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Dear <<First Name>>

Welcome to the Athelney Benefice Weekly Bulletin

Behold how good and pleasant it is to dwell together in unity. It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down upon the beard, even on Aaron’s beard, running down upon the collar of his clothing. It is like the dew of Hermon running down upon the hills of Zion. For there the Lord has promised his blessing: even life for evermore. (Psalm 133)

Weaving The Future

I spent last Saturday evening in a deckchair, watching opera. The Reduced Ring Cycle. Thanks to Bluebirds Theatre Company and their wonderful puppets, singers and musician, the fifteen hours of Wagner’s magnum opus was not simply reduced but distilled down to a single hour. And, let me say as a major Wagner enthusiast, it was a wonderful evening.

Now, of course, it wasn't comparable to a production at Bayreuth. The Rhine maidens were projections on a screen rather than swimming on a flooded stage, we never saw much gold, there were no giants or dwarf hoards and most of the second of the four operas was skimmed over in a quick plot development. In fact, Siegfried's Rhine Journey, one of the major orchestral passages in the whole cycle was reduced to just six words, “it’s down there on the left”. Reducing fifteen into one doesn't tell the story. It hints at other points in the plot and it reminded me of what I was aware was left out

In the same way we cannot compress our lives into a short passage of time and still hope to describe it all. It is impossible to cover the whole of a life in a single funeral eulogy, for example. Our stories are far more complicated than we can ever hope to tell. I am possibly unusual in that I can remember virtually every annual holiday I have taken since the age of four, but memories are more than a sequence of events. They are collections of opinions, compendia of emotions, gatherings of people we know or knew.

Our memories are fragile and fluid things. "Ah yes, I remember it well," goes the song. But we generally don't. We dress up our memories with all kinds of flourishes and augmentations. And yet, even those embellished chronologies shape us. We are more than we can ever remember of ourselves, and we are often aware of who we are when we speak to others. Like the Norns at the start of Götterdämmerung (the fourth and longest opera), we weave the narratives of our lives into the threads of others, and in doing so we create all out futures.

Sunday Worship: Third Sunday after Trinity

Collect

Almighty God, you have broken the tyranny of sin and have sent the Spirit of your Son into our hearts whereby we call you Father: give us grace to dedicate our freedom to your service, that we and all creation may be brought to the glorious liberty of the children of God; 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..

Job 38:1-11

Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm. He said:

“Who is this that obscures my plans
with words without knowledge?
Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.

“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?
Tell me, if you understand.
Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
Who stretched a measuring line across it?
On what were its footings set,
or who laid its cornerstone—
while the morning stars sang together
and all the angels shouted for joy?

“Who shut up the sea behind doors
when it burst forth from the womb,
when I made the clouds its garment
and wrapped it in thick darkness,
when I fixed limits for it
and set its doors and bars in place,
when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther;
here is where your proud waves halt’?.

2 Corinthians 6:1-13

As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For he says “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.”

I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation. We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you. We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us. As a fair exchange—I speak as to my children—open wide your hearts also.

Mark 4:35-41

That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Pastoral Care

Years Mind

We call to mind parishioners who have died at this time in recent years.

Trevor Astin, Mike Bennett, Joyce Gore, Michael Griffiths, Stewart Heal, Trevor Lewis, Henry Salter, Dennis Silk, Paul White

For those who are sick or in need

We hold in our prayers those affected locally and nationally by the Coronavirus: patients, carers, families, and friends.

We pray also for Alan, Alison, Andrea, Andy, Anne & family, Anne, Aoife, Audrey (2), Barbara, Ben, Bill, Brian, Chris & Jean, Dave & family, Jean, Val, Jan and Peter, Di, Diane, Eileen, George, Gill, Helen, Janet & family, Jean, John, Joyce, Judith & David, Kay, Ken, Lorraine, Margaret, Mary, Mignon, Nicholas, Pam, +Peter, Jane & family, Portia, Primrose, Ralph, Rita, Sheila, Sue & Robert, Susan, Thomas, Victoria … ... and for their families and carers, and all those who are in need but not named. Give thanks for those who have recovered.

If there are people or concerns that you wish to be mentioned in prayer, please tell the vicar or churchwardens.

News and Notices

Singing Hymns

A number of people have asked me what the current plans are regarding permission to sing. I have only been able to say that currently there is nothing to announce. We remain "mute", but with announcements due from the government next week, it is not looking hopeful. In the meantime, "hums" are all we have.

Songs of Praise

On the subject of hymns and hums, please start giving some thought to your favourites. The Sunday worship at Stoke St Gregory on 18th July will be a combined “Songs of Praise” with the Baptist church. It will be outdoors and so we will be able to sing openly and without masks… O Joy! There will be a suggestion form in church in Lyng on 13th June and subsequently in Stoke St Gregory.

Coffee at North Curry

North Curry Coffee Wednesdays have restarted. So, please do pop along if you are out for a stroll or fancy some gentle and informal fellowship. All are welcome. 10am to 12 noon, until the end of September.

New Website

You may have noticed some differences in the look of this newsletter. That is because we are introducing a new website and overall look. Things are moving forward, but inevitably there will be stumbles. Apologies for anything that doesn’t (yet) make sense! It’s got the same address, by the way.

In due course this bulletin will be immediately available in smaller pieces on the website, so you don’t need to print it all out in one go. That’s the plan…!

If you have any news that you would like included in this bulletin, please send it to: bulletin@athelneybenefice.com

Thius Sunday from Stoke St Gregory at 11am

Each Sunday we endeavour to provide an online Zoom broadcast of our worship from one of the Benefice parish churches. This is a little bit hit and miss because connection is unreliable. Please click on the link below and we will be online (we hope!)