Weekly Pews News
no 20-16 Second Sunday of Easter
19 April 2020
Follow services online: https://www.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/church-online Chichester Cathedral services: https://www.chichestercathedral.org.uk/worship/live-service
Broadcasts: Sunday Worship on Radio 4 at 8:10 am and BBC1 at 10.00; Songs of Praise on BBC1 at 1.15 pm. For young people: Guardians of Ancora (free game-app); Chichester Diocese resources: https://youth.chichester.anglican.org/ChildrenChurchesandCovid-19/
Collect Almighty Father, you have given your only Son to die for our sins and to rise again for our justification: grant us so to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness that we may always serve you in pureness of living and truth; through the merits of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Readings: Holy Communion (BCP: First Sunday after Easter): 1 John 5: 4-12; John 20: 19-23
The Eucharist: Acts 2: 14a, 22-32; Psalm 16; 1 Peter 1: 3-9; John 20: 19-31
Sunday 19 April
Intention: Church finances, national and international finance; consider what the words poverty and wealth mean to us.
Church members: Wendy & Richard Rundle; Pat & Bill Rush; Pam & Robert Sale; Dawn, Graham, Luke & Grace Salter; Daphne Sharrad.
Monday 20 April
Intention: all victims of violence, crime and oppression; those affected by domestic and other forms of abuse, and all who seek to support them.
Church members: Shirley Shellswell; Margaret Sherwood; Nicky, Tom, Curtis & Ellis Simpson; Steph & Joseph Skinner, Paul, Freya & Jack Morrison; Aimee, Jason, Ava & Monty Smith.
Anniversary: Raymond Dobson (2003); Beatrice Reed (2011)
Tuesday 21 April – Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, Teacher of the Faith, 1109
Intention: the sick in body, mind or spirit; those who have life-limiting conditions; the work of St Wilfrid’s Hospice.
Church members: Betty Smith; Sue & David Smith; Jane, Charlotte & Lauren Smith; Sue Smith; Mary Spencer; Jenny Spurle; Roger Steadman.
Wednesday 22 April
Intention: our Deanery of Arundel & Bognor, and its parishes, clergy and people; our Rural Dean Mark Standen, and the work of Deanery Synod.
Church members: Barbara Stewart; Bett Steenerson; Linda Tempest; Emma, Spencer, Joseph, Ben & Poppy Thomas; Val & Bob Tomlinson.
Anniversary: Christopher Goring (1989)
Thursday 23 April – George, Martyr, Patron of England, c.304
Intention: all those who do difficult work on our behalf, especially in the armed services and the emergency services.
Church members: Eileen Tooley; Simon Tooley; Louise, Nick, Sophie, Lucy & Chloe Toone; Diane & Brian Townson; Stephen Tribe; Carol & Tony Turner; Carole & Ian Turner.
Friday 24 April
Intention: the Church’s worldwide mission; all missionary societies and the Bible Society.
Church members: Janet & Roger Turner; Jane Upton; Wendy & Gerald Ursell; Susie & Adrian Usher; Ashley, Zita, Benjamin, Dominic & George Vida.
Saturday 25 April – Mark the Evangelist
Intention: our Diocese of Chichester, Bishop Martin and Archdeacon Luke; the work of Diocesan Synod and Church House; the witness of Chichester Cathedral.
Church members: Julia Webb; Mary Welch; Joan & Tony Wells; Rosemary West; Judith Whitworth; Annaliesa, Ben, Amelia & Jemima Whitworth; Maria & Bill Wildman.
Anniversary: John Lewis (1996); Hilda Boddy (2000); Alan Dudley (2007)
PRAYERS AND INTENTIONS
We pray for all in need of healing in body, mind or spirit: Lynette, Chloe Green, Rosie Sims, Nicola, Richard Rundle, Terry Haskell, Jean Martin, Gemma Green, Lila Cowee, Barbara Crew, June Evans, Zoe, Bea & Laurie Tucker, Shelagh, Karen Cox, Jim Druce, Val, Margaret Rees & family.
For urgent prayer, contact Gillian Purvis (267597) or Colin Wood (264192) to activate the Prayer Chain.
Those who have died: Chris Taylor, Pauline Lucas.
We remember in our prayers Church members who live in residential care or usually receive communion at home: Catherine Morrish, Daphne Sharrad, Bett Steenerson.
We pray for God’s blessing on all who live in our parish: Greenways, Hadlands, Harbour Reach.
We pray for all affected by Covid-19; chaplains ministering in hospitals, care homes, hospices and prisons; funeral directors, and those unable to say their farewells to loved ones.
……………….
NOTICES
Covid-19: all places of worship are closed but many services continue online, and are being broadcast on radio and TV. There are also many virtual resources for daily prayer, for example the Daily Prayer and Pray As You Go mobile apps (Google and Apple), and also online:
https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-service-daily-prayer and https://www.thykingdomcome.global/prayer-resources.
Revd Pauline Lucas: we pray for Stephen Lucas and his family after hearing the sad news of the sudden death of Pauline Lucas, vicar of Kirdford with Plaistow and Ifold. We pray for her parish and for Chichester Cursillo family too, as she played a key role in its mission. In Pagham we remember her fondly as a former parishioner, ordinand and friend. Pauline and Stephen were active members of this Church family for many years. When Pauline answered her call to ordination she undertook her training from here, before serving as curate in Seaford and then vicar at Kirdford. May she rest in peace.
Pagham Church Facebook page ‘Thomas Becket’. Please follow the page, join in the conversation, and share with friends and family. For those online but not on Facebook, do follow the news on the Pagham Church website. For those not online, see the contact phone numbers below for updates.
Church roof: the last of the tiling has been delayed, but the rest of the scaffolding is now down. We are deeply grateful to all who fundraised and donated, and all who have worked on the repairs.
Church cleaning: many thanks to the Church Farm team for their ongoing hard work!
Chichester Diocese has set up a new pastoral helpline, ‘Hearing You’, for listening and prayer support: 01273 425047; and a request for a Christian chaplain for those admitted to hospital. See attachment.
Safeguarding: the past few weeks have seen unprecedented changes to our daily lives, which require families to spend exceptional lengths of time together. The stress this may involve can cause extra problems for those experiencing any form of domestic abuse. Domestic abuse is always unacceptable, whatever the circumstances. If you have any concerns regarding domestic abuse please contact Worth Domestic Abuse Service 0330 222 8181 (weekdays) or 07834 968539 (weekends and bank holidays).
Children may also be at risk, in the domestic abuse situation and also in child abuse situations, particularly as they are isolated from their usual support environments.
In the event of any child abuse concerns, please contact: WSCC MASH 01403 229900, https://www.westsussexscp.org.uk/2016/04/multi-agency-safeguarding-hub-mash/
Our Parish Safeguarding Officer, Jan Brockhurst, can also be contacted for advice: safeguarding@paghamchurch.org and our Domestic Abuse Co-ordinator, Linda Hill: domesticabuse@paghamchurch.org, 07759 855719.
Foodbank: please continue to donate into the crates in supermarkets, or give monetary help which is urgently required. https://bognorregis.foodbank.org.uk/give-help/donate-money/
CONTACT DETAILS
Churchwardens: Mike Wake and Stephen Cox-Rusbridge: churchwarden@paghamchurch.org, 07899 705632//07974 177905.
Church website update: email editor@paghamchurch.org to add content.
Safeguarding Officer: Jan Brockhurst: safeguarding@paghamchurch.org.
Pews News: Alison Blenkinsop: pewsnews@paghamchurch.org, 261131. Registered charity number 1134842 paghamchurch.org
SERMON
John 20:19-23 The Second Sunday of Easter 19 April 2020
The disciples on Easter Day evening were behind locked doors for fear of the Jews. They were seriously frightened, deeply disturbed and very sorrowful. Frightened because the story of the empty tomb would have got around and they may well be charged with stealing the body. Disturbed because things weren’t ringing true for them, they hadn’t understood the scriptures that Jesus must rise again. Sorrowful because they thought their Master was dead…. But then Jesus, who was not with them, came and stood among them and said ‘Peace be with you’.
And to confirm that he really was Jesus, he showed them his hands and side, they saw for themselves the scars. This really was Jesus. Jesus had risen. The disciples were with the risen Lord. The text says ‘the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord’ (v 20). I suggest that was an understatement, to put it mildly. It was too good to be true. But it was good and it was true. And the disciples turned the world upside down because of that truth.
In the Middle ages there was a lot of speculation as to whether there was a sea route from Europe to India. Was there a way to the rich land of spices and perfumes? Many believed there may be, but no one could be sure. Many sailors had attempted to go round the Southern tip of Africa, but all had failed. So treacherous were the seas around that headland that they called it the Cape of Storms. It was the scene of many wrecks. But one determined sailor was intent on trying again. This time he succeeded. Vasco da Gama had proved it could be done, he had done it. The very name of that dangerous headland was changed. No longer was it the Cape of Storms. Now it was the Cape of Good Hope.
Until Vasco da Gama rounded that headland it was pure speculation as to what was round the corner. Until Jesus rose from the dead, life after death was pure speculation. His resurrection has turned the storm of death into the Cape of Good Hope. Jesus has safely navigated the storms and so pilots us through.
Interestingly, for an event of such dynamism, an event whose effects are so far reaching, it might be said that the Gospels don’t tell us much about the resurrection. We know when it happened – on the third day, but we don’t know how it happened. That is a mystery which transcends our human understanding. Beyond our imagination, beyond our experience, nothing like it had happened before. In our Gospel, when the disciples were behind locked doors, we only read that ‘Jesus came and stood among them’(v19). How he came was a mystery. But the point of the Gospel accounts is that they are a witness to the resurrection. They don’t describe how it happened, but they are witness to the fact that it did happen. And it changed their lives dramatically. Yes, it happened.
To the suggestion that I have made, that the Gospels tell us little about the resurrection, Archbishop Michael Ramsay used to say ‘Yes, but the whole of the New Testament exists because of the resurrection’. Jesus’ life and death, the life and growth of the church, the spread of the Gospel, the witness and faith of the early Christians, the hope of final victory, are held because of the overwhelming conviction that Christ is risen. The resurrection is the last piece of the jigsaw of life that makes the rest of life’s puzzle make sense.
In the Easter Liturgy of the Orthodox tradition, a passage from a sermon of St John of Chrysostom is read ‘Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen. Christ is risen and hell has lost its prey. Christ is risen and life reigns.’
In that truth we proclaim ‘Alleluia, Christ is Risen’. ‘He is risen indeed, Alleluia’.
Colin Wood