Sunday 24th May – Ascension Sunday Join us for a special on-line Parish Communion for the Sunday after Ascension – 24th May. This can be viewed at any time but Rev’d John will be conducting the service from the vicarage at 5pm this evening so that the worship may be considered spiritually live. The service words will appear on the video to enable you to join in easily. Today’s service features our Virtual Parish Choir singing a new song for us all to learn and a special demonstration of Jesus going UP! – don’t forget to watch the funny out-takes at the end.
Today’s service will be delayed due to technical issues with YouTube. We are hoping to overcome them and aim to have the service online later this afternoon. Rev’d John will conduct the service at 5pm from the vicarage.
Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” John 14:21 (NIV)
“If you love me, keep my commands”. At the very top of the list of these commands must always be, love your neighbour (Mark 12:29-31 love the Lord you God and love your neighbour)
It seems a little strange to me that Rogation Sunday has been largely forgotten in many communities whilst the harvest festival is still as popular as ever. At harvest we thank God for all his blessings, but Rogation is when we ask God for those blessings, and not just for ourselves but for all our community.
The harvest festival should of course remain a time of great joy for everyone. However, for the Church rogation should be at least as great a joy. Rogation is not just about asking for God to bless us; it is a chance to ask God to bless everyone. If we truly love our neighbours, then this should be something we can really get excited about.
The early Church did not just bless their neighbours, they were a blessing to them wherever they went. Surely, as we seek to be a prayerful and generous Church we must want to bless and be a blessing to our community.
Reverend John (Vicar)
Social distancing, services and buildings. I am aware that some of the recent anouncements from the government were not as clear as they may have been. However, the position of the Church of England and the Diocese of Leeds remains to be that all of our buildings must remain closed for now. If any body feels that they need to access any of our buildings they must contact me so to see if it will be safe for them to do so, and so that I can maintain an accurate register of access.
Online Services Our parish communion will be posted on our website www.melthamparish.co.uk This will be pre-recorded but Rev John will be repeating the service at 10:30am so that it may be considered spiritually live. Please join in if you are able.
#melthamprays Many people are looking for a simple way to pray. I hope that this will offer an opportunity to do so. Please look at the magazine, facebook, or our website for more details. Yesterday (Sat 16th), people from across the Diocese prayed especially for our Parish here in Meltham!
Join us for a special on-line Parish Communion for Rogation Sunday – 17th May. This can be viewed at any time but Rev’d John will conduct the service from the vicarage at 10:30am so that the worship may be considered spiritually live. The service words will appear on the video to enable you to join in easily.
Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
John 14:5-7 (NIV)
Last week I spoke about how the Church needs to be focused on the Teachings of Jesus, prayer, fellowship, and generosity. You could say that these are the things that we need to do, but, knowing what we should do naturally leads us to ask the question “how”.
The foundation of how is, by allowing Jesus into your life. He is the way, the truth, and the life, and the way to the Father. By allowing Jesus into your life you know the way to the Father, and as the Father works through Jesus, he also works through you.
Simple! Or gobbledy gook? The apostles did not lack faith, but they were struggling to understand, and we often struggle too. We need to understand and be able to explain that by studying Jesus’s teachings and through prayer we invite our living God to shape the way we think and feel. When the living Jesus is in our heart and mind in this way, he can unite our fellowship in love, and help us to have the kind of generous spirit that will show the world what his grace and mercy look like.
Only by having Jesus in our hearts and at the heart of everything we do can we be a Church that lives out the good news of Jesus in the world.
Reverend John (Vicar)
This week is, Christian Aid week (10th-16th May)
Please don’t forget to pray for the work of Christian aid (especially this week) it is difficult for any parish to take a collection to support their work at the moment but please try and support them if you can.
A donation can be made on their website www.christianaid.org.uk
Website Our parish communion will be posted on our website www.melthamparish.co.uk This will be pre-recorded but Rev John will be repeating the service at 10:30am so that it may be considered spiritually live. Please join in if you are able.
#melthamprays Many people are looking for a simple way to pray. I hope that this will offer an opportunity to do so. Please look at the magazine, facebook, or our website for more details. We will be asking the diocese to pray for this next Saturday (16th May).
Sunday 10th May – Easter V Join us for our on-line Parish Communion for the 5th Sunday of Easter – 10th May. You can join Rev’d John by viewing at 10:30am as he also conducts the service from the vicarage or you can view at a time convenient to yourself. The service again features our Virtual Parish Choir who have been busy recording themselves at home.
To everyone in Meltham – PLEASE SHARE. We are praying for you and your family and friends. Are you too looking for a simple way to pray for someone during these difficult times? Join the Meltham prayer campaign either online or at home which has been set up so that we can all pray for those we care about, love and miss.
You can make a simple prayer and encourage others to also join in by sharing on your social media and using the hashtag #melthamprays along with your prayer – e.g.
“I am praying for my Mum & Dad in isolation #melthamprays”
“I’d like to pray for the 84 year old widower I spoke to yesterday who told me how much he simply missed physical contact with anyone #melthamprays”
“I’m praying for the kids on our street who are missing playing out with each other #melthamprays”
You could also draw and colour-in a picture to display in your window – again to tell others you are praying and to encourage them to do also. Only use photos of people if you have their permission first.
Remember, anyone can pray…………for anyone!
Let’s pray for each other!
We will also have special day of prayer on Saturday 16th May where we can especially think about all those people in our #melthamprays prayers.
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Acts 2:42-45 (NIV)
Pentecost and the birth of the Church was undoubtedly an extremely exciting time for the disciples. However, it was surely a very disturbing time as well.
Things changed, and many of the changes were not ones that they may have chosen. There had always been three pillars to the way they lived out their faith; the law, sacrifices and the temple. As they read their scriptures (our Old Testament) they had to see how the law worked through the prism of the grace and mercy of Christ. On the cross Jesus had become, the one perfect sacrifice, meaning that sacrificial worship was no longer necessary in the old way of thinking. And through persecution many of them would soon lose access to temple worship altogether. The whole way that they lived out their faith changed almost overnight.
At the end of acts 2 we see how they began to deal with these changes. They knew what they had to keep, what had to be their priorities, The Apostles teachings, prayer, fellowship, and generosity.
As we live through uncertain times today, surely, we should ensure that whatever shape our Church community takes, it should be based around these same four pillars.
Reverend John (Vicar)
ONLINE SERVICES – via Parish website Our Parish Communion for Sunday 3rd May will be posted on our website www.melthamparish.co.uk This will be pre-recorded but Rev John will be repeating the service at 4:00pm so that it may be considered spiritually live. Please join in if you are able.
PRAYER CAMPAIGN #melthamprays
Many people are looking for a simple way to pray. I hope that this will offer an opportunity to do so. Please look at the magazine, facebook, or our website for more details.
Virtual Parish Choir We have formed a virtual Parish Choir, with the aim that individuals can record themselves at home, and then these will be joined together as one choir! Anyone can join in, but you will need 2 devices (i.e. phone, tablet or PC) and some earphones – this is so you can listen to the piano accompaniment with one device and record yourself with the other. If you are interested, then contact Simon via melthamparish@outlook.com We’ll be starting off with well known hymns, so that hopefully people find it easy to join in. The first recording by 15 virtual choristers was used in the Parish Communion on 3rd May – you can listen there to see what’s achievable – amazing!
Following recent guidelines from the Church of England and the government. All churches will be closed for public worship until further notice. This now includes private prayer and funerals. Funerals can still be held at the crematorium and at the grave side with a maximum of ten mourners. All weddings are postponed until further notice.
Hallelujah, Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed, Hallelujah!
Join us for our on-line Parish Communion at 4:00pm for the 4th Sunday of Easter – Sunday 3rd May. The service featuring our newly formed Virtual Parish Choir (who have recorded themselves individually at home) can be viewed at any time but Rev’d John will conduct the service at the vicarage at this time to make the worship spiritually live. The service words will appear on the video to enable you to join in easily.
Sunday 3rd May – Parish Communion delayed due to technical issues. We hope to have it available by 1pm – Rev John will conduct the service at 4pm. Apologies for the inconvenience.
