March 2019

 

3rd 8.00am Holy Communion [Sunday next before Lent]

10.00am Prayer Time (Lady Chapel)

10.45am Family Communion

6th 9.30am Holy Communion (1662) (Tansley) [Ash Wednesday]

1.00pm Wednesday at One (Lady Chapel)

7.00pm Holy Communion & Ashing (Tansley)

7th 2.00pm Longmeadow Service

9th 1.00pm Holy Baptism

10th 8.00am Holy Communion [Lent 1]

10.00am Prayer Time (Lady Chapel)

10.45am Family Communion

12th 7.30pm Lent Group I (Meeting Room)

13th 9.30am Holy Communion (1662) (Tansley)

1.00pm Wednesday at One (Lady Chapel)

17th 8.00am Holy Communion (1662) [Lent 2]

10.00am Prayer Time (Lady Chapel)

10.45am Family Service

19th 2.00pm Valley Lodge Service

7.30pm Lent Group II (Meeting Room)

20th 9.30am Holy Communion (1662) (Tansley)

11.00am Lilybank Service

1;00pm Wednesday at One (Lady Chapel)

8.00pm PCC (Hall)

24th 8.00am Holy Communion [Lent 3]

10.00am Prayer Time (Lady Chapel)

10.45am Family Communion

26th 7.30pm Lent Group III (Meeting Room)

27th 9.30am Morning Prayer (Tansley)

1.00pm Wednesday at One (Lady Chapel)

31st 8.00am Holy Communion (1662) [Mothering Sunday]

10.00am Prayer Time (Lady Chapel)

10.45am Family Service

 

Baptisms

 

27.1.2019 Ray Dakin

 

Weddings

 

Funerals

 

18.1.2019 Bill Ludlam (Crem)

25.1.2019 Elizabeth Parsons (Crem)

 

Dear Friends

 

As Easter is late this year the beginning of Lent isn’t till 6th March when we celebrate the liturgy for Ash Wednesday. Each year the old palm crosses are gathered up & burned to create the ash (And be warned, burning palm crosses make a tremendous smell through the house, so leave the window open!). This ash is then mixed with a drop of oil & then used to anoint the foreheads of individual Christians with the words “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return. Turn away from sin and be faithful to Christ”.

 

The ash reminds us of our mortality, that we are made up of a collection of atoms that one day will return to the earth, but that in Christ we have the promise of an existence beyond this life and that through our Lord, death and decay will not have the final word. In Jesus Christ the Risen Lord, we have the promise of resurrection – “I am the way, the truth and the life.”

 

The ash is also symbolic of penitence, that in ages past people would put on sackcloth and ashes as a sign of wanting to make amends for wrongs done. Lent is the penitential season, echoing Jesus’ time in the wilderness when he faced different temptations as how to exercise power. Whether by fasting from something or taking up a spiritual discipline (or both!), Lent is a time to discipline ourselves and make time for God.

 

The ash is formed from burnt palm branches, reminding us of the events of Holy Week when Jesus was welcomed into the Holy City by crowds cheering and throwing palm fronds in front of Him, and yet a few days later the same crowds were crying out, “Crucify him!”. As human beings we can be fickle and we need God’s grace and mercy, constantly turning afresh to the Lord and away from the things we do and say that are destructive.

 

The ash is used to make the sign of the cross, reminding us of our baptism when we were marked with the symbol of God’s family. The cross is the sign of salvation and the reassurance of the depths of God’s saving love towards us.

 

May we be enabled to keep a holy Lent and deepen our relationship with our Living Lord, and may we come to know the depths of God’s love towards us.

 

Every blessing

Richard

 

 

SPONSORED TREK 2019

 

It’s nearly that time again, when our intrepid crew head up the Derwent valley from Derby to raise money for USPG. Please support us by signing the sponsorship form in the vestibule in Church or by sending donations through to Richard or one of the wardens.

In 2018, All Saints’ gave £3499.82 making it the biggest giver in Derby Diocese and the 12th biggest donor in the country! In addition, Tansley Church raised £654.43. Thank you for your support