The Welland-Fosse Benefice: Prayers and Notices

29 August, 13^th Sunday after Trinity

 

• Please pray for the sick including Jane Williams, Judith Piggott, Sylvia Martin and Derek Barker. Pray too for the departed, including Paul Chapman and Carey Jones.
• Zoom Morning Prayer continues on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8.30 am.
• Compline is on Thursday at 6 pm.

 

BARROWDEN:

12 September 11.00 am: Harvest Service followed by Harvest Lunch in the Church.  If you would like to attend the lunch, please contact Kay on 748797, kareen.bagshaw@btinternet.com.

 

SOUTH LUFFENHAM:

Sunday 12th September 9.30am. Morning Worship.
Sunday 26th September 11 am Harvest Festival followed by lunch in the village hall. 

‘Still Time’ in church 10.30-11am every Friday. All welcome

 

TIXOVER:

Can we remind everybody there is a Benefice Holy Communion at Tixover on Sunday at 10.00 am?

 

 

MEDITATION:

 

Recently, I’ve learned the phrase ‘borrowed landscape’, to mean a feature of garden design by which lovely glimpses of someone’s else’s property are afforded by clever use of gaps in walls and hedges.

 

Perhaps like me you sometimes harrumph when features of the Christian’s landscape of faith are borrowed by the Great Big World Out There.  Thinking back to July’s Euro Football, it was optimistically suggested Gareth Southgate might find ‘redemption’ from his unfortunate 1996 penalty miss. Harry Kane (or the referee) was hailed as England’s ‘saviour’ in the semi-final against Denmark. Do you share my discomfort? Are we justified in feeling that the popular Press’s colourful language approaches blasphemy?  Or are we over-sensitive – in their terms – ‘snowflakes’?

 

I suppose the first thing is that we Christians don’t have a monopoly on these phrases: they do have a wider use. In times of need, precious items go to pawnshops, and are then bought back when life is easier. A lottery ticket too may be ‘redeemed’. ‘Life-saving’ is something we appreciate as a good thing on the beach or at the swimming pool.

 

Perhaps, if we don’t want to lose our first call on faith-language, we’d better use it, and be better able to talk about what ‘redemption’ and ‘being saved’ means to us.

 

Which asks hard questions.  Do I have a sense of being ‘redeemed’?  And what do I think I’ve been ‘saved’ from exactly?  Can I find challenging contemporary ways to express ancient truths?

 

See wellandfosse.org for much more information, including contact details for

The Very Rev Christopher Armstrong and the churchwardens