore.
Words & Music: Margaret Rizza (b.1929)
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Eternal light shine in our hearts
Eternal goodness deliver us from evil
Eternal power be our support
Eternal wisdom scatter the darkness of our ignorance.
Eternal pity have mercy on us
That with all our heart and mind
and soul and strength we may seek thy face
and be brought by thine infinite mercy
to they holy presence. Amen.ç
(Alcuin of York, 735)
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A Reading & Reflection from John Brown and Caroline
follow this link:
https://youtu.be/DkmLHInUP4o
St Ninians’ Catechism:
(St Ninian, 4th/5th century)
Question: What is best in this word?
Answer: To do the will of our Maker.
Question: What is his will?
Answer: That we should live according to the laws of his creation.
Question: How do we know those laws?
Answer: By study – studying the Scriptures with devotion.
Question: What tool has our Maker provided for this study?
Answer: The intellect, which can probe everything.
Question: And what is the fruit of study?
Answer: To perceive the eternal Word of God reflected in every plant and insect, every bird and animal, and every man and woman.
Hymn:
(The Gloria in Excelsis)
https://youtu.be/W_GIOTSLEY8
Glory to God, we give you thanks and praise;
of heav’nly joy and earthly peace we sing.
We worship you, to you our hearts we raise,
Lord God, almighty Father, heav’nly King.
Lord Jesus Christ, the Father’s only Son,
you bore for us the load of this world’s sin.
O Lamb of God, your glorious vict’ry won,
receive our pray’r, grant us your peace within.
Alone, O Christ, you only are the Lord,
at God’s right hand in majesty most high:
who with the Spirit worshipped and adored:
with all the heav’nly host we glorify.
Words: Edwin le Grice (1911-1992)
Music: ‘Woodlands’ by Walter Greatorex (1877-1949)
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Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercesssions
For the first showings of the morning light
and the emerging outline of the day
thanks be to you, O God.
For earth’s colours drawn forth by the sun
its brilliance piercing clouds of darkness
and shimmering through the leaves and flowing waters
thanks be to you.
Show to me this day
amidst life’s dark streaks of wrong and suffering
the light that endures in every person.
Dispel the confusions that cling close to my soul
that I may see with eyes washed by your grace
that I may see myself and all people
with eyes cleansed by the freshness of the new day’s light.
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Pray for the coming day, for the people we may meet of speak to…
for friends, family and loved ones, both near and far…
for our Church family, especially those scattered around the world at this time…
for the life of our local communities as the lockdown eases
for the life of the world, especially those still coping with many Covid-19 cases…
We gather all our prayers in the prayer that Jesus taught us, saying:
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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.
Kindle in our hearts, O God,
the flame of love that never ceases,
that it may burn in us, giving light to others.
May it shine for ever in your temple,
set on fire with your eternal light,
even your Son Jesus Christ,
our Saviour and our Redeemer. Amen.
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I was reminded on Sunday, as we celebrated Trinity Sunday, of Meister Eckhart’s rather lovely description of the Holy Trinity: “At the heart of the Trinity, the Father laughs and gives birth to the Son. The Son then laughs back at the Father, and gives birth to the Spirit. Then the whole Trinity laughs, and gives birth to us.”
Meister Eckhart (1260-1327) was a Dominican mystic
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Hymn:
https://youtu.be/qVMxqZFZcSs
Firmly I believe and truly
God is Three and God is One;
and I next acknowledge duly
man-hood taken by the Son.
And I trust and hope most fully,
in the Saviour crucified;
and each thought and deed unruly
do to death as he has died.
Simply to his grace and wholly
light and life and strength belong,
and I love supremely, solely,
him the holy, him the strong.
And I hold in veneration,
for the love of him alone,
holy Church as his creation,
and her teachings as his own.
Adoration ay be given,
with and through th’angelic host,
to the god of earth and heaven,
Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Words: John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
Music: ‘Shipston’ A Warwickshire ballard, arr by R.Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
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Blessing
(St Columba)
See that you are at peace among yourselves,
my children, and love one another.
Take the example of the good people of ancient times
and God will comfort and aid you,
both in this world and in the world to come.
And the Blessing of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be with us all, now and always. Amen.
To end:
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
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Re-opening our Church – An up-date
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I am most grateful for the many messages of support in response to the Standing Committee’s decision to delay re-opening at the moment. Especially, as some of these came from those who had ‘signed in’ as it were, for last Sunday’s planned return.
Following the early move to Phase 3 of the de-escalation plans, I hope that by this coming Sunday we will be able to share more positive news about re-opening some of our churches. As before, it will be a staged return for some weeks to come, hopefully returning to our usual pattern of services by the early autumn. Please remember that our return is strictly governed but the Spanish Government’s laws, FEREDE (the Ministry of Justice agency governing non-catholic churches), and our own Diocesan guidelines. But it does seem possible to be able to move forward with our plans, which is good news indeed for all of us!
Thank you for your continued support and understanding. Fr Nigel
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Different ways of staying in touch
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As part of our return plans, we are exploring different ways of staying in touch and providing resources for our Chaplaincy, so we offer:
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A Holy Hour:
By way of moving forward and as an experiment, we will open St Andrew’s, Los Boliches on Wednesday 10 June from 10am-11am for private prayer – often referred to in church circles as a ‘Holy Hour’. Social distancing will be required, as will the wearing of masks and using hand gel as you enter and leave the building. It will not be a social gathering, just an opportunity to provide space for silent prayer and reflection.
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Come and go as you wish during that time. If this is found to be helpful, then we will make it a regular time. It will also provide an opportunity for those who have expressed concern about not being able to give their offerings as usual for Chaplaincy Ministry. So it will be possible to safely leave your weekly envelopes during this time.
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New ways to meet for Bible Study
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We are now running two different Bible Studies - using Zoom.
On Wednesday evenings we’ll be running a more traditional style of Bible Study, when we shall be looking at the theme of 'interceding for the nation' and we shall base the study on 2 Chronicles 6: 12-21. Any further information or logon details for Zoom to join the study can be requested from johnsutton2104@gmail.com or 634253848
While on Thursday afternoons we will use Lectio Divina - where one person reads a short bible passage then after a brief time of silent reflection we each share (if we want to) a word or phrase that has jumped out at us, nothing more just that word or phrase. We read the passage a second time, maybe from a different version of the bible, then after another time for reflection we say, in just a few words, (if we want to) what we feel about our word or phrase.
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The passage is then read a third time when after reflection we share (if we want to) what we feel this passage might be leading us to do. If you’re interested or have any questions please contact Caroline carriemachome@gmail.com
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A new way to keep in touch is through our newly developed YouTube channel.
We will try to regularly keep this updated with new thoughts and reflections.
Our first video is the Reading & Reflection from John and Caroline used in today's service.
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Sharing page on our website
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Sharing - is the title of a page on our website: https://www.st-andrewscofe-spain.org
Where we can share poems, reflections, meditations or stories to engage our spirituality.
We all of have different ways of engaging with our spirituality. Whether it is through formal worship, sharing Communion, worshiping through song or through words. This new page gives us the opportunity to offer each other those words of hope and companionship, during this time of lock-down.
It may be that you wish to contribute or to comment on a contribution by others. This can be done by sending an email with your words to: jrbafc@aol.com
We will try to update this page within 24 hours of receiving your input.
May this be a blessing to us all.
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Pastoral Care in the Chaplaincy continues
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Please be assured that while we may be unable to meet for worship or socially, pastoral care and concern for one another, is still very much part of our life together. Please make contact should you simply need a chat, prayerful support or just quiet reassurance at this difficult time.
If there is someone you know who would value a call at this time, then please do email us in confidence – and then this can happen.
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Our Reader, Caroline, and Churchwardens, John and Jen are also available:
Fr Nigel - 608 403 024 - vicar.costadelsol@gmail.com
Caroline - 697 867 377 - carriemachome@gmail.com
Jen - 622 252 074 - jennetsutton@gmail.com
John – 655 342 874 - Jrbafc@aol.com
Don’t forget our Prayer Chain...
A small dedicated team who will pray for you or those you may be concerned about. It is done in complete confidence, and you will never be approached by a member of the Prayer Chain about your requests. Only first names are used and details are kept to a minimum. For information about the Prayer Chain please contact Mike or Wendy Edwards at cdsolprayer@gmail.com or have a word with Caroline or Fr Nigel.
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Supporting your Chaplaincy during this difficult time
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As the period of lockdown continues there is growing concern about our Chaplaincy finances. Jen & John, our Churchwardens, would encourage those who are able, to consider making a bank transfer for their stewardship giving.
We are so grateful to all who have made recent offerings by bank transfers – these help us enormously. They fully support Billy Dawson’s (our Stewardship Officer) suggestion that all who use the Stewardship envelopes can continue to put their stewardship in them and bring them along when we are next able to gather together. But as the period of lockdown is now far longer than anyone expected, whether we meet together or not, there are still bills to be paid. As time goes on, the chaplaincy’s finances will be more and more challenged, therefore, they suggest that perhaps now is time to consider supporting our ministry by using a bank transfer instead, either to our Spanish or UK accounts:
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Spain:
Bank: Unicaja
Account Name: Iglesias Anglicana De La Costa Del Sol Este
Swift/BIC:UCJAES2MXXX
IBAN: ES39 2103 0194 6500 3001 0341
UK:
Bank: Barclays Bank plc
Account name: Diocese in Europe Fund
Account number: 40317039
Sort code: 20-06-13
IBAN: GB16 BUKB 2006 1340 3170 39
Swiftbic: BUKBGB22
Please include the reference: CdSEast
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It is very important that you include the reference CdSEast – otherwise any offering may get lost in this account, which serves every Chaplaincy in the Diocese!
Thank you for your continued practical support. Fr Nigel
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If you have received this email because a friend has forwarded it to you, or you have followed a link from facebook... you may like to subscribe to receive regular services and news direct from St Andrew's Chaplaincy. To do this click on the link below (you can unsubscribe at any time).
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This service is also available to download as a PDF from our website
www.st-andrewscofe-spain.org/this-weeks-services
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